Hades II: The Olympic Update
A few weeks ago the Hades II Olympic Update was released. A patch for the early access release of Hades II, the videogame series based on Greek mythology, the Olympic Update is a significant update that expands the gameplay, narrative, and mythological depth in Supergiant Games’ much-anticipated follow-up to Hades. Released on October 16, 2024, this patch marks a major milestone in the game’s early access phase, enriching the player experience with new regions, characters, and gameplay features designed to increase immersion and replayability. This article assumes you know a bit about Hades II already, so if you don’t, visit our old blog post about Hades II to learn more about it.
Mount Olympus Biome and Surface Expansion
A highlight of the Olympic Update is the new Mount Olympus biome, where players venture beyond the Underworld into the realms of the gods. This expansion introduces the third region on the surface path, bringing it closer to the Underworld’s completeness. Mount Olympus provides fresh environmental challenges and visual styles that contrast the underworldly aesthetics, offering players a glimpse into the celestial domain of the gods. While exploring, players encounter new enemies and hazards unique to Olympus, all designed to test their mastery of combat mechanics and reward them with unique items and powers.
This new region also houses a formidable guardian, adding a significant layer of challenge to surface exploration. This guardian is part of the new “surface route,” a branching narrative path that runs parallel to the underworld journey. Supergiant Games aims to balance the difficulty of this route with that of the underworld, but with distinct challenges and rewards, encouraging players to weigh the risks and rewards of each choice they make in their ascent.
New Weapon in Hades II Olympic Update: Xinth, the Black Coat
Another major feature is the introduction of the sixth and final weapon, the Xinth, or “Black Coat.” This unique weapon offers a novel experience compared to other arms in the game. It’s accompanied by various aspects—specific power variants that adjust its function, allowing players to tailor it to fit their combat style. The Xinth’s design takes inspiration from mythological sources, blending elegance with lethal efficiency, as it brings a mix of high damage potential and specialized capabilities into the fray. Each aspect of the weapon unlocks distinct abilities, encouraging experimentation and adaptation across the varied encounters in Olympus and beyond.
The Xinth is complemented by an array of Daedalus Hammer upgrades, which are exclusive enhancements that grant new moves and boost specific abilities. The Olympic Update reworks several of these upgrades and adds new ones tailored for the Xinth, making it possible for players to create builds that maximize the weapon’s unique features.
New Allies and Mythological Connections in the Olympic Update
In keeping with the game’s rich mythological world, the update introduces two new allies to the game, Athena and Dionysus. These allies offer unique blessings, keepsakes, and narrative arcs that deepen the player’s connection to the world. As with previous allies, building a relationship with these new characters unlocks insights into their backgrounds and struggles, adding emotional layers to the story. They also provide special abilities and strategic benefits, helping players in their journey across both the underworld and surface regions.
Each ally has a keepsake that players can earn, with effects that enhance survivability or boost offensive capabilities. These keepsakes are tied closely to the lore of the characters they represent, providing not just a gameplay bonus but also a thematic connection to the mythological roots of each ally. The keepsakes, once unlocked, become part of the player’s arsenal and can be used in future runs to add versatility to different playstyles.
Enhanced Challenge Modes: Moon Monument and Oath of the Unseen
For players looking for greater challenges, the Olympic Update introduces the “Moon Monument” and “Oath of the Unseen” mechanics. These features function as voluntary difficulty modifiers that alter gameplay in specific ways. The Moon Monument, for example, introduces time-limited challenges where success grants powerful rewards, but failure exacts a high price, forcing players to carefully consider their capabilities and resources before committing.
The Oath of the Unseen introduces a set of vows that can be activated at the start of a run, changing the parameters of combat, enemy strength, and environmental hazards. These vows allow players to customize the difficulty level by enabling or disabling specific elements, providing a highly customizable experience for both casual and veteran players. The difficulty scale of these challenges caters to players who seek replayability through increased tension and risk.
Olympic Update Expanded Story and Character Interactions
The Olympic Update also expands the narrative, adding around 2,500 new voice lines for characters. These additional lines offer further insights into the story’s evolving plotlines and complex relationships between characters. As Melinoë, players encounter both familiar faces from the original Hades and new characters unique to Hades II, each contributing to the mythic tapestry that Supergiant Games continues to weave.
In particular, the interactions between Melinoë and the gods of Olympus reveal tensions and alliances that influence her journey. These dialogues are designed not only to deepen the player’s understanding of the world but also to add humor, drama, and suspense, maintaining the unique narrative style that fans of Hades have come to love. The game’s early access model enables the developers to test and refine these interactions based on player feedback, allowing the community to actively participate in shaping the story’s development.
Crossroads Hub Customization
To provide a sense of continuity and personal expression, the Crossroads hub area has been expanded with new decorations, music tracks, and aesthetic upgrades. Players can now customize this area with items unlocked during their journey, reflecting their personal progress and taste. This customization option is reminiscent of the House of Hades in the original game, allowing players to create a space that feels unique to their journey.
The Crossroads also serves as a strategic hub where players can regroup, adjust their loadouts, and engage in dialogue with allies before venturing back into the depths. This feature underscores the game’s thematic focus on transformation and growth, as the Crossroads evolves with each decision the player makes.
Quality-of-Life Improvements and System Optimizations
The update brings a series of quality-of-life improvements, such as enhanced UI indicators for specific effects and clearer descriptive text for abilities and items. For example, upgrades to the Keepsakes now display when they expire, allowing players to plan their usage effectively. Various bug fixes and system optimizations also contribute to a smoother gameplay experience, especially on Apple M1 systems, where native support has been added to improve performance on newer Macs.
Developer Intent and Future Updates
The Olympic Update is just one of several updates planned before the full release, projected for early 2025. The developers at Supergiant Games have stated their commitment to refining the game through early access feedback, aiming to deliver a polished, feature-rich final version that surpasses the original Hades in scope and depth. Upcoming patches will continue to add content, refine mechanics, and improve gameplay balance, with new boons and enemies already in development for future updates.
In sum, the Olympic Update not only adds a wealth of content and features but also reflects Supergiant Games’ dedication to engaging the player community in the creative process. It demonstrates their commitment to expanding upon the mythological foundation of Hades, blending strategic combat, rich storytelling, and deep customization options to create a captivating experience that fans of both Greek mythology and action RPGs are sure to enjoy. Learn more about the Olympic Update on the official site of Supergiant Games or Steam.
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