There’s another update on the Hades 2 Nendoroid at the latest Good Smile Compant Smile Fest 2024 show. While the first version shown in July 2024 was an unpainted prototype, the new version is a painted prototype that is further along in development.

The painted prototype of the Melinoe Hades 2 Nendoroid addresses some of her more unique features. For example, we can better see the colors of her two eyes. It also gives us a better idea of how her armor will look. The ultimate design of her see-through left arm isn’t addressed just yet, however. It only appeared completely painted teal for this latest version of the figure.

Here is how Melinoe is looking so far:

Hades 2 Early Access updates have been coming at a steady pace as well. Patch 3 appeared in June 2024, and it handled things like Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms and the Crossroads Cauldron. The July 2024 patch addressed Boons and Blessings.

The Hades 2 Melinoe Nendoroid is in still development, and Good Smile Company has yet to announce a launch window for it. Hades 2 is currently in early access for PCs, and there's no word yet about an exact release date for the 1.0 version.

The post Hades 2 Melinoe Nendoroid Painted Prototype Shown appeared first on Siliconera.

Chaos and comedy. Death and rebirth. Luck and, uh, running out of luck. A good roguelike doesn't treat the player like other games do. Roguelikes won't guide you helpfully along a path, or let you cinematically snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They're more likely to dangle you deep between the jaws of defeat and fumble the rope until you go sliding down defeat's hungry gullet. This is their beauty, and it's a part of why we keep coming back for another go. Next time everything will go right. Next time you'll find the right pair of poison-proof loafers, the perfect co-pilot for your spaceship, a stash of stronger, better ropes. Next time.

Here's our list of the 19 best roguelikes on PC you can play in 2024.

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Chaos and comedy. Death and rebirth. Luck and, uh, running out of luck. A good roguelike doesn't treat the player like other games do. Roguelikes won't guide you helpfully along a path, or let you cinematically snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They're more likely to dangle you deep between the jaws of defeat and fumble the rope until you go sliding down defeat's hungry gullet. This is their beauty, and it's a part of why we keep coming back for another go. Next time everything will go right. Next time you'll find the right pair of poison-proof loafers, the perfect co-pilot for your spaceship, a stash of stronger, better ropes. Next time.

Here's our list of the 19 best roguelikes on PC you can play in 2024.

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Witchy roguelike Hades 2 got a fresh update yesterday that sees a bunch of weapons getting stompier, thumpier, and, yes, whompier. It's like the hammer of Hephaestus himself was put to work on the entire armory. The Moonstone Axe's heavier attacks now channel faster, for one thing, which could make the most sluggish of the weapons a little more viable. I haven't had a go at the re-jigged bashing yet myself but I trust from these patch notes it will be subtly noticeable.

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Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week we return to an old series to see how it's evolved, we go to the underworld and play with the gods, and we go back to the Arkham game that started it all.

What have you been playing?

If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, here's our archive.

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Five of the Best is a weekly series for supporters of Eurogamer. It's a series that highlights some of the features in games that are often overlooked. It's also about having your say, so don't be shy, use the comments below and join in!

Oh and if you want to read more, you can - you can find our entire Five of the Best archive elsewhere on the site.

Which was the first game to have a dash move in it? The earliest I can think of is the Mega Man series. But was that a slide or a dash? Because although they serve similar functions, I think they're distinct things. It's tricky! Today of course, dashes are synonymous with action games, and even other kinds of games, and it's probably more common to play games with them than without them. Dashes have become a fundamental part of our gaming lexicon. But the question is, which dashes have been the most memorable - which dashes are the best?

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Hades 2 creative director Greg Kasavin said the game will be in early access "at least through the end of this year".

The much-anticipated rogue-lite sequel released into early access on PC on 6th May, though it's unknown when the game will be fully released.

Speaking to PC Gamer in the wake of the game's first patch, Kasavin detailed Supergiant's plans for the foreseeable future.

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Supergiant has discussed its first Hades 2 post-launch patch, which will be released at some point later this month.

While the team delivered smaller hotfixes periodically since Hades 2 was released in early access, this patch will include some more meaty changes, including ones focused on resource gathering and getting around.

In a post on Steam, Supergiant said it didn't want gathering resources to "feel too frustrating" for players, so this will be addressed in some fashion in the coming weeks.

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The release of Hades 2 in early access last week has given the original game a nice little player boost.

Over the weekend, the first Hades game managed to beat its own concurrent player record on Steam, with 54,240 taking on the mythological rogue-like dungeon crawler over the last 24 hours.

That's 16,491 more concurrent players than Hades' previous record of 37,749, which it set four years ago.

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Supergiant Games’ roguelike Hades 2 has been out in early access for a little over a week and a half and it’s been a pretty wonderful (and disgustingly hot) time so far. However, some players have had difficulty adjusting to protagonist Melinoë’s dash, as well as her ability to sprint. Luckily for those folks,…

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As you might’ve heard, Hades 2 is out in early access, offering up the much-anticipated sequel to Supergiant’s mythical (and delightfully thirsty) roguelite. Though the sheer amount of polish and Stuff in even its pre-release form might have you thinking that a full 1.0 release can’t be too far down the line, the game’s creative director reckons we’ve still got around a year to wait before it’s considered all finished up.

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Hell-wandering roguelike Hades 2 has received its first proper patch, and it does everything the developers said it would. You now sprint faster and, significantly, you can gather more than one type of crafting resource per run (as long you've unlocked the tool that lets you gather that resource). This means Melinoë can now go fishing, dig up seeds, mine silver, and gain the trust of errant shades, all in a single night's work. There is a catch though.

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Greek god pulverizing simulator Hades 2 is getting its first patch "later this month", say the developers. Two things are on their to-tweak list. First, something might change about the way resource gathering tools are used (the pickaxe you use to mine silver during a run, for example). Second, and perhaps more significant, is an upcoming change to the way Melinoë's dash and sprint work. We don't know exactly what that change is but, according to Supergiant, it has something to do with your witchy batterer's "distinct style".

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Five of the Best is a weekly series for supporters of Eurogamer. It's a series that highlights some of the features in games that are often overlooked. It's also about having your say, so don't be shy, use the comments below and join in!

Oh and if you want to read more, you can - you can find our entire Five of the Best archive elsewhere on the site.

The more I've tried to pin down the definition of a god in a game, the harder time I'm having with it. I began by thinking 'out-and-out gods only', the kind that represent the dominant powers in the games we play, whether we fight against them or with them. But the more I thought about it, the more that definition broadened, because aren't we always a kind of god when we play a game - don't we always have a kind of godlike power? We are able to die and keep trying until we've - usually - defeated a godlike boss or bosses, depending on what the game is. What does that make us if not a god? I am open to any and all arguments here, so have at it. Which gods in games do you think are the best?

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Hades 2 released in early access last night, and is already pulling in some impressive numbers on Steam for concurrent players.

At the time of writing, there are over 100,000 players making their way through Supergiant Games' first-ever sequel. It has eclipsed its predecessor, with the first Hades game currently holding a concurrent player record of 37,749 (although, it is worth noting that Hades was a timed-exclusive on the Epic Games Store, before it arrived on Valve's PC storefront).

Additionally, it appears the launch of Hades 2 may eventually boost the concurrent player record of the first game. Figures on SteamDB show that the first Hades recorded a peak of 36,043 players in the last 24 hours, closing in on its record from four years ago.

Read more

Sequels are always difficult, I imagine. How to capture the core brilliance of a thing and build on it? What to add, what to remove? I've always loved Sid Meier's rule of thirds for Civilisation games: one third remains the same, one third is improved, one third is totally new. But not every game is Civilisation.

Sequels for roguelikes, though? Cor. Difficulty cubed. This is because roguelikes, with campaigns composed of endlessly repeated runs, all with their own fine chances for variation? Roguelikes are games that already carry an infinite number of sequels within them. I have Spelunky runs even now which feel like sequels to the first game, where something unprecedented happens, and where I feel like I see the whole challenge in a new way, completely reframed. If Spelunky struggles with this, what hope for everyone else?

Hades 2 seems very happy being a sequel, even a sequel to a roguelike. Everything from the swift-pen art style and the evocative, pensive soundtrack, down to the menus and the fonts and the UI choices speak of a desire for continuity. After years of racing through baddy-filled rooms packed with classical horrors as Zagreus, there was almost no period of reorientation needed before I started racing through baddy-filled rooms packed with classical horrors as Melinoë. I've spoken to a few people about this, actually, and it's almost perverse: the sense of being right at home from the off is almost the most confusing thing about Hades 2.

Read more

Five of the Best is a weekly series for supporters of Eurogamer. It's a series that highlights some of the features in games that are often overlooked. It's also about having your say, so don't be shy, use the comments below and join in!

Oh and if you want to read more, you can - you can find our entire Five of the Best archive elsewhere on the site.

The more I've tried to pin down the definition of a god in a game, the harder time I'm having with it. I began by thinking 'out-and-out gods only', the kind that represent the dominant powers in the games we play, whether we fight against them or with them. But the more I thought about it, the more that definition broadened, because aren't we always a kind of god when we play a game - don't we always have a kind of godlike power? We are able to die and keep trying until we've - usually - defeated a godlike boss or bosses, depending on what the game is. What does that make us if not a god? I am open to any and all arguments here, so have at it. Which gods in games do you think are the best?

Read more

Hades 2 released in early access last night, and is already pulling in some impressive numbers on Steam for concurrent players.

At the time of writing, there are over 100,000 players making their way through Supergiant Games' first-ever sequel. It has eclipsed its predecessor, with the first Hades game currently holding a concurrent player record of 37,749 (although, it is worth noting that Hades was a timed-exclusive on the Epic Games Store, before it arrived on Valve's PC storefront).

Additionally, it appears the launch of Hades 2 may eventually boost the concurrent player record of the first game. Figures on SteamDB show that the first Hades recorded a peak of 36,043 players in the last 24 hours, closing in on its record from four years ago.

Read more

Sequels are always difficult, I imagine. How to capture the core brilliance of a thing and build on it? What to add, what to remove? I've always loved Sid Meier's rule of thirds for Civilisation games: one third remains the same, one third is improved, one third is totally new. But not every game is Civilisation.

Sequels for roguelikes, though? Cor. Difficulty cubed. This is because roguelikes, with campaigns composed of endlessly repeated runs, all with their own fine chances for variation? Roguelikes are games that already carry an infinite number of sequels within them. I have Spelunky runs even now which feel like sequels to the first game, where something unprecedented happens, and where I feel like I see the whole challenge in a new way, completely reframed. If Spelunky struggles with this, what hope for everyone else?

Hades 2 seems very happy being a sequel, even a sequel to a roguelike. Everything from the swift-pen art style and the evocative, pensive soundtrack, down to the menus and the fonts and the UI choices speak of a desire for continuity. After years of racing through baddy-filled rooms packed with classical horrors as Zagreus, there was almost no period of reorientation needed before I started racing through baddy-filled rooms packed with classical horrors as Melinoë. I've spoken to a few people about this, actually, and it's almost perverse: the sense of being right at home from the off is almost the most confusing thing about Hades 2.

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Hades 2 had some big shoes to fill. A sequel always has the difficult task of remaining true to the previous title, but with Hades being such a complete package, it was almost hard to imagine a world in which the game could be developed or evolved in any meaningful way.

Supergiant has always been up to the task and didn't disappoint here. The playstyle of Melinoë is exactly what players had hoped for, maintaining Zagreus' fast-paced, dodge-heavy, hack-and-slash playstyle while introducing several tricks of her own. Even more than that, the playstyle is indicative of the character, giving players a glimpse into the inner workings of Melinoë even just by observing how the game has changed.

How Melinoë Changes Combat

Compared to Zagreus, Melinoë is a much more versatile protagonist. While weapons still have basic attacks, combos, dash strikes, and specials, the Cast mechanic is reworked, and three more options are added in the form of Omega moves. 

The Cast undergoes the biggest change, which highlights just how differently Melinoë approaches combat. Gone is the single-shot projectile, replaced instead with a large field that holds enemies in place. Melinoë is much more about control, understanding threats, and how to approach each situation.

Many enemies, such as the Wailers and Whispers, become much more aggressive and dangerous once they approach, sometimes requiring distance and reassessment before a player goes into melee range. There is still room to be an aggressive melee fighter, but more often than not, a cool head with an eye for openings prevails.

The other meaningful addition to combat is the addition of Omega moves and a Magick bar. Attacks, Specials, and Cast can all be charged up by holding down their respective buttons, resulting in new effects that cost Magick to use. The Omega Cast stays the same between weapons, while the weapons have unique Omega effects for each.

Because of the charge time of the moves and the introduction of the Magick bar, Melinoë can often play like a spellcaster hybrid rather than the pure weapon-focused style of Zagreus. While melee still feels strong, there will be times when players use their cast and dash out of melee, using the window created by cast to charge up a powerful Omega special. The new Omega moves provide tons of opportunities in combat, giving each weapon multiple avenues for combat and expanding how players can approach Hades II.

Combat as a Reflection of the Character

It is perhaps more important to discuss how Melinoë embodies the changes to combat, adding character to the game as a whole, not just during moments of dialogue. 

Playing as Zagreus was indicative of who he was as a character. He was new to his role, butting heads with his father, out on a rash and sudden attempt to understand what was being kept from him. His playstyle was heavier on melee weapons, requiring players to face enemies head-on, jump into danger, and prepare to use pure strength and reaction time to beat their enemies. 

Melinoë, on the other hand, feels like an evolution of Zagreus. She comes from the same family line and the same base of combat is there. The way she can dodge into melee range and start to unload feels so similar to Zagreus, but she was raised differently. She never knew her family, instead being raised by Hecate, the Witch of the Crossroads. Hecate, under the orders of Hades, raised her with the single goal of overthrowing Chronos, starting her training at a young age, both as a witch and a warrior of the house of Hades. 

Fighting as Melinoë reflects both the new emphasis on witchcraft and her preparedness for the task ahead. Using her Cast to hold enemies in place creates a much more tactical feel, allowing her to choose the moments where she'll engage. Many of her weapons feature Omega spells that deal large amounts of AoE damage, allowing her to either punish the targets she holds in place or clear her other flank while they are temporarily non-threatening. The myriad options with which she can approach combat speak to her years of training with Hecate, her time sparring with Nemesis, and picking up knowledge from the master tactician Odysseus. 

The same feel and style of the original game are there beneath it all, but Melinoë takes everything one step further. Where Zagreus was brash, Melinoë is collected. Where Zagreus was aggressive and single-minded, Melinoë is calculating and careful. It all goes a long way to prove that Hades was no fluke. Supergiant understands how to build towards a single artistic vision. Melinoë is no Zagreus, and Supergiant graciously gives us the ability to explore why.

The post What’s in a Punch? How Melinoë’s Combat Style Embodies the New Direction of Hades 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Five of the Best is a weekly series for supporters of Eurogamer. It's a series that highlights some of the features in games that are often overlooked. It's also about having your say, so don't be shy, use the comments below and join in!

Oh and if you want to read more, you can - you can find our entire Five of the Best archive elsewhere on the site.

The more I've tried to pin down the definition of a god in a game, the harder time I'm having with it. I began by thinking 'out-and-out gods only', the kind that represent the dominant powers in the games we play, whether we fight against them or with them. But the more I thought about it, the more that definition broadened, because aren't we always a kind of god when we play a game - don't we always have a kind of godlike power? We are able to die and keep trying until we've - usually - defeated a godlike boss or bosses, depending on what the game is. What does that make us if not a god? I am open to any and all arguments here, so have at it. Which gods in games do you think are the best?

Read more

Hades 2 released in early access last night, and is already pulling in some impressive numbers on Steam for concurrent players.

At the time of writing, there are over 100,000 players making their way through Supergiant Games' first-ever sequel. It has eclipsed its predecessor, with the first Hades game currently holding a concurrent player record of 37,749 (although, it is worth noting that Hades was a timed-exclusive on the Epic Games Store, before it arrived on Valve's PC storefront).

Additionally, it appears the launch of Hades 2 may eventually boost the concurrent player record of the first game. Figures on SteamDB show that the first Hades recorded a peak of 36,043 players in the last 24 hours, closing in on its record from four years ago.

Read more

Sequels are always difficult, I imagine. How to capture the core brilliance of a thing and build on it? What to add, what to remove? I've always loved Sid Meier's rule of thirds for Civilisation games: one third remains the same, one third is improved, one third is totally new. But not every game is Civilisation.

Sequels for roguelikes, though? Cor. Difficulty cubed. This is because roguelikes, with campaigns composed of endlessly repeated runs, all with their own fine chances for variation? Roguelikes are games that already carry an infinite number of sequels within them. I have Spelunky runs even now which feel like sequels to the first game, where something unprecedented happens, and where I feel like I see the whole challenge in a new way, completely reframed. If Spelunky struggles with this, what hope for everyone else?

Hades 2 seems very happy being a sequel, even a sequel to a roguelike. Everything from the swift-pen art style and the evocative, pensive soundtrack, down to the menus and the fonts and the UI choices speak of a desire for continuity. After years of racing through baddy-filled rooms packed with classical horrors as Zagreus, there was almost no period of reorientation needed before I started racing through baddy-filled rooms packed with classical horrors as Melinoë. I've spoken to a few people about this, actually, and it's almost perverse: the sense of being right at home from the off is almost the most confusing thing about Hades 2.

Read more

In the grand tradition established by one (1) prior release, Supergiant dropped Hades 2 over the weekend and we at the Electronic Wireless show podcast have all been playing and enjoying it bunches! So we wanted to talk about the game, why we're enjoying it, some of the new aspects over Hades the first, and just generally go 'Ooh, this game is fun, innit?'. Not a complex podcast this week.

James isn't here, so Nate makes up some hardware news that's very exciting and yet disturbing, while he does have a mythology-themed mini game in the tower of jocularity. Plus: the games we've been playing this week, including a cute survival horror and RimWorld, still. Also, Nate asks me to explain what the hap was heckening with Helldivers 2, and if Joel remains safe.

You can listen above, or on on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, or Pocket Casts. You can find the RSS feed here, and you can discuss the episode on our Discord channel, which has a dedicated room for podcast chat.

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My older brother (as opposed to "big"; my younger brother is my big brother, because he's built like the kind of hearty giant in a JRPG who laughs a lot and carries an anchor as a weapon, while my older brother is a loathsome scribbling wizard like myself) is a gamer in a very normal sense. He was way more online when he was younger, and is the one who got me into the games of Lucasfilm, Troika and Blizzard, but these days he plays the games he likes a lot and does not read specialist websites that tell him why he shouldn't like them. He used to play loads of League Of Legends, but the game he was most into more recently was Hades. This is because he studied Classics.

I won't tell you how many years its been since he was at university, but for many years - and still sort of now, to be honest - "liking Apollo" was a key part of his personality. It's interesting, therefore, to text him about Hades 2. Partly because he wasn't even aware it was happening.

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A bunch of us at RPS have been blattering our way through the underworld of Hades 2, which came out in early access yesterday. Naturally, our favourite gods and goddesses are emerging from our evenings of hacking and/or slashing. For me, Nemesis provides a lot of chuckles. Not because she's bright and jokey (she is frownier than a wet bulldog). But because she's determined to put the player in their place and to beat you at your own roguelike. Narratively, she fulfills a role similar to Meg in the first Hades, that of closest frenemy. But in gameplay terms, Nemesis won't stoop to something as trite as a boss battle. Oh no. She's out to mess with your build.

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I’ve been sampling Hades 2’s early access build on the Steam Deck, and my only complaint – besides the smooching frog having eluded me for hours – is that it’s giving me very little to write about, performance analysis-wise. Honestly, it fits the dinky PC so well you’d have thought Supergiant had decided to make this roguelike sequel a Steam Deck game that just happened to run on desktops by accident.

Hades the first was much the same, taking to the Deck like Hercules to Augean shit, but Hades 2 barely even gives away that fact that it’s unfinished. It doesn’t crash, stutter, or hang, and there’s no point in talking about settings when it runs at a practically perfect 60fps on max quality. Make that 90fps on the Steam Deck OLED, too. It’s just a fabulous game for handhelds, even in its earliest of early access days.

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Scylla and the Sirens are a rock band of mythical boat wreckers who insist they have tons of fans. (They do not.) As a boss battle in Hades 2 they are a deadly trio that has bested me more times in the last few hours than I care to admit. But as a sign of things to come for this early access roguelike sequel, they are an encouraging bunch of characterful malcontents. The harbingers of a confident, slash-happy action game, and another poppy adaptation of classic Greek japes.

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Hades 2 sees the cast of the first game waging a war against the god of time, Chronos, who’s sacked the underworld and the family that oversaw it, including the first game’s protagonist, Zagreus, and its main antagonist, Hades himself. In order to do that, you’ve got to be a pretty big deal, and when you finally take…

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Beyond your usual resources and reagents, you also need to gather plants and seeds throughout the world of Hades 2. They're used in many spells, so finding them is a must. Here are all the plants and seeds you can find in Hades 2, and what they are used for.

Most plants are used as materials for incantations you can cast using the Cauldron in the Crossroads. Some can be gathered by hand, but others must be grown. To grow seeds you find, you must play the game long enough to unlock the 'Flourishing Soil' incantation, which gives you two plots of soil in the Crossroads. You should get the incantation not long after gathering Moly, the yellow flower needed for it. Later, you'll be able to get even more plots for a higher plant yield.

Growing seeds in Hades 2 doesn't require water or fertilizer, just patience. Every seed will show you just how long it'll take until they're fully matured into harvestable plants. The time indicates Locations cleared. So, if the time is shown as a number 5, then you must clear five Locations in a Region before the plant is ready.

All plants, seeds, and where to find them in Hades 2

Plant seeds in Hades 2 require the Silver Spade tool to be unearthed. Look for plots of soil in each Region to get seeds. Keep in mind that if you don't take the Spade with you, you won't be able to get the seeds.

Plant Icon	Plant	Seed	Where to get them	What they're used for
	Moly	None	Gather by hand in Erebus. Can also be given by Narcissus and as an award from the Fated List.	Incantations involving dispelling and nullification.
	Nightshade	Nightshade Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots in Erebus using the Silver Spade tool. Can also be given by Narcissus and as an award from the Fated List.	Incantations involving death and obscurity.
	Deathcap	None	Gather by hand in Erebus or wherever it is raining. Can also be given by Narcissus in Oceanus.	Mostly sold to the Wretched Broker for Bones.
	Lotus	None	Gather by hand in Oceanus.	Incantations involving serenity and acuity.
	Cattail	Cattail Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots in Oceanus using the Silver Spade tool.	Incantations involving restoration and relief.
	Myrtle	None	Gather by hand in the Mourning Fields (Fields of Mourning).	Incantations involving love and prosperity.
	Wheat	Wheat Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots in the Mourning Fields.	Incantations involving growth and respite.
	Shaderot	None	Gather by hand in Tartarus.	Incantations involving eternity and quietude.
	Poppy	Poppy Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots in Tartarus using the Silver Spade tool.	Incantations involving dreams and slumber.
	Moss	None	Gather by hand on the Surface in the City of Ephyra.	Incantations involving strengthened connections.
	Garlic	Garlic Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots on the Surface in the City of Ephyra.	Incantations involving resilience and fortitude.
	Driftwood	None	Gathered by hand in the Rift of Thessaly.	Incantations involving stability and buoyancy.
	Mandrake Root	Mandrake Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots in the Rift of Thessaly.	Incantations involving power and protection.
	Thalamus	Origin Seeds	Unearthed from Digging Spots in Chaos.	Incantations involving birthright and creation.
	Golden Apple	None	Rewarded for defeating the Guardian of the Rift of Thessaly.	Incantations involving beauty and fertility.
	Mystery Plants	Mystery Seeds	Rare seeds unearthed from Digging Spots in many Regions. Can also be given by Narcissus.	Can grow to become one of many different plants.

Our guide on every plant and seed in Hades 2 is not exhaustive. As this is an Early Access game, expect more changes to the guide as updates come in.

The post Hades 2 plant guide: Every seed and where to get them appeared first on Destructoid.

Out of the many materials worth gathering in Hades 2, Bones are arguably the most important. Yes, the purple calcium-rich litter is more useful than you realize, letting you trade in the stuff for resources that range from common to high rarity. Here's how to farm Bones in Hades 2.

Bones are a common reward for clearing enemy encounters in Hades 2, but that's hardly the only way to acquire them. You can easily up your Bones yield by following some easy steps, all the while staying cognizant of how and where Bones may appear.

Hades 2 Bones farming guide: Boons, incantation, Keepsakes, and more

There is a lot you can do to increase the amount of Bones earned in Hades 2. First off, you should consider the path of resource gathering. You should have the Crescent Pick unlocked already. If not, look for its incantation and then summon it to the Silver Pool in the Crossroads Training Ground. With that done, let's go over the many steps you can take to farm tons of Bones in Hades 2.

Enter doors with the Bones insignia

This should be a no-brainer, but if you're hunting down bones, be sure to pick the correct path. Doors that offer Bones as a reward are adorned by the item's symbol. For more on door symbols and what they mean, check out our guide.

Use weapons with 'Grave Thirst' activated

The number-one best way to farm Bones in Hades 2 is to complete an incantation that gives your weapons 'Grave Thirst'. When it's active, a random weapon is given Grave Thirst, which allows you to passively earn a small amount of Bones as you complete each Location in the game. You can tell which weapon has the bone thirst if it's engulfed in a black and red haze:

Here's how to get Grave Thirst:

• Unlock the Crescent Pick tool for one Ash
• Harvest Limestone in Oceanus, the second Region of the game
• Return to the Cauldron until you see the incantation 'Gathering of Ancient Bones'
  • Activate the incantation using 2 Limestone

With that complete, you can go out each night with a weapon hungry for Bones.

Multiply your chances with Poseidon's Keepsake

Poseidon offers you some of the best boons in Hades 2, and two are perfect for farming Bones in Hades 2. Seek out the God of the Sea and offer him Nectar for his Keepsake, 'Vivid Sea'. Equipping it increases the chances of Poseidon's boon appearing, and upgrading the Keepsake allows you to increase a Boon's rarity once per night.

During your farming runs, equip Poseidon's Keepsake and seek out the boons Ocean's Bounty and Double Up. The former boon makes it so resources gathered are worth more. But the second is key: Double Up has a chance of doubling any reward you find. Upgrading the boon to Rare ups the chance to 25%; and 30% at Epic.

Improve your odds with Arcana Cards

This is more of a late-game strategy, but one worth looking into. After all, you'll need Bones no matter your experience with the game. There are several Arcana Cards that allow you to change Location Rewards. You'll find them at the bottom-left corner of the card list:

Unlocking and activating these cards provide you multiple chances to re-roll a door reward.

Sell unwanted goods to the Wretched Broker

You'll get more resources than you need in Hades 2, so thankfully there's someone out there more than happy to take them off your hands. The Wretched Broker will trade any excess stock you have for Bones. Many incantations need things like Deathcap and Nightshade but, afterward, they end up mostly taking up space. Open up the 'Pawn Shop' tab and sell them to the Broker, along with other items, like fish you've captured, for some extra scratch.

Complete tasks for the Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Technically, this isn't a very reliable method to farm Bones since it takes a lot of time. However, completing tasks for the Fated List will reward you with heaps of Bones. Unlocking game mechanics, completing lists, and finishing story missions can award in dozens or hundreds of Bones. Keep an eye on the list and see if you can get a little bit further with each farming run.

By the way, here's how you can accomplish the task in the image above.

One final tip:

• If you don't have a door with the Bones symbol but there's one for Gold Coins, pick the latter and seek out Charon's shop. The Stygian Boatman often sells Bones for a fee.

That just about covers it all. Bones are exceptionally important in Hades 2, and their worth only increases the more progress you make as rarer resources get added to the Wretched Broker's stock.

The post How to farm Bones in Hades 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm switching back and forth between Hades 2 and Rotwood at the moment, which is probably why I've found myself tangled up in how the two games are similar and how they're different.

On paper, you can make them sound really quite similar: Like Hades 2, Klei's latest is an action-RPG in which you take your character and head out through a series of enemy-filled rooms, defeating all the monsters you see in each room to earn a choice of perk or upgrade of some kind. You slowly build your character for each run, then, by picking upgrades and then picking the next room based on the kind of upgrade it's going to offer. Throw in bosses and permanent character upgrades and different weapon classes and, hey, isn't that sort of Hades?

In reality, though, nobody would mistake these two games. It's a bit like how I can instantly tell whether the LA-based luxury realtor reality show on television is Selling Sunset, Million Dollar Listing or Buying Beverly Hills: sometimes the similarities are superficial, while the differences go deep.

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Earlier this week Hades 2 developer Supergiant announced its technical test, which players can sign up for now ahead of the game hitting early access.

The developer is "close" to that initial launch, with the technical test providing players a first look at how the game will play. It's not available to all, however, so Supergiant yesterday hosted a livestream to show off what players can expect from the technical test.

So what's new? I won't give too many specific details, but note there will be some light spoilers.

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Today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase event has now wrapped up, after bringing us more than 20 minutes of intriguing Nintendo Switch games from independently-minded studios.

There was no Hollow Knight: Silksong, which refuses to reveal itself despite recent listings on numerous ratings boards. There was also no sign of any familiar Nintendo franchises - which do sometimes get handed out to external indie developers elsewhere. So what did we get? Well...

Little Kitty, Big City from Double Dagger Studio, a game which looks a lot like with less of a post-apocalyptic vibe. This game is instead more about exploring, causing mischief, and helping out with jobs. Oh, and you can collect lots of kitty hats. Sold! It arrives for Nintendo Switch on 9th May.

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Nintendo's next Indie World Showcase - the cooler, more rebellious sibling to the average Nintendo Direct - will air today, Wednesday 17th April, at 3pm UK time.

That's 10am Eastern time or 7am Pacific time, if you live across the pond.

Nintendo has said to expect around 20 minutes of updates on indie games headed to Switch over the remainder of this year. Will this include the highly-anticipated Hollow Knight Silksong? There's not long to find out.

Read more

Hades 2, the hugely anticipated follow-up to developer Supergiant Games' acclaimed 2020 roguelike dungeon crawler, is almost upon us - albeit initially as an early access release - and ahead of its arrival Supergiant is hosting a technical test, with sign-ups officially now open.

Supergiant announced a second Hades was in the works at the tail-end of 2022, this time promising a new protagonist in the form of the Princess of the Underworld, a new antagonist in the Titan of Time, and a new adventure "rooted in the Underworld of Greek myth and its deep connections to the dawn of witchcraft."

Last September brought word Supergiant would be holding a Hades 2 technical test for a limited number of players ahead of its early access release - to ensure things are running smoothly before launching to a wider audience - and the studio has now confirmed that test is set to begin "shortly", with sign-ups to get involved now live.

Read more

Earlier this week Hades 2 developer Supergiant announced its technical test, which players can sign up for now ahead of the game hitting early access.

The developer is "close" to that initial launch, with the technical test providing players a first look at how the game will play. It's not available to all, however, so Supergiant yesterday hosted a livestream to show off what players can expect from the technical test.

So what's new? I won't give too many specific details, but note there will be some light spoilers.

Read more

Today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase event has now wrapped up, after bringing us more than 20 minutes of intriguing Nintendo Switch games from independently-minded studios.

There was no Hollow Knight: Silksong, which refuses to reveal itself despite recent listings on numerous ratings boards. There was also no sign of any familiar Nintendo franchises - which do sometimes get handed out to external indie developers elsewhere. So what did we get? Well...

Little Kitty, Big City from Double Dagger Studio, a game which looks a lot like with less of a post-apocalyptic vibe. This game is instead more about exploring, causing mischief, and helping out with jobs. Oh, and you can collect lots of kitty hats. Sold! It arrives for Nintendo Switch on 9th May.

Read more

Nintendo's next Indie World Showcase - the cooler, more rebellious sibling to the average Nintendo Direct - will air today, Wednesday 17th April, at 3pm UK time.

That's 10am Eastern time or 7am Pacific time, if you live across the pond.

Nintendo has said to expect around 20 minutes of updates on indie games headed to Switch over the remainder of this year. Will this include the highly-anticipated Hollow Knight Silksong? There's not long to find out.

Read more

Hades 2, the hugely anticipated follow-up to developer Supergiant Games' acclaimed 2020 roguelike dungeon crawler, is almost upon us - albeit initially as an early access release - and ahead of its arrival Supergiant is hosting a technical test, with sign-ups officially now open.

Supergiant announced a second Hades was in the works at the tail-end of 2022, this time promising a new protagonist in the form of the Princess of the Underworld, a new antagonist in the Titan of Time, and a new adventure "rooted in the Underworld of Greek myth and its deep connections to the dawn of witchcraft."

Last September brought word Supergiant would be holding a Hades 2 technical test for a limited number of players ahead of its early access release - to ensure things are running smoothly before launching to a wider audience - and the studio has now confirmed that test is set to begin "shortly", with sign-ups to get involved now live.

Read more

Supergiant Games is one of those rare studios, whose resume of stellar games has essentially ensured I will always be interested in their next project. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades were all excellent in their own ways. But going into Hades 2, I was curious just how this studio would tackle a sequel, a first for the team.

Turns out, I didn't really need to worry. I've hit the "end screen" of the Hades 2 Technical Test, and all I want to do is play more Hades 2.

Death to Chronos

The slice, available as the Hades 2 Technical Test, is essentially the opening of the game. And much like Supergiant's other games, it starts a bit in media res. You are Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld. Your mission is simple: Death to Chronos. The Titan of Time has, in some way, up-ended your happy home life. So rather than escaping up and out of hell, you're diving down towards it with vengeance in mind.

There are a few returning faces here. Some of the gods, like Demeter, Poseidon, and Aphrodite are back, decked out in new designs. There's more newcomers joining the lineup of recurring gods and deities, too. Headmistress Hecate plays the "Hades" role, running the base of operations back home. Odysseus and Nemesis hang out around the Crossroads, a spritely shade named Dora hangs out in Melinoë's room, and more gods to offer their boons. Apollo and Hestia are nice surprises, and Hephasteus is already a fan-favorite for his incredible design.

And the designs really are something else. Supergiant's always had excellent character designs, but Hades 2 sees them showing off with both newcomers and revisions of old characters. Put plainly, everyone is hot. The diversity of styles and types here is more than welcome, and really, the nigh-feral reaction from fans as they share the god designs online is more than merited. Even small touches, like Melinoë donning new attire when she gets a special dress from Arachne, give Hades 2 a familiar-but-fresh visual upgrade.

Hades 2 doesn't just shift in terms of verticality, though. Melinoë doesn't have the same weapons as Zagreus, and doesn't employ the same tactics either. One major area where the former differentiates themselves from the latter, maybe the biggest difference between Hades and Hades 2, is in its magic. Or rather, witchcraft.

Witches' brew

In the first Hades, Zagreus had a simple but effective set of tools: Dash, Attack, Special, Cast. For Hades 2, Melinoë has the same button layout, but expanded thanks to her magical abilities as a witch. Basically, the three offensive buttons — Attack, Special, Cast — can be held to charge up an empowered "Omega" version, which adds effect in exchange for some of Melinoë's magic bar.

The magic bar and how it expands Melinoë's actions, compared to Zag's, is probably my favorite part of Hades 2 so far. Just with the starting weapon, a staff, Melinoë can charge up the Attack to send out a column of magic power, striking enemies ahead of and behind her. Or the magic circle Cast can be used to bind and damage foes, if you can charge and position it properly.

There's a constant risk-and-reward of how much magic you can expend and when it's safe or dangerous to do so. Launching these "Omega" versions take time to charge up and launch, so it can leave you vulnerable to enemies while you're prepping them.

Melinoë's magic means that the Boons from the Olympians can have interesting new effects, too. I was curious how, with gods like Demeter and Poseidon returning, Supergiant would make them feel different from their original versions. But adding the ability to still use tools like Aphrodite's Weaken, within the toolset of these new attacks, works super well. Build-crafting on the fly feels really fun, and I didn't really disparage seeing the returning faces among new Boon options.

A deep dive

It should go without saying, but I do need to write it at least once: Darren Korb is killing it again on the Hades 2 soundtrack. There are a lot of familiar and noticeable motifs here, but with a witchy twist. It's hard to describe, but the music has a dark twist, like you're playing Hades during a full moon and see a black cat cross your path. I really dig it.

It only took me a few runs to blast through the opening level and make it to the first boss, which marks the "end" of the Technical Test. I can still hop back in and play right now, but I'm not allowed to advance further than that first stratum. Curiously, there seems to be other options for advancing in Hades 2; a conspicuous option to "Go Up?" lies across the aisle from the "Go Out" option that starts the run. It makes me wonder if Hades 2 has quite a bit more in store for us than we currently realize.

Either way, the Technical Test has mostly assured me that Hades 2 is looking extremely good. This alternate take on the pantheon, leaning into the witches-and-magic side of Greek mythology, works extremely well. Melinoë is already compelling, as is her headmistress Hecate and the gathering of characters assembled at the Crossroads. It really speaks for itself that even now, I'm eager to dive back into another run, to test out a new weapon or find some new Boons, even if I've only got access to a slice of the eventual whole.

The first Hades felt like an impressive new spin on the roguelite formula, while also combining the strengths of every Supergiant game before it for one big slam-dunk. Hades 2 sees Supergiant returning to the well, and still finding ways to make an even more impressive version of this kind of game. I can't wait to see more of what's in store for Melinoë.

The post Hades 2 is off to a hot start, from its action and tunes to its gods appeared first on Destructoid.

We got our first good look at the highly anticipated Hades 2 this week, and we have a lot to say about Supergiant Games’ first-ever direct sequel. But there’s also some Starfield news to get into and unpack, and some fan-casting to do. Read on for our spiciest opinions of the week.

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The Hades 2 technical test is currently live for those lucky enough to have gotten access, and I can confirm that Supergiant Games’ highly anticipated (and first ever) sequel is exactly what it should be, and then some. I had a feeling Hades 2 would be good from the moment I booted up the game and heard the…

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Hades is famously known for its tight action gameplay, unmatched ability to weave narrative into a run-based roguelike, and for Supergiant Games making the pantheon of Greek gods fine as hell. The team said that beauty was a virtue in its character design, but the fact that the original game lacked body diversity…

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Supergiant Games will soon be selecting a handful of players to be the first to try out Hades II. The hotly anticipated sequel to 2020’s roguelike darling is on the top of a lot of gamers’ wishlists, but not everybody will get a chance to try out the technical test. To spread the love to those fans who aren’t…

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Is waiting for Hades 2 to release starting to feel like a sisyphean endeavor? If so, push that boulder no longer. Supergiant announced yesterday that fans of the action roguelite can sign up now to be considered for an upcoming technical test, via Hades 2’s Steam page.

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Hades, the acclaimed rogue-like dungeon-crawler from developer Supergiant - and by 'acclaimed', we're talking Game-of-the-Year levels of good here - launches for iOS as part of a Netflix subscription later this month, on 19th March.

Hades, the fourth game from Supergiant - following the studio's impressive Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre - charts protagonist Zagreus' attempts to escape the Underworld and reach Mount Olympus, all with a little bit of help from an entire pantheon of Greek gods.

It's an isometric action-adventure built around a wonderfully punchy combat system that follows the classic rogue-like template by offering handy permanent upgrades after an escape attempt fails, all in aid of helping Zagreus inch just a little bit closer to freedom each time.

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A new way to play 2020's fantastic roguelike Hades is coming soon, but it might not be exactly what you were expecting. Streaming giant Netflix announced on March 5 that Supergiant Games’ Greek action adventure will hit iOS devices on March 19. However, you’ll need an active Netflix subscription to escape these gates…

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