As you delve deeper into the ever-shifting Underworld in Hades 2, Melinoe’s journey is made less perilous with the aid of loyal Animal Familiars. These creatures are not merely pets; they are combat allies, resource gatherers, and providers of crucial passive buffs, significantly enhancing Melinoe’s quest to confront the Titan of Time, Chronos.
Choosing the right familiar is a strategic decision. Each run in Hades 2 allows Melinoe to bring only one companion, making it vital to understand their strengths and how they synergize with your chosen build or resource needs. Whether you need a fighter by your side, a helping paw with resource collection, or a specific passive bonus, Hades 2 offers a diverse roster of familiars to suit every playstyle.
With the recent Warsong update, Supergiant Games introduced Gale the Polecat, further expanding the options for players. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of all available Animal Familiars in Hades 2, detailing how to unlock them, their unique abilities, bond types, and upgrade paths.
Unlocking the Power of Familiars in Hades 2
The First Steps to Companionship
Melinoe contemplates unlocking Familiars in Hades 2
Before you can acquire an animal companion, Melinoe must perform a specific Incantation at the Cauldron located in the Crossroads. This crucial step unlocks the ability to bond with familiars. The required incantation is the Faith of Familiar Spirits.
To unlock this incantation, you’ll need to engage with gathering tools. Prioritize using each gathering tool (like the Crescent Pick or Silver Spade) at least twice. Following this, you must overcome Hecate in combat. Crucially, before your battle with Hecate, she will engage in dialogue with Melinoe, hinting at the existence and importance of familiars. This dialogue cue is a strong indicator you are on the right track.
Upon returning to the Crossroads after meeting these prerequisites, interact with the Cauldron. You’ll find the Faith of Familiar Spirits incantation available. Casting this spell requires 2x Nectar and 1x Lotus Flower. Nectar is commonly found as a room reward (look for the Nectar symbol) or can be purchased from the Wretched Broker for 50 bones. Lotus Flowers are gathered in the watery regions of Oceanus.
Once the incantation is cast, Melinoe receives 1 Witch’s Delight. This special treat is the key to befriending an animal. Simply offer a Witch’s Delight to a desired animal familiar, and they will pledge their loyalty to Melinoe, joining her on future excursions into the Underworld and beyond.
Currently, Hades 2 presents players with five distinct Animal Familiars: Frinos the Frog, Toula the Cat, Raki the Raven, Hecuba the Hound, and Gale the Polecat. Each familiar excels in aiding Melinoe in gathering specific resources, streamlining the collection process and often eliminating tedious mini-games. For instance, Toula significantly enhances fishing, making fish spawns more frequent and automatically catching fish, bypassing the fishing mini-game entirely. This targeted resource assistance makes choosing a familiar directly relevant to your immediate needs in each run.
Meet Frinos the Frog: Your Psyche-Seeking, Projectile-Blocking Buddy
Melinoe bonds with Frinos the Frog in Hades 2
Frinos, the first familiar you’re likely to encounter, resides near Melinoe’s tent in the Crossroads. This amphibian companion is more than just a charming face; Frinos provides a valuable boost to Melinoe’s survivability and utility. He increases Melinoe’s maximum HP and possesses the unique ability to intercept and devour projectiles. This projectile-blocking skill is exceptionally useful in numerous encounters, particularly against bosses like Hecate, as Frinos can negate her troublesome polymorphing curse projectiles.
Frinos offers three distinct Bond types, each with three ranks, enhancing his support capabilities:
| Bond Type | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soul Bond | Increases your bonus to find Lost Shades by 25% when Frinos is with you. | Further increases your bonus to find Lost Shades by an additional 25% (total 50%). | Increases your bonus to find Lost Shades by a further 25% (total 75%). |
| Strength Bond | Frinos deals an extra +10 damage when leaping onto enemies. | Frinos deals an extra +10 damage when leaping onto enemies (total +20 damage). | Frinos deals an extra +10 damage when leaping onto enemies (total +30 damage). |
| Life Bond | Grants +10 Max Life while Frinos is your familiar. | Grants an additional +10 Max Life (total +20 Max Life). | Grants a further +10 Max Life (total +30 Max Life). |
Toula the Cat: Extra Lives and Fishing Expertise at Your Service
Toula the feline familiar is unlocked after casting the Woodsy Lifespring Incantation. Your first encounter with Toula will be in the fountain room within Erebus. After a brief interaction, she’ll vanish from Erebus and reappear later on the Surface.
To recruit Toula, you must embark on a Surface run. Progress through Erebus, defeat Polyphemus in Ephyra, and proceed to the Pier area. Before exiting the Pier area, carefully check the far left side – Toula will be waiting. Offer her a Witch’s Delight, and she will join Melinoe as a valuable familiar.
Toula’s strengths lie in enhancing survivability and resource gathering, specifically fishing. Her Bond types are:
| Bond Type | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claw Bond | Toula performs +1 strike in combat. | Toula performs an additional +1 strike (total +2 strikes). | Toula performs an additional +1 strike (total +3 strikes). |
| Heart Bond | Grants an additional Death Defiance and restores +10 health. | Restores an additional +10 health (total +20 health restoration). | Restores a further +10 health (total +30 health restoration). |
| Soul Bond | Increases your bonus to find Fishing Spots by 15% when Toula is with you. | Increases your bonus to find Fishing Spots by a further 25% (total 40% bonus). | Increases your bonus to find Fishing Spots by a further 25% (total 65% bonus). |
Raki the Raven: Mining Prowess and Critical Strike Enhancement
Raki the Raven is initially found in the fountain room of the Crossroads. Upon your first interaction, Raki disappears. Continue undertaking Underworld runs until you encounter Raki again in the fountain room within Erebus. Another interaction will cause Raki to vanish once more. Finally, in your subsequent Underworld run, find Raki in the Erebus fountain room for a third time. This time, Raki will be receptive to bonding. Offer a Witch’s Delight to this discerning raven, and Raki will become your familiar.
Raki’s abilities focus on improving resource acquisition, specifically mining Outcrops, and boosting critical hit chances. His Bond options are:
| Bond Type | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Bond | Grants +1% increased chance for critical hits when Raki is with you. | Grants an additional +1% critical hit chance (total +2% critical hit chance). | Grants a further +1% critical hit chance (total +3% critical hit chance). |
| Stone Bond | Increases your bonus to find Outcroppings by 15% when Raki is with you. | Increases your bonus to find Outcroppings by a further 25% (total 40% bonus). | Increases your bonus to find Outcroppings by a further 25% (total 65% bonus). |
| Wing Bond | Raki attacks enemies 25% more frequently. | Raki attacks enemies 25% more frequently than before (total 50% increased attack frequency). | Raki attacks enemies 25% more frequently than before (total 75% increased attack frequency). |
Hecuba the Hound: Magic Power and Seed-Seeking Specialist
To acquire Hecuba the Hound, you must journey into the Underworld and locate Echo in the Fields of Mourning. Follow the path towards the exit of the Fields of Mourning, and Hecuba may be present near the exit doors. Her dark fur can make her blend into the environment, so keep a watchful eye.
Interacting with Hecuba will cause her to disappear. Repeat this process across multiple runs, and focus on leveling up your existing familiars at the Crossroads. Eventually, Hecate will have an exclamation mark above her head. Speak to Hecate; she will grant the “Shared Familiar Bonds” permission, enabling the recruitment of her personal familiars, Hecuba and Gale.
After obtaining this permission, venture into another Underworld run and find Hecuba again in the Fields of Mourning. This time, you will have the option to offer Hecuba a treat. Give Hecuba a Witch’s Delight to secure her loyalty, and she will become your faithful familiar.
Hecuba’s strengths lie in augmenting Melinoe’s magic (Magick) pool and enhancing digging for Seeds. Her Bond types are:
| Bond Type | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Bond | Grants +15 maximum Magick when Hecuba is with you. | Increases your bonus to find Digging Spots by 25% when Hecuba is with you. | Increases your bonus to find Digging Spots by a further 25% (total 50% bonus). |
| Earth Bond | Increases your bonus to find Digging Spots by 25% when Hecuba is with you. | Increases your bonus to find Digging Spots by a further 25% (total 50% bonus). | Increases your bonus to find Digging Spots by a further 25% (total 75% bonus). |
| Guard Bond | Hecuba stuns surrounding enemies 15% more often. | Hecuba stuns surrounding enemies 15% more often than before (total 30% increased stun frequency). | Hecuba stuns surrounding enemies 15% more often than before (total 45% increased stun frequency). |
Gale the Polecat: Evasion Expert and Flora Finder
Gale the Polecat, introduced in the Warsong Update, requires both the Faith of Familial Spirits and Shared Familiar Bonds incantations to be completed. Players who have progressed through previous updates will likely already have these unlocked.
To locate Gale, embark on a Surface run. Gale is positioned in the final chamber before confronting Prometheus. This means you must clear the City of Ephyra, the Rift of Thessaly, and ascend the lower levels of Mount Olympus. At the summit of Mount Olympus, you’ll find Gale in the same chamber as the shop, to the right of the path leading to the Prometheus encounter.
Similar to other familiars, your first encounter with Gale might not result in immediate recruitment. After interacting with Gale, he will disappear. However, upon your second encounter in the same location, you will be able to offer a Witch’s Delight to recruit Gale.
Gale’s combat ability is focused on defense and swift counter-attacks. He blocks incoming attacks and immediately retaliates with a scratch attack. The exact mechanics of his block are still being analyzed, but it appears he blocks a limited number of attacks per encounter.
Gale’s Bond upgrades are:
| Veil Bond | Each rank increases Dodge Chance % and Movement Speed for Melinoe. |
|---|---|
| Nature Bond | Each rank increases the chance of finding Flora resources. |
| Wild Bond | Each rank increases Gale’s scratching damage after a block. |
Enhancing Your Familiars: Upgrading Bonds in Hades 2
Witch’s Delight: The Key to Familiar Growth
To upgrade your familiars and unlock higher ranks of their Bonds, you need Witch’s Delight. Approach your familiar at the Crossroads. If you wish to upgrade the familiar currently accompanying Melinoe, interact with their designated spot in the training area and instruct them to rest. Then, offer a Witch’s Delight to upgrade one of their Bond types to the next rank.
Crafting Witch’s Delight requires the Beast-Loved Morsel Alchemy recipe at the Cauldron. This recipe becomes available after casting the Faith of Familiar Spirits incantation. The primary ingredient for Witch’s Delight is Star Dust, which can be initially challenging to acquire.
Star Dust can be obtained by casting the Abyssal Night Incantation, which you receive from Chaos at the Crossroads near the Pitch-Block Stone. Alternatively, Star Dust can be earned by completing Chaos Trials or purchased from the Wretched Broker for a hefty price of 600 Bones.
By strategically utilizing Animal Familiars and investing in their upgrades, Melinoe can significantly enhance her capabilities in Hades 2, making the challenging path to Chronos and beyond a little less daunting.
