Hades 2, released on May 6 in Early Access, is already surpassing its predecessor’s feats. The sequel will feel familiar enough to those who fought their way to the surface as Zagreus in the first game. Some existing systems, however, have been iterated on, with perhaps the biggest example being the incantations mechanic.
In the first game, the House Contractor was the designated spot to exchange gold and other resources for upgrades around the House of Hades. Best fitting with the theme of witches and curses, there’s now a cauldron where you can access a long list of incantations to unlock additions to your home base as well as changes to future runs in the underworld. If you’re wondering what to prioritize, here are the best cauldron incantations to unlock first in Hades 2.
Best incantations to unlock first in Hades 2
First off, it’s important to note that incantations are gradually unlocked over time. If you haven’t seen a new one become available in a while, it’s likely that you need to either complete the ones on the list first, or interact with a key character.
As a rule of thumb, if there’s somebody you haven’t seen in a while—whether it’s Hecate or one of the Chthonic gods—you should pay them a visit. Remember that Keepsakes can be a great way of increasing the chances of encountering the character that gifted it to you.
Without further ado, here are the best incantations to unlock first in Hades 2.
Night’s Craftwork
How to unlock: 1 Moly
The number one priority is possibly the Night’s Craftwork incantation. It unlocks gathering tools within the silver pool, which are the go-to method to obtain new resources, which will be required for future incantations.
Summoning of Mercantile Fortune
How to unlock: 10 Bones
A merchant might seem like a low priority, but as you start gathering more bones than you know what to do with, it becomes a necessity. Over time, you’ll be able to purchase a very useful material type here, as well as nectar, which you should always carry in your inventory.
Forget-Me-Not
How to unlock: 1 Moly
Forget-Me-Not serves as a subtle, yet useful mechanic. With it, you can manually “tag” certain recipes, and you’ll begin to see a label next to tools and certain rooms. The label serves as guidance as to what to choose to get the materials you need for the recipe, which is of great help if they’re items you haven’t encountered before.
Considering you can only select one tool at a time, and you might make it further in a run than you did before, it’s good to know what to pick before committing to the long journey ahead.
Gathering of Ancient Bones
How to unlock: 2 Lime
If you played the first game, you might remember a mechanic that empowered a weapon at random each time you prepared for a run, giving you an incentive to pick them over the others to gain extra resources. The same can happen in Hades 2, but you need to unlock an incantation first.
In a similar fashion, Gathering of Ancient Bones grants Grave Thirst to a random weapon. As a result, you’ll obtain bones each time you exit a location (a room during a run), which is great, as bones are literally the underworld’s money equivalent.
Divination of the Elements
How to unlock: 5 Psyche
Boons are a big part of Hades 2's combat once more, but there’s a new layer to this mechanic to keep in mind. After you unlock Divination of the Elements, you’ll be able to see the element of each boon when you’re selecting them after encountering a god during runs. At the same time, you’ll begin to see infusions, which are new to the sequel.
In short, infusions are a type of boon that give you certain bonuses if you meet their requirements. For example, there might be an infusion that boosts your attacks as you acquire more fire-related boons, or another that activates after having at least four ice-related boons. To help with this, certain NPCs and boons grant you the elements themselves. It’s an interesting mechanic that adds some complexity to a familiar foundation, and will definitely come in handy as you progress further.
Rite of Vapor-Cleansing
How to unlock: 2 Nightshade, 2 Moly, 2 Lotus
If you’ve been wondering how to unlock the hot springs at the Crossroads, this is the incantation for that. In short, you’ll be able to take baths with a few key characters once you’ve advanced their relationship enough. You’ll get access to bath salts, which are a gift similar to nectar, which is the central item for the hot springs.
It’s a fairly rare item, but the merchant usually has at least one up for sale whenever you’re back at the Crossroads, so make sure to stop by each time so you have spares. Then, once you’ve given a character enough nectar, you’ll be able to offer a bath salt instead. If successful, this will trigger a conversation, as well as advance time, which is great for any seeds you might have in your garden.
If you’re unsure of whether or not a character will accept your bath salts, make sure to open the character’s menu and double-check your current status. You’ll be able to see the heart icons there—if one of them has a bath salt, you might be good to go. There’s also a much later incantation, called Empath’s Intuition, that gives you the finer details of your current status with each character.
You should also focus on quest-related incantations
In case it bears mentioning, incantations such as Fated Intervention and Doomed Beckoning are quite important, as they’ll help you to advance the story and unlock even more incantations in future runs.
These incantations are quite pricey, and obtaining some of the materials needed for them will require some patience. It’s safe to assume the high requirements are by design, meant to encourage you to continue exploring further and making use of the mechanics at your disposal. Don’t fret, as the incantations mentioned above will help you with those tasks.