The music of Supergiant Games has always been vital to the experience. Now, the most memorable songs from each of the games we created in our first 10 years are brought to life like never before!

Back in January, we traveled to the world-famous Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios in London to record the unique orchestral arrangements found on this album. Our composer and audio director, Darren Korb, carefully supervised every detail of this production, while providing vocals and guitar on the album; longtime collaborator Ashley Barrett also sings for each piece, all to the accompaniment of an orchestra conducted by Austin Wintory. Watch our making-of video for a sense of what's in store!

If you like what you've heard, then we have a truly one-of-a-kind item for you in The Songs of Supergiant Games: 10th Anniversary Orchestral Collection, now available for pre-order. The album is presented on translucent red vinyl, pressed by Cleveland-based manufacturer Gotta Groove Records, and contains a full-color 24-page booklet with lyrics and trivia for each song. Also included are digital download codes for the album on both Bandcamp and Steam. The Songs of Supergiant Games is expected to ship this fall, in time for the holidays. Please visit our store for more details.

We're very excited to announce that our god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler, Hades, is coming to Nintendo Switch this fall!

It will launch when we exit Early Access with the versions of Hades currently available on PC, on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Watch our new animated v1.0 Launch Trailer, and check out Nintendo's Indie World broadcast for our announcement with first-ever footage of the game running on the Switch!

We think Hades combines the best aspects of our past acclaimed titles, including the fast-paced action of Bastion, the rich atmosphere and depth of Transistor, and the character-driven storytelling of Pyre. It's grown to become our biggest, most replayable game by a longshot... and it's going to get even bigger and better when we exit Early Access and launch v1.0, complete with the true ending, and many other finishing touches.

We think the pick-up-and-play nature of the experience makes it perfectly suited for the Nintendo Switch, and we think new and returning players are going to love having Hades on the go. And for you returning players, our planned cross-save support means your Steam or Epic Games Store progress can transfer to the Switch!

Though we're launching v1.0 of Hades this fall only on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, we will be considering opportunities to bring the game to additional platforms down the line. For now, all our focus is on making sure v1.0 of Hades on these platforms is the best game it can possibly be. You'll hear from us again about a specific launch date as we get closer. Until then!

Hades is in Early Access, which means we're actively working on it based on our plans and your feedback. We expect to keep adding features, powers, visual enhancements, music, and more, while expanding the story and fine-tuning all aspects of the experience.

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback! Our latest patch notes are below:

Early Access Patch 047 - July 2, 2020

This patch includes a last set of improvements following last week's big Blood Price Update. After any further technical fixes, our focus will shift to our v1.0 Launch later this year, and fulfilling the promise so many of you have seen in Hades!! Until then, thank you all so much for playing in Early Access!


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

Twin Fists: fixed Dash-Upper not staggering foes as intended
📢 Shield of Chaos (Zagreus Aspect): reworked; now adds base damage to Attack and Dash-Strike
Shield of Chaos (Beowulf Aspect): Hunting Blades (Ares x Artemis) no longer offered if you have this
Eternal Spear (Hades Aspect): re-scaled Spin Attack radius (it now is larger at the lowest charge)
Eternal Spear (Guan Yu Aspect): increased Skewer special width (same as before the Blood Price Update)
Adamant Rail (Lucifer Aspect): fixed Dash invulnerability persisting after canceling with an attack; range normalized with other Aspects; fixed cases where it triggered some Boon effects very frequently


Boons & Blessings

Electric Shot (Zeus): restored slight homing effect
📢 Lightning Reflexes (Zeus): now can apply Jolted Status Curse
📢 Sweet Nectar (Poseidon x Aphrodite): now also affects Pom Slices
Second Wind (Hermes): reduced scaling from rarity; fixed an issue causing duration to scale with rarity


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Flash Fire (Rail): no longer deals damage faster; now gains an attack range bonus


Keepsakes & Items

Harpy Feather Duster (Dusa): increased healing item drop chance
Gaea's Treasure (Well): reduced cost


Level Design & Environments

Minor fixes and improvements to several chambers


Art & Visual FX

Updated Keepsake icon for Bone Hourglass (Charon)
Updated look of the eavesdrop point near to Shades in the House of Hades
Minor improvements to Orpheus model textures
Minor improvements to Hypnos model textures


Music & SFX

Updated sound effects while fulfilling Legendary Aspect prophecies
Updated sound effects when activating Strong Drink (Dionysus)
Updated sound effects when activating Side Hustle (Hermes)
Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements


Voice & Narrative

Added special audiovisual effect for Boon pick-up sequences, which plays before one-time story events
In multi-character conversations, now only the first character to speak shows the TalkToMe! indicator
Minor changes and improvements to various narrative events


Miscellaneous

Lord Hades now slams his desk disapprovingly when he believes it is warranted
Improved error messaging around corrupted save data (may you never see it)


Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed various additional crashes reported by players
📢 Fixed Eclipse (Chaos) blessing not displaying accurately in some cases while viewing Boon Info
Fixed travel sound of barges in Asphodel cutting off between chambers
Fixed Lord Hades writing feverishly rather than glaring at characters he is interrogating in some events
📢 Fixed Mirror, Guard-Post not being offered as expected by the House Contractor
📢 Fixed a display issue with Dark Reflections (Fated List) where Stubborn Defiance appeared twice
📢 Fixed an issue where the Mouse Lock setting could cause the cursor to get stuck
Other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n.
~Paradise Lost (John Milton)


Early Access Patch 046 - June 30, 2020

This patch contains additional performance and stability improvements, balance changes, and more. We're anticipating one more patch this week, to tie up any other loose ends with the Blood Price Update.


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

Eternal Spear: slightly increased attack range; increased damage of first thrust in the attack sequence; increased Throw special speed
Eternal Spear (Zagreus Aspect): fixed an issue where this was not affecting charge-up time
Eternal Spear (Achilles Aspect): increased number of damage bonus instances; Throw special now is press-and-hold for variable range; Charged Skewer and Chain Skewer no longer offered if you have this
Eternal Spear (Hades Aspect): now also increases Spin Attack radius
Heart-Seeking Bow (Rama Aspect): slightly reduced charge time (it is faster); increased Power Shot damage; reduced fire speed and autolock angle of Volley special


Boons & Blessings

📢 Bronze Skin (Athena): improved scaling from Poms
📢 Strong Drink (Dionysus): no longer offered if you have not unlocked the Tartarus Fountain Chamber
Drift Dash (Hermes): now also makes you Sturdy; now called Hyper Sprint
Eclipse (Chaos): now also gives bonus Gemstones
Brilliance (Chaos): cut from game (due to the previous change)
Ruin (Chaos): cut from game


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Double Nova (Blade): no longer reduces area-of-effect
📢 Repulse Shot (Bow): increased knockback
Piercing Volley (Bow): significantly increased damage to Armor
Minotaur Rush (Shield): increased damage; Power Charge timing easier to execute
Flurry Jab (Spear): adjusted auto-attack, improving interaction with Swift Strike (Hermes); fixed a bug where it could be offered if you had Flaring Spin (Daedalus - Spear)
Flying Cutter (Fists): reduced charge-up time (it is faster)
Heavy Knuckle (Fists): increased damage
Quake Cutter (Fists): increased damage


Foes & Encounters

📢 Final Boss: you no longer auto-lock to the summoned urns


Well of Charon & Other Items

Price of Midas: increased minimum money value for life sacrificed


Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Chthonic Knowledge: increased required number of Codex unlocks to fulfill this
God of Swiftness: now also requires finding Bad News (Hermes)


Menus & UI

If you have insufficient Chthonic Keys for a Mirror of Night unlock, the cost now appears in red
Unified formatting on the 'Reset' button in the Controls and Settings screens


Art & Visual FX

Minor fixes and improvements to several chambers


Music & SFX

Added sound effect variations for purchasing different Well of Charon items
Adjusted activation sounds for several 1-stock Olympian Call effects (some were much quieter than others)
Adjusted sound effects for Eternal Spear (Achilles Aspect) Throw special
Adjusted sound effects for Flying Cutter (Daedalus - Fists)
Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements


Voice & Narrative

Zagreus voice lines identifying foes should play more reliably when you first encounter them
📢 A conversation with Achilles about Aspects is no longer needed for him to reveal the Aspect of Guan Yu
Numerous other minor changes and fixes to various events


Miscellaneous

Added more localized strings for Blood Price Update content (thank you, Community Translators!)
📢 The Keepsake Screen now has unique messages for each Chthonic Companion, after forging a bond
📢 Increased appearance rate of Fishing Points in Chaos; updated Head Chef rewards to compensate
Adjusted appearance rate of Fishing Points in Tartarus (they were too likely to appear in the first chamber)
Voice hint plays slightly sooner when repeatedly attempting to use Cast while out of Bloodstones
Improved presentation when Strong Drink (Dionysus) activates
Adjusted presentation timing when Side Hustle (Hermes) activates, just after entering chambers
Minor fixes and improvements to the presentation when you enter the Bone Hydra's chamber
📢 Tuned interact distances on Lyre and Gaming Table decorative items
📢 Reduced requirement for final Codex entry for the dreaded Red Onion
Updated text feedback for near-miss effects on Ruthless Reflex (Mirror) and Lightning Reflexes (Zeus)
Reduced frequency of how often you can admire Skelly's unlockable prizes (if you have them all)
Minor text changes, formatting, and fixes


Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed various additional crashes and performance issues reported by players
📢 Fixed issue where mouse cursor could flicker unexpectedly for some players
Fixed Bone Hydra main head variants appearing sooner than intended early on
Fixed rare issues where Chthonic Companion summons could deal bonus damage from certain effects
Fixed issues with Shield of Chaos (Beowulf Aspect) when Cast abilities are purged
Fixed visual issues toggling between Fireplace decorative items in the House of Hades
Fixed Codex update prompt occurring in the midst of fighting the Bone Hydra
Fixed attack sound sometimes persisting while fighting Theseus under Extreme Measures (Pact)
Fixed voice hint about your Dash not playing when intended the first time you meet Eurydice
Fixed Dionysus Wall-Scroll decorative item appearing in flashback sequences
Fixed incorrect icon using Stubborn Defiance (Mirror) in the Courtyard
Other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

Sharp as a serpent's venomed fang
Straight to its mark the arrow sprang,
And from the giant's body shred
With trenchant steel the monstrous head.
~The Ramayana (Valmiki; R.T.H. Griffith translation)


Early Access Patch 045 - June 26, 2020

Thanks so much for the enthusiastic response to this week's Blood Price Update! Following several technical hot-fixes, this patch contains additional fixes and balance changes. Expect another patch this coming week, then we begin the final stretch of development before our v1.0 Launch later this year!


Engine & Tech

We hotfixed several crashes and performance issues, and will continue to do so if additional issues arise
Note: If you experience any issues with graphics or performance, please check our Technical Support FAQ at discord.gg/Supergiant for possible solutions


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

📢 Adamant Rail: reduced scatter while firing
📢 Shield of Chaos (Beowulf Aspect): Throw special now bounces once; slightly increased attack speed; reduced damage penalty


Boons & Blessings

📢 Strong Drink (Dionysus): no longer offered if you have not unlocked the Tartarus Fountain Chamber
Quick Reload (Hermes): increased power level; significantly improved scaling from rarity
Quick Recovery (Hermes): slightly increased power level


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Snap Nova (Blade): now also increases the base damage of the Nova special
Perfect Shot (Bow): now also makes Power Shots easier to execute (the timing is more lenient)
Dashing Flight (Shield): no longer offered if you have Charged Flight (and vice versa)
Explosive Upper (Fists): increased damage
Concentrated Fire (Rail): increased damage
Hazard Bomb (Rail): removed the inability to aim your Bombard special (just be sure to get out of the way)


Foes & Encounters

The Exalted: fixed an issue causing the Brightsword, Strongbow, and Greatshield to deal somewhat more damage than intended; their damage is restored to what it was before the Blood Price Update
📢 Doomstone: slightly reduced Armor


Level Design & Environments

Improved collision at the Great Hall and Lounge intersection in the House of Hades
Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers


Art & Visual FX

Added icon for Fireplace, Infernal decorative item offered by the House Contractor
Updated visual effects for footprints in the Final Boss encounter
Updated look of 'Renovate' interact point in the Prince's Bedchambers
Updated visual effects for healing in Fountain Chambers


Music & SFX

Updated attack sounds for the Wringer
Updated sound effect when foes are destroyed
📢 Adjusted sound effect for when you use up your last Death Defiance
Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements


Voice & Narrative

Updated several older voice lines
Minor changes and fixes to various events


Miscellaneous

The Bone Hydra's neck pieces are closer together when you enter its chamber
Fixed text size being larger than intended talking to Shades in the House of Hades
Minor text changes, formatting, and fixes


Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed various crashes and performance issues reported by players
📢 Fixed requirements for fulfilling War-God's Bloodlust (Fated List) (this was in a hotfix since last patch)
Fixed incorrect icon for Greater Consecration (Daedalus - Blade)
Fixed a small visual issue with the Wringer phase-in animation
Fixed a looping sound sometimes persisting with Theseus under Extreme Measures (Pact)
Fixed a camera issue when encountering the Final Boss
Fixed Zagreus becoming stuck in the firing animation with the Spear Throw special
Fixed Zagreus sometimes turning backwards entering Alecto's chamber (there is no escape)
Other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

He went then in blazes, bended and striding,
Hasting him forward. His life and body
The targe well protected, for time-period shorter
Than wish demanded for the well-renowned leader
~Beowulf (Anonymous; J. Lesslie Hall translation)

Patch Notes Archive

For the full patch notes from the initial launch of this Major Update, check out The Blood Price Update Patch Notes (June, 2020).

Our god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler, Hades, just got a big shot in the arm with our eleventh Major Update -- our last one before our v1.0 Launch later this year! The Blood Price Update packs more of just about everything: foes, chambers, Boons, upgrades, Weapon Aspects, items, House decorations, story, music, and on, and on! Here are the highlights:

  • The Stygian Boatman, Charon, is finally unmasked, and has new inventory in stock in his shops & Wells (plus a surprise or two)!

  • Discover three new Legendary Weapon Aspects, including the Shield's Aspect of Beowulf and the Bow's Aspect of Rama!

  • Get new Boons from each Olympian, including Duo Boons for every pairing, plus new Daedalus Hammer upgrades for each weapon!

  • Take on new foes, mini-bosses, even a hidden boss! Beware the Wretched Sneak, Doomstone, Dracon, and other dangers.

  • We've also added more story than any other update, with more than 3,500 new voice lines, and new events for almost every character!

See it in action:

This update also features a huge amount of new-and-improved art and audio, not to mention a totally revamped code base that should make the game run even faster and smoother for many players. You'll be able to get closer than ever to the game's big cast of characters as you gear up for the true ending, coming in our v1.0 Launch.

Full patch notes are available here on our web site, in the game client, and our official Discord, where you can join a welcoming community of Hades players and Supergiant fans. Or, if you prefer a 28-minute dramatic-reading format, courtesy of our disembodied storyteller, we have that for you as well:

We hope you have a great time with this latest Major Update!


Hades Development Roadmap Update - June 2020

You can always see our latest Development Roadmap right in the game client. We wanted to share highlights from our latest update here:

In our third and latest Major Update this year, we made big, important under-the-hood changes to our code base, improving performance and multiplatform capability. We also added new content pretty much across the board.

What's Next: Our next big step is to exit Early Access for the v1.0 Launch of Hades, coming later this year! It will include the true ending of the story, plus many additional finishing touches. Release Date & Platforms: As of this writing, we don't yet have a more-specific date for our v1.0 Launch, other than 'later this year'. We also can't yet confirm any additional platforms. Thank you for your patience, and check here or social media for the latest news. High Priority Tasks: These are the big-ticket items we have to take care of before we can exit Early Access for our v1.0 Launch:

  • Game Ending: Though we wish to keep the details a secret, we're continuing to work on content for the game's true ending.

  • Polishing & Content Completion: We have some other additional content pieces in the works, plus final fixes and improvements.

  • Multiplatform Development: Each platform we support requires special care and attention, both in features and optimizations.

  • Localization: We're working with professional and community translators to ensure the game is fully translated for our v1.0 Launch.

Hades has now been in the works for about three years. The very first decision we made on the project was to make it an Early Access game, something we could build in partnership with our community. We also wanted to prove that Early Access development could be compatible with our approach to making games. We couldn't be happier with how the experiment has gone. Your feedback has made this game so much better than we could have on our own, so keep telling us what you think. Onward to our v1.0 Launch!

Our god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler, Hades, is bigger and better than ever with the advent of our tenth Major Update! The Nighty Night Update lets you get your mitts on a fierce new weapon, customize your playstyle with all-new Talents, and delve even deeper into the story. Here are the highlights:

  • Harness the Twin Fists of Malphon, and pulverize your foes with fists of fury! Features three unique Aspects to unlock!

  • Choose from all-new Mirror of Night Talents, opening up completely new playstyles and powerful builds!

  • Discover the Stygian Blade's legendary Aspect of Arthur, & defend yourself with its holy might!

  • Break into the Admin Chamber in the House of Hades, & have a look at your Permanent Record!

  • New chambers, story events, artwork, and much, much more!

See it in action:

This update also introduces a slew of graphical enhancements, improving the clarity of the action without sacrificing the spectacular look. Plus, you can learn more about Nyx, incarnate of night, and her vital role in the Underworld, and deepen your relationships with characters such as Orpheus, Artemis, and Zeus.

Full patch notes are available here on our web site, in the game client, and our official Discord, where you can join a welcoming community of Hades players and Supergiant fans.


Hades Development Roadmap Update - March 2020

You can always see our latest Development Roadmap right in the game client. We wanted to share highlights from our latest update here:

Having launched the Nighty Night Update, our next Major Update is slated for June. This is a longer wait than our previous updates, and for the first time, we are not prepared to commit to a specific launch date (yet). The reason is, we need this time to complete a significant technical update to our code base, which will yield two benefits:

  • Multiplatform Capability: Our updated code base will let us bring Hades to additional platforms, which has always been one of our goals (We expect to bring Hades to other platforms once our Early Access is complete sometime this year; we haven't decided on all those platforms just yet)

  • Improved Performance: Our updated code base should make Hades run better on more system configurations

These benefits are important to the future of this game, even if they do not have an immediate, visible impact for all our Early Access players. We really appreciate your patience and understanding as we execute this significant bit of under-the-hood work.

Technical Beta: Prior to the official launch of our next Major Update in June, we are planning to have a technical beta for our updated code base. Details to come via Twitter, Discord, and Steam.

June Update Preview: While our engineering team will be busy with our code base, our content team will be busy polishing many aspects of the game, and creating new Boons, Well of Charon items, Weapon Aspects, story content, music, and more. So, while our next Major Update may not be loaded with tons of new features, it should still be content-rich, while putting us in a good spot for continued development.

Release Date & Platforms: The launch date and platforms for v1.0 of Hades are still to be determined. However, we can safely say our next Major Update, slated for June 2020, will not be the last between now and our v1.0 later this year (when we exit Early Access).

Until next time, thank you for playing, and good luck getting out of hell!

Hades is in Early Access, which means we're actively working on it based on our plans and your feedback. We expect to keep adding features, powers, visual enhancements, music, and more, while expanding the story and fine-tuning all aspects of the experience.

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback! Our latest patch notes are below:

Early Access Patch 043 - March 24, 2020

This patch contains more localized text and improvements following this month's Nighty Night Update. Thank you for playing and for your feedback, and see you again for our next Major Update in June!


Foes & Encounters

📢 'Trial of the Gods': reduced move speed penalty applied by Demeter's attack if you spurn her
📢 Splitter: will not retreat as far onto magma pools; reverted change from last patch that made them less likely to retreat (this had some negative side effects we expect to address in a future update)
Tiny Vermin: fixes and tuning to some behaviors of this recently-added Temple of Styx mini-boss


Keepsakes & Items

📢 Companion Rib (Skelly): increased health for summoned companion


Level Design & Environments

Minor fixes and improvements to various chambers


Art & Visual FX

Updated visual for the Permanent Record object in the Admin Chamber
Improved look of the defensive aura expiring with the Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect)
Other minor fixes and improvements


Music & SFX

Added sound effects for shades pleading their cases to Lord Hades
Updated sound effects for recently-updated 'There Is No Escape' and 'Boss Vanquished' messages
Updated sound for Ice Wine (Demeter x Dionysus)
📢 Updated ambient sound in the Admin Chamber
📢 Updated ambient sound during Remembrance sequences
Other minor changes and improvements


Voice & Narrative

Extended Affinity Gauge for Aphrodite (you can give her more gifts)
•; Primordial Chaos now sometimes speaks via the Shield of Chaos (Chaos Aspect) after a certain point...
Added more contextual voice lines for the Permanent Record and Security Log screens
📢 Reduced the requirement for the newer Flashback Sequence (it can occur sooner than before)
Adjustment some Inspect Points in the newer Flashback Sequence
Fixed scripting issues with the recently added subplot between Nyx and Dusa
Fixed some losing-streak events for certain bosses playing too infrequently if you met the requirements
Fixed Lord Hades judgment voice lines conflicting with his House Contractor purchase voice lines
Fixed Hypnos consolation event for dying to the effects of Tight Deadline (Pact) not playing
Other minor fixes and tuning to various events


Miscellaneous

Added more localized strings for Nighty Night Update content (thank you, Community Translators!)
Added a Victory Screen Commendation, Legendary Boon Boy, for clears with many Legendary Boons
Updated requirements for Victory Screen Commendations that were too frequent or infrequent
Improved presentation for vanquishing the Tiny Vermin in the Temple of Styx
•; Improved presentation timing for successive encounters with said Tiny Vermin
Improvements to scrolling in the Permanent Record screen
Improved House Contractor purchase presentation for Administrative Privilege and Eldest Sigil
Added preview icon for the Bloodless Sculpture in the House Contractor screen
Minor text changes and fixes


Bug Fixes

Fixed a rare progression blocker on a specific event path with the Fallen Warrior in Elysium
Fixed rare cases where boss damage limits between phases could be bypassed at the start of fights
📢 Fixed issues interacting with Eurydice after the conclusion of her subplot with Orpheus
📢 Fixed a rare issue where Zagreus and the final boss could die at the same time (there can only be one)
📢 Fixed visual issues where Zagreus could get stuck in the firing animation with the Bow
Fixed visual issues with Long Knuckle (Daedalus - Fists)
Fixed UI for Nectar sometimes remaining visible between chambers
Fixed shades in the final chamber of Elysium sometimes facing the wrong way
Fixed some trap interactions with the defensive aura created by the Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect)
Fixed not being able to scroll to the Fated Persuasion (Mirror) ability in the Well of Charon
Fixed an Inspect Point that was not appearing after the battle with Megaera
Other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

"'True, Zeus shrank from doing a thing to outrage rushing Night.'"
~The Iliad (Homer; R. Fagles translation)


Early Access Patch 042 - March 17, 2020

Following last week's Nighty Night Update, this patch packs more balance changes, fixes, improvements, and story events. Expect another patch before we shift focus to our next Major Update.


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

📢 Stygian Blade: Nova special fires in the direction of the cursor (default mouse-and-keyboard settings)
📢 Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect): adjusted hitboxes to better match attack visuals; defensive aura prevents floor traps from activating; defensive aura briefly flashes before it expires
📢 Eternal Spear (Guan Yu Aspect): fixed issues where changes to max life were not always correct


Boons & Blessings

Heaven's Vengeance (Zeus): improved scaling from Poms
Sunken Treasure (Poseidon): increased prerequisites (it should not be offered as early in an escape attempt)
Holy Shield (Athena): improved scaling from Poms
Merciful End (Athena x Ares) : fixed it sometimes not being offered by Ares
Curse of Vengeance (Ares): improved scaling from Poms
Wave of Despair (Aphrodite): increased damage; reduced damage radius; improved scaling from Poms
Dual Shot (Artemis): reduced power left; reduced power scaling from Poms
Fully Loaded (Artemis): increased prerequisites (it should not be offered as early in an escape attempt)
Winter's Harvest (Demeter): increased prerequisites (it should not be offered as early in an escape attempt)
Flayed (Chaos): fixed an issue preventing it from affecting the Fists' Dash-Upper


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Piercing Volley (Bow): increased damage to Armor
Relentless Barrage (Bow): fixed greater-than-intended shot count with Aspect of Chiron
Rush Kick (Fists): reduced damage; slightly increased charge-up time
📢 Draining Cutter (Fists): life-drain effect now also activates from Aspect of Talos magnetic pull
📢 Quake Cutter (Fists): reduced damage; stomp now modified by Boon effects


Foes & Encounters

Thanatos: fixed Shattered Shackle (Sisyphus) boosting his damage unintentionally
📢 Splitter: less likely to retreat over magma pools


Mirror of Night

Fated Persuasion: after using it, you will now always be offered at least one new selection


Keepsakes & Items

Lambent Plume (Hermes): timer now should stop reliably as soon as bosses are vanquished
📢 Companion Fidi (Dusa): projectiles no longer slowed by your abilities
Fixed several cases when Summon abilities could be used while they were meant to be disabled


Pact of Punishment

📢 Benefits Package: banned certain Perks from certain types of foes


Permanent Record & Security Log

The screen formerly known as the Permanent Record is now called the Security Log
Permanent Record: new! Shows progress with weapons, Boons, and more (find it in the Admin Chamber)
Note: This is a first-pass version of this screen, which we expect to continue improving in subsequent Major Updates


Level Design & Environments

Adjusted layout in smaller chambers in Asphodel (those added in the Nighty Night Update)
Fixed Brimstones being able to fly out of bounds in a certain Tartarus chamber
Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers


Art & Visual FX

📢 Further adjustments to the look of Olympian Boon pick-ups, making their colors more distinct
Added new character model for the Fallen Warrior in Elysium
Added animations for Lord Hades while judging shades gathered in the Great Hall
Updated animation for Skelly when summoned by Companion Rib
Updated animation for Dusa when summoned by Companion Fidi
Updated visual effects for some upgrades, abilities, and animations for the Twin Fists
Updated icons for some Mirror of Night Talents
•; Added more animations for the new mini-boss encounter in the Temple of Styx


Music & SFX

📢 Improved audio feedback when activating Ruthless Reflex (Mirror)
Added material sounds to some objects in Asphodel
Other minor changes and improvements


Voice & Narrative

Added new events to a subplot between Nyx and Dusa
Added more dialogue events with Nyx, Chaos, Artemis, Zeus, Aphrodite, Achilles, and others
Minor fixes and tuning to various events


Miscellaneous

Added and updated more localized strings for content from the Nighty Night Update
📢 Reduced requirements to fully unlock River Denizens entries in the Codex
📢 Updated placement of fishing points in various chambers
📢 Updated placement of Infernal Troves in various chambers
📢 Updated placement of Chaos Gates and Infernal Gates in various chambers
The Eldest Sigil has an updated look after you restore it through the House Contractor
Shades in the Administrative Chamber may emote from time to time
Added unique tutorial objectives in the Courtyard while using Aspect of Demeter (Fists)
Removed the Triathlete Victory Screen Commendation, which was appearing too often
Minor presentation improvements when purchasing Eldest Sigil Restoration and Administrative Privilege from the House Contractor
Minor formatting improvements to Security Log screen
Minor text changes and fixes


Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed an issue where you could get limited Cast ammo using Routine Inspection (Pact)
📢 Fixed various display issues with Nourished Soul (Demeter)
📢 Fixed visual effects not appearing correctly with Flying Cutter (Daedalus - Fists)
📢 Fixed Boon Info not appearing reliably while interacting with characters such as Sisyphus
Fixed a graphical issue with Valuable Urns in Asphodels
Fixed a graphical issue unlocking new Mirror of Night Talents
Fixed audiovisual issues with Ice Wine (Demeter x Dionysus)
📢 Fixed requirements for fulfilling Close at Heart (Fated List)
📢 Fixed requirements for fulfilling Goddess of Seasons (Fated List)
📢 Fixed voice lines sometimes not playing when encountering the Bone Hydra
📢 Fixed voice lines not playing reliably after making purchases from the House Contractor
📢 Fixed incorrect instruction text appearing in some contexts in the Pact of Punishment
Other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

'Then he drew his sword Excalibur, but it was so bright in his enemies’ eyes, that it gave light like thirty torches. And therewith he put them a-back, and slew much people.'
~Le Morte D'Arthur (Thomas Malory; A. W. Pollard translation)


Early Access Patch 041 - March 11, 2020

This patch contains bug fixes, art and UI improvements, and new story events, following yesterday's Nighty Night Update. We expect to patch again in the coming days. Thank you for playing!


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

Twin Fists: improved input buffering after flurry attack; reduced hit pause on Cutter special and Dash-Special (note: this was added as part of a hotfix yesterday)


Boons & Blessings

Huge Catch (Poseidon): this recently added Legendary Boon now has a chance to be offered in subsequent escape attempts following its unique introduction event


Foes & Encounters

Skull-Crusher: slightly adjusted attack timing under the effect of Middle Management (Pact)
Megagorgon: reduced Blink ability timing variance under the effect of Middle Management (Pact)


Pact of Punishment

📢 Benefits Package: banned certain Perks from certain types of foes; reduced bonus Armor from Bruiser Perk


Level Design & Environments

📢 Removed several urns that had no real business being in the Final Boss chamber
Minor improvements to one of the new chambers in Asphodel


Art & Visual FX

📢 Further improvements to the look of Olympian Boon pick-ups, making Olympians easier to spot
Added unique visuals for text presentation when Zagreus dies
Added unique visuals for text presentation when Zagreus vanquishes a boss
Added animations for the new mini-boss encounter in the Temple of Styx
Improved visual effects on Twin Fists (Demeter) Giga Cutter special
Added unique icon for Broken Resolve (Aphrodite)
Slightly reduced the visual size of the interact object for the Shield of Chaos out in the Courtyard


Menus & UI

📢 Adjusted Armored foes' health bars so depleted Armor looks more distinct from depleted Life
📢 Updated damage numbers presentation so Critical numbers appear on their own
📢 Updated Cast tooltip while using Stygian Soul (Mirror)


Music & SFX

Updated sound effects for Twin Fists (Demeter) Giga Cutter special
Updated sound effects for the new mini-boss encounter in Temple of Styx
Other minor changes


Voice & Narrative

Added quite a few more narrative events with and about Nyx
Added more Inspect Points to the Admin Chamber
Minor fixes and tuning to various events


Miscellaneous

Added some additional localized strings for content updated or introduced in the Nighty Night Update
Updated Credits with additional Community Contributors
Various minor text fixes and presentation improvements


Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed a game freeze that could occur when multiple characters speak simultaneously
📢 Fixed a crash involving assembled shades in the House of Hades
📢 Fixed several other crashes reported by users
📢 Fixed music issues and soft locks as part of the Orpheus & Eurydice subplot
Fixed an issue where the incorrect Olympian appeared in one of the new Duo Boon conversations
Fixed tooltips not reliably showing up while mouse-highlighting Talents in the Mirror of Night
Fixed incorrect Dash-Strike visuals using Twin Fists (Talos)
Fixed Affinity Gauge unlock animation not appearing as expected with certain characters
Fixed an issue where insufficient Darkness was refunded in some cases (involving the Pact)
📢 Fixed incorrect text appearing in some Death Defiance tooltips
Fixed a pathfinding issue with Thanatos in a certain chamber in Asphodel
Fixed a visual issue with some door animations in the Temple of Styx
Fixed an issue in Thanatos encounters with Benefits Package (Pact) where you got credit for slaying self-destructing Exalted Shades
Fixed Skelly sometimes talking while Skelly was already in the middle of talking
Minor art and visual effect fixes
Minor text fixes


Quote of the Patch

'Goddess of phantoms and of shadowy play, whose drowsy pow'r divides the nat'ral day:
By Fate's decree you constant send the light to deepest hell, remote from mortal sight'
~The Hymns of Orpheus - "To Night" (T. Taylor translation)

Early Access Patch 040: The NIGHTY NIGHT Update - March 10, 2020

This Major Update opens up even more ways to battle out of hell, with a powerful new weapon, new weapon Aspects, and lots more story to sink your teeth into! As always, we will be closely monitoring feedback and are planning on at least a couple of follow-up patches. Thank you very much for playing!


Highlights

Malphon, the Twin Fists: pummel your foes into the ground with this furious close-quarters weapon
Mirror of Night Rework: now with twice the Talents, inviting more choices to fit your playstyle
Aspect of Arthur: wield the might of Holy Excalibur with this legendary Aspect of the Stygian Blade
Improved Visual Effects: we've made frenetic combat easier to parse without compromising the oomph
New Pact of Punishment Conditions: see if you can survive Benefits Package and Routine Inspection
Administrative Chamber: access your Permanent Record beyond a mysterious locked door in the House
New House of Hades Events: the god of the dead's residence is livelier than ever
Expanded Story: hours of added narrative featuring Nyx, Chaos, Artemis, Zeus, and more


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

Twin Fists: new! Unlock earlier weapons to reveal this (once you return from an escape attempt)
Twin Fists (Zagreus Aspect): new! Gain attack speed and dodge chance
Twin Fists (Talos Aspect): new! Drag foes to you with the power of the Magnetic Cutter
Twin Fists (Demeter Aspect): new! Obliterate foes with the power of the Giga Cutter
Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect): new! Seek Nyx to learn more (unlock Guan Yu and Blade aspects first)
Eternal Spear (Guan Yu Aspect): Spin attack now bounces off obstacles rather than passing through
Adamant Rail: increased accuracy; now the sixth weapon to be unlocked, after the Twin Fists
Added one more frame of invulnerability to the Dash (you now are fully invulnerable until you can move)


Boons & Blessings

Reduced base offering rate of Legendary and Duo Boons; a new Mirror Talent lets you boost this
Huge Catch (Poseidon): new! Increases chance of finding fishing points
Holy Shield (Athena): fixed Evergreen Acorn (Eurydice) activating at the same time when you are hit
True Shot (Artemis): reduced damage scaling from improved rarity
📢 Unhealthy Fixation (Aphrodite): can now be offered if you have Broken Resolve; fixed issues where Charmed damage bonus did not expire
Battle Rage (Ares): expires after first hit from Aspect of Zeus Throw special; no longer expires when recalling the Spear's Throw special
📢 Urge to Kill (Ares): improved scaling from Poms
Snow Burst (Demeter): now correctly fires at your position while loading ammo using Aspect of Hera; no longer hits through obstacles
📢 Mistral Dash (Demeter): increased damage
📢 Atrophic (Chaos): fixed issues causing incorrect adjustments to Life Total
Roiling (Chaos): duration no longer reduced by Boss encounters (since it does not affect those encounters)
Auto Reload (Hermes): new! Regenerate Bloodstones faster (if you have a certain Mirror talent)
Bad News (Hermes): new! Deal bonus Cast damage to foes without Cast ammo in them (if you have a certain Mirror talent)
Greater Recall (Hermes): now requires first having one of Hermes' Cast-affecting Boons
Flurry Shot (Hermes): reduced power scaling from improved rarity
Quick Reload (Hermes): increased power scaling at Heroic rarity


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

📢 Double Nova (Blade): reduced penalty to damage radius
📢 Cursed Slash (Blade): reduced penalty to Life Total
📢 Charged Volley (Bow): increased minimum range; no longer offered while using Aspect of Chiron
Relentless Barrage (Bow): fixed an issue where it sometimes stopped working with Aspect of Chiron
Chain Shot (Bow): shots no longer bounce off of invisible Chamber boundaries
Minotaur Rush (Shield): increased Bull Rush Power Shot damage
📢 Charged Shot (Shield): increased minimum range
Explosive Return (Shield): slightly reduced damage
Exploding Launcher (Rail): slightly reduced damage
Cluster Bomb (Rail): adjusted firing pattern
Hazard Bomb (Rail): now fires on press (rather than on release); fixed interaction with Inescapable Blast
Spread Fire (Rail): reworked; now fires as a single, powerful blast
Long Knuckle (Fists): new! Attacks have improved range and damage
Rolling Knuckle (Fists): new! Attack combo ends in a powerful hook punch
Concentrated Knuckle (Fists): new! Successive attacks against the same foe deal more damage
Breaching Cross (Fists): new! Your Dash-Strike pierces foes and deals bonus damage to Armor
Explosive Upper (Fists): new! Your Dash-Special (unique to Twin Fists) deals bonus area damage
Rush Kick (Fists): new! Dash toward foes with a powerful kick
Flying Cutter (Fists): new! Hold Special for a stronger, longer range strike
Draining Cutter (Fists): new! Slay foes with your Cutter special to restore some Life
Quake Cutter (Fists): new! Deal area damage while landing from your Cutter special


Foes & Encounters

'Trial of the Gods': updated many effects from spurned gods; no longer occur in smaller chambers
Thanatos: reduced appearance rate in Tartarus; removed Flame Wheels from appearing in these fights
📢 Larger chambers in Asphodel now only appear later in the region
Bone Hydra: a wider variety of heads can appear (note that no new types have been added)
📢 Exalted Longspear: attack visual more closely matches its hit box
📢 Splitter: updated pattern of split-firing projectiles (it should look better)
The Minotaur: updated spin attack, specific to the effect of Extreme Measures (Pact)
📢 Theseus: can no longer invoke Demeter's aid before you have met her
📢 Crawler: Elite variant no longer appears, although...
...added a terrifying new mini-boss encounter to the Temple of Styx...


Mirror of Night

Reworked! More choices, improved usability, reduced total Darkness cost; in more detail:
Added a new flip-side Talent for each Talent! Only one Talent per pair can be active at a time
Removed ability to subtract ranks in a given talent; added a full Darkness refund option
Talents are no longer all visible at the start of the game; they are now unlocked two rows at a time
Later Talents cost less Darkness; if you had more invested than is now required, it has been refunded. Total Darkness required to max all Talents is less than before (when there were half as many Talents)
Fiery Presence: new! Deal more damage vs. undamaged foes
Dark Regeneration: new! Recover health when you collect Darkness
Stubborn Defiance: new! A single Death Defiance effect that replenishes in each Chamber
Ruthless Reflex: new! Dash just before taking damage for bonus damage and dodge chance
Stygian Soul: new! Your Cast ammo regenerates automatically (instead of dropping from foes)
Golden Touch: new! Earn money between Underworld regions based on how much you have
High Confidence: new! Deal bonus damage while your Life Total is high
Abyssal Blood: new! Foes with Cast ammo in them move slower and deal less damage
Family Favorite: new! Deal bonus damage for each different Olympian whose Boons you have
Olympian Legacy: new! Improves chance of finding Duo or Legendary Boons
Gods' Chosen: new! Improves chance of finding chambers with Boons, Hammers, or Poms
Fated Persuasion: new! You can randomly alter Boon and Well of Charon choices offered
Note: We have plans to do even more with the Darkness resource in future updates


Keepsakes & Items

Lucky Tooth (Skelly): reduced healing at higher ranks (bringing it in line with other defensive Keepsakes)
Broken Spearpoint (Fallen Warrior): fixed issues with it not working against some Final Boss attacks
Black Shawl (Nyx): reworked; now gives bonus damage vs. undamaged foes and while backstabbing
📢 Companion Mort (Thanatos): no longer blockable by shield-bearing foes
Companion Rib (Skelly): increased resistance to wall-slam damage
Companion Shady (Sisyphus): resource drops now affected by certain Boons; reduced money drops
Touch of Styx (Well): new! Improves healing from Stubborn Defiance
Touch of Styx Dark (Fallen Warrior): new! A superior version of the above
Trove Tracker (Well): no longer offered in the Temple of Styx (Lord Hades wouldn't put troves there)


Pact of Punishment

📢 Budget Cuts: cut from game; replaced with...
📢 Routine Inspection: new! Disables Mirror of Night talents, three at a time from the bottom
📢 Benefits Package: new! Gives Dire (a.k.a Armored) foes an assortment of nasty Perks:
Shifter: teleports around from time to time
Bruiser: extra armor
Puller: surrounded by a field that pulls you in
Savior: intermittently makes nearby foes briefly invulnerable
Slugger: hits harder
Speeder: moves and attacks faster
Linker: links to other foes via a continuous beam that damages you
Cloner: summons 1-Life copies of itself
Burner: spews molten puddles
Seeker: ranged attacks track you
Popper: bursts into Exalted Shades that self-destruct
The Condition previously called No Choice now is called Approval Process


Permanent Record

new! Added a screen summarizing each of your escape attempts; find it in the House's locked chamber
Note: This is a first-pass version of this screen, which we expect to continue improving in subsequent Major Updates


House Contractor

Added items specific to certain subplots...


Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Whence Night and Darkness Came: new! Nyx and Chaos shall be reunited
Musician and Muse: new! Orpheus and Eurydice shall be reunited
The Holy King: new! The Aspect of Arthur shall reach the surface
Slashed Benefits: new! Foes with all Benefits Package Perks shall be slain
Denizens of the Deep: new! A variety of fish shall be caught
Dark Reflections: new! Successful escapes shall be completed using all Mirror Talents
End to Torment: aiding Sisyphus is more involved than before (if you haven't done this yet)
Updated requirements to fulfill several other Prophecies (won't affect you if you've already fulfilled them)


Level Design & Environments

Added two new chambers to Asphodel
📢 It is easier to reliably dash across gaps in several Temple of Styx chambers
📢 Updated, clearer cover layout in the Final Boss chamber
The lounge's kitchen area in the House of Hades is easier to get to
You can now get into one of the locked chambers in the House of Hades...
Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers


Art & Visual FX

Updated main menu based on new Major Update
Added new portraits and character model for Nyx
Added new character model and animations for Hypnos
Added new animations for Dusa
Added some new animations for Lord Hades
Added unique art, animation, and VFX for the Twin Fists and its Aspects
Added unique art, animation, and VFX for the Aspect of Arthur (Blade)
Updated the look of Olympian Boon pick-ups
Updated the look of the House Contractor screen
Updated the look of the Well of Charon screen
Updated the look of the Pool of Purging screen
Updated the look of the Fated List screen
Updated the look of information panels (e.g. the one that says THERE IS NO ESCAPE)
Added presentation while resetting offered choices using Fated Persuasion (Mirror)
Added and updated some icons in the Mirror of Night and Pact of Punishment
Added graphical icons for various new Boons, Aspects, and Upgrades
Updated the look of one of the locked doors in the House of Hades
Made various improvements, detailed below, that in aggregate should improve clarity during combat
Updated on-hit visual effects (they are cleaner and now have directionality)
Updated on-hit visual effects for rapid-fire attacks
Updated on-hit visual effects for foes with Armor
Updated visual effects when foes are slain
Updated the look of damage shroud (i.e., when you get hit; this no longer reduces visibility as much)
Updated the look of the Power Shot full-screen effect (not as jarring as before)
Updated the look of Trap floor panels (they should be easier to spot)
Foes' Summoning Circles now are sized relative to the foe; they have varying sound effects as well
Minor improvements to the look of the Underworld Map between regions
Minor improvements to Weapon Unlock presentation
Other minor visual changes, fixes, and improvements


Menus & UI

Updated Mirror of Night screen and presentation based on new functionality
📢 Added category-specific indicators when House Contractor has new items or is sold out
📢 Added reminder to activate Legendary Keepsakes in certain contexts
Added feedback when failing to power up Pierced Butterfly (Thanatos) or Lambent Plume (Hermes)
Added ammo-regeneration indicator while using Stygian Soul (Mirror)
Improved sorting of resources along right screen edge
📢 Improved feedback using Charged Throw (Spear)
Made various improvements, detailed below, that in aggregate should improve clarity during combat
Updated Damage Numbers presentation to reduce clutter (successive damage now ticks up a single number)
Updated Boon Sidebar to show only relevant Boons (everything is still in the Boon Info screen)
Updated Status Curse stack feedback on foes
Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements


Music & SFX

Added new sound effects for the Twin Fists
Added new sound effects for the Aspect of Arthur (Blade)
Updated sound effects for the Well of Charon and Purging Pool
Updated sound effects for the House Contractor
Updated sound effects for some attacks from spurned Olympians
Added and updated ambient sounds in some chambers
Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements


Voice & Narrative

Extended Affinity Gauges for Nyx, Chaos, Artemis, and Zeus (you can give them more gifts)
Added many narrative events (with Nyx, Chaos, Orpheus, Eurydice, Artemis, Zeus, Hades, and more)
Added new Remembrance sequences (when Lord Hades appears at the start of some escape attempts)
Added several new Duo Boon interactions for some pairings
Added many new Zagreus voice lines to various contexts for additional variety
📢 Added more voiceover variety in the Final Boss encounter
Added Codex entry for Malphon, the Twin Fists
📢 Added Codex entries for Underworld Regions (i.e., various locations)
📢 Added Codex entries for River Denizens (i.e., fish)
Added Codex entries for Fables (use Legendary Keepsakes to unlock these)
Updated Codex entry for Nyx
📢 Added utterly nightmarish new Flashback Sequence...
Added yet another new Early Access Ending variant
Minor changes to effects on Nyx voiceover
Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events
Added several missing subtitles


New Settings

📢 Added Master Volume setting to Settings
📢 Added Screen Shake toggle to Settings


Miscellaneous

Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next Major Update, slated for June
Added community-translated content in some languages (translations are ongoing for newer content)
Added a number of new Victory Screen Commendations
Lord Hades will sometimes judge the shades gathered in his Great Hall
Dusa and Megaera will sometimes be gossiping in the lounge
Hypnos will sometimes fall back asleep
📢 Wretched Broker now has a Limited Time Offer letting you exchange Darkness for Gemstones
📢 While switching auto-aim targets with the Bow and Rail, Zagreus quickly rotates instead of snapping (this is a cosmetic change with no effect on aim speed)
Urns can now be broken as a result of some knock-away effects (not just direct attack)
Added a visual hint when trying to exit chambers before collecting the reward
Keepsake Screen no longer shows available Ambrosia before it can be used there
Minor improvements to door interact presentation in the Temple of Styx
Minor improvements to Rod of Fishing presentation
Sisyphus now tosses items in your general direction
Updated Credits with additional Community Contributors (Thank you for all your help!!)
📢 References to lava changed to magma (as is well known, magma is beneath the earth, lava is above it)
📢 Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications


Bug Fixes

Fixed lag issues using Switch Pro controllers (if you run into input issues, please report them by pressing F10)
Fixed rare instances of foes taking wall-slam damage multiple times from a single knock-away effect
📢 Fixed damage effects playing after Death Defiance activation, rather than before
📢 Fixed Splendid Lyre sometimes not making a sound when used
📢 Fixed God of War (Fated List) coming from Artemis rather than Ares
Fixed an issue where gifting Thanatos during an escape attempt made him noninteractive in the House
Fixed being able to use exits in some Chambers while using the Rod of Fishing
Fixed certain story events in the Prince's Bedchambers not queuing properly
Fixed issues toggling some House Decor items from the House Contractor
Fixed a graphical issue exiting the Temple of Styx
Fixed a visual issue where Chill effects would tint a character's speech bubble
Fixed a visual issue when Wave-Makers are affected by Chill effects
📢 Fixed weapon charge-up sounds sometimes persisting between chambers
📢 Many other minor fixes


Quote of the Patch

'Nyx, whom the Romans called Nox, is a scarcely personified abstraction... Alone she spawned a large and generally unpleasant brood that included Moros (Doom), Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), the Fates, and Nemesis.' ~Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology (E. Tripp)


Patch Notes Archive

For patch notes from the previous Major Update, check out The Long Winter Update Patch Notes (March, 2020).
Hades is in Early Access, which means we're actively working on it based on our plans and your feedback. We expect to keep adding features, powers, visual enhancements, music, and more, while expanding the story and fine-tuning all aspects of the experience.

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback! Our latest patch notes are below:
Early Access Patch 044: The BLOOD PRICE Update - June 23, 2020

Our third Major Update of the year has officially arrived, and it's our biggest ever, chock-full of new content across the board!! Thank you for playing, and special thanks to our beta testers for helping us get here. Expect a follow-up patch soon to address any lingering issues, and then... onward to our v1.0 Launch!


Highlights

New Boss Fight: see if you can find this dangerous new encounter, and reap the rewards
New Legendary Aspects: discover the hidden forms of the Bow, Shield, and Rail
New Foes and Mini-bosses: face the Wretched Sneak, Dracon, Doomstone, and more
New Boons & Upgrades: gain dozens of new powers, including Duo Boons for each Olympian pairing
New Goods in Stock: look for many new items from Charon and the House Contractor
New Art & Visual Effects: bask in the atmosphere, with newly added character models and animations
Expanded Story: experience new narrative events for nearly every single character in the game
Updated Code Base: our newly optimized game engine offers smoother performance for many players


Engine & Tech

Updated our code base for improved performance and compatibility. The game should now run on more PCs above the minimum system requirement, and run faster for most players.

Note: Please make sure to update your graphics drivers to the latest version to take advantage of these improvements! If you cannot start the game, or experience worsened performance relative to past versions, please reach out to us at discord.gg/Supergiant and we will work with you to get it resolved.


General Gameplay

📢 Upgraded Chthonic Key rewards grant Fated Authority even while using Routine Inspection (Pact)
📢 Hell Mode no longer forces you to play at escalating Heat levels
Slightly reduced base chance Olympians offering Duo Boons (now that there are many more of them)


Infernal Arms, Aspects, & Abilities

Heart-Seeking Bow (Rama Aspect): new! Seek Artemis to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Bow aspects first)
Shield of Chaos (Beowulf Aspect): new! Seek Chaos to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Shield aspects first)
Adamant Rail (L------ Aspect): new! Seek Zeus to reveal it (unlock Guan Yu and Rail aspects first)
📢 Stygian Blade (Arthur Aspect): improved hit box on second swing in the Attack sequence
Eternal Spear (Guan Yu Aspect): slightly reduced Throw special width and damage


Boons & Blessings

Each Olympian now offers a new, alternate Cast Boon while you have Aspect of Beowulf (Shield)
Lightning Reflexes (Zeus): new! Dash just before being hit to counter-attack with a lightning bolt
Smoldering Air (Zeus x Aphrodite): new! Your God Gauge charges up automatically, but caps at 25%
Rip Current (Poseidon): new! Makes Poseidon's Aid last longer and pull foes in
Hydraulic Might (Poseidon): new! Your Attack and Special are briefly stronger at the start of Encounters
Unshakable Mettle (Poseidon x Athena): new! You can't be stunned, and resist damage from bosses
Curse of Drowning (Poseidon x Ares): new! Your Cast is a pulse that deals damage to foes around you
Parting Shot (Athena x Aphrodite): new! Your Cast deals backstab damage and gains related bonuses
Spent Spirit (Athena x Aphrodite): now from Athena x Dionysus, called Calculated Risk
Stubborn Roots (Athena x Demeter): new! While you have no Death Defiance, your health regenerates
Blood Frenzy (Ares): new! After using Death Defiance, deal more damage in that Encounter
Dire Misfortune (Ares): increased power level
Ares' Aid: reduced duration; increased damage to compensate
Curse of Nausea (Ares x Dionysus): new! Your Hangover effects deal damage faster
Freezing Vortex (Ares x Demeter): new! Your Cast inflicts Chill, but is smaller and slower
Blown Kiss (Aphrodite): new! Your Cast shoots farther and is stronger against undamaged foes
Cold Embrace (Aphrodite x Demeter): new! Your Cast beam fires at your position, dealing more damage
Curse of Longing (Aphrodite x Ares): increased damage
Dual Shot (Artemis): now a Duo, called Mirage Shot (Poseidon x Artemis)
Support Fire (Artemis): reduced scaling from Poms
📢 Fully Loaded (Artemis): reduced bonus Cast ammo; adjusted requirements for this to be offered
Splitting Headache (Artemis x Dionysus): new! Hangover-afflicted foes more likely to take Critical damage
Strong Drink (Dionysus): new! Using Fountains restores all your health and gives you bonus damage
Glacial Glare (Demeter): new! Your Cast fires for a longer duration and inflicts Chill
Frozen Touch (Demeter): new! after taking damage, damage and completely Chill your foe
Arctic Blast (Demeter): reduced effectiveness
📢 Winter's Harvest (Demeter): adjusted requirements for this to be offered
Quick Favor (Hermes): new! Your God Gauge slowly charges up automatically
Side Hustle (Hermes): new! Gain some money each time you enter a chamber
Rush Delivery (Hermes): new! Deal bonus damage based on any bonus move speed
Halting (Chaos): new! Your Dash has reduced range
Brilliance (Chaos): new! Any Gemstones you find are worth more
Assault (Chaos): new! Deal bonus damage striking undamaged foes
Ambush (Chaos): new! Deal bonus damage striking foes from behind
Ruin (Chaos): new! Traps deal bonus damage to foes


Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Hoarding Slash (Blade): new! Your Attack deals more damage the more money you have
Snap Nova (Blade): new! You lunge forward when you use your Special; use again to lunge back
Greater Consecration (Blade - Arthur Aspect): new! Your Special aura is larger and makes foes slower
Concentrated Volley (Bow): new! Your Special deals bonus damage for each consecutive hit to a foe
Point-Blank Shot (Bow): Added back to the game; makes your Attack deal bonus damage to nearby foes
Repulse Shot (Bow - Rama Aspect): new! Your Attack creates a Blast Wave that knocks away nearby foes
Flaring Spin (Spear): new! While charging your Spin Attack, you pulse damage and cannot be stunned
Triple Jab (Spear): new! Your Attack strikes 3 times in a spread pattern
Winged Serpent (Spear - Guan Yu Aspect): new! Your Serpent Slash ability travels longer
World Smasher (Shield): cut from game
Empowering Flight (Shield): new! After your Special hits, your next 3 attacks deal bonus damage
Ferocious Guard (Shield): new! After blocking a foe, briefly gain bonus damage and move speed
Dashing Flight (Shield): new! While you Dash, your Throw special is faster and deals more damage
Unyielding Defense (Shield - Beowulf Aspect): new! After using your Cast, you briefly cannot be stunned
Kinetic Launcher (Fists): new! Your Cutter special becomes a charged ranged attack
Heavy Knuckle (Fists): new! Your Attack becomes a stronger, slower 3-hit sequence
Colossus Knuckle (Fists): new! You cannot be stunned while using your Attack or Special
Consecutive Fire (Rail): cut from game
Spread Fire (Rail): now has a penalty to max. ammo again; reduced damage and area of effect
Inescapable Blast (Rail): now also causes foes to take more damage; now called Targeting System
Seeking Fire (Rail): new! Your Attack seeks the nearest foe and deals bonus damage
Concentrated Fire (Rail): new! Successive shots against the same foe deal more damage
...Plus 4 new Daedalus Hammer Upgrades unique to the Rail's new L------ Aspect


Foes & Encounters

Thanatos: increased rate of attack for his single-target Death Sentence
'Trial of the Gods': increased frequency and tracking of Artemis attacks; increased frequency and quantity of Dionysus attacks
Wringer: new! This Tartarus foe grabs and briefly stuns you
Wretched Sneak: new! This Tartarus mini-boss is elusive and deadly
Doomstone: new! This Tartarus mini-boss is what Brimstones want to be when they grow up
Bloodless Slam-Dancers, Wave-Makers, and Burn-Flingers no longer appear as Tartarus mini-bosses
Megaera: ground blast attacks detonate slightly faster
The Fury Sisters: increased health and attack speed under Extreme Measures (Pact)
📢 The Bloodless: improved leaping behavior for all varieties
Wave-Maker: reduced Elite health and armor
Bloodless Bone-Raker: new! This Asphodel foe attacks with consecutive swipes
Dracon: new! This Asphodel foe burrows and uses ranged attacks
Witches Circle: new! This Asphodel mini-boss encounter pits you against elite Spreaders
Gorgon: increased Elite armor and firing sequence
Skull-Crusher: slightly increased the duration the Elite version stays on the ground
Bone Hydra: reworked; the main head now has 4 new variants you may encounter instead of the original, each with their own attacks (based on what the smaller heads can do)
Elysian Spear Trap: now link their attacks whenever one is activated
The Exalted: increased damage for Brightswords, Greatshields, and Strongbows
📢 The Minotaur: slightly reduced turn speed on Bull Rush attack; updated various other attacks
📢 Theseus: reduced damage of explosive attack under Extreme Measures (Pact)
📢 Fixed Styx Poison effects sometimes not clearing after an Encounter


Mirror of Night

Family Favorite: slightly reduced effectiveness; you now can see your current bonus from it in Boon Info
Olympian Legacy: moved to be the counterpart to Gods' Pride; now called Gods' Legacy; reduced the max. benefit this could provide (now that there are many more Duos; invested Darkness will be refunded)
Dark Regeneration: slightly reduced max. benefit


Keepsakes

Companion Antos ( ? ? ? ): new Legendary Keepsake! Summons ? ? ? to skewer your foes
📢 Companion Rib (Skelly): summoned companion no longer auto-locked using Aim Assist
Shattered Shackle (Sisyphus): reworked; your basic moves are stronger while not empowered by Boons


Well of Charon & Other Items

Anvil of Fates: new! Removes one random Daedalus Hammer enchantment, then gives you two
Mystery Boon: new! Gives you a Boon from a random Olympian; costs less than a Boon
Pom Slice: new! Gives a random Boon 1 Lv.; costs less than Pom
Gaea's Treasure: new! Provides some Gemstones.
Centaur Soul: new! Raises life total (without healing).
Price of Midas: new! Provides some money, in exchange for some life.
Chimaera Jerky: new! Your Special deals more damage.
Fateful Twist: new! You gain a random item from the Well of Charon.
Nemesis Crest: new! You deal more damage striking foes from behind.
Eris Bangle: new! You deal more damage to undamaged foes.
Nail of Talos: new! You deal more damage against armor.
Aether Net: new! You start Encounters with your God Gauge partly full.
Stygian Shard: new! Traps deal significantly more damage to your foes.
Skeletal Lure: new! Guarantee a Fishing Point at the next possible location
Night Spindle: new! Gain 1 use of your Chthonic Companion
📢 Flame Wheels Release: new! Guarantee Flame Wheels will not appear
📢 Kiss of Styx: now only offered if you are missing a Death Defiance charge
📢 Charon sometimes sells Gemstones (only when he would have offered Darkness, Chthonic Keys, or Nectar)


Pact of Punishment

📢 Routine Inspection: no longer prevents getting Fated Authority charges during an escape attempt
📢 Forced Overtime: added foe-specific limitations in cases where this was particularly unfair...
📢 Benefits Package: reduced how much bonus Armor could be provided by the Bruiser Perk


House Contractor

Added dozens of new jobs to order with your hard-earned Gemstones and Diamonds, such as...
Bat Cage, All-Seeing: survey the entire House with these specially-trained reconnaissance bats
Aquarium, Cubical: since all those river-denizens you're procuring out there do need a place to live...
Sundial, Imported: surely this will settle the mystery of whether it is day or night at any given point...
Gallery Paintings, Landscapes, and Portraits: revamped gallery space with bigger, bolder images
Darker Thirst: speaking of hard-earned Gemstones, this new upgrade lets you hard-earn them faster
Downgraded the poor House Contractor's work desk, even after all that (though you can upgrade it)


Fated List of Minor Prophecies

Divided by Death: new! Help settle a difficult matter between Achilles and the Fallen Warrior
The Preserver's Avatar: new! Bring the Aspect of Rama to the surface
The Dragon's Rival: new! Bring the Aspect of Beowulf to the surface
The Dawn Bringer: new! Bring the Aspect of L------ to the surface
Amusing Chaos: new! Vanquish the Final Boss bearing the Cosmic Egg
Sea-God's Spite: new! Vanquish Theseus using Extreme Measures (Pact) for Poseidon
War-God's Bloodlust: new! Slay how many foes for Ares?
Customer Loyalty: new! Purchase each of Charon's goods
A Friendly Wager: new! Prevail in a certain battle twice without failing for Hermes
Updated requirements to fulfill several other Prophecies (won't affect you if you've already fulfilled them)


Permanent Record & Security Log

📢 The Security Log now shows your Mirror and Pact configuration per escape attempt


Level Design & Environments

Added new chambers to Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium, and the Temple of Styx
Updated the layout of Charon's shops to make room for a certain item that appears from time to time...
Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers


Art & Visual FX

Updated main menu based on new Major Update
Added new portrait and character model for Charon
Added new portrait variant for the Fallen Warrior
Added new portrait variant for Zagreus
Added new character models for Achilles, Orpheus, Sisyphus, and Skelly
Added new animations for Achilles, Sisyphus, Hypnos, Nyx, and more
Updated Bone Hydra look and animations; each type of head is more distinct
Updated artwork and visual effects in various chambers
Updated visual presentation making contact with Olympians
Updated visual presentation initiating Trials of the Gods
Updated the Tartarus Overlook in the House Courtyard
Updated various other assets in the House of Hades, such as the Prince's Wall-Scrolls
Added visual effects dashing from the Pool of Styx in the House of Hades
Added a unique chamber preview icon for the transitional chambers between regions
Added visual effect for the appearance of Duo and Legendary Boons
Added new look variations for some types of information panels (e.g. forging bonds with characters)
Updated visual effect for enhanced rewards
Updated Skelly's animations using Companion Rib
Updated visual effects for equippable Infernal Arms in the Courtyard
Updated the look of the Mirror of Night object in the Prince's Bedchambers
Updated the look of the Underworld Map
Updated the look of Chaos' Boon
Updated the look of Inspect Points
Updated the look of selection indicator in some menu screens
Improved visual effects when striking armored foes
Improved some visual effects on the Fury Sisters
Improved presentation fulfilling Prophecies about bringing Legendary Aspects to the surface
Improved presentation buying out Sealed Documents from the House Contractor
Improved look of going through chamber exits in the Temple of Styx
Many other visual fixes and improvements


Menus & UI

📢 Improved messaging and feedback in the Pause menu when choosing between Quit and Give Up
Updated some formatting on the Keepsake Screen
📢 Some powers with range-specific bonuses show an indicator on their aim previews
Fixed Underworld Map showing mystery rewards after clearing the highest Heat level for rewards
Improved feedback on successful Backstab attacks
Updated feedback activating Ruthless Reflex (Mirror) (enhanced the visual, removed the text)
Added Info button on the Pact screen for a reminder about how it works
Updated presentation when new Boons and other powers are added to the sidebar
Updated some tooltips on the Mirror of Night
Added improved error messaging if auto-save fails for any reason
Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements


Music & SFX

Added a new music track for a certain new encounter...
Added many new sound effects to various contexts (such as the new foes and Legendary Aspects)
Updated sound effects for Theseus and The Minotaur
Updated sound effects for the Final Boss
Updated sound effects using the barges in Asphodel
Updated impact sounds on foes (so they are distinct from impact sounds on the player)
Updated interact sounds for each Olympian Boon and some other rewards
Updated some sound effects while using the Rod of Fishing
Updated audio presentation for Olympian Aid effects
Fixed some Asphodel obstacles missing impact sounds
Minor improvements to Eurydice song scripting after completing her subplot with Orpheus
Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements


Voice & Narrative

Added many new narrative events, some for nearly every character (with roughly 3,500 new voice lines!)
Extended Affinity Gauges for Achilles, Cerberus, Charon, Poseidon, Hypnos, Hermes, Athena, Ares, Dionysus, and the Fallen Warrior (you can give them more gifts)
Added Duo Boon interactions for all Olympian pairings that didn't already have them
Added many, many new Zagreus voice lines to various contexts for additional variety
Added Codex entries for various new Perilous Foes and Artifacts, plus a new Fable
Added a number of new Inspect Points to new chambers and some House Contractor items
Updated dozens of older Zagreus voice lines for performance consistency
Updated Codex entries for Achilles and the Fallen Warrior
📢 Added still another new Early Access Ending variant
Spurned Olympians will speak over the death presentation if you perish during a Trial of the Gods
Chaos will speak over the death presentation if you perish after taking damage from a curse
Added emote animations and other minor improvements to various narrative events
Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events


New Settings

📢 Added Bright Cursor setting to Settings menu; it can make the mouse cursor easier to spot
Added VSync setting to Display menu; toggling can help improve performance in some cases


Miscellaneous

Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next v1.0 Launch, slated for later this year
Added more translated text content in supported languages (translations are ongoing for newer content)
Cloud Saves now supported for the Epic Games Store version of the game
Added Community Translators to Credits (Thank you for all your efforts!!)
Added more Community Contributors to Credits (We really appreciate your support!!)
Reduced minimum system requirement to DirectX 10 (was DirectX 10.1)
📢 After Thanatos encounters, he will sometimes teleport toward the chamber exit to get there faster
Thanatos now shows an invulnerable effect when struck
Reduced requirements to unlock Perilous Foes entries in the Codex
Infernal Trove pedestals should interact with projectile attacks more consistently
📢 Sisyphus gives more Darkness
📢 Added more contextual tips when learning to use the Rod of Fishing
📢 The gameplay timer now stops during Thanatos encounters
📢 You now can pet Cerberus without having to give him Nectar
📢 The Keepsake Screen has unique messages for each character with whom you forge a bond
The crowd has more dynamic reactions in the final chamber in Elysium
The Head Chef in the House of Hades now cuts onions ceaselessly
You now can interact with the Featured House-Servant Wall in the Lounge; more characters eligible
You now can interact with the Motivational Wall-scrolls in the Administrative Chamber
You now can irritate caged shades in Tartarus
Tuned interact distances on some characters and House of Hades objects
Removed the shimmering halo on the portrait of Lord Hades (the Olympians can have it)
Shades in the House of Hades have more to say
Improved presentation confronting the Tiny Vermin in the Temple of Styx
Improved presentation exiting the Administrative Chamber in the House of Hades
Updated flavor text on various screens
Updated boss nameplates in some encounters
📢 Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications


Bug Fixes

📢 Fixed Aphrodite's Affinity Gauge sometimes not unlocking as intended
Fixed an issue where Black Out (Dionysus) would sometimes not apply its damage bonus
Fixed unintended interactions using Aspect of Hera with Auto Reload (Hermes)
Fixed an issue where Boon icons could remain stuck onscreen
Fixed incorrect icon for Exit Wounds (Artemis)
Fixed presentation issues with Boon upgrade feedback while using Rare Crop (Demeter)
Fixed an issue preventing situational Chthonic Companion Summon voice lines from playing
Fixed minor animation issues with Hypnos and Dusa
📢 Many, many, many other minor fixes


Bug Additions

Hopefully not too many, thanks to our diligent Beta Testers!


Quote of the Patch

'Never, never again shall I return from Hades once you have given me the soothing rites of fire. Never again will you and I, alive and breathing, huddle side-by-side, apart from loyal comrades, making plans together--never...'
~The Iliad (Homer; R. Fagles translation)

Patch Notes Archive

For patch notes from the previous Major Update, check out The Nighty Night Update Patch Notes (March, 2020).

Update: Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in this job listing! At this time we're no longer seeking new applicants. Should we have any additional job openings in the future, we'll likely post about it here and via our Twitter feed.


We're looking for a talented animator or animation team who can collaborate with us to produce roughly 20 seconds of 2D animation to help promote our game, Hades! This is a one-off contract opportunity.

Work summary: We want a short, high-fidelity animation based on our game Hades (of our protagonist, Zagreus, and one additional character), which fits its overall look and feel. 

Timeline / budget: We need the final deliverable by early June. Budget is flexible.

Project notes: In the past, we have done all our trailers in-house, and have capacity to produce artwork with light motion graphics on our own, such as in our Transistor launch trailer. For this piece, we're looking for something higher fidelity -- better than what we can do on our own.

Our ideal partner on this is an animator or animation team experienced with our games, excited to work with us, and able to express the unique style of Hades, while taking this project from start to finish.

If you think you're a good match, please send an email to jobs@supergiantgames.com with the subject line "Hades Animation". Include a link to your relevant work or portfolio as the first line, and a brief note mentioning your animation experience and familiarity with our games (if any). We will follow up with any prospective candidates by the end of February.

Update feb-21-2020: Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in this job listing! At this time we're no longer seeking new applicants. Should we have any additional job openings in the future, we'll likely post about it here and via our Twitter feed.


We're expanding! By just a little, anyway. We're seeking a talented Graphic Designer to bolster our team. Your work will be vital to representing our games on various platforms, in merchandise, and many other capacities.

The ideal candidate would collaborate well with our publishing and creative team to produce engaging, high-quality visual designs that fit marketing requirements across a variety of formats, such as web site and digital storefronts, newsletters, social media, print materials, merchandise, and more. This is a full-time position with the option to work remotely or on-site at our San Francisco studio.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Design marketing art consistent with the look and feel of Supergiant, often using pre-existing assets and under tight deadlines

  • Design digital and print media

  • Coordinate requests from the various parties involved in projects (clients, designers, suppliers, printers, illustrators, photographers, writers, stock agencies, and so on)

  • Additional creative tasks based on skill set and need

About the Candidate:

  • Background and experience in graphic design

  • Full fluency with Photoshop and Illustrator

  • Organized, efficient, and able to work autonomously

  • Excellent written and verbal communication

  • Effective at taking or asking for direction

  • Must have a love for typography

  • Experience creating animated video media a plus

To apply, please send an email to jobs@supergiantgames.com with the subject line "Graphic Designer". Include a link to your portfolio as the first line, and your resume in the body of the email (no attachments please). As part of a brief self-introduction, please let us know your favorite animal and why.

Note that we may request a paid art test as part of the evaluation process for the position. We will be accepting applications for this position until February 21, and will follow up with prospective candidates by the end of that month.

Our god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler, Hades, is ringing in the new year with its ninth Major Update since launching in Early Access more than a year ago!

The Long Winter Update introduces one of the eldest and most powerful Olympians, as well as a couple of big, new surprises, tons of new story events, new upgrades, new artwork... let's get to the highlights, already!

  • Meet Demeter, Goddess of Seasons, who joins the Olympian fray, granting her powers over desolation and cold

  • Unlock the Rod of Fishing, and capture all sorts of foul river-dwelling denizens of the Underworld

  • Discover the Eternal Spear's fated Aspect of Guan Yu, revealing more of the secrets of your legendary weapons

  • Underworld Renovations Galore! The new and improved House Contractor has scores of new decorations available

  • New Daedalus Hammer Upgrades, Story Events, Improved Boon Info Screen, and more!

Hades already offers dozens or even hundreds of hours of kinetic action and seemingly never-ending story featuring dozens of colorful, fully voiced characters, and the rich worldbuilding Supergiant is known for. With the Long Winter Update, many more story details finally come to light, even as the breadth of activities in the game continues to expand. Hades is slated to exit Early Access sometime later this year. For now, you can play it in Early Access on Steam or the Epic Games Store! Full patch notes are available here on our web site, in the game client, and our official Discord, where we invite you to join a welcoming, international community of Hades players and Supergiant fans. And, of course, in dramatic-reading format, courtesy of our disembodied storyteller:

We hope you enjoy The Long Winter Update, and wish you good luck getting out of hell!