Hades 2, surprise-released into Early Access May 6, has no shortage of challenges. Even with the help of the mighty Olympians and a strike of luck with loot during runs, bosses are likely to put a stop to your ventures until you’ve familiarized yourself with their attacks.
The first boss you’ll encounter is Hecate, the protagonist Melinoë’s own mentor. Once you get through Erebus, the first area of the Underworld in Hades 2, Melinoë’s teacher will put her skills, and yours, to the test. It can be quite an overwhelming encounter, and will likely be the first significant barrier you’ll have to prepare yourself for. If you’re looking for some guidance, here’s how to defeat Headmistress Hecate in Hades 2 and continue making your way to the depths below.
Headmistress Hecate’s attack list
Hecate, as with every other boss in Hades 2, has an array of attacks to watch out for. In case you want to know what to expect, or need some information to devise a plan before facing her again, here are all the attacks we’ve seen so far:
- Returning cast: Pretty much every encounter against Hecate starts with her performing a cast—an attack on an area similar to the one that Melinoë can use—that expands and then retracts back to her position. She will sometimes repeat this throughout the fight.
- Single spells forward: Whenever Hecate lifts one of her wands up in the air, she will do two attacks in quick succession, not just one. Keep this in mind to time your dodge correctly.
- Double spell forward: If you see Hecate moving both of her arms while taking a bit of distance, it likely means she’s about to use a double spell that shoots two waves in front of her.
- Three Hecate copies: A trick you’ll often see is Hecate dividing herself into three, representing her past, present, and future. This is quite rad as a concept, but also deadly if you’re not careful, as they all have long-range attacks. One of them, however, is the real Hecate, which you should try to find fast.
- At about a quarter of her life gone, mobs will appear: Before you reach the middle of the encounter, she will invite a few witches. They are all fairly weak, but can be a distraction from Hecate’s attacks.
- Morph: About halfway through the encounter, Hecate will turn you into a sheep. Plus, a few more witches will show up. This only lasts for a few seconds, but it’s a crucial moment, as your movement will be drastically reduced and you’ll only be able to do small jumps to dodge incoming projectiles.
- Fight variations: There are a few attack variations in Hecate’s fight, especially during the Morph segment. She switches between hexes on the ground, orb-looking spell attacks that form multiple rows around the arena, and rapid-fire arc-shaped projectiles that you absolutely want to avoid.
Strategies to win Headmistress Hecate’s boss fight
The boons you’ve obtained during a run can make or break your chances of defeating Hecate, alongside your proficiency with your weapon of choice. That being said, as long as you know what to expect and have a few strategies around her most abrasive attacks, you’ll have a significant advantage.
You can get a decent head start if you manage to time the returning cast correctly. Begin by attacking from afar, then dash inside the cast and hit her as much as possible, then dash back outside while dealing a few more hits. If you have a boon for your own cast, this will be a good time to deploy it.
Regarding her spell attacks, you can dodge the double spell forward with a single dodge across them, especially if you can line it up toward the center where there’s a gap. For single spells, dodging sideways can do the trick—just remember that the second attack will follow immediately after, so either keep your distance or prepare to dash again. This could also be a good opportunity to get close to Hecate if you dodge toward her.
Let’s talk about the morph section. The first you’re turned into a sheep is understandably overwhelming, but it’s a fairly straightforward section if you know what to do. I recommend trying not to destroy too many trees beforehand with terrain kills, as they can provide great cover from Hecates and the witches’ projectiles.
Other than that, it’ll be a matter of waiting to see which of the attack variations you’ll get. Hexes will require you to continuously jump, following their rhythm as you slowly circle around the area. The orb-shaped spells are easy enough to dodge, while the rapid-fire ones might require some careful positioning. Before Hecate hits you with the morph spell, I recommend heading toward the edges of the arena—usefully behind the trees—to give yourself as much distance from her attacks as possible.
The other big section is when the Hecate copies appear. It might be tempting to try to stay out of their way completely, and you should to a certain degree, as the fire spell they shoot packs quite a punch. But you shouldn’t waste the opportunity to land a few hits. One of the three copies is the actual Hecate—you can tell which ones are the fake version as hitting them will not deal damage, and instead they’ll show a green glow.
Once you’ve found the actual Hecate, position yourself so the fire spells don’t hurt you, and attack freely. She will try to rotate herself, yet the movement is fairly slow. Keep in mind that, once the copies vanish, she will retaliate a moment after. All in all, the additional window to attack her isn’t that long, but you should still make the most of it.
What’s the reward for defeating Headmistress Hecate?
Each time you defeat Hecate, you’ll get your hands on Cinder, which is one of many reagents in Hades 2. Cinder is primarily used for incantations, but some Tarot Arcanas will also ask for the material as part of the requirements to unlock them. As such, the more Cinder you can amass, the better. Thankfully, you’ll be getting one each time you beat Hecate. Don’t worry, she understands Melinoë means no harm.
