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!

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback!

📢 '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

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

• Minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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

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.

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback!

📢 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

• Heaven's Vengeance (Zeus): improved scaling from Poms
• Sunken Treasure (Poseidon): increased prerequisites (it should not be offered as early in a run)
• 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 a run)
• Winter's Harvest (Demeter): increased prerequisites (it should not be offered as early in a run)
• Flayed (Chaos): fixed an issue preventing it from affecting the Fists' Dash-Upper

• 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

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

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

• 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

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

• 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

• 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

📢 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

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

• 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

• 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

📢 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

'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)

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!

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback!

• 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)

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

• 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)

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

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

📢 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

📢 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)

• 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

• 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

• 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

📢 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

'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)

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.

• Harness the Twin Fists of Malphon, & 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 & 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, & much, much more!

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.

The Nighty Night Update is a free, automatic download as part of the Early Access development of Hades. If you've come directly to this post, check out the game here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/
Once you've downloaded the update, you may need to restart your Steam client. In the off chance the game isn't working properly for you after the update, please try verifying the game files:

• Right-click on Hades in your Steam Library
  
• Select 'Properties...', then select the 'Local Files' tab
  
• Select 'Verify Integrity of Game Files...'

This may alleviate any issues.

Full patch notes are available here on Steam, in the game client, and our official Discord, where you can join a welcoming community of Hades players and Supergiant fans. This update also includes a big update to our Development Roadmap, with these highlights:

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


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, characters, weapons, foes, powers, environments, and more, while expanding the story and fine-tuning all aspects of the experience. Here are our latest patch note!

EDIT -- Follow-up Patches
We always release at least a couple of follow-up patches after each Major Update, to respond to feedback, fix remaining issues, and make additional improvements.

· Early Access Patch 043 (Mar 24)
· Early Access Patch 042 (Mar 17)
· Early Access Patch 041 (Mar 11)


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!

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback!

• 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 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

• 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)

• 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

📢 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

• '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...

• 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

• 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)

📢 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

• 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

• Added items specific to certain subplots...

• 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)

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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

• 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)
📢 Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications

• Fixed lag issues using Switch Pro controllers (if you run into input issues, please press F10 to report them)
• 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

'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)

Note: You should see v0.26753 in-game once you have the update.

This patch includes more localized content, balance changes, fixes, and improvements for last week's Long Winter Update, as we shift focus to our next Major Update. Until then, thank you for playing!!

• Reduced prices of Boons sold by Charon
📢 Titan Blood sold at the Wretched Broker now yields more Gemstones

• Shield of Chaos: slightly reduced Bull Rush charge-up time (to how it was before the Long Winter Update)
• Adamant Rail: increased autolock radius while using gamepad

• Reduced offering rate of 'Exchange' Boons
• Reduced offering rate for Olympian Aid Boons (in general, they should appear less early and often)
• Divine Dash (Athena): slightly increased Deflect duration (still less than before the Long Winter Update)
• Proud Bearing (Athena): improved scaling from Poms
• Holy Shield (Athena): increased duration of Deflect revenge effect
• Curse of Pain (Ares): fixed an issue causing this not to scale correctly with improved rarity
• Urge to Kill (Ares): effect now can scale with Poms
📢 Aphrodite's Call: no longer blockable by shield-bearing foes; no longer stopped by Final Boss urns
📢 Artemis' Call: no longer stopped by by Final Boss urns
📢 Crystal Beam (Demeter): increased tracking speed
• Killing Freeze (Demeter): improved scaling from rarity
• Rare Crop (Demeter): slightly reduced appearance rate
• Demeter's Aid: increased speed at which winter vortex reaches full size
📢 Blizzard Shot (Demeter x Poseidon): increased damage
• Defiance (Chaos): increased appearance rate

• Piercing Wave (Blade): increased damage
📢 Cursed Slash (Blade): increased life-steal effect
📢 Charged Volley (Bow): slightly improved charge-up time
• Charged Shot (Shield): fixed an issue causing it to stop you longer than intended
• World Smasher (Shield): slightly reduced damage; no longer fully automatic
• Cluster Bomb (Rail): staggered firing sequence; reduced damage penalty; increased area of effect

• Thanatos: reduced appearance rate (it is still significantly higher than before the Long Winter Update)
• The Fury Sisters: adjusted some of their attack timings under Extreme Measures (Pact)
• Wave-Maker: adjusted attack pattern; reduced armor; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
• Burn-Flinger: adjusted attack pattern; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
• Bone Hydra: reduced tracking of projectile attack
• Gigantic Vermin: Mini-boss creates fewer Poison puddles
📢 Final Boss: improved hit box on some attacks; urns no longer deal damage while being summoned

• Broken Spearpoint (Fallen Warrior): reduced cooldown

📢 Budget Cuts: no longer locked in as part of Hell Mode
• Lasting Consequences: first rank now locked in as part of Hell Mode
• Underworld Customs: increased Heat
• Forced Overtime: increased Heat; reduced number of ranks (though each rank has a greater effect)
📢 Convenience Fee: no longer raises cost of Bounty resources sold in Charon's shop in Styx

• Added new visual presentation when vanquishing bosses with Winter Harvest (Demeter)
• Improved visual presentation when slaying other foes with Winter Harvest (Demeter)
• Improved visual presentation when revealing Spear (Aspect of Guan Yu)

• Added new sound effects for Final Boss urn destruction attack
• Adjusted sound effects volume for Mistral Dash (Demeter)
• Fixed sound effects on Charged Skewer (Spear)
• Fixed Delta Chamber (Rail) always playing low-ammo sound
• Fixed victory music stinger being inaudible if a song is being performed in the House of Hades

📢 Restored post-defeat voice lines from Final Boss
📢 Added one-time voice hint about how to get to Eurydice while outside her chamber
• Added new voice lines for various Wretched Broker interactions
• Fixed two Inspect Points in the House of Hades that were not playing or appearing correctly
• Fixed voice lines sometimes not playing when confronting the Bone Hydra
• Fixes to narrative scripting to some events
• Additional fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

📢 Added more new localized strings for content introduced in the Long Winter Update
📢 Improved text and icon distinctions between Max Life increases and Healing
📢 In ultrawide resolutions, sidebar artwork no longer occludes the edges of the display
• Added controller vibration while using the Rod of Fishing
• Reduced frequency of visual effects while taking damage from Lava
• Fixed Cyclops Jerky Select (Fallen Warrior) text to match the effect (the text was less than the effect)
• Minor fixes and improvements to Splendid Lyre interact presentation
• Added subtle visual effect when collecting Bloodstone ammo
• Other minor text fixes and presentation improvements

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where too many different Olympians could appear in a single escape attempt (note: this has no effect on Boon offering rates, only on total number of different Boon-giving characters per escape attempt)
📢 Fixed an issue that could stall progress on Dusa's lounge renovation quest
📢 Fixed instances of invisible collision in the House of Hades
📢 Fixed Boon Rarity markers disappearing from Ambrosia Delight (Eurydice) or Rare Crop (Demeter)
📢 Fixed one more case of being able to use the Rod of Fishing while standing in lava
• Fixed Trippy Shot (Dionysus) sometimes being destroyed unexpectedly
• Fixed an interaction between Bow (Hera Aspect) and Crystal Shot (Demeter)
• Fixed a graphical issue in the biome map travel sequence from Tartarus
• Fixed an animation issue with the floating bobber while using the Rod of Fishing
• Fixed alert icon always appearing on House Contractor even when new items were not available
• Fixed conditions for certain Victory Screen Commendations
• Fixed a minor graphical issue while closing the Fated List
• Fixed instances where icons could remain visible in the Boon Info sidebar unexpectedly
• Other minor fixes

Quote of the Patch

'On the middle 7th cast Demeter's holy grain on the well-rolled threshing-floor, keeping a sharp eye open; and have a woodcutter cut house planks, and all the ship-timbers that are appropriate for ships. But begin building narrow ships on the 4th.' ~Works and Days (Hesiod; M. L. West translation)

This patch contains various fixes following this week's Long Winter Update. Expect another patch with more localized content and additional changes before we switch focus to our next Major Update.

📢 Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): improved hit box while using Deflect effects

📢 Wave Pounding (Poseidon): damage bonus now correctly applies to your Special as well as Attack
• Support Fire (Artemis): fixed an issue causing Pom bonuses to scale incorrectly (the first one used gave too much of a benefit, while subsequent ones gave too little)

• Fixed God of the Seas requirements to include Wave Pounding (Poseidon)
• Fixed A Simple Job being completable below the stated requirement

• Fixed an issue causing Fishing Points to appear more often than intended in the Temple of Styx
📢 Added cannot-interact feedback on fishing points when they cannot be used (such as during combat)
📢 Adjusted positions of some hard-to-reach fishing points
• Minor fixes to some graphic issues related to fishing

📢 Further adjustments to visual clarity while poisoned in the Temple of Styx
• Minor updates to one of the many rugs available from the House Contractor
• Minor updates to some Demeter visual effects
• Minor graphical fixes in the House of Hades and Bedchambers
• Minor graphical improvements to House Contractor screen
• Minor visual improvements to Eternal Spear (Guan Yu)
• Minor visual improvements to a pillar destruction animation in Asphodel
• Minor improvements to one the biome map transitions

📢 Fixed instances where Dusa could not be gifted for no apparent reason
• Fixes to narrative scripting to some new events
• Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

• Added some new localized strings for content added in the Long Winter Update
📢 Adjusted some player on-hit effects fighting the Minotaur and Final Boss
• Removed money sometimes dropping from destructible pillars in Asphodel
• Added several missing subtitles for Dusa
• Added work-in-progress presentation when Winter Harvest (Demeter) slays a boss
📢 Using Charm effects on Exalted Strongbow now clears their targeting reticle
• Minor text changes and fixes

📢 Fixed a crash that could occur while inflicting Chill effects on the Bone Hydra
📢 Fixed crashes with certain Polish-language text strings
📢 Fixed additional cases of being able to use the Rod of Fishing while standing in lava[/]
• Fixed Mistral Wind (Demeter) sometimes activating Dodge effects
• Fixed Eternal Spear (Guan Yu) breaking after swapping a Boon affecting your Special
📢 Fixed a Boon text issue with Deadly Strike (Artemis) and Deadly Flourish (Artemis) (their Critical chance was higher than the text stated)
• Fixed incorrect icon for Nourished Soul (Demeter)
• Fixed several issues where World Smasher (Shield) could be offered with incompatible upgrades
📢 Fixed an issue where Brimstones or Snakestones sometimes could be knocked out of bounds
• Fixed an issue causing life-steal effects to work against ambient shades (they have no life to steal)
📢 Fixed being able to dash out of bounds in a certain Tartarus chamber
• Fixed Daedalus Hammer sometimes appearing as a chamber reward in Styx when not supposed to
📢 Fixed a watery sound effect continuing to play unexpectedly after fishing
• Fixed Court Music items in the House Contractor continually showing as new
• Fixed several issues with toggling certain House Contractor decorations
• Fixed a missing hit reaction on certain obstacles when facing the Final Boss
📢 Fixed Codex entries with special requirements not unlocking as expected
📢 Fixed a display issue in the Fated List while navigating with gamepad should buttons
• Fixed a graphical issue with Demeter's Aid Greater Call and certain visual effects
• Fixed a visual effect popping away unexpectedly in the Final Boss encounter
• Fixed minor collision issues in the House of Hades
• Many other minor fixes

'He had eyes like a phoenix's and fine bushy eyebrows like silkworms. His whole appearance was dignified and awe-inspiring. Presently, Liu Bei crossed over, sat down beside him and asked his name. "I am Guan Yu," replied he.' ~Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong; C.H. Brewitt-Taylor translation)

Thank you for all your feedback and excitement about yesterday's big Long Winter Update! This patch addresses several issues it introduced. Some changes we fully walked back and marked with * below. We're continuing to monitor impressions as we prepare additional patches for the coming days (or nights?).

📢 Reduced prices of Boons sold by Charon
📢 Reduced price of Daedalus Hammer sold by Charon *
📢 Reduced price of augmented Boons and Poms sold by Charon in the Temple of Styx

📢 Stygian Blade (Nemesis): increased Critical chance *
📢 Eternal Spear (Zagreus): reworked; now gives bonus damage, range, and speed to Skewer special
📢 Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): reduced penalty to life total and healing; replaced Skewer special with the new Firework Skewer, which deals area damage on its flight path and does not require retrieval
• Shield of Chaos (Zeus): increased damage rate of Throw special

📢 Wave Pounding (Poseidon): newly added! Boons with knock-away deal bonus damage to bosses
• Blinding Flash (Athena): fixed an issue causing bonus damage from this to be less than expected
📢 Divine Dash (Athena): fixed an issue preventing this from activating Blinding Flash and Merciful End (Athena x Ares) as intended
• Life Affirmation (Aphrodite): increased power level at higher rarity
• Support Fire (Artemis): increased damage; increased power level at higher rarity
• Deadly Strike (Artemis): increased Critical chance; reduced damage to compensate *
• Arctic Blast (Demeter): increased damage
• Quick Reload (Hermes): significantly increased effect at higher rarity
• Increased power level of Chaos blessing effects at higher rarity *

• Double Nova (Blade): slightly increased damage radius
• Cursed Slash (Blade): now restores 1 Life per hit (instead of a percentage)
📢 Charged Volley (Bow): slightly increased minimum range
📢 Charged Skewer (Spear): slightly increased minimum range
• Quick Rush (Shield): no longer removes the Bull Rush's innate knock-away effect
📢 Charged Throw (Shield): should now be more responsive to short button presses
• Hazard Bomb (Rail): increased damage; reduced self-damage
• Rocket Bomb (Rail): increased damage
📢 Explosive Fire (Rail): it's back; now briefly slows foes instead of staggering them

📢 Thanatos: reduced maximum number of waves of foes in encounters with him in Elysium and Styx; slightly reduced total enemy counts in those encounters
📢 'Trial of the Gods': reduced radius of Demeter's attack if you spurn her
📢 Wave-Maker: reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
📢 Splitter: reduced appearance rate in Elysium
📢 Reduced damage rate of Poison effects in the Temple of Styx *
📢 Final Boss: toned down a particular combo attack...

• Evergreen Acorn (Eurydice): increased instances of damage absorption *
• Lucky Tooth (Skelly): fixed an issue causing this to restore less health than intended

• Convenience Fee: reduced effect on shop prices (making this somewhat less punishing than before)

• Fixed an issue causing Fishing Points to appear more often than intended in Tartarus
📢 Fish in the Temple of Styx now net you a tidy sum of Gemstones
📢 Increased how often fishing opportunities occur in the main hub in the Temple of Styx
📢 The Gameplay Timer and Tight Deadline (Pact) Timer pause while fishing ("Relax, boyo!" --Skelly)
📢 Taking damage now interrupts any fishing attempts ("Have you tried NOT standing in lava?" --Hypnos)
• Fish fake-out jukes are harder to detect
• Additional adjustments to timings trying to catch those blasted little...

• Added reveal animation in the Weapon Aspects screen for the Aspect of Guan Yu
• Added unique icon for Demeter's Keepsake (note: this was included as part of a hotfix yesterday)
• Updated visual effect for Aspect of Guan Yu's Moon Cutter Spin attack
• Slightly reduced visual effect for Bloodless Burn-Flinger bomb blast
• Minor updates to some Elysium chambers and artwork
• Minor updates to the recently added chamber in Tartarus
• Minor updates to Charon's Shop in Tartarus
• Minor art fixes in the House of Hades
• Minor art fixes to visual effect for Mistral Dash (Demeter)
• Minor art fixes to Keepsake icons

• Fixes to narrative scripting to some new events
• Fixed Inspect Point for the new Massive Weights decoration appearing prematurely
• Moved an Inspect Point about decorative pillars to a more appropriate-looking set of pillars
• Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

📢 Added mouse-wheel scrolling to the House Contractor screen
• Added simple interaction to Intricate Contraption and Bloodless Sculpture
• Small adjustment to gameplay timer formatting
• Minor text changes, clarifications, and fixes

📢 Fixed a progression blocker opening the Codex or Boon Info screens while fishing
📢 Fixed a progression blocker renovating Zagreus' bedchambers after a character conversation
📢 Fixed some House Contractor decorations being unavailable after deactivating the Scrying Pool
• Fixed Eternal Spear (Guan Yu) causing your burst-damage shield to activate more often than intended
📢 Fixed Crush Shot (Aphrodite) not destroying some obstacles as expected
📢 Fixed Atrophic (Chaos) curse removing more health than intended
• Fixed an issue causing Demeter Duo Boons to only show up from her, not her extended family
📢 Minor fixes to Cluster Bomb (Daedalus - Rail) blast preview
📢 Fixed Dusa's conversation indicator sometimes remaining visible after she bails on you
📢 Fixed Dusa sometimes not being visible after using Companion Fidi
• Fixed Skelly Codex entry showing incorrect unlock conditions in some cases
• Fixed Cursed Slash (Blade) stealing life from urns or even poor Cerberus in the Temple of Styx

'Demeter's true concerns were not on Olympus, but on the earth. She presided over the crops, and over the grains in particular. For some reason she held the bean in contempt as impure.' ~Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology (E. Tripp)

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, characters, weapons, foes, powers, environments, and more, while expanding the story and fine-tuning all aspects of the experience. Here are our latest patch note!

EDIT -- Follow-up Patches
We always release at least a couple of follow-up patches after each Major Update, to respond to feedback, fix remaining issues, and make additional improvements.
· Early Access Patch 039 (Jan 28)
· Early Access Patch 038 (Jan 24)
· Early Access Patch 037 (Jan 21)

Note: 📢 indicates a change inspired by community feedback!



We wanted to start the year off with a bang with this Major Update! It features a new Olympian, a new weapon variant, new activities, more story, and many other improvements. We plan to follow up with a couple of smaller patches while keeping a close eye on your feedback. Thank you very much for playing!

• Demeter: the Goddess of Seasons brings winter to the Underworld! Seek out her powerful Boons
• Rod of Fishing: capture (& sell!!) Underworld river denizens with this new House Contractor item
• Aspect of Guan Yu: earn this unique new Aspect of the Eternal Spear, and vanquish your foes!
• Underworld Decor Galore: scores of new items are available at the newly renovated House Contractor!
• New Legendary Keepsake: forge an unbreakable bond with Dusa, and summon her to petrify your foes
• Boon Info & Victory Screen Update: pin multiple Boons onscreen for easy reference and sharing
• New Daedalus Hammer Upgrades: look for multiple new upgrades for each weapon
• New Story Events: uncover new secrets in hours of added narrative (with more than 1,000 new voice lines)

• Increased prices of Boons sold by Charon
• Increased price of Daedalus Hammer sold by Charon
• Increased price of augmented Boons and Poms sold by Charon in the Temple of Styx
• Slightly reduced healing from tasty-looking Health Drops
• Reduced healing from Fountain Chambers; however, new House Contractor upgrades can increase it
• You may now encounter fishing points in various chambers, once you have the Rod of Fishing. Deliver your stock to the Head Chef in the House (who will take very good care of them)

📢 Stygian Blade (Zagreus): now also increases Dash distance
• Stygian Blade (Nemesis): reduced Critical chance
• Eternal Spear (Guan Yu): newly added! Seek Achilles to learn more (once you have several Aspects)
📢 Eternal Spear (Zagreus): now increases Attack damage and Dash-Strike damage
• Shield of Chaos: slightly increased Bull Rush charge up time; slightly reduced Bull Rush damage
• Shield of Chaos (Zagreus): reduced damage resistance
• Shield of Chaos (Zeus): increased damage of Throw special
• Shield of Chaos (Chaos): now throws additional Shields in a radial pattern
• Adamant Rail: no longer briefly slows foes on-hit

• Demeter: newly added! Seek out 11 new Boons and 4 new Duo Boons
• Billowing Strength (Zeus): reduced power level; increased effect duration
• Zeus' Aid: reduced power scaling from improved rarity
• Scintillating Feast (Zeus x Dionysus): reduced damage
• Divine Dash (Athena): slightly reduced Deflect duration
• Athena's Aid: increased God Gauge cost and effect duration (it cannot be used quite as often)
• Merciful End (Athena x Ares): reduced damage; reduced appearance rate
• Spent Spirit (Athena x Aphrodite): reduced slow effect on foes' projectiles
• Reduced power level of Aphrodite's Weak Status Curse
• Broken Resolve (Aphrodite): newly added! Improves potency of Weak Status Curse
📢 Passion Dash (Aphrodite): now affects foes near your dash destination (rather than at the starting point)
• Crush Shot (Aphrodite): formerly Shatter Shot; updated effect
• Curse of Pain (Ares): slightly reduced damage
• Battle Rage (Ares): adjusted scaling from rarity and Poms (overall power level should be similar)
• Ares' Aid: reduced damage; increased move speed
• Hunting Blades (Ares x Artemis): reduced speed; reduced tracking
• Deadly Strike (Artemis): reduced Critical chance; increased damage to compensate
• Support Fire (Artemis): reduced damage
• Nasty Dash (Dionysus): formerly Drunken Dash; now deals several instances of damage and Hangover (formerly called Poison)
• Second Wind (Hermes): increased effect duration; increased power scaling from improved rarity
• Passing Through (Hermes): cut from game (Demeter is the new curator of slowing effects)
• Relative Speed (Hermes): cut from game (same reason)
• Quick Reload (Hermes): now offered by Hermes (donated by Artemis, who felt sorry for him)
• Slothful (Chaos): reduced how badly this curse can impair your move speed
📢 Defiance (Chaos): increased appearance rate
• Reduced power level of Chaos blessing effects at higher rarity

• Cursed Slash (Blade): newly added! Restores health on-hit, but your life total is heavily reduced
• Shadow Slash (Blade): newly added! Deals bonus damage when striking foes in the back
• Serrated Edge (Spear): newly added! Your Dash-Strike hits multiple times but your Dash is shorter
📢 Charged Skewer (Spear): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Skewer special
• Quick Spin (Spear): no longer quite as quick
📢 Charged Throw (Shield): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Throw special
• World Smasher (Shield): newly added! Your Bull Rush is replaced with a powerful up-close strike
• Chain Shot (Bow): newly added! Your attack bounces between targets, dealing bonus damage
📢 Charged Volley (Bow): newly added! Press and hold to power up your Volley special
• Cluster Bomb (Rail): newly added! Your Bombard special fires a spread of 5 smaller bombs
• Hazard Bomb (Rail): newly added! Your Bombard special fires a big bomb that blasts the area around you, but can damage you ("Have you tried not standing there when it blows up?" --Hypnos)
• Delta Chamber (Rail): formerly Infinity Chamber ; now also fires in a 3-round burst
• Explosive Fire (Rail): cut from game

• Introduction to Olympian Aid now gives you some God Gauge to use Poseidon's Call
📢 Thanatos: should show up more frequently (once you encounter him for the first time in Elysium)
📢 After the other Fury Sisters show up, it is no longer possible to randomly avoid one indefinitely
📢 Alecto: reworked her Rage Gauge (you can knock her out of her rage-building move, but watch out)
• Skullomat: Elite is more powerful; reduced appearance rate in Asphodel
• Burn-Flinger: Elite attack pattern adjusted
• Wave-Maker: non-Elite throws one wave at a time (rather than two); adjusted Elite attack
📢 Reduced number of foes on the Asphodel Barge of Death under Middle Management (Pact)
📢 Bone Hydra: reworked aspects of this encounter to be faster though deadlier to compensate; one fewer phase; removed urns containing health (the Hydra finally realized they were there and ate them)
📢 Elysian Arrow Trap: attack now dissipates as soon as combat is over
📢 Flame Wheels: reduced health and Elite armor
📢 Nemean Chariot: no longer can hit multiple times in one charge
📢 Exalted Greatshield: appearance rate reduced; non-Elite no longer has a spin attack; reduced rotation and increased vulnerability times
• Soul Catcher (Elite): now more aggressive under the effects of Middle Management (Pact)
📢 The Minotaur: no longer gains brief invulnerability when low on health in the battle with Theseus
• Increased damage rate of Poison effects in the Temple of Styx
📢 Final Boss: various changes to attack patterns; resolved issues where cover sometimes did not work reliably against ranged attacks

• Companion Fidi (Dusa): newly added Legendary Keepsake! Summons Dusa to petrify your foes
• Companion Mort (Thanatos): increased effect radius; increased damage; reduced pre-attack time
📢 Companion Shady (Sisyphus): dropped goodies no longer block foes' movement
• Companion Battie (Megaera): increased damage
• Frostbitten Horn (Demeter): newly added! Raises chance to find Demeter Boons with improved rarity
• Broken Spearpoint (Patroclus): now has a cooldown between uses; slightly increased effect duration
• Evergreen Acorn (Eurydice): reduced instances of damage absorption
• Myrmidon Bracer (Achilles): reduced damage reduction at higher ranks
• Chthonic Coin Purse (Hypnos): reduced bonus money at higher ranks
• HydraLite (Well): reduced healing

📢 Screen now shows all available options by category (instead of a random set of just three)
📢 Screen now shows which items you have purchased, and lets you toggle some decorative items
• Added many new decorative items to the House Contractor inventory (some with light interactions)
• Added renovations that improve health recovery from Fountain Chambers
📢 Reduced costs for many items for this grand reopening

• Goddess of Seasons: newly added!
• A Place of Revelry: newly added!
• The Fated Saint of War: newly added!
• The Gift of Song: newly added!
• Updated requirements to fulfill several Prophecies (this won't affect you if you've already fulfilled them)
📢 Increased rewards for Daedalus Hammer and Olympian Prophecies

• Heightened Security: reduced to a single rank
📢 No Choice: increased Heat
📢 Hard Labor: re-scaled to 5 ranks
📢 Tight Deadline: timer pauses in non-combat chambers with characters such as Sisyphus

• Added one new chamber to Tartarus
• Added two new chambers to Elysium
• The first chamber in Asphodel now offers more picturesque views...
• Updated layout of Megaera's chamber to have fewer places to hide
• Updated look of Bone Hydra's chamber
• Updated layout of Final Boss's chamber
• Minor changes to layouts of some chambers to helpfully accommodate the Rod of Fishing
• Minor changes to layout in the House of Hades
• Other minor fixes and improvements to various chambers

• Updated main menu based on new Major Update
• Lord Hades can now be seen toiling away in the House
• House Contractor has a new look in the House
• Added many new optional decorative items to the House of Hades
• Added many new visual effects for Demeter Boons
• Added new art, visual effects, and animations for the Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
• Updated various animations for Exalted Shades in Elysium
• Added a couple of portrait variants for Dusa
• Updated visual effect for Crush Shot (Aphrodite)
📢 Reduced visual effects of poison in the Temple of Styx (making it easier to find curing pools)
📢 Reduced visual effects of Zeus' Aid (making it easier to see what's going on)
• Updated texture and Codex portrait for Wretched Thug
• Other minor visual changes, fixes, and improvements

• Boon Info Screen: updated layout shows Mirror and Pact setup; you now can 'pin' Boons for comparison
• Victory Screen: as above; also added various text Commendations based on your performance
• Added graphical icons for each Mirror of Night Upgrade
• Added graphical icons for each Pact of Punishment Condition
• Version number watermark and current Heat switched screen positions as part of these changes
• Songs are now subtitled
• Slightly reduced size of critical damage numbers
📢 Gamepad shoulder buttons now page through the House Contractor and Fated List
• Improved look of choice selection in narrative events
• Other minor fixes, changes, and improvements

• Added new sound effects for Demeter and her Boons
• Added new sound effects and emotes for Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
• Added new sound effect when Zagreus is stunned
• Added new sounds for other miscellaneous contexts
• Added equip sounds for the two new Keepsakes
• Other minor changes, fixes, and mix improvements

• Added many narrative events (with Demeter, Dusa, Achilles, Hades, Aphrodite, the Storyteller, and more)
• Added narrative events around the Eternal Spear's Aspect of Guan Yu
• Added many new Zagreus voice events for contexts such as House Contractor and the Rod of Fishing
📢 Zagreus has more to say to the Bone Hydra and certain other monsters and shades
• Extended Affinity Gauge for Dusa (you can give her more gifts)
• Updated Codex entry for Dusa
• Added Codex entry for Demeter
📢 Primordial Chaos now responds to certain interactions in their realm
📢 In the 'Trial of the Gods', you now hear from the god you choose
• Updated requirements and other minor changes to various narrative events
• Fixes and tuning to various contextual voice events

• Added new localized text for some content (note: translation still pending for much of the newer content)
• Updated Development Roadmap to reflect our plans for our next Major Update in March, and beyond
📢 Orpheus: due to the House Contractor redesign, the item to release him can be found more reliably
📢 Most characters impervious to your attacks no longer knock you back when struck
• You need a bit more Darkness now before Nyx upgrades the Mirror with the ability to refund it
📢 Gameplay Timer pauses in non-combat chambers with characters such as Sisyphus
• 'New!' tags on Prophecies in the Fated List clear on selection (rather than after closing the List)
• Credits: Demeter (Laila Berzins) added to voice cast; added new Community Beta Testers (Thank you!!)
• Text: Renamed various Dionysus Boons and effects to be more in-theme with his lifestyle choices
• Minor changes to presentation when the Minotaur leaves his chamber
• Adjusted behavior of mouse-and-keyboard controls while the default 'Attack at Cursor' is disabled
• Zagreus now will always enter chambers at a standard speed (such as when his speed is reduced by Chaos)
• Various text fixes, updates, and clarifications

📢 Fixed various text overflow issues in non-English languages
• Fixed Achilles not telling you about Titan Blood and Ambrosia soon after you first find them
📢 Fixed a rare issue where Death Defiance could cause a permanent slowdown
📢 Fixed Numbing Sensation (Dionysus) having a reduced power level at Heroic rarity
• Fixed Black Out (Dionysus) unintentionally being upgradeable by Eurydice
📢 Fixed Companion Rib (Skelly) causing 'Trial of the Gods' effects to occur unexpectedly
📢 Fixed Infernal Gates blocking the aim preview for the Shield's Bull Rush
• Fixed a key narrative event with Megaera sometimes playing twice unexpectedly
• Fixed narrative scripting around events involving Orpheus and Dionysus, which could become unavailable in some cases
• Fixed Bother foe having incorrect material sounds
📢 Many other minor fixes

The Earth did not send up any seed. Demeter, she with the beautiful garlands in her hair, kept them covered underground. Many a curved plough was dragged along the fields by many an ox—all in vain.
~Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Anonymous; G. Nagy translation)

Note: You should see v0.24897 in-game once you have the update.

Our god-like rogue-like dungeon crawler, Hades, is ringing in the new year with a Major Update brimming with surprises that should perk you right up as you battle out of hell!



The Long Winter Update introduces one of the eldest and most powerful Olympians, as well as a couple of big, new surprises, 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.

The Long Winter Update is a free, automatic download as part of the Early Access development of Hades. If you've come directly to this post, check out the game here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/
Once you've downloaded the update, you may need to restart your Steam client. In the off chance the game isn't working properly for you after the update, please try verifying the game files:

• Right-click on Hades in your Steam Library
  
• Select 'Properties...', then select the 'Local Files' tab
  
• Select 'Verify Integrity of Game Files...'

This may alleviate any issues.

Full patch notes are available here on Steam, in the game client, and our official Discord, where we invite you to join a welcoming, international community of Hades players and Supergiant fans.

Thank you so much for playing! Player feedback heavily informs our updates and is always on our mind. We're excited to press onward in development with you, and wish you good luck getting out of hell!