Hades 2 adds even more Greek gods and myths for players to encounter during Melinoe’s journey. Here’s what to know about each of them.
Supergiant Games is giving fans the first taste of Hades 2 and its new gods thanks to an ongoing Technical Test taking place ahead of the game’s Early Access release later this year.
In addition to bringing back characters like Zeus, Posideon, and (of course) Hades himself, Hades 2 draws from even more Greek mythology. This means there are even more gods from the Greek Pantheon, as well as other important figures from Greek myths for players to meet. Here’s what to know about these characters from the protagonist Melinoe to the titan Chronos.
Contents
- New characters
- Returning characters
Melinoe – Princess of the Underworld
Hades 2’s protagonist is Melinoe, Princess of the Underworld. The daughter of Hades and Persephone, born after the events of the first game, Melinoe is Zagreus’ younger sister. She even has red and green eyes like her brother, though her eye colors are reversed. This time, rather than trying to escape, players will be helping Melinoe as she journeys deeper into the Underworld to defeat the titan Chronos.
In Greek mythology, Melinoe the daughter of Persephone and Zeus, who fathered her while disguised as Hades. However, some, like the Orphics, believed Zeus and Hades were one and the same, complicating things a bit. The Hades games have previously toned down the more questionable elements of Greek mythology in the past, such as having Persephone’s father be a mortal farmer rather than Zeus. It’s not clear if this will factor into Hades 2, but it’s an interesting context all the same.
Melinoe is sometimes thought to be another name for Hecate, though the two appear as separate characters in Hades 2. Among other things, she is the goddess of ghosts, nightmares, madness and offerings to the dead. She’s also heavily associated with magic and divination, something that’s reflected in Hades 2’s combat.
Chronos – Titan of Time
The titan Chronos is the primary antagonist of Hades 2. After escaping his imprisonment in the Underworld, Chronos wages war against the Olympian gods and captures his son, Hades, among others.
Hades 2’s Chronos combines aspects of the Greek gods Chronos and Cronus, who are often associated (or confused) with one another due to their names. Even the Greeks connected the two, with some believing they were one and the same.
In Greek mythology, Chronos is the personification of time, while Cronus is a titan and god of the harvest. Cronus is also the leader of the Titans, who overthrew his father only to be overthrown by his own son, Zeus. He’s best known for devouring his children – including Hades, Demeter and Hestia – who were eventually freed by Zeus.
Hades 2 makes Chronos the Titan of Time and father to many of the Olympian gods, blending major aspects of both Chronos and Cronus.
Apollo – God of Light
Apollo is one of the Olympian gods who will help Melinoe on her journey through the Underworld by offering her Boons. Many of his abilities inflict the new Daze status, which sometimes causes enemy attacks to deal no damage.
In Greek mythology, Apollo is mainly the god of the Sun and light, though he’s also associated with archery, healing, music and the arts, and knowledge. He’s also the twin brother of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt who appears in both games.
Arachne – Silk Weaver
Like in the first game, Hades 2 will draw from more than just the Greek Pantheon. One of these non-god characters is Arachne, Silk Weaver, who gives Melinoe armor to help her survive in the Underworld.
Arachne is the central figure of a Greek myth about the dangers of hubris. In the story, Arachne was an incredibly talented weaver who claimed to exceed Athena in skill and challenged the goddess to a weaving competition.
When Arachne won, Athena became furious, beating Arachne with her weaving shuttle and destroying her work. This led to Arachne hanging herself in shame. However, Athena took pity on her and turned Arachne into the first spider. In addition to warning mortals about the dangers of challenging gods, Arachne’s story also explains the origin of spiders and their web-spinning abilities.
Dora – Listless Shade
Dora is a shade who appears in Hades 2. Beyond being a character players can interact with between runs, Dora shares quite a few similarities with the first game’s Dusa.
Just as Dusa took inspiration from Medusa, it’s likely Dora is actually Pandora. In Greek mythology, Pandora is the first human woman, created by Hephaestus at Zeus’ instruction after Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. She was also given a jar (now widely depicted as a box due to a translation error) that she opened out of curiosity.
Opening “Pandora’s box” caused evil to fly out and be unleashed onto the Earth. However, hope remained in the box, giving humanity a way to cope. The story is meant to explain the origin of evil, though it’s also been used to justify misogyny by blaming the first woman for all of the world’s ills.
Hecate – Witch of the Crossroads
Hecate is an important figure in Hades 2, serving as Melinoe’s mentor and the one who saved her from being captured along with her family. After taking in the infant Melinoe, Hecate trained her to eventually take on the Titan. If she sounds familiar to Baldur’s Gate 3 players, that’s because she’s voiced by that game’s narrator, Amelia Tyler.
In Greek mythology, Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft, necromancy, crossroads, and the moon. She’s often depicted as being comprised of three women, sometimes with three bodies or just three heads. This is reflected in her Hades 2 design by her armor’s pauldrons, which appear to be heads.
Hephaestus – God of the Forge
Hephaestus is another Olympian god who grants Melinoe useful Boons, with his abilities adding a Vent status that deals damage after 5 seconds.
In Greek mythology, Hephaestus is the god of the forge, volcanoes, and fire. He’s associated with various artisan trades and crafts like blacksmithing, metallurgy, and sculpting. Hephaestus is also the husband of Aphrodite, though their marriage is messy, to say the least.
Hades 2’s Hephaestus design has already been praised for its inclusivity, depicting the god as an amputee who uses a wheelchair. This actually comes from mythology in which Hephaestus is said to have curved feet either from birth or as a result of his fall from Olympus. Some myths even say he built himself a wheeled or winged chair for mobility.
Hestia – Goddess of Flame
Another goddess who helps Melinoe on her quest, Hestia’s fiery Boons often inflict Scorch on enemies to deal additional damage.
Hestia is the goddess of the hearth and the home, as well as virginity and family. Like Athena and Artemis, Hestia never married, opting to remain an eternal virgin goddess. She’s also the goddess of sacred and sacrificial fire, hence her Scorch abilities.
Moros – Doom Incarnate
In Hades 2, Moros seems to serve a similar role as his brother Thanatos did in Hades. Both as sons of Nyx who serve as the personification of some dark concept, with Moros representing doom, ill fate, and inevitability.
In Greek mythology, Moros is said to drive people towards deadly fates, reinforcing the inevitability of suffering and death. In some stories, Moros gives mortals the ability to foresee their own deaths.
Nemesis – Retribution Incarnate
Another daughter of Nyx, Nemesis is an ally on Melinoe’s quest. She is a fellow student of Hecate who expresses disappointment at not being selected to face Chronos, adding a competitive element to her relationship with the Underworld princess.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Nemesis is the goddess of retribution and revenge, specifically punishing those who commit the sin of hubris. She is essentially a bringer of divine justice, with her name coming from the Greek word “némein,” meaning “to give what is due.”
Odysseus – Veteran Tactician
The legendary Odysseus is another figure who will help Melinoe in Hades 2.
Odysseus is a major figure in Homer’s Illiad and the protagonist of the Odyssey. The king of Ithaca, Odysseus is known for his creativity and cunning. He’s the mastermind behind the Trojan Horse, a scheme that helped the Greeks win the Trojan War, and he overcomes a decade of obstacles on his quest to return home in the Odyssey.
Selene – Moon Incarnate
Selene is another new goddess in Hades 2 who grants Melinoe helpful Boons. Her signature status effect is Morph, which makes enemies temporarily harmless.
While Artemis and Hecate are also considered goddesses of the moon, Selene is considered the personification of the moon. She’s often depicted driving a lunar chariot across the sky, making her a counterpart to her brother Helios and his sun chariot.
Hades – God of the Underworld
After serving as the main antagonist of Zagreus’ story in the first game, Hades is the one who needs saving this time. In Hades 2, the eponymous God of the Underworld has been captured by his father Chronos, leaving his daughter Melinoe to rescue him.
In Greek mythology, Hades is King of the Underworld and god of the dead. Born the eldest child of Cronus and Rhea, he was the first to be consumed and last to be regurgitated by his father.
The most famous Hades myth, and the one most important to the games, is his relationship with his wife. Hades abducted Persephone, causing her mother Demeter to curse the land. He allowed his new wife to see her mother, though not before giving Persephone pomegranate seeds.
By eating the seeds, Persephone was bound to the Underworld, though Zeus proposed a compromise: Persephone would spend part of the year with Hades and the rest with the other gods on Olympus. This myth explained the origin of the seasons, as the months when Persephone was with Hades became the winter.
Demeter – Goddess of the Seasons
Demeter doesn’t appear until pretty late in the first game, meaning many players have missed her. However, she seems to play a larger role in Hades 2, helping Melinoe in her quest to save her family from Chronos.
Goddess of the harvest, agriculture, and fertility, Demeter plays a major role in the Hades and Persephone myth. She is the one who stops plants from growing when her daughter is gone, creating a deadly famine and, later, winter.
In Hades 2, Demeter doubles down on the winter association. Her Boons can grant Freeze, which causes enemies to stop for 2 seconds. That’s an upgrade from her Chill ability from the previous game, which merely slows enemies.
Aphrodite – Goddess of Love
Another returning goddess, Aphrodite’s Boons can grant Weak, reducing how much damage enemies deal.
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, lust, beauty, and passion in both Hades and Greek mythology. She’s also associated with the ocean due to her unusual birth; Aphrodite is said to have been born from sea foam after Cronus castrated his father, Uranus.
In most myths, Aphrodite is married to Hephaestus, with some stories saying Zeus married her off to keep the other gods from fighting over her. However, she’s also romantically linked with Ares, sometimes cheating on Hephaestus with the god of war.
Ares is not yet confirmed for Hades 2, though he appeared in the previous game. Aphrodite’s new design does show her with more prominent weaponry and warpaint around her eyes resembling Ares’ look from the last game, so it’s possible the developers are hinting towards their relationship.
Artemis – Goddess of the Hunt
Artemis is back for Hades 2, now joined by her twin brother Apollo. Her Boons can inflict Marked, which increases your chances of getting a crit on a Marked enemy.
While the games focus on her association with hunting, archery, and nature, Artemis is also the goddess of young women, childbirth, and virginity. Like Athena and Hestia, Artemis is a virgin goddess, opting never to marry. She’s also the daughter of Zeus and Leto, the product of one of the Olympian king’s many affairs.
Charon – Stygian Boatman
The ferryman of the River Styx is back for Hades 2, selling Boons, power-ups, and healing items to Melinoe through her roguelike journey just as he did for her brother.
Charon’s job in Greek mythology is bringing departed souls to the Underworld. However, his services aren’t free; ancient Greek funeral rites often included placing coins (known as Charon’s obols) in or near the deceased’s mouth. Those who could not pay or were not given funeral rites had to wander for 100 years before they could cross the river.
That theme of payment ties into Charon’s role in the Hades games, as he charges gold (Obols in the first game) for his wares.
Hypnos – Sleep Incarnate
The fan-favorite Hypnos is back for Hades 2, though this time, players can’t really interact with him – at least not yet. Though he escaped the Underworld between the events of the two games, Hypnos is locked in a seemingly endless slumber.
While players will likely be able to wake Hypnos as the game goes on, this is a fitting fate for the personification of sleep. Hypnos is also the son of Nyx and twin brother of Thanatos, two characters from the first game who have yet to be seen in Hades 2.
Poseidon – God of the Sea
Another major Greek god returning in Hades 2, Poseidon’s Boons have a new status effect to inflict in Slip. This causes increases both the damage enemies take and knockback distance.
Poseidon is King of the Sea and presides over storms, earthquakes, and horses. As one of the gods who helped overthrow his father in both Greek mythology, Poseidon seems especially keen to help Melinoe save her family.
Schelemeus – Training Master
While his name may be different, Schelemeus is Skelly from the first game. He’s unique among Hades’ characters in that he doesn’t seem to have a direct inspiration from Greek mythology. Fans long theorized he was Odysseus, but the reveal of the Homeric hero as a separate character in Hades 2 has debunked that claim.
Zeus – King of the Olympians
Last but certainly not least, the King of the Greek gods himself is back for Hades 2. Like many of the returning gods, Zeus’ Boons inflict a new condition; this is Blitz, which hits enemies with lightning after they take some damage.
As the leader of the Olympians, Zeus is a major player in plenty of Greek myths. Many involve his philandering, as the god of thunder and lightning had many, many affairs and fathered plenty of children. This includes major gods like Athena, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and (in some tellings) Zagreus and Melinoe.
