Get to the Surface in Hades 2 — Craft These Two Incantations to Unlock and Survive
If you want to reach and stay on the Surface in Hades 2, there are clear steps to follow. In short: talk to the right gods, craft two specific incantations at the large cauldron, and prepare for a few risky trips while some items brew.
How to unlock the Surface in Hades 2
First, you need to speak with Hermes during your early runs. Hermes’ appearance is randomized, but he typically shows up in the second or third run after your first defeat of Hecate. After you talk with Hermes, Hecate will eventually provide the recipe for the Permeation of Witching‑Wards incantation, which removes the ward blocking access to the Surface.
You craft the Permeation at the large cauldron in front of Hecate. The required ingredients are:
- 3 Moly: yellow flowers found in random spots around Erebus; pick them up when you see them.
- 1 Cinder: obtained by defeating Hecate (the first boss).
- 1 Shadow: you must craft a Shadow Extraction at the cauldron first (see below).
Shadow Extraction recipe and notes
To get the Shadow used in the Permeation recipe, switch the cauldron to the alchemy tab and select Shadow Extraction. The Shadow Extraction recipe requires:
- 30 Ash: from rooms marked with the ash sign or bought from the Wretched Broker.
- 30 Psyche: from rooms marked with the psyche sign, bought from the Wretched Broker, or by helping Lone Shades to the afterlife via the hand‑gestures mini‑game.
- 3 Fated Fabric: bought from the Wretched Broker or earned through certain fated prophecies.
Also note, Shadow Extraction must brew for 12 encounters (12 rooms during your runs) before it’s usable; however, the Permeation of Witching‑Wards is immediately ready once you have its ingredients.
Once you have the Permeation of Witching‑Wards, move to the room with Commander Schelemeus. Instead of taking the usual exit, take the stairs that go up. With the ward removed, those stairs lead to the Surface region.
How to survive the Surface in Hades 2
Reaching the Surface is only half the challenge. Melinoë suffers from the Chthonic Fate curse on the Surface, which causes an increasing HP loss every five seconds. Therefore, you cannot progress far until you brew another incantation: Unraveling a Fateful Bond.
After your first death on the Surface, Moros will appear and give you the recipe for Unraveling a Fateful Bond. You then brew it at the same large cauldron. The recipe is:
- 2 Nightshade: grow them in the Crossroads using nightshade seeds. Nightshade seeds are obtained by digging (using the Silver Spade) in Erebus.
- 2 Lotus: a pink flower found in Oceanus; pick it up when you see it.
- 2 Moss: only grows on the Surface, so you’ll need to make surface runs to collect it.
- 2 Thalamus: grow these from origin seeds in your garden. Origin seeds are found by digging in Chaos; additionally, Chaos will give you an origin seed after your first trip to the Surface.
To get access to Chaos, look for a randomly spawned, brightly colored hatch. When you approach it, a dark chasm opens and you can choose to sacrifice some life for access.
Once Unraveling a Fateful Bond is brewed and used, Chthonic Fate is removed and Melinoë can survive on the Surface. Until then, expect short, risky trips and plan your crafting around the brewing timers.
