Just three days after confirming one was coming, Hades 2 now has its first early access patch that was largely based on feedback from the community and addresses many issues players have faced during their runs.
Hades 2 Early Access Patch 1, as Supergiant Games titled it, almost exclusively focuses on implementing “targeted improvement” across multiple areas of the game where players voiced concern. Community feedback is so integral to the development of Hades 2 at this stage that the dev team is even actively noting which parts of the update were inspired by players letting their voices be heard.
“Impressions posted here on Steam, our official Discord, and beyond are letting us gauge how everyone’s feeling about the game and how that aligns with our goals,” Supergiant said when announcing the patch. “We’re also collecting anonymous gameplay data voluntarily submitted by players, which helps us identify opportunities to improve the balance of boons, weapons, foes, and so on. This is an ongoing process that’s just getting started.”
All Hades 2 Early Access Patch 1 notes and changes for May 16
Hades 2 Early Access Patch 1 went live on May 16 and focused on community feedback, making the gathering mechanic less frustrating, and giving Melinoë a more distinct and expressive style.
Here is a full list of every change made in this initial update. Every change that was implemented based on community feedback will be noted with an asterisk (*).
Gameplay changes
- Sprint ability has been made faster, turning is now more responsive, and all related boons have been altered to match these changes.*
- Dash can now be used to cancel out of many attack animations more reliably.
- Gathering Tools and resource collection have been updated:*
- “You now can gather from any resource point once you have unlocked the corresponding Gathering Tool.”
- “You now can Prioritize any available Tool in the Training Grounds to make its resources appear as often as before, while resources for Tools you do not Prioritize will appear far less often.”
Altar of Ashes updates
- The Swift Runner has been altered to make your Dash immediate to go along with Sprint changes.*
Level design and environment changes
- Dashing across chasms in Oceanus has been made easier.*
- You can more easily collect Driftwood in the Rift of Thessaly.*
Menu and UI changes
- Well of Charon now displays current Gold without needing to check your Boon Info upon usage.*
- The Grasp Upgrade Tutorial can now repeat if ignored.*
- Patch Notes viewing option has been added to the game’s client on the main menu.*
Other changes
- Chances of encountering Eris early in runs have been decreased and she will also drop “something of value…”*
- For players who have already encountered Eris during runs, a “one-time bonus” when Eris is present in the Crossroads.*
- Book of Shadows entries are now easier to reveal.*
- You can now gift Echo without needing to wait as long after conversing.*
- Animal Familiar upgrades have been updated to reflect the Gathering Tool changes.*
- A hint has been added to the Hades flashback to show players they are in control after a set period.*
- Mouse selection and additional controller support have been improved.*
- Sprint-related abilities show display more accurate numbers.
- Translations for several languages have been updated.
General bug fixes
- Issues with Selene have been fixed.
- A bug where Apollo occasionally prevents foes from spawning has been fixed.
- Hestia not dealing damage properly has been fixed.
- A bug where attacking Chronos with the Sister Blades Omega Attack from certain angles would not result in hits has been fixed.
- Fixed a bug where Satyr Hoplites could block when afflicted by Selene’s Twilight Curse.
- Bugs, where some foes could spawn out of bounds in an environment, have been fixed.
- A bug where the camera would get stuck zooming in vs. Polyphemus has been fixed.
- Fixed a bug where players could occasionally Dash out of bounds in the Crossroads.
- Fishing Pier events in the Crossroads will now pass Whiles like other events.
- A bug where autolock wouldn’t clear after encounters while using mouse and keyboard has been fixed.
- Bugs where keyboard inputs would occasionally get stuck and input issues when switching from gamepad to mouse-and-keyboard controls have been fixed.
- Ultrawide resolution issues have been resolved.
- A bug where visual effects would linger during and after the Chronos fight has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue where Melinoë would repeat a voice line consistently near the City of Ephyra Bat Cages.
- Fixed various other instances of crashing, text errors, and minor bugs.
This patch is just the first of many updates set to drop this year as Supergiant works through its planned Hades 2 roadmap, which will eventually end in the game’s full release.
