Unlocking the full arsenal in Hades 2 is no mere feat-each weapon offers a unique combat style and requires specific materials and story progression to obtain. From the Witch’s Staff you start with to the elusive Argent Skull and powerful Black Coat, mastering these Nocturnal Arms is key to conquering the Underworld. Ready to uncover the secrets behind unlocking all five weapons and their potent Aspects? Dive into our definitive guide to arm yourself with everything you need for your epic journey on PC.
Each weapon is vastly different from the others. Some require you to get up close and personal; others allow you to keep your distance. And you can change how they function by finding Daedalus Hammers in the middle of your runs. (Just look for the hammer-shaped icon when choosing which room to enter.)
Here’s a list of all weapons in Hades 2, plus details about how to unlock them and what they’re best at.
All Hades 2 weapons and unlock costs
In Hades 2, there are currently five unique weapons known as Nocturnal Arms, each with distinct combat styles and unlock costs. You start with the Witch’s Staff by default, which requires no unlock cost. The Sister Blades can be unlocked for 1 silver, offering fast melee and throwing knife attacks. The Umbral Flames, a magic-based weapon, require 3 silver and 3 cinder to unlock. The heavy Moonstone Axe costs 15 silver and excels at clearing rooms but is less effective against bosses. Lastly, the Argent Skull, a ranged weapon with limited ammo, requires 1 bronze and 2 glassrock to unlock. To gather these resources, players must explore different regions and defeat bosses, such as mining silver with the Crescent Pick and defeating Hecate for cinder. Additional weapons and aspects are planned for future updates beyond the current early access version.
Hades 2 features six weapons, and according to Supergiant, that’s the entire roster planned for Hades 2’s launch. Here’s a list of Nocturnal Arms, their respective unlock requirements, and a detailed breakdown for each.
- Witch’s Staff – starting weapon
- Sister Blades – 1 silver
- Umbral Flames – 3 silver, 3 cinder
- Moonstone Axe – 15 silver
- Argent Skull – 1 bronze, 2 glassrock
- Black Coat – 2 cinder, 2 adamant
Every weapon in Hades 2 has a basic attack (X on Steam Deck or controller input) and a special attack (Y on Steam Deck or controller input). You can hold each input for a few seconds to perform an “Omega” version of that move, which costs some magick but is generally more powerful.
The Witch’s Staff (Descura) is the weapon you start with, and the easiest to use. Its attack is as basic as it gets, the sort of standard melee combo you’ll find in many isometric action games of this nature. Its special, meanwhile, is a long-range projectile – and if you charge it up for an Omega move, that projectile will explode on impact.
The Sister Blades (Lim and Oros) are the most nimble of the Nocturnal Arms, faster than the rest, though they deal notably lower damage. But the Omega version of the basic attack is one of the best moves in the game: It allows you to teleport behind an adjacent enemy.
The Umbral Flames (Flames of Ygnium) are, quite frankly, really hard to make sense of. You can either shoot magic orbs of fire or, as a special, surround yourself with magic orbs of fire. (We have not had much success with the Umbral Flames, perhaps because we have yet to figure out how best to use them.)
The Moonstone Axe (Zorephet) is a lumbering monstrosity, with slow-moving but high-damage attacks. While it’s extremely effective at clearing rooms of enemies, it underperforms against bosses, which typically require you to both keep your distance and move quickly.
The Argent Skull (Revaal) is the most unique weapon in Hades 2 at the moment. You have three skulls you can use as ammo for a hard-hitting primary attack. Once you fire the skull, it sits on the ground until you pick it up. Your special is a dash that deals some damage, but is specifically great for helping you reclaim your skull ammo.
The Black Coat (Xinth) is kind of like an Iron Man exosuit with built-in boxing gloves. Your standard attack is a punch, which can be charged up for a block with an Omega move. The special fires off a series of rockets, but the Omega version creates homing missiles which only fly toward targets you paint with the reticle.
How to unlock weapons in Hades 2
Unlocking weapons in Hades 2 is tied closely to your progression through the story and involves gathering specific materials at the Silver Pool in the Training Grounds. You start with the Witch’s Staff by default, while other weapons like the Sister Blades, Moonstone Axe, Umbral Flames, and Argent Skull require collecting Silver, Cinder, Glassrock, and Bronze in varying amounts. For example, the Sister Blades unlock with 1 Silver, the Moonstone Axe with 15 Silver, and the Argent Skull requires 2 Glassrock and 1 Bronze. As you advance through the main story and complete runs, new weapons become available to unlock, with the Argent Skull appearing later in the game. Interacting with the giant pool of light in the staging room allows you to access the weapon unlock menu once the requirements are met. This straightforward system encourages exploration and repeated attempts to defeat key enemies like Chronos to gather the necessary resources.
You unlock new weapons in Hades 2 in the staging room before you go on runs. Interact with the giant pool of light in the center of the room to pull up a menu with all available weapons.
As you can see from the chart above, you unlock most Nocturnal Arms with silver, but will need some other resources – cinder, glassrock (or G Rock), and bronze – to get every weapon.
How to get silver
To get silver, you’ll first need to unlock the Crescent Pick, which costs one ash.
Once unlocked, equip the Crescent Pick before heading out on a run (you can only have one tool equipped at a time) and keep an eye out for mounds of silvery crescent moons. Each mound grants you three silver. If you unlock the Reagent Sensing incantation (it costs one moly flower), the game will automatically point out reserves of silver once you’ve cleared a room of enemies.
Additionally, if you come across Narcissus in Oceanus, he has the chance to offer you six silver as one of his rotational rewards. But given the random nature here, you’re better off going with the Crescent Pick.
How to get cinder
As for cinder, you get one each time you defeat Hecate, the first boss. In other words, you’ll need to defeat her three times before you can unlock the Umbral Flames.
How to get G rock
For the Argent Skull, glassrock (or G rock) is located in the Fields of Mourning region. Just as with silver, the Reagent Sensing incantation will direct you directly toward any mounds of glassrock.
How to get bronze
Also for the Argent Skull, bronze is located in the City of Ephyra, which you can only reach once you’re able to go to the surface. Once you’re topside, the Reagent Sensing incantation will point you toward any nearby mounds of bronze. It’s a bit of an involved process, though, so you may want to consult our guides on how to get bronze and how to get thalamus (a resource you’ll need to cast an incantation that allows you to survive on the surface).
How to get adamant
For the Black Coat, you’ll need to find adamant, which is located in the Mount Olympus region. Outside of the final boss (which is currently unavailable in early access), this is the final region in the surface path. As usual, follow the Reagent Sensing incantation while topside and you’ll find some black and blue rocks sparkling in the snow. Mine it with the Crescent Pick and take it back to camp with you to make the Black Coat.
When will more weapons be added to Hades 2?
Supergiant Games plans to add a new weapon to Hades 2 as part of its ongoing updates during the early access period, which is expected to last at least through the end of 2024. This sixth weapon will come with unique aspects to expand customization and combat options for players. However, no exact release date has been announced yet, with the next major update tentatively scheduled for later in 2024, alongside other content such as new regions and hub customization features.
With the addition of the Black Coat, Supergiant claims in the in-game roadmap and patch notes that the set of Nocturnal Arms are now complete, meaning we won’t be getting any more weapons in any of the other major updates to the game.
While it’s possible the studio could add a surprise weapon or additional weapon aspects (which change how your weapons work) in a future update or even post-1.0, that’s pure speculation. However, Hades 2 will be in early access through at least early 2025, and has at least two major updates left at the time of this writing, so it’s possible things could change and Supergiant could announce more tools of destruction for you to wield against the enemies of Olympus.
What secret strategies can help me unlock all weapons faster in Hades 2
To unlock all weapons faster in Hades 2, several secret strategies can significantly speed up your progress:
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Focus on gathering required materials efficiently: Before starting runs, check the recipes for each weapon and prioritize collecting the necessary resources. Using the Forget-Me-Not Incantation helps mark materials you need, making it easier to spot and collect them during runs.
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Interact with the pool of blue energy next to Melinoë in the staging room: This is where you unlock new weapons and tools by spending the collected materials, so always check here between runs to unlock weapons as soon as possible.
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Spend Titan Blood wisely: To unlock weapon aspects (alternate weapon forms), you need to spend Titan Blood on the non-Zagreus aspects of weapons. Unlocking both aspects requires multiple Titan Blood, so plan your usage accordingly.
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Use meta-progression to your advantage: Unlock Arcana at the Altar of Ashes that slow down time during Omega Moves, such as the Sorceress Arcana. This allows better aiming and safer combat, helping you survive longer runs and gather more resources.
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Gift Nectar to multiple NPCs rather than focusing on one: This unlocks multiple Keepsakes that can boost your runs, indirectly helping you progress faster by improving survivability and damage output.
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Sweep each area thoroughly for resources: Collect every possible item before moving on, as these materials are crucial for unlocking weapons and upgrades.
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Utilize Dash invincibility frames and Sprint to evade attacks: Staying alive longer in runs means more opportunities to gather materials and complete weapon unlock requirements.
By combining efficient resource collection, smart use of meta-progression upgrades, and strategic gameplay, you can accelerate unlocking all weapons and their aspects in Hades 2.
What are the best recipes to unlock all weapons quickly in Hades 2
The best recipes to unlock all weapons quickly in Hades 2 focus on efficiently gathering and spending specific materials at the Silver Pool in the Training Grounds. Here are the key recipes for each weapon:
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Witch’s Staff: Unlocked by default at the start of the game.
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Sister Blades: Requires 1 Silver. Silver is mined in Erebus using the Crescent Pick, making it relatively quick to obtain.
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Moonstone Axe: Requires 15 Silver. This demands harvesting multiple Silver nodes (about 5) in Erebus, so plan several runs focused on mining Silver.
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Umbral Flames: Requires 3 Silver and 3 Cinder. Silver is mined in Erebus, while Cinder is a reward for defeating Headmistress Hecate at the end of the Erebus region.
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Argent Skull: Requires 2 Glassrock and 1 Bronze. Glassrock is found in the Fields of Mourning, the third region, while Bronze is rarer and can only be obtained from the surface (City of Elphyra). Reaching the surface and collecting Bronze is more challenging and may require special runs.
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Black Coat: Requires 2 Adamant (available after the Olympic update).
To unlock weapons faster, prioritize mining Silver early on for Sister Blades and Moonstone Axe, then focus on defeating Hecate to get Cinder for Umbral Flames. Later, collect Glassrock and make trips to the surface for Bronze to unlock Argent Skull.
Efficiently gathering these materials and unlocking weapons at the Silver Pool as soon as you have the required resources is the optimal strategy to unlock all weapons quickly.
