Unlocking the secrets of Hades 2’s Surface is no easy feat, but the real prize awaits in the City of Ephyra: elusive Bronze. This vital crafting material, essential for powerful weapons and tools like the Argent Skull and the fishing rod, can only be mined from scattered Bronze statues once you’ve shattered the wards blocking your path. Prepare for a challenging journey through incantations and boss fights before you can wield your Crescent Pick and strike rich veins of Bronze-if you dare to brave the Surface’s dangers long enough to gather it all.
Unfortunately, it’ll take you at least several runs before you can reach the surface. In this Hades 2 guide, we’ll tell you how to reach the Surface and how to find bronze when you get there.
How to reach the Surface and find Olympus in Hades 2
To reach the Surface and find Olympus in Hades 2, you must first unlock access to the Surface by removing the magical wards blocking the path. This requires speaking with Hermes during a run and then defeating Headmistress Hecate to obtain the necessary materials for the “Permeation of Witching-Wards” incantation, which you cast at the Crossroads cauldron to dispel the barrier. Once the Surface is accessible, you progress through two zones: the City of Ephyra, where you destroy six pylons and defeat the Cyclops Polyphemus, and the Rift of Thessaly, culminating in a boss fight against Eris. Defeating Eris unlocks the Olympus zone, allowing you to explore Mount Olympus and its new challenges, enemies, and resources.
Unlike the first Hades, Hades 2 offers multiple routes: the Underworld and the Surface. You’ll start the game able to delve into the Underworld, but the Surface is something you’ll need to unlock after several hours of play and multiple incantations.
You’ll first need to unlock the wards leading to the Surface. You’ll then need to banish the curse that afflicts you there.
How to unlock the Surface wards
You’ll know you’re getting close to bronze when you unlock the ability to do the “Permeation of Witching-Wards” incantation at the cauldron in the Crossroads, which should be available shortly after Hermes contacts you in the Underworld.
For this incantation, you’ll need a cinder (which you get from defeating Hecate) and a moly (a flower you can find in Erebus, the first area). You’ll also need a shadow, which you need the Alchemy system to unlock. If you don’t have access to Alchemy just yet, do another run or two and it should appear.
Eventually when you visit the cauldron in the Crossroads, you’ll be able to tab over and do Alchemy, which allows you to transmute some of your more common materials into rare ones. The Alchemy you’ll need to perform to reach the surface is “Shadow Extraction,” which will turn 30 ash, 30 psyche, and 3 fate fabric into a single shadow. Once you start the Alchemy process here, you’ll need to kill some time to let it cook. You can either do another run or take an NPC to the hot springs for a bath.
Once you finally have your Shadow, perform the “Permeation of Witching-Wards” incantation. This will remove the ward in the Training Grounds heading to the Surface, allowing you to head there on your next run.
But on your first run in the Surface, after clearing the first room, you’ll start taking significant damage every few seconds, effectively barring your ability to get too far into the City of Ephyra – and impeding your hunt for bronze.
How to remove the Surface curse
Now you need to remove the curse, which is going to take another incantation and some items you don’t have yet.
Back in the Crossroads, you’ll now have access to the “Unraveling a Fateful Bond” incantation, which will remove your curse and let you hang out on the Surface as long as you want. To use it, you’ll need two lotus, two nightshade, two moss, and two thalamus.
- Lotus is a flower found in Oceanus.
- Nightshade grows from nightshade seeds that you can harvest in Erebus.
- Moss is located on the Surface, found by identifying little green patches on the ground. Just start a run and grab it before you die. Keep doing Surface runs until you have enough.
- Thalamus is the trickiest to get. First, equip the Silver Spade tool, then head into the Underworld. You’re looking for Chaos Gates, which take you to the primordial realm of Chaos. Once there, you should find a dig spot on the ground. Use your Silver Spade to dig up an origin seed (it should hopefully give you two). Keep visiting Chaos on your runs until you have two origin seeds. Back in the Crossroads, plant them and wait for them to grow into thalamus.
Once you have all of your resources, use the cauldron for the “Unraveling a Fateful Bond” incantation. Now, free of the curse, you can finally hunt for bronze on the Surface.
Where to find Bronze in Hades 2
Bronze in Hades 2 can only be found on the Surface, specifically in the City of Ephyra. To access this area, players must progress through the story until they can cast the “Permeation of Witching-Wards” Incantation at the Crossroads cauldron, which removes the wards blocking the path to the Surface. Once unlocked, players should take the Crescent Pick with them to mine Bronze from scattered Bronze Statues and armor debris throughout the city. Since the Surface environment causes periodic damage, casting the “Unraveling A Fateful Bond” Incantation is recommended to survive longer while gathering Bronze. This resource is essential for crafting key items like the Rod of Fishing and the Argent Skull weapon.
Mercifully, bronze is fairly plentiful in the City of Ephyra, so you should be able to stock up on it to unlock the Argent Skull and Fishing Rod in just a run or two.
There’s a chance for bronze to spawn in any room in the Surface’s first region, including the hub for the City of Ephyra and the boss arena. Make sure you bring your Crescent Pick with you and start adventuring into the various quadrants of the city until you find some.
The node for bronze might throw you off a bit if you’re used to looking for the very obvious ore nodes like you find in the Underworld. For bronze, you’re actually looking for a pile of bronze armor (seen above) resting on the ground. If you’re having trouble recognizing it, unlock the Reagent Sensing incantation and it’ll point you to any nearby deposits before you leave the area. Each node should give you three bronze in total.
How do I unlock the Surface to find Bronze in Hades 2
To unlock the Surface in Hades 2 and start finding Bronze, you need to progress through several hours of gameplay in the Underworld, including defeating the first boss and interacting with key gods like Hermes and Hecate. After these steps, Hermes will prompt you to help fight on the Surface, unlocking the ability to craft the “Permeation of Witching-Wards” Incantation at the Cauldron in the Crossroads. This incantation requires 1 Cinder (from defeating Hecate), 1 Shadow (obtained via Alchemy), and 3 Moly (found in Erebus).
Casting this incantation dispels the magical ward blocking the path to the Surface, allowing you to ascend via the stairway in the Crossroads to the City of Ephyra, where Bronze can be found. For longer survival on the Surface, you can also craft the “Unraveling a Fateful Bond” Incantation, which requires additional materials like Lotus, Moss, Nightshade, and Thalamus, enabling you to breathe without taking damage while exploring.
Once on the Surface, bring the Crescent Pick to mine Bronze from scattered Bronze statues and armor piles, which spawn randomly in the City of Ephyra and its surroundings.
What steps do I need to take to dispel the wards and access the Surface in Hades 2
To dispel the wards and access the Surface in Hades 2, follow these key steps:
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Progress Through the Story and Meet Key Characters
Play through several runs in the Underworld until you meet Hermes multiple times and then speak with Moros near the Fated List. Hermes will mention the Surface and the need to help defend Mount Olympus, setting the stage for unlocking the Surface path. -
Obtain the Permeation of Witching-Wards Incantation
After these interactions, Moros will grant you the Permeation of Witching-Wards Incantation. This spell is necessary to break the magical ward blocking the stairway to the Surface in the Crossroads. -
Gather Required Ingredients
To cast the incantation, you need:-
1 Cinder (dropped by defeating Hecate in Erebus)
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3 Moly (flowers found in Erebus)
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1 Shadow (a special mote crafted using the Shadow Extraction recipe in the Cauldron, which requires 30 Ash, 30 Psyche, and 3 Fated Fabric)
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Fated Fabric can be obtained via the Wretched Broker, Arachne, or Fated List rewards.
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Cast the Incantation at the Cauldron
Once you have the ingredients, craft and cast the Permeation of Witching-Wards incantation at the Cauldron in the Crossroads. This will remove the ward blocking the stairway to the Surface. -
Begin Your First Surface Run
After the ward is removed, you can ascend the stairs to the Surface. However, initially, Melinoë will suffer a damaging curse that causes her health to rapidly decline while on the Surface. -
Unlock the Cure for the Surface Curse
Upon returning from your first Surface run, speak again with Moros to receive the Unraveling of a Fateful Bond Incantation, which removes the damaging curse. To cast it, you will need:-
2 Lotus (gathered in Oceanus)
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2 Moss (found on the Surface)
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2 Nightshade (grown from seeds found in Erebus)
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2 Thalamus (grown from Origin Seeds found in Chaos).
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Cast the Cure Incantation and Explore Freely
After casting this second incantation, you can explore the Surface without taking damage from the curse, allowing you to access new areas, bosses, and resources like Bronze.
This process involves story progression, character interactions, crafting specific incantations with rare ingredients, and overcoming a unique curse to fully unlock and survive on the Surface in Hades 2.
