Hades 2: How to beat Hecate? Hades 2 guide, tips

On this page of our guide to Hades 2, we described the fight against Hekate, the first boss of the game, which you will encounter at the end of Ereb.

Last update: 10 May 2024

At the end of each area in Hades 2, you'll face a boss guarding a valuable reward and the passage to the next location. The first area of the game, the dark forest of Erebus, concludes with a battle against Hecate, Melinoe's teacher, serving as a test of the heroine's abilities before delving into more challenging areas. On this page of the guide, we have described the fight against Hecate, her moveset and combat strategy.

• Hecate in a nutshell
• Hecate's Attacks
• How to fight with Hecate?

Hecate in a nutshell

1. Hecate's goal is to teach about the gameplay in Hades 2 - it requires prudence and caution.
2. During Hecate's attacks, find a safe place in the arena and attack from there until the Headmistress reaches you.
3. When Hecate clones herself, her attacks cover a large part of the arena - it is best to run away.
4. Between phases you have to get rid of regular enemies while avoiding Hecate's attacks.
5. To avoid the projectile that turns you into a sheep, you must dodge several times in a row towards the projectile until it disappears.

Hecate's Attacks

1. Torch swings - the boss's basic attack. Hecate stands still and suddenly flashes white, raising both torches over one shoulder. After this short animation, she shoots an arc of fire towards Melinoe, then repeats the animation and sends another one. You can avoid the fire by running to the side or keeping your distance, as the attack has a moderate range.
2. Double swing of the torch - Hecate freezes in place and flashes white while leaning back. After a short animation, she simultaneously unleashes two diagonal arcs of fire, aiming towards Melinoe. Keep a moderate distance from Hecate and stand straight in front of her, and the diagonal flames should pass by you.

1. Fire cyclone -Hecate freezes in place and flashes white while twirling her torches around herself. After a while, she forms a ring of fire that slowly grows and expands from her position and then shrinks and returns beneath her. You should move away from the attack and create some distance because it has a large range and covers a significant area.
2. Waves of fire - Hecate freezes in place and flashes white, bringing both torches closer together. After a while, she releases a vast number of small fire arcs in three directions - towards Melinoe and diagonally on both of her sides. After covering a certain distance, the waves return in the direction of Hecate. You have the option to step back or take a chance and position yourself between the waves to attack Hecate freely. This move is exclusive to phase three.

1. Illusory flamethrower - Hecate summons two clones. The three witches teleport to random locations in the arena and place torches to the side, shooting streams of flames from them as they slowly rotate. Find a safe place away from the witches and wait out the attack. This move is exclusive to phase one.
2. Illusory automatic fire - Hecate summons two clones. The three witches all teleport to random locations in the arena and place torches to the side, firing a series of fireballs that slowly move across the arena. The fireballs are relatively slow and don't pass through shields, so you can calmly dodge them or hide behind one of the trees in the arena. This move is exclusive to phase two.
3. Illusory fire cyclone - Hecate summons two clones. All three witches teleport to random places in the arena and spin torches around themselves. After a while, each of them forms a ring of fire around themselves, which gradually grows and expands from their position and then shrinks and returns beneath them. You must swiftly move away from the witches and find a secure location as this attack spans a vast portion of the arena. This move is exclusive to phase three.

1. Fire glyphs and reinforcements - One of the four attacks that Hecate can use after moving to the next phase of the fight, i.e. after losing 1/3 of health. The witch teleports to the center of the arena and becomes invulnerable to damage, summoning several minor enemies. Quickly move away to avoid getting hurt while she creates exploding glyphs under your feet as you are occupied with enemies. Defeat all the opponents to halt the attack and be able to deal damage to Hecate again.
2. Automatic fire and reinforcements - One of the four attacks that Hecate can use after moving to the next phase of the fight, i.e. after losing 1/3 of health. The witch teleports to the center of the arena and becomes invulnerable to damage, summoning several minor enemies. While you are preoccupied with opponents, she fires a barrage of fireballs toward you, which slowly move across the arena. Keep moving or take cover to avoid fire. Defeat all the opponents to halt the attack and be able to deal damage to Hecate again.
3. Fire waves and reinforcements - One of the four attacks that Hecate can use after moving to the next phase of the fight, i.e. after losing 1/3 of health. The witch teleports to the center of the arena and becomes invulnerable to damage, summoning several minor enemies. While you are busy with enemies, she sends a huge amount of small arcs of fire in your direction. Run around her to avoid damage. Defeat all the opponents to halt the attack and be able to deal damage to Hecate again.
4. Fire cyclone and reinforcements - One of the four attacks that Hecate can use after moving to the next phase of the fight, i.e. after losing 1/3 of health. The witch teleports to the center of the arena and becomes invulnerable to damage, summoning several minor enemies. While you are busy with enemies, she creates a circle of fire under herself, which gradually expands and narrows. Stick to the arena walls to avoid damage. Get rid of all enemies to stop the attack and be able to damage Hecate again.
5. Polymorph - Hecate always uses this attack at the beginning of the third phase of the fight, after losing 2/3 of her health. The witch teleports to the center of the arena and becomes invulnerable to damage, summoning several minor enemies. It immediately shoots a fast, colorful, homing bullet that doesn't cause damage, but instead turns Melinoe into a defenseless sheep for about 15 seconds. Next, Hecate will use one of the four attacks described above. Avoiding the orb is difficult and requires several very precise dashes towards it, as it locks on you several times. In the form of a sheep, concentrate on evading damage and enemies - your dash is greatly reduced in this form, but it can still be beneficial to you. Once you return to human form, eliminate all enemies to halt Hecate's attack and have the ability to harm her again.

How to fight with Hecate?

Hecate is the first and also the easiest boss in the game. Its purpose is to teach you the gameplay style that Hades 2 was designed with in mind - prudence and caution. At first, it might be quite challenging for you, but once you get the hang of it and learn to play effectively, Hecate will simply be a test of your build.

Caution is the most important advice we can offer in the fight against Hecate. The witch's attacks may be slow, but they take up a significant amount of space in the arena. Hecate is vulnerable between her attacks. However, being too greedy and attacking her with a long series of blows will result in our demise because we won't have time to escape.

Hecate often uses her clones, which you can't hurt, but they can hurt you. Clones are immune to damage and turn green if you attack them. They will vanish on their own after a while, but if you locate the real Hecate, you will have a chance to deal some damage. It's worth mentioning here that if you have a boon that inflicts status effects on enemies (e.g. a boon from Aphrodite that applies a debuff to the enemy during combat), the real Hecate will always suffer from this status, which will help you distinguish her from her copies.

The fight against Hecate has three phases, each of which consists of 1/3 of the boss's health. The transitions between phases will test your ability to dodge and control the battlefield - avoid enemy attacks, use your Cast to bind your opponents in place, and get rid of them whenever you have the opportunity to draw the Headmistress back into the fight.

To defeat Hecate, you must play defensively, move to safe places in the arena and not take unnecessary risks. You may have to take several attempts, but winning will show you how to play Hades 2 - knowledge that will be particularly valuable in Oceanos, the next area of the game.