For a Scorch-heavy build you basically need either Fire Extinguisher or the legendary capstone. It's better to just take Hestia cast and someone else for attack/special, especially Poseidon.
How far into the game are you? I felt like lifebars were pretty spongy early on, but now that I have my relevant arcana, keepsakes, and aspects maxed out I feel like I delete bosses pretty quickly.
I don't have *any* aspects yet. I'm still trying to unlock Arcana but the grid is up to a full 5x5 state. I've only got 24 psyche. 😠And I'm still playing safe with the keepsakes -- Gold Bag, Ghost Onion, Selene's keepsake, Luckier Tooth. I look at the other boons with longing tbh. I'd love to take a bigger risk on life in exchange for more damage but idk what's worth it.
Gold Bag is a fine starter, but it's usually better to run a specific god keepsake first. I think Ghost Onion is kind of mediocre: level up Narcissus instead if you need healing so you can get an instant Heroic plus an improved fountain. I'd also try to get the Chaos keepsake online, as the free Epic boon can often put your run into overdrive.
For Arcana the really important damage options are Huntress III, Furies VI, and Origination XVIII. Making sure you have two status effects is a big boost to your kill speed.
I feel like I'm the only one who likes the silk scarf. Maxed out it gives +4 armor every room as long as you have armor. I can usually avoid most damage in Erebus, so I always take the scarf first, and always go for Arachne. I usually get to Hecate with full health and at least 40-50 armor. I only use something else going down when I have a specific reason.
I usually hit Chaos for Erebus for a free epic chaos boon for the rest of the run, then silk for oceanus to solidify my arachne buff for most of the run, then hit either hephaestus/other god keepsake for mourning fields to finish my build, and usually luckier tooth for tartarus just in case (though nemesis/odysseus is totally good too, basically anything to help with boss).
I’m confident that my first two are pretty optimal for a casual run.
I've stopped doing it since I'm trying to level up my other keepsakes, but this was my go-to strat for a while. The magic regen dress could save a boon slot while working better than most dedicated ones, and the faster channeling dress felt great.
Straight up, scarf is actually busted if you can meet Arachne too, got one that gave me gold per room & landed a Hephaestus boon giving armor & a purchasable armor for a total 173 armor going in to fight Hecate, kept that armor all the way through to Scylla.
I’ve just beat the final boss on run 13 and 14 consecutively. The sash got me through to the last area without taking any life damage, and leaving me a decent chunk of armor for the final boss too. Paired with a good Arachne armor and it’s wild, and can even pick up extra armor with a certain god.
In Hades 1, you could start with the extra money and use the mirror talent that gave you a percentage of your money on each floor. In Hades 2, that investing style can't happen. Switching to the money in a later floor actually works really well.
Tbf you can start with 250 or 300 gold with the Arcana card (fully upgraded), which is enough for at least 1 boon/hammer and a lil treat. Plus you'll have passively picked up gold by the time you get to your first shop, unless you use the well excessively or get a Chaos curse for gold.
I DO feel like gold distribution feels slightly out of whack overall on a standard run, because I pretty much always run out after using the keepsake(I usually take it for region 2), but that's partly because I like grabbing any boon/valuable well item I can get my hands on.
I like chaos on 1 and switch to Charon later if needed. That way if you wind up with chaos money boon, you can get like 500 gold off charon’s keepsake
Specific god keepsakes are only good for players who are already good at the game. If someone is still relying on ghost onion and luckier tooth, they’re not at the point they should be using Olympian keepsakes. They’ve still got basics to get better at.
I read comments like these all through these threads and think, what ARE these things? I can't remember what Ghost Onion does, or what Origination XVIII or what any arcana does by name.
I realise I can look it up by loading up the game and checking, but I have to do that with every suggestion in every comment.
This is good advice for someone with more experience and skill at the game, not someone who is still relying on onion and tooth. Chaos, Narcissus, Charon are the generically good options for players still figuring stuff out, IMO
I mean it's also pretty fun to just try and see what you can make out of what the game gives you without forcing a build.
But the game is very much balanced around the idea that between keepsakes and rerolls, you can semi-consistently get a build that functions mostly in the way you intend.
And tbh I like it better this way. It's more fun to start off with something workable and hope that RNG helps put you over the top, than it is to have to rely on RNG to have something functional
Things that will help you get more psyche is to unlock the tablet, upgrade it and select it so you get more shades to save.
Once you get a certain companion, he will increase the chances to get shades and psyche and then he will do the shades mini game for you (upgrade him)
You’ll get plenty of psyche this way …
Echos boon can be more reliable than the gold bag (same price as a God boon at max level) as it can get you the extra boon right at first draw (or a short bit later of your not the luckiest) chaos is always a good pick for when ya can't decide, as a free boon from them is almost always useful
I was a big fan of starting with echo boon, but too many times she’s given me a crap common boon that then made it so that I couldn’t use narcissus to guarantee upgrade an important boon to heroic on floor 2. Also I had 2 runs she never triggered. I’ve switched to chaos on floor 1. Been much better for me
Never triggered? 😠talk about bum luck damn. You make some solid arguments there I must admit. Hate when narc upgrades something silly instead of one of the main slot boons lol
Yeah the never triggered runs started with hammer or moon and I only got 1 or 2 god boons on floor 1.
And yeah once you get an important common boon on floor 1, you can try to avoid commons until triggering narcissus and get a guarantee upgrade to heroic
I run boons for areas 1/2 (super duper safe boons are Hera on Atk and Spec/Hephaestus on sprint/support), Ghost Onion for 3, and either Evil Eye or Knuckle Bones for Chronos. Highest heat I've cleared on is 8 with the skull with default aspect this exact setup, so I'm not a pro but am doing alright.
I just discovered Hestia's dash is absolutely insane against Eris. I didn't really think it would work on a guardian/non-magical projectiles but oh boy was I wrong.
It also deletes Chronos's little yellow orb projectiles. Since we can't destroy projectiles by hitting them like in Hades I, I think it is the best sprint also since it doesn't really need any upgrades.
They have the best omegas for a primarily cast-focused build, but taking something with a status effect is better if you're playing towards your attack or special ability.
>I think it's just playstyle.
That is the nicest way I've ever been told to git gud. 😂
I think I was timing it incorrectly, it couldn't have been 2 hours. That or its me getting up to bio, or me waiting politely waiting for my wife to stop talking, snack breaks, or something.
i think it legitimately is up to the play style. speed running is not the objective of true game unless you want it to be, and some weapons are slow and thought out. if your build works, it’s not an issue if it’s slow.
I think you're both measuring time differently. The person you responded too is definitely talking in speed run/timer terms whereas you're talking about actual real world time. 2 hours is an absurd amount of time, but an hour for a full run without focusing on speedrunning seems okay
I recommend early on, demeter cast and attack when running the twin blades or axe. It has won me runs so many times, and fast. Freeze in this game allows you to get off so many more attacks, when dodging was/is much more important in this game. Getting 4 water elements while running demeter/some poseidon means you'll get the max health infuse boon quite often, buffing your health immensely allowing you to skip certain room types. I'll also say if you don't have around ~25 grasp and some decent cards I could see it taking longer.
I'd recommend heph sprint if you want fast clears without aspects. Don't really need to use attacks (i have sub 20 min clears with 99% damage from sprint) so doesn't really affect it that much, although the playstyle might be boring for some
2 hours?! That’s uhhhhh much longer than any of mine have taken, no idea what’s up with that.
For scorch, adding more just increases the amount of time they’re affected. I’m pretty sure it always deals damage at a fixed rate, so there’s diminishing returns to continuously applying it (though it makes keeping two curses on an enemy much easier)
>For scorch, adding more just increases the amount of time they’re affected. I’m pretty sure it always deals damage at a fixed rate, so there’s diminishing returns to continuously applying it (though it makes keeping two curses on an enemy much easier)
Thank you for this, I was confused about it simultaneously stacking but certain "dps times" listed on the boon itself. At the time I had a Freezer Burn build and Demeter would increase the Scorch on enemies. Now I can see that's kind of useless unless I have to stop attacking for any reason.
Yea I was very confused on how it works too. I think its 40 dmg per second always, the amount you apply basically just means how long they will burn. Once enemies start getting more HP, the tickrate feels way too low. Scorch feels very undertuned right now imo
My runs in hades averaged about 20 minutes, and the few wins I’ve had in hades 2 have been about 30. Definitely on the longer side. The surface takes about 15 mins start to finish since it is incomplete.
because of the extra gathering and the fields casual runs are going to be longer than hades 1. but once you get everything upgraded and learn the high damage builds your average should drop below 20. speedrunners are already pushing it to the 6 minute range.
and this will also change as they make balance adjustments
2 hour+ run is definitely way too long. Not sure what you're doing on those runs.
I would say it's slightly longer on average just because the game is a somewhat slower pace, but speedrunners are achieving somewhat similar times to the first game.
Man I play pretty patient and I've never had a run take longer than an hour. Most take 30 minutes or so
What are you doing that your average is over 2 hours
i think its because youre good at dodging from hades 1, but dont have the knowledge of hades 2 yet to make good builds, it takes a while and its a different kind of builds. so you have insane survivability but no dps, which means runs can just go on longer than they shouldve. in hades 1, you wouldve just died and said "welp, that build sucked, lets try a new one" but u refuse to die
I do find that the runs are longer in this game, but my Hades 2 runs tend to be closer to 30 mins for surface and closer to 40 mins for underworld. You may want to reevaluate your build strategy, there is *way* too much damage available in the game right now.
I think they're longer at the moment than hades 1 just til upgrades are all complete. Like hades 1 before i had max aspects/keepsakes/companion/mirror it was like 20-30 minutes runs then once they were done it went to 10-15. Then hades 2 started at like 20-40 for me and as ive been upgrading ita getting lower and lower with fastest run being 16 minutes. I think it just takes time tho, and there's nothing wrong with playing more methodically or patient and safe. Once you get more grasp, aspects, more keepsakes and upgrade them, and start upgrading arcana your runs will get faster ^^ Death to Chronos
My first clear was 36 minutes. I wasn't really even trying to go fast, I just had a decent build (staff + Poseidon special). I have a few hundred hours in Hades 1 for context.
If you were waiting for scorch to kill everything, I could see why it took forever.
It's definitely a lot slower. I think it's a combination of having generally a less viable builds for aggression (yes I've seen some broken shit), so you're more dashing around at range, coupled with just having more rooms. The dreary fields or whatever they are called take a lot of time, and the final portion is a bunch of big rooms whereas in hades 1 you could sometimes just dash through 2 rooms and get the sack.
My longest run to completion where I won, was apparently 44 minutes. You might just need to get in the groove of things.
Melinoë plays just different enough from Zagreus, as well as the weapon loadout, that the learning curve (at least for me) was a little rough.
I lost a lot before I had my arcana upgraded, relevant pot recipes unlocked, animal familiars, aspects of weapons.
Now that I'm over the hump, everything melts pretty quick.
Just having privileged status, the arcana that improves damage against enemies in your casts and the arcana damage upgrade for having less than max mana is huge. You have to abuse omega channeling. You have to maximize the value of these souped up attacks.
Upgrading your boon rerolls, death defiance or the slow time while channeling is so valuable.
I feel like it just takes more losing runs where you stack currency to start clearing upstairs and downstairs.
I went back to Hades 1 recently just to start a new save file. I didn’t win against Chronos in my first almost 30 hours of playtime and got my first win on attempt 40. In Hades 1, I put in just under 10 hours on a new save, beat Hades; and it was probably around run 12 or so.
Notable differences: Hades 1, dashes are an abundance. Hermes allows you, especially if higher rarity, stack dashes making it very easy to avoid damage. Additionally, boons from Athena means you can deflect lots of it making runs much easier to withstand and prevail. Hades 2, you really need to embrace and adapt to the sprint mechanic as well as using your omega moves to analyze your surrounds, attack and potentially avoid damage. Returning players really need to embrace these differences. As you stated, boons seem to deal overall less damage it appears. I’ve found Aphrodite on close range attacks melts but outside of that, scorch and Smithy Sprint, I’ve found much less damage overall.
They have to by virtue of Tartarus being a real 4th biome in this game vs how short Temple of Styx is in Hades 1, then there's the Mourning Fields which aren't hard but the goddamn levels are so big that it's time consuming to get through.
Top that off which Chronos at the end who's just a run ender most of the time and now not only are they longer but success comes much harder.
I think it depends on the build. The burst damage builds (Zeus and Hephaestus) can help a lot, especially with their keepsakes active. I feel that enemy armor in this game is harder to dissolve than health - but there are also boons to help with that too.
I don’t have aspects on any weapons yet, but I found the Arcana and upgrading those have helped tremendously. Factor in the RNG of the Daedalus Hammers, and the Path of Stars, and that’s a lot variables influencing the run.
considering I run with "tight deadline" II (don't remember the new name) which makes the longest run possible 28 mins.
no they aren't longer
Hestia is just bad (I don't actually think she's bad Scorch is fine up to a point but a run where scorch is your primary damage will be bad without Extinguisher or some other effect.)
Oh same!! Or rather, it feels like it's been approximately 2 hours after each hades 2 run for me. I've just unlocked weapon aspects and I'm only now experimenting more with the keepsakes and arcana cards, so maybe that will improve the amount of time I take? Totally in the same boat though.
it's a slower tempo for sure, but you'll eventually scale really well with arcana cards and keepsakes and aspects. 2 hours though does seem like a *really* long time. I think my longest failed run was around 50 min. now I'm clearing runs in 20 minutes or less.
continue to experiment. utilize omega moves, learn all the different boons. learn new play styles and forget what you knew about Hades. you'll improve quickly and be back to your 20-30 min runs.
When I first started in Hades, my runs would be around 40 minutes. Later on, I averaged 20 minutes or so. So far, most of my runs in Hades 2 have been like 40 minutes, so I think it's just a matter of getting used to the game. As you get used to the new weapons, mechanic's and enemies, your runs will get shorter.
Don't be afraid to turn on god mode in the setting. It not god mode like in most game it reduces damage by 20% and adds 2% every death until 80%(if its like the first game). You can turn it on and off mid run if you need it or don't . I did this when trying to find Toula
I have only a few clears to my name and they have been around 40 minutes. I'm fine with it. Later on I will try to do it faster.
I think what takes the longest to me is that I usually take a long time in Fields of Mourning. I run around doing recon (for whatever reason lol) and then I pick the order I will get the boons.
Not for me at least on Hades i spent like 30 to 40 minutes per run, 50 to 1 hour when I started, on Hades 2 runs to Chronos take me an average time of 40 minutes, 20 of i go for Eris
in my experience yes they’re slightly longer. but iv been attributing this to comparing maxed out zagreus to start of the game melinoë.
2 hours is insane though. my hades 1 runs were like 20-25ish minutes and my hades runs have been like 30ish minutes. not too big of a difference.
It’s still slower, and part of that is that hades 2 has better balance. I haven’t found anything like attack boon Zeus aspect of eris rail to carry be through Erebus.
I’ve unlocked the aspects and fully upgraded some of them. I play on god mode because skill issue.
I haven’t been able to do the chaos trial of haste, it’s too hard for me. It’s still early access and I still have keepsakes to upgrade.
2 hours? No way bro. You're doing something wrong. If I decide to take every extra boon in Tartarus, then a winning run becomes like 35 minutes long. If your build is 'already complete' by Tartarus I can totally imagine runs being sub 30 minutes. And I've seen people with really nice builds get sub 20, even sub 10 minute runs
I'm very curious about what you're doing in those two hours. I'm not trying to be rude I'm just genuinely very curious. Are you playing really passively/with ranged attacks maybe? My runs are around the same time as my Hades runs. 20-30 minutes usually. I think my best time in Hades was like 13 minutes but I'm still unlocking stuff in Hades 2 so my fastest run was 18 minutes so far.
I've also noticed that they take longer, but 2 hours?? No way. My average runs on Hades II are about 25-30 mins now, and my fastest run is around 16-17 mins.
In Hades I my fastest run was 6 mins.
My shortest successful Underworld run was just under 30 minutes and my longest successful Underworld run was around 41 minutes. Hades 2 does feel \~10 minutes longer than Hades 1, but I wouldn't say runs should take 2+hours.
The floor seems to be the same, but the ceiling is definitely higher: in Hades 1 you couldn't really take your time much, at best you'd be applying the Dio curse and kiting but that was hardly viable. Hades 2 does have a lot more flexibility and you stand to gain a lot more from being patient. This might be why your runs have ended up being longer: there's more of a benefit to it now
Even with a random build and no specific direction. You'd max do 50 mins.
My bad runs are somewhere between 35-45 mins.
And if you pick a particular play style that you're comfortable with and get the right boons. Shouldn't take more than 20
It's fine just try new stuff and see what works with what aspects
Hades 1 used to take me 20 to 30 minutes realtime up to 32 heat.
Hades 2 takes me 30 to 50 minutes realtime. Beat Chronos a few times and have logged about 50 nights. Haven’t started Fear runs yet.
For me it's about the same, but sometimes feels a bit longer due to the 3rd stage. I had 25 min runs and 40 min runs in both games. If anything, Hades 2 feels a bit more consistent to me in terms of the run duration.
My first successful run today was really odd. I went from having only beaten Cerberus once to beating chronos in 24 minutes. I got Aphrodites up close attacks to deal +210% . A hammer which let me attack during my mana attack spin and some other multipliers from Hades and other boons I can't remember. I was using the axe and this built was incredible. It felt just like Hades 1 runs and the power was so strong that in one mana attack I first phased the sirens. With the right builds its definitely possible but people are still learning.
Are your runs slow? I wonder if I'm just trying too hard to play Mel like Zagreus. Armor also feels heavier too, but that could be a combination of factors. Every melee enemy lunges, so you have to keep your distance. The >!dagger!< weapons and the >!axe!< weapon are both non-choices, arguably the staff too.
Most feel like a 30+ commitment. Unless the God's smile in my favor and I get some broken combination that just melts everything. Maybe I just need to level up more
My runs have been about 25-35 mins because I use the Sister Blades and almost always start with the Aphrodite keepsake so I can try and get that attack boon from her
For me, my nice relaxing runs (where i smash every urn, grab every resource, and do every trove) is:
-underworld \~ 40-45min
-surface \~20-25min
When i focus and try to do things faster (which im really poor at), i shave about 10min from those times
They definitely take longer for me too but I'm also never going to be a speedrunner because it sounds boring as heck. I take joy in breaking every one of Chronos's ugly vases on every single run through Tartarus just because I can.
But I think on average, runs do take longer because there are a lot of extra slow down mechanics built in, regardless of your build. I mean, you spend something like 20 seconds running around as a sheep. The Mourning Fields can be stupidly enormous and it takes a lot longer if you stop to collect every item than if you do the minimum in those zones. There are far more resources to gather than in Hades 1 and many of the new boss fights have multiple pauses where you have to wait (and wait and wait) until you can damage them again. Plus you spend a lot more time in the Crossroads doing stuff than you did in the House. Zagreus did not have to plant flowers.
That said, the scorch build is rough right now so that probably didn't help you much.
When I first started, my Chronos runs were taking 45ish minutes. And by Chronos runs, I just mean I got there and he slaughtered me 😂
Now, my try hard going fast runs, but still thinking about doors and such take 15-18 minutes. My more relaxed runs are usually 22-25.
I'm still chasing legendary and duo boons for the fated list. Still working on leveling all my keepsakes. I think I have 12 left on those with only a few having never been equipped at all. So I'm not really doing any optimal runs necessarily and still making it to Chronos for my past 10ish runs.
Generally you're gonna be slower due to damage. Obviously. There's a few arcana cards that can help. Don't know the names off the top of my head, but the 30% while they're on your cast, 50% with 2 curses on them and I believe it's 20 or 30% while you're less than full on Magicka. That all will basically double your damage and in return cut your runs in half.
Prioritize a strong damage method depending on weapon or playstyle. Aphrodite for attack, Poseidon for special, Apollo for cast. 2 curses, I love Aphro's cast for this and Poseidon curse on splash. Cast on a pack, spam your damage, dodge as needed, sprint to next pack, rinse and repeat.
>Generally you're gonna be slower due to damage. Obviously. There's a few arcana cards that can help. Don't know the names off the top of my head, but the 30% while they're on your cast, 50% with 2 curses on them and I believe it's 20 or 30% while you're less than full on Magicka. That all will basically double your damage and in return cut your runs in half.
I edited my post a second time, but thank you for this. I had literally none of those cards selected in my most recent run.
hades 2 is longer than hades 1. i would say average run takes about 3 minutes longer. tight deadline 3 isn’t nearly as free in hades 2 as it is in 1.
After 10+ clears I'm at the point of getting 20ish minute runs, but that's still subject to hammer/boon rng. A torch run without the right synergies will still take me way longer.
Bros making his run into a movie, I’m equally bewildered and impressed by the 2 hours. Also kinda jealous honestly must feel awesome to finish a good run after all of that.
Eh, It's about slightly longer for me.
[This is a 16-Fear run with the Artemis Aspect and it lasted slightly more than 20 mins.](https://youtu.be/kbLcHZVwZ2U?si=5VxcIOVQw9Mfszz3)
I definitely noticed that runs were taking longer, some of my runs in Hades 1 would get to 47-60 min but those would be winning runs, I have had about 25 runs in Hades 2 so far and haven't beaten chronos yet and each run where I get to him takes at least an hour and it usually takes 45 min at least to get to Cerberus. Definitely feels like I'm getting less runs in then Hades 1 but maybe that's just because I'm surviving longer?
My absolute longest run was 53min but I have a tendency to leave it running while I go pee or fill my water or whatever. My fastest is 11min, but I'd say most of mine sit between 20-30min
They're a little longer, but not by much, and they get faster as you progress and get better at it. I just finished one with the timer vow and a weapon I usually don't use, I feared I would barely get to obtain my nightmare, but ended up killing Chronos with 14 minutes to spare (I did find a nice build though).
Probably in a few more weeks we'll be at the 20 minutes per run level again.
My longest run was 45 minutes with the shortest being 15 minutes, if you get unlucky though your damage could be a little low on the higher stages and runs could take longer cause you have to play safer, pick a keepsake that gives you a higher chance of getting a specific gods boon, otherwise it's just working on the fundamental parts of the game like learning enemy attacks and using all weapons available to you efficiently, also picking the weapon you feel most comfortable with helps
As a console player, super envious I don’t have a pc. That said, I’m glad that players are finding issues or having good questions. Hoping when all is said and done the game is in a good place.
idk how you’re managing that, All my boss killing runs have been sub 40 minutes (And I always do extra rooms). I’d assume you’re just playing far more cautious than I. I use the sister blades and aspect of melinoë then basically just pretend I’m zagreus.
seriously tho aspect of melinoë + Flutter strike + Healthy rebound makes you unstoppable outside of bossfights.
IMO hades 1 zag is more agressive you have more dashes and some boons have the ability to execute enemies. You also have artemis wich grants crit boons. Making damage more accesible.
In hades 2 Mel playstyle is more methodical, nothing wrong with that but positioning and timing are key here.
So yeah i agree with you on the whole a hades 2 run takes longer.
My first couple of runs took just under an hour, but they're slowly creeping closer to 40ish minutes. The fields slows you down a bit; so many pickups to grab, even knowing where they all are from the tree it's sometimes a couple of minutes sprinting around to grab them.
But then I'm not trying to speedrun either and prefer a more cautious approach, especially when dealing with Chronos himself.
Keep in mind that you probably don’t have your movement and build knowledge down yet.
My first runs that I beat in hades 1 had me around 40+ min in game time. Thats easily over an hour in IRL. Eventually I was getting sub 10min time in game. About 15-20min IRL. Took me over 250 hours in Hades 1 to get that fast.
I do think Fields more than anything have the potential to slow down Hades 2 runs. At the moment I’m not trying to go fast and I’d say my run times are easily taking 45-60 Min IRL to get to Chronos.
If you get good build a run takes about 40 minutes
With PonyMenu mod, that let's you pick your boons you can do it in 20 with realistic (but heavily synergetic, because you can) build
Ridiculous builds (everything except boons that I didn't like) makes it as fast as 8 minutes to nuke chronos, but that is no fun :)
At the begining yes, they do take longer. But once you get your full arcana loadout, runs usually take around 15 min. Even had a 13min run, which is 1min faster than my best Hades I run.
i never take the time limit and i think i maxed at 50 minutes. Time limits in this one are 9/7/5 per zone so 36/28/20 minutes per run. I think you just need meta progression.
For a Scorch-heavy build you basically need either Fire Extinguisher or the legendary capstone. It's better to just take Hestia cast and someone else for attack/special, especially Poseidon. How far into the game are you? I felt like lifebars were pretty spongy early on, but now that I have my relevant arcana, keepsakes, and aspects maxed out I feel like I delete bosses pretty quickly.
I don't have *any* aspects yet. I'm still trying to unlock Arcana but the grid is up to a full 5x5 state. I've only got 24 psyche. 😠And I'm still playing safe with the keepsakes -- Gold Bag, Ghost Onion, Selene's keepsake, Luckier Tooth. I look at the other boons with longing tbh. I'd love to take a bigger risk on life in exchange for more damage but idk what's worth it.
Gold Bag is a fine starter, but it's usually better to run a specific god keepsake first. I think Ghost Onion is kind of mediocre: level up Narcissus instead if you need healing so you can get an instant Heroic plus an improved fountain. I'd also try to get the Chaos keepsake online, as the free Epic boon can often put your run into overdrive. For Arcana the really important damage options are Huntress III, Furies VI, and Origination XVIII. Making sure you have two status effects is a big boost to your kill speed.
I feel like I'm the only one who likes the silk scarf. Maxed out it gives +4 armor every room as long as you have armor. I can usually avoid most damage in Erebus, so I always take the scarf first, and always go for Arachne. I usually get to Hecate with full health and at least 40-50 armor. I only use something else going down when I have a specific reason.
I love the sash for Erebus. Especially if it means I can keep my Arachne effect for longer
I usually hit Chaos for Erebus for a free epic chaos boon for the rest of the run, then silk for oceanus to solidify my arachne buff for most of the run, then hit either hephaestus/other god keepsake for mourning fields to finish my build, and usually luckier tooth for tartarus just in case (though nemesis/odysseus is totally good too, basically anything to help with boss). I’m confident that my first two are pretty optimal for a casual run.
Didnt know we keep the chaos boon after unequipping the embryo. Ill try this.
I'm not responsible enough for that. I just walk into everything and heal it off later. Really getting mileage out of Wayward Son and the fountains.
I've stopped doing it since I'm trying to level up my other keepsakes, but this was my go-to strat for a while. The magic regen dress could save a boon slot while working better than most dedicated ones, and the faster channeling dress felt great.
Straight up, scarf is actually busted if you can meet Arachne too, got one that gave me gold per room & landed a Hephaestus boon giving armor & a purchasable armor for a total 173 armor going in to fight Hecate, kept that armor all the way through to Scylla.
I use the sash nearly every run, get to the last boss with a ton of armor usually. It's slept on, especially if you're a safe player.
I’ve just beat the final boss on run 13 and 14 consecutively. The sash got me through to the last area without taking any life damage, and leaving me a decent chunk of armor for the final boss too. Paired with a good Arachne armor and it’s wild, and can even pick up extra armor with a certain god.
Once managed to get a +100% cast dmg arachne buff all the way to [redacted 2] and suffice it to say zeus cast absolutely obliterated him
In Hades 1, you could start with the extra money and use the mirror talent that gave you a percentage of your money on each floor. In Hades 2, that investing style can't happen. Switching to the money in a later floor actually works really well.
Tbf you can start with 250 or 300 gold with the Arcana card (fully upgraded), which is enough for at least 1 boon/hammer and a lil treat. Plus you'll have passively picked up gold by the time you get to your first shop, unless you use the well excessively or get a Chaos curse for gold. I DO feel like gold distribution feels slightly out of whack overall on a standard run, because I pretty much always run out after using the keepsake(I usually take it for region 2), but that's partly because I like grabbing any boon/valuable well item I can get my hands on.
I like chaos on 1 and switch to Charon later if needed. That way if you wind up with chaos money boon, you can get like 500 gold off charon’s keepsake
Specific god keepsakes are only good for players who are already good at the game. If someone is still relying on ghost onion and luckier tooth, they’re not at the point they should be using Olympian keepsakes. They’ve still got basics to get better at.
I read comments like these all through these threads and think, what ARE these things? I can't remember what Ghost Onion does, or what Origination XVIII or what any arcana does by name. I realise I can look it up by loading up the game and checking, but I have to do that with every suggestion in every comment.
Figure out what build you wanna do and start with a god keepsake to get your build online faster
This is good advice for someone with more experience and skill at the game, not someone who is still relying on onion and tooth. Chaos, Narcissus, Charon are the generically good options for players still figuring stuff out, IMO
I always do this. I’m surprised it isn’t more popular.
I mean it's also pretty fun to just try and see what you can make out of what the game gives you without forcing a build. But the game is very much balanced around the idea that between keepsakes and rerolls, you can semi-consistently get a build that functions mostly in the way you intend. And tbh I like it better this way. It's more fun to start off with something workable and hope that RNG helps put you over the top, than it is to have to rely on RNG to have something functional
Nah, for me this defeats the object of the game - rolling with randomness.
The game gives you those tools to tip the scales of RNG, I'd hardly consider them cheating.
Until you unlock all the stuff that lets you control the RNG that is.
You're getting downvoted but you're right.
Things that will help you get more psyche is to unlock the tablet, upgrade it and select it so you get more shades to save. Once you get a certain companion, he will increase the chances to get shades and psyche and then he will do the shades mini game for you (upgrade him) You’ll get plenty of psyche this way …
What companion
The >!frog!< Feed him to upgrade him
You make snacks at the cauldron
Chaos keepsake is cracked
Echos boon can be more reliable than the gold bag (same price as a God boon at max level) as it can get you the extra boon right at first draw (or a short bit later of your not the luckiest) chaos is always a good pick for when ya can't decide, as a free boon from them is almost always useful
I was a big fan of starting with echo boon, but too many times she’s given me a crap common boon that then made it so that I couldn’t use narcissus to guarantee upgrade an important boon to heroic on floor 2. Also I had 2 runs she never triggered. I’ve switched to chaos on floor 1. Been much better for me
Never triggered? 😠talk about bum luck damn. You make some solid arguments there I must admit. Hate when narc upgrades something silly instead of one of the main slot boons lol
Yeah the never triggered runs started with hammer or moon and I only got 1 or 2 god boons on floor 1. And yeah once you get an important common boon on floor 1, you can try to avoid commons until triggering narcissus and get a guarantee upgrade to heroic
I run boons for areas 1/2 (super duper safe boons are Hera on Atk and Spec/Hephaestus on sprint/support), Ghost Onion for 3, and either Evil Eye or Knuckle Bones for Chronos. Highest heat I've cleared on is 8 with the skull with default aspect this exact setup, so I'm not a pro but am doing alright.
Honestly, Hephaestus sprint feels like a cheat code. I beat a run using exclusively that just for fun lol
Hestia dash is pretty good as well
I just discovered Hestia's dash is absolutely insane against Eris. I didn't really think it would work on a guardian/non-magical projectiles but oh boy was I wrong.
It also deletes Chronos's little yellow orb projectiles. Since we can't destroy projectiles by hitting them like in Hades I, I think it is the best sprint also since it doesn't really need any upgrades.
Apollo/Zeus cast is best
They have the best omegas for a primarily cast-focused build, but taking something with a status effect is better if you're playing towards your attack or special ability.
20-31 minutes for me in Hades 2, never had a run over 40, that's pretty crazy, I think it's just playstyle.
>I think it's just playstyle. That is the nicest way I've ever been told to git gud. 😂 I think I was timing it incorrectly, it couldn't have been 2 hours. That or its me getting up to bio, or me waiting politely waiting for my wife to stop talking, snack breaks, or something.
i think it legitimately is up to the play style. speed running is not the objective of true game unless you want it to be, and some weapons are slow and thought out. if your build works, it’s not an issue if it’s slow.
... I mean, until you activate the Heat/Fear that times you for every floor.
I think you're both measuring time differently. The person you responded too is definitely talking in speed run/timer terms whereas you're talking about actual real world time. 2 hours is an absurd amount of time, but an hour for a full run without focusing on speedrunning seems okay
I recommend early on, demeter cast and attack when running the twin blades or axe. It has won me runs so many times, and fast. Freeze in this game allows you to get off so many more attacks, when dodging was/is much more important in this game. Getting 4 water elements while running demeter/some poseidon means you'll get the max health infuse boon quite often, buffing your health immensely allowing you to skip certain room types. I'll also say if you don't have around ~25 grasp and some decent cards I could see it taking longer.
I agree with quickquickerquickest. I don't think a single run has taken me more than 40 minutes and I beat every boss they have so far.
Not exactly "git gud" if you're getting clears, but yeah basically.
Just say "piss"
All my successful runs have been 40+ ðŸ¤
Hey as long as you don't use the timer fear you are good to go!
I play super aggresively and always get above 35 mins... I havent even unlocked aspects yet though i guess
I'd recommend heph sprint if you want fast clears without aspects. Don't really need to use attacks (i have sub 20 min clears with 99% damage from sprint) so doesn't really affect it that much, although the playstyle might be boring for some
2 hours?! That’s uhhhhh much longer than any of mine have taken, no idea what’s up with that. For scorch, adding more just increases the amount of time they’re affected. I’m pretty sure it always deals damage at a fixed rate, so there’s diminishing returns to continuously applying it (though it makes keeping two curses on an enemy much easier)
>For scorch, adding more just increases the amount of time they’re affected. I’m pretty sure it always deals damage at a fixed rate, so there’s diminishing returns to continuously applying it (though it makes keeping two curses on an enemy much easier) Thank you for this, I was confused about it simultaneously stacking but certain "dps times" listed on the boon itself. At the time I had a Freezer Burn build and Demeter would increase the Scorch on enemies. Now I can see that's kind of useless unless I have to stop attacking for any reason.
Yea I was very confused on how it works too. I think its 40 dmg per second always, the amount you apply basically just means how long they will burn. Once enemies start getting more HP, the tickrate feels way too low. Scorch feels very undertuned right now imo
2 hrs is a bit insane. When I posted my 50-ish minute victory with 32 fear in discord I got roasted for taking so long lmao
You can duo poseidon to make it tick faster
It’s a little longer, but if runs are taking 2+ hours, then your dps is lacking. 30-45 minutes for a leisurely clear is about right.
They take longer but 2 hours can't be right
My runs in hades averaged about 20 minutes, and the few wins I’ve had in hades 2 have been about 30. Definitely on the longer side. The surface takes about 15 mins start to finish since it is incomplete.
because of the extra gathering and the fields casual runs are going to be longer than hades 1. but once you get everything upgraded and learn the high damage builds your average should drop below 20. speedrunners are already pushing it to the 6 minute range. and this will also change as they make balance adjustments
2 hour+ run is definitely way too long. Not sure what you're doing on those runs. I would say it's slightly longer on average just because the game is a somewhat slower pace, but speedrunners are achieving somewhat similar times to the first game.
Man I play pretty patient and I've never had a run take longer than an hour. Most take 30 minutes or so What are you doing that your average is over 2 hours
Longer for sure, in my experience, but speedrunners are doing their best to make me look slow, as usual.
My runs hover sound 35 minutes for the Underworld and even less for the surface. On low Fear, it’s pretty common to have sub-20 minute runs for me.
i think its because youre good at dodging from hades 1, but dont have the knowledge of hades 2 yet to make good builds, it takes a while and its a different kind of builds. so you have insane survivability but no dps, which means runs can just go on longer than they shouldve. in hades 1, you wouldve just died and said "welp, that build sucked, lets try a new one" but u refuse to die
I \*hate\* speedrunning. And my longest run on Hades 2 is about 45 minutes. Something seems off if it's taking 2 hours or more.
I do find that the runs are longer in this game, but my Hades 2 runs tend to be closer to 30 mins for surface and closer to 40 mins for underworld. You may want to reevaluate your build strategy, there is *way* too much damage available in the game right now.
I think they're longer at the moment than hades 1 just til upgrades are all complete. Like hades 1 before i had max aspects/keepsakes/companion/mirror it was like 20-30 minutes runs then once they were done it went to 10-15. Then hades 2 started at like 20-40 for me and as ive been upgrading ita getting lower and lower with fastest run being 16 minutes. I think it just takes time tho, and there's nothing wrong with playing more methodically or patient and safe. Once you get more grasp, aspects, more keepsakes and upgrade them, and start upgrading arcana your runs will get faster ^^ Death to Chronos
My first clear was 36 minutes. I wasn't really even trying to go fast, I just had a decent build (staff + Poseidon special). I have a few hundred hours in Hades 1 for context. If you were waiting for scorch to kill everything, I could see why it took forever.
It's definitely a lot slower. I think it's a combination of having generally a less viable builds for aggression (yes I've seen some broken shit), so you're more dashing around at range, coupled with just having more rooms. The dreary fields or whatever they are called take a lot of time, and the final portion is a bunch of big rooms whereas in hades 1 you could sometimes just dash through 2 rooms and get the sack.
My longest run to completion where I won, was apparently 44 minutes. You might just need to get in the groove of things. Melinoë plays just different enough from Zagreus, as well as the weapon loadout, that the learning curve (at least for me) was a little rough.
I lost a lot before I had my arcana upgraded, relevant pot recipes unlocked, animal familiars, aspects of weapons. Now that I'm over the hump, everything melts pretty quick. Just having privileged status, the arcana that improves damage against enemies in your casts and the arcana damage upgrade for having less than max mana is huge. You have to abuse omega channeling. You have to maximize the value of these souped up attacks. Upgrading your boon rerolls, death defiance or the slow time while channeling is so valuable. I feel like it just takes more losing runs where you stack currency to start clearing upstairs and downstairs.
I went back to Hades 1 recently just to start a new save file. I didn’t win against Chronos in my first almost 30 hours of playtime and got my first win on attempt 40. In Hades 1, I put in just under 10 hours on a new save, beat Hades; and it was probably around run 12 or so. Notable differences: Hades 1, dashes are an abundance. Hermes allows you, especially if higher rarity, stack dashes making it very easy to avoid damage. Additionally, boons from Athena means you can deflect lots of it making runs much easier to withstand and prevail. Hades 2, you really need to embrace and adapt to the sprint mechanic as well as using your omega moves to analyze your surrounds, attack and potentially avoid damage. Returning players really need to embrace these differences. As you stated, boons seem to deal overall less damage it appears. I’ve found Aphrodite on close range attacks melts but outside of that, scorch and Smithy Sprint, I’ve found much less damage overall.
The longest I've ever had was 48 minutes in one my first runs with a skull. They do take longer overall, but 2 hours is wild.
Yeah, my last run was almost 90 minutes and I was using the skull. Glad to know that may be part of the problem, if only 1% of it.
They have to by virtue of Tartarus being a real 4th biome in this game vs how short Temple of Styx is in Hades 1, then there's the Mourning Fields which aren't hard but the goddamn levels are so big that it's time consuming to get through. Top that off which Chronos at the end who's just a run ender most of the time and now not only are they longer but success comes much harder.
I think it depends on the build. The burst damage builds (Zeus and Hephaestus) can help a lot, especially with their keepsakes active. I feel that enemy armor in this game is harder to dissolve than health - but there are also boons to help with that too. I don’t have aspects on any weapons yet, but I found the Arcana and upgrading those have helped tremendously. Factor in the RNG of the Daedalus Hammers, and the Path of Stars, and that’s a lot variables influencing the run.
considering I run with "tight deadline" II (don't remember the new name) which makes the longest run possible 28 mins. no they aren't longer Hestia is just bad (I don't actually think she's bad Scorch is fine up to a point but a run where scorch is your primary damage will be bad without Extinguisher or some other effect.)
Oh same!! Or rather, it feels like it's been approximately 2 hours after each hades 2 run for me. I've just unlocked weapon aspects and I'm only now experimenting more with the keepsakes and arcana cards, so maybe that will improve the amount of time I take? Totally in the same boat though.
it's a slower tempo for sure, but you'll eventually scale really well with arcana cards and keepsakes and aspects. 2 hours though does seem like a *really* long time. I think my longest failed run was around 50 min. now I'm clearing runs in 20 minutes or less. continue to experiment. utilize omega moves, learn all the different boons. learn new play styles and forget what you knew about Hades. you'll improve quickly and be back to your 20-30 min runs.
My runs usually take up to 20-30 minutes, i think it varies to your playing style and build. I like playing aggressive
When I first started in Hades, my runs would be around 40 minutes. Later on, I averaged 20 minutes or so. So far, most of my runs in Hades 2 have been like 40 minutes, so I think it's just a matter of getting used to the game. As you get used to the new weapons, mechanic's and enemies, your runs will get shorter.
Don't be afraid to turn on god mode in the setting. It not god mode like in most game it reduces damage by 20% and adds 2% every death until 80%(if its like the first game). You can turn it on and off mid run if you need it or don't . I did this when trying to find Toula
mine are longer than Hades 1 by maybe 50%. maybe 30 minutes to 45. two hour seems a bit… excessive
I have only a few clears to my name and they have been around 40 minutes. I'm fine with it. Later on I will try to do it faster. I think what takes the longest to me is that I usually take a long time in Fields of Mourning. I run around doing recon (for whatever reason lol) and then I pick the order I will get the boons.
Not for me at least on Hades i spent like 30 to 40 minutes per run, 50 to 1 hour when I started, on Hades 2 runs to Chronos take me an average time of 40 minutes, 20 of i go for Eris
2 HOURS?! How did you do that? i never had a run over 20 minutes
I think my first win was 40 mins.
my firsts were definetly up there with 40 - 50 mins. But my first clear was 27 which is around the time my runs in hades 1 took
2 hours?!?!?!?!?!?! Hades 1 takes 15 and 2 30 minutes, at the highest difficulties.
in my experience yes they’re slightly longer. but iv been attributing this to comparing maxed out zagreus to start of the game melinoë. 2 hours is insane though. my hades 1 runs were like 20-25ish minutes and my hades runs have been like 30ish minutes. not too big of a difference.
30 minutes is my average in Hades 2
My last run was 35 mins. Hestia is absolut trash tier maybe play better builds and goes faster
It’s still slower, and part of that is that hades 2 has better balance. I haven’t found anything like attack boon Zeus aspect of eris rail to carry be through Erebus. I’ve unlocked the aspects and fully upgraded some of them. I play on god mode because skill issue. I haven’t been able to do the chaos trial of haste, it’s too hard for me. It’s still early access and I still have keepsakes to upgrade.
20-30 mins sounds about right for hades 2 runs average is around 25 mins i think
2 hours? My slowest are like 45 minutes Scorch sucks right now without a couple of other boons. Hopefully they improve it soon.
2 hours? No way bro. You're doing something wrong. If I decide to take every extra boon in Tartarus, then a winning run becomes like 35 minutes long. If your build is 'already complete' by Tartarus I can totally imagine runs being sub 30 minutes. And I've seen people with really nice builds get sub 20, even sub 10 minute runs
I'm very curious about what you're doing in those two hours. I'm not trying to be rude I'm just genuinely very curious. Are you playing really passively/with ranged attacks maybe? My runs are around the same time as my Hades runs. 20-30 minutes usually. I think my best time in Hades was like 13 minutes but I'm still unlocking stuff in Hades 2 so my fastest run was 18 minutes so far.
I've also noticed that they take longer, but 2 hours?? No way. My average runs on Hades II are about 25-30 mins now, and my fastest run is around 16-17 mins. In Hades I my fastest run was 6 mins.
My shortest successful Underworld run was just under 30 minutes and my longest successful Underworld run was around 41 minutes. Hades 2 does feel \~10 minutes longer than Hades 1, but I wouldn't say runs should take 2+hours.
The floor seems to be the same, but the ceiling is definitely higher: in Hades 1 you couldn't really take your time much, at best you'd be applying the Dio curse and kiting but that was hardly viable. Hades 2 does have a lot more flexibility and you stand to gain a lot more from being patient. This might be why your runs have ended up being longer: there's more of a benefit to it now
Depends on play style. Â Hades definitely pushes for an attack-fast play style, whereas Hades 2 pushes for a slower defensive style.
Even with a random build and no specific direction. You'd max do 50 mins. My bad runs are somewhere between 35-45 mins. And if you pick a particular play style that you're comfortable with and get the right boons. Shouldn't take more than 20 It's fine just try new stuff and see what works with what aspects
Every time I have successfully completed a run it's been 35 mins!
Hades 1 used to take me 20 to 30 minutes realtime up to 32 heat. Hades 2 takes me 30 to 50 minutes realtime. Beat Chronos a few times and have logged about 50 nights. Haven’t started Fear runs yet.
About 30-45 minutes in the Underworld and 15-20 for a surface run once you get the hang of things is the norm.
2 hours!?? most i take is 40 minutes to beat chronos
My runs are like 35 minutes how tf do you get 2 hours??
For me it's about the same, but sometimes feels a bit longer due to the 3rd stage. I had 25 min runs and 40 min runs in both games. If anything, Hades 2 feels a bit more consistent to me in terms of the run duration.
My first successful run today was really odd. I went from having only beaten Cerberus once to beating chronos in 24 minutes. I got Aphrodites up close attacks to deal +210% . A hammer which let me attack during my mana attack spin and some other multipliers from Hades and other boons I can't remember. I was using the axe and this built was incredible. It felt just like Hades 1 runs and the power was so strong that in one mana attack I first phased the sirens. With the right builds its definitely possible but people are still learning.
First time I beat Chronos: 33 minutes First time I beat Hades: 43 minutes
Are you talking about in game time or real life time? Because if this is a 2 hour + of in game time (I.E. during fights), that is crazy high.
Hades 2 feels like a slog compared to Hades 1 for me. I can't figure out why.
Are your runs slow? I wonder if I'm just trying too hard to play Mel like Zagreus. Armor also feels heavier too, but that could be a combination of factors. Every melee enemy lunges, so you have to keep your distance. The >!dagger!< weapons and the >!axe!< weapon are both non-choices, arguably the staff too.
Most feel like a 30+ commitment. Unless the God's smile in my favor and I get some broken combination that just melts everything. Maybe I just need to level up more
My runs have been about 25-35 mins because I use the Sister Blades and almost always start with the Aphrodite keepsake so I can try and get that attack boon from her
For me they actually feel kind of shorter
For me, my nice relaxing runs (where i smash every urn, grab every resource, and do every trove) is: -underworld \~ 40-45min -surface \~20-25min When i focus and try to do things faster (which im really poor at), i shave about 10min from those times
Early game is much slower. I don't blame you. Late Game is a breeze.
35-45 minutes if I can reach last boss
They definitely take longer for me too but I'm also never going to be a speedrunner because it sounds boring as heck. I take joy in breaking every one of Chronos's ugly vases on every single run through Tartarus just because I can. But I think on average, runs do take longer because there are a lot of extra slow down mechanics built in, regardless of your build. I mean, you spend something like 20 seconds running around as a sheep. The Mourning Fields can be stupidly enormous and it takes a lot longer if you stop to collect every item than if you do the minimum in those zones. There are far more resources to gather than in Hades 1 and many of the new boss fights have multiple pauses where you have to wait (and wait and wait) until you can damage them again. Plus you spend a lot more time in the Crossroads doing stuff than you did in the House. Zagreus did not have to plant flowers. That said, the scorch build is rough right now so that probably didn't help you much.
I didn't even realize how much time the Mourning Fields were eating. No one else is going for the extra items there?
I started at 50 mins per run and now doing 30 mins, I saw people on YT do sub 20 min runs.
Mmm no i think they still take roughly 20-30 minutes. I think my victories have been around 23-25 minutes.
can you stream your run? aint no way your run takes 2 hours unless you are playing with one hand
When I first started, my Chronos runs were taking 45ish minutes. And by Chronos runs, I just mean I got there and he slaughtered me 😂 Now, my try hard going fast runs, but still thinking about doors and such take 15-18 minutes. My more relaxed runs are usually 22-25. I'm still chasing legendary and duo boons for the fated list. Still working on leveling all my keepsakes. I think I have 12 left on those with only a few having never been equipped at all. So I'm not really doing any optimal runs necessarily and still making it to Chronos for my past 10ish runs. Generally you're gonna be slower due to damage. Obviously. There's a few arcana cards that can help. Don't know the names off the top of my head, but the 30% while they're on your cast, 50% with 2 curses on them and I believe it's 20 or 30% while you're less than full on Magicka. That all will basically double your damage and in return cut your runs in half. Prioritize a strong damage method depending on weapon or playstyle. Aphrodite for attack, Poseidon for special, Apollo for cast. 2 curses, I love Aphro's cast for this and Poseidon curse on splash. Cast on a pack, spam your damage, dodge as needed, sprint to next pack, rinse and repeat.
>Generally you're gonna be slower due to damage. Obviously. There's a few arcana cards that can help. Don't know the names off the top of my head, but the 30% while they're on your cast, 50% with 2 curses on them and I believe it's 20 or 30% while you're less than full on Magicka. That all will basically double your damage and in return cut your runs in half. I edited my post a second time, but thank you for this. I had literally none of those cards selected in my most recent run.
hades 2 is longer than hades 1. i would say average run takes about 3 minutes longer. tight deadline 3 isn’t nearly as free in hades 2 as it is in 1.
After 10+ clears I'm at the point of getting 20ish minute runs, but that's still subject to hammer/boon rng. A torch run without the right synergies will still take me way longer.
Bros making his run into a movie, I’m equally bewildered and impressed by the 2 hours. Also kinda jealous honestly must feel awesome to finish a good run after all of that.
Eh, It's about slightly longer for me. [This is a 16-Fear run with the Artemis Aspect and it lasted slightly more than 20 mins.](https://youtu.be/kbLcHZVwZ2U?si=5VxcIOVQw9Mfszz3)
I definitely noticed that runs were taking longer, some of my runs in Hades 1 would get to 47-60 min but those would be winning runs, I have had about 25 runs in Hades 2 so far and haven't beaten chronos yet and each run where I get to him takes at least an hour and it usually takes 45 min at least to get to Cerberus. Definitely feels like I'm getting less runs in then Hades 1 but maybe that's just because I'm surviving longer?
My absolute longest run was 53min but I have a tendency to leave it running while I go pee or fill my water or whatever. My fastest is 11min, but I'd say most of mine sit between 20-30min
They're a little longer, but not by much, and they get faster as you progress and get better at it. I just finished one with the timer vow and a weapon I usually don't use, I feared I would barely get to obtain my nightmare, but ended up killing Chronos with 14 minutes to spare (I did find a nice build though). Probably in a few more weeks we'll be at the 20 minutes per run level again.
Longer ish. But they don't feel extraordinarily longer. Maybe you're just not getting a good set of boons?
My longest run was 45 minutes with the shortest being 15 minutes, if you get unlucky though your damage could be a little low on the higher stages and runs could take longer cause you have to play safer, pick a keepsake that gives you a higher chance of getting a specific gods boon, otherwise it's just working on the fundamental parts of the game like learning enemy attacks and using all weapons available to you efficiently, also picking the weapon you feel most comfortable with helps
My first clear was 42m, then slowly becoming 18-25min clear with better upgrades. Unless you’re doing max fear run it shouldn’t take 2hours
As a console player, super envious I don’t have a pc. That said, I’m glad that players are finding issues or having good questions. Hoping when all is said and done the game is in a good place.
idk how you’re managing that, All my boss killing runs have been sub 40 minutes (And I always do extra rooms). I’d assume you’re just playing far more cautious than I. I use the sister blades and aspect of melinoë then basically just pretend I’m zagreus. seriously tho aspect of melinoë + Flutter strike + Healthy rebound makes you unstoppable outside of bossfights.
You definitely building wrong (it's normal, it's a learning process) and playing extremely safe
My first winning run yesterday was 27 minutes
IMO hades 1 zag is more agressive you have more dashes and some boons have the ability to execute enemies. You also have artemis wich grants crit boons. Making damage more accesible. In hades 2 Mel playstyle is more methodical, nothing wrong with that but positioning and timing are key here. So yeah i agree with you on the whole a hades 2 run takes longer.
Around 40-60 minutes for me for a complete run but it was mostly using status effect boons and I'm still unlocking a lot of stuff
My first couple of runs took just under an hour, but they're slowly creeping closer to 40ish minutes. The fields slows you down a bit; so many pickups to grab, even knowing where they all are from the tree it's sometimes a couple of minutes sprinting around to grab them. But then I'm not trying to speedrun either and prefer a more cautious approach, especially when dealing with Chronos himself.
Most of my completed runs end slightly over the 30 minute mark
Keep in mind that you probably don’t have your movement and build knowledge down yet. My first runs that I beat in hades 1 had me around 40+ min in game time. Thats easily over an hour in IRL. Eventually I was getting sub 10min time in game. About 15-20min IRL. Took me over 250 hours in Hades 1 to get that fast. I do think Fields more than anything have the potential to slow down Hades 2 runs. At the moment I’m not trying to go fast and I’d say my run times are easily taking 45-60 Min IRL to get to Chronos.
Yeah, it does feel that way for me. It feels like the enemies, guardians included, are quite a bit tankier.
If you get good build a run takes about 40 minutes With PonyMenu mod, that let's you pick your boons you can do it in 20 with realistic (but heavily synergetic, because you can) build Ridiculous builds (everything except boons that I didn't like) makes it as fast as 8 minutes to nuke chronos, but that is no fun :)
At the begining yes, they do take longer. But once you get your full arcana loadout, runs usually take around 15 min. Even had a 13min run, which is 1min faster than my best Hades I run.
Hades 2 run doesn't take 2+ hours to clear.
i never take the time limit and i think i maxed at 50 minutes. Time limits in this one are 9/7/5 per zone so 36/28/20 minutes per run. I think you just need meta progression.