To venture into the underworld in Hades 2, you must defeat Hecate. In this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to defeat the first big bad boss in your Hades 2 adventure.
Tips to defeat Hecate in Hades 2
Exactly how you defeat Hecate will depend on the perks you find during your run. However, there are some things you can prepare to make the fight much easier.
Use Tarot cards
You will need to use the Melinoë Tarot cards to have a good chance of defeating Hecate. We’ve already talked about some of the best cards in the early game, but their importance shouldn’t be underestimated. These cards can be used to increase your health, increase the damage of some of your attacks, and even slow down time for a few seconds.
I find the Sorceress Card to be the most useful against Hecate because it helps you avoid her attacks while attacking her yourself.
Have a way to regenerate magic.
Running out of magic while fighting Hecate will put you at a huge disadvantage. To prevent this from happening, there are three things you can do. First of all, you can activate the invisible tarot card. This will restore 2 Magic every second.
Secondly, if you have unlocked Nectar, you can give a bottle to Hecate to get the Silver Wheel. This will restore your Magic immediately after using it for 3 seconds. However, it is capped at restoring up to 1000 Magic per run when you first get it.
Lastly, you can obtain a blessing that regenerates magic. An example of this is Poseidon’s Fluid Gain Blessing, which gives enemies the opportunity to release spirit bubbles that regenerate your magic after being attacked with your weapon.
Fight environmental damage
Hecate’s boss room contains over half a dozen of these purple trees. They can be used to hide from attacks, but I prefer to use them to damage Hecate.
Breaking a tree in Hecate’s direction will deal good damage without consuming any of your magic. It will also likely deal more damage than you would with your weapon, reducing Hecate’s health much faster than if you did it alone.
Use your circular cast frequently
If you can get a boon that enhances the power of your circle cast, this will work even better. Casting this around Hecate right before or after she attacks is a great way to deal extra damage before dodging her next attack. This works just as well after defeating the witches it summons. Defeat the last witch and then summon the circle around her. If you time it right, it will damage Hecate as soon as she drops her shield.
Use your special to find the real Hecate.
When Hecate splits into three, shoot each one with your ranged special to find out which version of her is real. This is possible because fake versions of her will not be damaged. Only the real one will do it.
Take this opportunity to deal additional damage before she combines all three Hecates and attacks you again.
Get a Selene Hex
Selene’s Hexes are the strongest attack Melinoë can use during her fight with Hecate. It will take a few runs to find Selene, but once you do, take advantage of what she has to offer. If you want to take down Hecate quickly, I recommend the Lunar Ray spell. It is a high-powered beam attack that can deal up to 1200 damage in 3 seconds.
To use a hex, you’ll need to cast a lot of magic during a fight. Lunar Ray requires you to cast 120 Magick worth of spells during your fight with Hecate. This is easy to do since your spells will deal more damage than your weapon. However, it makes the need for a magical restoration system that much more important.
Once you’ve used enough magic to prepare the Moon Beam, wait for Hecate to attack you. Dodge and immediately fire the beam.
This removes a considerable percentage of Hecate’s health. When I used my second Moon Beam, Hecate was low enough to defeat her.
For more tips on Hades 2, check out How to Increase Grip in Hades 2 here on MyFullGames.