Familiar Animals in Hades 2: How to Unlock Them, Powers and Upgrades

In Hades 2, players have the chance to recruit Familiar Animals that accompany them in tough battles. These companions are a returning feature from the original game, enhancing gameplay with unique benefits. If you’re interested in learning how to unlock these companions, understand their abilities, and discover how to upgrade them, continue reading for the key information.

Unlocking Familiar Animals

To recruit Familiar Animals in Hades 2, players need to advance through the storyline to unlock a specific recipe in the Caldero, which allows them to obtain these companions with a special gift. Here’s how to unlock them:

• Progress through the story until you unlock the Caldero formula titled “Craft of the Night.”
• Purchase the formula to gain access to tools in the Argentean Well.
• After acquiring the tool called the Tablet of Peace, equip it and start a run.
• During your journey, pacify at least two solitary shadows, whether in a single run or across multiple runs.
• Once the above tasks are complete, embark on a second run with the Tablet of Peace and reach the encounter with Maestra Hécate in the Erebos.
• Meeting all the requirements will prompt Hécate to grant you access to the Caldero formula named “Faith of the Animal Spirits,” allowing you to recruit animals.

After obtaining the formula, you’ll need to spend Nectar and Lotus to receive your first Witch’s Delight, which is essential for strengthening your bond with the Familiar Animals.

Familiar Animals and Their Abilities

Currently, there are four Familiar Animals available for recruitment in Hades 2. Players can only take one companion at a time, and once recruited, they will appear in designated locations for summoning. Here’s an overview of each familiar, their locations, and the abilities they provide:

Frinos

Frinos is a green amphibian resembling a frog. You can find him in Melinoe’s abode after each run. Approach him with Witch’s Delights to unlock his companionship. Here are his main features:

• Intercepts incoming enemy projectiles.
• Offers an additional 10% maximum health.
• Aids in pacification (mimics the Tablet of Peace’s function).

Frinos Upgrades

• Vital Link: Boosts maximum health by 10 while he’s with you.
• Spectral Link: Increases the likelihood of encountering lost shadows by 25%.
• Impact Link: Inflicts an additional 10 damage when jumping towards enemies.

Tula

Tula is a striped cat found in two locations. To recruit her, you must first acquire the Caldero formula “Wild Spring,” which allows her to appear in the Erebos. After reaching the surface, she can be spotted near the docks in the Fossa of Thessaly. Here are her attributes:

• Attacks the closest enemy, dealing 99 damage.
• Grants an additional Death Challenge.
• Aids in fishing (mimics the Fishing Rod’s action).

Tula Upgrades

• Heart Link: Restores 10 health after utilizing the extra Death Challenge.
• Instinctive Link: Increases the chance of discovering fishing spots by 25%.
• Lacerating Link: Strikes an additional time before losing interest.

Raki

Raki is a white crow that can be found in the fountain area of the Erebos. After unlocking the fountain, pay close attention to the entrance, as he can be overlooked. Here’s what Raki offers:

• Occasionally scratches enemies, dealing damage and marking them.
• Has a base critical hit chance of 1%.
• Aids in resource gathering (mimics the Lunado Pick’s function).

Raki Upgrades

• Blood Link: Increases the critical damage chance by 1% while he’s with you.
• Stone Link: Enhances the likelihood of finding ore veins by 25%.
• Winged Link: Boosts the frequency of Raki’s attacks on enemies by 25%.

Hécuba

Hécuba is a dark-furred dog located in the Fields of Pain, specifically in the same vicinity as Eco. To recruit Hécuba, you must have previously recruited Frinos, Tula, and Raki, and upgraded at least one of them. Once you have Hécate’s permission, you can locate and unlock Hécuba. His features include:

• Occasionally stuns enemies for 1 second and digs for healing or magic.
• Provides an additional 15 maximum magic.
• Aids in gathering resources (mimics the Silver Shovel’s function).

Hécuba Upgrades

• Spiritual Link: Increases your maximum magic by 15 while he’s with you.
• Earth Link: Boosts the chance of finding excavation points by 25%.
• Guardian Link: Enhances the frequency at which Hécuba stuns nearby enemies by 15%.

Upgrading Your Familiar Animals

To improve the capabilities of your Familiar Animals, you can enhance their benefits, making them even more effective companions. Here’s how to do it:

• First, unlock the Caldero formula called “Courage of the Familiar Spirits.” This becomes available as you recruit the animals.
• Provide more Witch’s Delights to each recruited familiar to enhance one of their abilities.
• More units of Witch’s Delight can be obtained through the alchemical recipe “Succulent Bite for Beasts.” This recipe requires specific materials and takes 14 minutes to complete.

Once you have the Witch’s Delights, approach your familiars near the Argentean Well and select the “Strengthen Bond” option. This will open a menu where you can choose from three different upgrades for each companion. You can repeat this process to maximize their benefits, up to three levels for each ability, but keep in mind that each upgrade costs one Witch’s Delight.