Massive new Hades 2 update finally adds a brutal final boss and, more importantly, a new pet sidekick

Hades 2
(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Hades 2: The Warsong update has been revealed, and it adds a final boss to the last level even though the game's still in Early Access.

The roguelike sequel first launched in Early Access last May, and as of yet there's no release date for its 1.0 update, but that's not stopping developer Supergiant from dropping some, well, giant updates. There have been a handful of smaller patches with balancing changes and bug fixes, but Warsong is only the second "Major Update" we've seen, and it's pretty major indeed.

You can get the full patch notes here, but the biggest highlight is definitely the addition of "the final confrontation on the surface," so basically, the Hades 2 equivalent of the Hades boss fight in the first game.

While that's technically the main draw here, all of us real ones know that it's the addition of a brand new pet sidekick, or as they're known in Hades 2, the Animal Familiar. Melinoe's new furry companion is the fifth to be added in Early Access, and the li'l guy is called Gale the Polecat. For the unaware, let me bless your timeline real quick. Polecats are in the same family as weasels, badgers, and otters, except they're way cuter than any of those combined. Just look at this little stinker!

Hades II - The Warsong Update Trailer - YouTube Hades II - The Warsong Update Trailer - YouTube
Watch On

Anywho, the other Big Thing is Ares, the original God of War Hades fans have been missing since the first game. Ares was popular for his powerful boons and powerful jawline, and now Hades 2 players can benefit from his unique blessings at long last.

Elsewhere, Warsong tidies up some menu screens and adds new and reworked art to the Altar of Ashes, as well as over 2,000 new voice lines, what seems to be a singing minigame at the Crossroads, and a whole lot of Boon reworks.

Warsong is available as a free Hades 2 update now, and Supergiant already has plans for a third Major Update, which should be releasing "some months from now."

In the meantime, see where the original Hades lands in our best roguelike games list. Spoilers: it's high.

CATEGORIES
Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Hades 2 Melinoë
Hades 2 guide: Everything you need to know
Hades 2 screenshot showing poseidon
Hades 2's 1.0 release date is still a mystery, even to its devs: "Whenever that will be"
Hades 2
Playing Hades 2 in Early Access makes it feel like a roguelike soap opera, and it's the only reason I still use Steam
Ravenswatch
Action roguelike Ravenswatch marks its Nintendo Switch release by dropping its first major free update
Ender Magnolia screenshot showing a spirit shooting at a monster enemy
One of the best new Metroidvanias just got a huge update with New Game+ and heaps more content like a boss rush mode
Saros screenshot featuring the main character and am imposing monster in the background with a swirling void in its chest and multiple arms with balls of fire
I want Saros to riff off a misunderstood Hades feature to become a very different roguelike to Returnal
Latest in Hades
Hades 2 screenshot showing poseidon
Hades 2's 1.0 release date is still a mystery, even to its devs: "Whenever that will be"
Hades 2
Playing Hades 2 in Early Access makes it feel like a roguelike soap opera, and it's the only reason I still use Steam
Hades 2
Hades 2 devs say "we have not recast any of our characters" in the roguelike amid concerns during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA video game strike
Hades 2
Massive new Hades 2 update finally adds a brutal final boss and, more importantly, a new pet sidekick
Hades 2 protagonist Melinoe, a woman with pale grey skin, short blonde hair, and red/green eyes
Hades 2 patch 6 lets us live out our Zelda and Dark Souls fantasies by making pots easier than ever to smash, and nerfs nearly every new enemy
Hades 2 announcement trailer image of Hecate and Melinoe standing beneath a full mooon.
Hades 2's huge new update is finally letting me confront enemies the best way I know how: with my fists first
Latest in News
Adam Scott as Mark S and Britt Lower as Helly R in Severance season 2
There might have been another reason for Mark's decision in the Severance season 2 finale
Silent Hill f art showing a person covered in plants
Silent Hill f has been pre-emptively banned in Australia, with no reason given for the 'refused classification' rating
Assassin's Creed Shadows review gameplay showing Yasuke overlooking the sea and lush green scenery
Assassin's Creed Shadows has already "surpassed the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey" with 2 million players and counting
Helldivers 2 screenshot showing someone using a big gun
Helldivers 2 boss says "death and rebirth" is a natural part of the games industry, but it's "unnecessarily brutal" right now "because we don't diversify enough"
A Dragon Age character stares out against a blue background.
BioWare makes a return to Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a surprise PC update, months after layoffs and a seemingly final patch
God of War 3
God of War PSP's seamless loading was only possible because a Jak & Daxter game was also running in the background