All Companion Animals (and how to unlock, upgrade and use them)

When Melinoe makes his way into the underworld in Hades 2she will encounter several animal companions who will help her defeat the Titan of Time and save her family. These animals are able to fight alongside her in battle, farm for better materials, and give passive buffs to Melinoia herself.

However, Melinoia can only bring one familiar with him during each of his runs through the surface or underworld. Players will need to choose their favorite companion wisely and see which one will best suit their current build or which familiar will help them gather much needed materials.

Updated by Christopher Ng on October 18, 2024: The Olympian update brought two new familiars—Raki the raven and Hekubu the hound—to help Melinoe. This guide has been updated to include instructions on how to unlock these two new animal companions and their unique skill tables.

Familiars In Hades 2 Unlock

A few steps to finish first

Melinoe must cast a spell on the cauldron at the crossroads to unlock the familiars. In particular, the player will need Spell “Faith of Familiar Spirits”.. To unlock this spell, players must prioritize each collectible and use it at least twice. Once this is done, Melinoia must defeat Hecate. If done correctly, Hecate will dialogue with Melinoia before the battle about the familiars.

After returning to the Crossroads, interact with the pot to find the spell. This spell will require Melinoe to perform 2x Nectar and 1x Lotus Flower. To find Nectar, look for rooms that have a Nectar symbol on them, or buy it for 50 dice from the Unlucky Broker. Lotus flowers are found in various rooms throughout the Ocean. After casting Faith of familiar spiritsMelinoe will get 1 Witch's Delight. Give this treat to an animal and they will join Melinoe on her future runs as a familiar.

U hades 2, players have 4 companion animals to choose from – Phrynos, Tula, Raki and Hecuba. Each one represents different materials that Melino can collect during his adventures in the Underworld or on the surface. As a result, choosing a best friend to search for specific material will not only increase the likelihood of that material appearing, but also bypass the need to play the mini-game to collect this stuff. For example, Toula makes fishing easier and increases the chance of spawning. If Melino catches a fish while Tula is with her, Tula will automatically catch the fish instead of the player going through a minigame.

Frog Phrynos

Likes to eat shells and find psyche

Frinos can be found near Melinoe's tent. It can not only increase Melino's max HP, but also use it to block projectiles. This is especially useful against Hecate, as Phrynos can eat the polymorphing curse.

Tula's cat

Extra life and more fish

After casting the Woodsy Lifespring spell, Melinoe will encounter Tula in the Erebus Fountain Room. After interacting with her, Tula will disappear from Erebus and reappear later on the Surface.

Start running on the surface, defeat Polyphemus in Aether and head to the pier area. Before jumping to the exit, watch for Tula on the far left side of the pier. Give her Witch's Delight and she'll join Melinoe as a familiar.

Raki Krumkach

More pecking, more loot, and more critical hits

Rivers can be found in the Crossroads fountain room. Go past the fountain and there will be a white raven to the left of the path before the exit. The first time Melinoe talks to Raki, Raki will disappear.

After this run, jump into another Underworld run until Melino runs into the the fountain room at Erebus with the River in it. Raki will disappear once more after Melinoe interacts with him. In the next Underworld run, find the fountain room again in Erebus and Raki will be able to bond with Melinoe. Give the magical white raven a witch's delight and it will become Melino's friend.

Hecuba's dog

Bigger magic pool and lots of seed digging

To find Hecuba, go to the underworld and find an echo in the fields of mourning. Follow the path to the exit and Hecuba will sometimes be waiting by the exit door. Be careful not to miss the adorable dog – her black fur makes her blend in with the floor.

Talk to Hecuba and she will disappear. Repeat this process and level up other familiars at the Crossroads until an exclamation mark appears above Hecate's head. Talk to the titan and she will allow you to recruit her familiars – Hecuba and Gale – through “Common familiar connectionspermission.

Jump into another Underworld run, find Hecuba again in the Fields of Mourning, and this time Melinoi will have a chance treat Hecuba. Give the faithful hound Witch's Delight and she will join Melinoe as a familiar.

While allowing shared familiar connections allows Melinoia to recruit both Gale and Hecuba to her side as familiars, Gale's choir is not yet in the game at the time of writing this guide.

Familiars In Hades 2 Update

Magical cookies for your favorite animal companions

To upgrade a familiar, approach them at the Crossroads. To refresh a familiar's journey with Melinoe, approach that familiar's location in the training area and tell it to rest. From there, give the familiar Witch's Delight to raise one of its skills to the next rank.

To create more Witch's Delight, use A recipe for the alchemy of pieces that beasts love on Katly. This recipe can be used when Melino casts the Faith of the Familiar spell. An ingredient that can be a little hard to find is stardust. To get it, throw it Abyss of Night spellwhich can be obtained in Chaos at the crossroads near the resin block stone. Alternatively, Stardust can be obtained by completing the Trials of Chaos or purchased from the Broker for 600 Kos.