Hades II: Guide to (Help You) Unlock Familiars

What you need to know

Familiars are animal companions that accompany Melinoë during expeditions in Hades II. They offer passive bonuses, help harvest specific resources, and fight alongside you against Chronos. Unlocking them requires progressing through the game, crafting specific treats at the cauldron, and interacting with the animals during your runs.

Step by step

1. Use each gathering tool at least once and progress naturally until Hecate brings up the concept of familiars at the start of a boss fight and grants you a new incantation.
2. Perform the incantation at the cauldron in the Crossroads to receive one Witch's Delight.
3. Give the Witch's Delight to Frinos, who is located right at the spawn point in the Crossroads, to recruit your first familiar.
4. Unlock surface exploration and survival incantations, speak with Chaos repeatedly until they grant an incantation, perform it, and complete a Chaos Trial.
5. Brew Beast-Loved Morsel treats (cookies) in the cauldron's Alchemy tab using the required materials.
6. Find Toula at the docks on the surface after defeating the Cyclops (you may need to interact with the cat in Erebus' fountain chamber first and use the fishing rod), and give it a cookie to recruit her.
7. Meet Raki twice in the Erebus fountain chamber, and give her a cookie on your second visit while carrying one.
8. Find Hecuba in Echo's chamber in the Mourning Fields and interact with her. After unlocking Raki and clearing a run, check for new dialogue with Hecate (signaled by a [!] icon), then return to Echo's chamber with a cookie to bond with and recruit Hecuba.
9. Locate Gale before the boss encounter in Mount Olympus, and give her a cookie to recruit her.

Tips

• Due to the roguelike nature of the game, unlock conditions and event timing depend entirely on your individual approach and performance.
• Always carry a cookie (Beast-Loved Morsel) with you during runs so you are prepared when you encounter a familiar that requires one.
• Interact with animals multiple times if they do not immediately present an option to recruit them.