Weapons, or Nocturnal Arms, are Melinoë’s primary tools of destruction in Hades 2. Though boons, Keepsakes, and Arcana Cards can significantly change your build, weapons are the means by which you deal damage.
Each weapon is vastly different from the others. Some require you to get up close and personal; others allow you to keep your distance. And you can change how they function by finding Daedalus Hammers in the middle of your runs. (Just look for the hammer-shaped icon when choosing which room to enter.)
Here’s a list of all weapons in Hades 2, plus details about how to unlock them and what they’re best at. We’ve also included some details about when additional Nocturnal Arms may come to the game.
All Hades 2 weapons and unlock costs
Image: Supergiant Games via Polygon
Hades 2 features five weapons so far in early access. At a glance, here’s a list of Nocturnal Arms, plus their respective unlock requirements.
Hades 2 weapons list
| Weapon | Effect | Unlock Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Effect | Unlock Cost |
| Witch’s Staff | All-round weapon with close-range melee attacks and projectile special attacks | You start with it |
| Sister Blades | Fast weapon with quick melee attacks and throwing knives as a special | 1 silver |
| Umbral Flames | Magic weapon that shoots orbs of fire | 3 silver, 3 cinder |
| Moonstone Axe | Big weapon with slow but powerful attacks | 15 silver |
| Argent Skull | Hard-hitting ranged weapon with limited ammo and a dash attack | 1 bronze, 2 glassrock |
Every weapon in Hades 2 has a basic attack (X on Steam Deck or controller input) and a special attack (Y on Steam Deck or controller input). You can hold each input for a few seconds to perform an “Omega” version of that move, which costs some magick but is generally more powerful.
The Witch’s Staff (Descura) is the weapon you start with, and the easiest to use. Its attack is as basic as it gets, the sort of standard melee combo you’ll find in many isometric action games of this nature. Its special, meanwhile, is a long-range projectile — and if you charge it up for an Omega move, that projectile will explode on impact.
The Sister Blades (Lim and Oros) are the most nimble of the Nocturnal Arms, faster than the rest, though they deal notably lower damage. But the Omega version of the basic attack is one of the best moves in the game: It allows you to teleport behind an adjacent enemy.
The Umbral Flames (Flames of Ygnium) are, quite frankly, really hard to make sense of. You can either shoot magic orbs of fire or, as a special, surround yourself with magic orbs of fire. (We have not had much success with the Umbral Flames, perhaps because we have yet to figure out how best to use them.)
The Moonstone Axe (Zorephet) is a lumbering monstrosity, with slow-moving but high-damage attacks. While it’s extremely effective at clearing rooms of enemies, it underperforms against bosses, which typically require you to both keep your distance and move quickly.
The Argent Skull (Revaal) is the most unique weapon in Hades 2 at the moment. You have three skulls you can use as ammo for a hard-hitting primary attack. Once you fire the skull, it sits on the ground until you pick it up. Your Special is a dash that deals some damage, but is specifically great for helping you reclaim your skull ammo.
How to unlock weapons in Hades 2
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You unlock new weapons in Hades 2 in the staging room before you go on runs. Interact with the giant pool of light in the center of the room to pull up a menu with all available weapons.
As you can see from the chart above, you unlock most Nocturnal Arms with silver, but will need some other resources — cinder, glassrock (or G Rock), and bronze — to get every weapon.
How to get silver
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To get silver, you’ll first need to unlock the Crescent Pick, which costs one ash.
Once unlocked, equip the Crescent Pick before heading out on a run (you can only have one tool equipped at a time) and keep an eye out for mounds of silvery crescent moons. Each mound grants you three silver. If you unlock the Reagent Sensing incantation (it costs one moly flower), the game will automatically point out reserves of silver once you’ve cleared a room of enemies.
Additionally, if you come across Narcissus in Oceanus, he has the chance to offer you six silver as one of his rotational rewards. But given the random nature here, you’re better off going with the Crescent Pick.
How to get cinder
As for cinder, you get one each time you defeat Hecate, the first boss. In other words, you’ll need to defeat her three times before you can unlock the Umbral Flames.
How to get G rock
For the Argent Skull, glassrock (or G rock) is located in the Fields of Mourning region. Just as with silver, the Reagent Sensing incantation will direct you directly toward any mounds of glassrock.
How to get bronze
Also for the Argent Skull, bronze is located in the City of Ephyra, which you can only reach once you’re able to go to the surface. Once you’re topside, the Reagent Sensing incantation will point you toward any nearby mounds of bronze.
When will more weapons be added to Hades 2?
Though there are just five weapons in Hades 2 at this stage of early access, more are on the way.
In its roadmap, developer Supergiant Games says it plans on adding a sixth weapon to the game (you can see the blank slot for it in the staging room before you start a run) plus additional weapon aspects. If you’re familiar with the first Hades, aspects allowed you to fundamentally change how a weapon functioned, effectively meaning each one was effectively four different weapons.
Hades 2 will be in early access through at least the end of 2024, though, so it might be some time before these additional weapons are added to the roster of Nocturnal Arms.
