Hades: How To Unlock The True Ending

Hades is the action roguelike in which Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld, decides he has had enough and wishes to leave Hades. There is no escape, or so the game says every time the prince dies from any number of monsters or other hazards that inhabit the halls of the dead. Luckily, death is not permanent, and so he just ends up back in the House of Hades to try again. He learns a few things and becomes stronger while getting helped (or hindered) by figures from Greek mythology. So Zagreus tries, again and again, until finally he manages to overcome every obstacle standing in his way, and makes it to the surface.

While getting to the surface and defeating the final boss is the end of the game, it is not the true ending. The true ending only happens when the credits roll, which requires some work, and doing many more runs. Here’s how to get the true ending. As can be expected there are spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution.

The True Ending in Hades

Zagreus must battle through four different zones, each with a boss (or bosses) at the end. After Zagreus finally faces off against his own father Hades, he explores Greece. He meets Persephone, his mother, and the reason for setting out on this path in the first place. After a joyful reunion, Zagreus learns that he is tied to the underworld, and cannot remain on the surface. After falling ill, he is dragged back to the underworld but vows to seek out his mother again, because he still has questions. This means he has to make his way to the surface once again. This time, his father has placed a Pact of Punishment on the window he uses to escape, which can add modifiers to make the game more difficult, and also will reset the bounties for defeating each of the four bosses, so it may be worth considering adding heat.

Upon meeting Persephone the second time, there is different dialogue. Keep doing this, and there is more dialogue. To get the true ending, the player will have to escape from the underworld ten times. There is one silver lining. On the tenth run, where the player would normally have to battle Hades, instead, he just lets Zagreus pass. Now Persephone says that she will return to the underworld. The two hitch a ride from Charon, and they are carried by boat through the various realms of the underworld while the credits roll, and Orpheus and Eurydice sing the epic song “In the Blood.”

Even then, there is still more to do, although it now classifies as post-game content. Eventually, the player will be able to reach the epilogue.

Hades is available now on Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac.

About The Author