Hades guide: The true ending and Extreme Measures 4

Hades‘ 1.0 launch has a lot in store for long-time fans and newcomers alike. This includes the true ending of the game as well as the Pact of Punishment’s Extreme Measures 4 which makes the final boss even more challenging. Here’s our guide to help you out.

Note: For more information, check out our Hades guides and features hub. Also, be forewarned that this guide contains spoilers.

Hades: Unlocking the true ending and Extreme Measures 4

In order to obtain Hades‘ true ending, you’ll first need to defeat the final boss, Hades, at least once after the 1.0 release. Once you’re done, exiting the boss fight’s area will no longer automatically kill Zagreus. Instead, you’ll find yourself in a new zone: Greece.

There won’t be any fights here at all. You’ll simply need to move to the next area to meet Zagreus’ mother Persephone. The two will be reunited, but that’s just the start of this endeavor.

Note: Try to look for fishing spots too. If you catch something, you’ll get achievement assuming you’ve found fish in the other zones already.

Persephone’s story will be slowly unveiled starting with her flight from Tartarus and the machinations of the Olympians. Zagreus can’t stay in the mortal realm for too long, so you have to do additional clears to learn more.

Note: You’ll need to speak with Persephone 10 times (this includes your first meeting with her). It’s hard to keep track of all your attempts, so just make a mental note of the dialogue. For instance, once Persephone tells Zagreus to just go home, that’s the eighth time that they’ve spoken.

Eventually, something special will happen once you reach Hades’ arena: father and son won’t battle anymore. Just go ahead and make your way straight to Persephone’s garden.

Once you’re there — your tenth and final visit — Persephone tells you that she’s ready to return to the Underworld. Charon, the Ferryman of the Dead, will then take you on a river cruise across the Styx and Phlegethon. While this is happening, you’ll hear music from Orpheus and Eurydice as the credits roll.

This is Hades‘ true ending. As mentioned in our official review, it’s one of the best endings I’ve ever seen in any game. Enjoy it, and pat yourself on the back for getting to this point. But, we’re not done yet.

More stuff to do

Apart from all the content you’ve experienced (or have yet to complete), there’s additional stuff that you could do after obtaining Hades‘ true ending:

• Pom Blossom – Rewarded when you gift Persephone nectar (seen below). This Keepsake increases the level of a random boon every six encounters; the number of required encounters is lowered as you power-up the Keepsake.
• Sigil of the Dead – A Keepsake that changes your Olympian Aid to call on Hades instead; makes you briefly invisible and your God Gauge starts 10% full. You get this after a few escape attempts since you’ll be able to gift nectar to Hades again.
• The Aspect of Gilgamesh – This is the fourth and final aspect of the Twin Fists of Malphon weaponry. It’s not exactly tied to getting the true ending, but there’s a good chance that you’ll unlock it while you’re doing your Persephone runs.
• The epilogue – I’m still working on this because it looks like it requires a few more clears after finding Hades‘ true ending. Basically, it involves Persephone and the Olympians.

• Resource Director and badge ranks – As you continue to progress and do more clears, Hades will eventually tell you about the Resource Director. The shade is found inside Hades’ chambers (the room near Achilles and the trophies). Giving the Resource Director 10 Chthonic Keys and 1,000 Darkness Crystals will net you the Alpha Warden badge. Badges are just cosmetic changes you’ll see next to Zagreus’ HP bar.
• Extreme Measures 4 – The Hades uber boss fight discussed below.

The Hades boss fight: Extreme Measures 4

After you’ve seen Hades‘ true ending, complete another run. Then, check the House Contractor. You should be able to purchase the Extremer Measures upgrade for 100 gems.

Next, go ahead and activate Extreme Measures 4 via the Pact of Punishment — it’s going to push you all the way to 10 Heat.

Anyway, the final boss will be quite tough if you have Extreme Measures 4 enabled. In my case, I was using the Twin Fists of Malphon – Aspect of Gilgamesh. I was also fairly lucky with the boons I found during my run — mostly the skills from Athena and Ares.

Just to be clear, the most drastic change in the Hades boss fight actually happens towards the end. After dropping him for the second time, you’ll actually begin the encounter’s third phase. During phase 3, Hades will shroud the area in darkness. Likewise, he’ll retain many of his spells from the previous phases (such as the Hellfire Lasers, Burning Skulls, and Soul Vases).

He’ll also have a new healing spell that he’ll pop whenever you take away 25% of his HP. This is a channeling spell too which means Hades is vulnerable.

However, if you can’t get to him in time, he could end up healing a ton of HP.

That’s why I said I was lucky when I had Ares’ and Athena’s boons. The former’s Blade Dash and Slicing Shot skills ensured that I was consistently doing damage while staying on the move.

The latter’s deflection capabilities, meanwhile, helped with survivability. I also used Athena’s Call Aid skill so I had something to keep Zagreus alive when he’s in a bind.

If you want to have an idea of how the Hades boss fight progresses with Extreme Measures 4 active, you could watch the video below from YouTuber Horherista:

Hades is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.