Total War Saga: Troy – Mythos — Hydra expedition and recruitment guide

Lernaean Hydra hero/monster unit: Skills, buildings, units, and more

The Lernaean Hydra has some amazing capabilities. Let’s discuss these in detail.

Unique resource: Vitality

• Vitality gains:
  • “The Mother Wants You” army stance – +3 Vitality for every unit in the army that the Hydra is embedded in; the army suffers 10% attrition while this stance is active; the stance can also be used while garrisoned.
  • “Many Will Become One” post-battle option vs. field armies – +10 Vitality.
  • Special Skills such as “Drink Deeper, Children” and “The Greatest River.”
  • Hydra-specific buildings also grant Vitality per turn if the army with the Hydra ends its turn in that province.
• Vitality uses:
  • “The River Will Come” post-battle option vs. settlements – -25 Vitality; -50% to construction cost and -3 turns to construction time of all Hydra buildings in a settlement (lasts 7 turns).
  • “Dip in Hydra Blood” pre-battle option – Grants all units poison attacks.
• Vitality levels/thresholds:
  • Depending on how much Vitality you currently have, the Hydra gain buffs to itself.
  • At the maximum threshold, “The Mother Overwhelms” (126 to 150 Vitality), the Hydra gets +40%  ammunition, +50% health, and +40% missile damage.

Special skills

The Lernaean Hydra in Total War Saga: Troy – Mythos has the following special skills that can be selected when it levels up:

• Level 2:
  • A Single Drop – +25% Hydra missile damage; increased poison potency for Poison Bomb, Virulent Blood, and Poison Breath.
  • The Mother, The Life-Giver – Replaces regeneration to make it more potent; +25% Hydra HP.
  • The Greatest River – +25% “Many Become One” Vitality gains; +25 maximum Vitality; +25% “The River Will Come” Vitality cost.
• Level 3:
  • Drink Deeper, Children – +2 unit capacity for all of the unique units granted by the Hydra; +25 maximum Vitality.
  • Every Drop – Drinkers of Venom units can sacrifice themselves to cast a Poison Ritual; -50% upkeep and recruitment costs for Drinkers of Venom.
  • The River Encroaches – “Virulent Blood” aura (more potent poison AoE around the Hydra).
• Level 4:
  • Generous, the Mother’s Gifts – +20% Hydra range; doubles the Hydra’s projectiles per shot.
  • The Cleansing Rain – +100% Hydra ammunition; +25% Hydra reload skill.
  • Forever Surviving – +25% Hydra missile/melee damage/melee attack when below 50% health; +25% Hydra battle speed; “Forever Surviving” ability (+25% melee attack, armor-piercing missile damage, and armor-piercing damage).
• Level 5:
  • In Mother’s Name – Buffs affect the army that the Hydra is embedded in. +30% Drinkers of Venom battle speed/Hydra Defender melee defense/Hydra Archer reload skill; -3 enemy siege holdout time. All units faction-wide gain the “Disciplined” trait.
  • Mother’s Blessing – +10% damage resistance and “Regeneration” passive for all units when using “Dip in Hydra Blood” pre-battle action.
  • We Are the Heads – All Hydra Priests gain the “Envenom” ability.

Campaign actions

The following options are available when the Hydra is embedded in an army (these mechanics have been explained above):

• “The Mother Wants You” army stance
• “Dip in Hydra Blood” pre-battle option
• “Many Will Become One” post-battle option vs. field armies
• “The River Will Come” post-battle option vs. settlements

Battle skills

Apart from ranged attacks where the Hydra spits poison, it can also use the following skills during battles:

• Poison Breath – Ranged attack; applies potent poison; good against armored units.
• Poison Bomb – Lobs a viral bomb that deals AoE poison damage; good against armored units.
• Virulent Blood – The Hydra is surrounded by toxic clouds for 30 seconds, dealing damage over time to nearby enemies.

Unique units and buildings

The Hydra has the following building chains (yellow color) that allow any of your armies to recruit its unique units (unit caps are also increased). All of these provide extra Vitality if the army with the Hydra ends its turn in the province where one such building has been constructed:

• The Giving Hand/The Taking Hand – Drinkers of Venom.
• The Flow/The Flood – Hydra Archers; increases your ammunition and decreases enemy ammunition in the province.
• The Enduring Flesh/The Immortal Flesh – Hydra Defenders; increases the morale of units trained in that province and reduces the morale of enemy armies in that province.
• The Overflowing Cup/The Deeper Vessel – Hydra Priests; increased “Many Become One” Vitality gains; reduces Hydra building construction costs and Hydra unit upkeep costs faction-wide.

The Lernaean Hydra and its units in Total War Saga: Troy – Mythos are very powerful since all of them can afflict your enemies with poison. You’ll watch as their HP dwindles and drops until everyone in the enemy squad drops dead. Hydra Defenders and your staunch line of spears can hold off most foes, while Hydra Archers shoot squads one at a time to inflict their venomous debuffs. Next, your Hydra Priest can cast its spell to cause an AoE explosion, which can also be timed accordingly with the Lernaean Hydra’s Poison Bomb for devastating nukes. You may also send the Lernaean Hydra into the thick of the fray. Just cast a healing spell on it and pop its Virulent Blood to continue damaging nearby hostiles.

Note 1: If playing as Odysseus, you won’t be able to construct Hydra buildings in land-locked settlements (only coastal ones). Don’t waste Vitality for “The River Will Come” post-battle option since it only affects the settlement that you capture (not the entire province).

Note 2: As for Penthisilea, her main army’s slots will be too limited. You’ll have a hard time juggling between Hydra buildings and those that boost Amazon troops/horde growth. At best, you’ll want to recruit additional generic heroes who’ll have the Hydra buildings to increase unit caps. Alternatively, just go with Cerberus since the hellhound only has a single building chain.

Total War Saga: Troy – Mythos is available via Steam and the Epic Games Store. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.