Hades 2 Chaos Trials: How to Unlock Them and Rewards

One of the optional side activities available in Hades 2 is a series of special combat challenges that you can unlock and complete to earn unique rewards. These are known as Chaos Trials, and they are accessed through the Pitch-Black Stone. To clear up any questions you may have, this section of our guide explains everything you need to know about these trials, including how to access them and much more.

How do you activate the Pitch-Black Stone and Chaos Trials?

To play Chaos Trials in Hades 2, you must activate the Pitch-Black Stone at the Crossroads. To do so, you need to perform the Incantation known as "Abyssal Insight" at the Cauldron, using the following materials: Fate Fabric x2 + Pearl x2 + Moly x2 + Nightshade x2.

Before that, however, you will need to make enough progress for the Incantation to become available at the Cauldron. The exact requirements for unlocking it are not entirely clear, but it is generally believed that you must meet the following conditions:

• You must have visited the Realm of Chaos during your journeys through the Underworld, where you can encounter Chaos. These areas are entered through gates in the floor that require you to sacrifice some Life.
• You must have given Chaos at least 1 Nectar.
• You must have reached the Surface and succumbed to your bloodline’s curse.
• You must have performed the "Unraveling a Fateful Bond" Incantation to overcome the effects of the curse on the Surface.

After meeting these conditions, the "Abyssal Insight" Incantation will most likely become available at your Cauldron sooner or later. If it does not, keep playing and try to have more encounters with Chaos. You will probably need to visit Chaos several times, accept their Boons and continue talking to them.

Eventually, as you progress through the story and advance your playthrough, the Incantation will appear at the Cauldron. Once you have performed it, you will be able to play Chaos Trials.

Chaos Trials explained and rewards

Chaos Trials are a series of challenges that can be accessed through the Pitch-Black Stone beside the Silver Pool and the Training Grounds at the Crossroads.

• Each trial features a specific mission, determining the weapon you must use, your Keepsake and an objective that must be completed in a particular region.
• While playing a Chaos Trial, you will not find the usual resources.
• After finishing a trial, you will return to the Crossroads and your entire loadout will be restored to how it was beforehand.
• Each trial has a different difficulty level, represented by pink circles. The more pink circles it has, the harder the trial will be.

If you successfully complete a Chaos Trial, you will always receive Star Dust. This rare Reagent can be used to perform Incantations at the Cauldron, upgrade the potential of your Arcana Cards or strengthen your recruited Animal Familiars.

How do you unlock more Chaos Trials?

Once you gain access to the Pitch-Black Stone and Chaos Trials, three trials will be unlocked by default, but you can still unlock many more.

To add new trials to the Pitch-Black Stone’s list, you must do the following:

• Unlock new Aspects for your Nocturnal Arms at the Silver Pool.
• Complete Chaos Trials that you have not yet cleared.
• Continue progressing through the game and defeat Chronos and the other Guardian bosses.

Finally, remember that you can always replay any trial on the list whenever you like.