Hypnos, Sleep Incarnate, is one of the most unusual characters found at the Crossroads in Hades 2. Unlike all the other gods who grant Boons, you cannot talk to him normally because he is trapped in a deep slumber. You have probably wondered whether it is actually possible to wake him up, and the answer is yes. In this section of our guide, we explain all the steps you need to follow and the requirements you must meet, as well as what happens once you finally awaken him.
To wake Hypnos in Hades 2, you must follow a series of steps and meet several requirements. This is actually a task that will take quite some time to complete, since you will need to perform no fewer than three different Incantations in total. Below, we explain how to unlock each one:
First, if you want to wake Hypnos in Hades 2, you must unlock and perform an Incantation at the Crossroads Cauldron designed for this very purpose, known as "End to Deepest Slumber." However, like many other recipes in the game, this Incantation is not available at the Cauldron by default. You must first meet the following conditions during your playthrough:
After meeting these two requirements, you should be able to learn the Incantation used to awaken Hypnos. To make it appear on the Cauldron’s list, try talking to Hypnos whenever you return to the Crossroads. Melinoë should mention that she has come up with an idea that might wake him.
Bear in mind that Melinoë will only make this comment if you have met the conditions described above. Once she does, the "End to Deepest Slumber" Incantation should become available at the Cauldron. Performing it requires Moly x1, Mandrake x2 and Poppy x3.
After performing the Incantation, you will receive +1 Dream Vapors, a special Reagent supposedly capable of rousing Hypnos from his slumber. Approach him when you can and give him the Dream Vapors. Doing so will allow you to enter the god’s psyche and attempt to wake him, although you will not quite succeed the first time.
After entering Hypnos’ mind for the first time and attempting to awaken him, Melinoë will conclude that she must reach a deeper layer of the god’s psyche if she wants him to stop dreaming.
The next step is to unlock access to the Surface route. If you still do not know how to do this, you can find all the details in the attached link. Once you can reach the Surface, you must look for a chamber in the City of Ephyra’s main square leading to the witch Medea.
The entrance to Medea’s chamber can be identified by its icon depicting two open yellow hands. Its appearance is completely random each night. When you encounter it, enter the chamber and speak to the witch. If you are lucky, Melinoë will tell Medea about her attempt to wake Hypnos with the Dream Vapors. The witch will then teach you a more powerful version of the Incantation, this time known as "End to Dearest Slumber". If this does not happen, you will have to keep visiting Medea until the relevant conversation takes place.
Once you have learned the Incantation, return to the Crossroads and prepare it at the Cauldron using Moly x1, Mandrake x2 and Poppy x3. Then give the Dream Vapors to Hypnos again and venture deeper into his psyche in another attempt to awaken him. Unfortunately, this still will not be enough to bring him out of his slumber.
After attempting to wake Hypnos twice during your Hades 2 playthrough, you will be very close to succeeding. You only need to try once more, using an even more powerful version of the Dream Vapors.
This time, the first thing you must do is meet Medea again in the City of Ephyra. This will eventually trigger a conversation in which Melinoë explains that Hypnos is still asleep. The witch will then teach you the "End to Dumbest Slumber" Incantation, allowing you to prepare a more powerful and definitive version of the vapors. Performing this Incantation requires the following resources: Shaderot x1, Poppy x2 and House Soot x1.
You should have no trouble gathering Shaderot and Poppy. However, the mysterious resource known as House Soot is somewhat more difficult to obtain, as it only becomes available after unlocking the true ending. In other words, you must first complete the game’s main quest, permanently defeat Chronos and watch the end credits.
After reaching this ending and entering the game’s epilogue, take the Underworld route again and travel all the way to Tartarus to reach the chamber where Hades can be found. Unlike on previous occasions, you will now find Hades there, free from his chains. Speak to him and, after the conversation, you will automatically receive the House Soot as a gift.
Once you have performed the "End to Dumbest Slumber" Incantation, use the Dream Vapors on Hypnos one last time to enter his dream. Travel to the deepest layer of his psyche to finally wake him up once and for all.
Each time you give Dream Vapors to Hypnos, Melinoë is transported to a dream world in which the god lies sleeping, something resembling his psyche. Even here, Hypnos remains sound asleep, although he appears to mutter a few words whenever you speak to him, suggesting that he is finally close to awakening.
After giving him three different versions of the Dream Vapors, each more powerful than the last, Melinoë will be able to descend to the deepest layer of Hypnos’ dream. When she speaks to the god here, Melinoë will discover a note containing a crucial clue that will allow her to wake him.
Hypnos will finally awaken from his slumber at the Crossroads, and Melinoë will tell him how long he has been asleep. Hypnos will then quickly leave for the House of Hades to resume his old duties, in a nod to the role the character played in the original game.
