Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld, the protagonist of the first Hades, is a key character in Hades 2 who returns in this sequel to fulfill an important mission. However, something many players can easily overlook is that Zagreus is also a secret final boss in Supergiant Games' sequel. That's right.
In this section of our guide, we will explain how to unlock the battle against Zagreus and, of course, share the essential tips and tricks you need to defeat him easily. Take note!
To fight Zagreus in Hades 2, the first thing you need to do is complete the game's main story. In other words, you must see the story's true ending and the final credits, which requires defeating Chronos and Typhon for good.
You can find a detailed explanation of how to reach the game's ending in a dedicated section of our guide. Afterward, you can continue playing as usual during what is considered the game's epilogue.
From this point onward, whenever you embark on a run through the Underworld or across the surface, there will be a chance that an Infernal Contract will appear when you reach one of Charon's shop chambers. You will recognize it by its appearance: a flaming scroll bearing a skull.
If you accept the contract, Melinoë will be transported to Elysium, where she will encounter Zagreus. Under the terms of the contract, the two of them must fight a duel, making this the way to battle the protagonist's brother.
If you want to fight Zagreus again, simply repeat this same process. Just remember that Infernal Contracts appear randomly during each run. They can show up in any region, provided you are inside one of Charon's shop chambers, of course, but there is no guarantee that you will find one. Encountering a contract is ultimately a matter of chance.
Zagreus is a powerful opponent who will put your skills to the test, especially if you decide to fight him near the beginning of either route, when Melinoë has yet to receive many upgrades from the gods' Boons.
Although Zagreus does not have an enormous variety of moves, his attacks deal an incredible amount of damage—and when we say incredible, we mean it—so he can easily kill you. This is especially true if you do not have any Death Defiances available. Zagreus fights using Hades' spear, Gigaros, and his moveset partly resembles the attacks he could perform with the spear in the first game.
Below, we take you through his small selection of attacks:
Bear in mind that Zagreus has one last surprise in store. When you completely deplete his health bar, he will use a Death Defiance. This allows him to recover half of his health, meaning you will need to keep fighting before you can defeat him for good.
Fortunately, Zagreus does not gain any new moves during this stage of the battle, although he does become more aggressive and attacks more frequently. He can also briefly disappear from the arena to catch you off guard. Be careful and do not let your guard down.
Essentially, keeping your distance and attacking him from afar is the safest approach. You can also use the columns in Elysium as cover. Most importantly, as we mentioned earlier, entering this battle after Melinoë has received plenty of Boons and upgraded Arcana Cards will make things considerably easier. If you want to avoid a difficult fight, consider facing Zag only around the middle or near the end of a route. Aside from that, the battle is not particularly complicated.
Each time you defeat Zagreus, you will receive Gemstones as a reward. This resource is primarily used to obtain Prestige from the Wretched Broker at the Crossroads.
Another very interesting reward is that defeating Zagreus makes you the champion of Elysium. From then on, you will always find one additional item in every Charon shop that you can collect completely free of charge. The item you receive will be random.
Finally, defeating Zagreus at least twice will reward you with his own "Calling Card" Keepsake for your collection.
