Incantations are the lifeblood of Hades 2, advancing quests, completing storyline goals, and providing powerful buffs for your next run. Each spell you cast can grant dramatic boons, but only if you use the right ingredients. Some recipes are hard to acquire, and even when you know how to cast an Incantation, the spell’s materials might take time to bring together anyway.
You gain access to Incantations almost right after your first run, once the Cauldron in the Crossroads hub becomes available. Not to be confused with Alchemy, Incantations are usable once Hecate purifies the Cauldron. Unlike boons in Hades 2 from various gods and classical figures, Incantations unlock benefits that last forever once their spells have been fulfilled.
When Should You Use Incantations In Hades 2?
Activate Once You Have The Right Materials
The right Incantation will open up new gameplay mechanics, from anything as small as a new vendor NPC to a fishing minigame within the Crossroads. Some Incantations are more powerful than others, but you’ll want to activate one in between runs right when you have the resources for it.
Some Incantations are optional, but you’ll want to cast most of them throughout your playthrough, especially as your runs come across more challenging obstacles. For example, after you reach the Surface for the first time, you need to cast an Incantation that removes a health-draining debuff from that area. Doing this will allow you to actually survive longer than one room on the Surface next time.
The true ending of Hades 2 is only achievable from Incantations, but they do not unlock until certain milestones have been made. This is similar to many other spells, so always be aware of when you get the blueprints for one.
Every Incantation has a cost before you can cast it, so you have to meet certain prerequisites for spells first. This can include a number of goals, from defeating bosses for the first time to reaching specific points of dialogue with different characters. Incantations are best used when their magic is taken advantage of immediately, or at least at the earliest point when you can use them.
How To Get & Cast Every Incantation Spell
Find Everything You Need After Gaining All The Right Recipes
In total, there are 76 different Incantation recipes in Hades 2, giving you a huge list of spells to work through as you play. Thankfully, many of them don’t require more than three ingredient types, albeit with multiple items of one resources in many cases.
Progress through certain quests will help you get some Incantations, but others will be locked for a good portion of your playtime. If you want to know how to get every Incantation in Hades 2, as well as which ingredients are needed to cast them, look no further than the tables below:
The sheer number of Incantations may seem overwhelming, but many lend into each other, only existing because you dared to do certain magic before another. Make sure to check which Incantations you need to cast first to unlock others, as some spells are just as integral to other magic being unlocked as any ingredient.