Hades 2 1.0 review

A totally killer time killer

Image credit:Supergiant Games / Rock Paper Shotgun

Now it’s out of early access, Hades 2 is a very strong sequel that builds on its predecessor’s strengths and offers an enrapturing godly grind.

• Developer: Supergiant Games
• Publisher: Supergiant Games
• Release: September 25th 2025
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £25/€29/$30
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti, Windows 11

I am gonna claw out your eyes, then drown you to death. I AM GONNA CLAW OUT YOUR EYES, THEN DROWN YOU TO DEATH. So goes the chorus to the hit single Hades 2 girl group Scylla and the sirens have been rehearsing in lethal fashion for a year and a bit. It’s one of the most pervasive earworms I’ve encountered in my 26 years on this Earth, the kind of ditty that’d make the Backstreet Boys blush.

Within an hour of returning to Hades 2, now that it’s morphed into its full 1.0 release form , those words were just as firmly lodged in my skull as they were when I defeated Chronos for the first time during the roguelike’s early access phase. By all rights, I should find the purposefully mocking tune annoying, but I don’t. Much like the rest of Hades 2, no matter how many runs I make through the depths of the underworld and to the summit of Olympus, moments when it’s actually, properly grated on me have been few and far between.

That’s not for any lack of trying on the part of its mythical monsters, gabbing gods, and tetchy titans. Hades 2 is plenty tough, especially for those who dare not to reach for the breakable glass surrounding its God Mode, which gradually frees the stuck by dialling up princess protagonist Melinoë’s ability to tank through damage. In my return to Supergiant’s supergiant sequel, I’ve spent most of my time exploring the lengthy endgame section with it turned on to various degrees.

Image credit:Supergiant Games / Rock Paper Shotgun

I know, especially fresh off that whole Hollow Knight: Silksong discourse, shame on me. Except the nature of Hades 2’s God Mode, the fact it works in reaction to the player’s failure, means I’ve still been able to experience plenty of the supposedly sweet struggle that’s so exalted in games that opt to whip out the stick. You can argue that the struggle isn’t the struggle if it’s on the player’s terms, but be warned that I may respond with a joke about bondage dungeons.

Dragging the tone back into respectable territory, one of the things that makes Hades 2 so infinitely loveable - despite its willingness to put you on your bottom whenever you prove too weak or make a mistake - is that it wields the carrot just as deftly. You’re stopped in your tracks, but you never feel like you’re running in place. Each death comes with countless new strategies to try, ways to change or improve your situation using whatever riches you do manage to net each night. As in the original Hades, Supergiant’s beautifully-crafted commutes through the realms of Ancient Greek prose, full of false walls and hidden paths just waiting to be revealed whenever you get a few runs in (or brew up a revealing spell in The Crossroads’ cauldron).

Having already defeated Chronos that one time last year, and been rewarded with a note that essentially read ‘Ending can’t come to the phone right now, please leave a message after the tone,’ I first jumped into Hades 2 1.0 via the save with that victory under its belt. What followed was the bulk of Melinoë’s true task - not just recording one fluke win over the Titan of Time, but ending him and the siege of Mount Olympus by his legions for good. So, I started battling my way back to the house of Hades, all the while hunting for the ingredients I needed to brew an elixir that’d allow Mel to overcome her lethal surface world allergy and start battling through the whole new run added in 2024’s Olympic update .

Image credit:Supergiant Games / Rock Paper Shotgun

While my muscle memory took a bit of time to reform, Hades 2’s cast of characters quickly reminded me why I was so fond of them the first time around. Sure, Mel’s not quite got her brother Zagreus’ meteoric levels of sark and sass, but stick her in a chat with the likes of those pesky sirens and she can dish out some sharp and witty verbal daggerings. Her step-mum and dad, Hecate and Odysseus, help shepherd her along in her lifelong mission to topple Chronos, who’s kidnapped her family and the forces of fate as part of his own elaborate revenge scheme.

Wherever you look, there are distinct personalities, delivered with excellent voice acting, for Mel to bounce off of and add colour to the world. The likes of sarky household shade Dora chuck some comedic relief into the pot, counteracting the serious chat about fates and destinies, and an array of new and returning Olympians pop up to offer boons like a quirky aunt or uncle with a selection of flashy gifts. Plenty stick out, but my favorite has come to be Nemesis, the surly older sister figure who’s always ready to toss a bucket of water over Melinoë’s enthusiastic exuberance with the aplomb only a moody sibling could muster. She’s grown on me as she grows on Mel, starting out as what could easily be a one-dimensional grouch, then morphing into the ideal friendly rival as you ply her with nectar and bath salts .

You’ll sometimes bump into her during your runs, ready to dish out a challenge to take a hit from her or beat more foes in a time limit to earn a begrudging pat on the head. Then, you can turn the corner and find yourself walking in on god of wine Dionysus casually hosting a pool party as Olympus’ invaders swarm all of the chambers you’ve just battled through. Next door, there might be a giant automaton, the bulging eye of a fearsome beast, or a very angry rat with a massive health bar waiting to bash you about and prove it’s the boss. The bone structure of the two paths - one leading to Chronos, the other to a fight with mountain-sized monster Typhon that’s almost comically teeming with ways to die - stays the same, but every trick and twist in the box is pulled out to ensure you’re still running into things you’ve never seen before by your fifth or tenth trip through.

The arc as you do so is the usual Hades one. Earn boons that imbue your base abilities with twists themed around the spheres of different gods, slice in some extra tool sharpening from Daedalus hammers, chew on centaur hearts to boost your max health. Dash around rooms full of enemies hacking and slashing, a whirling dervish of energy and vibrant colour. If you’re so inclined, make use of Hades 2’s addition of magick, a new bar next to your health that powers beefier versions of your strikes, casts and specials. These take more time to fire, much to the chagrin of my well-honed original Hades desire for all of the damage, right now, he’s gonna kill me, AAAAAAGHHHHH . As a result, it took me a bit more time than it should to get into the habit of using them, but once I did, I never looked back.

Image credit:Supergiant Games / Rock Paper Shotgun

Prior to that, plenty of boons and other abilities offered something powerful in exchange for locking off a portion of these magick reserves, meaning that the bar has use for even those who prefer sticking to insta-reward button mashing. I generally found that I’m in that camp when hacking and slashing with the Sister Blades, the weapon in Melinoë’s nocturnal arsenal I used most early in my playthrough. As I delved a lot deeper into the endgame of repeat runs to Tartarus and Olympus, though, I branched out and had a lot of fun with other armaments.

Supergiant have done an excellent job of tweaking and balancing each of the six main weapons on offer throughout Hades 2’s early access patches, as well as giving you plenty of ways to upgrade them with special abilities that encourage different approaches to combat. Despite typically being averse to slower swings, I’ve really dug the weighty scything of power attacks with the Moonstone Axe’s Aspect of Thanatos variant. Specials are also what make the revolver-esque Argent Skull really sing as you fire busts of shells at foes, especially when you opt for its Aspect of Persephone version. It says a lot that since unlocking the most powerful of these arms, the punchy and missile-firing Black Coat, it’s formed part of a regular rotation rather than taking over as the go-to.

I wouldn’t say there’s an obvious weak link among any of the gods offering you boons either, with pretty much every run netting you a loadout that’s got something cool going for it. Having really dug Demeter’s freezing powers early on, my best builds have typically fused any combination of those, Zeus’ lightning powers for some handy repeat damage, Hestia’s hearth handouts for lingering built-up burn damage, or Poseidon’s wave attacks for some extra knockback punch. As you get into the later stages of the game, fresh boons from the likes of Ares and Hera are uncorked, giving you a much-needed extra dose of variety just as you verge on having tried everything the rest have to offer.

On the other hand, unless there’s a specific god I’m keen to get more boons from, I’ve found I tend to rely on the same keepsakes at certain stages each run. So, perhaps some more alluring alternatives to the likes of the Silken Sash, Evil Eye, and knuckle bones might have helped shake me out of that. I also had mixed feelings about Selene’s hex, a spell aimed at very magick-centric builds that can be fun when the chance to turn enemies into sheep pops up, but boasts a beefy upgrade tree that lacks the satisfying simplicity found in applying the various other augments.

Image credit:Supergiant Games / Rock Paper Shotgun

Regardless of the implements you use to battle your way through Hades 2’s beautifully illustrated regions, my favourite of which is a clever series of fights across the decks of ships in the Rift of Thessaly, as of 1.0 you can finally achieve Hades 2’s much-hyped true ending. How is it? Well, I’ll try not to stray too far into spoiler territory (though consider this your spoiler warning ), but I think it’s one that might prove a bit polarising. On the one hand, Hades has always been a series about bringing families back together, and on that front the ending delivers no matter which way you slice it. On the other, given how often the motto “Death to Chronos” is repeated throughout, the manner in which he ends up defeated arguably isn’t as satisfying a form of retribution as is built up over all of those hours.

Overall, though, the ending isn’t what defines Hades 2. The journey is the thing, and now that it’s fully formed, it’s as epic in scope and ever-evolving with fresh surprises as I’d hoped. Even if you jumped in for a run to Chronos when it first came out in early access, there are myriad reasons to and rewards for returning to a worthy successor to the throne of the roguelike underworld. As with its siren song, Hades 2’s a game that by its very composition constantly runs the risk of grating on you throughout your repeated delves, but has been masterfully crafted to ensure it’s too loveable to do so on all but rare occasions.

As much as Melinoë matter-of-factly describes her quest to defeat the Titan of Time as her task, Hades 2’s greatest strength is that, thanks to Supergiant’s substantial effort tweaking and adding elements over the past year or so, playing it hardly ever feels like hard work.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

Hades II

PC , Nintendo Switch , Nintendo Switch 2

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.