Animal familiars are some of the most useful companions you can bring along in Hades 2. Each familiar has unique abilities that help in combat, exploration, or resource gathering, making them a valuable part of your runs.
To unlock them, you’ll first need to beat Hecate at least five times, use tools like the pickaxe and shovel, and free a soul with the Tablet of Peace. After doing so, you’ll gain access to the Faith of Familiar Spirits incantation, which lets you craft Witch’s Delight—the treat required to bond with familiars.
How to Unlock Familiar System
Before you can recruit any familiars, you need to:
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Defeat Hecate at least five times.
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Use the pickaxe twice and the shovel twice.
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Free at least one soul using the Tablet of Peace.
After this, you’ll gain access to the Faith of Familiar Spirits incantation. Craft it with 1 Lotus + 2 Nectar. This unlocks Witch’s Delight, the treat used to bond with familiars.
How to Unlock All Familiars in Hades 2
1. Frinos (Frog)
The first familiar you can obtain. Frinos boosts your max health and increases the chance of finding lost souls. It also absorbs enemy projectiles, sometimes blocking key attacks like Hecate’s transform spell. A reliable starting companion that gives both survivability and utility.
2. Rocky (Owl)
Found in the fountain room of Erebus after encountering it at least once. Rocky improves critical chance, occasionally pecks enemies for damage, and increases mining yields like stone and metal. This makes Rocky especially useful if you’re looking to farm resources or rely on crit builds.
3. Tula (Cat)
Unlocked after reaching the surface. Found in the docks between the first and second surface zones. Tula provides a weaker form of Death Defiance, reviving you with 40 HP. It also handles fishing automatically and attacks enemies when triggered by your sprint. Perfect for players who want extra survivability.
4. Hecuba (Dog)
Hecuba requires more progress, including unlocking previous familiars and running into her in Echo’s chamber. She grants bonus magic, increases resource digging chances, and sometimes restores mana or stuns foes. Ideal for runs focused on Omega attacks or heavy magic usage.
5. Galli (Crow)
The final familiar, unlocked later in the game near the third surface act. Galli blocks three incoming hits per region (with cooldowns), boosts dodge chance, increases movement speed, and raises the chance of gathering flora. It’s an excellent defensive and farming-oriented familiar.
Familiar Tier List – Best Ones to Use
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S-Tier: Rocky (amazing crit boost and resource farming)
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A-Tier: Tula (Death Defiance is game-changing for tough runs)
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A-Tier: Hecuba (perfect for magic builds with mana sustain)
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B-Tier: Frinos (great early-game familiar, strong utility but outscaled later)
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B-Tier: Galli (solid defense and farming, but situational compared to others)
Unlocking all familiars in Hades 2 takes time, patience, and careful crafting of Witch’s Delight. Each one adds a different layer to your runs, whether it’s extra health, critical chance, or even revives. If you’re aiming for the best overall familiar, Rocky the Owl stands out thanks to its crit bonus and resource farming, making it both powerful in combat and efficient for progression.