Rebuilding after Shadow Hades 2: a guide to resource recovery

What is the Shadow used for in Hades 2?

While playing Hades IIyou will quickly see that the resource farming is an integral part of the adventure. Seeds, minerals, ashes, psyche… you will inevitably have to collect as many things as possible to unlock others in this highly anticipated sequel. While most are quite “simple” to collect (provided you go far enough into the Underworld and equip the right tool), others are a little more mysterious. Among the resources that might require a little more effort to collect, you will find in particular: The shadow.

Unless you have progressed sufficiently in Hades II, you may have never needed this resource yet. If this is your case, we advise you to stop reading here to avoid spoilers, and to simply continue moving forward and die. After a while, you will be asked to join the Surface to help the Olympian front against the forces of Kronos. However, Hecate will categorically refuse to lift the seal blocking access to the Surface, and you will have to do it yourself. To achieve this, you will then have to head towards the Cauldron to achieve the incantation “Overriding Magic Seals”which will cost you 1 Tison, 3 Moly and 1 Shadow. Note that it is a safe bet that other incantations may request Shadow in the future. To find out how to find one, we suggest you continue reading a little further down.

Unlike the majority of resources, you will not find Shadow while exploring the Underworld in Hades II. There is therefore no need to search the different rooms that make up Erebus, Océanos, the Fields of Weeping or Tartarus… or almost. To find Shadow, you will have to produce it yourself by going through the Crossroads Cauldron. After a certain time, you will indeed unlock a second tab called “Alchemy” using the Cauldron. It is by looking at the recipes in the latter that you will find Dark Extractionwhich will allow you to recover 1 Shadow.

To make this recipe, however, you will have to spend 30 Ashes, 30 Psyche and 3 Sons of Destiny. You'll find these resources by exploring the Underworld (or the Surface, but you shouldn't have access to them if you're reading this article) or by purchasing them from the Crossroads Merchant against a few Bones. Be careful, once you select the recipe, the Cauldron will be inaccessible for 12 fights, time to concoct the Shadow. So be sure to do all the incantations you want to do beforehand. Once the concoction is underway, all you have to do is travel through the Underworld and complete 12 fights, then return to the Crossroads to collect your Shadow. Note that if you have unlocked the Crossing Thermal Springsyou can give a Bath salt to a secondary character to share a nice little moment in their company and thus advance the time of 12 fights, just what you need to unlock the Shadow.