As you get better and better at getting out the underworld in Hades, you might be itching for some spicier runs. A lot of the Pact of Punishment tweaks involve permanent debuffs to every single encounter. However, there is one Heat Gauge increase that is a little less obvious. The Extreme Measures pact option increases the difficulty of bosses, based on how many points you invest into it.
Each point makes another boss more difficult; starting with the Fury Sisters, then the Hydra, then the King and the Minotaur. Finally, with an upgrade from Work Orders called “Extremer Measures,” you can fight Hades’ Extreme Measures fight. These fights are massive difficulty tweaks to standard Hades gameplay, and can be frustrating to deal with. However, they are very rewarding once you can start taking them down! Use this guide to learn everything you need to know about how Extreme Measures changes Hades boss battles.
How Extreme Measures Works
You get rewarded quite a bit for using Extreme Measures and fighting bosses throughout the underworld. Extreme Measures’ Heat Gauge increase grows exponentially based on how many bosses you fight; one for the Fury Sisters, three for the Hydra, six for the King and Minotaur, and ten for Hades.
This makes EM one of the best possible options for players looking to boost their Heat Gauge, especially since the difficulty increase only comes into play during boss encounters.
Of course, being able to earn rewards means you need to be prepared for very challenging bosses at the end of each underworld section. Luckily for you, we’ve had plenty of time and experience taking out Hades bosses. Here are the strategies you’ll need to use.
Extreme Measures Furies
You’ll see a pretty major change in the Fury Sister fight. That is, it’s now the Fury Sisters. You’ll have to fight two or even three of them at the same time. Don’t worry, though; you’ll only need to defeat the lead sister in combat.
All of the Furies will be very slightly faster, especially on the final few phases of the fight. In addition, each sister that joins the fight will attack Zagreus at the same time, adding new complications to the fight.
Megaera
If Meg is the lead sister, then you’ll have to fight by reactions. Meg can hang back and sling projectiles, or prepare a dash to move at Zagreus quickly. On Extreme Measures, her Area of Effect attacks become much faster. Hopefully, you’ll be able to dodge her AoEs. There will always be a safe spot near Zagreus, and she’ll spawn the blasts near him.
If Meg is a supporting sister, she’ll spawn her Area of Effects near Zagreus, as well as summon a pillar that fires projectiles. It’s recommended to be constantly on the move if Meg is the backup. She has trouble hitting a Zagreus who dodges constantly.
Alecto
As the lead, Alecto doesn’t change much. She is faster, and can build rage faster. Despite this, keeping your distance and avoiding her floating Whip Shots will allow you to avoid taking too much damage. You can safely attack her in melee right after she attacks. Be careful when she stands still to Build Rage, though. You might eat some projectiles!
If Alecto is a supporting sister, she can summon her bouncing blade or summon repeating area of effects under Zag. While both of these are dangerous abilities, the bouncing blade can be avoided and then quickly ignored; the main Fury is more dangerous than the blade! Just keep moving to avoid her Circles and you’ll be good.
Tisiphone
As the lead, Tisiphone can be annoying as her arena will still become smaller as the other sisters hammer you with Circles. However, she doesn’t get any faster. She spams a ton of projectiles, but allows you to get hits in between the projectile attacks. Take your time and attack in between waves.
As a support, Tisiphone is much more annoying. She is able to cover the arena in areas of effect; try to time your dodge to go from a recently-placed area to an already-exploded area. Her other ability will cover her Point sister in mist. Try to see what the sister is doing through the fog and dodge accordingly.
Extreme Measures Hydra
The Furies are complicated, but the Hydra is not. Lernie’s room has changed to be covered in lava, and you’re expected to fight him 360-style. Move in a circle around him to avoid his damage. If you’re confident in his damage, lay into him on the starting island and time your dodges accordingly.
Then, when he summons Support Hydras, he will summon them all around the island. Keep moving in a circle to keep his adds in check, while also avoiding his projectiles. If you see rocks counting down to 0, kill them before he spawns a skeleton.
If you’re using a Keepsake, bring Megaera’s. She will let you do massive damage to all of his adds, potentially saving you from getting surrounded.
Extreme Measures Theseus and Asterius
Theseus and Asterius have become kitted out in golden armor. Awesome! If only it wasn’t going to be used against you.
We suggest you start the fight by using Megaera’s Keepsake to hit them for 2500 damage each. Then, start with Asterius and move on to Theseus.
Asterius
The big bull is quite angry. He can now spin in a circle with his axe; without a ranged attack, all you can do safely is run for your life. You should throw your cast behind you, if you have access to it.
He is also much faster, able to do three jumping slams in a row. Take your time and make sure you’re safe before moving in to attack him. His ranged attacks and range in general are quite vicious.
When he begins to Charge, try to maneuver him so that he runs into one of the statues and tributes in the arena.
Theseus
Before he reaches Phase 2, Theseus is much easier! He’s a support fighter now, able to fling massive bombs across the arena. Thankfully, the bombs take a while to land; make it a priority to steer clear of the landing zones far before they land.
He can also charge through the center of the arena, trying to gun you down in the process. When he lines up for a charge, try to dodge perpendicularly to where he’s looking.
Then, after you’ve chased his car down and blown it up, he’ll enter Phase 2, which is his normal phase. Move around his shield and deal consistent damage behind him.
Extreme Measures Hades
The Hades fight is perhaps the most changed fight of all of the Extreme Measures bosses. If you’re not totally familiar with the basic fight pattern, we have loads of tips in our guide in how to beat Hades himself. Of course, things change a lot when you start playing with Extreme Measures enabled. Each phase has a lot more to look out for now.
Phase 1
Hades gets two big new options. When he holds his spear above his head to spin, he’ll now step towards Zagreus. To dodge this consistently, start your dodge as soon as he starts the act of spinning. He can also throw his spear, which he telegraphs by holding it behind his head. Dodge this by moving perpendicularly to where Hades is looking. He always dashes after the spear, so follow him to keep up your damage.
He can do either of these options after swiping his weapon twice.
Phase 2
Phase 2 comes with one big surprise; Cerberus! This doggy deals 50 damage using multiple areas of effect. To dodge him consistently, move towards the bottom left of the arena and try to time your dodge when Cerberus is near you.
Hades also heals from his vases. It’s hard to beat his healing, so focus on clearing the vases and then return to deal damage to Dad.
His Brimstone Attack will usually be 360 degrees of lasers, so try to hide behind a pillar. Hades will knock you back if you get too close!
Phase 3
That’s right, Phase 3! This phase has Hades cloak the battlefield in darkness, reducing your visibility by a bit. Otherwise, this phase has him using his invisibility much more often. Keep track of Hades as he moves using the snow on the ground, which will show footprints.
Otherwise, as long as you are starting to learn the new attacks from the first phases, you’ll be able to react to these ones! He’s not faster than he was before. All that’s important is that you stay close enough that you know what he’s doing.
