Hades 2 The Cyclops Polyphemus boss guide: How to beat and all rewards

Of all the bosses in Hades 2, the Cyclops Polyphemus is easily one of the most frustrating to fight. What should be a straightforward battle turns into a nightmare because of how many mechanics there are. 

If you’re struggling with this one-eyed monster, then allow me to help. Here’s how to beat the Cyclops Polyphemus boss and all of its rewards in Hades 2.

Before you fight Cyclops Polyphemus in Hades 2

Before you fight the sheep-munching monster in Hades 2, I highly recommend you bring a Boon that can take out shields. The Melting Swipe boon on the Witch’s Staff is a great pick because you can use your Dodge attack to melt 60 percent of the enemy’s shield in one hit. You don’t need this for the Cyclops, but rather for all the adds it spawns. 

Otherwise, I suggest you bring as many Death Defies as you can, because this fight can get quite hairy. In my opinion, there are too many things that can go wrong here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cyclops Polyphemus gets nerfed in an upcoming patch.

It’s very important that you do not use the Argent Skull. At the time of writing, there’s a bug in Hades 2 that makes the Argent Skull stop working during the Cyclops fight, and it still hasn’t been fixed. I ran into these issues and you can probably imagine how unhappy I was. Hopefully, it gets fixed soon.

Cyclops Polyphemus boss guide in Hades 2

For the most part, Cyclops Polyphemus hops around the arena and damages you with shockwaves. When it lands on the ground, it creates a rippling shockwave. You can avoid them easily by dodging into them, which is also a great opportunity for some quick attacks. 

Be careful, because if the Cyclops jumps into you during its next hop, it will damage you and also send out a shockwave (another thing that probably needs nerfing). Occasionally, the Cyclops will try to grab you. You get a warning whenever it’s about to do this, so you have a second to avoid it. If you get grabbed, it will slowly drain your health.

During the fight, the Cyclops can also summon sheep. If it grabs a sheep, it will start munching on it to restore its health. Fortunately, while it’s busy stuffing its face, you can simply attack it and deplete whatever health it manages to heal.

The most challenging part of the boss fight is the adds that spawn. The Cyclops can spawn large barrel-throwing enemies and zombies. Normally, these enemies wouldn’t be much of a problem, but they all have shields. This means you need to quickly deal with the spawned mobs while also making sure you don’t get hit by the Cyclops. 

This is why I recommend you bring something that damages enemy armor, like Melting Swipe. Make sure to deal with the extra enemies fast, especially the fire-barrel-throwing enemies, because they can quickly turn this fight upside down. 

Essentially, every time the Cyclops jumps and lands, dodge into its ripples and damage it (use your cast, too, for some extra damage). If it starts eating a sheep, just keep hitting it. When it spawns enemies, deal with them quickly before you go back to fighting Cyclops. 

The things that killed me the most in this fight were the spawning enemies and the Cyclops’ knee-attack when he jumps into you. Neither of them felt fair or balanced, and I believe they’ll be nerfed in an upcoming patch. It will probably take you a few attempts, but if I was able to do it, then so can you.

Reward for beating Cyclops Polyphemus in Hades 2

Your reward for beating Cyclops Polyphemus in Hades 2 is Wool. If you’re a fan of Greek Mythology, you know why this is a very appropriate reward. You can use Wool to buy and upgrade Arcana cards. More importantly, you gain access to a new area on the surface.