How Elemental Essences work in Hades 2

The many boons you receive from the various gods and goddesses in Hades 2 are vital to making your way down to the underworld to face off against Chronos. Now, these boons can have Elemental Essences attached to them, creating even more synergy within them.

Elemental Essences won’t appear immediately in Hades 2. You can unlock them by completing a specific incantation at the cauldron. When you do have access to them, consider the boons you’re about to pick up as well as the elements associated with them. You might only sometimes use them, but they’re helpful to keep in mind when you’re utilizing builds and trying to reach Chronos.

What Elemental Essences do in Hades 2

The Elemental Essences associated with a boon give them a specific typing in Hades 2, but they do not change the keywords of the boon. Instead, it marks them as one of the elements, and if you pick up an Infusion Boon, you might receive certain benefits if you have enough of a particular element.

For example, you might pick up an Infusion Boon from Aphrodite, and she grants you a certain amount of Dodge if you have at least three Air element boons. If you don’t, you can still pick up the Infusion Boon, but you won’t get any benefits. 

Instead, you may want to prioritize those moving forward during your Hades 2 run. When you equip an Infusion Boon, go to the boon information screen to see how many of a particular element you have equipped, which will tell you if you’re getting the benefits or not.

You don’t have to worry about the Elemental Essence of a boon if you never pick up an Infusion Boon. Unfortunately for players, the Elemental Essence of a boon won’t matter outside of equipping an infusion boon. But it never hurts to begin stacking a particular element as you progress through your run, as you never know when an Infusion Boon can drop in Hades 2.