How to unlock the barrier to Olympus and go up in Hades 2

The primary goal of Hades 2 is for Melonië to defeat Chronos, breaking her family out of the House of Hades. But the gods and goddesses on Olympus require her assistance as they protect themselves from Chronos’ siege and require her to break the barrier to go up to Olympus.

The barrier won’t break with simple magic. The only way to do it is through a unique spell you can unlock, which becomes available as you progress through Hades 2. The way you unlock this spell takes time and several runs down to Chronos, but eventually, you can break the barrier and take the fight to Olympus.

How to break the barrier to Olympus and go up in Hades 2

The only way to overcome the barrier to Olympus is by completing the Incantation Permeation of Witching-Wards in Hades 2. It’s an incantation that dispels the barrier, unlocking the second area for you to begin exploring in Hades 2.

Like the other incantations in Hades 2, there are specific ingredients you need to unlock and find to complete it.

• One Cinder
• One Shadow
• Three Moly

You can find Cinder and Moly in the same area. These both appear in Erebus, the first region you must work through in Hades 2. You can only get Cinder by defeating Hecate, the Guardian of Erebus, before passing into the second area. Moly is a yellow flower that can appear on the side of the map any time you enter a new location in Erebus. Search around after clearing the area of enemies to find it before moving on to the next location.

Shadow is the most challenging resource to track down of these three in Hades 2. You get Shadow by starting the chain of effects of learning that Olympus needs your help and speaking to Hermes, who calls on your aid. As you progress through enough runs, several characters discuss going to Olympus, and Hecate believes she can help you. On one of the runs, you defeat her, and she gives you access to the Alchemy technique Shadow Extraction, where you can now unlock this resource.

For Shadow Extraction, you need 30 Ash, 30 Psyche, and 3 Fate Fabric. You can find Ash by completing locations in Erebus, and Psyche can drop as a location reward from any region in Hades 2. Fate Fabric is slightly more difficult because you must exchange with the Wretched Broker, who only accepts Bones.

After you use Shadow Extraction and unlock the Shadow resource, complete the Permeation of Witching-Wards. You can now reach Olympus and choose to go up rather than down to save your family in Hades 2.