Hades 2 Eris boss guide: How to clear the Rift of Thessaly

Learn how to get through Nyx’s problem child

Supergiant Games

Having survived the arduous sea voyage over the Rift of Thessaly, Melinoë has one final obstacle to clear before beginning the ascent to Olympus – Eris, the embodiment of Strife. She’s another child of Nyx and could well be called the family’s problem kid. Instead of helping everyone to get rid of Chronos, Eris is being edgy and wants to stop Melinoë because she thinks it’s amusing.

Table of Contents

1. Hades 2: How to beat Eris
2. Hades 2: Best boons vs. Eris

To make things worse, she’s got a weapon players of the original game will know all too well – the Adamant Rail, an automatic rifle with massive firepower. Don’t worry too much about that, though: Your Magick and Nocturnal Arms are more than enough to win a gunfight.

Eris really needs an adjustment to her attitude and this Hades 2 Eris boss guide will ensure that you can give it to her.

Hades 2: How to beat Eris

Eris is using all the different fire modes of the Adamant Rail in this battle: She dashes forward with bullets flying outwards on both sides of her path, shoots single bullets and shotgun bursts while slowly rotating (this is by far her most dangerous attack, as being hit from up close deals tons of damage), and charges up a powerful shot that’s telegraphed on the ground.

In addition, Eris can launch explosive shots into the air that drop on the marked areas after a short delay and take flight in order to bombard the ground. She’ll sometimes summon a few reinforcements as well, though you can mostly make short work of these.

You can use the cover on the battlefield to your advantage in this fight. / Supergiant Games

Whenever you’ve taken a third of her HP, Eris will gain a massive damage buff for a short time, so be careful to not get caught by her bullets while that’s active.

Though the Adamant Rail and its firepower are intimidating at first, the gun is actually not that much of an advantage for her – Eris is powerless in melee, especially when you’re behind her. Stick to her back like a shadow and dish out all the damage you can while she’s spraying her bullets. Whenever she creates distance, either follow directly after her, or take cover behind one of the two pillars on the map. These will serve you very well whenever she’s aiming her charged shot at you or you can’t close the distance to her while she’s already shooting at you.

Sticking to Eris' back is generally a good idea, but stay out of the burning tar on the ground. / Supergiant Games

Those two pillars aren’t the only noteworthy features of this arena: On the sides, you’ll find sticky tar that will quickly be set aflame during the battle. Avoid moving into this tar at all costs. Eris can camp in this burning substance without taking damage, but you can’t. Not only will it burn you, it slows you down so much that you’ll be an easy target for the Adamant Rail. If Eris stands in the tar, take cover behind one of the pillars and wait for her to come back out – which she will.

It’s worth noting that all of the Adamant Rail’s regular attacks can be negated by Hestia’s sprint boon, so that can make this fight a lot easier for you.

Once you’ve defeated Eris you’ll gain the Golden Apple as a crafting material and can advance further towards Olympus – though at Early Access launch, this is where the adventure on the surface ends.

At Early Access launch, sending the brat down to the Underworld will be the last thing you do on the surface. / Supergiant Games

Hades 2: Best boons vs. Eris

As already mentioned, Hestia’s sprint can completely change your approach to this battle, as it will allow you to simply tank most of Eris’ attacks. A melee-focused build with Apollo, Aphrodite, and Hermes at its core will serve you very well against her, allowing you to dish out a lot of pain and remain glued to her back.

A really fun approach to the Eris battle is possible with the Aspect of Pan you can unlock for the Sister Blades. It makes all of your specials seek out targets in your cast. You can abuse this in the fight against Eris by dancing around the pillars. If you use your cast on one side, it will be big enough to catch Eris on the opposite side. Then you can simply charge up your Ω-Special and unleash it into any direction, after which the knives will nicely wrap around the pillar and seek out Eris. Combine this with some upgrades, such as Hera’s boon making your Ω-Cast stay around for longer, and you’ve got a really fun way of winning this fight without losing any HP.

For more strong approaches, check out our best Hades 2 builds guide.