Before the events of Hades, the legendary King Theseus met Asterius in the famous labyrinth and killed him soundly. But now that Theseus is dead too, he and the mythical Minotaur made up their differences and became friends. Unfortunately, that means Zagreus has to fight both of them simultaneously.
He is one of the most challenging bosses encounters you’ll run into when trying to beat Hades for the first time, mainly because these two are the tankiest enemies you’ll run into. We will show you everything we know, but you also need to use your instincts and mastery of Hades’ fundamentals.
Hades Boss Guide: How to Beat Theseus and Asterius
Mid-Boss Phase
First of all, it’s possible to encounter Asterius earlier while you’re exploring Elysium. If you do, not only do you not have to bring his health down to zero, he’ll also come back for round two with reduced health. So it’s a good opportunity for practice. Asterius has two phases, and he has the same set of moves both times you fight him.
For the most part Asterius’ chunky attacks give you plenty of time to react, so make sure you stay on your toes. As an added bonus, in the mid-boss fight if Asterius charges and rams one of his pillars, he’ll take some damage.
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Phase One
When the boss fight kicks off for real, you’ll have to fight both of these powerhouses at once. Theseus tends to stick to the middle of the arena, while Asterius will chase you down the whole time. Asterius starts with three moves, one of which is a double-swing axe combo that is telegraphed, but deceptively hard to dodge.
His second move is a huge leap across the screen, which he can use by itself, or immediately following the axe combo. He’ll also relentlessly charge you, and you’ll have to make some quick maneuvers to avoid him. If you can, get him to smash into one of the pillars to stun him for a second or so.
While Theseus is in the middle, he’ll use his shield to block frontal attacks and toss a lance at you from a distance. When he prepares to throw his lance at you, you’ll see a pink reticle on Zagreus, and a missile-like sound effect will count down to the throw. You can hide behind a pillar, or do your best to dodge.
But as soon as he throws it, it zaps over to you in an instant. Occasionally the two will team up for a special maneuver, with Asterius either throwing Theseus at you, or charging into Theseus’ shield to create a shockwave.
Phase Two
Once you get either fighter down to around half their health, they’ll enter their second phase. Asterius gets two more moves, variations of the first two that create multidirectional shockwaves. You’ll really need to look out for those when you’re dodging, because they fire from Asterius’ body in odd directions.
When Theseus enters phase two he’ll call for his own Olympian Aid, using your own powers against you. At this point Theseus’ Boons will activate every few seconds, filling the screen with huge AoE circles. You often need to make small, careful movements to avoid them, and make sure not to forget about Theseus’ lance while you do so.
Enrage Phase
Once you take down one of these jerks, the second one will go into an enraged state. This makes them faster, for both their movement and attack rate. You’ll have to be a bit more vigilant with your choices at this point, but it’s still a bit easier to manage the fight with only one target to deal with.
Once you beat these two, and it might take a few tries, you’ll get to move on to the final area before the final boss fight. Many runs will end prematurely here, as the challenge really ranks up between Bone Hydra and here. Just don’t give up, and eventually you’ll find what works best for you in this fight.
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How far have you made it through Hades at this point? Which boss fight did you struggle the most with, and what became your winning strategy? Let us know over at the Prima Games Facebook and Twitter channels!
