Hannan Mundia 
Among the many items required to progress in Hades 2’s story is Shadow, and players will need to get some quickly in order to remove the ward that blocks Olympus.
Hades 2’s shadow drop allowed fans to experience the game earlier than expected. While the full release is yet to come, early access still has loads of content to keep fans busy, including access to a good chunk of the game’s story that focuses on Melinoe, Princess of the Underworld. The gameplay isn’t limited to running through layers of hell, though.
Players sometimes need to complete objectives and acquire specific ingredients to progress in the game’s main story, and one of those ingredients is called Shadow. Here’s what Shadow is used for and how to acquire it in Hades 2.
How to remove the ward and go up to Olympus in Hades 2
Players need to get Shadow, Molly, and Cinder to remove the ward that blocks Olympus in order to progress in Hades 2.
Unlike the first Hades where Zagreus only wants to escape the Underworld and meet his mother in the Mortal Realm, Hades 2 gives players a choice. Mel can either go down to the Underworld to save her captive family or go up to Olympus to aid the Gods against the Titan Chronos.
The path to the surface is initially warded away in the Training Grounds until the first time the player meets Hermes. Then, Mel must interact with key figures including the Gods who give Mel their boons, Headmistress Hecate, and Chaos. As the Princess of the Underworld learns more about what’s happening in Olympus, she’ll eventually decide to use the cauldron in the Crossroads hub area to remove the ward.
To remove the ward that blocks Olympus players need to use the incantation called Permeation of Witching-Wards, which requires three ingredients to craft; one Cinder, three Molly, and one Shadow. The first two ingredients are easy to acquire, with the Hecarte boss fight giving the first and Molly being obtainable from the ground in Erebus, the final ingredient isn’t as simple.
During the game’s early access, the only other use for Shadow is to make Moon Dust, which is used to upgrade Arcana Cards. It’s unknown if the full version of the Supergiant Games roguelike will have more uses for this ingredient.
How to get Shadow in Hades 2
The Shadow ingredient can be crafted using the alchemy section of the cauldron in the Crossroads hub area.
While Hades 2 players will quickly get the Permeation of Witching-Wards recipe that removes the ward on Olympus, they’ll need to acquire the Shadow recipe before they can use it. To get the recipe for crafting Shadow, players need to talk to NPCs and eventually, Headmistress Hecate will hand it over. Once unlocked, go to the alchemy section of the Crossroads cauldron to craft Shadow.
The recipe for Shadow requires 30 Ashe, 30 Psyche, and 3 Fate Fabric.
The first two ingredients are easily farmed, though the most convenient way is simply choosing the rooms that have them as completion rewards during Mel’s runs to Tartarus. There are multiple methods for farming Fate Fabrics too, including buying them from the Wretched Broker or choosing Arachne’s Onyx Dress when coming across her in Erebus.
