Gab Hernandez 
Polyphemus stomps into battle as the first boss fight in Melinoe’s path to Olympus in Hades 2, but how can players beat this cyclops shepherd?
Hades 2 has a deep well of inspiration as far as classical Greek myth bosses go. In the Underworld route, Melinoe faces off against her teacher, Hecate, who treats it more like a sparring session than a fight to the death. Meanwhile, the Olympus route offers no such niceties.
Polyphemus is the first real roadblock the player will encounter on their path to Olympus and he also boasts some valuable resources for those who defeat him. The lumbering giant is still as blind as the hero Odysseus left him, but it hasn’t made him any less dangerous. If anything, age and spite have made the cyclops even more vicious. This guide will help you best this one-eyed people eater.
Hades 2: Polyphemus boss fight moves and tactics
Polyphemus is a slow but hard-hitting boss who periodically summons hordes of enemies.
As far as Hades 2 boss fights go, beating Polyphemus is deceptively simple. He often telegraphs his attacks slowly and obviously, making them easy to dodge. However, Polyphemus will sometimes mix up attacks or leap into the air and land where Melinoe stands, so don’t get too cocky. When Polyphemus uses his big stomp, Melinoe can simply dash through it to nullify the damage.
Despite the slow attacks, each hit deals a hefty amount of damage. After the player deals enough damage to the cyclops, the boss will briefly turn invincible and summon hordes of Lubbers. These enemies have chunky health pools and lob explosives, so stay mobile and use ranged attacks to clear out the hordes.
The sheep in the arena can be eaten by Polyphemus to restore health. While eating, Polyphemus cannot fight back, so feel free to use hard-hitting attacks with slow-startups like the Moonstone Axe’s Omega spin attack or charged Omega shots from the Witch’s Staff.
The second time Polyphemus turns invincible and summons enemies, the hordes will have armor, so avoid getting too close for fear of being trapped. Once again, attack from range and thin out the horde first, as they are much harder to dodge than Polyphemus.
Once the second horde has cleared, the fight becomes much easier. Just dodge Polyphemus’ slow attacks and whittle him down. Once defeated, Polyphemus rewards the player with Wool.
The best boons and weapons to beat Polyphemus in Hades 2
Opt for boons that can clear out crowds of enemies and add damage to dashing and sprinting.
Because of how crowded the Polyphemus boss fight can get, go for boons that make quick work of hordes. Take Apollo’s Nova boons that amplify the area-of-effect of Melinoe’s attacks and specials. Additionally, sprint boons like Zeus’ Thunder Sprint or Poseidon’s Breaker Sprint passively deal damage while running around, clearing out enemy hordes and dodging Polyphemus’ attacks at the same time.
As for weapons, ranged weapons with high-damage shots like the Witch’s Staff and Argent Skull work best against Polyphemus. Polyphemus doesn’t really have a way of dealing with ranged attacks other than tanking them, so feel free to focus fire on his lumbering form.
