How to unlock the Book of Shadows in Hades 2

The Book of Shadows in Hades 2 is a record system that keeps track of the game's lore, descriptions of characters you come across, enemy details, and more. A similar system was also in place in the original Hades game. Both of these massive rogue-likes have a lot of lore and items. As such, a system like the Book of Shadows is very essential.

In Hades 2, like most of the things in this game, you will have to earn this codex. And doing so is not going to be an easy task, especially for beginners. To unlock the Book of Shadows in Hades 2, you have to defeat the most difficult boss in Erebus, Hecate, thrice.

Disclaimer: The game is currently on Early Access. Some information presented here may not apply to the full release.

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What does the Book of Shadows in Hades 2 do?

Defeat your master to get the book (Image via Super Giant)

Once you defeat your master three times, she will reward you with the Book. Hecate is a brilliant boss. Not only does she test the might of her favored pupil but also the skills of the player to determine if they are ready to venture forth and face more vicious perils.

If you are having trouble with this fight, check out our Hecate Boss guide for Hades 2.

Keep track of everything in the Book of Shadows in Hades 2 (Image via Super Giant)

After you unlock the Book of Shadows in Hades 2, you can check it to get the background information and details related to various aspects of the game, such as:

Lore

Every Companion and Gods you encounter in Hades 2 gets an entry in the Book of Shadows. Once you meet an NPC, the book automatically creates and updates an entry for the character. After that, every bit of lore you unlock about them gets updated and recorded in the book.

If you missed out on any of the important dialogues revealing an NPC’s backstory, don’t worry, you can always re-experience them using this book.

Enemies

The Book of Shadows in Hades 2 not only records the details of companions but also enemies. Each time you kill or encounter a new foe, it gets an entry. It also keeps track of how many times you have killed a particular adversary. After you hit certain thresholds, the Book will add new sentences to an enemy’s description as well.

Relationship

Similar to its predecessor, Hades 2 has a gift-giving system. By showering gifts (nectars) on NPCs, you can build or improve your relationship with them. The Book keeps records of your relationship with all of this game's characters and how many gifts you have given to a particular ally.

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That concludes our guide on the Book of Shadows. Consider reading our other Hades 2 articles:

• How to get Nectar in Hades 2
• What is God Mode in Hades 2 and how to use it?
• Hades 2: How to get and use Limestone