Hades 2: How to defeat Infernal Beast boss? Hades 2 guide, tips
On this page of our guide to Hades 2 we described the fight against the infernal beast - the Cerberus, known from the first part and thrown out by Chronos.
Last update: 13 May 2024
The Infernal Beast is the third boss encounter in Hades 2, happening at the end of Fields of Mourning. Players familiar with the previous installment will recognize the creature to be Cerberus, the beast cast away by Chronos from the House of Hades after his return. On this page of our guide we show how to calm Cerberus down and bring him back to the normal state, what tactics to use for the fight, and how to correctly avoid the boss's attacks.
Infernal Beast in a nutshell
- The Infernal Beast encounter is a test of your patience and endurance - the attacks are easily avoided, but every stumble is punished severely.
- Stay away from Cerberus at all times and get close only between his attacks - the breaks between attack animations of the boss are the best moments to deal damage.
- You have a lot of time to avoid individual attacks, but they have extended range and cover a lot of the arena - don't be greedy with your attacks and run away before the boss strikes again to have time for a dodge.
- Get rid of lesser enemies as soon as they appear - you don't want to fight Cerberus and his aides at the same time.
Boss's attacks
- Paw swing - Cerberus raises his paw and swings quickly, creating a wave of fire targeted at Melinoe. The wave spreads rather slowly - if you are away from the boss, you can try running to sides, but the best way to mitigate the attack will be a Dash through the wave.
- Paw slash - Cerberus forms fists from his paws and hits the ground, creating two small shockwaves. He will only use this attack when you get too close - be careful when attacking him in melee and dodge to get away as soon as he raises his paws.
- Miasma - Cerberus fires projectiles into the sky that land at the edges of the arena. After striking the ground, they turn into goo that crawls around the arena and slows you down for a few seconds if you touch it. This attack doesn't deal damage, but makes avoiding remaining attacks of the beast more difficult - make sure to keep away from the edges of the arena when goo is there. From the miasma, there may be Blood-shades appearing that charge at you with their horns - try to eliminate them as soon as possible to return to targeting Cerberus.
- Jaws of fire - Cerberus fires several fire projectiles in the shape of dog fangs. The projectiles fly in a straight line very slowly, then explode, affecting a large area around them. As soon as you see a projectile getting close to you, try to change positions - the area on the other side of the boss should be safe.
- Circle of fire - Cerber creates a few large, red circles on the ground that slowly become brighter. When the entire circle is bright enough, inside it a huge fiery dog head will appear, dealing damage. Run away immediately as soon as you notice that you are standing on a red circle. In the second phase, Cerberus can also burrow underground and emerge from underneath in a fiery circle, changing its position.
- Inhale - Cerberus sucks air in, pulling Melinoe closer to him. The attack itself does not deal damage, but it can make you vulnerable to paw swing and paw slash, or circle of fire. To avoid it, sprint to sides and dash to remain at a distance from the boss.
- Reinforcements - when Cerberus has half of his health left, he will burrow underground and summon several Heartbreakers who place exploding mines on the ground. Get rid of the aides while keeping away from mined areas. Once you eliminate the enemies, a fiery circle will appear in the arena and Cerberus will jump out of it.
- Fire breathing - Cerberus sucks air in then begins to spew fire in your direction. This is the most difficult attack to dodge, as the fire cone reaches up to the edges of the arena, and Cerberus adjusts his aiming faster than your sprinting speed. Sprint and circle the beast while remaining at the edges of the arena, and when the fire is dangerously close, perform a Dash to get some distance. This move is exclusive to phase two.
- Fiery ground - the entire arena, aside from a small area around Cerberus, starts turning red. After a short while, the entire radius is covered by flames. When you see this attack incoming, get close to Cerberus, deal some damage to him, and when flames disappear, quickly get away to avoid next attacks. This move is exclusive to phase two.
- Leap - Cerberus suddenly charges towards you, creating a fiery arc that quickly moves forward. You have to Dash to a side - otherwise, if Cerber doesn't reach you, the fire will. This move is exclusive to phase two.
- Crawl - Cerberus crawls towards you while striking the ground with his paws - each strike creates a shockwave around the beast. Sprint away from Cerberus and Dash if it gets too close to you.
How to fight the Infernal Beast?
The fight against Infernal Beast is a test of your patience and endurance. Cerberus' attacks are most of the time slow and easy to avoid, but they cover a large portion of the map and deal a lot of damage. As a result, even smaller mistakes may end with you dying or being weakened significantly, making problems for you when you decide to continue the journey. Fight Cerberus patiently and methodically, and don't take risks, as mistakes in this fight are punished much more severely than in other battles.
The beast spends the first phase of the battle motionless in the center of the arena. The fight is a bit easier if you are equipped with a ranged weapon, as you can fire at Cerberus from a safe position. If you focus on melee combat, you'll have to get close to the beast - do this in between his attacks, deal a few strikes and quickly relocate to avoid incoming attacks.
In the second phase of the fight, Cerber will gain new attacks through which he can move around the arena. However, the tactics remains the same - keep your distance from the boss and only approach him between his attacks to deal damage, then run away.
The fight is long, but don't lose heart - trying to speed things up will lead to your demise. Once you have defeated the beast, nothing will stand in your way to the final area - Tartarus.