Animal Familiars are one of the coolest new systems in Hades II. These magical companions don’t just follow you around — they help you gather resources, tank hits, and give powerful passive bonuses. There are five total familiars, each with unique perks and upgrade paths, and you can bring one familiar per run.
In this guide I’ll cover – how to unlock, upgrade, and use each familiar, plus a quick look at the related Steam achievements and Fated Prophecies.
Unlocking Familiars & Using the Cauldron
Before you can befriend any familiars, you’ll need to complete the “Faith of Familiar Spirits” incantation. Hecate teaches you about it after you beat her a few times and she mentions the idea of having a familiar assist you.
You’ll need:
- 2 Nectar (room reward or from the Wretched Broker)
- 1 Lotus (found in Oceanus)
Completing this incantation unlocks familiars and rewards 3 Witch’s Delights, which you’ll use to recruit them.
To upgrade familiars later, you’ll need another incantation: “Bravery of Familiar Spirits.”
Requirements:
- 1 Wool (drops from Polyphemus)
- 3 Wheat (grown from Wheat Seeds in the Fields of Mourning)
This gives you another 3 Witch’s Delights for upgrades or new recruits.
Since that’s only six total Witch’s Delights, you’ll need more eventually. Craft Beast-Loved Morsels in the alchemy tab for extra Delights.
- Recipe: 1 Nectar + 1 Star Dust (from Chaos Trials)
- Takes 14 Whiles to brew.
Frinos – The Toad
Frinos is probably the first familiar you’ll meet — he’s chilling near Melinoë’s tent in the Crossroads. He’s super easy to recruit; just talk to him and gift him a Witch’s Delight.
Abilities:
- Blocks ranged attacks for you.
- Boosts max HP and increases Lost Shade encounters (which drop Psyche).
- When directed, he can collect Psyche automatically without the mini-game.
Upgrades:
| Bond | Base | Lv.1 | Lv.2 | Lv.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life Bond | +10 HP | +20 | +30 | +40 |
| Soul Bond | +20% Shade chance | +30% | +40% | +50% |
| Drive Bond | Leap damage | 0 | 10 | 20 |
Frinos is a defensive, beginner-friendly familiar — great early choice for survivability and Psyche farming.
Raki – The Raven
Raki is a sleek white raven you’ll spot in Erebus. The first encounter, he’ll just fly off. Next time you meet him, gift a Witch’s Delight to recruit him.
Abilities:
- Occasionally pecks enemies, dealing small damage and marking them.
- Increases critical hit chance.
- Raises chance to find Outcroppings (for mining).
- When directed, mines Outcroppings for you.
Upgrades:
| Bond | Base | Lv.1 | Lv.2 | Lv.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vision Bond | +1% Crit chance | +2% | +3% | +4% |
| Stone Bond | +20% Outcropping rate | +30% | +40% | +50% |
| Wing Bond | Peck cooldown | 9–10s | 7–8s | 5–6s |
Raki’s a perfect pick if you like resource farming runs — plus, that crit bonus helps across builds.
Toula – The Cat
Toula’s found on the surface, specifically at the docks after beating Polyphemus, before entering Thessaly. Greet her once, then on the second meeting, gift a Witch’s Delight to recruit.
Abilities:
- Provides an extra Death Defiance (life restore on death).
- Increases Fishing Point spawns.
- When directed, auto-catches fish.
- In combat, she’ll nap near the entrance until you sprint near her, causing her to pounce on enemies before chilling again.
Upgrades:
| Bond | Base | Lv.1 | Lv.2 | Lv.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart Bond | Death Defiance heal | 20 | 40 | 60 |
| Sense Bond | +20% Fishing rate | +30% | +40% | +50% |
| Claw Bond | Attacks per activation | 4 | 6 | 8 |
She’s adorable and practical — great for fishing grinds and a clutch revive in tough fights.
Hecuba – The Hound
You’ll first see Hecuba and Gale at the Crossroads early on, but they leave after a few runs. To recruit Hecuba, you’ll need to find her in Echo’s room in the Fields of Mourning and get permission from Hecate to bond with her.
Abilities:
- Occasionally stuns nearby foes.
- Increases Max Magick and chance to find Dig Spots.
- Can dig up healing or magick restoration in emergencies.
Upgrades:
| Bond | Base | Lv.1 | Lv.2 | Lv.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Bond | +15 Magick | +30 | +45 | +60 |
| Soul Bond | +20% Dig Spot rate | +30% | +40% | +50% |
| Guard Bond | Stun cooldown | 8–9s | 7–8s | 6–7s |
If you prefer a defensive, utility-based playstyle, Hecuba is a solid companion.
Gale – The Polecat
Gale can also be recruited once you’ve unlocked familiar bonding with Hecate. You’ll find her in the final room of Olympus, right before the boss fight. Greet her once, then return later with permission to bond.
Abilities:
- Leaps into danger to deal 250 damage up to 3 times per region (30s apart).
- Boosts dodge chance, speed, and flora spawn rate.
Upgrades:
| Bond | Base | Lv.1 | Lv.2 | Lv.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veil Bond | +3% Dodge/Speed | +4% | +5% | +6% |
| Nature Bond | +20% Flora rate | +30% | +40% | +50% |
| Wild Bond | Scratch damage | 250 | 300 | 350 |
Gale is the most aggressive familiar — great for fast runs or risky melee builds.
Achievements & Prophecies
Fated Prophecies
- Familiar Confidant: Confide in Frinos 6 times (also a Steam Achievement).
- Close Companions: Bond with 3 familiars.
- Beyond Familiar: Fully max all bonds with one familiar.
Steam Achievements
- Familiar Confidant: Talk to Frinos 6 times (recruitment not required).
- Animal Whisperer: Recruit all 5 familiars.
- Beast Master: Fully upgrade all 5 familiars.
- Unfamiliar Forms: Unlock all alternate familiar appearances.
To change appearances, you’ll need the “Alteration of Familiar Forms” incantation from Circe.
Recipe:
- 6 Wool (Polyphemus)
- 6 Fate Fabric (Wretched Broker or Arachne)
- 1 Flux (mined in Chaos)
Complete it, then interact with your familiars in the training grounds to change their look.
TL;DR
| Familiar | Strength | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Frinos | Tanky, Psyche farming | Early runs, survivability |
| Raki | Crits + mining | Resource farming, precision builds |
| Toula | Death Defiance + fishing | Surface runs, casual play |
| Hecuba | Magick + stuns | Safe, control-heavy builds |
| Gale | Damage + speed | Risky melee or speed runs |
