In Hades 2, there are a lot of main and mini-boss encounters that Melinoe has to get through to reach Chronos. Some encounters will be a breeze, while others will require a strategic approach to beating these bosses. In any case, knowledge of a boss’s attack patterns and how to counter them is helpful.
The Phantom is one of the toughest mini-boss encounters that only gets more challenging every time you get hit. This is primarily because The Phantom possesses a vampire-like ability in which it will harm you to restore some of its own health.
Updated by Kaitlyn Peterson on December 24th, 2025: Adjustments to the strategy recommendation were made in light of the 1.0 release.
Phantom Attack Patterns
|
Attack |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Claw Swipe |
The Phantom charges the first attack and launches a swipe attack. A second claw swipe attack then succeeds. |
|
Health Drain |
The Phantom charges for a short duration and unleashes a long-range pull attack. During this time, the Phantom saps Melinoe’s health, applies the Daze status effect, and recovers some health. |
|
Uppercut |
The Phantom charges an upper-cut attack, and its hit also regenerates the boss’s health. If Melinoe continues to stay in the range, the boss launches a follow-up swipe attack. |
|
Teleportation |
The boss will teleport occasionally and change locations in the arena. This happens mostly when Melinoe goes far away from the boss, or the Phantom is too close to her. |
|
Charged Claws |
The Phantom raises both arms and charges for a short time; after that, it launches a swift claw attack right in front of it. |
The Phantom is a bloodthirsty vampire-like mini-boss. When you enter the boss’s room, The Phantom will be accompanied by more than ten Blight Shade enemies. These small minions do not respawn once you have killed them all.
How To Beat The Phantom
The first step to beating the Phantom is to clear the room by killing all the Blight Shade enemies. It will make focusing on the Phantom much easier and also make dodging its attacks a breeze.
With each attack, the Phantom steals some of Melinoe’s life. This Health Drain attack, in particular, dazes Melinoe, takes away most of her health, and replenishes the boss’s vitality in exchange.
Try to stay at medium to long range and avoid getting hit. If you do, the Phantom regains its health, undoing all your hard work.
Almost all the Phantom’s attacks are not swift and sudden. There is a small charging animation that is easy to spot and dodge before the Phantom lands an attack on you.
When it comes to weapons, familiarity is key. While some weapons can, in theory, make this fight easier, you will ultimately have a more difficult time trying to force a weapon you’re unfamiliar with, rather than one you’ve been using the entire game. So, use whatever you’re most comfortable with, as it will be more than enough to defeat this boss.
In terms of Boons, your best options will be Aphrodite and Demeter for the following reasons:
- Aphrodite — Will reduce the amount of damage The Phantom can do, which will, in turn, also lower the amount of health it recovers.
- Demeter — Use to inflict Freeze, which will slow down this already slow enemy even further, making it much easier to avoid attacks.
Avoid getting hit by the Phantom’s attacks, and maintain distance after dealing a few strikes, and the Phantom should be defeated in a matter of a couple of minutes.
Hades 2: How To Beat Deep Serpents
Encountering a Deep Serpent in Oceanus is one way to end up in a watery grave.
