Hades 2’s Chronos, Titan of Time, isn’t exactly “grandpa of the year” material. Once you’ve fought your way through Tartarus, after defeating Hecate, Scylla, and Cerberus, the Chronos boss battle will test your skills like never before. This fight is tough, so it’s perfectly normal to need more than one try.
To increase your chances of success, here’s how to beat Chronos in Hades 2, including his attack patterns and tips on the best equipment. However, keep in mind that this guide will teach you how to beat Chronos, but not cease his ability to regenerate.
Chronos’ moveset in Hades 2
The Chronos boss fight consists of two phases. At the start of phase one, try to kill the minions as quickly as you can, so you can focus solely on the main bad guy. Chronos mainly relies on the first four attacks on this list until his HP drops to 75%. Once it drops to 50% HP, beware that his attacks will become a lot faster, creating combos of up to three different attacks.
Here’s a list of his attack patterns and how to avoid them:
- Forward dash: Chronos dashes toward you, leaving an explosive trail in his wake. Dodge to either side and avoid the trail for a few seconds.
- Scythe slash: Chronos swings his scythe at you. Despite being a melee attack, beware of its significant range. Besides the direct damage, watch out for the explosives left in the scythe’s trail – they will explode immediately after. You’ll know this attack is coming when Chronos pulls his right arm behind him in a charging motion. It’s a pretty good opportunity to dodge behind him and land a few hits.
- Spinning scythe: Chronos throws his scythe like a boomerang. Starting from his left side, it’ll move in a wide circle towards his right side. It’s really hard to avoid damage if you’re within melee range, but try to recognize the sound Chronos makes just before this attack. While lifting his scythe to the left, you’ll hear a slightly drawn-out grunt.
- Scythe cyclone and projectile: After summoning a cyclone to draw you nearer, Chronos shoots a large projectile forward. Use your sprint to outrun the cyclone – it will follow you for a while, but if you don’t get caught, the scythe projectile will likely miss. If you dodge behind Chronos at the start of this attack, it’s one of the best opportunities to land some hits.
- Golden orbs: Chronos summons a string of golden orbs circling him like a shield. It’s easiest to wait it out, but if you can bait Chronos into dashing into a wall, the orbs will crash upon that wall and disappear.
- Minion spawn: Chronos summons the same six minions that were in his room at the start of the boss battle, or two slightly stronger ones. They aren’t very dangerous compared to grandpa himself, but try to get rid of them quickly.
- Orbs everywhere: Chronos will teleport away and summon a few dozen golden orbs to move around him. He usually does this when he’s lost about 25% and 75% HP, or after he’s summoned some minions, making it a bit easier to predict.
- Hourglass banners: Four banners appear on the field. If the enemy stands within their range (blue rings on the ground), they’ll receive a shield. It’s useful to destroy the banners, but don’t make mistakes because of them. It’s okay to ignore them until they disappear.
Once Chronos is down to 0% HP, it’s time for phase two. As you continue the battle in a clock-shaped arena, Chronos will keep his previous attacks, but also gain a few new ones:
- One-hit kill version one: The screen becomes bright red, except for one number on the clock. It’s very important to stand on this circle before the rest of the arena explodes, as the explosion will kill you.
- One-hit kill version two: The screen darkens, only leaving a ring-shaped safe zone near the center of the arena. Beware: The floor within this ring is also off-limits! Although you shouldn’t try to hit Chronos with melee attacks during this time, it’s a perfect opportunity to land several ranged hits.
- Circle of fire: Starting on the edge of the arena, a ring of fire will slowly move inward. You can’t walk around it, so you’ll have to dash through.
- Golden orb swirl: A large number of rotating orbs will appear. The red laser lines on the ground will tell you where they’ll spawn.
- Time spheres: Chronos summons golden spheres all across the battlefield, stunning Melinoe if you get trapped inside. Luckily, the dark circular shades can tell you where the spheres will spawn.
- Moving clock hands: One or more golden clock hands appear on the field, rotating clockwise (from number to number). Keep your distance until they disappear. Occasionally, Chronos summons all clock hands at once, but they’ll remain stationary in that case.
How to beat Chronos in Hades 2
The most important thing you should know about Chronos is that time-manipulation effects don’t work on him. This includes the “Sorceress” Arcana Card and the “Phase Shift” Hex, among others. However, you can remove Chronos’ immunity with the “Temporal Fluctuation” incantation. Additionally, despite Chronos’ sarcastic remarks, you can pause the game during this boss battle.
Since Chronos uses many mid-range attacks, it’s best to focus on ranged abilities. You can go for a melee build, but you’d have to dodge behind him all the time, which may be harder to do. The Argent Skull is a great choice for a weapon as it comes with several ranged attacks, with the fully-charged special easily knocking out the minions. Despite their more limited range, the Sister Blades are a good alternative thanks to their high mobility and speed.
While picking your Boons, focus on boosting one or two types of attack, so you can use them as much as possible against Chronos. If Selene offers one of her Hexes, be sure to pick Moon Water, which will heal you and increase your survivability. Together with some Path of Stars upgrades for additional uses, this Hex can make a major difference, not in the least because it will get you to Chronos’ boss arena in one piece.
Here are some recommended Arcana Cards (without upgrades) to use against Chronos:
- Death. It allows you to respawn once, with 40% HP.
- The Centaur. Adds +3 max HP and max Magick whenever you pass through five locations. It’ll rack up nicely before you meet Chronos.
- The Unseen. You restore 6 Magick per second. Great for omega attacks!
- The Huntress. When you have less than 100% Magick, your attack and special attack deal +30% damage.
- Excellence. Any boons you’re offered have a 30% chance to include Legendary or at least Rare blessings.
- Judgement. Activates three random inactive Arcana Cards whenever you defeat a Guardian – whom, as it happens, you need to pass anyway to get to Chronos.
As for Keepsakes from the Gods, the Luckier Tooth given by Schemeleus is amazing; when you fall in battle, it’ll bring you back to life with up to 101 HP (fully upgraded). If you’ve just been beaten by Chronos, however, consider the Evil Eye instead (given by Nemesis), as it’ll deal up to 30% more damage against the last foe who bested you. The Knuckle Bones from Odysseus isn’t bad either, as you’ll take 10% less damage from Guardians (including Chronos), but beware that the 15% life loss only works for the first Guardian you encounter, so be sure to equip it after defeating Cerberus.
