Defeating the final boss of Hades is far from the end of the game. This dungeon-crawler based on Greek mythology has a huge post-game that is arguably more important than the time leading up to the first successful escape attempt.
After defeating the final boss for the first time, Hades will grant Zagreus the Pact of Punishment. This contract has a list of conditions that can be implemented to fill a Heat gauge, which Zagreus must do in order to earn more rewards from each section's final boss. Here are the most important things you need to know about Heat and the Pact of Punishment.
Updated on March 31, 2021 by Michael Christopher: By now, many more people have escaped the Underworld. For all the newbies to the Pact of Punishment, welcome! We've compiled this guide with the important info. Additionally, now that so many more people will need this list, we've updated it with more information to truly clarify things.
10 How it Works
The Pact of Punishment is essentially a difficulty setting introduced diegetically in order to make sense in the in-game universe. Each time Zagreus escapes the Underworld on a certain Heat level with one of the Infernal Arms, he'll have to increase the Heat gauge by an additional point to earn any rewards for using that weapon again.
For example: If you escape with the Shield of Chaos, in order to again earn the Titan Blood from the Furies, the Diamond from Lernie, the Ambrosia from the Heros of Elysium, and the Titan Blood from the final boss, you'll need to increase the Heat by one.
Escape again on that setting of one Heat, and you'll have to do it again on two Heat, and so on and so forth for each weapon. Basically, each time you defeat the final boss with a certain weapon, you have to increase the difficulty to get the rewards again.
If you defeat some of the bosses on a certain Heat level, but don't defeat the final boss, you will not be able to earn their special rewards on that Heat level a second time, but the undefeated bosses will still drop their special reward at that level.
For example, if you use the Shield of Chaos to defeat the Furies and Lernie on one Heat but fall to Theseus and Asterius, you'll have earned the first two special rewards but not the second two. Then, you'll only receive Darkness from the Furies and Lernie on future one-Heat runs with the Shield of Chaos, but Theseus and Asterius and the final boss will still drop their unclaimed special rewards.
9 Don't Combine Certain Conditions At Lower Heat Levels
The Pact of Punishment has 15 (16 in Hell Mode) different conditions that can be applied freely in whatever combination you'd like to fill the Heat gauge. However, it is suggested that you consider each condition applied against the other applied conditions, as some of them in combination are harder than others.
For example, combining Hard Labor (your foes deal more damage) with Jury Summons (you face more foes) isn't the wisest way to achieve two Heat. At higher and higher Heat levels, this becomes much harder to avoid, of course.
8 NPCs Comment on the Pact Sometimes
Hades is nothing if not filled with expansive dialogue. Players can sink a few hundred hours into the game without hearing the same dialogue twice — something the game has been highly praised for.
Interestingly, there are new dialogue lines that come up when certain conditions on the Pact are activated. One of the most notable is the Extreme Measures condition, which adds new tactics for Underworld region bosses, who will comment on it.
For example, Megaera grows frustrated when it is activated, as she has to work with her sisters. Alecto will also comment when the condition is removed, happy to be "freed" from it. Theseus and Asterius may also comment on their new upgrades if the condition is applied up to their level.
7 The Tight Deadline Timer Pauses During Certain Things
One of the conditions, Tight Deadline, inflicts a time limit on the player, forcing them to finish each Underworld region is a set amount of time. The first level gives Zagreus nine minutes to clear each region.
But, what isn't readily apparent is that the time carries forward. For example, if Tartarus is cleared with two minutes remaining, the player gets 11 minutes to clear Asphodel, and so on.
Another important note about the Tight Deadline condition is that it pauses at certain times: after defeating an Underworld region boss before entering the new region, in the first empty room of the region, while battling alongside Thanatos, in Sisyphus', Eurydice's, or Patroclus' chambers, while you're fishing, and while choosing a boon or upgrade.
6 Skelly's Prizes Are Awarded For Clearing Certain Heat Levels
After achieving victory at certain Heat levels — 8, 16, and 32 — Zagreus will uncover three large "rewards" in the Courtyard, courtesy of his violence-addicted friend, Skelly. These three rewards serve no purpose, though, being entirely cosmetic.
This will disappoint Zagreus (and oftentimes, the player), so don't get your hopes up expecting some incredible reward. They simply serve as a token to your achievement, and as a statuesque monument to the amount of time you've spent on the game.
5 Entry to Erebus "Costs" Heat
After earning access to the Pact of Punishment, Infernal Gates will appear in the Underworld's various chambers. These gates will lead to Erebus, where Zagreus can earn better prizes than chambers typically offer: boons with increased rarity chances, a Pom of Power that increased a boon's level by two instead of one, a Centaur Heart that adds double the amount of HP, or 200 Obols instead of 100.
To access these gates, you must be under a certain Heat gauge. In Tartarus, the Infernal Gates require five Heat; in Asphodel, they require 10; and in Elysium, they require 15. Inside, Zagreus must defeat all of the enemies without taking a single hit of damage to win the reward. Otherwise, he gets a Red Onion that heals just one HP.
4 Exceeding The Gauge Doesn't Do Anything
When a certain level of Heat is required for new rewards, it is possible to exceed the Heat gauge. For example, if you need five Heat to earn new bounties, you are able to set the gauge to six or higher and start the run.
However, this is mostly pointless, as it doesn't increase the rewards at all. If you complete a run that requires five Heat on a six-Heat setting, the rewards you've earned will count for the five-Heat level.
3 Extremer Measures Has Another Unlockable Level
The Extreme Measures condition has three levels at first, with each one applying to one of the Underworld bosses. Level one will affect the Furies, level two affects the Bone Hydra, and level three is for Theseus and Asterius.
However, after defeating the Final Boss a second time, the House Contractor will have for sale a new work order called Extremer Measures. Purchasing this gives a new level setting for the Extreme Measures setting. This new setting applies to the final boss.
2 The Fated List of Minor Prophecies Has Pact-Related Quests
One of the best ways to earn rare Artifacts like Titan Blood and Ambrosia is from the Fated List of Minor Prophecies, which basically serves as a list of achievements for Zagreus to earn. One might not notice at first, though, that many of the prophecies that can be unlocked and completed are related to certain conditions on the Pact of Punishment.
Slashed Benefits requires you to slay foes with each of the various enemy perks under the Benefits Package condition, and Harsh Conditions requires you to escape the Underworld under each of the different conditions once.
1 New Rewards End at 20 Heat
The Pact of Punishment (when not in Hell Mode) caps out at 63 Heat if every level of every condition is applied. However, there are no rewards at this level.
There is not much more to earn after a Heat of 20 for each weapon, when the bounties cap out and can no longer be earned at higher levels. The only reward past 20 Heat is Skelly's cosmetic prize at 32 Heat.
This means there are 21 Heat levels at which bounties can be completed — the first successful run with zero Heat, and every level up to 20 Heat. After that, should you decide to keep increasing the Heat level, it's entirely for your own bragging rights.