Hades 2: How To Find (& Beat) Infernal Cerberus (Boss Fight)

Bosses are the main obstacles preventing you from reaching new areas in Hades 2, but the Infernal Cerberus might be one of the toughest of these enemies to beat before reaching Chronos. When you try to exit the Mourning Fields, your run will be tested against this enraged Underworld guardian. The three-headed beast wields fire across a large arena to prevent Melinoë from getting to the Titan of Time.

You will have to defeat Infernal Cerberus every time you try to reach the final boss of Hades 2 during its early access. Your journey down to the entrance of Tartarus will have other bosses like Scylla in areas called Guardian rooms, located at the end of a region. The Boons and upgrades you receive on your run getting to Cerberus will be key to taming Hade's faithful hound.

Related Hades 2 Early Access Roadmap: Updates To Expect Before 1.0 Release Hades 2 has released in Early Access with more content than the original game's full version - and an in-game roadmap promises even more to come.

Best Weapon For Fighting Infernal Cerberus

Use Speed Rather Than Power

The Sister Blades are the best weapon for fighting Infernal Cerberus due to their speed, which can land many attacks on the boss in between their attacks. Purely ranged weapons like the Witch's Staff and Argent Skull may keep you away from Cerberus, but the large health of the Infernal Beast makes these tools less effective. You want a tool that can deal damage while also giving you the freedom to dodge often.

Keep in mind that only the Witch's Staff is available to you at the start of the game. You will have to unlock the Sister Blades by collecting at least 1 Silver material, but other weapons have other resource costs like Bronze or Cinders in Hades 2 to be created.

Using the Sister Blades gives you access to swift melee attacks in combination with throwing knives as a special move. The extra knives give you a chance to attack Infernal Cerberus from afar, while the fast melee attacks allow you to get close to the boss and get away fast. You'll have to learn the boss' attack patterns and strike at exactly the right time to maximize the potential of one of Melinoë's strongest weapons in Hades 2​​​​​​.

The Umbral Flames is another good choice for a weapon, but only if you are willing to sacrifice damage for safety. The Flames use magic attacks from orbs of fire shot from a distance, favoring a more passive style of combat that minimizes risk. However, the damage from the Flames in Hades 2 is much less than the Moonstone Axe or Sister Blades, which could both end the fight after less time.

Best Boons For Fighting Infernal Cerberus

Call Upon The Favor Of The Gods

The many Boons you receive from the Gods in Hades 2 provide a variety of buffs to use in your run, but some are better suited for the Infernal Cerberus fight than others. Generally, the Boons from Hermes, Zeus, and Apollo are the best to accept for the boss battle against the three-headed beast. Temporary bonuses from Arachne's Silken Fineries also help, but these break after some time.

Hermes' Boons are perhaps the most important since many of them increase your movement speed or have effects that enhance your mobility. Greater Evasion and Nitro Boost in particular are very good for the boss fight, giving you a better Dodge and a barrier on top of an improved Sprint respectfully. Zeus' Boons revolve around creating lightning bolts, which are great at dealing extra damage to the boss.

Most of Apollo's Boons expand the area that your abilities impact and inflict the Daze condition onto your enemies. This can be a good way of dealing with the minions that Infernal Cerberus summons when their health starts getting low in Hades 2. Dazzling Display and Extra Dose give your attacks a chance to inflict Daze and hit more than once, letting you have more crowd control than normal.

Related Hades 2: 10 Reasons Why It Differs From The First Game Hades was an instant hint and well-loved and Hades II is looking as if it'll be just as good, if not better.

How To Defeat Infernal Cerberus

Recognize Changes In The Arena

Infernal Cerberus switches between using devastating physical close-range strikes and large Area of Effect (AoE) bursts of fire across large sections of the battlefield. You need to avoid parts of the ground that turn red from the boss' abilities, as they take some time to explode. Remaining in these spaces when circles of red fire fully expand will almost always cause you to take a lot of damage or fail a run entirely.

You'll only want to approach Infernal Cerberus after he's finished an attack due to the high damage his fast melee strikes can do. Dart in an out from the boss to chip away at Cerberus' health over time without getting impatient. The attack patterns you need to recognize the most are:

Attack Description How To Counter Underworld Burst Infernal Cerberus strikes with his right paw, dealing damage around a red AoE circle. When the boss raises his paw, sprint away to avoid the attack. Infernal Claw Strikes The boss strikes with both of its claws in front of it to deal damage to anything in the way. Dodge away from both strikes right as they are about to land. Triple Threat Cerberus snarls before summoning three AoE red circles that deal continuous damage when you stand in them. Sprint and Dodge away from the circles and use your mobility to stay away from them. Fire Slam After raising their paws, Cerberus strikes the ground and summons three AoE circles that explode into fire after vines within them reach the borders of their shape. Dodge away from the circles' AoE before they fully charge. Dark Mist Infernal Cerberus conjures a black mist that obscures parts of the arena. Stay observant for more attacks and wait until the Mist fades.

As you can see in the above video by Trophygamers, Infernal Cerberus summons Armored Lamia, Armored Mourners, and Armored Sorrow-Spiller enemies as minions in the boss fight. Deal with these foes quickly to avoid taking damage from sources other than the boss.

Attack Description How To Counter Infernal Embrace Infernal Cerberus summons a ton of AoE fire circles across nearly the whole area, which all explode after a short time. Recognize which circles start this pattern, then start dodging from them across the arena to barely avoid the circles exploding as you move without stopping. Eye Of The Storm The boss summons fiery vines across the entire battlefield, except in a small circle close to him. Quickly find the one safe area on the map and stay there until the circles fade. Tantrum Infernal Cerberus slams into the ground over and over with both of his claws. Stay out of the boss' range until this attack finishes. Fire Breath The boss spins around, shooting a jetstream of fire from its mouth in a straight line. Circle around Infernal Cerberus, dodging as much as you can to stay ahead of the fire.

Taming the boss will reward you with a Flask of Tears, which you can use for various Incantations back at the Crossroads hub when you get back from a run. Try to conserve resources after this fight to have some health for the following area and its enemies. Managing to beat Infernal Cerberus in Hades 2 is only another step on your path to reach the House of Hades and confront the Titan of Time in another grueling boss fight.

Source: Trophygamers/YouTube