How to beat Megaera in Hades

One of the many reasons Hades has such a high replay value is the bosses. Every boss in the game is a threat to all players of all skill levels. Even after putting hundreds of hours into the game, you can easily get ditched due to a small error or because you didn't get the right upgrades for your build. The game's first boss is no exception. Megaera is one of three Furies who can act as the first Boss in each round. She is also of potential interest to Zagreus and provides a keepsake to use in later sets. Each Fury is a unique fight which can be as difficult as it is fun. Here's our guide on how to beat the Elder of the Three Furies.

Megaera's abilities

Meg has four basic attacks all of which can deal serious AoE damage.

Whip Swipe - Meg rushes forward and uses her whip to perform a cone-shaped attack with a wide bow.
Shadow line - Meg fires several bursts of shadow orbs that spread over a very large area. This attack can cover the entire map but does little damage.
Shadow flame - Circles appear on the ground and transform into fiery AoE attacks.
Summon monsters - As her health decreases, Megaera will start summoning mobs to help her fight and keep you busy. She mainly summons thugs and witches.
Bouclier - If she has taken enough damage, Meg will create an invulnerable shield around her that can absorb all damage. She often uses the shield before unleashing one of her magic attacks.

All of Meg's attacks can be dodged using Dash or Deflected using Boons from Athena. The problem is that dodging and deflection can be difficult due to the volume of its attacks.

The best perks for fighting Megaera

Artemis: The advantages of Artemis are very useful in all situations. They increase your damage and your chance to deal critical damage. The best perks for this fight are Exit Wounds, Support Fire, Clean Destruction, Pressure Points, and Live Fire. All of these perks increase your cast and critical damage.

Athena: Athena is always welcome in the underworld because of her deflection effects. Deflect has a chance to reflect attacks on your enemies for a portion of the damage. This is very useful against Megaera as it relies on ranged attacks and mobs. Divine Flourish and Divine Dash are the best to aim for. These perks add the deflection effect to your special and you Dash. They pair very well with the Greater Reflex upgrade from the Mirror of Night. Holy Shield is also useful as it deals damage to nearby enemies and a brief deflection buff whenever you take damage.

Attack damage: All gods in the game except Hermes provide a perk that increases the damage of your primary attack and gives it a special effect. Any of these perks will come in handy in this fight.

Best Night Mirror upgrades to fight Megaera

Death Challenge / Stubborn Challenge: There's a good chance you'll die at least once while fighting Megaera. These abilities allow you to restore some of your health after you die and give you another chance to fight the boss.
Boiling blood: This buff increases the amount of damage you deal when your enemy has Bloodstones from your cast stuck in them. Each rank provides an additional 10% up to 50% damage bonus.
Sang abyssal: An alternative to Boiling Blood, this ability reduces the speed and damage of any enemy who has a Blood Stone stuck in them.
Hell Soul: Each rank of this ability grants you an additional Blood Stone for your casting. You can have a maximum of three. This pairs perfectly with boiling blood to increase your damage to both Megaera and her minions.
Higher reflex: This upgrade increases the number of dashes you can chain together.

Battle phases

This fight has several phases that are quite predictable after the first attempts. Meg makes heavy use of AoE attacks and distractions to lower your HP. Mitigate the creatures she summons and keep hitting her at every opportunity.

First phase

In the first phase, she will start the fight by rushing you with her whip. This will be his primary attack until you lower his health to around 75%. The up rush has a noticeable charge, so it's pretty easy to dodge. Stay out of the corners of the chamber and hit her when she charges her attack. When she starts her run, get out of the way, then turn her around to hit her again.

This phase is the perfect opportunity to hit it with your casting early and easily. Stick it with a Blood Stone when it charges so you can do even more damage. She will use rush attack throughout the fight so that you have plenty of opportunities to use your cast on her.

Phase two

Once you drop her health to around 75%, she will start summoning mobs and moving around in her AoE attacks. These can be overwhelming to deal with, especially if you have a thug or witch nibbling on your heels. If they are approaching you, take down the crowds quickly, otherwise just get out of the way and focus on the fury.

Megaera will frequently use her shadow flame and shield with her normal rush attack. The Shadow Flame attack will draw four circles on the ground around you before they explode. The cluster is slightly different each time. Keep an eye on the ground and walk away when the circles start to appear. You can use the time between rounds to reduce Meg's HP. The attack will repeat itself three or four times before Meg enters a recovery phase.

Meg will also use her shield when she starts taking damage or between certain attacks. The shield is completely invulnerable, so don't even bother trying to hit her when she uses it. Dodge her attacks when the shield is up, and focus on taking out any creatures she's summoned to distract you.

Phase three

The final phase of the battle can get incredibly chaotic. Meg will start using a combination of her previous attacks with a volley of Shadow Bolts. Volleyball is reminiscent of a Bullet Hell game mode. It releases a very large number of bolts with a very wide distribution. The only thing you can really do is rush through the few empty spaces between the bolts. You can also hide behind some of the pillars around the room, if they haven't already been destroyed. Having a perk that provides the Sturdy effect also helps, but they're not very common this early in a race.

The worst thing you can do in this phase is panic, you will take a lot more damage if you just button mash trying to stay away. Keep calm, wait for the attack to end, then close the distance and hit Meg as much as you can. Don't forget your broadcast. Bloodstone can increase your damage or reduce its damage if you have the right benefits of the Night Mirror. If you can stay on your toes and survive the Shadow Bolts, Meg will be easy to take down.

This fight can drag on if you're not careful. Stay calm, keep moving, and keep attacking whenever you get the chance. Once you finally defeat her, you will earn Titan Blood or other rewards. Megaera will become available again in the House of Hades so you can start romanticizing her and earning her memory.