How To Beat Hades With 32 Heat
Hades offers players many challenges, but the most difficult is completing the game with a 32 Heat difficulty. Before each run, players can adjust the Heat level via the Pact of Punishment, which essentially changes the difficulty of Zagreus' escape attempt. Defeating the final boss at 32 Heat unlocks one final reward from Zagreus' buddy Skelly, a beautiful statue of (what else?) himself. Some fans view the extremely difficult task as a sign of bad design, but others embrace the 32 Heat setting as the ultimate challenge, only earned once players have mastered the game. Either way, when tackling the feat fans might need a bit of help, and there's no shame in that.
Some players who successfully tackled the 32 Heat setting have shared their Pact of Punishment choices, but the same loadout won't work for everyone. In fact, different players have recommended entirely opposing weapons in order to "cheese" 32 Heat. While one player reported that the Aegis shield with an Artemis/Demeter Duo Boon made 32 Heat an easy endeavor, another player jokingly asked if the full power crystal beam was a little too strong. A different player shared a different set of options, noting that their selections made beating the game at 32 Heat "easy."
Tips and tricks
Borut Udovic at Caffeinated Gamer suggests going into a 32 Heat run with the shield, equipped with the Chaos Aspect, along with Athena's Divine Dash aid boon, which allows players to deflect while dashing. It's important to remember that players can switch out boons between levels of the underworld, as certain abilities are more useful depending on what level Zagreus is tackling at the moment. Udovic also suggests choosing to pursue paths with Centaur hearts when available, as building up HP is vital to a successful 32 Heat run.
YouTuber Haelian agrees that at 32 Heat, weapon choice is the most important thing, especially because melee weapons become difficult to manage with so many aspects of the Pact of Punishment activated. Haelian also suggests avoiding enemy-filled rooms whenever possible, as they take up more time. Each Hades player has a different playstyle, with varied strengths and weaknesses. Beating Hades with 32 Heat takes trial and error, as well as several failed attempts in order to find the right fit for players.
After receiving several nominations at The Game Awards 2020, Hades proved its worth as one of the most popular indie games of 2020. Even so, not every player will want to pursue the 32 Heat reward, and may instead want to simply unlock the true ending of Hades.