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Animal Familiars are loyal beast assistants and guardians who can accompany Melinoë during a night, providing various utilities both in and out of battle. She can bring one Familiar per night.
As of Early Access, there are five available Animal Familiars in Hades II, Frinos, the Toad, Toula, the Cat, Raki, the Raven, Hecuba, the Hound, and Gale, the Polecat.
To recruit them as Familiars, Melinoë must give them a 
, which is unlocked after completing the Incantation "Faith of Familiar Spirits" (which costs 1 
and 2 
).
To strengthen her bond and unlock the full potential of her Familiars, Melinoë must have at least three Animal Familiars and complete the Incantation "Attending a Faithful Beast" (which costs 1
and 3
) and "Bravery of Familiar Spirits" (which costs 1
and 3
), and offer each Familiar up to 9 to fully develop their abilities.
The abilities of Animal Familiars can be further enhanced for a night through Circe's Chants to the Bewitched, doubling their effectiveness by 100%.
Familiar Bonds[]
Frinos, the Toad[]
The first Animal Familiar to unlock is Frinos, a toad who serves as a confidant and emotional support for Melinoë after her nightly ventures outside her tent in the Crossroads. Frinos assists Melinoë by compelling Lost Shades and increasing the chances of Lost Shades appearing, allowing him to collect 
without needing to play the minigame.
Frinos also provides an extra Max 
and absorbs projectiles, offering additional safety during gameplay—particularly against projectile-wielding foes and Guardians like Hecate and Eris.
Strengthening bonds with Frinos by offering treats with (up to 9 times) unlocks his three abilities and enhances them to their maximum potential.
| Familiar | Abilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Base |  Life Bond |
 Soul Bond |
 Drive Bond |
|
While together, gain +20/+30/+40/+80 .
|
While together, you are +13%/+16%/+19% more likely to find Lost Shades. | Frinos deals 10/20/30 damage when leaping onto foes. | |
Notes:
- Frinos’s projectile-absorbing ability has limitations—certain projectiles are exceptions and will simply pass through him. Known exceptions include:
- Charybdis’s Bombs and Small Bombs
- Auto-Watcher’s Laser Barrage
- Talos' Shield Throw
- Chronos’ Scythe Throw, Time Orbs, and Arc of Light
Toula, the Cat[]
The second Animal Familiar to unlock is Toula, a cat Melinoë encounters at the docks between the City of Ephyra and the Rift of Thessaly.
Toula can begin appearing after the following conditions are met:
- Visit the docks between the City of Ephyra and the Rift of Thessaly more than once.
- Successfully catch a fish using Rod of Fishing at least once.
Toula assists Melinoë in catching fish and increasing the chances of Fishing Spots appearing, allowing her to collect them without needing to play the minigame.
In addition, Toula provides an extra 
Death Defiance, offering a valuable safety net during runs. As a result, she does not synergize with Strength unless her Death Defiance is spent early—such as during the first few encounters—allowing Melinoë to manually trigger Strength and activate its effects for the remainder of the night.
Strengthening bonds with Toula by offering treats with (up to 9 times) unlocks her three abilities and enhances them to their maximum potential.
| Familiar | Abilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Base |  Heart Bond |
 Sense Bond |
 Claw Bond |
|
 Death Defiance effects from Toula restore +20/+30/+40  .
|
While together, you are +20%/+25%/30% more likely to find Fishing Points. | Toula claws at surrounding foes 4/5/6 time(s) prior to losing interest. | |
Notes:
- Toula's strike deals 99 damage and does not trigger automatically; you must Sprint near her to activate the attack.
- Circe's Chants to the Bewitched upgrade grants an extra Death Defiance from Toula, totaling 2 if unused.
Raki, the Raven[]
The third Animal Familiar to unlock is Raki, a white raven Melinoë encounters at the fountain room in the Erebus.
Raki begins appearing after the following condition is met:
- Visit the fountain room in the Erebus at least once
Raki assists Melinoë in mining Outcroppings and increasing the chances of their appearance, allowing for collection with a single click.
Raki provides a passive effect that increases Critical Chance, while his attack applies the Marked status curse, enhancing overall damage output and making him the ideal Familiar for offensive gameplay.
Strengthening bonds with Raki by offering treats with (up to 9 times) unlocks his three abilities and enhances them to their maximum potential.
| Familiar | Abilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Base |  Vision Bond |
 Stone Bond |
 Wing Bond |
|
While together, gain an additional +2%/+3%/+4%/+8% chance for any damage you deal to be Critical. | While together, you are +13%/+16%/+19% more likely to find Outcroppings. | Raki swoops down to peck at foes every 7-8 Sec./5-6 Sec./3-4 Sec.. | |
Notes:
- Pecking foes deal a total of 15 damage over three hits and applies Marked.
- Marked from Raki: Afflicted foes have a +15% chance to take Critical damage. Lasts 6 Sec.
- The Marked status curse from Raki's pecking does not overlap with Artemis' Death Warrant.
- The innate Critical Chance granted by Raki is not affected by Hermes' Success Rate.
Hecuba, the Hound[]
The fourth Animal Familiar to unlock is Hecuba, a black hound who serves as one of the loyal companions of Hecate. Hecuba can be encountered in Echo's room within the Fields of Mourning, where she stands guard at the gates. She has a 75% chance of appearing each night.
Hecuba can begin appearing after the following conditions are met:
- Attempt the mission on more than 12 nights.
- Nemesis must not be present in Echo’s room.
- Unlock the Bravery of Familiar Spirits Incantation.
- Spend at least 3 (lifetime total) on upgrading Animal Familiar abilities.
To recruit Hecuba, the following additional requirements must be fulfilled:
- Recruit all three of the other Familiars: Frinos, Toula, and Raki.
- Use Frinos’ ability to compel a Lost Soul at least once.
- Use Raki’s ability to gather outcroppings at least once.
- Unlock the Bravery of Familiar Spirits Incantation.
- Spend at least 4 (lifetime total) on upgrading Familiar abilities.
Once all requirements are met, a unique dialogue will be triggered at The Crossroads, where Hecate grants Melinoë permission to recruit Hecuba.
Hecuba assists Melinoë by helping to acquire seeds and increasing the likelihood of Digging Spots appearing. Additionally, Hecuba boosts Melinoë’s Max 
Magick, and provides a chance to unearth 
bubbles during encounters and 
along with seeds, making her invaluable for enhancing Melinoë’s arsenal and survivability.
Strengthening bonds with Hecuba by offering treats with (up to 9 times) unlocks her three abilities and enhances them to their maximum potential.
| Familiar | Abilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Base |  Spirit Bond |
 Earth Bond |
 Guard Bond |
|
While together, you have +30/+45/+60/+120 .
|
While together, you are +13%/+16%/+19% more likely to find Digging Spots. | Hecuba stuns surrounding foes every 7-8 Sec./6-7 Sec./5-6 Sec. | |
Notes:
- Hecuba will automatically dig up a healing item when Melinoë is at 51% or lower, and a bubble when she is at 70% or lower. This digging action has a 12–16 second cooldown.
- Hecuba’s healing item restores +10.
- Hecuba’s bubble restores 100 per use.
- Hecuba’s healing item restores +10
Gale, the Polecat[]
The fifth Animal Familiar to unlock is Gale, a polecat who serves as one of the loyal companions of Hecate. Gale can be encountered in Charon's Shop within Mount Olympus before facing Prometheus.
Gale can begin appearing after the following conditions are met:
- Attempt the mission on more than 12 nights.
- Unlock the Bravery of Familiar Spirits Incantation.
- Spend at least 3 (lifetime total) on upgrading Animal Familiar abilities.
To recruit Gale, the following additional requirements must be fulfilled:
- Recruit at least three of the other Familiars: Frinos, Toula, and Raki.
- Use Frinos’ ability to compel a Lost Soul at least once.
- Use Raki’s ability to gather outcroppings at least once.
- Unlock the Bravery of Familiar Spirits Incantation.
- Spend at least 4 (lifetime total) on upgrading Familiar abilities.
Once all requirements are met, a unique dialogue will be triggered at The Crossroads, where Hecate grants Melinoë permission to recruit Gale.
Gale assists Melinoë by helping to acquire flowers and increasing their likelihood of appearing. She also enhances Melinoë's dodge chance and movement speed, while granting the ability to leap onto enemies, blocking damage for a set time in each region. This makes her a valuable asset for a defensive playstyle, adding an extra layer of safety to Melinoë’s approach.
Strengthening bonds with Gale by offering treats with (up to 9 times) unlocks her three abilities and enhances them to their maximum potential.
| Familiar | Abilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Base |  Veil Bond |
 Nature Bond |
 Wild Bond |
|
While together, you have +4%/+5%/+6%/+12% Dodge chance and move speed. | While together, you have +13%/+16%/+19% more likely to find to find Flora. | Gale deals 300/350/400 damage when scratching foes in retaliation. | |
Notes:
- Gale’s blocking ability negates all incoming damage, including fatal single-hit moves from Guardians, except in the following cases:
- Gale’s blocking ability still triggers even when Melinoë is Impervious.
- Since Flora resources do not require Gathering Tools for collection, Chaos' Discovery does not affect Flora, whether gathered manually or by Gale.
Additional Notes[]
- Animal Familiars do not appear for recruitment while participating in the Chaos Trials.