Companion Shady

Companion Shady is obtained by reaching a high level of trust with Sisyphus, which requires completing his personal quest (detailed in his own article) and then gifting him Ambrosia.

Using Shady in battle will summon Sisyphus and Bouldy to aid you. Sisyphus will drop from the sky, slamming Bouldy into the ground in front of you and dealing 1000 damage in a wide area. Bouldy will drop a care package of , , and , before disappearing.

Bouldy will automatically target the closest enemy to Zagreus, albeit it can still miss, as it has a delay of sightly under a second before landing (the landing point is visible by a shadow similar to that of a Skull-Crusher). Its targeting also has a very short range (just barely above melee) and will instead drop (harmlessly) on top of Zagreus original position if no target is detected. As a result, it is recommended to use Shady against non-moving enemies or when Bosses are standing still for certain attacks and to aim it properly by standing almost next to the desired target.

Rewards in each care package:

• 1 pickup worth 10
• 1 pickup worth 30
• 4 pickup, each heals 10

Despite not being chamber rewards, the resources dropped are affected by boons such as Ocean's Bounty, Eclipse or Nourished Soul. Aggressive usage of Shady with several boons (especially several stacks of Eclipse) can add a modest amount of which can be useful in farming runs. If used in this manner, it is recommended to save the casts for Styx, where the player has already stacked as many boosting boons as possible, while also buying the Night Spindle wherever it's available.

Notably, Shady and Rib are the only companions usable against the final boss before meeting certain conditions. Additionally, Shady has absolutely no other restrictions, as even Rib cannot be used against Charon. As all companions, it cannot be used outside of combat.

Like other Companions, Shady can only be used once per combat encounter, and up to 5 times per run (with max Ambrosia upgrades), or more if the Night Spindle is bought from the Well of Charon.

Codex Entry

'...When Shady first emerged from the darkness, he wanted to know who he was, where he came from, and where he belonged. He asked these questions quite incessantly of everyone. However, Mother Night suggested that he look inside himself for answers, especially where his belonging was concerned. Some questions cannot be answered by others, she said. Yet, Shady nonetheless was quite preoccupied of learning more about himself. He found a creature reminiscent of himself, and asked his questions of it, hearing only other questions in reply. When Mother Night found him, he was speaking incessantly to his own reflection in the river, having learned nothing at all. Now, Shady has accepted his small place in the Underworld, lending his sense of determination to whomever he is given to. And he no longer questions who he was.'

Additional notes

• Once Zagreus forges a bond with Sisyphus, the text becomes "From Sisyphus & Bouldy, staunch supporters"