Oath of the Unseen

This article is about the difficulty modifier in Hades II. For the first Hades equivalent, see Pact of Punishment.

The Oath of the Unseen in the Training Ground

The Oath's interface

“	The Oath of the Unseen, I think it's called. Ask me not whence it came... instead ask just how tough you really are!	„
	~ Schelemeus

The Oath of the Unseen and its Vows were created by Nyx (with Schelemeus claiming partial credit), using it and enacting its testaments further spreads and deepens Nyx's influence on the world, plunging it deeper into her darkness. The Oath of the Unseen will only appear after Chronos is defeated at least once, and Melinoë has claimed her short-lived victory. When she inevitably retreats to The Crossroads, the Oath of the Unseen is enshrined in the Training Ground, positioned between the Gateways to the Underworld route and the Surface route, enabling Melinoë to customize her Fear before departing.

In-game info

Salutations! You are worthy of the Oath of the Unseen, and may now enact the Testaments of Night, if you dare. Thus it is done:

• Activate various Vows to raise Fear, a ameasure of adversity.
• Then, pursue the marked Guardian using the specified weapon.
• Prevail, and earn Nightmare for upgrades in the Silver Pool.

Many Vows can be intensified to raise Fear even more, though you are also free to rescind any Vows without consequence. Your continued service to the realm is appreciated either way.

Hint: Enact available Testaments to reveal more. If one proves to be a struggle, you may switch weapons to attempt another!

Vows

The Oath of the Unseen features a total of 16 different Vows which can affect a run. Most of these have differing levels, allowing Melinoë to further increase how effective one Vow is.

Each Vow in the Oath of the Unseen is worth a certain amount of Fear. The amount of Fear displayed in the gauge on the bottom of the Oath's UI represents the "total difficulty" of the vows chosen.

Choose your Vow(s) for a run carefully. Many of the Vows can be nearly ineffective against one particular weapon build, but extremely difficult to another, yet can also run into unexpected difficulties (or lack thereof) based upon a run's Boons.

Vow	Description	Ranks	Fear	Notes
Vow of Pain	All foes deal +20%/+60%/+100% damage.	Rank I: +20% Rank II: +60% Rank III: +100%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 3 Rank III: 5	Enemies affected by Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper also come under the effects of Vow of Pain. The Vow synergizes with the Devotion upgrade.
Vow of Grit	All foes have +10%/+20%/+30% .	Rank I: +10% Rank II: +20% Rank III: +30%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2 Rank III: 3	Enemies affected by Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper also come under the effects of Vow of Grit.
Vow of Wards	All foes have 1/2 .	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2	Enemies affected by Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper also come under the effects of Vow of Wards.
Vow of Frenzy	All foes are +20%/+40% faster.	Rank I: +20% Rank II: +40%	Rank I: 3 Rank II: 6	Enemies affected by Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper also come under the effects of Vow of Frenzy. The Vow synergizes with the Rigor upgrade.
Vow of Hordes	Most encounters have +20%/+40%/+60% more foes.	Rank I: +20% Rank II: +40% Rank III: +60%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2 Rank III: 3
Vow of Menace	Most foes have a 10%/25% chance to be from the next Region (if there is one.)	Rank I: 10% Rank II: 25%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 3
Vow of Return	Most slain foes have a +25%/+50% chance to become a Revenant.	Rank I: +25% Rank II: +50%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2	Revenant: After 5 Sec., this becomes the foe it came from, unless you collect it first.
Vow of Fangs	Most foes with Armor also have 1/2 random Perk(s).	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2	Enemies affected by Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper also come under the effects of Vow of Fangs. Perk(s) synergize with the Devotion and Rigor upgrades. (see Additional Information about Vow of Fangs.)
Vow of Scars	Any effects are 75%/50%/0% effective.	Rank I: 75% Rank II: 50% Rank III: 0%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2 Rank III: 4	Currently Bugged: Despite Vow of Scars being active, Well of Charon's Preserved Hope and Breath of Eros function at full capacity.
Vow of Debt	All items that cost are +40%/+80% more expensive.	Rank I: +40% Rank II: +80%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2	Affects all items from Charon's Shops, Well of Charon, and Shrine of Hermes.
Vow of Shadow	All Encounters with Wardens contain no fewer than 1 Shadow Servant(s).	Rank I: 1	Rank I: 2	Shadow Servant(s): Dangerous apparitions reinforcing the Warden you may be facing each time. Night Bloom works with Shadow Servant(s).
Vow of Forfeit	The first 1 Boon(s) in each Region become instead.	Rank I: 1	Rank I: 3	Vow of Forfeit transfroms the first encounter's Major Find into a , However, the Olympian Keepsakes and Moon Beam abilities will still prioritize Boons during the second Major Find if you avoid choosing a Boon during the first Major Find where the Keepsake effect applies.
Vow of Time	You have 09:00/07:00/05:00 to fight through each Region (or else...).	Rank I: 09:00 Rank II: 07:00 Rank III: 05:00	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 3 Rank III: 6	After the time runs out, Melinoë takes 5 every second while the timer is running. That damage cannot be reduced in any way, not even by invulnerability. When Melinoë enters a new biome, Vow of Time will add the stipulated duration to the timer. (see Additional Information about Vow of Time.)
Vow of Void	You have access to 60%/40%/20%/0% of your Grasp for your Arcana.	Rank I: 60% Rank II: 40% Rank III: 20% Rank IV: 0%	Rank I: 1 Rank II: 2 Rank III: 3 Rank IV 5
Vow of Hubris	After you choose a Boon, Prime 3/6 for each Rarity greater than Common.	Rank I: 3 Rank II: 6	Rank I: 3 Rank II: 6	Vow of Hubris only applies to the Boons of Olympian Gods, excluding Selene's Hex and the Path of Stars Bright/Sublime upgrades, and Chaos's Boons. When Circe's Black Night Banishment removes this Vow, it does not eliminate the Prime you have accumulated throughout the night; instead, it merely prevents any future Boons to Prime.
Vow of Denial	After you choose a Boon, 2 unpicked blessing(s) will not appear again this night.	Rank I: 2	Rank I: 2	Vow of Denial does not increase the chances of Legendary, Duo, and Infusion Boons appearing, as these boons have their own dedicated appearance percentages and remain unaffected, even if the selectable boon pool is reduced.

Rewards

Testaments of Night

When interacting with the Oath of the Unseen, the menu displays Testament on the left and Vows on the right. Testaments represent the Guardians you need to defeat, while Vows are the modifiers you must activate to begin a run.

Before activating a Testament, review the details of the Guardian bounty. At the top, a purple skull with a number indicates the required Fear level, while an icon at the bottom identifies one of Melinoë’s weapons. To proceed, you must equip the specified weapon and meet the displayed Fear level.

An example of the Guardian bounty

To increase the Fear level, select one or more Vows from the right side of the menu. For example, if you face a Polyphemus bounty requiring Melinoë’s Sister Blades and a Fear level of 2, you will need to equip the Sister Blades and activate at least 2 Fear.

Guardian bounties remain grayed out (disabled) until you meet these prerequisites. If the required weapon isn’t equipped or the necessary Fear level isn’t achieved, the Testament will stay inactive for the run.

Defeating an active Testament increases the Fear level requirement for subsequent runs. All Guardians initially start with a Fear level of 1, but as you complete Testaments and return to the Crossroads each night, certain bounties will gradually require higher Fear levels.

Each weapon has its own progression path, independent of other weapons. For instance, clearing all of the Witch's Staff Testaments does not contribute to progress for any other weapon’s Testaments.

Completing an active Testament rewards you with Nightmare, a material used to upgrade Melinoë’s Nocturnal Arms Aspects.

Note: Some 20 Fear and 24 Fear Testaments have been excluded pending future updates.

Weapon	Guardian
	1	2	4	8	12	16	20	24
Witch's Staff	Hecate	Scylla	Polyphemus	Eris	Cerberus	Prometheus	Chronos	TBA
Sister Blades	Scylla	Polyphemus	Eris	Cerberus	Prometheus	Hecate	TBA	Chronos
Umbral Flames	Eris	Cerberus	Prometheus	Hecate	Scylla	Polyphemus	TBA	Chronos
Moonstone Axe	Polyphemus	Eris	Cerberus	Prometheus	Hecate	Scylla	Chronos	TBA
Argent Skull	Cerberus	Prometheus	Hecate	Scylla	Polyphemus	Eris	Chronos	TBA
Black Coat	Prometheus	Hecate	Scylla	Polyphemus	Eris	Cerberus	TBA	Chronos

Gift of the Veil

The trophy stands in the Training Ground

After defeating Prometheus for the first time, Schelemeus introduces the Gift of the Veil, a reward bestowed by Night herself to honor her most devoted servants. He then challenges you to conquer both the Underworld and Surface routes at specific Fear thresholds (8, 16, and 32). Meeting these challenges unlocks special rewards from Schelemeus, found beneath the Gift of the Veil.

These rewards, meant to symbolize eternal glory, turn out to be purely cosmetic statues of The Night's Champion. Each statue depicts Melinoë in her peak form, striking a heroic pose.

While impressive in design, they may evoke a mix of pride and embarrassment for Melinoë, especially when Schelemeus cheekily notes that these eternal glory are strictly non-returnable, ensuring they remain proudly—or awkwardly—displayed in the Crossroads's Training Ground.

Additional Information

Vow of Time

The timer will pause:

• After a region's Guardian has been defeated, as well as in the World Map transition between biomes.
• In the first empty room of a region (with the exception of the first area in Erebus).
• During all NPCs encounters.
• While in a non-combat encounter with Arachne, Narcissus, Echo, Hades, Medea, Circe, or Dionysus.
• While using Gathering Tools.
• While choosing a Boon or upgrade.
• While the Book of Shadows is open (the timer will not pause until the text has loaded, however).
• During cutscenes.
• While the game is paused.

Vow of Fangs

Perk	Description	Notes
Bigger	The afflicted foe has 50% greater size and 20% increased health.
Bruiser	The afflicted foe deals double damage, and their attacks inflict stun (lasting 0.5 seconds with a 1.5-second cooldown.)	Cannot be combined with Burner.
Burner	The afflicted foe occasionally spews molten puddles that deal damage and cause environmental damage upon hitting the floor, similar to Hestia's Trial of the Gods.	Cannot be combined with Bruiser.
Burrower	The afflicted foe occasionally summons a large patch of vines that inflicts stun. similar to Root-Stalker.	Only occurs in Erebus and the Fields of Mourning.
Clanger	The afflicted foe is impervious until all other enemies in the wave/encounter are defeated.	Max 1 per wave. Cannot be combined with Spiller. Will not occur on Moon Monument.
Downer	The afflicted foe periodically summons clouds of Miasma, which significantly slow Melinoë upon contact, similar to traps and Queen Lamia in the Fields of Mourning.	The miasma is released when the enemy takes damage, with a 2-second cooldown.
Drainer	The afflicted foe emits a blue aura that drains -3 per second.	Max 1 per wave. Can only occur on the following: Bloat-Shade, Sky-Dracon, Lurker, Lycaon, Eidolon, Satyr Vierophant, Wailer, and Anchor.
Morpher	The afflicted foe launches a seeking projectile that inflicts Morph, transforming Melinoë into harmless critters, similar to the Twilight Curse, though with a significantly shorter duration.	Can only occur on the following: Bloat-Shade, Sky-Dracon, Lurker, Lycaon, Eidolon, Satyr Vierophant, Wailer, and Anchor.
Scraper	The afflicted foe's strike creates a Dash Trail that triggers a Time Rift, similar to Chronos's Dash Trail.	Can only occur on the following: Auto-Forcer, Wastrel, Bronzebeak, Wretched Thug, Boozer, Pinhead, Harpy Talon, Harpy Raptor, Lycaon, and Cutthroat.
Seeker	The afflicted foe's projectile is enchanted, homing in automatically on Melinoë.	Cannot be combined with Swifter. Can only occur on the following: Blight-Shade, Casket, Blasket, Satyr Hoplite, Satyr Goldpike, Auto-Seeker, and Sea-Serpent.
Shielder	The afflicted foe occasionally gives a 1-hit to nearby enemies, up to a max of 5.	Will not occur on Moon Monument.
Shifter	The afflicted foe occasionally teleports around from time to time.	Cannot be combined with Spinner.
Slicer	The afflicted foe unleashes a continuous beam that moves in a slow, circular motion, similar to Spindle.	Can only occur on the following: Thorn-Weeper, and Tombstone.
Spiller	The afflicted foe hides inside a dome of protective shadows of their own making, similar to Shadow-Spiller. can only be damaged while Melinoë is inside its shadow barrier.	Max 1 per wave. Cannot be combined with Clanger.
Spinner	The afflicted foe summons a ring of three golden orb projectiles that orbit around them, similar to Chronos's Time Orb.	Cannot be combined with Shifter.
Stopper	When the afflicted foe dies, they will explode after a brief delay, creating a temporary time bubble. This bubble immobilizes everything within it, including both Melinoë and her enemies, for several seconds, similar to Tempus.	Only occurs at night on The Surface
Sucker	The afflicted foe The afflicted foe occasionally performs powerful long-range vacuum attacks that draw Melinoë into melee range.	Each hit of the vacuum attack, while dealing no damage, is treated as a separate hit. This interacts with Bruiser to inflict an extended stun duration. Cannot be combined with Swifter.
Swifter	The afflicted foe moves and attacks 50% faster.	Cannot be combined with Seeker or Sucker.
Thicker	The afflicted foe has 50% increased health.
Tougher	The afflicted foe grants immunity to being staggered and stun.

Notes

• The Oath of the Unseen underwent significant updates in The Olympic Update, including adjustments to its Vows.
  • Removals:
    • Vow of Suffering: In each encounter, the first hit you take deals +100/300% bonus damage.
    • Vow of Panic: You enter each location with 0 Magick.
    • Vow of Abandon: Nullify the benefits of 100% of your Arcana Cards. This has been effectively replaced by Vow of Void.
  • Additions:
    • Vow of Fangs and Vow of Shadow have been introduced.
  • Balance Changes:
    • Vow of Hubris: Prime penalty has been reduced, from 5/10 → 3/6.
  • Name Changes:
    • Vow of Blood → Vow of Pain
    • Vow of Dominance → Vow of Grit
    • Vow of Rebuke → Vow of Wards
    • Vow of Fury → Vow of Frenzy
    • Vow of Commotion → Vow of Hordes
    • Vow of Wandering → Vow of Menace
    • Vow of Haunting → Vow of Return
    • Vow of Destitution → Vow of Debt
    • Vow of Forsaking → Vow of Denial
    • Vow of Arrogance → Vow of Hubris
    • Vow of Desperation → Vow of Time