All 16 Vows in Hades 2 (June 2026) Ultimate Fear Guide

Welcome to your ultimate guide to all vows in Hades 2! If you’re looking to conquer the Oath of the Unseen and become Night’s Champion, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every single vow, their effects, fear values, and pro strategies to dominate even the highest difficulty challenges.

Whether you’re just starting your journey after defeating Chronos for the first time, or you’re a seasoned player pushing toward 67 Fear, understanding every vow is crucial for success. I’ve spent countless hours testing each vow combination and discovering the optimal strategies that will help you climb the Fear ladder efficiently.

Quick Reference: All 16 Vows Overview

How to Unlock the Oath of the Unseen in 2026?

Before diving into all the vows, you need to unlock the system first. The Oath of the Unseen only becomes available after you’ve defeated Chronos at least once. This initial victory triggers a cutscene where you retreat to the Crossroads, and the mysterious stone tablet appears in the Training Grounds.

The tablet is strategically positioned between the Gateway to the Underworld and the Gateway to the Surface, making it easily accessible for both route types. Once unlocked, Schelemeus will appear and explain the Testaments of Night system, introducing you to the concept of Fear and how vows work.

Understanding Fear and Testaments

Fear is the core mechanic that drives the Oath of the Unseen system. Each vow contributes a specific amount of Fear to your run, with higher Fear values indicating greater difficulty but better rewards. The Testaments of Night are specific challenges that require you to:

1. Equip the required Nocturnal Arm (weapon) for that Testament
2. Activate enough vows to reach the minimum Fear requirement
3. Defeat the designated Guardian using that specific weapon setup

Successfully completing a Testament rewards you with Nightmare, a precious resource used primarily for upgrading your Weapon Aspects. As you progress through the Testaments, the Fear requirements for subsequent challenges increase, creating a natural difficulty progression.

Complete Breakdown of All 16 Vows in Hades 2 for (June 2026)

Let me break down every single vow in detail, including their effects, strategic implications, and when you should consider using them.

Vow of Pain (Fear: 5)

Effect: All foes deal +20%/+60%/+100% damage to Melinoë

Strategic Analysis: This is one of the most challenging vows, especially at higher ranks. The damage increase is substantial and can make even basic enemies deadly. I recommend starting with Rank 1 and only upgrading when you’re confident in your dodge timing and defensive capabilities.

Best Builds: Armor-heavy builds, Death Defiance stacking, and weapons with good crowd control like the Moonstone Axe.

Pro Tip: This vow synergizes surprisingly well with the Devotion upgrade and affects enemies under Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper effects.

Vow of Grit (Fear: 3)

Effect: All foes have +10%/+20%/+30% health

Strategic Analysis: A straightforward difficulty increase that’s manageable across all skill levels. The health boost is significant but predictable, making it easier to plan around than more complex vows.

Best Builds: High damage output builds, especially those focusing on critical hits or damage-over-time effects.

Pro Tip: Combine with Vow of Wards for a balanced difficulty increase that tests both your damage and consistency.

Vow of Wards (Fear: 2)

Effect: All foes have 1/2 Barrier

Strategic Analysis: One of the most beginner-friendly vows available. Barriers require you to hit enemies once or twice before dealing actual damage, but they don’t increase enemy damage or health.

Best Builds: Fast-hitting weapons like Sister Blades and Umbral Flames, or any build with high attack speed.

Pro Tip: The damage needed to break barriers doesn’t matter, so even your weakest attacks will work. This makes it ideal for testing new weapon combinations.

Vow of Frenzy (Fear: 6)

Effect: All foes are +20%/+40% faster

Strategic Analysis: This vow dramatically changes the pace of combat, making enemy attacks harder to dodge and reactions more difficult. It’s particularly challenging against fast enemies already.

Best Builds: Ranged weapons, builds with good mobility, and those featuring time-slow effects.

Pro Tip: Synergizes with the Rigor upgrade and affects enemies under Night Bloom and Sun Worshiper effects. Consider avoiding this with melee weapons until you’re very comfortable with enemy patterns.

Vow of Hordes (Fear: 3)

Effect: Most encounters have +20%/+40%/+60% more foes

Strategic Analysis: More enemies means more chaos, but also more potential for healing drops and resources. This vow rewards area-of-effect capabilities and crowd control.

Best Builds: AoE weapons like the Witch’s Staff, builds with explosion effects, and anything that can hit multiple enemies simultaneously.

Pro Tip: While intimidating, this vow can actually make some runs easier by providing more healing opportunities and chances to build up doom effects.

Vow of Menace (Fear: 3)

Effect: Most foes have a 10%/25% chance to be from the next Region

Strategic Analysis: This vow tests your knowledge of enemy types and can create dangerous combinations. Seeing Surface enemies in the Underworld (or vice versa) can catch you off guard.

Best Builds: Versatile builds that work well against multiple enemy types, especially those with good defensive options.

Pro Tip: Study enemy patterns from all regions before attempting high Fear runs with this vow active. Knowledge is your best defense here.

Vow of Return (Fear: 2)

Effect: Most slain foes have a +25%/+50% chance to become a Revenant

Strategic Analysis: Revenants are immobile objects that revive slain enemies if not collected within 5 seconds. They can create dangerous situations but are manageable with proper positioning.

Best Builds: Mobile builds, weapons with good repositioning tools, and those that can quickly collect items.

Pro Tip: Revenants may spawn away from their bodies, so always scan the battlefield after clearing enemies to prevent surprise revivals.

Vow of Fangs (Fear: 5)

Effect: Most foes with Armor also have 1/2 random Perks

Strategic Analysis: This vow can dramatically increase enemy difficulty by giving them dangerous abilities. Random perks might include increased damage, speed, or special attacks.

Best Builds: High burst damage builds that can eliminate enemies before perks become problematic, and builds with good defensive options.

Pro Tip: Some perks are more dangerous than others. If you encounter particularly deadly combinations, consider adjusting your strategy or avoiding this vow temporarily.

Vow of Scars (Fear: 4)

Effect: Any healing effects are 75%/50%/0% effective

Strategic Analysis: This vow fundamentally changes how you approach survivability. At Rank 3, all healing is disabled, forcing you to rely on armor, Death Defiance, and max health increases.

Best Builds: Armor-focused builds, those with Death Defiance stacking, and weapons that provide defensive options.

Pro Tip: Several effects bypass this restriction: Witch’s Staff’s Vampiric Cataclysm, Apollo’s Self Healing, Demeter’s Plentiful Forage, Dionysus’s Bounce Back, Circe’s Old Herbal Remedy, and certain Well of Charon options.

Vow of Debt (Fear: 2)

Effect: All items that cost Gold are +40%/+80% more expensive

Strategic Analysis: This vow affects all purchases from Charon’s Shops, Well of Charon, Shrine of Hermes, and Nemesis’s Fair Trade. It tests your resource management and prioritization skills.

Best Builds: Self-sufficient builds that don’t rely heavily on shop upgrades, and those with good gold generation.

Pro Tip: Plan your purchases carefully and focus on essential upgrades. Sometimes skipping minor upgrades for better major ones is the right call.

Vow of Shadow (Fear: 2)

Effect: All Encounters with Wardens contain no fewer than 1 Shadow Servant

Strategic Analysis: Shadow Servants are dangerous apparitions that reinforce Wardens during boss encounters. They can make already challenging fights significantly more difficult.

Best Builds: Single-target focused builds, those with good burst damage, and builds that can quickly eliminate adds.

Pro Tip: Focus on eliminating Shadow Servants first when they appear, as they can make the fight unmanageable if left unchecked.

Vow of Forfeit (Fear: 3)

Effect: The first 1 Boon(s) in each Region become instead

Strategic Analysis: This vow transforms your first Major Find in each region into a different reward, potentially disrupting your build planning. However, it only affects location rewards, not purchased boons or special encounters.

Best Builds: Builds that don’t rely on specific early boons, and those using keepsakes that affect boon selection.

Pro Tip: Olympian Keepsakes 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 (Fear: 6)

Effect: You have 09:00/07:00/05:00 to fight through each Region

Strategic Analysis: This vow creates time pressure that can be manageable at Rank 1 but becomes extremely challenging at higher ranks. After time runs out, you take 5 damage per second that cannot be reduced or avoided.

Best Builds: Fast-clearing builds, those with good mobility, and weapons that can quickly eliminate enemies.

Pro Tip: Time carries over between regions, so efficient clearing in early areas gives you more buffer for later challenges. This vow is essentially free Fear at Rank 1 for experienced players.

Vow of Void (Fear: 5)

Effect: You have access to 60%/40%/20%/0% of your Grasp for your Arcana

Strategic Analysis: This vow severely limits your access to Arcana cards, which are crucial for many builds. At Rank 4, you have no access to Arcana at all.

Best Builds: Builds that don’t rely heavily on Arcana, and those focused on weapon skills and boons instead.

Pro Tip: Each rank provides specific Grasp amounts (starting from 30): Rank I: 18, Rank II: 12, Rank III: 6, Rank IV: 0.

Vow of Hubris (Fear: 2)

Effect: After you choose a Boon, Prime 3/6 Magick for each Rarity greater than Common

Strategic Analysis: This vow makes it harder to upgrade your boons to higher rarity levels, potentially limiting your build’s power ceiling.

Best Builds: Builds that work well at lower rarities, and those that don’t require specific high-rarity boons to function.

Priming Rates:

• Rare: 3/6
• Epic: 6/12
• Heroic: 9/18
• Legendary: 12/24
• Duo: 12/24

Vow of Denial (Fear: 2)

Effect: After you choose a Boon, 2 unpicked blessings shall not appear again this night

Strategic Analysis: This vow limits your boon options throughout the run, forcing more careful planning and potentially missing out on crucial synergies.

Best Builds: Builds with clear upgrade paths, and those that don’t require many specific boons to function.

Pro Tip: Plan your boon path carefully early in the run, as denied boons won’t appear again, potentially limiting your options later.

Vow of Rivals (Fear: 4-16)

Effect: The Guardians of the first 1/2/3/4 Region shall be stronger in various ways

Strategic Analysis: This is the most challenging vow system, with each rank making bosses significantly more difficult. The Vow of Rivals is hidden until you complete certain requirements and must be unlocked gradually.

Best Builds: Optimized builds specifically tailored to each boss, with maximum damage output and defensive capabilities.

Pro Tip: Each rank of Vow of Rivals must be unlocked separately by defeating the unrivaled versions of Guardians. This is endgame content for experienced players only.

Beginner-Friendly Vow Combinations

If you’re just starting with the Oath of the Unseen, here are some recommended combinations to build your confidence and earn Nightmare efficiently:

8 Fear Combination (Stone Statue)

• Vow of Wards (2 Fear)
• Vow of Debt (2 Fear)
• Vow of Return (2 Fear)
• Vow of Denial (2 Fear)

This combination provides manageable difficulty while giving you good experience with different vow mechanics.

16 Fear Combination (Silver Statue)

• Vow of Wards (2 Fear)
• Vow of Grit (3 Fear)
• Vow of Debt (2 Fear)
• Vow of Return (2 Fear)
• Vow of Forfeit (3 Fear)
• Vow of Denial (2 Fear)
• Vow of Hubris (2 Fear)

This setup introduces more complexity while remaining achievable for intermediate players.

Advanced Strategies for High Fear Runs

When you’re ready to push beyond 24 Fear and tackle the Gold Statue requirements, you’ll need advanced strategies:

Optimal Vow Selection

For maximum efficiency, focus on vows that provide high Fear value with manageable difficulty increases:

• Vow of Time (Rank 1) – Essentially free Fear for experienced players
• Vow of Frenzy – High Fear but manageable with the right build
• Vow of Pain – Challenging but predictable difficulty increase

Build Optimization

High Fear runs demand optimized builds:

• Damage Output: Maximize your damage to overcome increased enemy health
• Survivability: Invest in armor, Death Defiance, and max health
• Mobility: Ensure you can dodge effectively against faster enemies
• Resource Management: Plan your gold and resource usage carefully

Boss-Specific Strategies

Each Testament requires different approaches:

• Hecate: Focus on dodging her area attacks and managing adds
• Scylla: Prioritize eliminating tentacles and managing the tight space
• Cerberus: Handle each head separately and manage the arena effectively
• Prometheus: Stay mobile and avoid his powerful area attacks

Circe’s Black Night Banishment

On Surface runs, Circe may offer a special boon that temporarily removes one active vow without reducing your Fear total. This can be incredibly useful for:

• Reducing difficulty during critical boss fights
• Managing particularly challenging vow combinations
• Achieving high Fear thresholds without the full difficulty

Important Note: Some vows have unique interactions when removed. Vow of Void has no practical effect when removed since you can’t access the Altar of Ashes during runs anyway.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Based on extensive testing, here are the most common mistakes players make with the Oath of the Unseen:

Overcommitting to Early Fear

Many players try to jump to high Fear levels too quickly. Build your skills gradually and master each vow combination before advancing.

Ignoring Weapon Synergies

Different weapons work better with different vow combinations. Experiment to find what works best for your playstyle.

Poor Resource Management

High Fear runs require careful planning of your gold and resources. Don’t waste resources on minor upgrades when you need to save for crucial purchases.

Neglecting Defensive Options

It’s tempting to focus entirely on damage, but high Fear runs demand strong defensive capabilities too.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Struggling with Time Limits

If Vow of Time is causing problems:

• Focus on efficient room clearing
• Learn enemy patterns to avoid wasted time
• Prioritize movement speed and mobility upgrades
• Consider using weapons with good area coverage

Overwhelmed by Enemy Numbers

For Vow of Hordes challenges:

• Use weapons with good AoE capabilities
• Prioritize crowd control boons
• Learn to manage enemy positioning
• Don’t be afraid to use room-clearing abilities

Can’t Handle Increased Damage

When Vow of Pain is too challenging:

• Invest in armor and defensive upgrades
• Learn enemy attack patterns thoroughly
• Use weapons with good range and safety
• Consider Death Defiance stacking

Future Updates and Meta Changes

Hades 2 is still in Early Access, so the Oath of the Unseen system may receive updates and balance changes. Stay informed about:

• Patch Notes: Check for vow adjustments and new additions
• Meta Shifts: Community discoveries may change optimal strategies
• New Content: Additional vows or Testaments may be added

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I unlock the Oath of the Unseen?

Defeat Chronos at least once. After your victory, the stone tablet will appear in the Training Grounds between the Underworld and Surface entrances.

What is the maximum Fear possible in Hades 2?

The current maximum Fear is 67, though only a handful of players worldwide have successfully completed runs at this difficulty level.

Can I remove vows during a run?

Yes, Circe may offer the Black Night Banishment boon on Surface runs, which temporarily removes one random active vow without reducing your Fear total.

Do vows affect all enemies equally?

Most vows affect all enemies, but some like Vow of Shadow specifically target certain enemy types (Wardens in this case).

What happens if I fail a Testament?

You can try again as many times as needed. There’s no penalty for failing, and you can adjust your vow combinations between attempts.

Are some vows better for specific weapons?

Absolutely! Fast-hitting weapons like Sister Blades work well with Vow of Wards, while AoE weapons like the Witch’s Staff excel with Vow of Hordes.

Can I complete multiple Testaments in one run?

No, each run is tied to a specific Testament. You must complete them individually to progress through the challenges.

Do vows affect boss rewards?

Vows don’t directly affect boss rewards, but completing Testaments with higher Fear values rewards you with more Nightmare.

Is it better to use many low-Fear vows or few high-Fear vows?

This depends on your playstyle and the specific challenges. Many players prefer combinations that match their strengths rather than simply maximizing Fear.

Can I change vows between regions?

No, vows must be selected before starting your run and remain active throughout the entire attempt.

Conclusion

Mastering all vows in Hades 2 is a journey that requires patience, practice, and strategic thinking. Start with the easier combinations, gradually increase the difficulty, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches.

Remember that becoming Night’s Champion isn’t just about reaching 67 Fear—it’s about understanding the game mechanics deeply and developing the skills to overcome any challenge. Each vow teaches you different aspects of the game, making you a better player overall.

Whether you’re aiming for the Stone Statue or pushing toward the legendary 67 Fear runs, this guide provides everything you need to succeed. The path is challenging, but the rewards—both in terms of gameplay satisfaction and the coveted Nightmare resource—are well worth the effort.

Good luck, and may your runs be blessed with favorable boons and successful Testament completions.