Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos -- Hydra expedition and recruitment guide

The Lernaean Hydra was once defeated by Herakles. Unfortunately, the ground where it fell was soaked with its blood, leading to the rise of a cult that worshipped the great serpent. Here's our Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos guide to help you start an expedition to encounter, battle, and recruit the Lernaean Hydra. We've also added tips about the Lernaean Hydra's skills, abilities, buildings, units, and post-battle options. Note: For more information, check out our Total War Saga: Troy guides and features hub. Likewise, you can take a look at our monster recruitment/Mythic Expedition guide to learn about the new mechanics. Lastly, please be reminded that this guide is for veteran (very hard) difficulty. Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos — Lernaean Hydra expedition, recruitment, and quest battle guide I've split up our Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos guide for the Lernaean Hydra into multiple sections. You can refer to the pages below for the parts that you need help with: Expedition events: Dilemmas, decisions, and outcomes Quest battle and boss fight Using your new monster: Skills, buildings, battle abilities, units, and more Note: You may also take a look at our Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos guide on how to recruit Cerberus. Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos — Lernaean Hydra expedition events, dilemmas, decisions, and outcomes Let's talk about what you can expect once you start your expedition to recruit the Lernaean Hydra in Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos. You can see the dilemmas, decisions, and outcomes below: Dilemma 1: Argos Decision Effect Look for hardy companions Healing Mixture - +20% damage resistance; fatigue reduction Units gain XP Units lose some health Look for followers among the locals 1x Argive Raiders and 1x Argive Slingers Accept the help of Followers of Iolaos 2x Renowned Bowmen Malchos, Descendant of Iolaos (special event) Offer a wandering centaur tribe to join you 1x Centaur Elders and 1x Centaur Fighters Dilemma 2: The Verge of the Marshlands Decision Effect Threaten them Little Green Men - +50 melee damage vs. Hydra units Units gain XP Units lose health Agree (for units) to be initiated into the Cult of the Hydra Only if you chose to look for followers among the locals (Argives): Argive Raiders/Slingers turn into Hydra Defenders/Archers Agree to go through the initiation on your own Your hero devotes himself in the ways of the Hydra Cult Hydra Egg Units gain XP Exchange supplies for information The Mother - -10% unit morale; +50 melee damage vs. Hydra units Units gain XP Dilemma 3: The Lake Decision Effect Scout out the marshes Scouted Marshlands - +20% battle speed Units gain XP If you had the centaur tribe join you, you'll also get: Centaur Salve - +25% damage resistance; fatigue reduction Equine Exhaustion - +15% fatigue and -15 morale for centaur units Follow the voice of the Hydra (A) Your hero went through the initiation on their own: Units are fatigued Units gain XP Your hero devotes himself in the ways of the Hydra Cult (B) You have Hydra units (Argive → initiation): Lose 1x Argive Archer Gain Hydra Egg Units gain XP Safe Travels - +15% morale; fatigue reduction Spread out and persevere through the bogs Units gain XP Units lose health Dilemma 4: The Inner Sanctum Decision Effect Bring the Egg to the Inner Sanctum Only available if you have the Hydra Egg: Lose the Hydra Egg Units gain XP Hero gains a snake companion attached to his arm Let the Argives complete the initiation If you have Argive → Hydra units: The previous Hydra units are replaced by Hydra Priests Units gain XP Begin the initiation of your followers If you have the Followers of Iolaos: Lose 1x Renowned Bowmen Units gain XP Legacy of Iolaos - +30 morale; +50 melee damage vs. Hydra units; +50% charge bonus Burn the temple If you have the Followers of Iolaos: Lose Malchos, Descendant of Iolaos Units gain XP Ruined Temple - +20 morale; +40 melee damage vs. Hydra units Dilemma 5: Mother Hydra Decision Effect Get rid of the Mother's Blessing Only if you have a Hydra Priest or your hero was initiated into the Hydra Cult/has the Hydra Egg or snake companion: Lose Hydra Egg/snake companion A Hydra Scorned - +40 melee damage vs. Hydra units Embrace the coming of the Hydra Only if your hero was initiated into the Hydra Cult: Lose Renowned Bowmen Lose Malchos, Descendant of Iolaos A Hydra Scorned - +40 melee damage vs. Hydra units Use a Healing Poultice Only if you have the Centaur Salve: Lose Centaur Salve Gain Centaur Poultice - +25% morale; +35% damage resistance; fatigue reduction Rally your warriors Units gain XP Iolaian Spirit - +50% charge bonus; +40 melee attack; +20% battle speed Personally, I suggest going with "Followers of Iolaos," "Threaten them," "Scout out the marshes," "Begin the initiation," and "Rally your warriors." All right, let's discuss the quest battle in the next part of our Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos Lernaean Hydra guide. Lernaean Hydra quest battle and boss fight Let's discuss the Lernaean Hydra quest battle and boss fight in Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos. For starters, you'll be smack dab in the middle of the map. Drinkers of Venom melee units will swarm you, but they move too slow. Stand your ground here and hope for the best. Note: You'll want to watch out for the lone Hydra Priest. It's got a Poison Nova spell that will severely damage your troops. To be frank, all of the Hydra's units are infused with poison, which means anyone who gets hit will slowly die. After routing the Drinkers of Venom, more hostiles will appear from all directions. These are primarily Hydra Defenders and (extremely deadly) Hydra Archers. If you moved further south, you should be able to anticipate a couple of mobs that have spawned there while whittling down those who get too close. The Lernaean Hydra will also spawn from its cave, slowly moving toward your location. It has a massive range, able to spit poison at units from halfway across the map. Note: If you move away from the initial spot where you started the battle (i.e., if you go closer to the cave), it'll trigger the Hydra's appearance too early. It might present a few issues since you'll be beset on all sides. Although the other Mythical Expeditions and quest battles in Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos only have the unique monster/boss is an important target, the Lernaean Hydra encounter requires you to kill the Hydra Priests as well. You could fight a battle of attrition against the remaining hostile units, or you can blitz through them to cut the head of the serpent if it's causing too much trouble. If you win this battle, the Lernaean Hydra will join your faction for good. All right, let's talk about your new monster's capabilities in the next part of our Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos Lernaean Hydra guide. Lernaean Hydra hero/monster unit: Skills, buildings, units, and more The Lernaean Hydra has some amazing capabilities. Let's discuss these in detail. Unique resource: Vitality Vitality gains: "The Mother Wants You" army stance - +3 Vitality for every unit in the army that the Hydra is embedded in; the army suffers 10% attrition while this stance is active; the stance can also be used while garrisoned. "Many Will Become One" post-battle option vs. field armies - +10 Vitality. Special Skills such as "Drink Deeper, Children" and "The Greatest River." Hydra-specific buildings also grant Vitality per turn if the army with the Hydra ends its turn in that province. Vitality uses: "The River Will Come" post-battle option vs. settlements - -25 Vitality; -50% to construction cost and -3 turns to construction time of all Hydra buildings in a settlement (lasts 7 turns). "Dip in Hydra Blood" pre-battle option - Grants all units poison attacks. Vitality levels/thresholds: Depending on how much Vitality you currently have, the Hydra gain buffs to itself. At the maximum threshold, "The Mother Overwhelms" (126 to 150 Vitality), the Hydra gets +40% ammunition, +50% health, and +40% missile damage. Special skills The Lernaean Hydra in Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos has the following special skills that can be selected when it levels up: Level 2: A Single Drop - +25% Hydra missile damage; increased poison potency for Poison Bomb, Virulent Blood, and Poison Breath. The Mother, The Life-Giver - Replaces regeneration to make it more potent; +25% Hydra HP. The Greatest River - +25% "Many Become One" Vitality gains; +25 maximum Vitality; +25% "The River Will Come" Vitality cost. Level 3: Drink Deeper, Children - +2 unit capacity for all of the unique units granted by the Hydra; +25 maximum Vitality. Every Drop - Drinkers of Venom units can sacrifice themselves to cast a Poison Ritual; -50% upkeep and recruitment costs for Drinkers of Venom. The River Encroaches - "Virulent Blood" aura (more potent poison AoE around the Hydra). Level 4: Generous, the Mother's Gifts - +20% Hydra range; doubles the Hydra's projectiles per shot. The Cleansing Rain - +100% Hydra ammunition; +25% Hydra reload skill. Forever Surviving - +25% Hydra missile/melee damage/melee attack when below 50% health; +25% Hydra battle speed; "Forever Surviving" ability (+25% melee attack, armor-piercing missile damage, and armor-piercing damage). Level 5: In Mother's Name - Buffs affect the army that the Hydra is embedded in. +30% Drinkers of Venom battle speed/Hydra Defender melee defense/Hydra Archer reload skill; -3 enemy siege holdout time. All units faction-wide gain the "Disciplined" trait. Mother's Blessing - +10% damage resistance and "Regeneration" passive for all units when using "Dip in Hydra Blood" pre-battle action. We Are the Heads - All Hydra Priests gain the "Envenom" ability. Campaign actions The following options are available when the Hydra is embedded in an army (these mechanics have been explained above): "The Mother Wants You" army stance "Dip in Hydra Blood" pre-battle option "Many Will Become One" post-battle option vs. field armies "The River Will Come" post-battle option vs. settlements Battle skills Apart from ranged attacks where the Hydra spits poison, it can also use the following skills during battles: Poison Breath - Ranged attack; applies potent poison; good against armored units. Poison Bomb - Lobs a viral bomb that deals AoE poison damage; good against armored units. Virulent Blood - The Hydra is surrounded by toxic clouds for 30 seconds, dealing damage over time to nearby enemies. Unique units and buildings The Hydra has the following building chains (yellow color) that allow any of your armies to recruit its unique units (unit caps are also increased). All of these provide extra Vitality if the army with the Hydra ends its turn in the province where one such building has been constructed: The Giving Hand/The Taking Hand - Drinkers of Venom. The Flow/The Flood - Hydra Archers; increases your ammunition and decreases enemy ammunition in the province. The Enduring Flesh/The Immortal Flesh - Hydra Defenders; increases the morale of units trained in that province and reduces the morale of enemy armies in that province. The Overflowing Cup/The Deeper Vessel - Hydra Priests; increased "Many Become One" Vitality gains; reduces Hydra building construction costs and Hydra unit upkeep costs faction-wide. The Lernaean Hydra and its units in Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos are very powerful since all of them can afflict your enemies with poison. You'll watch as their HP dwindles and drops until everyone in the enemy squad drops dead. Hydra Defenders and your staunch line of spears can hold off most foes, while Hydra Archers shoot squads one at a time to inflict their venomous debuffs. Next, your Hydra Priest can cast its spell to cause an AoE explosion, which can also be timed accordingly with the Lernaean Hydra's Poison Bomb for devastating nukes. You may also send the Lernaean Hydra into the thick of the fray. Just cast a healing spell on it and pop its Virulent Blood to continue damaging nearby hostiles. Note 1: If playing as Odysseus, you won't be able to construct Hydra buildings in land-locked settlements (only coastal ones). Don't waste Vitality for "The River Will Come" post-battle option since it only affects the settlement that you capture (not the entire province). Note 2: As for Penthisilea, her main army's slots will be too limited. You'll have a hard time juggling between Hydra buildings and those that boost Amazon troops/horde growth. At best, you'll want to recruit additional generic heroes who'll have the Hydra buildings to increase unit caps. Alternatively, just go with Cerberus since the hellhound only has a single building chain. Total War Saga: Troy - Mythos is available via Steam and the Epic Games Store. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.

Total War Saga: Troy – Mythos — Hydra expedition and recruitment guide

Total War Saga: Troy – Mythos — Lernaean Hydra expedition, recruitment, and quest battle guide

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