Escaping the underworld is no mean feat. Most characters in Hades hold it to be impossible, and yet Zagreus, son of the God of the Dead, isn't giving up anytime soon. He'll take all the help he can get in his mission to escape, and luckily his relatives on Mount Olympus are willing to lend their power.
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In each run of this captivating roguelike, players can choose between various Boons offered to Zagreus by the Olympians. Every god in Hades has something unique to offer, and each of their powers can prove life-saving in one circumstance or another. But of course, each god has a few Boons that are more useful than others. Which of each god's offerings are most worth the player's time?
Aphrodite: Life Affirmation
Increasing Zag's health is a top priority early in a run; otherwise, players run the risk of being too weakened to stand their ground against later, tougher foes. Aphrodite's Life Affirmation boosts the amount by which Centaur Hearts and similar items increase the player's maximum Life.
It goes without saying that the ability to tank more hits is invaluable at every stage of a run. With the Goddess of Love at his side, Zagreus can stand against powerful foes — even the run's final boss.
Ares: Curse of Pain
Ares' Doom effect is one of the most useful in the game, inflicting delayed damage on any enemies under its effects. The Curse of Pain boon allows Zag's Special to deal this deadly status curse.
For many weapons in the game, the Special allows for more widespread damage; for example, firing a volley with Coronacht or throwing Aegis across the chamber. By using these moves to apply Doom, Zagreus can deal huge amounts of damage to several foes at once, allowing him to defeat shades quickly.
Artemis: Support Fire
With this Boon, a seeking arrow is fired every time Zag uses his Attack, Special, or Cast. In other words, every offensive move the player makes produces an extra projectile, dealing additional damage to any enemy in the area.
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Though the arrow's damage is quite low to begin with, they can stack quickly as Zag spams his Attack. What's more, since these are seeking arrows, it's impossible for them to miss their target. Players can simply attack anything, anywhere, and receive guaranteed extra damage for free.
Athena: Divine Dash
All of the Deflect boons are useful; they allow enemy attacks to bounce off Zagreus and hurt his enemies instead. Of all Athena's offerings, though, Divine Dash allows players the most control over when, where, and how they deflect.
Though Athena's Attack and Special boons are quite similar, timing one's Dash to deflect enemy projectiles is typically much easier than trying to time an Attack or Special to block an enemy's melee blows. Divine Dash allows Zagreus to deflect projectiles from a distance, using enemy attacks against them while he deals with other foes.
Demeter: Killing Freeze
Many of Demeter's highly useful Boons inflict Chill, slowing affected enemies. Killing Freeze, though, takes the Goddess of the Seasons' cold nature to the next level. With this Boon, when all enemies are Chilled, their Life will slowly decay. Though it may sometimes seem like a lot of effort to chill every foe on the battlefield, this Boon works wonders against bosses, or chambers with enemies packed closely together.
As Killing Freeze requires the player's ability to apply Chill, Zag must have at least one boon that allows him to do so before he can obtain Killing Freeze. A prerequisite may be any one of the following:
- Frost Strike
- Frost Flourish
- Demeter's Aid
- Mistral Dash
- Snow Burst
Though any of the above will work, players hoping to get Killing Freeze are recommended to get Frost Flourish, Demeter's Aid, or Snow Burst, as these are best for inflicting Chill on several enemies at once.
Dionysus: Strong Drink
A fitting boon for the God of Wine, Strong Drink restores Zag's health completely whenever he drinks from a fountain. It doesn't matter if Meg or Lernie has thrashed him within an inch of his life; once he takes a sip from the fountain in the passageway, he'll be in top shape and ready to take on the enemies of the Underworld's next region.
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What's more, with this boon, fountains also provide Zag with a small damage boost, 3-6% depending on the rarity. It's best if players can snatch up this boon early in a run, as the damage stacks with each fountain; however, even a small damage bonus is useful at any stage.
Hermes: Quick Favor
Even the weaker aid boons in Hades can provide Zag with huge advantages — after all, these abilities literally call forth the power of the gods. No matter which he has chosen, though, Zag cannot use his Call until his God Gauge reaches a certain threshold. Every player has been in the throes of battle, begging that gauge to go up.
That's where the God of Swiftness comes in. Ordinarily, the gauge fills gradually as Zagreus takes or deals damage. But with Quick Favor, the God Gauge charges automatically, no matter how Zag spends his time. Players can simply hide from foes until it fills up, and then unleash the power of the gods.
Poseidon: Razor Shoals
Harness the power of the seas to crush foes. With Razor Shoals, any time one of Poseidon's Boons knocks a foe away, that foe will be inflicted with Ruptured, a status curse that causes the enemy to take damage whenever they move. Considering the shades that swarm Zagreus in Asphodel and Elysium are highly mobile, Rupturing them allows the player to deal passive damage and make their way through these chambers much more quickly.
As with Demeter's Killing Freeze, Razor Shoals does require Zag to have one one of Poseidon's Boons that apply Knockback. Valid prerequisites include:
- Posideon's Aid
- Flood Shot
- Tidal Dash
- Tempest Flourish
- Tempest Strike
All are fairly equal in their usefulness, but Tempest Flourish and Tidal Dash are best for appling the Boon's effects to multiple foes at once.
Zeus: Electric Shot
With this Boon, the power of the God of Thunder is now Zag's to summon at will. Electric Shot turns Zagreus' Cast into a bolt of chain lighting, which bounces between enemies.
Spreading damage around the battlefield is always an advantage, and this Boon allows the player's Cast to damage several foes instead of one. What's more, the bloodstone will still lodge in whichever enemy the cast hits last, allowing the player to take advantage of whatver Mirror of Night ability they have chosen to affect bloodstone-stricken foes.