Every run in Hades is built out of whatever boons the gods decide to offer you, and those offers change from one escape attempt to the next. A build that wins one run can fall apart in the next because a single god simply never appears.

There is no single best build. That being said, these six are the most reliable, one per weapon: Heart Rend on the Nemesis sword, Hunting Blades on the Achilles spear, Mirage Shot on the Beowulf shield, Low Tolerance on the Chiron bow, Merciful End on the Demeter fists, and Zeus’ Lightning Strike with Cluster Bomb and Rocket Bomb on the Eris rail. Almost all of them follow one rule. Percent boosts from Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Demeter and Poseidon belong on slow, heavy hits, while added damage from Zeus, Dionysus and Ares belongs on fast ones. Ares only earns that spot once you have Merciful End or Dire Misfortune.

Everything here is for the original Hades from 2020. Search results often mix in Hades II, which has its own weapons and boons, so none of these builds are going to work there.

This guide aims to give you a main build for all 24 aspects, with a backup for most of them, along with the rules that let you steer a run toward the boons you need.

Best build for each weapon

Here are the six most reliable builds, one per weapon, with the keepsake that will bring your first key god to you in Tartarus.

“Any” means the slot does not matter much, so take whatever keeps you alive. Only the shield build needs a hidden aspect. Until you have Beowulf, the Aspect of Zeus build further down is a very forgiving stand-in.

For reference, all boon names, duo requirements and hammer locks below were taken straight from the scripts of Hades v1.38, the game’s final patch, in October 2026.

Boon offer rules

Boons look random, but a few fixed rules decide what you will see, and you can use them to steer a run.

God keepsakes

A god keepsake guarantees that god’s next boon door. If you take another door instead, the promise stays and carries into the next region. It is only used up when that god actually hands you a boon, and a boon bought from Charon does not count.

Additionally, while it is equipped, the keepsake adds 10% to 20% (depending on its level) to that god’s Rare chance and 10% each to Epic and Legendary. Duos sit in the Legendary table, so you will see that god’s duos more often too.

Four gods per run

You can only take boons from four Olympians per run, and once four are in, every boon room will roll one of them. Hermes does not use up one of those slots. Selling a boon at the Purging Pool will not free up a slot either. Once you have opened a god’s boon this run, that god counts toward your four until the run ends, even if you sell everything they gave you. A god keepsake can still bring in a fifth god, since it will force its god in even after the cap.

Empty slots

While one of your Attack, Special, Cast or Dash slots is empty, almost every god offer will include one boon for an empty slot, as long as that god has one you can take. With no core boons at all, you will see only core boons. Fill the slots you do not care about to make room for duos, and leave one open if you want that slot guaranteed.

Damage stacking

Damage bonuses in Hades add up instead of multiplying. A +50% and a +20% bonus on the same Attack give you +70%, so a second percent boost on a move you have already boosted is worth less than it looks. On fast weapons, an added damage source like lightning or Hangover is usually the better second pick.

Pom of Power

Pom of Power is unusually good on most damage Casts. On the Casts of Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, Poseidon and Dionysus, each level adds a bigger share of the base damage than it does on a percentage boon, so on Cast aspects like Beowulf and Hera, a Pom on one of those Casts is rarely wasted. Ares’ Slicing Shot and Demeter’s Crystal Beam are the exception, as a Pom adds less to them than to a percentage boon.

Stygian Blade builds

Aspect of Zagreus (sword)

The base sword aspect adds +3% to +15% Attack speed and move speed, and it does not need much of a build. Poseidon’s Tidal Dash with any Attack boon and the Double Edge hammer will carry you a long way. Breaching Slash is a good second hammer, since its bonus against Armor also works on your dash-strike. For a safer run, Flurry Slash plus Cursed Slash will heal you on every hit, at the cost of a big chunk of Max Life.

Aspect of Nemesis

Heart Rend is the duo to build toward. For 3 seconds after your Special, Nemesis lets your Attack crit, with a 15% chance at rank 1 and 30% at rank 5, and Heart Rend raises your crit damage against Weak foes from 3x to 4.5x of the hit:

• Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack for damage and extra crit chance
• Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Flourish on the Special, which makes foes Weak just as your crit window opens
• Athena’s Divine Dash to stay safe

Double Edge and Shadow Slash are the hammers to hope for, though Shadow Slash only affects your normal Attack chain. If Artemis never shows, go for Merciful End with Ares’ Curse of Agony on the Attack and Athena’s Divine Flourish on the Special. Divine Dash will then pop a waiting Doom every time it hits a cursed foe. It suits a fast, aggressive playstyle.

Aspect of Poseidon (sword)

This aspect turns the sword into a Cast weapon. Your Special knocks Bloodstones out of foes, and you will get +10% to +50% Cast damage all the time.

The usual plan is Artemis’ True Shot on the Cast plus Exit Wounds, which deals 100 damage at Common whenever a Bloodstone stuck in a foe is knocked loose. Phalanx Shot (Athena) and Flood Shot (Poseidon) also unlock Exit Wounds, so either is a fine start until Artemis arrives. Take Infernal Soul in the Mirror, Pom the Cast, and look for the Super Nova hammer.

Aspect of Arthur (hidden)

Arthur swings slowly and gives you +50 Max Life at every rank. Its Special creates Hallowed Ground, an 8-second aura that slows foes and cuts the damage you take inside it by 20% at rank 1 and 40% at rank 5. A percent goddess goes on the slow Attack, and from there you can go three ways:

• Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack and Aphrodite on the Special or Dash will get you Heart Rend and huge crits, especially with the Shadow Slash hammer for backstabs.
• Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Strike makes everything you hit Weak, and with Life Affirmation and Different League you can simply tank most hits.
• Athena’s Divine Strike on the Attack and Artemis on the Special unlock Deadly Reversal, which gives you a 20% crit chance for 2 seconds after each deflect.

Greater Consecration is an Arthur-only hammer that makes the aura larger. Flurry Slash, World Splitter and Cruel Thrust are never offered with Arthur. The aspect plays fine at a low rank, so it is a relaxed pick if you want the sword to feel safe.

Eternal Spear builds

Aspect of Zagreus (spear)

Exploding Launcher is what makes this aspect work. The aspect itself only adds +10% to +25% Special damage, range and speed, and the hammer turns your throw into a shot that explodes in an area, so you are no longer going to walk over and pick the spear back up. Charged Skewer is a good second hammer. Put Artemis’ Deadly Flourish or Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Flourish on the Special, and the other goddess on the Attack for Heart Rend. If Exploding Launcher never shows, Chain Skewer with Ares’ Curse of Pain on the Special is the Doom alternative. Without one of those hammers, the aspect does not add much.

Aspect of Achilles

Achilles lets you Rush to your thrown spear after a Special, and your next 4 Attacks or Casts after that Rush deal +50% damage at rank 1 and +150% at rank 5. Since the bonus also counts for the Cast, you will mostly play Achilles as a Cast weapon.

Hunting Blades is the most reliable target, and it turns your Cast into a fast Blade Rift that seeks the nearest foe. Hunting Blades needs Slicing Shot plus an Artemis boon on Attack, Special, Dash or Call. The Blood-filled Vial will bring Ares in first, and Deadly Strike and Tidal Dash fill the other slots. If Ares does not come, Demeter’s Crystal Beam plus an Artemis boon on your Attack, Special, Dash or Call unlocks Crystal Clarity instead.

Flurry Jab and Serrated Point are both good hammers here, while Exploding Launcher, Chain Skewer and Charged Skewer are never offered with Achilles. Achilles already plays well at a low rank.

Aspect of Hades (spear)

Your Spin becomes Punishing Sweep, and for 10 seconds every foe it hits will take +30% more Attack and Special damage at rank 1 and +150% at rank 5. Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack is the usual core, and Quick Spin and Massive Spin make the Spin far less clunky. Serrated Point works if you would rather play around the dash-strike. Flurry Jab is never offered with the Aspect of Hades. If Artemis does not show, Tidal Dash or Merciful End will get you through. It is one of the weaker spear aspects, so pick it for variety more than for a safe clear.

Aspect of Guan Yu (hidden)

Guan Yu turns your Spin into a travelling shot that heals 1 Life per hit. In return, your Max Life and healing drop to 30% at rank 1 and 50% at rank 5, so it is worth maxing before you rely on it.

The damage is in the Special. Put Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Flourish or Artemis’ Deadly Flourish there, Pom it, and take Charged Skewer and Breaching Skewer if they show. Exploding Launcher, Chain Skewer, Vicious Skewer and Flurry Jab are never offered with Guan Yu, but its own Special is already strong enough that you will not miss them much. The other route is a Spin build with Quick Spin or the Guan Yu-only Winged Serpent. With so little Max Life, Guan Yu is an aspect for experienced players.

Shield of Chaos builds

Aspect of Zagreus (shield)

The base shield aspect adds +3 to +15 base damage to your Attack and dash-strike, and your percent boons will scale that bigger number. Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Strike or Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack is the core, and the other goddess on your Special or Cast unlocks Heart Rend. Charged Shot is the key hammer here. It turns your Bull Rush into a piercing shot that always hits for its full damage, and holding it longer only adds range. Tidal Dash with the Dashing Wallop hammer is a fairly solid alternative. Maxing it only costs 5 Titan Blood.

Aspect of Chaos

After a Bull Rush, your next Special throws extra shields, from +1 at rank 1 to +5 at rank 5. Every extra shield is another hit, so the Special wants a flat-damage god:

• Ares’ Curse of Pain with Dire Misfortune and Impending Doom, since the shields tag several foes and each one gets its own Doom
• Zeus’ Thunder Flourish, which calls down a bolt from your Special hits
• Dionysus’ Drunken Flourish, which spreads Hangover over everything the shields touch

With Ares or Dionysus on the Special, put Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Strike on the Attack so foes carry two curses for Privileged Status. Explosive Return, Sudden Rush and Charged Shot are the hammers to take, and Charged Flight is never offered with this aspect. Chaos is a solid all-rounder for newer players.

Aspect of Zeus (shield)

The Zeus aspect turns your Special into the Blitz Disc, which stays out and hits over and over (about 8 base damage per hit at rank 1, 30 at rank 5). With Zeus’ Thunder Flourish on the Special, every hit can call down a bolt, so you can throw the disc into a crowd and let it work. Pom the Special and stack more Zeus, such as Double Strike, which gives your bolts a chance to strike twice. The Thunder Signet will get Zeus to you in Tartarus.

Explosive Return, Charged Shot and Pulverizing Blow are all good hammers, while Dread Flight, Charged Flight and Dashing Flight are never offered here. If Zeus does not show, Merciful End works well, since you can keep attacking while the disc is out. Personally, I think this is the easiest shield to win with, and it is a great pick for a first clear.

Aspect of Beowulf (hidden)

Beowulf loads your Cast into your Bull Rush. Each Bull Rush with a Cast loaded deals +20% to +100% bonus damage in a bigger area and fires the loaded Casts, but you will take 10% more damage at every rank.

Mirage Shot is what makes it so strong. Poseidon’s Flood Flare on the Cast and Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack unlock it, and the Conch Shell will bring Poseidon in first. Mirage Shot gives every Cast a second projectile, and that includes each loaded shot on Beowulf and Hera. Speedrunners report the second shot hits far harder there than the tooltip suggests. The game’s scripts show no special rule for it, so treat that as a player-tested quirk.

Your loaded Casts fire at full strength on any Bull Rush, so a quick tap is enough. Keep Poseidon off the Attack, because the knockback pushes foes out of your flares. Aphrodite’s Passion Flare is a good backup Cast, and Dionysus’ Trippy Flare comes with a quirk. On Aspect of Beowulf, Poms on Dionysus’ Cast count double: every level adds twice the damage the tooltip promises, because of how the game applies Beowulf’s version of that Cast. The first pick is normal. Poms are where it pays. Charged Shot and Breaching Rush are the usual hammers. Beowulf takes a little bit of practice, so it is more of a goal for later on.

Heart-Seeking Bow builds

Aspect of Zagreus (bow)

Twin Shot carries this aspect. The aspect adds +3% to +15% crit chance to your Attack, so Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack is the natural core, Hunter Dash fits well next to it, and Aphrodite on your Special, Dash or Cast unlocks Heart Rend. Once you have Twin Shot, any percent boon on the Attack will do if Artemis is late. Maxing this aspect costs only 5 Titan Blood, so it is a cheap crit bow.

Aspect of Chiron

Chiron’s Special fires 4 to 8 homing arrows at the foe your Attack hit last, so the Special will do the aiming for you. That makes it probably the easiest bow for newer players.

Low Tolerance is the duo to aim for. Dionysus’ Drunken Flourish on the Special puts Hangover on your target, Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Strike on the Attack makes it Weak, and the duo lets Hangover stack 3 more times against Weak foes. Every Hangover source feeds the same pile with one shared 5-stack cap, so a second Hangover boon will not raise that cap. Pom the Special instead, and use the Overflowing Cup to bring Dionysus in early. Relentless Volley and Concentrated Volley are the hammers to hope for, while Charged Volley is never offered with Chiron.

For more single-target damage, swap Dionysus for Artemis’ Deadly Flourish to get Heart Rend. Be careful with Hunter’s Mark on that build. It works with any crit, Chiron’s homing Special included, but it never marks the foe you just crit and moves the Mark to another enemy nearby instead. That is great for clearing rooms and close to useless against a boss standing alone.

Zeus is a weaker pick for the Special. Thunder Flourish tries to drop a bolt for every arrow, but Chiron’s arrows all hit the same foe within a fraction of a second, and the bolt has a short hit-immunity window, so a single target will only take a couple per volley. Against groups, or on Rama, it works far better.

Aspect of Hera

Hera makes your Cast load Bloodstones into your next Attack instead of firing them. Every rank only shortens the Bloodstone drop timer, from 10 seconds at rank 1 to 5 at rank 5, so rank 1 already gives you the whole loaded-Cast mechanic.

Almost any Cast works, but Aphrodite’s Crush Shot is probably the best start, because loading it into an arrow fixes its short range. Adding Artemis’ Deadly Flourish later unlocks Heart Rend, since Crush Shot counts as the Aphrodite boon. Dionysus’ Cast (it shows up as Trippy Flare on Hera) is the other strong Cast, and with Poseidon’s Tidal Dash and Artemis’ Deadly Strike, it will get Mirage Shot’s second projectile on every loaded shot. Pom the Cast and take Hermes’ Quick Reload if you find it. Hera does not need any particular hammer, which makes it a good bow for anyone who enjoys Cast builds.

Aspect of Rama (hidden)

Rama’s Attack charges slower, but the arrow is much wider and hits harder. Its Special applies Shared Suffering, so for 7 seconds those foes will also take 30% of your Attack damage at rank 1 and 60% at rank 5 whenever you Attack any foe. Most of the time, though, you will play Rama like a shotgun:

1. Dash in close.
2. Fire a charged Attack point-blank.
3. Dash back out.

Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Strike or Artemis’ Deadly Strike on the Attack gives that big shot its percent boost, and Zeus’ Thunder Flourish or Dionysus’ Drunken Flourish on the Special adds damage on top. Twin Shot or Triple Shot is the key hammer, ideally with Perfect Shot or Point-Blank Shot, though you will never get Twin Shot and Triple Shot together. Flurry Shot, Piercing Volley, Concentrated Volley and Charged Volley are never offered with Rama. It suits you if you are comfortable dashing right into a crowd.

Twin Fists builds

Aspect of Zagreus (fists)

The base fists aspect gives you a dodge chance of 5% at rank 1 and 15% at rank 5, and maxing it costs only 5 Titan Blood. Equip the Lambent Plume (Hermes’ keepsake) for the whole run, take every Hermes boon that makes you harder to hit, such as Greater Evasion, and pick Ruthless Reflex in the Mirror. For damage, a flat-damage god on the Attack works best, because the fists hit so often. Zeus’ Lightning Strike is a good choice, and Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Flourish on the Special will unlock Smoldering Air next to it. Merciful End works here as well if Zeus never comes. Breaching Cross, Long Knuckle and Rolling Knuckle are the hammers to look for.

Aspect of Talos

Talos turns your Special into the Magnetic Cutter, which pulls a foe in for 20 damage, and for 6 seconds that foe will take +10% more Attack and Cast damage at rank 1 and +50% at rank 5. This aspect does not need much, so keep it simple. With Poseidon’s Tempest Flourish on the Special, the Cutter pulls foes in and the boon knocks them away again, and Zeus’ Lightning Strike on the Attack turns that into Sea Storm. Add the Draining Cutter hammer, which heals you whenever your Special slays a foe. Rush Kick, Flying Cutter and Kinetic Launcher are never offered with Talos.

Aspect of Demeter (fists)

After 12 strikes, the Demeter aspect makes your next Special hit more times, with 1 extra hit at rank 1 and 5 at rank 5. The fists hit so fast that you will reach 12 in no time, and that speed is also why Merciful End is so strong here. Take Ares’ Curse of Agony on the Attack, Athena’s Divine Flourish on the Special and Divine Dash, with the Blood-filled Vial to get Ares first. Doom follows a few rules that make this work:

• Doom is a single delayed hit (about 1.1 seconds). Hitting a Doomed foe again does nothing until it goes off, unless you have Dire Misfortune, which lets repeat hits add 10 damage each (at Common) to the coming burst.
• Merciful End changes when Doom goes off. Each hit from an Athena move that can deflect detonates the waiting Doom at once, with +40 damage, and the next Ares hit starts a new one. Fast weapons that alternate Ares and Athena hits will pop Doom over and over.
• Impending Doom’s bonus still counts when Merciful End detonates the Doom, and its longer delay stops mattering.

Breaching Cross and Rolling Knuckle are the hammers to take, and Quake Cutter is never offered here. If Ares or Athena do not come, Heartbreak Strike with Artemis’ Deadly Flourish gets you Heart Rend, with Hunter Dash on the Dash. On the fists, Hunter Dash and Chaos’ Lunge boost both your dash-strike and your Dash-Upper. Rolling Knuckle and Breaching Cross only touch the dash-strike, and the hammer for the Dash-Upper is Explosive Upper. This is the fists aspect to pick if you want the most damage out of the weapon.

Aspect of Gilgamesh (hidden)

Gilgamesh is where generic fist advice goes wrong. Long Knuckle, Rolling Knuckle, Heavy Knuckle and Kinetic Launcher are never offered with it, so look for Breaching Cross, Rush Kick, Explosive Upper and the Gilgamesh-only Rending Claws instead.

The aspect gives you a heavy Attack, +2 rapid Dash charges and a Dash-Upper that inflicts Maim. Maimed foes take 25% more damage, but they also deal 50% more damage to you for 4 seconds, then take a burst of damage (100 at rank 1, 400 at rank 5).

Merciful End is the main build here too, with the same three boons as on Demeter and a lot more deflecting dashes. Maim’s +25% damage taken works on everything that hits the foe for those 4 seconds, Ares’ Doom included, so a Doom attack pairs well with Gilgamesh’s Special. For crits, Artemis’ Deadly Strike and Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Flourish unlock Heart Rend, and Weak softens the extra damage maimed foes deal. A Tidal Dash build with Zeus’ Lightning Strike is popular as well, but Sea Storm needs Poseidon on the Attack, Special, Cast or Call. Tidal Dash alone will not unlock it.

Adamant Rail builds

Aspect of Zagreus (rail)

The base rail aspect only adds ammo, +4 at rank 1 and +12 at rank 5, so it does not need much of a build. Zeus’ Lightning Strike or Dionysus’ Drunken Strike on the Attack makes the most of the extra shots. The hammers matter more. Spread Fire fits well, because it cuts your magazine by 6 shots, and from rank 2 on (+6 ammo) the aspect fully makes up for that. Hazard Bomb is the other strong pick. It quadruples the Special’s base damage (60 to 240) before your boons are added, so it scales with every damage boon. It can hit you, but only for about 1% of its damage. Mostly, it is a stopgap until you have put Titan Blood into Eris or Hestia.

Aspect of Eris

For 4 seconds after you catch your own bomb blast, Eris raises your damage across the board, by +15% at rank 1 and +75% at rank 5. You will bomb, step into the blast and shoot, over and over. The standard build is Zeus’ Lightning Strike on the Attack, Artemis’ Deadly Flourish or Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Flourish on the Special, and Tidal Dash, with the Thunder Signet to bring Zeus in. If Zeus does not show, Dionysus’ Drunken Strike is a good replacement on the Attack.

With Cluster Bomb and Rocket Bomb together, Cluster Bomb’s damage cut disappears. You will fire five rockets at once, and each keeps Rocket Bomb’s full 80 base damage (Cluster Bomb alone fires five bombs at 42 each, and the normal Special is one 60-damage bomb). That is why players call the pair a near-guaranteed win on the Rail, and why this build needs no duo. Triple Bomb with Rocket Bomb is the other common pairing, since Triple Bomb and Cluster Bomb exclude each other.

Bear in mind that Double Strike only gives Zeus’ bolts a chance to strike twice. It never touches the chain lightning from Lightning Strike, and Lightning Strike alone will not even unlock it, so on this build it only pays off through Static Discharge’s bolts and through the bolt boon you needed to unlock it, such as Zeus’ Aid.

Aspect of Hestia

Hestia empowers your next shot after a manual Reload, with 50 base damage at rank 1 and 150 at rank 5. One heavy shot is exactly what percent boosts are made for, so Aphrodite’s Heartbreak Strike on the Attack is the core, with Poseidon’s Tidal Dash to keep foes off you while you reload. For crits, swap in Artemis’ Deadly Strike and put Aphrodite on the Special or Dash for Heart Rend. Ricochet Fire and Piercing Fire are the usual hammers. Rebind Reload to a comfortable button and plan to max this aspect, since it only really comes together at high ranks.

Aspect of Lucifer (hidden)

Lucifer turns your Attack into a beam whose damage ramps up while it keeps hitting the same target, and your Special into Hellfire bombs (50 blast damage at rank 1, 100 at rank 5). Most normal rail hammers, including Rocket Bomb, Cluster Bomb, Hazard Bomb and Delta Chamber, are never offered with it.

Triple Bomb is still offered, and I would call it the best hammer Lucifer can get, since it lets you throw several Hellfire bombs in quick succession. Pair it with Zeus’ Lightning Strike on the Attack, any percent boon on the Special and Divine Dash or Tidal Dash. Without Zeus, a Special build with Artemis or Dionysus and Triple Bomb is the fallback.

Eternal Chamber trades the beam’s damage ramp for never reloading. That is a loss on a single tough target, but on builds where the beam is mainly a trigger for boon effects (like Zeus’ Lightning Strike, which Lucifer caps at about four chains per second anyway), the endless beam can be the better deal.

First clear builds

You do not need a hidden aspect to beat Hades for the first time. Every weapon has a strong aspect that is not hidden, and with some practice, any aspect and almost any build will clear the game at 0 Heat. These five are the most forgiving:

• Chiron with Dionysus’ Drunken Flourish on the Special
• Any shield with Ares’ Curse of Agony on the Attack, so Doom lands on its big, slow hits
• The Zeus shield with Thunder Flourish on the Special
• Achilles with Demeter’s Crystal Beam on the Cast, Artemis on the Attack for Crystal Clarity, and Glacial Glare
• The base fists with the Lambent Plume and every Hermes dodge boon you can find

Divine Dash is a great pick on any of them. In the Mirror of Night, buy Death Defiance and Thick Skin first, since they will keep you alive longer, and then Deep Pockets and Privileged Status. For the fists build, also take Ruthless Reflex instead of Greater Reflex, since the two share a slot. Our Hades beginner guide has more general tips.

Duo boons

A duo boon combines two gods and will only be offered once you hold a qualifying boon from each. The table lists every duo and exactly which boons count.

The duos that make builds:

• Merciful End (Ares and Athena) needs Curse of Agony or Curse of Pain plus Divine Strike or Divine Flourish. Divine Dash alone does not unlock it.
• Heart Rend (Artemis and Aphrodite) is the crit duo. Hunter Dash and Artemis’ Aid do not count as its Artemis boon.
• Hunting Blades (Ares and Artemis) and Crystal Clarity (Artemis and Demeter) are the two Achilles Cast duos. Slicing Flare on Beowulf does not count for Hunting Blades.
• Low Tolerance (Dionysus and Aphrodite) is the backbone of the Chiron build.
• Mirage Shot (Artemis and Poseidon) gives your Cast a second projectile, and Tidal Dash counts as its Poseidon boon.
• Sea Storm (Poseidon and Zeus) strikes foes with lightning whenever you knock them away. Tidal Dash does not count here.
• Lightning Rod (Artemis and Zeus) makes Bloodstones lying on the floor strike nearby foes with lightning. It is only offered while Infernal Soul is active in the Mirror.
• Curse of Longing (Ares and Aphrodite) makes your Curse effects keep striking Weak foes.

Duos share the Legendary chance, which is 12% in a normal boon room. Boons from mini-boss rooms and Erebus gates roll Rare or better far more often, but their duo and Legendary chance is slightly lower at 10% (before Mirror and keepsake bonuses), so a normal boon room is the slightly better door when you are fishing for a duo. Gods’ Legacy in the Mirror adds 1% per rank, and a god keepsake adds 10% to that god’s Legendary rolls while you wear it.

Mirror of Night

Family Favorite and Privileged Status share a slot. Family Favorite gives +2.5% damage per rank for every god you hold a boon from, and Hermes counts even though he does not take one of your four god slots. Chaos and Daedalus do not count. At full rank, that is +5% per god: four Olympians plus Hermes is +25%, and a fifth Olympian forced in with a keepsake pushes it to +30%.

Privileged Status gives +20% damage per rank, over two ranks, against foes with at least two status curses. It fits builds that stack curses anyway, like Chiron with Hangover and Weak, and Family Favorite is the steadier pick for everything else.

Deep Pockets gives you 10 obols per rank at the start of a run, up to 100 at max rank, which gets you most of the way to a 150-obol boon from Charon early on. For rerolls, Fated Persuasion lets you reroll the choices on a boon screen, while Fated Authority rerolls door rewards. I would go with Fated Persuasion, since it gives you another shot at the one boon your build is missing.

Hades build FAQ

What is the strongest build in Hades?

There is no single strongest build, because every run depends on what the gods offer. The ones that come up most are Low Tolerance on Chiron, Cluster Bomb and Rocket Bomb on Eris, Mirage Shot on Beowulf and Merciful End on the Demeter fists.

What is the most OP weapon in Hades?

In our Hades weapon tier list, four aspects make S tier: Achilles on the spear, Beowulf on the shield, Hera on the bow and Eris on the rail.

What should I prioritize in a run?

Pick your main god before the run and make sure to wear that god’s keepsake in Tartarus. After that, fill the slot your build needs, take a good Dash when you see one, and watch your god count, since you are going to be stuck with your first four.

Do I need hidden aspects?

No. Every weapon has a strong aspect that is not hidden, and Achilles, Hera and Eris all make S tier without being hidden.

Why does the game keep offering me Casts I do not need?

Your Cast slot is still empty, and while a core slot is empty, almost every god offer will include one boon for an empty slot. Take any Cast to fill the slot, and the offers will open up again.

Do these builds work in Hades II?

No. Hades II has its own weapons and boons, and the duos and hammers above do not exist there.

Conclusion

Most good runs in Hades come down to the same few habits: force your main god with a keepsake, fill the slots you do not care about, and put percent boosts on slow hits and added damage on fast ones. If you just want a build that wins most of the time, Merciful End on almost any weapon or Low Tolerance on Chiron is the safest bet.