Hades 2: best builds, weapons, and boons to beat the game

The best Hades 2 builds for every weapon so you can beat the game's final boss

Hades 2 / Supergiant Games

In Hades 2 there are more ways to build your character than ever before. All your favorite gods return with boons new and old to offer, with a new roster of weapons, keepsakes, and more ready to line your pockets and see you take down Chronos in the depths of Tartarus. But, with so many options to choose from, and having them all doled out randomly, it can take a while to work out what’s best for you.

To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the best builds we’ve put together in Hades 2, so you know what boons you should always be on the lookout for.

Table of Contents

1. Best boons in Hades 2
2. Best Witch’s Staff builds in Hades 2
3. Best Sister Blades builds in Hades 2
4. Best Umbral Flames builds in Hades 2
5. Best Moonstone Axe builds in Hades 2
6. Best Argent Skull builds in Hades 2

Best boons in Hades 2

Boons are the lifeblood of any Hades 2 build / Supergiant Games

While some boons are only useful depending on your choice of weapon or special abilities, there are a select few boons that we recommend you always take if you come across them:

Poseidon’s Fluid Gain is a must, as it gives you easy ways to restore big chunks of your mana, which is a vital resource for just about every build in the game.

Hermes’ Swift Strike is always useful, no matter your choice of weapon. Attacking faster lets you deal more damage in a shorter space of time, and there’s never a scenario where that isn’t helpful.

Hermes’ Greater Evasion will give you a chance to completely dodge all damage from any attack. The percentage may be small, but it stacks with any other dodge chance in your build, which can easily save your life.

Aphrodite’s Heart Breaker is an easy way to increase your damage output, as it spawns a missile whenever you use 30 mana that does a lot of damage. Since you should always be using mana in tough battles, this will constantly give you an edge.

Aphrodite’s Healthy Rebound can fully restore your health provided it isn’t too low. If you can upgrade this a few times, then it becomes quite a reliable way to maintain full HP.

Any boon that enhances your cast will do you proud as well. Your cast is the most important weapon in your arsenal, as it stops enemies in their tracks and can deal huge AoE damage to hordes of enemies. Upgrade it whenever you can.

Best Witch’s Staff builds in Hades 2

The Witch's Staff is a good all-round weapon / Supergiant Games

As you might expect from the default weapon, the Witch’s Staff is well-balanced between all styles of play, with the attack focusing on mid-range melee combat, while the special allows for simple yet strong ranged combat, aided by the omega attack spreading almost the entire width of the screen.

Poseidon’s Wave Strike or Wave Flourish are good for this weapon, as they help keep enemies at a distance, knocking back any part of the horde that’s trying to approach, plus it gives you some extra damage on your attacks/specials.

Like all weapons, your cast is invaluable. While you don’t often want to get too close with this weapon, using it to hold and then damage fast-approaching enemies will save you a lot of trouble.

Aphrodite’s Glamour Gain is essential too. Thanks to the ranged omega attacks, you will likely be using a lot of mana in every encounter and Glamour Gain gives you an easy way to constantly regenerate it mid-battle.

Outside of that, you can go down the path with whichever god you like the best. Zeus’ Blitz, Hestia’s Scorch, and Hephaestus’ Blast effects all combo great with the Witch’s Staff’s attacks and specials.

Best Sister Blades builds in Hades 2

The Sister Blades are about quick and close combat / Supergiant Games

The Sister Blades are all about close-range melee combat. They allow you to do a lot of damage very quickly while darting around the battlefield. It helps you constantly interrupt incoming attacks, you just have to be careful about constantly being in your enemy’s face.

All of Aphrodite’s boons are extremely helpful for these weapons. The weakness effect she can inflict will allow you to tear through enemies even faster than before. Plus, she has one boon that increases the damage of foes you are close to, which is perfect for the Sister Blades, as you’ll always be in close range with those you’re attacking.

The Deadelus Hammer is very valuable for the Sister Blades too, with several powerful buffs. Some of the best include Explosive Ambush which massively boosts the power of your omega attack, and Skulking Slice which boosts the damage you do to an enemy when attacking from behind, which once again boosts the omega attack, as that will let you easily slip behind a foe.

As for weapon effects, the two best options are Zeus’ Blitz or Demeter’s Freeze. Blitz works best when you’re striking many times in quick succession – which is the whole point of the Sister Blades – while the Freeze effect will give you a crucial few extra seconds before you need to dash away to dodge an incoming attack, increasing your overall damage output.

Also keep an eye out for a fantastic combo boon with Zeus and Aphrodite, which allows you to instantly trigger Blitz when dashing into an enemy.

Best Umbral Flames builds in Hades 2

The Umbral Flames is a tricky weapon to master / Supergiant Games

Umbral Flames is a weapon that requires a careful touch. It focuses entirely on ranged combat, with the attack shooting projectiles forward, and the special shooting them out in a spiral around you. You need good movement and forward-thinking to make this weapon work.

Unlike most other weapons, your special is what you should primarily rely on with the Umbral Flames. While the attack is useful due to its better range and ability to accurately aim it, the special does more damage, does a better job of protecting the immediate area around you, and you can fire up to four at once with the default attack speed.

This makes it the ideal weapon to use with a powerful cast build, as you can bait enemies into the cast area and then repeatedly unleash your special on all of them. Your best bet for this build is to try and increase your attack speed to up your damage output, but also abilities like Demeter’s Frigid Sprint are extremely useful. You’re bound to be dashing to avoid attacks and create distance a lot with this weapon, so adding a slowing effect onto anyone nearby is a huge help.

On that note, Demeter is the best god to focus on with this weapon, as the freeze effect is invaluable. When it comes to ranged attacks, getting your foe to hold still will let you reliably deal way more damage than when they’re running all over the place.

Best Moonstone Axe builds in Hades 2

The Moonstone Axe is for the slow powerhouses / Supergiant Games

The Moonstone Axe is all about slow but powerful strikes, it has a large arc in its swing and hits harder than any other weapon in the game.

Once again Poseidon’s Wave Strike combos well with this weapon, specifically its omega attack which sees you repeatedly spin around with your axe. If you use the Wave Strike to knock enemies away from you then you can repeatedly combo this move over and over, as the distance created negates the long charge time.

Building up your cast is especially important to making this weapon work. With so many long wind-ups for attacks, holding your opponent in place and potentially nuking them with omega casts and omega attacks at the same time is a potent combo. Try to add extra damage options onto your cast like Zeus’ lightning or Demeter’s freeze.

As for what to attach to your weapon, go as big and bold as possible. Scorch can help you out, but we say take Hephaestus’ Blast effects to maximize the carnage and AoE effects on this weapon.

Best Argent Skull builds in Hades 2

Argent Skull / Supergiant Games

The Argent Skull is a strange weapon that mixes both ranged and melee attacks. Your main attack sees you fire off skulls – although you have a limited amount before you must retrieve them from the field. Your special helps with this, as it is a forward charge that deals damage you everything you hit.

Your special and omega special are what you should focus on building up with this weapon as they have the greatest damage-dealing potential – although having the ranged option with the skulls is great, so don’t neglect them. That said, with your charge, you’ll often end up close to your foes, so a powerful cast wouldn’t go amiss either – boons like Aphrodite’s Rapture Ring would help you keep foes together for a second charge.

Anything that speeds up your attacks, or your channeling time is especially good for the Argent Skull, as while the omega special is powerful, it leaves you vulnerable for a while as it channels, and once you’ve executed it. That’s why, alongside a good cast, a boon that enhances your sprint, like Demeter’s Frigid Sprint is very helpful.