Part 10

A detailed breakdown of each God's Call in Hades II, including their effects, damage, and strategic uses for different builds and encounters.

This section analyzes the various God Calls available in Hades II, detailing their effects, damage potential, and strategic applications. While some Calls excel in direct damage or crowd control, others offer unique defensive or utility benefits. The effectiveness of each Call can be significantly influenced by supplementary boons and the player's overall build.

Call Effects and Analysis:

Dionysus

Dionysus’s Call can synergize well with Zeus’s Billowing Strength boon (+20% damage for 15 seconds after using Call) due to its frequent activation, allowing for repeated damage spikes.

Athena

Invulnerable, Deflect all attacks for 1.5 seconds; Max Gauge: 6x duration
Athena’s Call is unique as it doesn’t directly inflict damage. However, it provides a substantial period of invulnerability, allowing players to attack freely without fear of reprisal. Even the base 1.5 seconds is enough to avoid critical hits from powerful enemies. While many builds may favor damage-dealing Calls, Athena’s offers unparalleled safety and is capped only by the player's build efficiency.

Aphrodite

Fires a seeking projectile that inflicts Charm on a single opponent for 5 seconds; Max Gauge: 2500 damage
The primary appeal of Aphrodite’s Call is its flat 2500 damage to a single target, making it ideal for quickly damaging bosses. The Charm effect can interrupt enemy attacks, such as Hades’s full-circle beam. Its short activation time makes it particularly beneficial for ranged builds, though players can still take damage from other enemies.

Artemis

Fires a seeking arrow for 100 damage with 35% critical change; Max Gauge: 10 arrows fired
*Costs 1/5 of God Gauge to use standard Call; other Call effects cost 1/4 of Gauge.
Artemis’s Call deals damage without requiring close proximity to a specific enemy, though its targeting can sometimes be unpredictable. It offers a trade-off between guaranteed impact and safety, making it suitable for builds that rely on ranged damage and have lower health pools. It is generally considered a decent but unspectacular option.

Poseidon

Turn invincible and charge into foes for 250 damage and knockback per hit for 1.2 seconds; Max Gauge: 7.2 second duration
Poseidon’s Call is difficult to control for single-target damage in boss fights, resulting in underwhelming output. It is primarily designed for clearing large groups of enemies in standard chambers with its knockback effect. While not ideal for the most challenging encounters, it can provide brief invulnerability to avoid strong hits and is effective against Lernie’s multiple heads during crowd-control phases. The Rip Current boon can enhance its effectiveness against groups, but it is already capable in its base form.

Zeus

Continuous 50-damage lightning bolts around you for 1.5 seconds; Max Gauge: 9 second duration
Zeus’s Call occupies an uncertain niche, dealing solid area-of-effect damage that doesn’t necessarily focus on a single target. It centers damage around Zagreus and requires proximity to enemies. It lasts for nine seconds without providing invulnerability or damage mitigation. While useful, it is often outperformed by other Calls unless complemented by the Splitting Bolt Legendary boon.

Demeter

Creates an expanding vortex dealing 10 damage plus Chill every 0.25 seconds for 5 seconds; Max Gauge: 15 second duration
Demeter’s Call can inflict Chill, but its damage output is lower compared to other Calls. The Greater Call version yields 600 damage over 15 seconds, equivalent to a single use of Dionysus’s Call. Given that Chill can be applied through other means, Demeter’s Call is often better reserved for situations where more reliable damage per second is needed, especially against single bosses.

Supplementary Boons:

This section briefly touches upon supplementary boons (non-Duo, non-Legendary) that are not tied to primary skills. The effectiveness of these boons is highly dependent on the player's build, weapon, and other skills. The list is sorted alphabetically by god.