Part 15

Hades II Duo Boon analysis including Aphrodite's Call and Merciful End, plus a tier list of the best weapon aspects.

Duo Boons Analyzed:

Aphrodite – Greater Call: Relies on a full Greater Call (an ultimate ability) for significant boss fight impact. Standard Calls do not deal direct damage or sufficiently disrupt bosses to be viable. Using Aphrodite's Aid with Smoldering Air against Hades proved ineffective due to repeated lack of damage.

Smoldering Air (Duo): Can be excellent but is highly situational. It's more effective when paired with Call-triggered supplementary boons (like Second Wind, Billowing Strength) that benefit from repeated use and a Call that functions well in smaller increments (excluding Aphrodite, Ares, and preferably Hades). It is not recommended to grab Smoldering Air without considering build synergy, as it may be detrimental.

Merciful End (Duo, Ares/Athena): Attacks that deflect immediately activate Doom effects, adding an additional 40 damage. Doom effects take one second to activate. Merciful End does not have lingering effects to instantly activate future Doom-based attacks. It requires constant switching between Doom attacks and deflecting to save minimal time per Doom activation, which does not translate to sufficient damage per second to justify a Doom-based build. It is situational, but can provide a meaningful benefit with Divine Dash and a dash-strike oriented weapon on Curse of Agony. However, relying on Curse of Agony can offset the advantage of Privileged Status, diminishing Doom's strong raw damage potential.

Second Wave (Legendary, Poseidon): Knockback effects create a second knockback shortly after the first. Knockback is a situational effect that is effective in small chambers but largely pointless in large chambers, where most tough fights occur.

WEAPONS

Weapon Aspects are tiered based on general effectiveness, though specific priorities for a run (e.g., speed-running vs. Pact-based challenges) can alter their viability. Defensive Aspects like Malphon Aspect of Zagreus, Aspect of Chiron, or Aspect of Lucifer may not be ideal for speed-running, while Aspects like Aegis Aspect of Zagreus and Malphon Aspect of Demeter become relevant in those scenarios. For clearing runs with high Pact-based challenges (excluding time limits), defensive Aspects are worth considering.

Tier 1

• Stygian Blade, Aspect of Arthur
• Heart-Seeking Bow, Aspect of Chiron
• Adamant Rail, Aspect of Eris
• Twin Fists, Aspect of Zagreus

Tier 2

• Heart-Seeking Bow, Aspect of Hera
• Adamant Rail, Aspect of Lucifer
• Twin Fists, Aspect of Gilgamesh
• Eternal Spear, Aspect of Hades

Tier 3

• Shield of Chaos, Aspect of Zeus
• Shield of Chaos, Aspect of Beowulf
• Stygian Blade, Aspect of Nemesis
• Eternal Spear, Aspect of Achilles

Early Game Aspect Ranking (Aspects of Zagreus):

1. Twin Fists
2. Heart-Seeking Bow
3. Adamant Rail
4. Shield of Chaos
5. Stygian Blade
6. Eternal Spear

8) STYGIUS – STYGIAN BLADE

Attack: A three-swing melee combination that is adequate in all regards (width/length of swing, attack speed, damage output per swing) but superlative in none.

Dash Strike: The best feature of the standard Stygius Aspects, the dash strike has solid forward range and damage output, making the Stygian Blade more of a hit-and-run weapon than a hang-in-and-brawl option.

Special: A small area-of-effect attack centered around yourself with a slow leaping charge-up, during which you are likely to take damage in hectic encounters.

Stygius – General Summary: The Stygius, particularly in its Aspect of Zagreus form, is considered one of the weaker weapons due to a decent Attack but a poor Special and no meaningful damage benefits. As you progress, better Stygius forms offer buffs that encourage using the Special away from enemy crowds, relying on the Attack or dash-strike for damage within the fray. The best Special boon for any Stygius form is Divine Flourish, as it reduces vulnerability during and after the Special and complements the strategy of not using the Special up close (unless dislodging bloodstones with the Aspect of Poseidon). Boons designed to buff the Special's damage output, such as Super Nova or Double Nova, should be avoided. Snap Nova can be situationally useful (for the Aspect of Poseidon) but is generally considered a pointless Special buff.