Part 19

Learn how to maximize Cast builds with Hades II's Aspect of Achilles and master the Aspect of Hades' Punishing Sweep.

Aspect of Achilles (Cast Focus)

The Aspect of Achilles offers a significant damage boost to your Casts, making it superior to the Aspect of Poseidon for Cast-buffing, especially with Non-Sticking Casts. Unlike the Aspect of Poseidon, it doesn't require unsticking bloodstones with its Special. While the Aspect of Achilles' Raging Rush (a buff that empowers your next attack) can be a nuisance to reapply, requiring you to deplete all 4 boosted techniques before recharging, the immense damage boost makes it the definitive choice for Cast-spamming builds.

Without an exceptional Cast configuration, the damage output can be underwhelming, similar to the Aspect of Poseidon. Raging Rush can be used to empower your Attack as a last resort if boon offerings are poor. To maximize your chances of an exceptional Cast setup, use god-specific Keepsakes, especially before reaching Styx, where switching to the Lucky Tooth or Distant Memory might be more beneficial. Other weapons are generally better if you are not focusing on Cast-spamming.

Complementary Upgrades & Boons for Aspect of Achilles:

• Upgrades: Mostly irrelevant unless using Raging Rush to buff your Attack, which is a waste of its potential. Avoid Serrated Point.
• Boons: Focus on Casting boons. Defensive Dash boons (Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter) and defensive Special boons (Aphrodite, Demeter, Athena, possibly Dionysus with Numbing Sensation) are also useful. For Attack boons, prioritize percentage damage increases to synergize with Raging Rush (Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis, Athena).

Aspect of Hades (Eternal Spear)

The Aspect of Hades is the only Aspect of the Eternal Spear that provides significant area-of-effect (AoE) damage and utility. It transforms the spin attack into Punishing Sweep, greatly expanding its radius and applying a debuff that increases damage taken by Attack and Special moves for 10 seconds. At max Aspect level, this debuff provides a +150% damage increase.

The main challenge with the Aspect of Hades is safely executing the Punishing Sweep. While its charge time is brief, you are vulnerable during the charge. Even with its increased range, you must be close enough to hit enemies, and getting staggered is a common concern.

Tips for Utilizing Punishing Sweep

• Hit through walls: Punishing Sweep can hit enemies through walls and barriers, allowing you to attack from safety. This is particularly useful in Elysium and against Hades's beam attacks.
• Dash cancel: You can execute a dash immediately after releasing the Sweep. This projects the spin attack's radius forward through the dash, extending its reach.
• Eternal Spear Upgrades: Three upgrades are crucial for safely executing Punishing Sweeps:

  • Massive Spin: Maintains additional distance from enemies.
• Flaring Spin: Makes you sturdy (prevents stagger) while charging and its flare effect can stagger nearby enemies.
• Quick Spin: Reduces the charge time needed for the spin attack.

The ideal upgrade combination is Massive Spin plus either Quick Spin or Flaring Spin. Quick Spin enhances spammability, while Flaring Spin offers better stagger prevention and its flaring effect was buffed in a post-release patch.

Special Attack Usage:

Your Special attack is generally not recommended as it lacks speed and broadness to complement the Sweep's strategy. While you can attempt to apply a debuff boon to your Special to trigger Privileged Status (note: the Punishing Sweep's debuff does not trigger Privileged Status), it's more effective to stack debuffs onto your Dash and Attack and use them repeatedly. Recommended boons for Attack and Dash include Demeter, Aphrodite (ideally with Expose), and Athena (ideally with Expose). Zeus (ideally with Jolt) is a possibility for the Attack slot. A favored setup is Heartbreak Strike/Mistral Dash, as Mistral Dash's forward gust complements the Spear's reach.