Analyze Hades Duo boons like Aphrodite's Aid and Merciful End, and review weapon tiers including the Stygian Blade.
- 1Aphrodite's Aid (Duo, Aphrodite/Dionysus): This Greater Call (a powerful ability) is necessary for Aphrodite's Aid to be impactful in boss fights. Her standard Call does not deal direct damage and is insufficient for disrupting boss attacks. Using Aphrodite's Aid and Smoldering Air against Hades proved ineffective due to the lack of damage output.
- 2Smoldering Air (Duo, Aphrodite/Dionysus): While potentially excellent, Smoldering Air is more situational than most Duo boons. It can be an asset if you have Call-triggered supplementary boons (like Second Wind, Billowing Strength) that your build can repeatedly use, and a Call that functions well in smaller increments (avoiding Aphrodite, Ares, and preferably Hades). However, do not assume it will help any build; it may be detrimental.
- 3Merciful End (Duo, Ares/Athena): This boon causes attacks that deflect to immediately activate Doom effects, adding 40 damage. However, Doom takes one second to activate. Merciful End lacks lingering effects where future Doom-based attacks instantly activate after Merciful End takes hold. It requires constantly switching between your Doom attack and deflecting, saving only a fraction of a second per Doom, which does not justify a Doom-based attack build. Merciful End is more situational than bad. If you have Divine Dash and a dash-strike oriented weapon, it can benefit Curse of Agony, but relying on Curse of Agony can offset the advantage of Privileged Status due to Doom's strong raw damage.
- 4Second Wave (Legendary, Poseidon): This boon causes knockback effects to create a second knockback shortly after the first. Knockback is highly situational, devastating enemies in small chambers but mostly pointless in large ones. Tough fights in Hades often occur in large chambers, making this boon less useful.
- Consider your current build and available boons before selecting situational Duo boons like Smoldering Air.
- Merciful End is most effective with a dash-strike weapon and Divine Dash, but be mindful of its impact on other build synergies like Privileged Status.
- Poseidon's knockback boons, including Second Wave, are generally less effective in the larger arenas where most challenging fights take place.
Walkthrough:
Weapon tiers can vary based on player priorities. For speed-running, aspects like Malphon (Aspect of Zagreus), Chiron (Heart-Seeking Bow), or Lucifer (Adamant Rail) might not be optimal. For clearing runs with high Pact of Punishment challenges (excluding time limits), defensively-oriented aspects are worth considering.
Tier 1 Aspects:
- Stygian Blade, Aspect of Arthur
- Heart-Seeking Bow, Aspect of Chiron
- Adamant Rail, Aspect of Eris
- Twin Fists, Aspect of Zagreus
Tier 2 Aspects:
- Heart-Seeking Bow, Aspect of Hera
- Adamant Rail, Aspect of Lucifer
- Twin Fists, Aspect of Gilgamesh
- Eternal Spear, Aspect of Hades
Tier 3 Aspects:
- Shield of Chaos, Aspect of Zeus
- Shield of Chaos, Aspect of Beowulf
- Stygian Blade, Aspect of Nemesis
- Eternal Spear, Aspect of Achilles
For early-game players without enough Titan Blood for later aspects, a ranking of the base Zagreus aspects is: Twin Fists, Heart-Seeking Bow, Adamant Rail, Shield of Chaos, Stygian Blade, Eternal Spear.
Stygius (Stygian Blade) General Summary:
The Stygius is the first weapon encountered and is considered one of the weaker options. Its Attack is adequate, but its Special is poor, and the Aspect of Zagreus offers no significant damage benefits. As you progress, better Stygius forms buff the Special when used away from enemies, relying on the Attack or dash-strike for damage in combat. The best Special boon for any Stygius form is Divine Flourish, as it reduces vulnerability during and after the Special and complements not wanting to use the Special up close (unless using the Aspect of Poseidon to dislodge bloodstones). Avoid boons that buff Special damage like Super Nova or Double Nova. Snap Nova can be situationally useful for the Aspect of Poseidon but is generally a pointless Special buff.
- Prioritize aspects that align with your playstyle (speed-running vs. defensive).
- For the Stygian Blade, focus on boons that enhance the Attack and dash-strike, and use Divine Flourish for the Special.
- Be cautious with boons that specifically buff the Stygian Blade's Special attack, as it is generally weak.
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