The Best Boons and Upgrades in Hades II

Hades II is finally in early access for PC players, and that means another round of God-like dungeon-crawling through this tough title. Finding the right Boon combinations is key to crushing bosses and enemies in Hades II, so make sure you have the right Boons and upgrades to tackle all that Chronos has to throw at you.

Best Boons From Each God in Hades II

All Screenshots/Images via Supergiant Games

Below are our picks for the best Boons in Hades II’s Early Access. This list is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Last Updated: May 13, 2024

Aphrodite

Flutter Flourish: Your Specials deal more damage to nearby foes.
Flutter Strike: Your Attacks deal more damage to nearby foes.
Healthy Rebound: Whenever you exit a location, restore 100% Life if you have not lost too much.
Rupture Ring: Your Casts drag foes in and inflict Weak.
Secret Crush
Wispy Wiles: While you have 4 Air, you have a chance to dodge any damage.

Apollo

Lucid Gain: While standing in your casts, gradually restore magick.
Nova Strike: Your Attacks deal more damage in a larger area.
Self Healing: While you have at least 3 Fire, whenever you take damage, you restore some life.

Arachne

Scarlet Dress: Don a +10 Armor Outfit that makes your Casts deal +100% damage.

Artemis

Lethal Snare: Foes in your casts take critical damage from your attacks
Support Fire: After you hit with your attacks or specials, fire a seeking arrow.

Choas

Flayed Strike: For the next 4 Encounters, each time you use Specials, get hit for -3 Life. Afterward, your Attacks deal +31 damage.
Ordinary Strike: The next 3 Boons you find are limited to Common blessings, afterward your Attack deals +42% damage.

Demeter

Arctic Ring: Your Cast repeatedly deals damage in the area and inflicts Freeze
Ice Strike: Your Attacks deal more damage and inflict Freeze

Echo

Evad Evade Evade: Gain +50% Dodge chance, but lose 2% of this each time you Dodge.
Reward Reward Reward: Manifest a copy of your most recently claimed Reward

Hades

Deep Dissent: In your confrontation, Chronos summers fewer reinforcements
Life Tax: Restore Life for 1% of damage you deal until you reach the limit
Old Grudge: In your confrontation, Chronos takes a burst of damage after the first 3 seconds (-20% Max Life)

Hephaestus

Volcanic Flourish: Your Specials occasionally create a blast that deals 400 damage in the area.
Volcanic Strike: Your Attacks occasionally create a blast that deals 200 damage in the area.
Smithy Sprint: After you Sprint for 1 second, use 10 Magick to create a blast that deals damage to nearby foes.
Trusty Shield: After you enter a Location, Prime 30 Magick to gain Armor until the next Location.

Hera

Sworn Strike: Your attacks deal more damage and inflict Hitch (afflicted foes take 30% damage from other enemies.

Hermes

Greater Evasion: When you are struck, you may Dodge any damage.
Mean Streak: Each time you slay a foe, deal more damage for the next 30 seconds.
Swift Flourish: Your Specials are faster.

Hestia

Flammable Coating: Your Scorch effects deal bonus damage to armor.
Flame Flourish: Your Specials inflict Scorch.
Flame Strike: Your Attacks inflict Scorch
Hearth Gain: Rapidly restore Magick, but you have -20% Max Life.
Pyro Technique: Your Scorch Effects Deal Damage Faster.
Soot Sprint: Your Sprint destroys most ranged shots near you and inflicts Scorch on foes that fired.

Medea

Corrosion on Sight: After a foe joins the Encounter, it loses 50% of any armor it has.
Malice in Kind: Whenever a foe makes you use Death Defiance, it lose 15% of its Life.
Traces of Spirit: After each encounter, gain 10 Max Magick

Poseidon

Fluid Gain: After you strike foes with your Weapon, a Spirit Bubble may appear.
Flood Control: After you enter a location, prime 30 Magick to reduce any damage you would take.
Geyser Ring: Your Omega cast immediately detonates, dealing damage and knocking foes away

Selene

Dark Side: Your Hex turns you into an Impervious living nightmare with her own abilities for 5 seconds.
Lunar Ray: Your Hex fires a beam that deals up to 1200 damage over 3 seconds.
Moon Water: Your Hex restores 25 Life up to 3 times, which reset whenever you use Fountains.

Zeus

Lightning Lance: Hold Cast to aim where the binding circle appears. Foes within are struck by lightning.
Static Shock: After you enter a Location, Prime 50 Magick to make your strikes emit chain lightning.
Thunder Sprint: Your Spring causes nearby foes to be struck by lightning bolts, which use 3 Magick each.

Best Duo Boons in Hades II

Funeral Pyre (Hera and Hestia)

When you channel Omega moves, repeatedly inflict Scorch on nearby foes

Phoenix Skin (Apollo and Hestia)

Give up -100 Max Life. If you do not take or deal damage for 3 seconds, rapidly restore Life

Best Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

Below you’ll find the best Daedalus upgrades for the weapons in Hades II, which we’re also updating as well play.

Argent Skull

Possessed Array: Your Shells fire your Omega Attack for 0 Magick whenever retrieved, but take longer to drop.
Sidelong Crash: Your Omega projectiles deal +120% damage and shoot farther, but only to one side.

Descura: The Witch’s Staff

Melting Swipe: Your dash strike hits a larger area and destroys 60% of any Armor.

Lim and Oros: Sister Blades

Explosive Ambush: Your Omega Attack hits a wide area for +400% damage but uses +20 Magick.
Final Slice: The Last slice in your attack sequence deals +300% damage in a larger area.
Hook Knives: Your Specials return to you and deal +50% damage striking foes from behind.

Ygnium: The Umbral Flames

Coming Soon!

Zorephet: The Moonstone Axe

Dashing Heave: Your Dash-Strike deals +200% damage in a larger area.
Melting Shredder: Your Special destroys 35% of any Armor (based on the total)
Psychic Whirlwind: During your Omega Attack, you are free to use your Attacks and Specials.

Best Boon/Upgrade Combos

Best Sister Blades Build

Explosive Ambush: Your Omega attack hits a wide area for +400% damage but uses +20 Magick (Daedalus’ Hammer)
Final Slice: The last strike of your attack sequence deals +300% damage in a larger area. (Daedalus’ Hammer)
Flame Flourish: Your Specials inflict Scorch. (Hestia)
Flammable Coating: Your Scorch effects deal bonus damage to armor
Hearth Gain: Rapidly restore Magick, but you have -20% Max Life (Hestia)
Hook Knives: Your Specials return to you and deal +50% damage striking foes from behind. (Daedalus’ Hammer)
Pyro Technique: Your Scorch effects deal damage faster. (Hestia)

This build uses the Special of the Sister Blades to throw a rebounding blade that strikes behind enemies for increased damage, inflicting Scorch in the process for additional damage over time. It’s best to strike from a distance and stay mobile using this build.

Best Argent Skull Build

Chain Reaction: If you use your blast effects from Hephaestus just after they recharge, they fire 2 times (Duo Boon: Hephaestus and Hestia)
Furnace Blast: Your blast effects from Hephaestus also inflict Vent on foes (Hephaestus)
Hearth Gain: Rapidly restore Magick, but you have -20% Max Life (Hestia)
Possessed Array: Shells fire your Omega attack for 0 Magick whenever retrieved, but take longer to drop (Daedalus’ Hammer)
Thunder Sprint: Your Sprint causes nearby foes to be struck by lightning bolts, which use 3 Magick each (Zeus)
Volcanic Flourish: Your Specials occasionally create a blast that deals 200 damage in the area (Hephaestus)
Volcanic Strike: Your Attacks occasionally create a blast that deals 200 damage in the area (Hephaestus)

Because the Argent Skull can’t attack quickly, you must maximize your damage output with each strike. Pairing this ranged weapon with Hephaestus’s hard-hitting Volcanic attacks gives sizable damage with strikes regularly. Stay at range and use the Thunder Sprint to strike any foes that get too close (or deal damage while you recover your ammo).

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