One of the reasons Hades has such a high replay value is the adaptability of the gameplay. Between the weapons, perks, and perks of the Night Mirror, it's possible to craft a weapon for any playstyle you want. If you're tired of using a high damage melee build, you can upgrade to a tank or a fast racing build. There are also a lot of wacky constructs to experiment with just for the occasional fun. Here's our list of weapon choices and weapon builds for some of Hades' most common play styles.
Remote DPS
The Heartseeker Bow isn't the most popular weapon in the game, but it can do a lot of damage with the right build. The Aspect of Hera and Aspect of Zagreus are the best options for good ranged DPS building. Aspect of Hera lets you load up your Cast ammo in your next shot. Aspect of Zagreus increases your critical attack chance by up to 10%. Both of these aspects work perfectly with the Artemis and Mirror of Night perks that enhance your cast.
The Boiling Blood and Hell Soul perks increase your casting ammo and the amount of damage you deal to enemies with a Bloodstone stuck in them. It works well with Aspect of Hera which allows you to integrate a Bloodstone with your normal attack just like you would with Cast. If you use the Zagreus aspect, you can combine these perks with the perks of Deadly Strike, Real Fire, and Artemis Pressure Points to further increase your critical damage.
Aside from the benefits of Artemis, this build can also benefit from the benefits of Poseidon. Poseidon's perks increase damage and grant your attacks the knockback effect. You can keep enemies at bay while doing high damage with increased critical chance from Artemis perks or increased damage from casting perks.
Melee DPS
The aspect of Nemesis on the Stygian Blade gives you the potential to rack up huge amounts of damage. This aspect increases the critical chance by up to 30% after your special attack. Combine this with the benefits of Artemis and Ares to increase your overall damage. The Perks of Artemis further increase your critical chance and provide you with tons of perks for your casting. Ares' perks increase your damage, grant your attacks the Doom effect, and allow you to create damaging blade cracks.
Combine Artemis perks with certain Night Mirror perks to get huge critical bonuses and deal even more damage with Doom and Blade Rifts. Boiling Blood increases your attack and special damage dealt to enemies that have a Bloodstone sunk into them. Infernal Soul increases the number of Bloodstones you can carry on each level. These perks for Cast work great with Artemis' True Shot perk which gives them critical chance and kickback effect.
Ares' Curse of Agony, Curse of Pain, and Blade Dash will all give you the ability to deal Doom damage to enemies. Blade Dash also allows you to create a damaging Blade Rift which can be really useful when dealing with a large number of opponents. Battle Rage and Urge to Kill further increase your damage, especially after killing an opponent. If you can combine these perks with the increased crit chance given by Artemis and Aspect of Nemesis, you can do a short job on almost any enemy or boss.
Remote AoE
The Adamant Rail is arguably the best AoE weapon in the game. The primary attack doesn't do as much damage as the heart seeking bow, but its rate of fire is much higher. Where it really shines is its special bombard attack that throws a big grenade. The Aspect of Lucifer and Aspect of Eris can really increase your damage and give big benefits to AoE attacks. Aspect of Eris allows you to deal up to 60% more damage after absorbing your special's explosion. The Aspect of Lucifer gives the weapon a new set of moves that include Hellfire Bombs. These bombs have a slightly smaller radius than grenades, but they deal damage over time to nearby enemies and explode when damaged. You can stack the bombs to create a huge explosion or spread them over an arc to create advantage effects.
These two aspects will benefit the most from the benefits of Dionysus and Demeter. Interestingly, the aspect of Lucifer also benefits a lot from the benefits of Zeus. Dionysus' Drunken Flourish will slow down and stun enemies within range of your special when it explodes. Demeter's Mistral Dash sends a blast past your dash that inflicts Chill on nearby enemies and slows them down. Both, when used with either aspect, will allow you to damage a large number of enemies at once. If you can't find any of these gods while exploring, the benefits of Aphrodite also work very well.
With the aspect of Lucifer, the advantage of Zeus Lightning Strike is actually a bit broken. The Aspect already has a long-range beam attack that hits more frequently than normal bullets. When combined with Zeus' chain lightning effect, the Aspect creates multiple chains very frequently causing massive damage.
The Adamant Rail can be upgraded for AoE builds with a Daedalus Hammer. Upgrade the rail with Rocket Bomb, Cluster Bomb, Hazard Bomb, or Targeting System to dramatically increase your damage radius.
Melee zone
The Eternal Lance has the longest range of all melee weapons, can double as a ranged weapon, and has a special with a great area of effect. Guan Yu's aspect is best at dealing area damage due to his Serpent Slash charged attack. If you haven't gained Guan Yu's aspect yet, Achilles aspect is a great alternative. The Serpent Slash attack allows you to send a spinning blade that has a smaller radius than the normal charged attack but lasts longer and has a longer range. With the aspect of Achilles, instead of reminding you of the spear after throwing it, you charge where it lands, dealing more damage to enemies along the way.
Combine the spear with the benefits of Dionysus, Aphrodite and Poseidon to really ruin a day of shade. Dionysus' bounties slow down and stun enemies, giving you plenty of opportunities to deal more damage. Aphrodite's bounties inflict Weak, making them more vulnerable to damage while weakening their attacks. These two effects work very well together but go particularly well with the benefits of Poseidon. Poseidon's perks increase your damage, deal knockbacks, and deal damage over time to enemies while moving. Adding a Poseidon Boon to any build of Aphrodite or Dionysus will have you racking up a ton of damage over a very wide range.
You can gain more of these benefits by upgrading your spear with a Daedalus Hammer. If you're lucky enough to find a hammer, go for the Winged Serpent, Massive Spin, or Exploding Launcher upgrades to deal even more damage over a larger area.
High combos
The best weapon for players who want to set up high combo chains is the Twin Fists of Malphon. The Twin Fists' base attack is a combo of quick hits that do little damage. All weapon attacks, including the special dash, can be chained. The Aspect of Demeter really capitalizes on these combos by hitting your special multiple times after you've chained 12 strikes. Aspect of Talos turns the special into a magnetic attack that pulls enemies out of your reach.
Whichever aspect you choose, a good combination build will need the advantages of Hermes, Zeus, and Artemis. Hermes' perks can increase your attack speed, allowing you to chain more hits in a shorter amount of time. Its perks can also increase your movement speed, making it much easier for you to reduce distance from ranged enemies.
Zeus' bounties will grant you chain lightning effects that will come in handy when dealing with large groups of enemies or enemies that are just out of range of your attack. Its benefits can also curse enemies with the Shaken effect which will cause them to discharge lightning bolts after a few seconds.
Artemis Perks are designed to increase critical strike chance and damage. This works great for taking down tougher enemies with the Twin Fists' bug bite type attacks. These perks also increase the damage and utility of Cast attacks which can further increase the combined damage of the Mirror of Night perks.
Tank-Jug
Is it really any surprise that Aegis is the best tank weapon yet. Start this build by combining the Zagreus aspect or the Beowulf aspect with perks like Death Defiance, Thick Skin, and Dark Night Mirror regeneration. This combination gives you a very high base HP which can be regenerated very easily. Death Defiance will also bring you back to life in the event of an incident.
Aspect of Zagreus reduces damage by 10% when fully leveled, which is an additional addition to the shield's defensive abilities. The Aspect of Beowulf actually increases the damage you take, but when you use Cast you gain a robust three-second buff that prevents your next action from being interrupted and reduces the damage you take by 30%.
Once you're in the dungeon, focus on Athena's perks. All of Athena's perks grant you the ability to deflect your opponents' attacks or reduce the amount of damage you take from enemies and the environment. Some of its perks also increase the amount of health restored by Death Defiance.
Aphrodite's perks should also be added to a tank build when available. Almost all of Aphrodite's perks can easily inflict Weak on enemies by reducing their damage. Aphrodite also has a perk that increases the amount of health restored through rewards.
Speed
The Stygian Blade with the aspect of Zagreus is best for players who want to get more attacks rather than having high base damage power. This is the default weapon in the game and when fully leveled it dramatically increases your base speed and dash distance. Combine this aspect with the benefits of Hermes to further increase your speed and dash distance. With good Hermès construction, you can easily navigate each room. This build is especially useful against bosses with large arcs of attack or who attack from multiple directions like Hydra and Theseus and Asterius. Just be careful in Asphodel, a misstep and you will lose health at the lava pits.
