The beauty of critically-acclaimed roguelike Hades is in the endless combinations of gameplay mechanics at players’ disposals during their slugfests to the surface. None of these mechanics are more important than the powerful run-specific Boons bestowed to Prince Zagreus by his kinfolk, the Olympian Gods. There are 9 Gods in Hades, each providing their own unique set of powers to help guide the young Prince to their domain on Mount Olympus for one hell of a family reunion.
However, even the Gods aren’t perfect, and some Boons are better than others. How players mix, match, manage, and stack these bountiful Boons is absolutely vital in ensuring Zagreus has what it takes to fight off the wretches and the damned through the four biomes of the underworld. That and pissing off his immortal father in the process.
Here are the Boons that Hades players should add to their build from each Olympian God, alongside the Boons they should avoid like a hug from Cerberus. The focus here is solely on Standard Boons and excludes Duo and Legendary Boons, much rarer and more difficult to obtain during a standard run.
9 Aphrodite
Best: Life Affirmation - The Goddess of Love loves us right back. This Boon is a lifesaver, especially when acquired early in a player’s run. Depending on the rarity, Zagreus adds 30%-48% to his Max Life when a Chamber rewards him with a Centaur Heart.
Worst: Crush Shot - The best Casts in Hades are long- and wide-range. Crust Shot doesn’t fulfill either condition. The Blown Kiss Boon improves range a bit, but if players aren’t lucky enough to find it they’re stuck with a short, slow, and frustrating spell. There are way better Casts to choose from.
8 Ares
Best: Curse of Agony - Adding Doom effects to Zagreus’ Attack is great, but this Boon becomes downright devastating when paired with Dire Misfortune, which stacks Doom multiple times and inflicts bonus damage per stack. It works even better with a quick-attack/multi-fire weapon like the Twin Fists or Adamant Rail.
Worst: Black Metal - The 20-26% Blade Rift Area of Effect bonus might sound like a lot, but to the naked eye there isn’t much difference between Blade Rifts with or without this Boon. Do not waste a slot, Ares’ other Boons are far superior.
7 Artemis
Best: Deadly Flourish - Increases your Special’s damage by 40% plus a 20% chance of dealing Critical Damage, which is already +300% damage. Even more deadly on powerful Infernal Arms, like the Stygian Blade or Shield of Chaos, with quicker and wide-ranging Specials.
Worst: Hunter Dash - This is the only Dash Boon that actively bypasses the Dash and instead focuses on the Dash-Strike. While bonus damage to Dash-Strike can be a killer attack, this Boon is not worth wasting a Dash Slot that would be better served with, say Poseidon’s or Athena’s Dashes.
6 Athena
Best: Divine Dash - It’s a helluva lotta fun dashing and dancing around as the scourge of the underworld, but even more so with wise Athena’s help. With Divine Dash, players can Deflect projectile attacks back at their foes for extra damage, turning the tide in almost every battle. Essential for beginners.
Worst: Sure Footing - Not that it’s not helpful. This Boon can help players avoid accidental death by lava, spikes, or ax-to-the-head with its trap damage reduction. Compared to all Athena’s other Boons though, Sure Footing is surely last on the priority list.
5 Demeter
Best: Rare Crop - It’s harvest time! With this Boon in tow, up to 3 random Boons are downgraded to Common, then gain Rarity every 3 Encounters. Acquired early enough in a player’s run, Rare Crop can have Zagreus Heroically overpowered by the first boss.
Worst: Crystal Beam - This Cast is frustrating as Hell. The beam follows foes too slowly and if the placement is even slightly off, targets are missed completely. It can be redeemed if players also find Glacial Glare to extend beam duration and Duo Boon Crystal Clarity, which increases beam damage and follows foes faster, but the gamble rarely pays off.
4 Dionysus
Best: Strong Drink - Fountains are lovely little respites peppered throughout Hades, offering Zagreus some well-deserved rest and health. With Strong Drink, libation-loving Dionysus spikes the mix, giving the player max health and a potent damage bonus. A full run always includes at least 4 Fountains, so grab this as early as possible before the bottle empties.
Worst: Bad Influence - Not a bad option during regular Encounters, as it boosts damage when 3+ foes have Hangover, but in 1-on-1 boss battles this Boon is virtually useless. Like a Bad Influence in real life, stay away.
3 Hermes
Best: Greater Evasion / Side Hustle - The only true toss-up in the game. The ability to automatically dodge enemy attacks is a godsend, but so is receiving a nice bit of coin upon entering every subsequent chamber. The chance to buy-out Charon’s wares, again and again, is tempting…
Worst: Quick Favor - An auto-filling God Gauge sounds fantastic, but at only 1% per second, it’s a slow build-up as players have to wait almost two full minutes to fill their gauge. Even with Heroic rarity, it’s 50 seconds. Who has time for that?
2 Poseidon
Best: Poseidon’s Aid - By far the best Call in the game, dear uncle Poseidon transforms “little Hades” into a one-man tidal wrecking crew as he rips, crashes, and knocks enemies away, dealing immense impact damage while remaining Impervious for the duration.
Worst: Ocean’s Bounty - Poseidon has arguably the best Boon list, but if there is one that becomes less relevant the longer a playthrough lasts, it’s Ocean’s Bounty. By 50, 60, or 100 escape attempts, players can collect enough Darkness to purchase every Mirror of Night upgrade, and plenty of Gemstones for Chamber Renovations, making the extras provided from this Boon irrelevant. Though more Obols are always welcome.
1 Zeus
Best: Electric Shot - Zeus’ Cast is shockingly even more effective when paired with other Area of Effect Boons like Storm Lightning, which adds up to 8 extra chain-lightning bounces. As the old saying goes, revenge is a dish best served extra crispy.
Worst: Lightning Reflexes - While not a bad Boon, Dashing just before getting hit is not easy to master, and not worth it for a small payoff of 20-50 lightning damage to foes. Since most of Zeus’ Boons hurl bolts at baddies anyway, save a Slot for something better.
NEXT: Hades - 10 Pro Tips To Escape The Underworld
