How To Deal More Damage In Hades

Key Takeaways

• Utilize Chaos boons for bonus damage, but beware of potential trade-offs.
• Choosing the right keepsake and weapon sets the tone for a successful run in
  Hades
  .
• Be picky with boon choices and remember to use duo boons to maximize damage output.

For players trying to escape the Underworld for the first time or the hundredth time, knowing how to maximize damage output in Hades is crucial to survival. While getting everything to line up perfectly for a successful run isn’t always possible, there are several things players should keep in mind to better prepare for the upcoming fights.

Between the basics of setting up Zagreus for success before a run even starts and the mechanics to remember during the run itself, several features can impact the outcome of a run, including player-made choices. Ranging from refusing boons to knowing when not to pick hammer options, there are ten things any Hades player should keep in mind when trying to boost their damage.

10 Privileged Status And Family Favorite

Suiting Each Playstyle

Perhaps the trickiest part of setting up the Mirror of Night is picking whether to use the Privileged Status condition, which makes enemies afflicted by two different curses take 40% more damage, and the Family Favorite condition, which increases general damage output by 5% based on how many Olympians the player has boons for. Neither one is the wrong choice, but players who intend to use one over the other need to keep those conditions in mind.

For most runs, players with Family Favorite will generally deal 25% extra damage, making it more consistent than Privileged Status. However, for players who plan on picking gods with immediate access to curses, such as Aphrodite or Dionysus, or will remember to pick bonus boons forom other gods to gain their curses, such as Zeus and Artemis, Privileged Status can be highly rewarding.

9 Chaos Boons

A Brief Detour

A bonus way for players to deal damage can be found through the primordial being Chaos, with gates to their domain occasionally found in normal rooms. While Chaos boons offer direct ways to increase damage, the temporary trade-offs may be enough of a deterrent for players.

Most of the time, taking a boon from Chaos is beneficial. However, depending on what random banes are attributed to the boons before the positive aspects go into effect, it can be a detriment in the short term. If the Chaos gate appears before a boss chamber, selecting boons that do not disable a main attack or reduce the dash often takes precedence over pure damage output.

8 Keepsakes

Starting Runs Right

One of the most obvious factors in determining how a run will go comes from picking a specific keepsake, which can easily change the difficulty of an escape attempt. With plenty of options for how a run will start, players should plan each escape attempt with a keepsake in mind.

The various god keepsakes are the simplest, but often most effective, options for determining what god boons the player starts with, but for more adventurous players, the Pierced Butterfly or Shattered Shackle could offer even better support.

7 Picking The Right Weapons

The Heavy-Hitters

With 24 options to pick from, deciding which weapon Zagreus will use plays a major role in how each run plays out. While certain aspects are far stronger than others, the best options for weapons should revolve around what playstyle best fits the player.

Overall, the Beowulf aspect for the Shield and the Chiron aspect for the Bow are extremely powerful options for anyone. Additionally, the Eris aspect for the Rail has high potential with the right hammers and boons. Even with that in mind, players who gravitate towards the sword or another weapon type should continue with what works best and with whatever feels easiest.

6 Well Of Charon Items

Bonus Ways To Boost Damage

An often ignored aspect of runs in Hades, the random Charon wells occasionally found in rooms can easily boost damage output at the cost of Obols, the game’s main currency.

Offering direct and immediate damage-increasing items like the Jerky, Braid, and Bangle, players should always check what items are available on the off-chance there’s something beneficial floating inside Charon’s shop. While it’s best to not re-roll the items initially offered, more often than not there’s at least one item that’s a must-buy.

5 Hermes Boons

The Need For Speed

Operating as a support god instead of the standard god boons that fill in attack, dash, and call slots, Hermes initially seems to only offer ways to speed up a run. While that is the intent of the boons offered by him, there is a certain boon that players should keep an eye out for.

Rush Delivery, which can only be offered after Zagreus has either the Greater Haste or Hyper Sprint boons, or the Lambent Plume item, grants bonus damage based on bonus movement speed. At its best, it grants the player 125% bonus damage based on their additional speed, which can further be increased by the Ignited Ichor item.

4 Utilizing Every Damage Option

Remember The Cast

With the many weapons available to Zagreus offering plenty of effective and simple ways to deal damage, the sometimes forgotten cast ability can fall to the wayside.

The cast may not play the role of main damage dealer, but it can easily increase a player’s overall damage dealt thanks to choices made in the Mirror. However, with certain gods like Demeter and Ares, the cast easily becomes the strongest weapon available.

3 Boon Choices

The Importance Of Being Picky

Even though it may feel like wasting options, it can be more beneficial for players to be more restrictive when deciding not to take a boon. Especially early on in Tartarus, being slightly picky with Olympians can lead to a stronger boon pool.

In most runs, players will only have four different Olympians to pick boons from, with Hermes as a probable fifth. While all the main Olympian gods can offer viable means for dealing damage, some are certainly better than others, and attempting to keep a stronger pool of four gods to pick from can lead to better boons later on.

2 Picking The Right Hammers

The Danger Of “Trick” Hammers

Daedalus hammers are often the strongest ways to buff the various Infernal Arms that Zagreus has access to during a run, but even these powerful tools can be detrimental.

Most of the time, the options received through the hammers are net positives. However, certain upgrades can instantly ruin weapons. Picking the World Splitter upgrade for the Sword or the Hazard Bomb upgrade on the Eris Aspect on the Rail sounds good in terms of pure damage, until players realize that the feel of the attack is suddenly completely different on the Sword, or that the main benefit of the Eris Rail is ruined.

1 The Importance Of Duo Boons

Powers Combined

As some of the strongest boons in the entire game, duo boons are often the crux of many run plans and a great way to maximize damage output.

With options like Sea Storm, Heart Rend, and Merciful End, players can easily turn their simple attacks into devastating blows that melt boss health bars in mere seconds. Duo boons may not all be inherently powerful, but the strongest examples stand leagues above the rest.