Summary
What makes Hades so special is its unique artistic vision for all the Greek gods of the pantheon and the Boon abilities they have in store, which is even more masterfully crafted in the sequel,Hades 2. Some familiar favorites from the first game are now joined by an all-new set of gods, and they each come with pros and cons to their characters.
Some gods won’t feel as satisfying in their offerings to Milenoe and have some Boons you’d want to avoid, while others may prove more desirable, and you’ll want to see more of them. Here is the full roster of the gods and goddesses you’ll meet in Hades 2, ranked.
Hades 2 is in Early Access, so any information is subject to change as its development progresses.
11Selene
Seleneis one of the most interesting Boon-giving Gods becauseher gifts are tied to the Hex system. Pretty much any of the choices you see from this radiant celestial goddess of the moon will betied to how much magick you use throughout your run.Some Boons become available after 120 magick, while others, like Total Eclipse, are ready after 200.
The best one is probably Moon Water,which thankfully comes at the lowest amount of magick needed to be used. Still, the rest aren’t awfully exciting and can bequickly overshadowed by other deities' Boonsthat can be used on the fly during battle without the longer wait (though this does become better the higher your magick meter gets upgraded).
10Poseidon
Poseidonis another mixed bag of a God in Hades 2. He’s gotsome great Boons and some that are more questionableand a little too overpowered and silly which can hurt some of the experience.Fluid Gainis nice because it creates bubbles thatgive you back some of your magick, but then you have something like Breaker Sprint which will deplete your magick fast, as it’s tied to your sprint.
Some of Poseidon’s Boons are alsotied to ‘Sunken Treasure’ and resource-scavenging,which makes sense given he’s the god of the ocean, but they’renot the most vital to Melinoe’s successin facing off incredibly tough challenges in the arena. Theknockback effectfrom the splash and the damage it deals for attacks is, however, thebest part of Poseidon.
9Zeus
While he might be King of the Olympians,Zeusstill doesn’t represent the best of the best Gods to be solely relying on his Boons for the majority of your run. As you might expect,his Boons are all mostly about lightning damage, with his Curse being Blitz, but it’s not all that compelling.
TheBlitz and chain lightning effects can feel a little less powerfulin comparison to some of the other Boon effects from other Gods in the game.Ionic Gainis Zeus' magick restoration Boon, and it comes with thehuge negativeof having toreduce your total storage of magick by 70 percent, which is counterintuitive.
8Hestia
Hestiamakes her debut as a new goddess in Hades 2, and she’s one cool gal, even thoughher smoldering coal hat says otherwise. Hermain affliction to enemies is Scorchand her Boons are overall more reasonable with their constraints, particularly the magick restoration one Hearth Gain, which only puts your health 20 percent lower.
She also hasBurnt Offering, which will restore you to full health and full magick, though you’ll lose a Boon in the processbecause a sacrifice must always be made.Soot Sprint, Smolder Ring, and Glowing Coalare other excellent Boons when considering abilities for casting and sprinting, the moves you’ll constantly be utilizing when clearing enemy waves.
7Apollo
Apollois another new face there to grace the ensemble of Greek gods and goddesses in Hades 2. The God of Light comes with theability to put your foes into a Dazeby having them be blinded and stunned from attacking, a pretty neat maneuver. It’s a solid reprieve from the hecticness of battle and is eventied to Backstab damage
.
Blinding Sprintsees your sprintsimmobilize enemies at no cost to your magick,and there’s even a Boon calledLight Smite,whichreturns the favor of any damage you just tookfrom an enemy onto them and places all other enemies in a Daze. It’s probably the most useful affliction next to Demeter’s Freeze.
6Hera
In Hades 2, Zeus is joined by his wifeHera,Queen of Olympus.Since she’s the goddess of marriage,her special ability is Hitch,where the damage done to enemies is all about togetherness. What Hitch does is makeall enemies who are afflicted with it share 30 percent of the damage currently being doneto the enemy you’re fighting.
The attack Boons have ample damage and are automaticallytied to the Hitch curse, with theHereditary Bane Boonmaking it last longer andincreasing its damage. Hera also offersEngagement Ring, whichincreases the duration of your Omega cast by 200 percentand makes itdeal damage “to every foethat joins the Encounter,” which is quite a remarkable boost.
5Hephaestus
The Olympian god of the forge,Hephaestuscomes off similar to Thor’s design from God of War Ragnarok with his beard, exposed stomach, and hammer. Another interesting detail to note is his character being portrayed as an amputee who requires a wheelchair, which isaccurate to his mythology, as he’s sometimes depicted as “the lame one.”
All that aside, his Boons appear fresh from his smithy and have some clear standouts.Fixed Gain lowers the amount of damage you takewhile letting yourmagick replenish when you take damage.He also starts you with50 armorand hisVolcanic Strike and Flourishattacks for weaponscreatebursts of damage during combat up to 200 and 400, depending on whether it’s a Special or just a regular Attack.
4Artemis
Artemisis given a much greater role in the sequel. Instead of just being there as a message like her Olympian peers, she willrandomly join you and help out in one of the rooms during your run.You’ll see her arrows inflict some powerful damage on enemies, and you two together will sweep the room in no time.
After the battle ends, she’ll appear in person andoffer you some Boons, most of which arefocused on casting and firing arrowsat enemies.Easy Shotwill do essentially what Artemis herself did in battle to enemies trapped in the circle from your Omega cast, and DeathWarrant and Pressure Pointsare other awesome examples of her abilities.
3Aphrodite
Across the board,Aphrodite is one of the best goddesses to aim forwhen wanting a good build ofoffensive and defensive Boons. As per her beauty and elegant grace,some of Aphrodite’s Boons will turn enemies Weak,which means the amount of damage they can do to you isdecreased by ten percent.
That’s always welcome, especially whenbeing near Weak-affected enemies also gives you some of your magick back. Flutter Strike and Flutter Flourish are stellar choices for offensive attacks that can get the job done, starting with 80 percent damage. You also haveHealthy Reboundwith Aphrodite,where you can potentially recover full healthif you’re within a certain threshold.
2Demeter
Demeteris definitely another goddess that should be on your radar in Hades 2. Being a goddess of the seasons, she’sbringing cyclone season and winterinto the game with her Boons.Freeze and Cycloneare both pretty powerful and epic to use against enemies,slowing them down significantly, which is always nice for the fast-paced hordes you face.
Ice Strike or Ice Flourish coupled with Cold Storage and Frigid Sprintis a recipe for success. And since she’s also the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, she also has a very generousPlentiful Forage Boon,which puts you atmax healthwhenever you gather plants, seeds, or mushrooms, as well as giving you a Mystery Seed to plant at the Crossroads.
