Best Boons - Hades 2 Guide - IGN (2024)

One of the most important elements of any run in Hades 2 is the decision of what Boons to pick up. They’re all useful in their own way, but there are certainly Boons that will come in more handy more often. So to help you make some better choices, let’s break down our picks for the best boons in Hades 2.

Every run in Hades 2 is unique in the sense that you don't know what Boons you're going to get. What Boons you have completely switch up how you approach each run, for example, if you pick up a Hex, you're going to want to go for a more Magick-focused build and incorporate Boons that help you regenerate more Magick if possible. For that reason, it's hard to pick just a few Boons and say they're the best. What's best for your build will depend on what it's like at the time!

Click the links below to see the best Boons offered by each God.

• Poseidon
• Demeter
• Hephaestus
• Hestia
• Zeus
• Aphrodite
• Hera
• Hermes
• Artemis
• Apollo
• Selene

Poseidon's Best Boons

Like in the first game, Poseidon has a combination of powerful Boons that add extra damage and pushback to your attacks, along with rewarding Boons that grant you an extra bonus to resources that you take outside of a run. Those are great if your goal is not to beat the game on your current run, but if your goal is to try and get further than you’ve been before, here are some of the best Boons Poseidon has to offer:

Wave Strike/Flourish and Slippery Slope

Don’tunderestimatePoseidon’sbasic attack/special Boons. They may not add a fancy curse to your opponent, but they inflict a good chunk of damageas well as knockingback enemies to keep them at a safe distance whileyou'redamaging them. Combining these Boons with Slippery Slope makes for a very formidable build.Slippery Slope adds the Slip cursethatdeals extra damage and knockback to any enemythat getsh*t with a splash.

If youhave the opportunity topick up any of these Boons, try to combine Slippery Slope with either Wave Flourish or Wave Strike. Youdon'tneed two attacks with Splash effects.You'rebetter off saving your other attack for another effect, likeDemeter'sFreeze orHestia'sScorch.

Fluid Gain

As far as Magick restoration boons go, Fluid Gain is pretty greatas youdon’thave to do anything unusual to activate it, like standing still for several seconds, standing in your cast, or sacrificing 70% of your max Magick for crazy regen.All you have to do is land hits, andyou’vegota goodchance to spawn bubbles that will restore a good chunk of Magick.This Boon is excellent to pick up if you have one ofSelene'sHexes equipped,as well.

Breaker Sprint

Breaker Sprint turns Mel into a watery bulldozerthat’s able toplow through enemies. Weaker enemies can generally betaken outwith just a single hit, making this very powerful in the early game. It is very Magick-hungry, so you’ll need some restoration Boons to keep this viable in the late game, but if you can get the support Boons to make it work, Breaker Sprint can bea very strongtool to have.

Demeter's Best Boons

Demeter has some of the best Boons in Hades 2, thanks to the power of Freeze and the overall utility of some of her other Boons. Freeze is one of the best effects in the game and can be a lifesaver inparticularly hardrooms full of armored enemies or in moments where you're overwhelmed by enemies, which is bound to happen at one point or another in any run.

Ice Strike/Flourish

Ice Strike or Ice Flourish are Boons you should definitely try to incorporate into your runs. These Boons allow your Attack and Special to freeze enemies in their tracks, giving you a chance to destroy them before they have the opportunity to hit you back. Freeze is so good because it’s the only thing that can fully stop an armored enemy in their tracks. It’s a bit less useful on bosses due to how shortly they’ll remain frozen, but it’s still a good thing to have.

Plentiful Forage

This Boon will give you extra maximum healthevery time you manage tofind a plant, mushroom, or seed.Ifyou’re able toget this early in a run, absolutely go for it, especially if you’ve also packed a shovel to dig up seeds. You’llbe swimmingin HP by the time you reach the final boss.

Rare Crop

Rare Crop is another Boon that can make all the difference in your run if you get it early.It chooses a number of random boonsthat youalready have, resets their rarity, and then, every three encounters, it raises their rarity back up. So after9encounters, you’ll have at least one Heroic rarity boon. The stat difference between rarities is substantial, much more so than increasing the level of a Boon with a Pom of Power.

Hephaestus's Best Boons

Hephaestus is all about defense and explosions. His Boons won’t inflict anysort ofcurse on your enemies. Instead, they will cause an explosion that deals massive damage but is on a substantial cooldown after each attack. His Boons aregoodif you prefer a hit-and-run style of play.

Trusty Shield

After you enter a location, you’ll Prime 30 Magick to gain a certain amount of shielding depending on the rarity of the Boon.Thispairsextremelywell with Arachne’s Keepsake, which gives you 20 armor to start andthenadds more every time you exit a room, as long as you have armor. The only downside is that, unlike Arachne’s Keepsake, the armor doesn’t carry over to the next room, so if the Boon gives you 20 armor, you will always have 20 armor in thenextencounter, even if you didn’t take any hits. Ultimately, it’s a safety cushion that allows a few hits of recoverable damage at the relatively low cost of having 30 Magick primed.

Heavy Metal

Even at the most common level, Heavy Metal grants you 50 armor and gives you resistance to suction moves, which are some of the most annoying moves in the game. That’spretty mucha no-brainer whenever it comes up, especially at the higher rarities where you can get anywhere from 100 to 125 armor right away.

Volcanic Flourish

Volcanic Flourish allows your Special to occasionally inflict a massive 400 damage hit on your foe. 400 damage is a huge number that can one-shot many enemies you come across in your run and even takes a decent chunk out ofbossesHP. Thecommonversion of this Boon takes 20 seconds to recharge your 400 shot, which can seem like a long time, but you will get 1 of those heavy hits per Encounter at the very least, sometimes more.

Hestia's Best Boons

Hestia is a new God in Hades 2 that focuses on enhancing your abilities with Scorch. Scorch is a curse that causes damage over time to enemies. Scorch can add up to a lot of damage, but you needto repeatedly land hits with it, and you also need to wait a long time for all of that damage to take hold, sojustkeep those things in mind.

Soot Sprint

Soot Sprint is a must-have whenever it comes up.The ability tonot onlyerase projectiles just by sprinting near thembut also toinflict scorch upon the enemy that shot the projectile is soincredibly powerfulthat it can make many enemies and some mini-boss encounters trivial.What’s even better about it is that the rarity doesn’t even really matter because the real star of the boon is the projectile erasure. The damage from Scorch is just a nice extra. It’s a fantastic pick-up for any build.

Burnt Offering

Burnt Offering isn't always an excellent Boon, but it can be a lifesaver if you're nearing the end of your run and about to go up against a boss with low health. It gives you afairlysubstantial amount of Life and Magick but at the cost of sacrificing a random Boon.The good news is that you can see what Boon you have to say goodbye to beforeyou committo it, so you can decide whether it's worth it.

Smolder Ring

This enhances your cast to inflict Scorch on any enemies caught inside. What makes this Boon great is the fact that you don’t need to do an Omega Cast for it. You can, and it’ll do even more damage, but if you’re out of Magick, this is a fantastic way to deal with the hordes of smaller, weaker enemies that the game likes to throw your way, especially in Oceanus.

Zeus's Best Boons

In general, Zeus's Boons don’t really shine bright on their own. But when you get a bunch of them going in a single run, they can start to become quite strong.

Storm Ring

Cast Boons are generally very strong, but as far as single-target damage goes, Storm Ring from Zeus is one of the best. It powers up your Omega cast bymaking it also havelightning strike down on one enemy at a time.Thisis incredibly good against bosses, as you canjustdrop it down, let it do its thing, or continue attacking along with it to melt the enemy’s life bar. Ifyou’re able tofind this early, consider further building up your Cast by taking Boons that reduce its Magick cost or increase its damage to make the most out of it.

Heavenly Strike

Beyond that, if you’re planning on going heavy on Zeus Boons, look to get Heavenly Strike to add Blitz to your attacks, and then go for Boons that synergize with Blitz, like Electric Overload, which fires chain lightning every time Blitz procs and Toasting Fork, which causes Blitz to deal extra damage even without having to deal further damage to the enemy.

Thunder Sprint

Thunder Sprint is a Magick hog, but it’s another very powerful Boon that causes lighting to rain down on any enemy that’s near you while you’re sprinting. It’s a good idea to pair this with Storm Ring andreallyrain down the wrath of Zeus.

Aphrodite's Best Boons

Like in the first game, Aphrodite’s Boons focus on three things: Inflicting weakness on your enemies, giving you straight-up damage boosts when enemies are close, and peppering in a few health restoration Boonsas well.Here are the big ones you’ll want to look out for:

Glamour Gain

Thisis an excellent Boon for boss fights where there’s only one enemy for the Weakness curse tobe appliedto. It’s straight-up damage reduction with the added bonus of also giving you mana restorationas well.Regardless of what build you’re going for, this is practically always a solid pick-up.

Flutter Strike

If your focusis on melee attacks,Flutter Strike is an easy pick.Even at the most common rarity, +80% damage for being close up ishugeand willbeextremelynoticeable in just about every type of fight, and at rare, epic, or heroic rarities, you’ll be hitting extremely hard just with basic attacks.

Healthy Rebound

Healthy Rebound is anincredible Boon that allows you to restore 10% of your health every time you leave a Location.It's not a miracle Boon, however, and it does come with a catch.It only works if you haven't lost too much Life. Thecommonversion requires youto still have at least 80% of your Life, but this percentage does get lower the better quality the Boon is. It won't refill your HP if you're almost out by any means, but every little bit of damage counts in Hades 2.

Hera's Best Boons

Hera has some of the most interesting Boons in the game. Many of them revolve around a curse called Hitch, which basically tags enemies, and when one tagged enemy gets hit, all of the other tagged enemiesshare damage, as well. It’s great for fights where there area ton ofenemies, but not so good when dealing with bosses.Still, Hera’s got some otherBoons that aren’t Hitch-relatedthat offer some great utility.

Engagement Ring

This Boon enhances your Cast to make it last for a really long time, but more importantly, it zaps any enemies that spawn in mid-fight.Thisis extremely useful in certain fights where you get overwhelmed by small, weak enemies, in boss fights that summon minions to fight you, and especially when doing timed Infernal Trove challenges that reward you with more gold ifyou’re able tokill the enemies quickly. Just place down your Cast when enemies start spawning in, and watch them disappear.

Born Gain

This Boon makes it so that when you run out of Magick, you’ll instantly regain it, minus a certain amount that gets Primed.Thisbasicallymeans that you’ll never have to worry about replenishing your Magick, but once you’re out, you’reactuallyout of it for the rest of the Encounter.It’s a price that’s almost always worth paying, as not having to worry about restoring Magick allows you to bea lotmore liberal with your Omega moves.

Dying Wish

If you do decide to go with a Hitch/Hera build, Dying Wish is essential. This Boon makes it so that once you kill an enemy with Hitch, it does damage to all other enemies that have been tagged with Hitch as well, leading to these fun kinds of popcorn moments where one enemy dying causes another enemy to die, which causes more enemies to die, etc. You will be an absolute beast whenit comes todealing with multiple enemies.

Hermes' Best Boons

Hermes is all about speed and agility, so if you’re interested in moving or attacking faster, Hermes is going to be the God you’re going to want to go for. But he’s also got a couple of other more utility-focused Boons that are well worth seeking out.

Saved Breath

This Boon reduces the Magick cost of your Omega Cast, which is simple but very effective. Omega Casts are some of the best, most damaging attacks at your disposal, and if you decide to try and build heavily into them, this is definitely a Boonyou’re going towant.

Greater Evasion

GreaterEvasion grants you a straight-up boost to your dodge chance.In a game like Hades 2, where every hit you take matters, every hityou’re able to avoid also matters as well.Alone, this might not seem like much, but ifyou’re able to stack this dodge chance with theArcana Card: The Messenger, plus Echo’s boost in the third biome of the Underworld, and potentially the Wispy Wiles infusion boon from Aphrodite, you can make yourself very hard to hit.

Quick Buck

Gold isvery valuablein Hades 2,which is whythis can be a particularly helpful Boon, especially if you can get it early. Quick Buck immediately gets you 100 Gold Crowns and increases the amount of gold you get for the rest of the run. If you have 150 gold and you make it to Charon’s shop, you’re guaranteed a free Boon without having to go through a fight for it. If you have more than that, you might also be able to afford a rare health restorative or a Pom of Power. If you don’t have that gold, that’s what you’re missing out on, which can be all the difference between a successful and unsuccessful run.

Artemis's Best Boons

Artemis is aspecialcase, as rather than having her ownDoor Symbolthat you can see and choose to go into, Artemis appears randomly to lend a hand in destroying the enemies in an Encounter before offering you her Boons. Although every Artemis visit is a surprise, they are always very appreciated as she has some excellent Boons tooffer you.

Support Fire

Support Fire is the best Boon Artemis has to offer. Every time you hit an enemy with your Special or Attack, Artemis fires out an arrow that hits them as well. This essentially gives you an entire extra shot to pelt your enemies with. Combining this Boon with another that increases the speed of your Special or Attack can absolutely rain damage down upon your enemies and be extremely helpful in battle.

Easy Shot

Easy Shot is the Cast version of Support Fire. Rather than firing arrows at enemies damaged with your Attack or Special, Easy Shot allows Artemis to fire an arrow at enemies damaged by your Casts. Casts can catch multiple enemies at once. When you combine that with the extra arrows shot by Artemis as well, your Casts become forces to be reckoned with.

Death Warrant

Death Warrant isn'tquiteas helpful as the other two Artemis Boons we've gone over, but it can still prove incredibly helpful. DeathWarrant 'Marks' an enemy. While an enemy is Marked, you have a higher chance of landing a Critical Hit. This move isparticularlyhelpfulin boss fights when the boss is the only enemy on screen.

Apollo's Best Boons

Apollo is a new god to Hades 2, and his Boons aremostlyabout increasing the range of your abilities. The usefulness of his basic Boons, Nova Strike and Nova Flourish, which increase the ranges of your Attack and Special, respectively, will depend on what weapon you’re running, but theywork excellently with the startingweapon.

Super Nova

Supa Nova is a Boon that enhances your Cast by making it expand in size until it expires. You should always be using your Cast to limitthe mobility of enemies, and your Omega Cast will still do respectable damage even if you don’t upgrade it all that much. But if youdodecideto heavily upgrade your Cast, Super Nova is a must-have, as it can help clear out huge groups of enemies with just one or two Omega Casts.

Solar Ring

Speaking of your Cast, Apollo also has one of the better Omega Casts in Solar Ring. Like Zeus’s Storm Ring, this one’s all about damage. You drop it on the ground, wait a few seconds, and then watch the life bars get deleted as several explosions go off one after the other. It’sstrongall throughout the game and can bemade betterby theaforementioned SuperNova and other cast-enhancing Boons and Arcana Cards.

Lucid Gain

Even though Poseidon’s method of regaining Magick is more efficient, Lucid Gain is pretty solid. It restores Magick just by standing in your Cast, allowing you toeither break away from the action, drop down a Cast, and restore Magick safely away from enemies, oryou could also restore Magick while in the middle of the action just by dropping down a Cast and fighting with enemies while on top of it.

Just note that if you’re attacking while on the Cast, your Magick won’t restore.

Selene's Best Boons

Selene is the Goddess of the Moon and, as such, has some incredible Boons to share. Technically, they are called Gifts of the Moon, but they behave similarly to Boons, so they are worth including in a Best Boons list. Once you have picked up a Hex from Selene, the next time you come across her offering, it will open up a skill tree that you can use to empower the one Hex you have rather than getting a whole new one to add to your repertoire.

You cannot activate any of Selene's Hexes until you've used a set amount of Magickin a single Encounter. The cost can bequitehigh for these Hexes, so you will need somesort ofArcana Card, Boon, Magick Bottles, or all three to increase your Magick limit so you have enough to use them.

Moon Water

Moon Water is a hex that restores your Life by a certain amount. You can use it three times throughout your run unless you've improved this limit in the skill tree. Moon Water is by far the best Boon Selene offers, as it works essentially like a potion, and you don't need to augment your Magick bar too much in your run to be able to use it.

The Magick Cost required to use Moon Water is 70, which is easily doable if you have The Titan Arcana Card equipped.

Night Bloom

Night Bloom raises1foe you have slain and gets them to fight beside you for the rest of your Encounter.Thisis excellent for boss battles that summon minions to attack you or any Encounter, really. It does cost 100 Magick to activate, so you will have to boost your Magick somehow, but it is one of the cheaper Hexes, especially when you consider its helpfulness.

Phase Shift

Phase Shift is another excellent Hex thatslows time downby 80% when activated. The slow effect doesn't last forever and will go back to normal after 5 seconds. But 5 seconds is more than enough to do someseriousdamage when timeis slowed downthat much.