2021-07-10T12:45:32 02:00

Hades: Tips & tricks for the escape from the underworld

In this guide to Hades you will learn:

Which talents you should skill
What the best rewards are
What souvenirs are available

If you've already reached the first bosses in Hades and want to know which tactics you can use to defeat Megaera, the Bone Hydra and others, take a look at our Hades boss guide.

Talk to all NPCs after every run!

For a roguelike, Hades tells an exciting story that you shouldn't miss. But even if you're the kind of player who just clicks away from dialog boxes, you should visit the various NPCs after each run and give each NPC at least one nectar during the course of the game.

The NPCs unlock many options and items , such as weapon upgrades and an improved talent tree. As soon as no NPC has an exclamation mark left, you can start your next Hades run.

Talent Tree Tips: What Should I Skill?

The mirror in your chamber is the talent tree. Use it to buy new talents and upgrade them with darkness . Nyx will offer you improved mirrors later on. The better the mirror, the more talents are available. Click on the ability to switch between the new and old talents.

Only the talent whose name you can read in the menu is active. Even skills that have already been upgraded become ineffective when you switch talents. To reset the talent tree, you will need a Chthonic Key. If you have just spent the eclipse and killed yourself, a simple restart of the game will suffice.

The Death Contempt talent is especially useful. With each recharge you have an extra life. The first level is cheap at 50 Eclipse, while the second level costs ten times that. After that, bring Infernal Soul to level 2 and Boiling Blood to level 3. With the new mirror, you should choose the talents Flaming Appearance and Sinister Recovery and maximize both.

Hades Gods: Tips on the Gifts

In general, all the gods buffs are useful in Hades and depending on your weapon choice and playstyle, everyone has their favorites. To increase your chance of getting your favorite god's gifts, before you pick up a buff, you can give away a nectar, for which you get a souvenir.

The souvenir ensures that you will find an offering from that god, and also increases the chance of getting a rare buff from that god. Once you unlock the keepsake cabinet, you can switch to a different keepsake after each boss, giving you even more control over your Hades build.

When choosing gifts, be aware that you can only equip one bonus each for normal attack, special attack, throw, and dash. Often it makes sense not to choose the first gift for the attack right away, if you are actually hoping for the ability of another god.

If you want to exchange one of the four attacks later, the earlier choice and thus a buff is lost. So it's better to take a secondary buff if you don't hit one of your favorite gods, because they won't be exchanged by later gifts.

Which god gives the best buff?

We recommend that you equip an Athena gift for reflecting projectiles from the second world at the latest, since some rooms turn into a kind of Bullet Hell that you can hardly survive unscathed without this kind of buff.

Depending on your weapon, you should choose the reflection effect for the attack, whose attack has a higher radius and can be executed quickly to reflect as many projectiles as possible at the same time. Divine Attack lets you reflect the normal attack and Divine Rush gives the effect to the special attack

However, it's best to equip your Dash with the Reflect ability, as it can be used especially quickly in succession. This solves the problem of some weapons' attacks not being fast enough or both attacks having a small radius.

Once you have some upgrades for the throwing attack in the mirror skill tree, we recommend you to choose gods gifts for throw ing and throwing buffs from Zeus, Artemis or Poseidon.

In rare cases, you can select an assist attack as a gift from the respective god. However, do not select it until you have already taken all other attack slots. Assist, while very powerful, can rarely be used because it consumes the energy of the second bar under your health.

Each of the nine Olympian gods also has legendary gifts that you can only get extremely rarely and for which you have to fulfill certain requirements to even have a chance of finding them. You can find all the information about them in our separate Hades guide to all the legendary gods' gifts.

Throw Attack: What do the Bloodstones do?

The throw attack lets you throw a blood gem at enemies, which gets stuck in them and can be picked up later. At the beginning of the game, this attack is still relatively useless, but with the right skills, the throw becomes one of the most important attacks in Hades.

Using the talents in the mirror, you can carry multiple bloodstones and make the gem a debuff that increases your damage to the target with the bloodstone. Targets can also have multiple bloodstones in them, increasing the debuff. If you then enhance the bloodstone throw with gods gifts, you have a tremendously useful attack. So always use your bloodstones right at the start of a fight, collect them again, and use them again.

Which rooms have the best rewards?

At the beginning of the game, Chthonic Keys are very important. With them you will unlock not only the most powerful weapons, but also new talents. First of all, save four keys for the Shield of Chaos. It provides an excellent range and takes away the possibility of most enemies to hit you.

The more expensive twin fists are not recommended because of their low range. Buy them only after you have unlocked three talents for 15 keys. To get the gun from Adamant, all weapons must be purchased. Due to its high range and strong special attack, the ranged weapon is very suitable. In general, though, you should try out every weapon and find the right playstyle for you. Due to the different gods gifts and upgrades, every weapon is useful.

Once you've unlocked some weapons and skills, choose the next rooms based on whether you want to get as far as you can in this Hades run or if you want to gather as many resources as possible for later.

Power apples, gods gifts, hearts, hammers and coins are only for the current Hades run gems, Keys, and Darkness remain useful after death and can be invested in long-term upgrades.

To make your Zagreus as strong as possible, take the Hammer of Daidalos at every opportunity. This is the best reward, as the upgrades obtained through it are even stronger than the gods' offerings.

Gem rooms are the least important reward in Hades, as the room creator upgrades are marginal and later upgrades require diamonds from bosses.

Merchant Charon - When should I go to the ferryman?

The bag with the skull will take you to the ferryman Charon, where you can buy three random items. However, you should only visit the merchant room if you have enough gold for two of his items (at least 200 gold) or urgently need healing (costs 50 gold).

If you would only buy one upgrade from the ferryman, it makes more sense to play a normal room where you earn a free item and save your gold for later.

What's behind the exclamation mark doors in Hades?

Silver exclamation mark doors take you to a different character in each world that grants you a free bonus. In the first world, Tartarus , this is Sisyphus, who lets you choose between Healing, Darkness, and Chthonic Keys. In later worlds you'll get skill upgrades and other bonuses, so it always makes sense to visit.

Chaos: Are the buffs worth the risk?

Instead of doors, you'll occasionally have the chance to interact with a hole that will take you to Chaos. There you'll get special Chaos buffs, but they always come with a disadvantage.

To enter the chaos, you'll have to give up some of your health. In the hole you will meet the chthonic god Urchaos. Depending on the Chaos gift, you will get a debuff, but it will disappear after a few rooms. However, you will keep the buff from the gift permanently.

Especially at the beginning of a run, it makes sense to seek out Chaos, as experienced players should have little trouble with debuffs in the first world and will eventually find healing. In later levels, however, Chaos can cause some problems. Still, it's usually worth the risk, as the Chaos gifts are extremely powerful.

Are the chest trials worth it?

Chest trials are difficult and potentially deadly. To be profitable, you must complete them quickly. For every second it takes you, the reward decreases by one point. The further your escape attempt progresses, the more difficult chest tests become. If your current run is difficult anyway, ignore them.

Using the Shield of Chaos or the Adamant Gun in combination with Zeus' Lightning Gift will cause high area damage, making the trials easier.

Hades: Playtime - How long is the roguelike?

Hades: Boss Guide - How to defeat all bosses

Nectar: How to get passive abilities in Hades

Nectar serves as a tasty gift for almost every NPC in the Underworld. With the exception of Hades, characters who receive a gift are rewarded with a souvenir. Keepsakes are passive abilities, one of which you can activate for your escape attempt. You select them before a run.

During the escape, souvenirs can only be exchanged at vending machines that you find after defeating a boss. The more chambers you complete with the same souvenir, the stronger the effect becomes. Each souvenir can be upgraded twice. In the following table you can find all souvenirs.

Souvenir	Character	Effect (Level 1/2/3)
Old spiked collar	Kerberos	Gets 25/38/50 additional health points.
Myrmidonian bracers	Achilles	Reduces damage taken from frontal attacks by 20/25/30 percent, but increases damage taken from behind by ten percent.
Black Cloak	Nyx	Increases damage by 10/15/20 percent to uninjured enemies, enemies are also hit from behind.
Chthonic Purse	Hypnos	Receives 100/125/150 Obols as starting credit per escape attempt.
Legged Hourglass	Charon	Increases the durability of items from the Well of Charon by 4/6/8 chambers.
Skull Earring	Megaera	Increases your damage by 20/30/40 percent while you have less than 30 percent health.
Impaled Butterfly	Thanatos	With each chamber you complete without taking damage, your damage increases by 1/1.5/2 percent.
Vague Memory	Orpheus	Increases your ranged damage by 10/20/30 percent.
Harpy Duster	Dusa	With a 3/5/6 percent chance, you will gain a healing item from destroyed urns.
Lucky Tooth	Skelly	If you take lethal damage, you will gain 50/75/100 health instead of dying. The effect occurs only once per escape attempt.
Broken shackle	Sisyphus	Increases the damage of your attacks, rolls, and special attacks by 40/60/80 percent while not buffed by a gift.
Evergreen Acorn	Eurydice	Suffers no damage when bosses hit you the first 3/4/5 times during a fight.
Broken Spearhead	Patroclus	Become invulnerable for 1/1.25/1.5 seconds when you take damage. The effect occurs only once in seven seconds.
Owl Pendant	Athena	The next gift you find will be from Athena. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Thunder Seal Ring	Zeus	The next gift you find will be from Zeus. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Conch Shell	Poseidon	The next gift you find will be from Poseidon. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Eternal Rose	Aphrodite	The next gift you find will be from Aphrodite. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Arrowhead from Adamant	Artemis	The next gift you find will be from Artemis. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Blood Vial	Ares	The next gift you find will be from Ares. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Overfull cup	Dionysus	The next gift you find will be from Dionysus. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Frostbite Horn	Demeter	The next gift you find will be from Demeter. At 10/15/20 percent, the abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Sparkling Feather	Hermes	Increases your dodge chance and movement speed by 1/1,1/1,2 percent for each chamber you complete quickly. Note: The definition of "Fast" depends on the enemies in the chamber, as well as the chamber type. The more difficult the chamber, the more time you have.
Cosmic Egg	Primordial Chaos	Pass through chaos gates without losing health. At 20/30/40 percent, Chaos abilities will be of rare quality or better.
Apple Blossom	Persephone	Every 6/5/4 chambers, a random gift will increase in level.
Seal of the Dead	Hades	You have the succor (ultimate ability) of Hades from the beginning. Makes you invisible and the first hit after invisibility deals 100 percent extra damage. Also, your god counter is 10/20/30 percent charged from the start.

Where can I redeem gems?

Gems are the currency of the room designer. To unlock him, you have to die five times. He not only beautifies the underworld, but also provides additional chambers and chests. While additional chambers will give you helpful extras, such as free healing, new house decorations will give you more walk-in rooms in the House of Hades.

The more decorations you buy, the more new chambers you unlock for purchase. Over time, more NPCs will find their way into the House of Hades through the Room Designer, providing you with additional orders and rewards.

Why you should use all Hades weapons

There are currently six infernal weapons to choose from in Hades. Even if you have a favorite weapon, there are good reasons why you should use every weapon. Before each run, one of the weapons has a purple veil, which allows you to use that weapon to pick up more darkness in the next run and to skill new talents faster.

It also gives you more health back when you skill the talent that heals you for a percentage of the eclipse you collect.

More importantly, each boss in Hades will only drop the best loot the first time you defeat him or her with a weapon. So to get enough important items like Titan Blood or Diamonds, you can't graze the bosses with the same weapon over and over again.

Titan Blood: How can you strengthen weapons?

In Hades, failed escape attempts will unlock more options and abilities that will make you stronger. One efficient way is weapon variants. With Titan Blood, which Meg carries as loot, you change the variant of a weapon. Each variant has five levels. To maximize a variant, you need 15 titan blood each. The standard form requires only five titanic blood.

For example, the Chiron variant of the bow shoots homing arrows, while the Zeus variant of the shield has lightning bolts as a special attack. The standard variant can also be strengthened in this way. The sword's attack speed is increased, and the twin fists have an additional dodge chance.

Each weapon has a hidden variant, which is equipped with new attacks. The following variants are available to you only after intensive use of a weapon:

Weapon	Variant	Effect (Level 1/2/3/4/5)
Stygian Sword	Artur	Increases the damage and speed reduction of enemies by 20/25/30/35/40 percent due to the aura.
Heart Seeking Bow	Rama	30/38/45/53/60 percent of damage taken is shared with the enemy.
Eternal Spear	Guan Yu	Reduces the reduction of health and health regeneration to 70/65/60/55/50 percent.
Shield of Chaos	Beowulf	20/40/60/80/100 percent of damage dealt is converted to area damage.
Twin Fists	Demeter	After twelve attacks, the special attack hits 1/2/3/4/5 additional times.
Adamant gun	Lucifer	Hellfire missiles deal 50/63/75/88/100 percent additional damage.

How do I get the fishing rod in Hades?

In Hades you can catch fish, which you can exchange for various rewards such as keys, nectar or gems at the Chef. However, in order to do this, you must first unlock and purchase the fishing rod.

To unlock the fishing rod for purchase from the room designer, the following requirements must be met:

Buy the Fate List of Minor Prophecies from the Space Shaper for 20 gems
Reach the level "Temple of Styx" once (the fourth area directly after Elysium)

Once you've done that, the Space Shaper will offer you the fishing rod for purchase for one diamond.

Fishing tips: How to catch the fish

Once you have the fishing rod, look for flashing spots in the water or lava - yes, the fish are hiding in the lava too. Then press the interaction button at the appropriate spot to start the fishing mini-game.

Now wait until the bait is pulled underwater and the water flashes briefly - then quickly press the interaction button to catch the fish.

Caution: Sometimes the lure fakes and only pops under water for a short time, then resurfaces. Therefore, always pay attention to the short flashing, only then a fish has really bitten.

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