In this article, we will be taking a look atHades 2, the follow-up toSupergiant’ssuccessful rogue-like game. Much akin to the first game, you will have access to a myriad ofboonsfrom the pantheon of gods onOlympusand more, and can be spoiled for choices. In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the combinations ofboonsandbuffsthat will help you bring out your most potential in your task.
Introduction
This build is an“early game” buildthat we can easily put together during the early runs of the game where we haven’t unlocked everything in the game yet and will be using the very first weapon available toMelinoë, theDescura Staff, and offers a well-balanced playstyle offering both a good reach and solid mobility utilizing the earlyboons.
InHades 2, we can meditate at theAltar of Ashesat the beginning of each night before heading out to increase our strength and upgrade ourselves, but the amount ofarcanathat we can use is limited by the amount ofgraspavailable to us, which can be upgraded using the“Psyche”resource.
For this specific build, which is aimed at early runs, we will be focusing on earlyarcana cardsavailable to us to make the most out of the tools available to us.
The firstarcanaavailable to us and that we will be using for this build isThe Sorceress.
This card costs 1graspto equip and will increase the charge speed of our omega versions of our attacking moves.
Next, we will use theWayward Son arcana, which is another card costing onegraspand will allow us to recover health points after each encounter, and at the base level of the card, it enables us to regain 3 HP.
This card helps with thesustainon our runs and is one of the more valuablearcanato use.
TheHuntress cardwill increase the damage of ourattackandspecialwhen ourmagickis not at full capacity, and since we will be using our charged omega attacks that use the resource quite often, we will benefit highly from having this card equipped.
Persistenceis anotherarcana cardthat is really useful and will increase both our max life and maxmagickby 20 when having this equipped.
Thisarcana cardrequires 2graspto equip, and upgrading this card further increases the bonus we get from using thisarcana.
Finally, we will be using theDeatharcana.
Thisarcana cardrequires 4graspto equip, and the high cost is definitely worth it, as it gives us aDeath Defiance. This acts as an extra life, which allows you to come back with 40% of your max life andmagickupon dying, increasing your chance of successfully finishing a run.
For thisearly game build, as we are getting accustomed to the challenges of the game, it helps immensely to prolong our life and grant us more chances to complete a run, and the perfectkeepsakefor this is theLuckier Tooth, obtained fromSchelemeusin the training ground.
TheLuckier Toothwill allow us to return with a higher amount of hit points after we have used up all of ourDeath Defiancefrom other sources once per night and is an invaluable tool, especially during the early runs of the game.
Among the plethora ofboonsoffered by the gods, we will have 5 main slots that will affect and upgrade our moves.
First, regarding theboonrelating to our regularattacks, we will take one ofApollo’s boons,Nova Strike.
This will increase theareaof our attacks, adding to therangeof our attacks, allowing us to deal with more enemies simultaneously while also increasing ourattack damage.
For ourspecial attack, we will be taking theboonfromHestia, theGoddess of the Hearth,Flame Flourish.
This will allow our ranged attack to inflictScorchon our enemies, setting them on fire, dealing additional damage over time, and quickly taking care of our foes along the way.
With ourCastplacing asigilon the ground, we will be choosing theboonof the great-grandmother, the goddessDemeter, theArctic Ring.
This will enable ourcasting sigil circletofreezeany enemy that is within our circle while repeatedly dealing damage to foes in the circle. This will help greatly with dealing with mobs of regular enemies that can overwhelm you easily in the later stages.
To add to ourmobilitywith this weapon, we will be using anotherboonfromApolloto enhance oursprintsby taking theBlinding Rushboon.
This boon will increase oursprint speed, which is extremely helpful when fighting against bosses and dodging their huge area of effect attacks, and will also provide the benefit of traversing through the lands faster. Additionally,Blinding Rushwill allow us toDazeour surrounding foes, making them miss more of their attacks and increasing ourdodge chancepassively.
For ourspecial buff slot, we will take theboonfrom our uncle,Poseidon, theGod of the Seas,Flood Gain.
Thisboonwill allow us to recovermagickafter using our omega charged attacks, helping with ourresource managementduring the long runs on our task.
These fiveboonswill occupy our core slots when we are on our runs, but they do not necessarily need to be the onlyboonsthat we use. After we have received theArctic Ringboon fromDemeter, we can supplement ourcastwithSuper NovafromApolloto allow our circle to expand in size, covering more area with ourcrowd controloption.
Additionally, we will take theArctic Galeboon fromDemeterto further enhance ourcast circle, as this will create aGustthat damages enemies and slows projectiles around ourbinding circle, adding to thecrowd controlof ourcast circle.
Next, we will take aboonthat will give us an additional way to restore ourmagick, asFlood Gainalone will not suffice, and that is theLucid Gainboon fromApollo.
Thisboonwill allow us to restore a huge amount ofmagickif we are in ourbinding circlewhen ourcastexpires, helping withresource managementin drawn-out fights against the bosses.
Anotherboonthat will help immensely, especially if you come across it early on in the run, is theSteady Growthfrom theGoddess of the Seasons, Demeter.
Thisboonwill upgrade therarityof ourboonswhenever we clear a set amount of encounters. The number of encounters needed to be cleared will vary depending on therarityof theboonitself, but at thecommon rarity, we will gain ararity upgradeafter every 6 encounters.
Weapon Upgrade
Regarding the options we get from using theDaedalus Hammer, we will be looking to enhance ourspecialthe most, as we are looking to increase the effectiveness of theScorchwe can apply with ourspecial attack.
TheShimmering Moonshotupgrade will allow ourspecial throwsto bounce to additional targets, applyingScorchto more enemies, andAetheric Moonburstwill enhance our omega chargedspecialto deal additional damage as well as restore somemagick.
Playstyle and General Tips on Runs
The playstyle of this build leans towards a balanced approach betweenoffense and defense, as you are able to damage your enemies from a respectable range without needing to get to close range, and while thestaffdoes not have the fastestattack speedin the game, it is agile enough to prevent situations where you are locked in anattack animationin the majority of cases.
In situations where you are swarmed by multiple small enemies, thefreezefrom ourcastwill provide a greatcrowd-controllingoption, and the increasedarea of attackof our regularattackswill make short work of all the enemies caught in thesigil.
Theomega charged attackof the regularattackwill send outdamaging wavesin a line centering on yourself and is great for dealing with enemies at a longer range.
Thecharged attackof thestaffwill send out amagick ball, and with ourFlame Flourish, it will send out a powerfulfireballthat willscorchour enemies.
We can use theseomega attacksfrom range to deal consistent damage to bosses while we escape their huge close-range attacks and move in with our agile regularattacksandspecialswhen the windows of opportunity for damage present themselves.
While we are on our early runs, it is generally useful to go forAshesinstead ofBones, since that will allow us to unlock morearcana cards, giving us more options to use on our later runs.
When faced with choices between an upgrade that is not aboonthat you are not necessarily aiming for andgold coins, it is generally better to go for thecoinroute, as you will then have access to more options that you may choose between at theBoatman, Charon, whenever you run into him. But if you are certain that you will not be able to gain enough coins to afford multiple purchases, you go for the upgrade route.
Going forPoms of Powerwill also allow us to level up ourboons, increasing our damage, and for this build, I suggest upgrading theNova Strikeboon as much as possible on the run to increase ourdamage output.
Conclusion
This build, while not specialized in either offense or defense, will provide a solid build for you to use. This makes theDescura Staffthe best weapon for early runs, as we are still learning the various moves and capabilities of different types of enemies that we will face.
This wraps up my article for theDescura Staff early buildofHades 2. I hope you find this helpful on your conquest againstChronos, theTitan of Time, and may you find success in all your runs. If you have any tips, helpful tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!!
