The ultimate goal of Hades is to beat Hades himself and escape the Underworld. However, that’s a difficult task, especially for players new to the game. Zagreus’ father and God of the Dead is the single most powerful boss around, and defeating him is not easy. Fortunately, we can help. Keep reading to learn about the best weapons, best loadouts, best Boons, and best strategies to use to defeat Hades easily.
Hades | How to Defeat the Final Boss
To beat Hades in Hades, you’ll need to bring your best Boons and most powerful weapons. The boss fight has two basic phases, but Hades’ attacks don’t change much between them. Learn the patterns, keep your distance, and Zagreus’ boss of a father will be defeated in no time.
Of course, that’s likely easier said than done. Hades is meant to be a challenging game, and its titular boss is certainly no pushover. Luckily, if you’re looking to win without constant trial and error, we can help. Here’s a look at the best Boons, best weapons, and best strategies you can use to defeat Hades.
Choose Your Weapon Wisely
The biggest factor in beating Hades will be your weapon. Everyone prefers a different kind of play style, and each weapon should be used toward a different sort of build.
For instance, the sword and shield are capable of powerful close-range attacks. They’re good for players who aren’t afraid to dart in and out of the fray. The gun and bow, on the other hand, deal lower damage from a distance. They’re better-suited to players who take a more cautious approach.
As long as you choose your weapon wisely, the rest is fairly easy. Focus on Boons that synergize with your Mirror of Night upgrades, and seek out Daedalus hammer upgrades that work toward your play style.
Best Weapons to Use Against Hades
While most weapons are balanced enough, some weapons are better than others. Specifically, there are some weapons and upgrades that make the final boss battle much easier:
- Stygius – Aspect of Poseidon
- The Aspect of Poseidon’s special attack dislodges cast ammo from foes. It allows you to stack damage from casts that stick into enemies, which is very helpful for cast-oriented builds.
- Varatha – Aspect of Hades
- Varatha’s Aspect of Hades allows you to boost bonus damage by up to 150% for 10 seconds, providing a major buff for careful fighters.
- Aegis – Aspect of Chaos
- The Aspect of Chaos is often considered the best weapon to use for an easy win, thanks entirely to the shield-throwing special, which helps spread damage beyond the initial target, clear traps, and keep crowds under control.
- Twin Fists – Aspect of Gilgamesh
- Despite lowering Zagreus’ attack speed, the Claws of Ekidnu still attack quickly for major damage. The bonus Maim damage also helps in the Hades boss fight, though you must be careful not to get attacked before the status effect expires.
These are the best choices for high-damage builds. However, which weapon feels best will still up to personal preference. You may have better results keeping your distance, or by applying damage over time. Either way, you’ll need to make sure your weapons are bolstered by the right Boons and abilities.
Use Boons and Privileged Status to Deal Heavy Damage
The second most important element to success in battle is your Boons. These modify how you play and how your weapon deals its damage to enemies.
Again, which Boons you choose is up to you. However, for starting players, there’s one specific build you can use to beat Hades easily. It involves using Privileged Status, one of the best Mirror of Night upgrades.
Privileged Status can stack up to 40% extra damage to any enemy afflicted by two status effects. Dionysus, Demeter, and Aphrodite all have basic Boons (for attack, special, and cast) that apply status effects — Hangover, Chill, and Weak, respectively. Ares’ Doom works, too. Zeus and Athena can also apply debuffs with Jolted and Exposed as well, though those require other Boons (lightning and deflect) to apply their effects.
If you use god-specific Boons to ensure your basic attacks always apply at least two status effects, Privileged Status will boost your overall damage by 40%. Since Boons affect your raw damage already, and status effects further enhance damage over time, Privileged Status is the closest thing Hades has to playing on easy mode. Coupled with the Shattered Shackle or Pierced Butterfly, you can become almost unstoppable.
The Best Boons to Beat Hades Easily
Outside of those meant for Privileged Status, there are a few other Boons that will be a huge help in the Hades boss battle:
- Divine Dash – Athena’s dash Boon ensures you’ll never get hit by enemy projectiles so long as you keep dashing.
- Blinding Flash – Athena’s status Boon makes Deflect apply Exposed, which pairs well with both Privileged Status and Shadow Presence.
- Hyper Sprint – Hermes’ dash Boon makes you take less damage after dashing, but notably makes you move twice as fast after dashing. It’s among the best ways to get out of the range of Hades’ powerful spin attack.
- Curse of Agony/Curse of Pain – Ares’ Doom-inflicting attack and special Boons are an easy way to cheese any enemy or boss. Stick them, run away, wait for the curse damage to apply, then rinse and repeat.
- Aphrodite’s Aid – Aphrodite’s call is powerful, dealing 2,500 damage with a full god gauge. Combined with Privileged Status, you can easily take a huge chunk of Hades’ health bar away in a single hit. However, even with a partial charge, Aphrodite’s Aid applies Charm, which turns Hades’ attacks away momentarily.
Hades Boss Battle Guide
The boss battle with Hades himself is not terribly complicated. Hades only has a few attacks, and after you’ve seen them enough, you’ll be able to anticipate them. Beyond that, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got enough health to last through all of his attack phases — two for most normal runs, and three with Extreme Measures 4 enabled.
Learn His Attacks
Like Zagreus, Hades basically only has four moves: Attack, special, cast, and call. These are the moves he’ll use during the first phase of the fight:
- Lunge Attack – The God of the Dead will try to impale you with his spear, typically after chasing you down.
- Spin Attack – After a brief wind-up, Hades will bounce forward and spin his spear in a giant spin attack. Dash out of the white outline to avoid getting hit.
- Skull Cast – Hades fires between one and four tracking skulls that apply Boiling Blood, doubling the damage you take. If let unchecked for five seconds, the skulls explode with a damaging wave.
- Call Foes – At 50% and 20% health, Hades will call for help from wretched beings of the Underworld. Most typically spawn partially invisible and decked with armor.
Of course, there are a few oddball moves in the mix. Occasionally, Hades will vanish and try to sneak in a hit while invisible. Watch carefully for his footsteps to appear in the snow to dodge his attacks. He may also quickly cast before using his lunge attack to throw you off-guard.
Once the second phase begins, Hades gets three new moves:
- Attack Combos – Hades will attack with set patterns, either lunge-lunge-spin, or cast-cast-lunge.
- Brimstone Laser – The boss will surround himself with spinning spears, then cast long-range lasers in a spinning pattern in all directions.
- Trap Vases – Occasionally, Hades will spawn vases around the arena. When broken, green hands immobilize and damage Zagreus, applying trap damage.
Extreme Measures Dials It Up To 11
All of these patterns change up again once you reach Extreme Measures 4 in the Pact of Punishment. The moves themselves are choreographed the same, but you’ll find a few new twists:
- Spin Attacks often occur twice.
- Spear Throws track Zagreus across the arena.
- Attack Combos get follow-up Spin or Lunge attacks.
- Brimstone Laser will pulse and deal knockback damage.
- Trap Vases will heal Hades.
- Call Foes will summon minibosses from Tartarus, Asphodel, and Elysium.
The Best Strategy to Win Easily
If you’re struggling to beat Hades for the first time, we can help. Following the details above, you can use these quick tips to best prepare yourself for an easy victory against the final boss.
- Use Privileged Status. The boost to damage output is hugely valuable to earning your first wins.
- Death Defiance is better than Stubborn Defiance, assuming you’re able to stay alive until the final battle.
- Athena’s Divine Dash is the best way to avoid getting hit with Boiling Blood or ranged attacks from summoned mobs.
- Demeter’s Frost Strike and other Chill abilities slow Hades down tremendously, allowing you to deal more damage and more quickly escape his spin attack.
- Hades is basically immune to knockback, so don’t rely on Poseidon’s knockback Boons to help deal damage.
- Look for Boons that reduce incoming damage, increase dodge chance, or apply the Sturdy status. Even a 10% dodge chance can make or break the final battle.
It’s going to take planning and patience to beat Hades in Hades. You’ll need to consider your Mirror upgrades, chosen Boons, Daedalus upgrades, and weapon aspects if you want to win. Fortunately, once you know his patterns and bring the right loadout, you should have no problem defeating Hades and reaching the wide world beyond. If you’re still having trouble, be sure to stop by our Hades Beginner’s Guide to learn even more tips and tricks.
