In theory, yes, you could play Hades without ever looking into the Mirror of Night located in your bedroom – but why would you? In exchange for some Darkness (an in-game currency), you would be able to buff Zagreus up to face anything the Underworld might throw at him. There are a total of 24 abilities the Mirror offers, but you can only have 12 of them at a time. Here are five of them I recommend:
5. Boiling Blood
Theseus dropping all that Cast Ammo
Full Upgrade Cost: 250 Darkness
Each rank gives you +10% Attack & Special damage to foes with Cast Ammo in them.
Cast is a frequently overlooked ability in Hades, but once you figure out how to buff it up, it becomes a useful trick up your sleeve. Boiling Blood will allow you to deal more damage as long as your Cast Ammo is stuck inside a foe. You can rank this ability up five times, meaning that at its highest, Boiling Blood will give you an extra 50% damage. Pretty good, right?
What Makes Boiling Blood Great:
- Good for balancing melee weapons. You can hit a foe with your Cast from afar, then one-hit finish them in close combat.
- Pairs well with Artemis’ Cast-enhancing Boons, allowing you to get even more out of your Cast ability. Be careful, though; some Boons turn your Cast into a projectile or make it explode in one spot. This means that your Cast Ammo will not become stuck in a foe, rendering Boiling Blood useless.
- Good against bosses. Boiling Blood specifically makes fighting Lernie easier, as it mostly remains static and is easy to hit with a Cast.
4. Infernal Soul
A prime example of a Cast-based build
Full Upgrade Cost: 100 Darkness
Each rank gives you +1 Cast Ammo for your Cast.
Now, if you want the aforementioned Boiling Blood to really become a threat, equip Infernal Soul. This ability grants you an extra piece of Cast Ammo per rank, with a maximum of two pieces. Granted that you start with only one, upping your Ammo count to three is a worthwhile investment.
What Makes Infernal Soul Great:
- You can hit more foes with your Cast, so it becomes easier to fight large groups of enemies.
- You can stack Cast Ammo inside one foe, making it great for fighting bosses.
- Using Cast-enhancing Boons gives you more power. The Boons that change the way your Cast works, such as Demeter’s Crystal Beam, allow you to deal very large amounts of damage.
3. Fiery Presence
Ouch, right in the face!
Full Upgrade Cost: 100 Darkness
Each rank makes you deal 15% damage when you strike undamaged foes.
In a combat-based game like Hades, you want to make sure your damage is as high as possible, and Fiery Presence is just the ability to help you. You can rank it up five times, which gives you up to 75% more damage when striking undamaged foes at its highest rank.
What Makes Fiery Presence Great:
- In most rooms, foes spawn during the fight, and Fiery Presence can help you clear rooms faster if you strike enemies as they spawn.
- Allows you to one- or two-hit some low-level foes, so you can get rid of the distractions when you fight stronger enemies and bosses.
- Range weapons such as the Heart-Seeking Bow and the Adamant Rail can fire multiple shots in a spread pattern, but those typically deal less damage than a single direct shot. By increasing your first-hit damage, you will be able to fire at a group of foes in a spread pattern and deal some noticeable damage right away.
2. Thick Skin
Zagreus about to get even more Health from a Centaur Heart
Full Upgrade Cost: 625 Darkness
Each rank adds +5 Health to your Life Total.
Health is the most valuable resource in the game. Lose it all, and you have to start over from level zero. You want to start any escape attempt with as much Health as possible, and Thick Skin is irreplaceable for that. You can upgrade it up to 10 times and add a total of 50 Health to your Life Total at Thick Skin’s highest rank.
What Makes Thick Skin Great:
- You can last longer if you have more Health; it’s that simple. The farther you go, the more Health you can add to your Life Total, so you can stack up a pretty solid amount by the time you get to the really tough foes.
- Some Boons let you retaliate when you take damage, so if you tend to do a lot of melee combat, having higher base Health will allow you to stay alive and up the damage at the same time.
- If you want to get some Boons from Chaos – and you should – you must be willing to sacrifice some Health to enter the Chaos Gates, so it’s good to have some to spare.
1. Death Defiance
Not today, Hades!
Full Upgrade Cost: 1530 Darkness
Each rank restores you for 50% Health once when your Life Total is depleted.
You only have one attempt to escape before you return to Hades’ domain, so it’s good to stock up on chances. Death Defiance is like a life in other games; if you lose one of them, you don’t lose the game right away. You can upgrade it up to three times for a total of three Death Defiances.
What Makes Death Defiance Great:
- Increases your chances of escape by letting you survive death up to three times.
- If you get Skelly’s Lucky Tooth Keepsake or Chaos’ Defiance Legendary Boon, you can add another Death Defiance to your inventory.
- If you run low on those, you can replenish your Death Defiance at the Well of Charon or by talking to Patroclus in Elysium.
