Hades II Guide | Best Boons From Every God

One of the most essential elements of any run in Hades II is the decision of which Boon to pick up. You'll find that all Boons are helpful in their own way, but some will prove far handier consistently. To help you make better choices, this guide breaks down the three to four best Boons per God in paragraph form. 

Note that this is a generalist approach: certain Boons will be better depending on your weapon and the Boons you've already picked, so don't take these picks as absolute gospel. 

Also, this guide won't cover Infusion Boons, Chaos Boons, Duo Boons, Daedalus Hammers, Selenes, Hexes, or NPC Boons such as Arachne and Echo; instead, it focuses purely on the most common Boons you can receive from the nine main Gods in Hades II. 

Zeus

In general, Zeus's Boons don't shine on their own, but they become very powerful when you gather several in a single run. You'll find Storm Ring to be the most universally applicable Boon from Zeus. Cast Boons are generally strong, but for single‑target damage, Storm Ring excels: it powers up your Omega Cast by adding a lightning strike to one enemy at a time. 

This makes it incredibly effective against bosses—you can drop it, let it do its work, and continue attacking to melt their life bar. If you find this early, consider taking Boons that reduce your Cast's mana cost or increase its damage to maximize its potential. 

If you plan to go heavy on Zeus's arsenal, aim for Heavenly Strike or Heavenly Flourish to add Blitz to your attacks, then pick up synergies like Electric Overload (which fires chain lightning whenever Blitz procs) and Toasting Fork (which causes Blitz to deal its extra damage without requiring further hits). 

Finally, Thunder Sprint is a mana-intensive Boon that causes lightning to rain down on enemies near you while sprinting—pair it with Storm Ring to truly unleash Zeus's wrath. ​

Poseidon

Poseidon's Boons combine extra damage and pushback with resource‑granting bonuses that help you outside the run, but if your goal is to progress further, focus on Fluid Gain and Breaker Sprint. Fluid Gain restores your mana simply by landing hits—you won't need to stand still or sacrifice a chunk of your pool, making it effortless to maintain casting potential. 

Breaker Sprint turns you into a watery bulldozer, plowing through weaker foes with a single hit; early on, it can clear rooms instantly. It's mana-hungry, so you'll want mana‑restoration Boons to keep it viable in later encounters. 

Don't overlook Wave Strike, Wave Flourish, and Slippery Slope, which add solid damage, knockback, and the Slip curse for extra damage and pushback on splash hits. A Poseidon‑focused build equipped with these Boons can hit like a freight train. ​

Aphrodite

Aphrodite's Boons focus on inflicting Weakness, granting damage boosts when enemies are close, and providing occasional health restoration. Glamour Gain is excellent for boss fights: it applies Weakness for straightforward damage reduction plus mana restoration. 

Flutter Strike gives you 80% more damage at close range—massive for melee builds. If you have steady mana regeneration and focus on Omega Attacks, Heartbreaker is indispensable: whenever you spend 30 MP, a bomb orbits you and deals heavy damage on contact. ​

Apollo

Apollo is new to Hades II, and his Boons emphasize range. Nova Strike and Nova Flourish boost the range of your Attack and Special, respectively—applicable depending on your weapon—but Supernova is universally strong: it makes your Cast expand in size until it expires, allowing you to clear large enemy groups with just one or two Omega Casts. 

Apollo's Omega Cast, Solar Ring, deals multiple explosions over time—strong throughout the run and further enhanced by Supernova or other Cast‑boosting Boons and Arcana. Finally, Lucid Gain restores mana when you stand in your Cast, letting you regenerate safely or even during combat. ​

Demeter

Demeter offers powerful freeze effects and utility. Pick either Ice Strike or Ice Flourish—one is enough to freeze foes, stopping armored enemies in their tracks. Frigid Sprint creates a freezing cyclone around you that drops wherever you stop, afflicting enemies and projectiles with Frost to slow them and deal damage over time. Pair this with Ice Strike to trigger the Origination Arcana bonus for attacking cursed foes, and enjoy that it uses no mana. 

Plentiful Forage grants max health for each plant, mushroom, or seed you collect—grab it early for a huge HP pool by the final boss. Rare Crop rerolls the rarity of your existing Boons and then raises that rarity every three encounters; after nine rooms, you'll have at least one heroic‑rarity Boon, a massive upgrade over a Palm of Power. ​

Hephaestus

Hephaestus specializes in defense and explosions. His Boon's prime massive explosions on cooldown after your attacks. Trusty Shield primes 30 MP on room entry to give you shielding based on rarity—excellent with the Arachne Keepsake for layered armor that soaks hits. 

Heavy Metal grants armor and suction resistance; you can get 100–125 armor at higher rarities immediately. Fixed Gain gives 10% damage resistance and mana on hit, perfect for non–mana–hungry builds. ​

Hermes

Hermes is all about speed and agility. Swift Breath reduces your Omega Cast's mana cost—a simple but effective boost for cast‑focused builds. More significant Evasion grants a dodge chance that, when stacked with Arcana and other boosts, makes you very hard to hit. Quick Buck gives you 100 gold immediately and increases gold gains for the rest of the run; reaching 150 gold by the shop guarantees a free Boon, which can be the difference between success and failure. ​

Hestia

Hestia introduces the Scorch curse, dealing damage over time. SS Sprint is a must: it erases projectiles when you sprint near them and inflicts Scorch on the shooter—projectile removal is its core benefit, with Scorch as a bonus. 

Burnt Offering sacrifices a random Boon to restore substantial health and mana—you can preview the Boon you'll lose before committing. Smolder Ring enhances your Cast to inflict Scorch on enemies inside it; you don't even need an Omega Cast, making it perfect for clearing hordes when you're out of mana. ​

Hera

Hera's Boon's center on the Hitch curse, which tags enemies so that damage to one spreads to all tagged foes—devastating in group fights but less so versus bosses. Engagement Ring extends your Cast's duration and zaps newly spawned enemies, which is ideal for boss fights with minions or timed Infernal Trove challenges. 

Born Gain instantly refills your mana when it runs out (minus a primed amount), letting you use Omega moves liberally but leaving you empty once you're completely drained. If you invest in Hitch, Dying Wish is essential: killing one tagged enemy damages all others tagged, creating satisfying chain reactions that turn you into a menace against multiple foes.