Our Hades Boons guide will offer an overview on how Boons actually work, before delving into the strongest Boons in the game and finishing off with a full list of every Boon offered by every God. So, let’s jump in! On this page:
Hades Boons overview - how do they work? Hades best Boons Hades Gods and Boons list Aphrodite | Ares | Artemis | Athena | Demeter | Dionysus | Hermes | Poseidon | Zeus
Hades Boons overview - how do they work?
Throughout a Hades run, you will be offered various Boons from the Olympians - Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, and so on. After conversing with a God, you will be offered a choice of three Boons, and must accept just one. Each God has a multitude of Boons which they can offer you, and each Boon can be one of four different rarities. The higher the rarity, the stronger the effect:
Common (White) Rare (Blue) Epic (Purple) Heroic (Red)
There are also special Boons which only appear under very specific circumstances:
Duo Boons - require you to have already taken certain Boons from two different Gods, and combine the powers and styles of both Gods into a single Boon. Legendary Boons - powerful Boons which require you to have favoured a certain God during a run. Each God has one Legendary Boon to offer. Chaos Boons - Boons offered by Chaos, which require you to overcome a curse for a certain number of rooms before the effect activates. Bouldy Boons - offered by Bouldy, Sisyphus’s Boulder. You must converse with Sisyphus throughout various different runs before the ability to “speak” with Bouldy and offer it Nectar is unlocked.
Upgrading Boons with Poms of Power
Regardless of their rarity, each regular Boon can be upgraded to the next level using a Pom of Power. Like Boons themselves, picking up a Pom of Power will offer you a choice of up to three Boons to level up, and you must select which one you want to upgrade. Once you get to the shop in the Styx (the fourth realm of the Underworld), you’ll find special Poms of Power which upgrade a Boon by two levels instead of just one. And aside from Poms, you can also upgrade existing Boons by speaking with Euridyce in Asphodel.
Hades best Boons
So, what are the most powerful Boons in Hades? The answer is complex, because not only are there an awful lot of Boons in the game, but each one can be offered at various strengths, making their benefits variable. Overall though, there are certain Gods and Boons which I always gravitate towards when given the option. And thus: here are the very best Boons in Hades:
Aphrodite - Heartbreak Strike
Aphrodite doesn’t offer the best Boons on the whole, but Heartbreak Strike still holds a place in my heart for its application of Weakness with each hit. This gives you great control during fights where it’s almost impossible to avoid being hit (for instance, in Elysium or Styx). Plus the damage boost is as strong as any other God’s “strike” Boon.
Ares - Battle Rage
Ares’s Battle Rage Boon is an extremely strong damage bonus for all future encounters. All you need to do is kill one foe in the room, and you’ll gain a huge damage bonus for your next attack or Special. Often this leads to powerful builds which allow you to one-shot-kill most enemies.
Artemis - Support Fire
I tend to steer clear from Artemis, because her Boons rely far too heavily on the RNG of critical hits. But one Boon I can definitely get on board with is Support Fire, which fires a 10-16 damage arrow at a nearby enemy every time you attack or use your Cast or Special. That adds up to a lot of extra damage, especially with a fast-firing weapon.
Athena - Divine Strike & Divine Dash
Athena has possibly the strongest Boons of all, because they allow you to deflect attacks, negating all damage from the attack and returning it to its sender. Divine Strike gives the ability to deflect on each attack, and - even better - Divine Dash deflects in all directions each time you dash. It’s overpowered.
Demeter - Frost Strike & Frost Flourish
Demeter’s Frost Strike is enormously powerful. Not only does it add a chunk of damage to your main attack, but it inflicts Chill, slowing down any enemy you hit. The same goes for Frost Flourish, which is better for weapons and builds where you’re using your Special a lot - like Varatha or Stygius.
Dionysus - Strong Drink & After Party
Dionysus’s health-oriented Boons are really quite excellent. Once you’ve unlocked Fountains in each realm, Strong Drink can be an absolute life-saver; and After Party allows you to heal back up to a threshold after each encounter, which again can make all the difference during a difficult run.
Hermes - Quick Recovery
If you read my Hades tips guide you’ll know that I spend all my time dash-striking. Which means whenever I’m hit, I tend to dash straight away anyway. This is what makes Quick Recovery from Hermes so powerful: it’s essentially a huge reduction in your damage taken for the rest of the run.
Poseidon - Poseidon’s Aid & Hydraulic Might
Poseidon probably has the best “Call” ability in the game with Poseidon’s Aid, which turns you into an invulnerable, high-damage battering ram. But his strongest boon has got to be Hydraulic Might, which dramatically increases your damage for the first few seconds of each encounter - enough to often end the fight before the effect even expires.
Zeus - Lightning Strike & Static Discharge
Zeus’s Boons are great for dealing flat damage. His Lightning Strike is probably the best flat damage bonus for an attack, seeing as the bonus also chains to nearby foes. And with a high fire-rate weapon like Malphon or Exagryph, your DPS will soar. Static Discharge is another excellent Boon, but only when you already have another Zeus Boon or two which applies lightning damage. The Jolted effect applied upon each lightning strike adds a heap of extra damage to your build.
Hades Boons - full list of every God’s Boons
Now let’s end with a full list of every Boon in the game, organised by Olympian:
Aphrodite Boons
Ares Boons
Artemis Boons
Athena Boons
Demeter Boons
Dionysus Boons
Hermes Boons
Poseidon Boons
Zeus Boons
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of our Boons guide for Hades, which means you now know just about everything there is to know about the Boons that each Olympian can offer. If you’re looking for more ways to increase Zagreus’s power as he strives to escape the underworld, check out our guides on the best Hades Keepsakes and the best Hades weapon upgrades.
