As Zagreus, Son of Hades, battles his way through his father's realm, he can unlock hidden aspects for his Infernal Arms. For the Twin Fists of Malphon, the fastest weapon in Hades, this is the Aspect of Gilgamesh, an ancient Sumerian god-king. It turns these boxing gloves into deadly claws, ready to do even higher DPS than Malphon deals under normal circumstances.

The Aspect of Gilgamesh grants the Claws of Enkidu moveset. Zag's attacks do heavier damage, and with his Dash-Upper, he can inflict the status Maim on his foes. It provides an interesting change of playstyle, so here's how Hades players can use it to its greatest potential.

Updated February 26, 2022, by Demaris Oxman: Nearly two years after its release, Hades continues to captivate players with its engaging story, fascinating characters, and ever-changing gameplay. Players have a vast array of options to make each attempt at escaping the underworld feel unique, and among these are the different weapon aspects. The most drastic changes come from the hidden aspects, which draw from the power of heroes outside Greek mythology, and completely change the way the weapon is used. Considering how different playing with the Aspect of Gilgamesh can be when compared to the other aspects of Malphon, this guide has been updated to give Hades players more clarity on how to use these gloves to their greatest potential.

The Claws Of Enkidu Moveset

After unlocking the Aspect of Gilgamesh, players should take a moment to familiarize themselves with the new moveset. Practice on Skelly — it's what he's there for, after all.

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  • Swipe: As with the regular Twin Fists moveset, hold Attack to strike repeatedly. The Claws of Enkidu deal slightly more damage, and the animation is that of swiping with claws rather than punching.
  • Rising Cutter: Press Special to deal a double hit.
  • Dash-Strike: Similar to many other weapon aspects, simply press Attack while Dashing.
  • Dash-Upper: Press Special while Dashing. This is the action that will inflict Maim. While maimed, enemies will take 25% more damage from Zag's hits, and deal heavier 50% with their own attacks. After 4 seconds, they will be hit with a burst of damage similar to that caused by Ares' Doom effect.

Best Keepsake

Hades Picture Of The Keepsakes When They Are All Maxed Out

The Aspect of Gilgamesh doesn't have any particular drawbacks that any of Zagreus' keepsakes can negate. Thus, the best general keepsakes usually make good choices when wielding the Claws of Enkidu. These include:

  • Cerberus' Old Spiked Collar, which grants Zagreus extra health
  • Skelly's Lucky Tooth, which gives Zagreus an extra use of Death Defiance (i.e., a revival when his health drops to 0)
  • Eurydice's Evergreen Acorn, which shields Zagreus from the first few strikes dealt by each boss.

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Additionally, as mentioned below, certain Olympians' boons work particularly well with Gilgamesh. Taking along Poseidon's Conch Shell or Aphrodite's Eternal Rose ensures that players will receive a useful boon, and gives them a higher chance at better rarity.

Best Boons

aphrodite granting a boon

The biggest risk in using the Aspect of Gilgamesh is the increased damage that foes deal when maimed. To help protect Zagreus, the best boons players can pick are those that decrease the damage he takes, or put distance between him and his foes.

  • Poseidon boons that inflict Knockback push enemies away when hit, and can help keep Zagreus out of harm's way. These include:
    • Tempest Strike: Increases Attack damage, and causes Attack to knock enemies away.
    • Tempest Flourish: Zag's Special will deal more damage, and knock enemies away.
    • Flood Shot: Zag's Cast deals damage in a radius of 500, knocking back enemies that are hit.
  • Several Aphrodite boons can inflict Weak, which decreases the strength of an enemy's attacks. This can help offset the damage increase caused by Maim, making Maimed foes less dangerous. The best choices for applying this status curse include:
    • Heartbreak Strike: Zag's Attack increases in damage and inflicts Weak.
    • Heartbreak Flourish: Zag's Special increases in damage and inflicts Weak.
    • Dying Lament: When an enemy is killed, they release a small burst that damages nearby enemies and inflicts them with Weak.

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As mentioned above, the Aspect of Gilgamesh's upgraded moveset also grants Zagreus two extra Dashes that he can use in quick succession. As such, certain Dash boons synergize beautifully with this aspect:

  • For defense, Athena's Divine Dash allows players to deflect attacks. When able to dash so many times in a row, this renders Zagreus near invincible.
  • For offense, Ares' Blade Dash spawns a blade vortex that whirls to damage foes. Creating several of these at once wreaks havoc even on bosses.
  • Hermes' Greatest Reflex allows Zagreus to dash even more times (1-4, depending on the boon's rarity). What's more, this boon does not take up the "Dash" slot, meaning it can be combined with one of the above, or with another Dash boon. This can turn Zagreus into a lightning-fast, nigh-untouchable, shade-slaying machine.

Best Daedalus Hammer Upgrades

gilgamesh upgrades

Like all other hidden aspects, the Aspect of Gilgamesh has an exclusive Daedalus Hammer upgrade. For Malphon, it comes in the form of Rending Claws. This upgrade further increases the damage that Maimed foes take, as well as reducing their speed by 30%.

The following non-exclusive upgrades are also highly compatible with the Aspect of Gilgamesh:

  • Explosive Upper: Zag's Dash-Upper deals +100% damage in an area. Since players will be using the Dash-Upper to inflict Maim, the increased damage is welcome, especially in chambers with a high volume of enemies.
  • Quake Cutter: After executing his Special, Zagreus will deal 90 damage in an area where he lands. Considering that the Maim status is inflicted with the Dash-Upper, a variant of this weapon's Special, players will likely be using it often, making this a useful upgrade.

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