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As he battles his way out of the underworld time and again, the son of the God of the Dead is more than willing to accept the aid of his heavenly relatives. Zagreus, prince and protagonist of Hades, calls upon his uncle Zeus, cousin Athena, and many more gods who grant him their Boons.
Some of these boons are simple, such as extra health or increased defenses. On the other hand, these are the gods of Olympus, capable of fabulous, flashy power. As such, each Olympian (except for Hermes, who's a bit of an exception to most rules) has a signature status curse that Zagreus can use to inhibit his enemies and gain an edge in battle.
Weak (Aphrodite)
As its name implies, the Goddess of Love's signature curse saps an enemy's strength and reduces the strength of their hits. At its baseline, Weakened characters will deal 30% less damage for 4 seconds. Though some newer players may gravitate towards Boons that increase DPS, Weak can do wonders for Zag's survivability, especially in the early game while his health reserves are low. Don't underestimate its usefulness when fighting late-stage bosses either.
Boons
The following Aphrodite boons allow Zag to inflict Weak through various methods:
- Heartbreak Strike
- Heartbreak Flourish
- Crush Shot/Passion Flare
- Passion Dash
- Dying Lament
- Wave of Despair
Once Zagreus has at least one of the above, the following second-tier Boons can improve or alter his Weak effects in a variety of ways:
- Empty Inside: Increases effect duration
- Sweet Surrender: Afflicted foes take more damage
- Broken Resolve: Increases amount by which enemy damage is reduced
Doom (Ares)
Doom is one of the best offensive status curses available in Hades. When Zag inflicts this curse upon an enemy, they will take a burst of damage after a one-second delay. Though a second can feel like a long time in a fast-paced roguelike, the extra hit is always worth it. The amount of Doom damage depends on the rarity of the Boon that grants it, but usually starts at 60 and increases by 20 with each successive Rarity rank.
Boons
The following Boons allow Zagreus to inflict Doom damage on his enemies:
- Curse of Agony
- Curse of Pain
- Curse of Vengeance
Once the player has at least one of the above, certain boons can increase the potency of the Doom effect or otherwise alter how it works. These include:
- Dire Misfortune: Allows Doom damage to stack, dealing more damage with each successive hit when applied multiple times.
- Impending Doom: The effect takes an additional +0.5 seconds to activate, but deals greater damage.
Marked (Artemis)
The Goddess of the Hunt blesses Zagreus with her impeccable aim. When this curse is applied, its target has a higher chance of taking Critical damage from any attack. Once the Marked target does take Critical damage, this will remove the status curse and reapply it to a nearby foe, allowing the player to stack up a chain of critical hits. Considering that a Critical will deal at least 300% normal damage, this can be incredibly useful in clearing tough chambers.
Boons
Only one Boon can apply Marked to Zag's foes: Hunter's Mark, which inflicts the curse on any enemy that takes Critical damage. Zag must have one of the following prerequisites, all of which allow for Critical damage, to obtain Hunter's Mark:
- Deadly Strike
- Deadly Flourish
- True Shot
- Artemis' Aid
- Pressure Points
Exposed (Athena)
Both Ares and Athena preside over war in the Greek Pantheon; however, in contrast to Ares' bloodlust, Athena is the goddess of strategy and battle tactics. Her status curse teaches Zagreus how to hit an enemy where it hurts most: Exposed enemies take additional damage when struck from behind. The boost starts at +50%, and increases by 12.5% with each successive Rarity rank. This bonus stacks with the bonus from the Mirror of Night talent Shadow Presence, allowing players to deal devastating backstabs.
Boons
Similar to Marked, only a single boon can inflict Exposed: Blinding Flash. When Zagreus accepts this boon, any ability that allows him to Deflect will apply the status curse to the enemy for 5 seconds. Thus, he must have a boon that enables Deflect, such as:
- Divine Strike
- Divine Flourish
- Phalanx Shot
- Divine Dash
Chill (Demeter)
The Goddess of Seasons' bitter cold spreads even to the lava fields of Asphodel with this curse. While affected by Chill, Zagreus' foes move 4% slower for 8 seconds. This effect can stack up to 10 times, with a full stack causing enemies to move at approximately 66% their normal speed. Though not as damaging as some of the other status curses, the reduced speed can make it much easier for Zag to catch fast-moving foes. What's more, several of Demeter's boons add absolutely devastating additional effects to the Chill status curse.
Boons
The following Demeter boons can inflict Chill:
- Frost Strike
- Frost Flourish
- Snow Burst/Icy Flare
- Mistral Dash
- Demeter's Aid
- Frozen Touch (applies all 10 stacks immediately)
- Glacial Glare (Crystal Beam prerequisite required)
In addition to these, some of Demeter's second-tier boons inflict further affects on Chilled foes, including:
- Killing Freeze: When all foes on the field are afflicted with Chill, they will move even more slowly and their health will decay over time.
- Arctic Blast: Once a full stack of Chill is applied to a foe, a Chilling blast occurs, clearing the effect.
- Winter Harvest (Legendary Boon): At 10% health, a Chilled foe will shatter and inflict Chill on nearby foes.
Hangover (Dionysus)
Hangovers aren't any more fun for the denizens of the underworld than they are for those on the surface. When inflicted by the God of Wine himself, the Hangover status curse causes foes to take damage every 0.5 seconds for a 4-second duration. As with other damaging status curses, the amount of Hangover damage depends on the boon's rarity; however, it is unique in that each available Boon offers a different damage range, as listed below.
Boons
With the following boons, Zagreus can inflict Hangover to deal the specified damage per 0.5 second, depending on rarity:
- Drunken Strike: 4 damage, +1 with each successive Rarity
- Drunken Flourish: 5 damage, +1 per Rarity
- Drunken Strike: 2 damage, +1 per Rarity
- Dionysus' Aid: 15 damage, +1.5 per Rarity. At maximum God Gauge, the Hangover effect lasts 9 seconds instead of 4.
Additionally, a few of the party-loving god's second-tier Boons add effects or otherwise improve the Hangover status curse:
- Numbing Sensation: Hangover-affected foes move slower.
- Peer Pressure: A Hangover-affected foe will spread the curse to a nearby enemy every 4 seconds.
Rupture (Poseidon)
The sea can be cruel to those who try and tame it. Uncle Poseidon's signature status curse will cause damage to enemies who try to move while inflicted. For 3 seconds, every 0.2 second of movement will cause damage, leading pesky fast-moving foes right back to their graves. What's more, this doesn't just apply to movement that enemies take willingly — the player's Knockback effects will also cause this damage to occur.
Boons
Zagreus gains the ability to Rupture foes through the Razor Shoals boon, which inflicts the curse on any foe hit by a Knockback effect. To obtain the boon, Zag will need at least one of the following, all of which provide Knockback:
- Tempest Strike
- Tempest Flourish
- Flood Shot
- Tidal Dash
- Poseidon's Aid
Jolted (Zeus)
Face the God of Thunder's wrath. Whenever a Jolted enemy attacks, they will inflict lightning damage on themself and their foes. The curse ends when the enemy takes self-inflicted damage, or after 10 seconds have expired. Jolt damage starts at 60, and increases with every Rarity rank.
Boons
With the Static Discharge boon, Zagreus can apply the Jolted status curse to any foe whom he strikes with any sort of lightning effect. The following boons all allow the player to deal lightning damage, and thus any one of them may serve as the required prerequisite for Static Discharge:
- Lightning Strike
- Thunder Flourish
- Electric Shot
- Thunder Dash
- Zeus' Aid
- Heaven's Vengeance
- Lightning Reflexes