As Zagreus, Son of Hades, attempts to escape his father's realm, his relatives on Mount Olympus offer him aid in the form of boons. Some bolster his attacks, some shield him from foes, and some help keep his health gauge full. Every god has their own specialty, and Hades players can make use of them all.

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Among all the boons in Hades, though, the best of the best are the Legendary boons. Each Olympian god — as well as the ancient entity Chaos — has at least one such blessing to offer. But even among these top-tier boons, some prove more useful to the player as they navigate the Underworld. Here's how they stack up.

12 Huge Catch (Poseidon)

The God of the Sea is eager for Zagreus to explore all his domain has to offer. This Boon will increase the player's chance to find a fishing point in each chamber by 20%, allowing him to pull up more denizens of the Underworld's rivers.

Though reeling up fish can provide Zag with some useful currencies upon turning them in to the Head Chef, this boon does nothing to aid the player in battle. For completionists, though, it's helpful when trying to catch every fish.

Requirements

Zagreus must have two of the following:

  • Ocean's Bounty
  • Sunken Treasure
  • The Conch Shell keepsake equipped

11 Greater Recall (Hermes)

Hades - Hermes Talking About Your Winning Streak In-Game

The God of Swiftness doesn't stand for waiting around, and he doesn't believe others should either. This boon ensures that when Bloodstones are dropped from enemies, they instantly return to Zagreus. There's no need to run around the battlefield to collect ammo.

Though handy for casting rapidly, it's not as useful as most Legendary boons. Bloodstones typically return to Zagreus after a certain amount of time has passed, rendering this boon moot. Players should pick up Greater Recall if they come across it, but it's not worth jumping through hoops to try and get it to appear.

Requirements

  • Have the Infernal Soul Mirror of Night ability active
  • At least one of the following:

10 Bad News (Hermes)

Once again, Hermes stands at the ready to improve Zag's cast. Bad News allows Zagreus' cast to do +50% damage to foes who do not have Bloodstones lodged in them.

It is possible to make decent use of this Boon if players have access to an effect that dislodges Bloodstones from enemies, such as the Stygian Blade's Aspect of Poseidon; this allows Zagreus to utilize the bonus damage over and over. In most situations, Bad News is really only useful a couple of casts per battle; still, it's worth picking up if the player comes acros it.

Requirements

  • Have the Stygian Soul Mirror of Night ability active
  • At least one of the following:
    • The Auto Reload boon
    • Lambent Plume keepsake equipped

9 Second Wave (Poseidon)

poseidon giving a boon

Uncle Poseidon unleashes the might of the seas to aid his nephew, and many of his boons knock enemies back like a powerful wave. Second Wave allows the player's knock-away effects to push foes back twice instead of once.

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While it can be useful to put space between Zagreus and those attacking him, it's ultimately not as useful as the other legendary boons. Still, it can come in handy in chambers full of spikes, magma, or pillars that come crashing down when hit. Send enemies flying, and let the traps do the rest of the work.

Requirements

  • One of the following Poseidon boons:
    • Tempest Strike
    • Tempest Flourish
    • Tidal Dash
    • Flood Shot
    • Poseidon's Aid
  • One of the following Poseidon boons:
    • Typhoon Fury
    • Breaking Wave

8 Vicious Cycle (Ares)

ares granting a boon

Get ready to shed some blood. With the God of War's Legendary boon, Zagreus' Blade Vortex deals 2 additional damage with each successive hit on a single foe.

The additional damage from each hit might not look like much, but considering how rapidly a Blade Vortex spins, the bonus stacks quickly. Vicious Cycle is most useful when activated using Ares' Aid, as this boon gives Zagreus the most control over where his Blade Vortex lands and thus makes it easier for the damage to stack.

Requirements

  • One Boon that creates a Blade Vortex, such as:
    • Slicing Shot/Flare
    • Ares' Aid
    • Blade Dash
  • Either Black Metal or Engulfing Vortex, both of which require one of the above.

7 Fully Loaded (Artemis)

Zagreus Receives A Boon From Artemis In Hades

The Olympian Huntress is ready to ensure that Zag never runs low on ammo as he's fighting through the underworld. When he accepts this boon, Zagreus gains two additional Bloodstones for his cast.

This Boon earns its middle-of-the-pack ranking because its usefulness is somewhat situational. Generally, having more Bloodstones only becomes a real advantage when the player has another boon that affects Zag's cast. But when equipped with Crystal Beam (Demeter), Slicing Shot (Ares), or Festive Fog (Dionysus), this is one of the best legendary Boons in Hades for dealing widespread damage.

Requirements

Players must have at least two of the following Artemis boons:

  • Support Fire, which requires one of:
    • Deadly Strike
    • Deadly Flourish
    • True Shot
    • Hunter Dash
    • Pressure Points
    • Artemis' Aid
  • Exit Wounds, which requires one of:
    • Crush Shot
    • Phalanx Shot
    • Flood Shot
    • Electric Shot
    • True Shot
  • Pressure Points

6 Splitting Bolt (Zeus)

zeus granting a boon

Zeus, Lord of the Skies, sends his mighty lightning to aid the player. If Zagreus possesses his uncle's Legendary boon, his lightning effects will create a secondary bolt, a spark that bounces between up to five enemies. This spark does 40 damage to each enemy it hits.

Among the damaging Legendary Boons, Zeus' is a powerful one, as it deals decent damage to a number of foes. It's also easy to rapidly activate Splitting Bolt several times in quick succession with Lightning Strike or Thunder Flourish.

Requirements

One of the following Zeus boons:

  • Storm Lightning, which requires either Electric Shot or Lightning Strike
  • Double Strike, which requires Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, or Zeus' Aid
  • High Voltage, which requires Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, or Zeus' Aid

5 Black Out (Dionysus)

dionysus granting a boon

The God of Wine knows how to give enemies a raging headache. With this Legendary boon active, foes inflicted with the Hangover curse will take double damage in Festive Fog. Since Hangover slowly drains health on its own, this additional effect renders foes nearly helpless.

This Legendary boon works best with the Drunken Strike or Drunken Flourish boons. Once Zagreus lobs his Cast at a group of enemies, he need only spam those shades with his Attack or Specia, respectively, to decimate them in seconds.

Requirements

  • The Trippy Shot/Flare boon, which creates Festive Fog
  • One of the following boons, which can apply Hangover:
    • Drunken Strike
    • Drunken Flourish
    • Drunken Dash
    • Dionysus' Aid

4 Unhealthy Fixation (Aphrodite)

aphrodite granting a boon

No matter how temporary, it's always good to have an ally. Aphrodite's Legendary boon offers a 15% chance to Charm foes for 4 seconds when they are inflicted with the Weak status curse. While under the effects of Charm, an enemy will fight alongside Zagreus at maximum strength.

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Though it doesn't last long, the Charm effect can allow one of the Underworld's shades to get a few good hits on other, un-Charmed foes. And although a 15% chance may not seem like many, keep in mind that Zagreus fights sometimes dozens of enemies per chamber. It often takes less time than expected for this effect to proc.

Requirements

  • At least one Aphrodite Boon that inflicts Weak, such as:
    • Heartbreak Strike
    • Heartbreak Flourish
    • Crush Shot
    • Passion Dash
  • One of the following:
    • Empty Inside
    • Sweet Surrender
    • Broken Resolve

3 Winter Harvest (Demeter)

demeter granting a boon

Demeter proves that her icy grasp can do more than freeze enemies. The Goddess of the Season's Legendary boon will instantly shatter a Chilled foe if their health is below 10%. Furthermore, the burst that foes unleash upon shattering inflicts 50 damage on nearby enemies.

Of all the Legendary boons that deal damage, Demeter's deals perhaps the most, especially considering its potential to cause a chain reaction. Shattering foes will inflict Chill on the enemies they damage, which in turn can cause low-health enemies to shatter as well. Take Demeter's powers, and unleash frozen hell.

Requirements

At least two of the following Demeter boons:

  • Killing Freeze, which requires one of:
    • Frost Strike
    • Frost Flourish
    • Mistral Dash
    • Snow Burst
    • Demeter's Aid
  • Ravenous Will
  • Arctic Blast, which has the same prerequisites as Killing Freeze

2 Divine Protection (Athena)

athena granting a boon

The Goddess of Wisdom's Legendary boon allows Zagreus to avoid damage entirely. It provides Zagreus with a barrier that completely negates incoming damage. After absorbing a hit, the barrier takes 20 seconds to charge back up.

Needless to say, the ability to automatically shrug off an incoming hit can prove life saving in dire situations. Even with the rather long recharge time, it's one of the most overpowered boons in Hades. No need to fear Theseus' spear or the Hydra's heads with this one.

Requirements

To obtain Divine Protection, Zagreus needs Athena's boon Brilliant Riposte, which in itself requires one of the following:

  • Divine Strike
  • Divine Flourish
  • Divine Dash
  • Holy Shield

1 Defiance (Chaos)

chaos granting a boon

There's no ability quite so useful as being able to revive from the edge of death. With the Legendary boon from the deity Chaos, Zagreus' Death Defiance gains an extra use, allowing him an extra chance to bounce back from the brink of his demise.

The Mirror of Night ability of the same name can provide Zagreus with up to three uses of Death Defiance, but a fourth can be a godsend. On higher Heat or during challenge runs, Zagreus needs all the chances he can get to defeat the game's bosses and escape his father's realm.

Requirements

  • At least one other Chaos boon
  • Survive the randomly chosen Curse that ties in with the Defiance boon

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