Hades 2: All Hermes Boons, Ranked

Hades 2

By Rei Penber

Published May 22, 2024

Hades 2 is an incredible game still only in early access. Despite that, the game has a lot of content, and gods to meet. One such god is Hermes, the god of swiftness.

Hades 2: All Selene Boons

The Moon Goddess has a lot to offer in Supergiant's Hades 2, and here are all the boons given by Selene.

This God’s boons focus on increasing speed or slowing down enemies. Here are his best boons in Hades 2.

11 Quick Buck

A Good Way To Make Money

Quick Buck is definitely good if the player wants to gather money, but for obvious reasons, isn’t helpful in a fight. When the player picks it, they receive 100 golden crowns and increase the amount of money they find later on.

10 Saved Breath

A Cast for Less Magick

A great way to save on Magick is to use Saved Breath. This boon from Hermes allows the player to make use of less Magick whenever they use their omega cast. The cast will cost 15 Magick, but with the common boon, the player can reduce it by 50%, making it 8 Magick.

9 Midnight Oil

The Player is Faster While their Hex Is Ready

Midnight Oil is only a valuable option for the player if they have a hex, which they may acquire from the Moon Goddess Selene while clearing encounters. With Midnight Oil at the player’s disposal, whenever a hex is ready, the player moves and strikes their enemies faster.

This is especially useful with a hex that the player doesn’t need to use all the time, such as Moon Water. The two boons used together will make the player a force to be reckoned with.

8 Witty Retort

Use Up Less Magick For Hexes

Witty Retort is a boon from Hermes that will only be of use if the player has a hex at their disposal. As mentioned while discussing Midnight Oil, not many boons are considered hexes, and to get one, the player’s best option is to get one from the Moon Goddess Selene.

A lot of hexes from Selene require the player to make use of significant Magick before being able to use, such as Total Eclipse, needing 200. If the player has Witty Resort, this would reduce the Magick needed by, at the very least, 15%, or more, depending on the rarity of the boon.

7 Swift Flourish

Faster Specials

Swift Flourish is definitely a great option when picking a boon from Hermes, if available. Swift Flourish is a boon that makes the player’s specials faster. This will be good if the player heavily relies on their specials, but less useful if that’s not something they make use of in the game. At the very least, if the player gets the boon, their special speed will increase by 15%.

6 Swift Strike

Faster Attacks

Swift Strike is the same concept as Swift Flourish, only this one is for attacks. As the name might imply, Swift Strike allows the player to increase their attack speed. Faster attacks allow the player to dish out more damage.

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This boon will, at the very least, increase the player's attack speed by 10%. This goes up with the rarity of the boon.

5 Hard Target

Enemy Projectiles Are Slowed

Hard Target is a very interesting boon that Hermes offers. What this boon does is slow down most projectiles from enemies, with some exceptions. There are many enemies in Hades that throw projectiles at the player, and when there are too many enemies around, it can be quite problematic to dodge. This boon makes them a lot easier to avoid.

Even when the boon is just common, it slows down enemy projectiles by 30%, which is very good.

4 Greater Evasion

Dodge Enemy Attacks Better

Greater Evasion is an incredible boon to minimize damage received from enemies. Indeed, this boon allows the player to dodge some of the attacks aimed at them. It increases dodge chance by quite a significant amount, the least increase being 10%.

Against bosses, this can definitely be of great use, as the player will want to avoid as many attacks as possible.

3 Mean Streak

Dish Out More Damage After Getting a Kill

Mean Streak can be quite useful when the player is faced with multiple enemies, but only a little less useful against Bosses, as they aren’t always surrounded by other easy enemies to slay.

Mean Streak basically makes the player dish out more damage for 30 seconds after they kill an enemy. The damage bonus per slain foe depends on the rarity of the boon.

2 Nitro Boost

Sprint Faster

Nitro Boost is another incredible boon from Hermes. Hermes, in general, makes the player faster, and this boon makes their sprint 20% faster. This can be incredibly useful against bosses who throw projectiles at the player that they have to dodge, such as Cerberus.

Besides that, it also puts on a barrier when the player sprints. This allows the player to block some attacks from enemies. The amount of blocks depends on its rarity.

1 Close Call

Defy Death One Extra Time

Close Call is, undoubtedly, the best boon offered by the God Hermes. This boon can be a game changer, as it can avoid the player's game ending. The basis on which this boon works is intriguing. It grants the player one extra use of Death Defiance. Death Defiance allows the player to survive a fatal blow and regain some Health Points. This can save the player in life-endangering situations, especially against bosses.

However, this isn’t the only thing that Close Call does. When the player makes use of their extra Death Defiance, everything else slows down by 90%. Against a boss, this can change everything.