Hades 2: Best Boons, Ranked

Hades 2

By Erik Petrovich

Published May 12, 2024

The boon system of Hades returns in Hades 2 with new Gods who offer Melinoë completely new boons. Plenty of Gods return from the first game, too, and players' favorite boons are back too – more often than not, with new twists on familiar mechanics.

Hades 2: How Long to Beat

Though Hades 2 is only in Early Access right now, it still offers a nearly complete experience – and takes a considerable amount of time to finish.

This list does not include Daedalus Hammer enchantments, as these tend to be different for every weapon, nor does it include unique NPC upgrades like Arachne's armors or life-taking Chaos boons. The best Hades 2 boons recommendations listed below can be taken in just about any run, and are beneficial for just about every build

Hades 2 is only available in Early Access right now. Information contained in this guide to the best Hades 2 Boons will likely change as the Early Access period progresses, and when the final version of the game is eventually released. This guide will be updated as more Boons and balance changes are released.

8 Hestia - Hearth Gain

Arguably The Best Magick Regeneration Boon in Hades 2

Hearth Gain Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Rapidly restore Magick, but you have -20% Max Life.	Common: Magick Restoration: +7 (every 1 Sec.) Rare: Magick Restoration: +10 (every 1 Sec.) Epic: Magick Restoration: +13 (every 1 Sec.) Heroic: Magick Restoration: +16 (every 1 Sec.)	Fire

Hestia is one of the new gods in Hades 2, and her boons are all themed around Scorch effects, though she does offer a few handy utility and stat improvement options too. The Hearth Gain boon is one of the best Hades 2 boons because it has a relatively small downside but a huge upside.

Magicka is everything in Hades 2, and picking up a high-rarity version of Hearth Gain early is the best way to ensure you can use Ω abilities more often. You sacrifice a bit of Life, but it's not as much of a downside as other Magicka regen boons in Hades 2.

7 Hermes - Midnight Oil

Don't Use Your Hex For Extra Move & Attack Speed

Midnight Oil Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
While your Hex is ready, you move and strike faster.	Common: Bonus Move & Weapon Speed: +15% Rare: Bonus Move & Weapon Speed: +20% Epic: Bonus Move & Weapon Speed: +30% Heroic: Bonus Move & Weapon Speed: +40%	Air

Though Hex abilities are very powerful in Hades 2, there are sometimes benefits to not using your prepared Hex skill, even if it's ready. The Hermes boon Midnight Oil works wonders when players avoid their Hexes.

Hades 2: How To Get Pearl

Before players can get a Pearl in Hades 2, they must get through the second stage and beat one of the game's most unique boss fights.

This boon increases movement and attack speed by up to 40%, depending on rarity, but only when your Hex is ready and hasn't been consumed (which would reset it to 0, anyway).

6 Demeter - Ice Strike

Attacks Freeze Enemies In Their Tracks – Plus, More Damage

Ice Strike Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Your Attacks Freeze enemies and deal more damage	Common: 30% damage bonus Rare: 45% damage bonus Epic: 60% damage bonus Heroic: 75% damage bonus	Water

One of the best curses that the player can inflict onto enemies in Hades 2 is the Frozen status effect. A single hit from a Frozen source will Freeze the target for five (or more) seconds. This takes some time to refresh before Frozen can be inflicted again.

Demeter's Frozen Strike boon both grants this power to your normal attacks with every weapon and increases the damage these attacks can deal.

5 Demeter - Rare Crop

Increase The Rarity Of Your Boons, Over Time

Rare Crop Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Your Boons become Common, then gain Rarity every 3 Encounters.	Common: Random Boons Affected: 1 Rare: Random Boons Affected: 2 Epic: Random Boons Affected: 3 Heroic: Random Boons Affected: 4	Earth

Another powerful boon comes from Demeter as well, in the form of Rare Crop. When selected, Rare Crop selects a random choice of up to four boons and upgrades their Rarity every 3 encounters.

Hades 2: Best Demeter Boons, Ranked

Take down Chronos with the most powerful boons from Demeter, Hades 2's Goddess of the Seasons.

This gets better the earlier you acquire it, though one can be hard-pressed to have a lot of boons early in Hades 2. Don't pick this up too late, though, or you risk accidentally Common-ifying a higher-rarity boon.

4 Zeus - Heaven Strike (On Fast Weapons)

Rapid Weapons, Like The Dagger & Sickle, Proc Blitz Constantly

Blitz Attack Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Your Attacks inflict Blitz.	Common: Blitz Damage: 80 Rare: Blitz Damage: 120 Epic: Blitz Damage: 160 Heroic: Blitz Damage: 200	Air

Heaven Strike is not one of the best boons Hades 2 players can pick up for just any build. Zeus' attack-modifying ability puts a thunder cloud above opponents' heads when procced. When that enemy takes a combined 120 damage before the cloud disappears, they take additional Blitz damage.

Use this with weapons like the Witch's Staff and the Sister Blades to proc and trigger the Heaven Strike ability more often, but avoid it on slower weapons like the Axe, which may have trouble triggering the damage threshold in time.

3 Aphrodite - Rapture Ring

Pull Enemies Towards Your Cast When Summoned

Hades 2 Best Boons Aphrodite Rapture Ring

Rapture Ring Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Your Casts drag foes in and inflict Weak.	Common: Weak Damage Reduction: +10% Rare: Weak Damage Reduction: +15% Epic: Weak Damage Reduction: +20% Heroic: Weak Damage Reduction: +25%	Air

An undersung aspect of Hades 2 is the sheer number of abilities that Melinoë has at her disposal, including a new CC Cast. The Rapture Ring Aphrodite boon improves the CC capability of your cast by drawing in enemies to its center.

Hades 2: How To Get Limestone

To get Limestone in Hades 2, you must get past Erebus, the first area of the game – and don't forget to bring along a Pick.

It doesn't work on bosses, but when taking on hordes of small and weak enemies, or if you just miss the cast location on a bigger enemy, this boon ensures that they get ensnared anyway. Plus, it inflicts Weak, which reduces the affected targets' damage output, and works amazingly well with other boons that cause extra effects with your Cast, like Zeus' or Apollo's. Nifty!

2 Hera - Bridal Glow

Instantly Upgrade Several Boons, But Lose Rarity With Time

Bridal Glow Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Your Boons become Heroic, then lose Rarity every few encounters.	Common: Random Boons Affected: 2 \| Encounters: 5 Rare: Random Boons Affected: 2 \| Encounters: 7 Epic: Random Boons Affected: 2 \| Encounters: 8 Heroic: Random Boons Affected: 2 \| Encounters: 9	Earth

Arguably the most powerful boon in Hades 2 is the Bridal Glow boon from Hera. Though players will not be able to meet Hera until several hours in their playthrough (after reaching the surface), her boons are some of the game's most decisive.

Bridal Glow is like the opposite version of Rare Crop from Demeter. Instead of setting your boons to Common and upgrading them, this sets your boons to Heroic (the highest level) and downgrades them with time. Taken near the end of a run, Bridal Glow has the capability to increase your build's potential by magnitudes.

1 Hestia - Soot Sprint

Eliminate Projectiles By Sprinting Through Them

Soot Sprint Effects	Rarity Modifiers	Elemental Type
Your Sprint destroys most ranged shots near you, and inflicts Scorch on foes that fired.	Common: Scorch Damage per Projectile: 2 Rare: Scorch Damage per Projectile: 4 Epic: Scorch Damage per Projectile: 6 Heroic: Scorch Damage per Projectile: 8	Fire

One of the most useful boons in the original Hades for any build was Athena's Dash, which not only nullified incoming projectiles during a dodge, but also reflected them back to the enemies that shot them in the first place.

In Hades 2, the Divine Dash gets a kind of spiritual successor in Soot Sprint. This Hestia boon uses the Sprint system, a new feature in Hades 2, to destroy incoming projectiles and inflict the Scorch status effect on the enemy that cast them. This is especially powerful in fights where enemies use a lot of ranged attacks, like Hecate or even the final fight against Chronos.