The first Hades had an arsenal of pretty memorable weapons, most of which could drastically change the playstyle of any given run. Paired with the slew of godly Boons that players could receive that would add various status effects to weapons and the unlockable Aspects that further shook up a weapon's abilities, Hades' weapons ended up being some of the most versatile the roguelike genre has ever seen. Naturally, fans had big expectations for Hades 2's arsenal, and thankfully it doesn't disappoint.

In its current early access build, Hades 2 has a total of five weapons, and each one has a distinct moveset and purpose. With each weapon being more flexible than any in the previous entry, any of Hades 2's weapons could be someone's favorite, but everyone has to start from the same spot. Descura, better known simply as the Witch's Staff, is the first weapon players will have access to in Hades 2, and with it being the starter weapon, it draws some interesting comparisons with Hades' Stygian Blade.

hades 1 zagreus standing near cerberus in the temple of styx
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Hades 2 Rightfully Goes Out of Its Way to Outdo the Original's Cerberus

Hades 2 has two animal familiars with qualities that make them a natural progression over Hades' three-headed hellhound, Cerberus.

Comparing Hades 2's Witch's Staff to Hades' Stygian Blade

How The Movesets of the Stygian Blade and Witch's Staff Compare

Both children of Hades, Zagreus and Melinoe are powerful godly warriors capable of unleashing some deadly attacks no matter the tool they're using. But the biggest difference between Hades' protagonists is that the former uses standard mythological military weapons, while the latter uses Magick-based equipment. This distinct difference in playstyle is made immediately clear with the two games' starter weapons, with Zagreus' Stygian Blade being a simple sword, and Melinoe's Witch's Staff being a conduit for her Magickal abilities.

The best point of comparison between the two weapons is their movesets. Hades' Stygian Blade has a three-hit-combo attack that begins with a wide sweep, continues with an overhead plunge, and concludes with a forward thrust, a versatile combo that deals solid damage to enemies in an arc in front of Zagreus. Hades 2's Witch's Staff also delivers a three-hit-combo attack, though all three of its moves are forward-facing thrusts, being much more effective at taking out solo targets, but not so effective against large groups of enemies.

Both Hades weapons have very different special moves, however. While the Stygian Blade's special is a fast overhead slam that delivers impressive AoE damage, the Witch's Staff's special is a simple arrow-shaped projectile that briefly homes in on its target.

Generally speaking, Hades ' Stygian Blade special trumps the Witch's Staff, with it widely considered to be one of the best attacks in the entire game, especially when it's upgraded via Boons .

But Hades 2's Witch's Staff has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. Like every other weapon in Hades 2, the Witch's Staff has two unique Omega moves that are charged versions of the weapon's attack and special. The Witch's Staff's Omega attack is an incredibly useful move that sees Melinoe shoot out beams of Magick in a straight line both behind and in front of her, dealing a lot of damage.

The Omega special is admittedly less impressive, turning the projectile into an orb of Magick energy that simply deals a bit more damage. These Omega moves can also be upgraded and altered via Boons, making the Witch's Staff just as much of a versatile weapon as the Stygian Blade.

How The Aspects of the Stygian Blade and the Witch's Staff Compare

Weapon Aspects were a lesser-known highlight of the first Hades, and they return in full force in the sequel. These Hades Weapon Aspects grant the weapon some kind of bonus trait, and some are much more useful than others.

While Hades' Stygian Blade had four Weapon Aspects, Hades 2's Witch's Staff currently only has three, missing an Aspect based on a different mythology, like the Stygian Blade's Aspect of Arthur. In general, both weapons' Aspects are about on par, with Melinoe's allowing her to reduce the time it takes to channel Omega moves, and Zagreus' increasing attack speed and critical damage chance.