Escaping the titular realm in Hades is no easy task. Thankfully, Zagreus isn't alone in his efforts — his family on Olympus is more than willing to lend their aid, offering boons to the Prince of the Underworld at various points along his journey.
Of these boons, there are certain types of which Zagreus can only possess one at a time. One of these "slots," as they are often called, involves the Dash-type boons, which add some sort of effect to the Prince of the Underworld's Dash. Some offer a small advantage; meanwhile, others can vastly improve Zag's survivability and combat prowess. Here's how Hades players can prioritze their Dash boons.
8 Artemis: Hunter Dash
Unlike most boons in this slot, Artemis' Dash boon doesn't affect the dash itself, but rather Zag's Dash-Strike. Thus, it doesn't improve his mobility or give him new ways to damage foes the way the best Dash boons do. Hunter Dash increases the damage of Zagreus' Dash-Strike, and gives it the chance to deal Critical damage.
While this boost can be useful, the Dash-Strike isn't the easiest attack to pull off. Artemis' Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish, and Pressure Points are much more useful, more reliable boons with which players can try and achieve that devastating Critical.
7 Aphrodite: Passion Dash
With her Dash boon, the Goddess of Love inflicts her signature status curse, Weak, at the dash's end point. It's a bit of a change from the usual formula, since most Dash boons' effects proc at the dash's starting point instrad.
The Weak effect is certainly useful; it decreases an enemy's attack power, giving Zagreus a better chance of surviving an encounter. Still, it pales in comparison to some of the other Dash boons Zagreus can receive.
6 Demeter: Mistral Dash
Chill is a handy status curse, but not as game-breaking as some others are. Like Aphrodite's Weak, it can help with survivability, this time by slowing affected enemies. Mistral Dash gains a small advantage over Passion Dash, however, as the Chill effect can stack. This boon shoots a gust of chilling air in front of Zag with each Dash, it's easier to aim and target specific foes with Chill.
With its use in Chilling several foes quickly, Mistral Dash is fantastic to use in combination with boons like Killing Freeze or Arctic Blast, which inflict additional effects on Chilled foes. On its own, however, it doesn't have as much to offer as most other Dash boons do — it only slows foes down.
5 Poseidon: Tidal Dash
Similar to many of Poseidon's boons, Tidal Dash knocks enemies away when Zag uses his Dash. Players often find themselves Dashing rapidly when low on health and trying to get out of an enemy's way, so this effect comes in handy. Putting space between Zagreus and his enemies is useful for charging attacks like Varatha's Spin or Aegis' Bull Rush, which can turn the tide of a fight at the right time.
What's more, skilled players can also use Knockback to send enemies flying into traps or magma. However, this is trickier to do with Tidal Dash than with boons like Flood Shot or Tempest Flourish, as Zag risks dashing into the traps himself.
4 Zeus: Thunder Dash
With this boon from the King of Olympus, thunderbolts rain from the sky every time the player Dashes. These bolts deal decent damage when they strike Zagreus' enemies, increasing the player's offensive potential.
The only reason that Thunder Dash ranks below other offensive boons is that it's harder to aim and control. With Blade Dash or Drunken Dash, for example, it's easier to target specific foes; in contrast, Thunder Dash strikes randomly. Still, it's a useful means of dealing damage, especially when shades are ganging up on Zagreus. If he's surrounded by foes, there's little doubt that Thunder Dash will strike at least one or two.
3 Dionysus: Drunken Dash
Hangovers are painful and annoying for Zag's foes, and Dionysus' Dash boon inflicts this status on them. When Zagreus employs Drunken Dash, he inflicts Hangover on enemies in a small area at the dash's starting point.
Enemies afflicted with this status curse take damage over time, and this kind of chip damage is always useful when fighting fearsome enemies or swarms. By dashing rapidly around the chamber, players can quickly make all their foes feel as if they've overindulged on Dionysus' signature drink. Thus, Zag's task of dispatching them becomes much easier.
2 Ares: Blade Dash
Somewhat similar to Zeus, this boon turns Zag's Dash into an offensive tool; however, Ares' offering is much more effective at dealing damage. Whereas Zeus' lightning bolts are unpredictable, players can use Blade Dash to create a blade vortex at the starting point of their dash.
This gives the player more control over where the damag occurs. Though Zagreus can't direct the blade vortex once it's appeared, practiced Hades players can Dash strategically to spawn them where they're most useful. Blade Dash is especially useful with the Hermes boon Greatest Reflex, as it allows Zag to spawn nearly infinite blade vortexes across the battlefield.
1 Athena: Divine Dash
Considering this both the best Dash boon and the best Athena boon, it's no wonder than many fans rank it as one of the best boons in all of Hades. By simply dashing into the path of incoming projectiles or attacks, Zagreus can Deflect them, bouncing them back to his enemies and return the damage to them.
Several of Athena's boons provide this defensive advantage, but Divine Dash is the best. Players can easily time it to deflect attacks perfectly, and even if the timing is slightly off, the Dash will still remove Zagreus from harm's way. It increases survivability and offers new ways to damage foes at the same time, befitting a goddess of wisdom and strategy in battle.