Hades is a game that's all about loadouts. Solid reaction time and an understanding of enemy attacks are obviously invaluable, but a great loadout properly mixing the correct weapons and Boons is what can really carry any player all the way through to the end. Part of what makes Hades so unique is how it utilizes the various gods from Greek myth and their abilities to customize Zagreus' combat experience.
There are 10 different gods in Hades that each provide various Boons, which are abilities that can give Zagreus various combat advantages and increase different stats. It's not always up to the player to decide exactly what they get and from which gods, something that can add extra excitement to the game as each run through the Underworld feels a little different. But the player is often faced with the decision of picking one god or another to receive a Boon. Since each god has a wide variety of Boons, they can vary in effectiveness.
S Tier
Athena: There are a lot of gods within Hades who can assist Zagreus with doing lots of damage to the game's bountiful enemies, but Athena is the main one to seek out for defense. Her Boons are just too useful for most players to not take at least one, whether it's the ability to deflect while dashing or one of the best Hades aid abilities that make Zagreus invulnerable and deflect, during any given playthrough. The fact that no other god provides this level of defense is what makes her far more indispensable than many of the others on this list.
Hermes: The speedster is one of only two gods within the game whose Boons do not overlap with the regular Boons most of the others provide. This within itself can be pretty valuable because Hermes Boons only compete with each other for the player and not with anything anyone else will give players later on in a run. On top of that, these Boons cause stat boosts that can have a massive impact, like attack speed, run speed, and the chance to dodge attacks that would normally do damage, which gives Hermes some of the best Boons in Hades.
A Tier
Chaos: This is the other god within Hades with Boons that don't overlap with anyone else's. The Boons of Chaos can be accepted as many times as Zagreus runs into them throughout the game. That alone can make Chaos feel a little broken to some, but not all of his upgrades can feel particularly useful, especially when weighed against the obstacles Zagreus has to overcome to unlock the full power of the Boon. On particularly challenging runs, players might choose to skip Chaos altogether to avoid the hassle, which is something that doesn't need to be considered with the other gods.
Artemis: The goddess of the hunt gives out boons that primarily deal with increasing Zagreus' critical hit rate. At higher rarities, these crits can and satisfyingly often. For builds that mainly focus on up-close, brute-strength combat, Artemis will almost certainly wind up being a must-have in any run.
Ares: The Doom status effect is one of the best in Hades. Combine that with the Blade Rift ability, and it may lead to players wanting to do an entire build based solely around Ares boons. That's not necessarily advisable, but Ares is certainly a god to look into for Boons that deal massive amounts of damage along with turning Zagreus into an invincible swirling vortex of death.
B Tier
Demeter: When the enemies are all around and difficult to shake off or a jarringly quick and brutal fight is going on, the Chill status effect dealt by Demeter's Boons can be a lifesaver. This is a Hades god whose underrated Boons may take some getting used to, and players who first start playing around with Demeter's abilities may at first write them off as not super useful. Rest assured, though, once Chill begins to stack and the enemies begin to slow to a snail's pace, the usefulness is certainly felt.
Zeus: Like Demeter, Zeus is a god with Boons that will begin to feel much more powerful as they stack. When the chain lightning really builds up and circulates through large waves of enemies, frying a room to ash in seconds, it's hard to feel that rush. Not all of these boons are so useful in boss fights, but if a player is going to be casting in Hades they'll probably want a Zeus Boon.
Dionysus: The Hangover status effect can feel extremely powerful, especially at higher rarities and when attached to certain abilities within the Boons of Dionysus. At times, though, it can feel a little like it's just a weaker version of the Doom status effect dealt out by Ares' Boons.
C Tier
Aphrodite: The Weak status effect is the main draw of Aphrodite's different Boons. The ability to dampen the damage output of enemies makes Aphrodite one of the few gods that could be considered defensive outside of Athena. Aphrodite comes up feeling more like a neutered version, however, because less damage just isn't nearly as sweet of a deal as damage reflection. The few Boons she gives that afflict Charm can certainly come in handy, though.
D Tier
Poseidon: It's worth noting that, while Poseidon is in the lowest position on this tier list, he is still far from useless, which is something that speaks to the wonderful balance in Hades and how customizable it is to the play styles of various players. With that being said, enemy knockback can come in handy in particularly crowded rooms, but it just doesn't carry quite the same weight as basically any other bonus effect from the other Boons. Especially where boss fights are concerned, many of Poseidon's Boons can wind up feeling lackluster in comparison to other gods.
Hades is available now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.