There are a lot of different mechanics going on in the hit roguelike Hades, made by Supergiant Games. And, because of that, some of the more "subtle" systems can be overlooked. For example, not many players knew about the Skull Icons underneath the Reward Previews for Rooms, which let them know if the rewards (and difficulty) of these rooms are enhanced.
Dark Thirst is another subtle mechanic, and one that a majority of the Hades fanbase doesn't know enough about. Here's a guide to everything players should understand about Dark Thirst and how it works in the game.
What Is The "Dark Thirst" Buff?
Dark Thirst refers to a passive buff that's applied to one of the Infernal Arms, and grants Zagreus 20 percent more Darkness from drops for the entirety of that run, should he choose that specific weapon.
The buff is applied "randomly" to one specific Infernal Arm at a time, and will typically change with every run. Players can visually tell which Weapon has the Dark Thirst buff by the purple "glow" around the weapon.
How Does The Game Choose Which Infernal Arm It's Applied To?
The aspect of Dark Thirst that confused players for the longest time was not “what is it?” but rather “how does it work?” Dark Thirst is randomly applied to one of the six Infernal Arms every time Zagreus completes (or fails to complete) a run. Or, to be precise, it's "mostly" random.
The one aspect of this buff that makes it not entirely random is that Dark Thirst will never be applied to the weapon that Zagreus just used in his most recent escape attempt. This is likely why a portion of the Hades player base never knew about this buff, as there are quite a lot of people who find one Infernal Arm that works for them, and continue to use only that weapon for the rest of their runs.
Another thing to note is that Dark Thirst is applied to the entire Infernal Arm, which includes all of its Aspects and complete/incomplete Heat Levels. This means that if a player selects the weapon to which Dark Thirst is applied, they do not need to choose a specific aspect or Heat Level to get the benefits of the buff.
Is It Really Worth It To Use?
A 20% increase to all Darkness earned in a run is huge when players are grinding out Darkness. Grinding Darkness in Hades can grow tedious after a certain point, so anything to make it easier is highly useful. That said, do note that this 20% increase is applied to each individual pickup, and not the end total of all Darkness obtained throughout the run.
Additionally, keep in mind Dark Thirst can actually be more of a curse than a blessing, depending on the circumstances. For example, say a player does incredibly well with the Stygian Blade, but is absolutely awful with the Shield of Chaos. For all intents and purposes, it probably makes more sense for them to keep grinding with the Stygian Blade, even if the Shield has the Dark Thirst Buff. If Dark Thirst is applied to the player's least favored weapon, it's slower to use Dark Thirst and move slowly through a run (or fail it altogether) than it is to ignore Dark Thirst and keep using the weapon that works.
However, for those who want to have their cake and eat it too, there is a way to manipulate the game so that Dark Thirst at least applies itself to a better weapon. Simply start an escape attempt and then die as soon as possible, to reset the Dark Thirst random application.
Hades is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
