Hades 2 Best Endgame Build Guide – How To Win Runs Easily

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Hades 2 lets you use lots of different tools, receive powerful blessings from Greek gods, and learn magical spells to help you succeed. However, as you progress deeper into the game’s worlds of the Underworld and Olympus, enemies become much stronger. Basically, the closer you get to finishing the game, the more difficult it becomes.

Okay, so this game really makes you *earn* the story. It’s not enough to just keep trying runs, you actually have to win them to see how everything unfolds. And trust me, I know – I spent a *ton* of time perfecting runs so I could write detailed guides on getting to the end and finishing the epilogue. Because of that, I’m going to share what I found to be the absolute best endgame build for Hades 2. It’s what finally clicked for me!

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Hades 2 Best Endgame Build Explained

As a huge fan, I’m already obsessed with how much you can experiment in Hades 2! Seriously, just picking a different weapon completely changes how a run feels. But it’s still a roguelite, so you can’t always count on getting the exact upgrades you’re hoping for. That means you really need to be flexible and willing to try new things as you go – it’s part of the fun!

This guide offers a general outline, but your results may vary. The specific benefits you’ve chosen and any upgrades you’ve made to items like Arcana Cards and Keepsakes will affect your outcome. However, this build should give you a solid starting point and plenty of helpful direction.

Weapon

My favorite weapon was Xinth, the Black Coat. I especially liked the Aspect of Melinoë version. When fully upgraded to Rank V, it immediately increases your attack, sprint, and movement speed by 20 percent.

This weapon is incredibly flexible. The most effective attacks with this setup are its special attack – which fires a stream of rockets, either directly or by locking onto a target if you hold the button – and its quick dash-strike.

Additionally, Melinoë lets you move incredibly quickly, essentially using her weapon as a jetpack. This speed is further enhanced by certain abilities, and that’s before even factoring in the benefits of boons.

Arcana Cards

Using 29 out of 30 Grasp, here’s the list of Arcana cards I had active with this build:

  • The Sorceress: This increases the speed of your held-pressed attacks, which adds to the overall speedy build.
  • The Wayward Son: Always nice to recover some health after exiting a location.
  • The Huntress: Increases damage while you have less than 100 percent Magick. This pushes you to play aggressively and adds a hefty bonus to your base attack and special.
  • The Furies: Increased damage to foes inside your casts. Even if you don’t tend to use casts, this is a nice-to-have.
  • Persistence: Increasing your maximum life and Magick is a must.
  • The Swift Runner: Makes your sprint even faster and lets you pass through most enemies in your way.
  • Death: It’s always good to have Death Defiances. They have both a practical purpose and also give you some comfort in knowing that meeting defeat won’t immediately end your run.
  • The Centaur: This increases your maximum health and Magick whenever you pass through five locations, which is great, especially for Olympus runs.
  • Origination: It’s good to always strive to have multiple debuffs on enemies. This Arcana increases your damage to foes with at least two curses from different Olympians, which is easy enough to achieve.
  • The Lovers: With this, you take 0 damage the first time you’re hit in boss encounters. It might not sound like much, but it definitely counts.
  • The Artificer: This gives you two chances a night to turn any minor find (common resources) into major finds (such as boons).
  • Excellence: A must. This makes it so any boons you find have an increased chance to include legendary or at least rare blessings.
  • Divinity: A good pairing for Excellence. Divinity makes it so that any boons you find have an increased chance to include epic blessings.

Now, let’s see how to put these to good use.

Boons

Glamour Gain gives you two benefits: it weakens enemies around you and slowly refills your Magick. Weakening enemies is very effective, and the steady Magick recovery is helpful because this setup really shines when you’re using attacks that you hold down. If you get good item drops, combining this with something like Sweet Surrender-which makes weakened enemies take more damage-will give you a big boost in power.

As a big fan of Aphrodite’s boons, I always found Flutter Flourish to be a really solid pick. It basically boosted the damage of my special attack – those rockets I fire off – especially when enemies were close by. I know some people might think it’s weird to use with a weapon like the Black Coat, but since I’m always dashing in and out of fights with that thing, Flutter Flourish triggered constantly. It was a nice damage boost that I didn’t even have to think about!

If you’re looking for a different option, consider using Hitch. When this ability affects two or more enemies, attacking one will also damage all the connected ones. This makes it really effective against groups of enemies.

Nitro Boost gives you a quick burst of speed and creates a protective shield that blocks damage. It also provides an additional speed boost!

If you’re building a defense-focused character, keep an eye out for boons from Hephaestus, especially ‘Heavy Metal’. This boon increases your weapon damage based on a percentage of your shield’s strength-it’s a consistently strong choice. You’ll start with some shield when you select it, immediately activating the damage boost, and it lasts for the entire playthrough. Don’t worry if you lose your shield; you can always replenish it through shops or other means to reactivate the effect.

Mutual Destruction gives you a chance to deal 200% damage, and the lower your health, the higher that chance becomes. If you’re struggling in a run and might not survive, this ability can help you deal significantly more damage before you fall.

Critical hits are more likely to land on enemies who are very healthy or heavily armored – specifically, those with at least 80% health or armor. While the requirement seems strict, this ability is designed to quickly defeat enemies and keep you moving, and it helps achieve that goal.

Once you’re comfortable with the game, the ‘Shameless Attitude’ ability is a strong option. It increases your damage output, and if you maintain at least 80% of your health, that damage boost is even greater.

Divine Vengeance triggers a lightning strike on your attacker whenever you take damage. There’s even a 50% chance of them being struck multiple times! Since you’re bound to be hit eventually, this ability lets you turn the tables and punish your enemy.

Ice Strike is a straightforward but effective skill. Freezing enemies is a strong tactic in Hades 2, letting you significantly slow down most opponents.

Keepsakes

The Beautiful Mirror was a game-changer for me when I started focusing on the late-game content. It significantly increases your chances of receiving a boon from Aphrodite, often as your very first one, and also allows you to upgrade that blessing. Prioritizing ‘Weak’ as a primary condition against enemies is crucial – any extra damage you can add on top of that will further improve your build, giving you a solid foundation to work from.

If your run is going well and you’re ready to focus on defense, the Silken Sash is a good choice. It gives you an immediate shield boost and increases the amount of shield you gain at each chamber. It’s especially powerful if you’re also getting boons from Hephaestus, but it’s a helpful item to have as you progress through the later areas of the Underworld or Olympus.

Knuckle Bones makes you tougher against guardians, reducing the damage you take. Plus, the first time you use it, it weakens the next guardian you fight, giving you a strong start to any boss battle.

The Evil Eye is really useful for fighting Typhon. He’ll probably defeat you a few times, which will unlock its special ability, and then you can use it over and over again during Olympus runs. I like to use Knuckle Bones when fighting Prometheus, but then switch to the Evil Eye for the Typhon battle.

Familiar

Out of all the companions available when the game first launched, Gale was by far the most helpful for me. Whenever I was about to take damage, this little polecat would jump in front of the attack, blocking it and even dealing some damage back! Gale can do this a few times in each area – up to three times, with a 30-second cooldown between uses. Once you get the hang of the game, you won’t get hit very often, but when you do, it’s usually in the later, tougher areas like the Underworld or Olympus, or during boss fights. Enemies deal a lot of damage, and it’s easy to find yourself in a bad situation. Gale steps in to prevent that a few crucial times, and that makes a big difference. Gale also provides a boost to…

Okay, so Gale is awesome because it not only helps me dodge attacks better and move faster, but it also means I get a ton more Flora when I’m out gathering resources. It’s a really useful perk!

Tips and strategy

The Black Coat offers a lot of different ways to attack, so you’ll have plenty of choices. I mostly relied on quick dashes and the charged special attack, but feel free to adapt your strategy based on the boots you find. Don’t forget you can hold the attack button to block many attacks while charging up a powerful move – it took me some practice to use this effectively in battles.

Okay, so when it comes to boons, I’ve found what works best for me is pairing Weak and Hitch. Then, adding either Freeze or Scorch on top of that is awesome. If I get lucky and snag something from Zeus or Poseidon, even better! But honestly, I always try to start with at least one or two boons from Aphrodite – that extra damage against cursed enemies is a lifesaver.

If you’re having trouble progressing, you can turn on God Mode in the settings at any time. It doesn’t fundamentally change the game – it just gradually reduces the damage you take each time you die – and it could help you overcome a difficult spot.

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2025-09-24 18:20