Hades 2 tier list: Best weapons ranked
Here are the best weapons in Hades 2 and how to unlock them
Looking for the best weapons in Hades 2? Hades 2 is a gruelling rogue-like dungeon crawler that puts you in the shoes of Melinoe, desperate to avenge her family against the tyrannical Kronos.
If you have any hope of even getting to Kronos, you'll need to have the best weapons possible. Join us as we go through each weapon currently availible via early access, judging the best and which Keepsakes, Arcana Cards and Boons we would pair with them for a successful run. We'll also tell you how you can unlock each one.
In this guide:
- Weapons in Hades 2 explained
- Witch's Staff
- Sister Blades
- Umbral Flames
- Argent Skull
- Moonstone Axe
- How to unlock weapons
Weapons in Hades 2 explained
Below we'll go all Hades 2 weapons availible as of writing and explain each of their attacks and the build they are best suited for.
Each weapon in Hades 2 has 6 main attacks. These are a regular Attack and a Special (which varies from weapon to weapon) and Omega versions which tend to be the charged variations. To charge an attack and unleash an Omega version of it, hold down the regular prompt before releasing.
Each weapon will also have the ability to perform a Dodge Attack and a Cast. All Casts (except for the Umbral Flames) start at 180 damage. The cast attack will summon a circular sigil on the ground. Enemies within the sigil will be snared and take damage.
See below for a rundown of each weapon in Hades 2, their strengths and weaknesses and ways to unlock them in the game.
#5 Witch's Staff
- Attack: Multiple thrusts that deal more damage as they progress before a swinging attack. The damage output without buffs is usually 20, 25, and then 30.
- Omega Attack: Delivers an attack to all foes in a line for 120 damage each. Costs 20 Magick to perform.
- Special: A singular orb, delivered to a foe in a straight line causing 10 damage.
- Omega Special: A chargeable orb blast that will crash upon enemies in a line. Delivers 80 damage and costs 10 Magick to perform.
The Witch's Staff is the first weapon you'll recieve at start of Hades 2. Despite this, it is by no means weak and still offers a powerful short and long-range attack.
In fact, the standard Attack still has a good amount of reach to it and can allow you to attack foes whilst maintaining a bit of breathing room. Consecutive attacks deal more damage and on the last one, Melinoe will spin the staff to deliver a final, slightly more damaging blow.
The staff is suited for thinning large crowds of enemies and is best used at a range. As you'll mainly be relying on the Special attack, consider equipping the Silver Wheel Keepsake (you can acquire this from Hecate after gifting her a Nectar), which will restore your consumed Magick over 3 seconds for up to a total of 1,000 Magick.
#4 Sister Blades
- Attack: Three slashing arcs that deliver 20 damage each, a thrust for 50 and then a larger sweeping attack for 80 damage.
- Omega Attack: A dash backwards that delivers a strong attack for 100 damage. Costs 10 Magick to perform.
- Special: Throws a dagger at an enemy in a straight line for 25 damage.
- Omega Special: Throws multiple daggers at once (up to five), targeting multiple foes from a distance. Costs 10 Magick to perform (plus an additional 1 for every additional dagger) and foes take 50 damage each.
The Sister Blades are likely to be the first weapon you unlock as they are the easiest to source the resources for.
The Sister Blades are a brilliant option that lend themselves well to the fast-paced combat of Hades 2. Consecutive blows with the normal Attack will result in Melinoe arcing slashes, then thrusting before delivering a sweeping attack that can deliver high damage (even higher, if paired with the right Boons).
The Special is extremely useful at targeting multiple foes at once. Although, the reach of the blades is much shorter so they suit a more aggressive build. Pair this with Hestia's Controlled Burn Boon and these daggers will also inflict Scorch damage on enemies.
I found that the aggressive nature of the blades paired very well with elemental Boons like this, as well as the Flame Strike Boon, as this essentially emitted a wave of flames at enemies that dealt impressive close-range damage.
For this build, you'll likely be relying on Dodge a lot more. I found that the Fridgid Sprint Boon from Demeter also worked very well. This Boon will create a cyclone of frost when you dodge and has the chance of freezing enemies. This is fantastic for buying you some time as enemies advance towards you and you're waiting for your Magick to restore.
#3 Umbral Flames
- Attack: Summons an orb that delivers 15 damage.
- Omega Attack: Uses 5 Magick per hit to make your orbs bigger and deliver 50 damage each.
- Special: Summons an orb that circles you and delivers 25 damage to nearby foes.
- Omega Special: Summons two orbs at once for 20 Magick which circle around you and deliver 20 damage to nearby foes. Attacks multiple times before dissipating.
The Umbral Flames are ideal for a ranged fighter but you'll likely struggle at first to adapt to a ranged build if you're coming from the Moonstone Axe or Sister Blades. The Omega Attack is very powerful and you can still move - albeit slowly - when casting it.
However, with the fast-paced nature of combat in Hades 2, you may struggle to manoeuvre around enemies to deliver the blows. In short, the Umbral Flames can be very powerful but require some skill to wield effectively. Unlike the other starting weapons, the Cast attack will deliver 150 damage to foes instead of 180.
For an Umbral Flames build, we recommend utilising any Magick-centric Arcana Cards as you'll be constantly using Magick for both your Attacks and Specials. In particular, consider The Huntress card which gives you a +30% damage to Attacks and Specials when you have less than 100% Magick. The Titan card is also one you can unlock relatively early and will give you a +20 to both Magick and Health.
Additionally, we recommend equipping Hecate's Keepsake, The Silver Wheel which will allow you to restore Magick after use for a possible cumulative total of 1,000 Magick. This will be your steady supply of Magick and make sure you have enough on a run to fuel your Umbral Flames Attacks.
#2 Argent Skull
- Attack: Fire up to three spectral skulls that deliver 50 damage each and retrieve the skulls to re-cast.
- Omega Attack: Charge up your attack with 10 Magick to form a binding circle. The skull will then descend on the circle and deliver 90 damage in an AOE.
- Special: Dash forward and deliver a blow with your skull for 25 damage.
- Omega Special: Charge up your Special with 20 Magick, then dash forward, brandishing the skull and attacking all foes in a line for 100 damage each.
The Argent Skull is the last Nocturnal Arm you're likely to unlock as it requires Glassrock to make, which can only be obtained from mining in the third major region.
Once obtained, you'll find that the Argent Skull can be tricky to wield at first and will require some skill and practice. The basic Attack is powerful enough, but will require you to monitor your skull count closely and Dodge around the rooms to pick them up.
For this reason, we recommend picking up Boons from Hermes, who will usually offer sprint and Dodge speed increases. We also recommend The Swift Runner Arcana Card which will give you a +20% speed increase and can be improved further with Infusions.
The real strength of the Argent Skull comes with its Omega Special attack which can charge through a line of foes and deliver 100 damage each. As such, we recommend keeping your Magick count replenished by equipping The Unseen Arcana Card, which will give you the ability to restore Magick every second and The Titan card, which will raise your base health and Magick upwards of +40 when upgraded. Additionally, whilst performing this attack, you'll usually pick up any expended skulls in the process. During a run, I tried to flick between the Special and Omega Special to avoid the skull-collecting process altogether.
#1 Moonstone Axe
- Attack: A large sweeping attack that delivers 40 damage.
- Omega Attack: Several consecutive sweeping attacks that emit a torrent of damage (50 each). The initial charge costs 10 Magick with an additional 1 per swing.
- Special: Block attacks with a flurry motion that can also emit 10 damage.
- Omega Special: Block attacks whilst charging up an AOE that distributes across three large circles. Foes caught in these circles take 140 damage. Costs 25 Magick to perform.
The Moonstone Axe can be a tricky weapon at first as it is notably heavier and slower than the other weapons in Hades 2. Despite this, it is an absolute powerhouse once you get to grips with it and is my personal pick for the best weapon in Hades 2, out of the starting options.
You can Dodge and Attack for a sweeping hit behind enemies. The blocking mechanism as you gear up for an Omega Special is also incredibly useful and prevents enemies from overwhelming you whilst you pause to cast it.
Once you get used to the added weight and buff it with the right Keepsakes and Boons, the Moonstone Axe can chop through waves of enemies with incredible force. I recommend also using any Boons that apply an elemental damage effect to your Special plus The Sorceress Arcana Card to slow time as you cast, giving you more time to line up your special and trap as many enemies in it as possible.
The Unseen Arcana Card is also incredibly useful. As you'll be using your Magick a lot with this axe, The Unseen will give you Magick regeneration (1 Magick for every 2 seconds). With this, you can repeatedly queue up Omega Special attacks.
Also, consider The Huntress card which gives you an added 30% damage to your Attack and Special when you have less than 100% Magick.
Of course, the Boons and buffs you encounter on a run are completely randomised but if possible, pick the Furious Whirlwind Daedalus Hammer and the Heaven Strike Zeus Boon. This combination allowed me to quit literally Blitz past the first boss and inflicted seriously impressive damage. With the Whirlwind ability, your Omega Attack is twice as fast and outputs the damage required to trigger the Zeus Boon which will inflict Blitz (lightning) on your foe for a 200-damage output.
How to unlock weapons
There is a pool of weapons called the Nocturnal Arms available to you at the sigil opposite Schelemeus. These weapons require the following resources to unlock:
- Sister Blades: Requires Silver x1.
- Moonstone Axe: Requires Silver x15.
- Umbral Flames: Requires Silver x3 and Cinder x3.
- Argent Skull: Requires Glass Rock x2 and Bronze x1.
Once you have unlocked a new weapon, make sure it is equipped. Equipped weapons will have a ring around them. You can train with Schelemeus here, if you wish to get familiar with the weapon's specials before entering Erebus.
Silver can be mined from ores throughout Erebus, they will look like rocks with crescent moons on them. To mine, you'll need to first unlock the Crescent Pick. To do so, brew the 'Night's Craftwork' Incantation at Hecate's cauldron.
Below is a spoiler for the first boss's identity in Hades 2 and the name of a region beyond the second boss.Cinder is dropped every time you beat Hecate. This means you'll need to beat her at least three times to make the Umbral Flames.
For the Argent Skull, you'll need Glass Rock and Bronze. Glass Rock can be mined with the Crescent Pick within the third major region past Erebus. Whereas Bronze can be found within the city of Ephyra, above ground. See our guide to getting Bronze in Hades 2 for more details about this region.
That rounds off our guide to the best weapons in Hades 2. For more Hades 2 tips and tricks, see our guides to best Boons, a list of all Hades 2 symbols and what they mean, and more.