Part 3

Reviewing Hades Attack Boons like Dionysus' Drunken Strike, Aphrodite's Heartbreak Strike, and Ares' Curse of Agony to find the best fit for your build.

Dionysus, Drunken Strike

Dionysus' Drunken Strike inflicts Hangover (4 damage / 0.5 seconds, for 4 Seconds) with a stack limit of 5. This boon is in a difficult spot: high-frequency attacks can waste stacks, while low-frequency attacks have better alternatives. While a hit-and-run dash strike with Stygius could work early on, other weapons and boons offer more immediate benefits.

Aphrodite, Heartbreak Strike

Aphrodite's Heartbreak Strike offers a +50% damage increase and applies Weak, the game's best debuff, reducing incoming damage by 30%. It's viable on nearly any weapon, especially the Heart-Seeking Bow, Stygian Blade, Eternal Spear, and Shield of Chaos. It's a favorite for the Stygius Aspect of Arthur, Coronacht Aspect of Chiron, and Coronacht Aspect of Hera. The Weak effect's 3-second duration and inability to stack multiple times on one enemy make it 'low-frequency,' but its strength makes it excellent for spamming attacks. Securing Sweet Surrender and Broken boons enhances its effectiveness. Aphrodite's Legendary boon, Unhealthy Fixation, adds a 15% chance for a Charm effect, synergizing well with high-frequency attacks by increasing Charm activation chances. Heartbreak Strike is viable on any weapon, but its suitability depends on whether it's the best boon for your specific build.

Ares, Curse of Agony

Ares' Curse of Agony deals 50 damage after 1 second via Doom. It's a viable option for the Heart-Seeking Bow (unless using Flurry Shot) for players prioritizing pure damage over Weak. However, it's difficult to justify on weapons with repeating or combination attacks due to poor stacking without supplementary boons. This limits its viability primarily to the Bow and Shield of Chaos, where it competes with the superior Heartbreak Strike. Curse of Agony struggles to be a primary damage source against sturdy bosses and lacks utility beyond damage.

Artemis, Deadly Strike

Artemis' Deadly Strike provides +20% damage with a 15% chance for a critical hit. It's generally adequate for any weapon or situation but not exceptional for any. It increases damage output without stack limit concerns but lacks specialized benefits for broader strategies or shoring up build weaknesses. Deadly Strike is a suitable choice if your current run has boon options that don't synergize well with your weapon.

Athena, Divine Strike

Athena's Divine Strike offers +40% damage and Deflects projectiles. Deflection is valuable for projectile defense, but Divine Strike isn't always the best method. It's theoretically best on a melee weapon with a broad-sweeping attack, making the Shield of Chaos the most compatible weapon for its knockback and projectile deflection capabilities. It's also usable on Stygius and the Eternal Spear's sweeping dash-strike. While rarely bad, it's often a fourth-best option. Divine Strike is particularly viable, though not the best, for the Stygius hidden Aspect of Arthur and the Twin Fists hidden Aspect of Gilgamesh, allowing comfortable close-quarters combat without projectile fear.

Poseidon, Tempest Strike

Poseidon's Tempest Strike provides +30% damage and Knockback. Knockback skills are generally not useful in boss fights, complicate aiming for ranged weapons, and push enemies out of melee range. The Wave Pounding boon can add extra boss damage to knockback attacks, but the core mechanic is often seen as less useful.