Hades is an isometric, roguelite that puts players in control of a Greek demigod called Zagreus, the son of the titular god, as he attempts to fight his way out of his father's underworld. During his quest, Hade's errant son will probably die many times but each attempt will yield new weapons and abilities that can be used on the next run.
There are four main bosses in Hades who need to be defeated to reach the end of the game, as well as some optional ones. The Mirror of Night is an item in Zagreus' room that allows him to trade darkness for new perks and abilities. Each ability has two versions, and later on, in the game players can refund their spent darkness to swap out powers and try new ones. The second version for each ability is unlocked after having a conversation with Nyx once, Zagreus has earned at least 300 darkness.
Dark Foresight - Better Rewards Upon Finishing A Level
Throughout the game, the main character travels between chambers of the underworld. These large cavernous rooms can often contain enemy encounters but can also house non-hostile NPCs. Chambers will have rewards above their entrance doors that the player can win if they complete all the challenges a room has to offer.
The Dark Foresight perk adds a 2% chance for chambers to have gold laurel rewards, which include new boons and centaur hearts among other things. Players will keep most of their items and abilities from run to run, making each attempt at escaping the underworld makes Zagreus stronger and closer to achieving his quest.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 20 Chthonic Keys
- 10 Ranks
- 150 Darkness per rank
Family Favourite- Extra Damage Per Upgrade
As Zagreus repeatedly attempts to reach the surface he will encounter numerous creatures from Greek Mythology, including the mighty gods. While the game doesn't include every deity in the Greek pantheon, the gods who are present can help the player with powerful buffs called boons.
Purchasing both ranks of the Family Favourite ability will grant the player 5% more damage for each boon they possess from a different Olympian. Sadly this perk is only useful if players make an effort to choose boons from various different gods, which may compromise their chosen build.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 20 Chthonic Keys
- 2 Ranks
- 50 Darkness for rank one/ 150 for the second
Olympian Favour- Better Boons
Of the many ways for players to improve Zagreus's combat abilities, boons are some of the most useful. Zagreus can add a single boon to his attack, special, cast, dash, and call slots, as well as picking up other ability boons throughout the dungeons. Boons are lost upon death and must be replaced each run.
If players choose to max out Olympian Favor, they will receive a 40% chance of receiving rare boons instead of common ones. However, this is expensive and overall not worth the investment given there other abilities available later on that make boons even better
How Much This Ability Costs
- 20 Chthonic Keys
- 40 ranks
- 50 Darkness per rank for an additional 1% chance of Epic boons
Fated Authority- Change A Chambers Rewards
Chthonic keys are one of the more important collectible items in Hades, as they unlock new infernal arms as well as abilities from the mirror of the night. As such players should use their keys wisely especially in the early game.
Fated Authority is one of the final perks that can be purchased from the mirror and provides the player with a dice that will randomly alter the reward for a single chamber. While an expensive ability, these dace can be very useful if players are on a good run and get offered a bad boon.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 30 Chthonic Keys
- 500 darkness for the first rank
- 11,000 darkness for all 8 ranks
Golden Touch - More Obols For Clearing A Chamber
Obols are the main currency in the game and can be used to purchase items from Charadon's shop or the well of Charadon. Unlike darkness and Chthonic keys, Zagreus will lose all of his obols upon death.
Golden Touch provides the player with an extra 5% of their total obols upon finishing a chamber per rank. The extra obols from this perk can be useful for high-level players, however, if players are still struggling with the early levels then the alternative power Deep Pockets is significantly more useful.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 10 Chthonic Keys
- 70 Darkness for the first rank
- 270 Darkness for all 3 ranks
Abyssal Blood - Slow Down Hordes Of Enemies
As well as a variety of powerful weapons, Zagreus also has a cast ability that he can use to harm enemies with magical projectiles. Casts will remain embedded in monsters for up to 15 seconds or until they are slain.
With the Abyssal Blood perk, enemies with a cast in them will have their speed and damage reduced by 6% per rank. This will help with large groups of hostiles by giving the players more time to maneuver around them and deal damage. Ranged builds may find this perk particularly useful for keeping distance between them and the oncoming horde.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 5 Chthonic Keys
- 20 Darkness for the first rank
- 300 for all 5 ranks
Stubborn Defiance - Regenerate Once Per Chamber
As with many games in the roguelite genre, frequent death is an inevitability when playing Hades. There are 69 chambers and countless hazards for Zagreus to traverse before tackling the final boss. The mirror of night offers two powers that will allow players to temporarily defy death.
Players can come back to life once per chamber with the Stubborn Defiance ability. Although this power only restores 30% of Zagreus' hearts, which is significantly less than its alternate version Death Defiance, it can be good for players in the early game who are struggling.
How Much This Ability Costs
- Available from the start
- 600 Darkness for a single rank
Gods Pride - Higher Chance To Receive Epic Boons
Zagreus can receive boons from ten different Greek gods and these abilities are arranged into 6 tiers from standard to Legendary and Duo boons. When combined with the right weapon, some of these divine gifts can be truly devastating.
God's Pride is another perk that is probably too expensive for what it does, providing an extra 1% chance for a boon to be epic, per rank. Epic Boons are significantly more powerful than common ones and may help in the early chambers however, they are far from the best in the game.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 30 Chthonic Keys
- 20 ranks
- 100 Darkness per rank
Deep Pockets - Obols For Every Restart
What makes Hades one of the best Roguelites is the way it balances gameplay and story so that neither one is left out. Zagreus' numerous deaths throughout the course of the game are an essential part of the plot however, as the player gets more abilities they will eventually be powerful enough to beat all of the chambers and reach the end.
The Deep Pockets perk is cheap and very useful for players at the beginning of the game. This power gives the player 10 free Obals at the start of each run. Once players have bought all 10 ranks of this perk they will have a surplus of obols that can be used for buying new items from the shop.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 10 Chthonic Keys
- 30 Darkness for the first rank
- 525 Darkness for all 10 ranks
Infernal Soul- More Casts
One limitation of the cast ability is the fact that bloodstones will fall to the ground after being dislodged from an enemy. This means the player has to pick the projectiles back up in order to fire them again.
Zagreus can increase his number of casts to a maximum of three with the Infernal Soul perk. This ability isn't very expensive and will help with hectic fights by giving players a few extra shots before they have to pick up their bloodstones. The only drawback is keeping track of where all the casts land so they can be retrieved, especially in a room full of enemies.
How Much This Ability Costs
- 5 Chthonic Keys
- 2 Ranks
- 20 Darkness of the first rank/ 80 Darkness for the second