Hades weapons beginner’s guide

In this Hades guide, we’ll introduce every weapon, show you how they work, and help you choose between the Stygian Blade, Heart-seeking Bow, Shield of Chaos, Eternal Spear, Twin Fists, and the Adamant Rail.

The Boons and buffs you get in Hades change each weapon dramatically. Those randomly generated, temporary upgrades make the same weapon behave differently on subsequent runs. Don’t let the variation confuse you. You really only need to learn the basics before you choose between them.

Table of contents

• Choosing and unlocking weapons
• Stygian Blade (default)
• Heart-seeking Bow (1 Chthonic Key)
• Shield of Chaos (3 Chthonic Keys)
• The Eternal Spear (4 Chthonic Keys)
• Twin Fists (8 Chthonic Keys)
• Adamant Rail (8 Chthonic Keys)
• Boons and Daedalus Hammers

Choosing and unlocking weapons

As you progress through Hades, you’ll pick up Chthonic Keys. You’ll use these in the Arsenal Room behind Zagreus’ bedroom to unlock additional weapons.

Since each weapon requires an increasing number of keys to unlock, it might seem like each new weapon is better. That’s not really the case, though. Instead, each weapon just unlocks different styles of play.

It’s worth your time to get familiar with each weapon, but the short answer here is: Use the weapon you’re most comfortable with.

Infernal Arms

There are six weapons to choose from in the Arsenal Room. Broadly speaking, the weapons do about the same damage and attack with the same speed. That means the choice you’re making is one of range and direction.

Here’s how that applies to each weapon:

Stygian Blade (default)

Medium range with sweeping attacks that hit multiple enemies.

With this sword, you’ll be close for most attacks, and that makes your special important because it deals damage in an area around Zagreus. You’ll get extra damage for a dash attack, so use it often.

Heart-seeking Bow (1 Chthonic Key)

Long range with charged directional attacks, and a low-damage, sweeping special attack that hits multiple enemies.

The bow lets you keep your distance while using dash to stay away from enemies. The sweeping special attack doesn’t do much damage, but it’ll get you out of trouble if you get overwhelmed.

Shield of Chaos (3 Chthonic Keys)

Medium range with sweeping attacks that hit multiple enemies, a directional charged attack, and a directional and ranged special attack.

The shield has a great knockback effect that makes it even safer to get right into the thick of a fight. The thrown special attack adds in ranged damage that bounces between enemies, making this a great all-around weapon for fighting close and at a distance.

The Eternal Spear (4 Chthonic Keys)

Medium-to-long range with a directional attack, a sweeping charged attack that hits multiple enemies, and a directional special attack (that deals damage twice — once in each direction).

The spear gives you a much better reach than other melee weapons like the Stygian Blade or Shield of Chaos, but it also has a charged sweeping attack to handle groups of enemies.

Twin Fists (8 Chthonic Keys)

Short range with fast directional attacks and a directional special attack.

The damage these gloves deal is lower than the other weapons, but it deals that damage in a fast and flashy way. With Twin Fists, you’ll be moving constantly.

Adamant Rail (8 Chthonic Keys)

Long range with fast directional attacks and an area of effect special attack that hits multiple enemies.

Bringing a gun to an Underworld fight feels like cheating, but the speed and damage output of the Adamant Rail means it’s not the easy button you’d expect. It is just a lot of fun to use, though.

Boons and Daedalus Hammers

The Boons from the Olympian Gods and the Daedalus Hammer upgrades you’ll unlock will change each run dramatically. Do your best to match the Boons and the upgrades to the way you use a weapon, and vice versa. If you tend to use the regular attack a lot, focus on upgrades for that. If you get a Boon that increases your dash attack damage, remember to dash more often.