Hammer & Boon Guide for Sword /Hades v1.0/

[@JawlessPaul]

Don't listen to him. His opinions are always correct.

[@keystonelyte]

I mean, he cleared something like 40 heat completely boonless. I trust this dude.

[@scrappyanimations4096]

@@keystonelyte you missed the joke completely. Also the guy you're replying to is a huge Hades streamer that is on par with Haelian and could probably also clear 40 heat. Check his channel and you'll see.

[@brianfox340]

OHHH, now I see what I was doing wrong with the sword: everything.

[@vinztheoriginal]

Same for me unfortunately 😂

[@elppfer]

How do you do the dash attack like the video?

[@vinztheoriginal]

@@elppfer he literaly explain it in the video!

[@skirk248]

I find the cursed strike works well with Arthur. Otherwise I was wrong

[@VyNyLoKo6]

Please make a series for all the weapons, this is great

[@watermelonjuicyy]

agreed, I can’t wait for the other weapons especially the bow

[@inqeejesus2622]

+ + +

[@benro6564]

Yeah... especially weapons with more interesting hammers like spear and bow

[@Haelian]

Comin right up boys

[@watermelonjuicyy]

Haelian completed unrelated but I finally got my first win against Hades!!!! That endorphin rush was something else man!!

[@sleet_gaming]

I'm an early Early Access player too, and agree with all of Haelian's points. Thanks for making this video! The only thing I would add is that, for all of the sword aspects, you can prime your special before you dash. This is especially great for Arthur due to its 2x slower animation. If Special is your primary damage source (e.g., Double Nova), then this is a great way to land your specials from a safe distance.

[@imagorilla95]

Can you explain what you mean by prime your special please? Sorry, I'm new to the game

[@sleet_gaming]

@@imagorilla95 Sure. So, hit the Special button BEFORE you dash, and you'll land your Special when you arrive at your destination. This also works with the Attack button on the Aspect of Arthur.

[@87mjung]

I'm terrible with sword, so its good to see a guide for it. Perfect timing.

[@spncrptrsn]

Your sword combo really changed the game for me, thanks king.

[@Bogrin]

My fav thing about Arthur is that the aura also slows projectiles! So much defence built in I love it

[@Robodob0]

Take a shot everytime Haelian says honestly. Cheers for one of the most entertaining Hades players :)

[@Haelian]

Omg I just noticed

[@IceBen4444]

Honestly it is not that bad

[@pokerudekusu]

Played Zag aspect with Flurry Slash and got a heroic attack speed from hermes with aphro attack, had some insane dps with just holding down the attack button. Got Piercing Wave as my 2nd hammer, was not longer a wave, it became a beam when holding down the attack button. Easiest clear with zag sword I ever had.

[@charliethecockatoo2159]

Any chance you could tell me the rest of the boons you used? Curious about your build, would like to try it out myself. ;D

[@Bogrin]

Noticed today that Arthus shuts down some traps! Ground spikes, lava and horse head spears! Anyone else notice any interactions with other traps? Kinda cool to be immune to lava

[@flavoredchin]

The holy aura actually shuts them all down! Anything that does trap damage gets nullified.

[@RS14988]

I haven't played in a while but I believe the aura also slows all projectiles, whether its from a trap or an enemy

[@rlnepomuceno1004]

Learned a lot in this video. I struggled using the sword. Can't escape elysium using this weapon. Thanks haelian! Will try sword again later.

[@JadenJones-q3e]

Bro you saved me with this game lol. I was about to stop playing but I watched a build video and it helped me beat my first run! Ive been pretty consistent since then, thank you!

[@Haelian]

Congrats!

[@charlessharp5895]

Zeus's chain lightning cast on aspect of Poseidon is an absolute beast! Can clear out rooms super fast.

[@user-hn6pf2hg9h]

leaving this up with max volume so i can stop losing 5 times in between every win

[@Haelian]

Whoa

[@Pro2869]

Great Guide, 1st run i had Hades down to 10% but forget to change my artifact to Skelly. 2nd and 3rd with run with Nemesis i cleared and won with only losing 1 life each. The DPS was kinda crazy, the bosses went down so fast. Only managed to win 2 times with Void Shield Doom build in about 30 attempts. You explaining the combo helped alot honestly, didnt use the dash-attack alot before.

[@leomuratore]

Great video and guides! I'd just like to add that Poseidon has a boon that causes cast to deal damage when it's dislodged, so it combos perfectly with Poseidon sword aspect.

[@limgraveloser9238]

This is the content we need for Hades! I hope this series continues through all the weapons.

[@bombshellblonde544]

It was neat seeing how much you raved about cast builds with Poseidon. It's become one of my favorite things to do honestly. It's SO fun, and casts are so fast that you don't leave yourself vulnerable to damage for as long.

[@mustacheBpf]

Cursed slash + flurry slash won me the first hades run. All the boons I took were defensive, after taking the 2 hammers, and I focused on health pickups like a mad man. Might seem a bit counterintuitive, but with that hammer combo you need enough health to not get one shot, so even though those pickups were 60% reduced, they were still really worth it. I was preatty much invincible, sat in-front of Hades and just attacked like I had a perma Athenas call. Was insane and very satisfying.

[@tekbox7909]

Thats cool and something I need to try out. Cursed slash was also the one I had when I beat Hades the first time and I had a poseidon boon for my cast with the boon that increases your damage against bosses so my strategy was literally sit back chug casts at hades and use Hades casts to heal up as long as he was far enough away. I actually still had 3 death defiances and stubborn roots which was a boon I just found out about in that run and I never actually got to use it since I played so defencively that I never lost my death defiances

[@spicorr2]

I vote one of these every other day until all weapons are covered. They are perfect for newer players. I had no idea you were meant to play sword that way (dash dash special) so i totally stayed away from it and started with bow after seeing your Chiron video.

[@bidoof4938]

Regarding Flurry Slash: EM4 Hades will stand still and let you safely hold down the attack button whenever he attempts to heal. Combo this with a strong attack boon and shadow slash and you will out DPS his healing.

[@sibtiger5593]

Great video Haelian! The only thing I would add for people reading the comments is that Arthur's aura also turns off floor traps and lava, which is super helpful (especially in Asphodel) to let you move around safely within the aura, and is another point in favor of Greater Consecration. Not taking lava damage in the Extreme Measures Hydra fight is a godsend.

[@Haelian]

Damn, totes forgot. Thanks Tiger!

[@tohrulol]

I've finally gotten every aspect maxed and I'm rewatching all your weapons guides. Thanks for these videos.

[@imagorilla95]

Just started playing a few days ago. Is it a big grind to max everything out?

[@KhronicD]

@@imagorilla95 as long as you aren't too concerned with maxing out your hearts with all the chars, you can use your gems, keys, nectar, ambrosia to buy bloods. It's not really recommended, but it lets you upgrade the aspects easier if you're not so good at clearing with heat increases. Still gonna take a while to max them all though.

[@Addicti0nz1]

Np bro!

[@LoganH0076]

Looking forward to these guides! Of the 35ish hours that I’ve played so far, I’ve been using the fists for about 20 of those. I’m by far the most comfortable with those and can escape almost every time (granted I don’t push heat a lot). I like using the bow and spear as well, but I’m no where near as confident with them since I don’t have as much experience using them. I’d also like to branch out to the other weapons too. The shield for example I have not played with once but would like to. I just have a hard time using other weapons when I’m so much more confident with the fists. So I’m looking forward to being able to convince myself to use a larger variety of weapons since I’ll have a better idea of what to go for with each one!

[@graffitimaniaaa]

Im pretty addicted to Hades right now, so videos like that one just make my day xD. Great job dude, keep it up!

[@eclecticspaghetti]

One of my favorite things to do in, like, the entire game, is to take the maxed out Aspect of Zagreus with the +15% speed increase, get Flurry Slash, get Piercing Wave, and also get Lightning Strike for good measure. It's absolutely glorious, all I need to do is hold down the attack button and everything just dies. I've only gotten it once, but god damn that was a lot of fun.

[@Ventus_S]

Can't wait for your fist and rail guide. Those 2 weapons are the "weirder weapon" to start off with due to very different playstyle, but oh boy, the unlock aspects on those are super op.

[@xhy9178]

Cursed Slash is super OP if played correctly. The maximum health deduction can really help player fill up AID/CALL GAUGE. If you are interested, try out this build: Aphrodite's attack, Athena's Aid/Call, Blood stone reducing dmg, and as many damage reduction, mitigation or cushion for the build with Arthur's Sword. You lose very little health with Arthur's aura and boons you will have, and your aid/call can be ready almost always after few hits, activating impervious status and heal yourself back to full health during while invulnerable. Basically you are UNKILLABLE the whole playthrough, making the experience one of the most enjoyable run one can have. :)

[@jakobehrenhofer7100]

I just finished a arthur retribution run, took all the dmg reduction i could find and just facetanked every boss with almost 400hp at the end. Good times

[@blackbeard5244]

I think once you're done making the series for all the weapon guides you should make videos where you explain your runs but more on a basic level of how your energizing and building your run; explaining your thought process. Ive watched a lot of your videos and most of the vods Ive seen were pulled from your twitch which is fine but i think if you make dedicated tutorial videos on your runs for the casual gamer you can reach a lot broader of an audience. Love the work, keep it up! XD

[@AstonMartinStig]

Wow dude, super helpful. Been playing the sword wrong all along, was not using dash strike at all. Thank you.

[@s24m_]

poseiden sword with an artemis/hermes build is really fun: true shot, exit wounds, fully loaded, flurry cast, greater recall with a super nova hammer for some safety

[@scrubduster8001]

This game is so good! GOTY for me.

[@jsdre3026]

Agreed.

[@amiablereaper]

GOTY for a lot of people, as it happens.

[@drbanemortem4155]

I'm on heat 10 on the bow, the rail gun, and the spear and on heat 3 with the sword, and I have been wondering why? now I know I have been playing the sword wrong. thanks man, really appreciate the helpful guide.

[@capellozapellini6074]

Sword is probably my second worst weapon so this is highly appreciated! Just reached final ending today, so many happy vibes

[@diana-pd1tp]

thanks for the guide! extremely helpful. i just got the game a few days ago and i’m loving it

[@drgitgud]

gotta respect the onetake

[@odefx5320]

Great video! Would love to see a full series for the weapons. 1 suggestion, watch the jargon like "I-Frames" Not everyone knows that it means invincibility frames. I really enjoy your videos and streams, but I get lost with the terminology. I would appreciate it if you gave a short explanation when you say phrases people may not understand. Thanks for everything!

[@Haelian]

Great feedback to consider, thank you!

[@isaiahcollazo6953]

just got it on xbox and this is probably the most fun i’ve had in a while. not even rage inducing just pure unadulterated fun

[@hz5100]

Just recently got into this game, and I have to say this first that this type of "guide" video is really helping me out. Kindda hard to find them on youtube. But just a bit of advice for future videos of the series. Being someone who is new to the game, those boon names really don't mean anything to me as I'm not familiar to them at all. I feel like people who can get the most out of these videos are those people like me. For instance, I only recognize some of the DUO boons you mentioned, like marriage shot, others I have no idea. That confusion even extend to some of the other boons, like trick shot. It would be really helpful if you could just include some of that information after those names, or maybe briefly explain what their effects are, or which two gods they coming from, so that I know who should I be looking for during my runs. Lastly, I would love to see some kind of in-depth video about some of those more "advanced" mechanics in the game cuz i feel like the game lacks some of these introductions. One of them that I could think of is for the boiling blood upgrade, does this buff stack with the number of cast lodged in enemies. Once again, thx for making these videos.

[@Haelian]

Great feedback, I'm going to try to put boons on display as I talk going forward. Many more videos planned, just going to take time!

[@bench5236]

Poseidon sword got me thru heats 2-5 with the sword and thru that I found my favorite build. Artemis cast and then any boons that improve ur crits. Also grabbing Poseidon special opens the path for mirage shot which is always worth it. Plus the special gives you a bit of time to grab ur casts before jumping back into fighting.

[@MrVad3r]

love this format videos... lot of these beginners videos are from beta and i love these new 1.o guides u are making.

[@xelthos2051]

Great video, thank you. Sword is definitely my weakest weapon. Would be awesome if they added the ability to test hammer and boons on Skelly, but thematically it might be hard of course. Even if its just common level to test out ideas.

[@microkaiju4974]

Great guide, nice to know what does & doesn't work with dash attack.

[@A.R.H..]

Cursed Slash literally carried me through my first completion. I just ran and poked them till I made it through the fight. Lol.

[@NickMaovich]

Geez I'm 50 hours into the game and it was all sword. Wasn't knowing about dash-strike. It was pure pain and struggle 10/10 love it

[@natural20selfcrit81]

Important to note that the video missed, the aura from Arthur also slows projectiles by an insane amount. Almost impossible to get hit when you're standing in it. Absolutely nutty with anything Athena

[@curtisnucmed]

Thanks for your videos. Just started hades with the Xbox launch and I love it.

[@jsdre3026]

Great guide excited for the other weapons. Really having a hard time with the spear.

[@DFalz21]

Very informative stuff here. Sword is definitely my worst weapon but I've been trying to get a win with it lately. I was having a pretty good run with flurry strike, Nemesis, and attack speed from Hermes but staying so close to Hades was difficult and I died really fast.

[@kzzs997]

Nice guide! Totally changed the way I looked at this weapon

[@gopnik64]

I did like 2k hits casting with the aspect of poseidon, really great run.

[@JimmyG0123]

it's worth noting that Exit Wound from Airtimes is quite good with Poseidon aspect, decent damage

[@starmada105]

Arthur is also my choice for a boonless run, you’ll get a ton of damage from the shackle and the aura helps mitigate health loss.

[@jayson546]

Can’t wait for the other weapons!! Especially Rail. And shield, and bow... and knuckles lol.

[@doodlecrazydc]

Poor Spear... Not even a mention.

[@puenboy1]

Imo poseidon you really need to gun for exit wounds from artemis. It’s insane

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

I actually love Cursed Slash. The first time I ever beat the Heroes and Bone Hydra I used it. It was awesome. I had great buffs on my attack so I wanted to spam it anyway. There was no real downside.

[@Loalrikowki]

You can sort of undo the damage cursed slash does to your health pool if you get a good quality version of that Aphrodite boon that boosts max hp gain.

[@michaelle772]

Great video as always man!

[@hrhewitt6181]

Just found these videos. One thing I tried last night that I wasn't expecting to be good but actually turned out awesome was an Arthur aspect revenge damage run. I got a bunch of revenge boons early on so I decided I would try to get Vengeful Mood and then just max out my health. All I did in the Hades fight was focus on keeping my damage reduction aura up and letting all the revenge stuff do its thing.

[@shir0923]

I subscribed for this content. Thanks for being so informative.

[@Kmaaq]

Nemesis aspect with flurry slash + cursed slash + anything that makes you sturdy while attacking (forgot the boon’s name) + athena’s armor when damaged

[@zacmccormick421]

had my sub after "the amazing clip"

[@IceBen4444]

I had a cursed slash/flurry slash combo the other day and it ended up as a fun dps vs heal race on bosses

[@EduardoSouza-qm4cn]

You're the best, mate. Thanks for the help!

[@Noasphere]

The most fun I have had with the sword was when playing with Arthur and the unique hammer. It also slows projectiles! Pair it with Athena for deflection and the duo boon between her and Dionysus to slow projectiles to a crawl. And include the Dionysus boon that makes hangover enemies move slower and time will essentially stop when it enters the aura! It works wonders and I managed to clear 32 heat with it 😁 It is a very safe build and Hades will just stand there and let you hit all his skulls back at him 😍

[@RichardHamiltonIII]

Really enjoyed this content, thanks! I definitely appreciated the high "valuable content to self-promotion" ratio...

[@Ronin11111111]

I took Hoarding Slash with Arthur and ended with 2k gold. It was pog.

[@Teknoise]

I had the double nova paired with dash nova and there was some funky stuff happening, especially when using it over gaps. Just shooting me all over the place.

[@dreamnail]

i've always been having the most success with cast builds aspect of poseidon was super fun

[@lordadamant8182]

If this weren't premiering too close to midnight for my time, I'd be here for the premiere.

[@kevingriener7441]

The Zagreus sword is pretty weak, but it lends itself well to a Hermes build. Bring the lambent plume and build on that 15% movement speed bonus. During the run, make sure and get rush delivery and either the general move speed buff or (preferably) hyper sprint. Best case scenario, you can buy whichever you don't get at Styx, and suddenly your damage is through the roof, in addition to having Zagreus running around at like 150 percent speed at all times, 250 between dashes. The Zagreus gloves are also great for a lambent plume/Hermes centered run, you just want to get the dodge bonus instead of general move speed.

[@Synergyseek]

Got my first victory with flurry slash + cursed slash + athena attack. Held down attack and healed any damage that got through deflect.

[@samuelcarter76]

The attack speed actually decreases downtime between your dash attack and regular attacks back into your dash attacks. Basically if you have enough attack speed you decrease time between dashes. If you can get this with an epic hermes attack speed you can almost be perma deflect with athena dash.

[@MaxAngor]

I can't wait for the fist guide. I do the best with it, as it turns out.

[@Maseiken]

Big point with Arthur is it also slows projectiles. Excellent Athena synergy there.

[@notjohn100]

Great video man couldnt like fast enough

[@FinalNinja1226]

Really needed this video. Thanks so much!!

[@applesandbananas6761]

I’m litteraly just binging these same videos on each weapon cause I’m trying to beat the game with every weapon. So far I’ve only beat it once ):

[@y2keefus]

Honestly, I think this actually was honestly a pretty good video honestly. I can actually honestly say that with confidence. Honestly... Actually... Honestly...

[@misfittastic]

i agreed with most of what you said except dash nova, dash nova works really well with nemesis it reverses the sequence of 2 dash strikes and then a special, to 1 special to close the distance and then dash strikes, it creates simpler rhythm to follow if you don't have quick reflexes. which is not a problem for you but is for other people ( mechanically it feels like a move out of path of exile ). P.s. as someone with a disability it is a simple mechanical change that makes a significant difference

[@WheelieRex]

I know this is a very situational anecdote, but I just finished a run with Aspect of Nemesis where I had Shadow Slash, World Splitter, Excruciating Ambush, and Deadly Strike all running together. For fighting mobs you have to rely on your cast a lot, but that setup absolutely melts bosses; I was critting Theseus, Asterius, and Hades from behind for about 1400 damage. Unsafe, maybe, but them numbers POP, and it was a great feeling

[@Noasphere]

You can at most get 3 hammers

[@tohst]

Fantastically helpful! Thanks a lot for this

[@Wriste13]

Big brain, huge intelligence, much sword, very smart.

[@Haelian]

What about my bulging muscles?

[@Flohr]

I just had the best build in any run since I started playing with Poseidon aspect: Aphro Special, Artemis Cast, Athena Dash, Chaos +1 cast, Chaos +% cast dmg, Hermes fast cast, Hermes legendary auto cast return, Exit wounds, heart rend, I think I also had Demeter attack and snow burst? It was insane, literally dash up, one hit of cold, special for weak + privileged status, then machine gun cast, special again and exit wounds just melting bosses. Fastest I’ve ever killed the last boss.

[@brotomann]

Can you do a guide on Pact of Punishment? I know it will vary depending on your playstyle/ability, but it would be good to know what you generally pick as you increase Heat.. I've stagnated around 20 Heat for most weapons.

[@Haelian]

Yes! It's on the list.

[@fearsomezq]

Game of the year contender 100%

[@Mad1Lee]

Piercing Wave got buffed to 30 damage and it is pretty great with fast AA.

[@PTBKoo]

Press both dash and attack at the same time to perform the dash attack. Will save you from getting carpal tunnel.

[@benro6564]

So close to making it, but I'm super tired and can't make it. I'll watch it after the fact though

[@russ4550]

So theres a Hermes boon that deals 100 damage for each cast that is ejected from an enemy... this and Poseidon aspect sounds super fun

[@Krhakcl]

Dash Nova on Poseidon aspect with Curse of Drowning is very fun, but otherwise it seems really not good.

[@johngreenwood9361]

After ~50 attempts, first clear with zag aspect, special double nova and dash nova (which gives "sturdy" now). Spam special and was pretty much unstoppable...

[@DoctorSmilesMD87]

World Splitter made me bust up laughing the first and only time I used it. Might feel more consistent paired with trippy shot or crystal beam.

[@Volition366]

I just bought this game but the download is taking forever, so I'm just going to binge all these ❤️ Question; you mentioned something about hoarding gold and meta currency, i understand that you can spen your gold to unlock stuff outside of that run? So since I'm a new player and i just want to unlock as many upgrades and weapons as possible and i don't really care about finishing a run i should hoard gold? Is that a good strategy?

[@Haelian]

Gold is only for your current run; darkness, nectar and others are for in between!

[@brianchu8147]

I'm a huge fan of Artemis cast dmg up + exit wounds, and even Artemis/Zeus Duo for lightning procs after dislodge. Massive burst dmg on bosses w/ Aspect of Poseidon able to immediately dislodge.

[@gcal8263]

I always like using crit Arthur since I like seeing big numbers

[@darkmatterpancake]

I was literally going to say Zag aspect, flurry slash, cursed slash

[@triciarexford4060]

It was 420 likes and I dare not undo the balance but just know that this is helpful a lot

[@triciarexford4060]

How dare you guys

[@dandini0698]

Just did one run with Piercing Wave sword, Tidal Dash&TempestStrike alongside Typhoons Fury+Breaking Wave. Felt incredibly good against rooms. Also somehow got Bladerift getting upgraded to Hunting Blades & Mirage shot. Both had very strong attack and very strong cast that made hades fight a joke. Couldnt see shit on screen though lol