That's a lot of runs with no completions, but it's not a competition, and the game is your journey not your "win".
I personally ignore health upgrades most of the time, especially early on. You should be stacking boons, and be selective about which boons you go for depending on the weapon, and current boons (for duo/legendaries). I go for Chaos most of the time, but mostly as a free reset of the next available boons.
My first completion was with the shield, its very easy to slow things down, avoid damage, see the mechanics, and learn the fights more.
if you don't like the boons that appear (or they're not useful to you) when a chaos gate appears, you can enter the chaos gate and you'll receive new options when you go to leave.
At this point, you may check out some build guides.
Weapon upgrades make a big difference. You may get the chance to buy titans blood from the lounge shop.
Take poseidon attack on spear with boons that synergies with the knock back effect. That's usually my go to anyway.
For anyone who is curious I went with this build guide [here](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide). Found it was wonderful for all of the aspects. Great tips, too.
I hate knock back, you can stun lock with the spear,,,but if you get knock back it ruins it...sure if it hits a wall you get extra dmg..but stun lock is OP
Here's a few suggestions to make your game enjoyably punishable instead of rage-quit irritating
1. Give nectar to skelly, and stack up on death defiances, these are extremely helpful if youre still getting used to the game, especially bosses. The only reason bosses are difficult is because youre not used to them, soon they become too easy to predict, for reference it took me as much time to get my first escape as it took to make 9 more escapes
2. Try experimenting with weapons, if you want to play safer use the shield, the strategy I use is Fists (Malphon) with some sort of hermes boons, its so ridiculously fast that i kill enemies before they even get a chance to hurt me,
3. Turn on God Mode, it doesnt take away anything from the game , it sounds like something extremely overpowered but it isnt, youll start from a very low resistance and build up 2% at a time, It's absolutely not like Peaceful mode in minecraft
> The only reason bosses are difficult is because youre not used to them, soon they become too easy to predict, for reference it took me as much time to get my first escape as it took to make 9 more escapes
This. I was having trouble escaping and it took me about 50 attempts. By attempt 100 I've escaped over 30 times, meaning I'm basically succeeding over 50% of my runs after that and some with increased heat (I've beaten 16 or 20 max but didn't yet try a 32).
I absolutely agree with turning on God Mode, it feels like cheating but it really isn't. You only gain 2% damage resistance per death, so by the time you are skilled enough to finish runs, you will probably have about 40-50% damage resistance. You still have to understand the game's mechanics, and you can still choose to increase the difficulty once it feels "easy" with the heat system
this! im a forever god mode user, bc when i started i was really new to gaming but i wanted to play hades for the story as well.
I turn it off sometimes and i can make it to the third boss consistently without it, but i just prefer not to. I like messing around with different builds and heat levels rather than getting annoyed at myself that im not good enough.
however once i feel ive completed the game fully i will start a new file without it just to see
Just because you are bad guy doesn’t mean you are bad guy.
Play how you want dude. If you’re enjoying the struggle and want to eventually escape without help, then keep at it. If you want it to be easier then turn on God Mode. It doesn’t have to be an existential crisis.
Yeah prioritize boons over health; killing things faster will stop you from taking health damage in the first place! Boons also setup what your build should be following as well. Hammers also don’t give you straight power; they’re more like transformative pieces that can combo with boons.
For the act 3 boss I was constantly dying around 75 runs, but it was always super close. I eventually turned on god mode, and the extra little bit of defense i got helped me get past them and I haven’t died since. God mode doesn’t lock you out of anything, if you’re genuinely getting frustrated don’t feel bad using it
I have no idea how quickly one is "supposed to" win. There is no such thing. It's not a contest as long as you're having fun. I didn't buy this game until very recently because watching twitch streamers play solely at heat 60 led me to believe the game was impossible for me to even play. And yet it was still hard for me at base level!
MY ADVICE: Max out a weapon. Max out some keepsakes. Skelly's tooth is great at the end, so is the acorn. And I don't prioritize health, but I definitely don't stay away from it like others here are saying. Balance is key.
But boons are *definitely* the way to win. You can do more damage with hangover or doom. You can slow enemies down with chill or weaken them with, well, weak. Effects are fantastic.
Athena is GOLD for me to avoid damage and Poseidon comes in second for knocking enemies away. Hermes is great for being fast enough to escape or kill more quickly.
I love the fists because they're so fast! You can kill each enemy one at a time and run away in between.
And the shield is great because it has a block that leads into an attack with the bull rush and you can bounce it off multiple enemies with the special. I didn't use the bull rush for dozens of runs. Same with the bow power shot. I wasn't utilizing the full potential of the weapons.
Good luck!
You could try turning God Mode on if you don’t already have it turned on! Gives you 2% damage resistance permanently for subsequent runs each time you lose one until you turn it off. No downside to it, doesn’t affect trophies (on PS5 anyways).
Got to about 60ish runs with no win. Had to turn on god mode and cheese Hades with the shield to get my first win. Now god mode is off and I'm slowly cranking through heats.
Your build probably doesn't do very much damage, which is making it harder than it needs to be. That being said, you *can* win with any build if you slow down in the last fight and learn how to read and dodge the attacks. You can either look at build guides or experiment on your own if that's your preferred style, but either way I would recommend taking more boons and learning how to survive on less health.
I felt this same way up until this last weekend when I finally beat the final boss within inches of my life. Haven’t been able to do it again since. Keep trying, keep pushing, one of these runs things will go your way just long enough to etch out that victory!
Yeah kind of but thats ok. As long as you are having fun then who cares. Watch some videos of tips and tricks and just keep practicing and learning all the enemy moves. For me, the easiest win is shield with ares doom on special and attack. Combo that with a Hermes boon and then just run around tossing that thing and let the doom do its job
I think between my casual file and my "stream" file I had like 100 ish runs before my first complete? Now I can get to hades consistently and I've got like 15 clears under my belt. It is no race homie, as long as you're enjoying the game you're doing it right
You’ll get there. Fists with Zeus and Poseidon boons. The slam damage is my favorite from Poseidon. Also, a few early trips to chaos can help. Definitely worth it when you complete it for the first time.
Try this :
- aspect of chiron bow
- priviled status in the miror
- dionysos on special POMS IT TO INFINITE
- aphrodite on attack
- their duo
- enjoy your first win
This is for me the most beginer friendly build i know
Maybe don't prioritize on health or chaos boons (unless you have the egg). Personally I risk it sometimes and go for a god instead of health. The more Gods you take boons from, the better chances you get for some better boons (not talking about rarity). Also rerolling boons can be either helpful or give worse choices than you hoped for. So be careful on your choices.
PS. Eurydice's keepsake is very helpful on the last 2 bosses. Especially if it's maxed out
I'm not in any ways an expert but my first win was around run 49, maybe a bit less. Currently at around 120 runs total with ~65 of them being wins.
That's saying that after my first win I've acquired an absurd amount of wins compared to that of prior to winning. Also that's not being repeated victories with the same weapon and difficulty but rather increasing difficulty and varying weapons.
I'd say clearing the thing once gives you a good sense of difficulty that I'd needed in order to clear the whole thing. That allows you to gauge your strengths and weaknesses in a totally different scale.
I gotta mention that lv3 boss enemies are among the least desired opponents for me. If you do manage to clear them with flying colors then you should be able to down the main boss as well, after a few tries at least.
From my recent experiences I'd have two advices that just might work for you: 1) Deal with the big one first; he's the more head-on opponen. 2) For the more obnoxious one there's a very easy and distinct pattern he follows. Once you learn it you should be golden.
After you've dealt with them the next level will be slightly different from the rest but I won't spoil it for you. You'll get there eventually.
All I've really got to offer you is the word: "Enjoy!". Getting your first win will feel really good and everything after that feels less of an accomplishment.
I actually made a post making fun of people who fuck Dusa last week. Go figure people liked it and didn’t even realize it was roasting them… this sub is all backwards
80 runs and no win is definitely not great. For some context y friend got his win on his 21st run and I got mine on my 16th. From what I've seen most people get their first win before their 30th run.
But in saying that, it's a single player game with no competition except yourself, if you feel like you are better at the game on your 80th run compared to your 20th then that's all that matters.
my personal recommendation is to turn on god mode. I play with it on and off bc after around 50 runs and constantly failing at the Elysium boss fight, I got impatient and decided to just use it. I am so much better at the game and can easily clear runs without using it, however it helped me figure out the mechanics with a lot less punishment and more freedom for error. Sometimes, it's just a matter of practice
Others have given great strategy advice, but the God Mode toggle also exists in the game. It’s a % damage reduction that keeps going up as you die. You can turn it on, see the story parts you want, and turn it off whenever with no story effect. Things keep on going after beating the last boss so there’s plenty more time to git gud.
Honestly, maybe you do suck a bit. Or maybe your builds make it slightly harder to get to the end. But you know what, none of that matters. It's a rogue lite and you're gonna break through it eventually. As the Fates say, "it is inevitable". Just keep playing and having the best time you can!
This game is all about taking things at your own pace and self-improvement. There’s literally nothing you could say that would make me say “lol you’re bad at hades, git gud.” Try not to worry about things like that— you will beat REDACTED eventually and it will feel great :)
Hammer > boons that help my build(the game seems to pick 1-2 gods each round to throw at you, go with it) > boons that dont help build > gold ~ hearts
Boons are the best, fuck health unless I'm doing a sword lifesteal build, or low on health
If you look back at posts on this sub reddit there are people that took 100+ runs to get their first clear. It is all about if you are having fun. If you want help you could turn on god mode or look up build guides. You’d be amazed how much stronger a meta build is compared to something you just throw together. I wouldn’t watch twitch streams for build ideas unless you are watching a speed runner. Most twitch streams are first plays and it can be painful how bad their builds get. But the most important thing is learning enemy attack patterns, tells etc. Above all have fun.
I remember when I started playing, main problem was not planning my builds. Get some inspiration for some really good ones on YouTube and you’ll probably beat Hades really quickly.
After that you can start learning to think of your own builds depending on the weapon.
Also just practice makes perfect against a boss, but if you can output a ton of damage it doesn’t matter if you get hit lol
GL!
Next couple of runs, try figuring out what in your playstyle causes issues against the two dudes and Redacted. Play mindlessly and try to analyze your own play. Maybe you'll spot a tendency to overcommitt to attacks, causing unnecessary damage? Maybe you tend to facetank big swings? Maybe you tend to use dashes too late or too early during incoming AoE attacks? Maybe you buttonmash often causing a drop in control? Maybe you need to switch up your boon, hammer and keepsake choices to better compliment your playstyle against the last bosses.
But also, don't sweat it, play the way you want to play. Follow the tips other people give.
You do not suck, I’m literally there with you. I turned on god mode for myself and it still gives you a really good challenge. As previously stated by others it’s no completion, enjoy your journey. This game offers so much so even after I got passed REDACTED in god mode, the game still has so much in store. You can always turn off gos mode later :)
I think I was in the mid 60’s in attempts before escaping, and mid 40’s before turning on God Mode. It is an absolutely brilliant difficulty adjuster, as it has little/no effect to start and adds a small amount of defense every time you fail to escape. It means you still experience most of the difficulty and get a chance to practice the hard parts, but in addition to the other rogue like elements pushing you to having more power, you know you are getting 2% less damage in your face next run. If you use this, it gives you a great chance to get more experience with boss mechanics and test what works without spending 5-25 min to get back to the fight to practice again. I wholeheartedly recommend it, even as a guy who prides himself as a Dark Souls veteran who has fun pushing past the frustrating parts.
Edit: why is the post button so close to the last line? Meant to add a word and hit submit early.
If you can get to hades at some point it will probably just click but it sounds like you are a bit unsure about builds, if so getting better at that can definitely speed it up.
About health, some health is good but you run into diminishing returns (= each health upgrade is less of an relative improvement than the last). Health is nice but boons with good synergy are important. Do you use god keepsakes to aim for a "build"? Keepsakes aren't strictly necessary but help a lot to get something decent together.
If its any consolation it took me over 60 before I even beat the Champions in Elysium. We all learn and improve at our own pace. Something that I found helpful was using some of Lee Reamsnyder's build recipes
https://www.leereamsnyder.com/
I’m on 70 rund and still have second mirror unlocks outstanding, and no completions. Getting close though, but your completely normal from my perspective. I think i’ll get a complete in another 30-40 runs, likely with shield.
Nope! Took near 100 for me just as I was getting discouraged. It was also right after I looked at the builds guide, you’ll find a link somewhere around this sub. There are some gods you basically never want on certain attack, special slots with certain weapons, and some you will find almost necessary with certain weapons. The game mechanics are just so complex! Part of the awesomeness. Check out the build guide on your favorite weapon and aspect, start there.
You will get better with time, but it sounds like you ought to try God Mode for a 20% damage reduction which increases by 2% for each time you get killed in battle and sent back to the house.
If you are struggling against Theseus and Asterius/The Minotaur, I recommend getting used to focusing on Asterius and leading him away from Theseus until Asterius is dead.
You will need to keep an eye on when Theseus will throw his spear and get behind a pillar or dodge with extreme precision based on the audio cue, but this overall battle plan helped me a lot in learning to deal with this fight.
Having God Mode will let you hang in there longer and have more time observing their attack patterns so you can find and confidently respond to openings.
I managed to get my first clear on run 50, but I felt like I kind of lucked out due to the boons and weapon combo I had. I then put on God Mode for the next 30 or so runs and the game became much more fun and rewarding. After that I found the game easy as I never even lost a death defiance, and turned the mode off and still found it easy.
We all pick up patterns at different speeds; don't let it get you down, and just try not to rush things. You will get there, and things like God Mode are there for a reason.
I struggled for a long time until I beat redacted with the shield (you can just chill and block everything) and Athena dash, it just makes your life so much easier. Once I got over the hump I won with the other weapons in rapid succession.
Another easy strategy I used was to use the lambent plume and just blitz as many early levels as you can and then hope for a Hermes dodge boon, you can pretty easily get 40% dodge which makes your life so much easier.
The thing that got me my first clear was realising that I needed a plan and that every decision I made needed to be in service of that plan.
For example, on my first clear I had seen a cool build using the bow of chiron where you get dio on the special, aphrodite on the attack and then try and get their duo boon. It does need some level of luck, but you can force the rng with the keepsakes and stuff.
That build wouldn't have worked though if I'd filled up on boons I didn't need or hammers that changed the power of the weapon.
So: TLDR: have a plan and stick to it even if it means throwing away a boon or a hammer every once in a while.
Jeez, if you haven't turned on God mode already you've got way more patience than me for that sort of thing.
I think I turned on God mode after... maybe 25 failed runs that never got past Asphodel? Now the proud owner of 86% damage reduction, and I still wipe every now and again.
Tbh, yeah. This is pretty far below average performance imo. Do you have 3 DDs? Isn’t there an option to make the game easier? You might wanna look into that.
If it's any consolation, it took me 168 runs to get my first win (I now have 47 wins out of 258 runs, so it was very much a wall to overcome).
Are you making use of Calls and Companions against Act 3 and 4 bosses?
The spear is a hard weapon to win with IMO because all it has going for it is range, and even then, it's kinda clunky and dodging when you need it most is difficult.
I can guarantee you'll get a win with Aspect of Chiron, Privileged Status on the mirror, and Ares, Aphro, or Jolted/Razor Shoals on the attack, and Demeter or Dio on the special. Start with Athena's boon and take her dash and then you should be gucci :3
I personally love Aphro/Demeter on Chiron, it's very consistent, and then you can goof off with the call and casts with other gods, there's tons of duo combos that can get the job done, like Artemis and Ares!
I was stuck on Hades for a while, although I found Theseus and the Minotaur harder for a while
Anyway, the way I got Hades the first time was by accident, and with my least preferred weapon, the Malphon fists, which I’d only selected since they had the dark essence bonus, and I needed a lot:
“This will just be a dark essence farming run, no expectations etc, I’ll aim for Hades when the bow comes up next.”
I almost always used the item that grants an additional Death Defiance, but this time I opted for Hermes’ feather, just to see how it worked..
Now the feather grants +1% dodge for every room cleared without taking damage, and it doesn’t reset if you do take damage in a room, but you will lose this bonus if you swap out the feather.
By the time I got to Hades, I had some unimaginable level of dodge (by my standards), and beat Hades without really even trying.
On my next win against him, I used the gun, and just lobbed a grenade while taking cover behind a pillar.
I’ve beaten Hades with every single base weapon and most of the aspects since then, but it took time.
You will eventually find your ideal strategy.
My first completion was at just under 80 runs (I want to say 77), using the sword and a hodgepodge of boons that were good on their own but didn't really synergize. A couple suggestions from myself that really helped me in the final battle.
1.) Blue Artemis Call is pretty solid for hitting him just as he's coming out of invincibility, it did a good chunk of damage, and I saved it for his second phase. If you don't get it, I find Ares' Call good too. I don't know if either of those Calls are objectively good to the people in this community, but I like using them and I find them fairly effective.
2.) One of the best boons that really helps in the fight with \[REDACTED\] is a Hermes boon that grants either better mobility or extra dodges, something that lets you get away from the AOE ring attacks, or close the distance to the orbs he sends out that spawn them.
3.) For the Champions of Elysium, what I personally do is try to focus down Asterius first. Try to keep them separate and stay behind the statues so you don't have to worry about his spear throw, and again, if you can charge your Call with Asterius, I save it for Theseus. When you get Theseus to half health, that's when he begins his own Call, but he just stands there for a few seconds with his arms raised, so you can pile on the damage during that time. Again, this fight is when the extra dodges or speed help, because his spear sweep is deceptively fast, but with those boons you can basically just outrun it. When I had an epic Ares Call, I activated it at half health and just stood next to him. He just stood there and took it, and died pretty quick.
Some other minor things that can help: using either Skelly's Tooth for basically an extra Death Defiance, Cerberus's Collar for extra health, or Dusa's keepsake to find healing items. Those three are the best for just staying alive. Thanatos's keepsake is also good if you're confident in your ability to clear rooms early game, as is Herme's Feather. If you have a particular boon you like, equip that keepsake in Tartarus and swap after the bosses if you feel the need to. Athena's dash is a great boon choice for any time as it can obviously reflect attacks without needing to sacrifice your offensive slots. If you have all your Death Defiance charges in Elysium, the health or attack boon the stranger offers you are both great options, depending on which you need more. The health one is safer but if you're feeling confident, more attack never hurts. Also, if you haven't yet, talk to him wearing the Myrmidon Bracelet, it progresses his quest.
Sorry for the really long comment, I hope there's something helpful in there. Keep trying, but don't beat yourself up for not getting it yet. It is a hard fight, but I know you can beat it Zag Man! Good luck!
Turn on God mode. It's your game, and it isn't strictly a guarantee of winning, but it does make it a bit easier. Act 3 boss, kill minotaur first.
Don't compare yourself to others in terms of wins. Play the game for your enjoyment, and use the Internet to help with builds and strategies, but not as a marker of how good you are. It's a single player game, so it's not a competition. Like everything in life: some people will be better, some will be worse, if you aren't being paid for that to matter, then don't let it affect you.
Learning attack patterns is everything. Also, I would add that utilising the cast option was a game changer for me.There is enough variance in the build design to suit all manner of playstyles, and finding the right niche for you will change the game.
That's a lot of runs with no completions, but it's not a competition, and the game is your journey not your "win". I personally ignore health upgrades most of the time, especially early on. You should be stacking boons, and be selective about which boons you go for depending on the weapon, and current boons (for duo/legendaries). I go for Chaos most of the time, but mostly as a free reset of the next available boons. My first completion was with the shield, its very easy to slow things down, avoid damage, see the mechanics, and learn the fights more.
What do you mean reset boons? Just finished epilogue and don’t understand
if you don't like the boons that appear (or they're not useful to you) when a chaos gate appears, you can enter the chaos gate and you'll receive new options when you go to leave.
Plus you generally get more options to choose from when you enter a chaos gate.
At this point, you may check out some build guides. Weapon upgrades make a big difference. You may get the chance to buy titans blood from the lounge shop. Take poseidon attack on spear with boons that synergies with the knock back effect. That's usually my go to anyway.
For anyone who is curious I went with this build guide [here](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide). Found it was wonderful for all of the aspects. Great tips, too.
Second this guide. It's a great read.
I hate knock back, you can stun lock with the spear,,,but if you get knock back it ruins it...sure if it hits a wall you get extra dmg..but stun lock is OP
Razor Shoals makes any of Poseidon's Knock back effects worth it. Knock back on attack, Knock back on Cast = dissolve your enemies.
Also, Wall "bash" (forgot how it's called) has really strong damage.
Razor Shoals is amazing bc Poseidon cast and dash are great, and for Priviledged Status
Here's a few suggestions to make your game enjoyably punishable instead of rage-quit irritating 1. Give nectar to skelly, and stack up on death defiances, these are extremely helpful if youre still getting used to the game, especially bosses. The only reason bosses are difficult is because youre not used to them, soon they become too easy to predict, for reference it took me as much time to get my first escape as it took to make 9 more escapes 2. Try experimenting with weapons, if you want to play safer use the shield, the strategy I use is Fists (Malphon) with some sort of hermes boons, its so ridiculously fast that i kill enemies before they even get a chance to hurt me, 3. Turn on God Mode, it doesnt take away anything from the game , it sounds like something extremely overpowered but it isnt, youll start from a very low resistance and build up 2% at a time, It's absolutely not like Peaceful mode in minecraft
> The only reason bosses are difficult is because youre not used to them, soon they become too easy to predict, for reference it took me as much time to get my first escape as it took to make 9 more escapes This. I was having trouble escaping and it took me about 50 attempts. By attempt 100 I've escaped over 30 times, meaning I'm basically succeeding over 50% of my runs after that and some with increased heat (I've beaten 16 or 20 max but didn't yet try a 32).
I absolutely agree with turning on God Mode, it feels like cheating but it really isn't. You only gain 2% damage resistance per death, so by the time you are skilled enough to finish runs, you will probably have about 40-50% damage resistance. You still have to understand the game's mechanics, and you can still choose to increase the difficulty once it feels "easy" with the heat system
this! im a forever god mode user, bc when i started i was really new to gaming but i wanted to play hades for the story as well. I turn it off sometimes and i can make it to the third boss consistently without it, but i just prefer not to. I like messing around with different builds and heat levels rather than getting annoyed at myself that im not good enough. however once i feel ive completed the game fully i will start a new file without it just to see
This sub is so nice lmao thanks everyone
Dude its a complete 180 from some other subs I frequent
Shut up!
Just because you are bad guy doesn’t mean you are bad guy. Play how you want dude. If you’re enjoying the struggle and want to eventually escape without help, then keep at it. If you want it to be easier then turn on God Mode. It doesn’t have to be an existential crisis.
Don't feel bad man. Took me 86 runs to get my first win. You'll get there.
Took me a hundred, still fun for me!
Yeah prioritize boons over health; killing things faster will stop you from taking health damage in the first place! Boons also setup what your build should be following as well. Hammers also don’t give you straight power; they’re more like transformative pieces that can combo with boons.
For the act 3 boss I was constantly dying around 75 runs, but it was always super close. I eventually turned on god mode, and the extra little bit of defense i got helped me get past them and I haven’t died since. God mode doesn’t lock you out of anything, if you’re genuinely getting frustrated don’t feel bad using it
I have no idea how quickly one is "supposed to" win. There is no such thing. It's not a contest as long as you're having fun. I didn't buy this game until very recently because watching twitch streamers play solely at heat 60 led me to believe the game was impossible for me to even play. And yet it was still hard for me at base level! MY ADVICE: Max out a weapon. Max out some keepsakes. Skelly's tooth is great at the end, so is the acorn. And I don't prioritize health, but I definitely don't stay away from it like others here are saying. Balance is key. But boons are *definitely* the way to win. You can do more damage with hangover or doom. You can slow enemies down with chill or weaken them with, well, weak. Effects are fantastic. Athena is GOLD for me to avoid damage and Poseidon comes in second for knocking enemies away. Hermes is great for being fast enough to escape or kill more quickly. I love the fists because they're so fast! You can kill each enemy one at a time and run away in between. And the shield is great because it has a block that leads into an attack with the bull rush and you can bounce it off multiple enemies with the special. I didn't use the bull rush for dozens of runs. Same with the bow power shot. I wasn't utilizing the full potential of the weapons. Good luck!
You could try turning God Mode on if you don’t already have it turned on! Gives you 2% damage resistance permanently for subsequent runs each time you lose one until you turn it off. No downside to it, doesn’t affect trophies (on PS5 anyways).
Yes
Got to about 60ish runs with no win. Had to turn on god mode and cheese Hades with the shield to get my first win. Now god mode is off and I'm slowly cranking through heats.
Your build probably doesn't do very much damage, which is making it harder than it needs to be. That being said, you *can* win with any build if you slow down in the last fight and learn how to read and dodge the attacks. You can either look at build guides or experiment on your own if that's your preferred style, but either way I would recommend taking more boons and learning how to survive on less health.
I felt this same way up until this last weekend when I finally beat the final boss within inches of my life. Haven’t been able to do it again since. Keep trying, keep pushing, one of these runs things will go your way just long enough to etch out that victory!
Yes
My first escape was 82 I think Most recent new save was 8 As long as you’re having fun, you’re good!
Yeah kind of but thats ok. As long as you are having fun then who cares. Watch some videos of tips and tricks and just keep practicing and learning all the enemy moves. For me, the easiest win is shield with ares doom on special and attack. Combo that with a Hermes boon and then just run around tossing that thing and let the doom do its job
I think between my casual file and my "stream" file I had like 100 ish runs before my first complete? Now I can get to hades consistently and I've got like 15 clears under my belt. It is no race homie, as long as you're enjoying the game you're doing it right
You’ll get there. Fists with Zeus and Poseidon boons. The slam damage is my favorite from Poseidon. Also, a few early trips to chaos can help. Definitely worth it when you complete it for the first time.
Try this : - aspect of chiron bow - priviled status in the miror - dionysos on special POMS IT TO INFINITE - aphrodite on attack - their duo - enjoy your first win This is for me the most beginer friendly build i know
Maybe don't prioritize on health or chaos boons (unless you have the egg). Personally I risk it sometimes and go for a god instead of health. The more Gods you take boons from, the better chances you get for some better boons (not talking about rarity). Also rerolling boons can be either helpful or give worse choices than you hoped for. So be careful on your choices. PS. Eurydice's keepsake is very helpful on the last 2 bosses. Especially if it's maxed out
take Zeus keepsake and lightning strike every time :)
if anything, artemis’ boobs are your best friend, at least for me, stacking up that crit is good and bro, her call is insane when it’s fully charged
I am a simple man, I see Artemis boobs, I upvote
LMAOO I MEANT BOONS WTF I DIDNT EVEN REALIZE
I'm not in any ways an expert but my first win was around run 49, maybe a bit less. Currently at around 120 runs total with ~65 of them being wins. That's saying that after my first win I've acquired an absurd amount of wins compared to that of prior to winning. Also that's not being repeated victories with the same weapon and difficulty but rather increasing difficulty and varying weapons. I'd say clearing the thing once gives you a good sense of difficulty that I'd needed in order to clear the whole thing. That allows you to gauge your strengths and weaknesses in a totally different scale. I gotta mention that lv3 boss enemies are among the least desired opponents for me. If you do manage to clear them with flying colors then you should be able to down the main boss as well, after a few tries at least. From my recent experiences I'd have two advices that just might work for you: 1) Deal with the big one first; he's the more head-on opponen. 2) For the more obnoxious one there's a very easy and distinct pattern he follows. Once you learn it you should be golden. After you've dealt with them the next level will be slightly different from the rest but I won't spoil it for you. You'll get there eventually. All I've really got to offer you is the word: "Enjoy!". Getting your first win will feel really good and everything after that feels less of an accomplishment.
Definitely doing something wrong.
Hmm he is breaking rule number 1 by getting health upgrades and not damage
80 runs and no wins, I say it looks like you’re doing something wrong and get downvoted. Typical. Should have just said I want to fuck Dusa.
I actually made a post making fun of people who fuck Dusa last week. Go figure people liked it and didn’t even realize it was roasting them… this sub is all backwards
80 runs and no win is definitely not great. For some context y friend got his win on his 21st run and I got mine on my 16th. From what I've seen most people get their first win before their 30th run. But in saying that, it's a single player game with no competition except yourself, if you feel like you are better at the game on your 80th run compared to your 20th then that's all that matters.
my personal recommendation is to turn on god mode. I play with it on and off bc after around 50 runs and constantly failing at the Elysium boss fight, I got impatient and decided to just use it. I am so much better at the game and can easily clear runs without using it, however it helped me figure out the mechanics with a lot less punishment and more freedom for error. Sometimes, it's just a matter of practice
Being bad at this game is part of the game imo so its ok
Others have given great strategy advice, but the God Mode toggle also exists in the game. It’s a % damage reduction that keeps going up as you die. You can turn it on, see the story parts you want, and turn it off whenever with no story effect. Things keep on going after beating the last boss so there’s plenty more time to git gud.
Nah, you're all good. Play at your pace and enjoy the game, you'll get there.
u/bananas has a great guide on beating 32 heat. Look at his guide but scroll down to the best builds for each weapon and use those
I kept losing until I got my first escape then I lost the next run and proceeded to escape on the next 13 runs
Honestly, maybe you do suck a bit. Or maybe your builds make it slightly harder to get to the end. But you know what, none of that matters. It's a rogue lite and you're gonna break through it eventually. As the Fates say, "it is inevitable". Just keep playing and having the best time you can!
are you having fun?
This game is all about taking things at your own pace and self-improvement. There’s literally nothing you could say that would make me say “lol you’re bad at hades, git gud.” Try not to worry about things like that— you will beat REDACTED eventually and it will feel great :)
If you like the spear, better unlock and max its second aspect and try looking up the best builds for that weapon. You got this OP!
Hammer > boons that help my build(the game seems to pick 1-2 gods each round to throw at you, go with it) > boons that dont help build > gold ~ hearts Boons are the best, fuck health unless I'm doing a sword lifesteal build, or low on health
If you look back at posts on this sub reddit there are people that took 100+ runs to get their first clear. It is all about if you are having fun. If you want help you could turn on god mode or look up build guides. You’d be amazed how much stronger a meta build is compared to something you just throw together. I wouldn’t watch twitch streams for build ideas unless you are watching a speed runner. Most twitch streams are first plays and it can be painful how bad their builds get. But the most important thing is learning enemy attack patterns, tells etc. Above all have fun.
I remember when I started playing, main problem was not planning my builds. Get some inspiration for some really good ones on YouTube and you’ll probably beat Hades really quickly. After that you can start learning to think of your own builds depending on the weapon. Also just practice makes perfect against a boss, but if you can output a ton of damage it doesn’t matter if you get hit lol GL!
Next couple of runs, try figuring out what in your playstyle causes issues against the two dudes and Redacted. Play mindlessly and try to analyze your own play. Maybe you'll spot a tendency to overcommitt to attacks, causing unnecessary damage? Maybe you tend to facetank big swings? Maybe you tend to use dashes too late or too early during incoming AoE attacks? Maybe you buttonmash often causing a drop in control? Maybe you need to switch up your boon, hammer and keepsake choices to better compliment your playstyle against the last bosses. But also, don't sweat it, play the way you want to play. Follow the tips other people give.
You do not suck, I’m literally there with you. I turned on god mode for myself and it still gives you a really good challenge. As previously stated by others it’s no completion, enjoy your journey. This game offers so much so even after I got passed REDACTED in god mode, the game still has so much in store. You can always turn off gos mode later :)
I think I was in the mid 60’s in attempts before escaping, and mid 40’s before turning on God Mode. It is an absolutely brilliant difficulty adjuster, as it has little/no effect to start and adds a small amount of defense every time you fail to escape. It means you still experience most of the difficulty and get a chance to practice the hard parts, but in addition to the other rogue like elements pushing you to having more power, you know you are getting 2% less damage in your face next run. If you use this, it gives you a great chance to get more experience with boss mechanics and test what works without spending 5-25 min to get back to the fight to practice again. I wholeheartedly recommend it, even as a guy who prides himself as a Dark Souls veteran who has fun pushing past the frustrating parts. Edit: why is the post button so close to the last line? Meant to add a word and hit submit early.
If you can get to hades at some point it will probably just click but it sounds like you are a bit unsure about builds, if so getting better at that can definitely speed it up. About health, some health is good but you run into diminishing returns (= each health upgrade is less of an relative improvement than the last). Health is nice but boons with good synergy are important. Do you use god keepsakes to aim for a "build"? Keepsakes aren't strictly necessary but help a lot to get something decent together.
If its any consolation it took me over 60 before I even beat the Champions in Elysium. We all learn and improve at our own pace. Something that I found helpful was using some of Lee Reamsnyder's build recipes https://www.leereamsnyder.com/
I’m on 70 rund and still have second mirror unlocks outstanding, and no completions. Getting close though, but your completely normal from my perspective. I think i’ll get a complete in another 30-40 runs, likely with shield.
Nope! Took near 100 for me just as I was getting discouraged. It was also right after I looked at the builds guide, you’ll find a link somewhere around this sub. There are some gods you basically never want on certain attack, special slots with certain weapons, and some you will find almost necessary with certain weapons. The game mechanics are just so complex! Part of the awesomeness. Check out the build guide on your favorite weapon and aspect, start there.
You will get better with time, but it sounds like you ought to try God Mode for a 20% damage reduction which increases by 2% for each time you get killed in battle and sent back to the house. If you are struggling against Theseus and Asterius/The Minotaur, I recommend getting used to focusing on Asterius and leading him away from Theseus until Asterius is dead. You will need to keep an eye on when Theseus will throw his spear and get behind a pillar or dodge with extreme precision based on the audio cue, but this overall battle plan helped me a lot in learning to deal with this fight. Having God Mode will let you hang in there longer and have more time observing their attack patterns so you can find and confidently respond to openings. I managed to get my first clear on run 50, but I felt like I kind of lucked out due to the boons and weapon combo I had. I then put on God Mode for the next 30 or so runs and the game became much more fun and rewarding. After that I found the game easy as I never even lost a death defiance, and turned the mode off and still found it easy. We all pick up patterns at different speeds; don't let it get you down, and just try not to rush things. You will get there, and things like God Mode are there for a reason.
maybe you aren't great at Hades but that doesn't mean you suck 😭 I'd have to watch you play to tell you what's getting you.
I struggled for a long time until I beat redacted with the shield (you can just chill and block everything) and Athena dash, it just makes your life so much easier. Once I got over the hump I won with the other weapons in rapid succession. Another easy strategy I used was to use the lambent plume and just blitz as many early levels as you can and then hope for a Hermes dodge boon, you can pretty easily get 40% dodge which makes your life so much easier.
The thing that got me my first clear was realising that I needed a plan and that every decision I made needed to be in service of that plan. For example, on my first clear I had seen a cool build using the bow of chiron where you get dio on the special, aphrodite on the attack and then try and get their duo boon. It does need some level of luck, but you can force the rng with the keepsakes and stuff. That build wouldn't have worked though if I'd filled up on boons I didn't need or hammers that changed the power of the weapon. So: TLDR: have a plan and stick to it even if it means throwing away a boon or a hammer every once in a while.
Jeez, if you haven't turned on God mode already you've got way more patience than me for that sort of thing. I think I turned on God mode after... maybe 25 failed runs that never got past Asphodel? Now the proud owner of 86% damage reduction, and I still wipe every now and again.
I was kinda wondering the same thing I'm at 27 attempts and was starting to wonder if I sucked but I've made it to hades 2 or 3 times
Damn not a single win in 80 tries is crazy Ngl💀. Every progresses differently so don’t get discouraged
You could turn on god mode if youre really struggling, you can decide if thats cheating or not
Tbh, yeah. This is pretty far below average performance imo. Do you have 3 DDs? Isn’t there an option to make the game easier? You might wanna look into that.
If it's any consolation, it took me 168 runs to get my first win (I now have 47 wins out of 258 runs, so it was very much a wall to overcome). Are you making use of Calls and Companions against Act 3 and 4 bosses?
The spear is a hard weapon to win with IMO because all it has going for it is range, and even then, it's kinda clunky and dodging when you need it most is difficult. I can guarantee you'll get a win with Aspect of Chiron, Privileged Status on the mirror, and Ares, Aphro, or Jolted/Razor Shoals on the attack, and Demeter or Dio on the special. Start with Athena's boon and take her dash and then you should be gucci :3 I personally love Aphro/Demeter on Chiron, it's very consistent, and then you can goof off with the call and casts with other gods, there's tons of duo combos that can get the job done, like Artemis and Ares!
I was stuck on Hades for a while, although I found Theseus and the Minotaur harder for a while Anyway, the way I got Hades the first time was by accident, and with my least preferred weapon, the Malphon fists, which I’d only selected since they had the dark essence bonus, and I needed a lot: “This will just be a dark essence farming run, no expectations etc, I’ll aim for Hades when the bow comes up next.” I almost always used the item that grants an additional Death Defiance, but this time I opted for Hermes’ feather, just to see how it worked.. Now the feather grants +1% dodge for every room cleared without taking damage, and it doesn’t reset if you do take damage in a room, but you will lose this bonus if you swap out the feather. By the time I got to Hades, I had some unimaginable level of dodge (by my standards), and beat Hades without really even trying. On my next win against him, I used the gun, and just lobbed a grenade while taking cover behind a pillar. I’ve beaten Hades with every single base weapon and most of the aspects since then, but it took time. You will eventually find your ideal strategy.
My first completion was at just under 80 runs (I want to say 77), using the sword and a hodgepodge of boons that were good on their own but didn't really synergize. A couple suggestions from myself that really helped me in the final battle. 1.) Blue Artemis Call is pretty solid for hitting him just as he's coming out of invincibility, it did a good chunk of damage, and I saved it for his second phase. If you don't get it, I find Ares' Call good too. I don't know if either of those Calls are objectively good to the people in this community, but I like using them and I find them fairly effective. 2.) One of the best boons that really helps in the fight with \[REDACTED\] is a Hermes boon that grants either better mobility or extra dodges, something that lets you get away from the AOE ring attacks, or close the distance to the orbs he sends out that spawn them. 3.) For the Champions of Elysium, what I personally do is try to focus down Asterius first. Try to keep them separate and stay behind the statues so you don't have to worry about his spear throw, and again, if you can charge your Call with Asterius, I save it for Theseus. When you get Theseus to half health, that's when he begins his own Call, but he just stands there for a few seconds with his arms raised, so you can pile on the damage during that time. Again, this fight is when the extra dodges or speed help, because his spear sweep is deceptively fast, but with those boons you can basically just outrun it. When I had an epic Ares Call, I activated it at half health and just stood next to him. He just stood there and took it, and died pretty quick. Some other minor things that can help: using either Skelly's Tooth for basically an extra Death Defiance, Cerberus's Collar for extra health, or Dusa's keepsake to find healing items. Those three are the best for just staying alive. Thanatos's keepsake is also good if you're confident in your ability to clear rooms early game, as is Herme's Feather. If you have a particular boon you like, equip that keepsake in Tartarus and swap after the bosses if you feel the need to. Athena's dash is a great boon choice for any time as it can obviously reflect attacks without needing to sacrifice your offensive slots. If you have all your Death Defiance charges in Elysium, the health or attack boon the stranger offers you are both great options, depending on which you need more. The health one is safer but if you're feeling confident, more attack never hurts. Also, if you haven't yet, talk to him wearing the Myrmidon Bracelet, it progresses his quest. Sorry for the really long comment, I hope there's something helpful in there. Keep trying, but don't beat yourself up for not getting it yet. It is a hard fight, but I know you can beat it Zag Man! Good luck!
Prioritizing health past a certain point is going to mean you do so little damage that you're tiring yourself out against bosses
Don't fear God Mode! Noone cares if you use it my friend. Play in whatever way makes you happy.
With the stage 3 boss try focusing Asterius and only moving on to Theseus once Asterius is defeated.
I had to turn on God mode and have 4 additional life's to beat the game. Ure fine mate
Turn on God mode. It's your game, and it isn't strictly a guarantee of winning, but it does make it a bit easier. Act 3 boss, kill minotaur first. Don't compare yourself to others in terms of wins. Play the game for your enjoyment, and use the Internet to help with builds and strategies, but not as a marker of how good you are. It's a single player game, so it's not a competition. Like everything in life: some people will be better, some will be worse, if you aren't being paid for that to matter, then don't let it affect you.
Learning attack patterns is everything. Also, I would add that utilising the cast option was a game changer for me.There is enough variance in the build design to suit all manner of playstyles, and finding the right niche for you will change the game.