Hades 2 already beats its predecessor as my favorite roguelike of all time, but I still had to force myself to try out its two trickiest weapons.

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 4 minutes read

The best part about Supergiant’s Hades games is the amount of experimentation that comes with them. You can go in with a complete plan in mind, only to be wiped out in the first room if the luck of the gods runs out. Roguelikes are great at pushing stubborn people like me out of their comfort zones to this end, constantly testing my building skills and leading to a myriad of surprises along the way to victory – or eventual demise.

This didn't stop me from choosing my favorites. Hades 2 still. I avoided the two trickier weapons out of sheer bewilderment, and after defeating Chronos and Eris several times each, I finally feel confident enough to rectify that.

So no, it will be the case.

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Hades 2’s nighttime weapons are varied and confusing. The Witch Staff helped me master Melinoë’s magical abilities fairly easily, and I was almost instantly wowed by the lightning speed of the sister blades. I even have a soft spot for the Moonstone Axe from time to time, despite my preference for speed over strength.

But when I finally unlocked the Silver Skull and Umbra Flames, I was immediately wary. The shotgun-like skull and the combat style it came with didn’t appeal to me at all. Running around to collect my three rounds felt like collecting Zagreus Crystals in the first Hades, with some of them going out of bounds and unretrievable until the next room. Or maybe it’s because I’m not a fan of ranged weapons in general, preferring to get up close and personal with enemies in every roguelike I’ve played. It’s probably the latter that made Umbra Flames so unappealing to me. I found it nearly impossible to aim those bouncing fireballs at the right targets, let alone figure out their pinball movements on an already crowded screen.

That all changed when I finally started collecting Aspects. I’d already seen how powerful these changes could be when applied to other weapons: Artemis amplifies the Blades’ already devastating damage-per-second potential, Circe empowers the staff’s omega attacks, and Thanatos rewards evasive movement with increased damage when using the axe. Surely there was something that could be done to address the issues I was having with Skull and Flames, too?

I sat down and exchanged a few words. would be Master the Silver Skull and the Umbral Flames, if only to prove that I am not a three-tower weapons cache. To do so, I would bring the strongest construct known to man and god.

Math-magic

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Roguelikes are great for pushing stubborn people like me out of their comfort zone.

I have a fundamental rule in Hades: when in doubt, sprint or dash. I use this knowledge to my advantage when constructing my ideal Silver Skull build.

First, I equip the Aspect of Persophone to transform Mel into a destructive cannonball that is invulnerable to her omega special attacks. Then, I turn to my memories to increase my chances of creating an ideal advantage build.

I had planned on going with a Hera-Hephaestus build, linking enemies together with Hitch to distribute the brute force effects of Blast and Wind between them. Things quickly go as planned at first, especially after I get my favorite sprint perk: Smithy Sprint. I’m fairly certain I can solo most of the game with a strong launch perk and Hephaestus’ sprint, but I refrain from relying entirely on them. Instead, I use my AOE bomb-type Omega attacks to hitch as many enemies as possible. Before I charge at them with Smithy Sprint. I also get familiar with Selene's Total Eclipse blessing, which turns out to be a real boss killer.

Things were going swimmingly until I started picking up a disturbing number of Aphrodite boons. I was hoping to see Hermes, Hestia, maybe even a chance encounter with Artemis, but much like Dionysus’ Hangover status curse in the first game, I never really understood the effects of Aphrodite’s Weakness or Charm. That would soon change, as it turns out that Aphrodite’s Ring of Rapture is one of the best boons in Hades 2. By pulling all nearby enemies to its center, the Ring of Rapture creates the perfect target for Melinoë to smash into with Smithy Sprint or her Omega Special.

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

I managed to complete a full playthrough with the Silver Skull on my first try, and now it’s beaten out Lim and Oros as Hades 2’s favorite weapon. But what about the Umbra Flames? Well, I’m still figuring that one out. I’d read that Poseidon’s Flourish Wave was great here, turning the flame special into spinning water bombs that knock enemies back, but I still can’t get used to the significantly slower pace of the main attacks. Even with the Aspect of Eos at my side to enhance them, coupled with a perk from Daedalus’ Hammer that makes the special attacks deal more damage over time, I’ve really struggled to stay disciplined. I kept forgetting that flames work best at range, and after burning all three of my Death Challenges during the Cerberus confrontation, I conceded defeat to Eris at the foot of Olympus. Still, not bad for a first attempt, right?

Now that I’ve gotten a bit of a taste of each weapon, I plan on continuing to experiment with the Night weapons as Early Access develops. Who knows? Maybe a future patch or key update will change the Flames in a way that I’ll end up loving them? The evolution from hate to love has already happened to me in Hades with the Adamant Rail, so until we reach full release, I’m happy to leave that probability to the Fates.

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