BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO
HOW TO COMPLETE A RUN
1.) DISCLAIMER........................................................................................ 2.) CONTROLS......................................................................................... a.) TIPS/TRICKS 3.) WEAPONS.......................................................................................... a.) THE SWORD b.) THE SPEAR c.) THE SHIELD 4.) BOONS (GODS)............................................................................. a.) APHRODITE b.) ARTEMIS c.) ARES d.) ATHENA e.) DEMETER f.) DIONYSUS g.) HERMES h.) POSEIDON i.) ZEUS 4.) OTHER ITEMS................................................................................... a.) HAMMER b.) DARKNESS c.) KEYS d.) CENTAUR HEARTS e.) CHARON (WELLS) d.) POOLS OF PURGING f.) POMS OF POWER 5.) KEEPSAKES....................................................................................... a.) MECHANICS (choose your own!) 6.) TARTARUS........................................................................................ a.) COMMON HAZARDS b.) FRIENDLIES (SISYPHUS)................................................. c.) FINAL BOSS (MEGEARA/FURIES).................................. 1c.) TIPS/TRICKS................................................ 7.) ASPHODEL........................................................................................ a.) COMMON HAZARDS b.) FRIENDLIES (EURYDICE)............................................... c.) FINAL BOSS (BONE HYDRA).......................................... 1c.) TIPS/TRICKS..................................................... 8.) ELYSIUM............................................................................................ a.) COMMON HAZARDS b.) FRIENDLIES (PATROCLUS)............................................ c.) FINAL BOSS (THESEUS & ASTERIUS)........................... 1c.) TIPS/TRICKS..................................................... INDEX 1 3 4 5-7 8 9 10 11 12 13-14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
(CONTINUED) 9.) TEMPLE OF STYX............................................................................ a.) GOAL b.) COMMON HAZARDS c.) CHARON’S SHOP............................................................. d.) FINAL BOSS (HADES)....................................................... 10.) HADES a.) PHASE 1.............................................................................. b.) PHASE 2............................................................................. 23 24 25 26 27
DISCLAIMER:
HADES is a roguelike dungeon runner, a genre that implicity includes a lot of chance, luck, and dying. This guide will give you the tools and steps to complete a run, but many of the specific decisions and challenges are up to you and the game’s RNG.
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WELCOME TO hades
HADES is a roguelike dungeon runner, meaning that every run you start will be randomly generated and when you die, you die for good & must start from the beginning once again. Games of this genre require persistence and patience, as well as adaptability. Unlike other roguelikes, HADES does have some aspects that carry over after you die, such as materials and currency you can use in the home base of the game to improve your weapons, boons, or even the dungeons themselves. HADES also offers a difficulty setting, something also uncommon with roguelikes. This guide will lead you through each trial as they may come in order, with a light guide on the various possibilities that may present themselves throughout your attempts to escape the Underworld. Enjoy the game’s rich lore, unique storytelling, and stunning im agery as you play. While completing escape attempts may be the core focus of the game, they far from make up the best parts of it. Without further adieu, HADES.
WELCOME TO HADES
WELCOME
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TO
TIPS/TRICKS
The movement pacing in HADES can become breakneck in an instant. Your DASH is your best friend. It can be a part of your attack, can help you flee, and even gives you an invinci bility frame or two which allows you to dash through attacks. Coupled with BOONS, your DASH is an invaluable asset.
Many of your attacks such as your
& CAST are in herently rather mundane without the bolstering that BOONS can offer; don’t let that keep you from using them. There are still benefits to them prior to having them improved.
If you GIFT an item to an NPC, it can result in recieving a TRINKET, an item you carry that can give you a number of benefits through your run. Make sure you’re using trinkets that may help you specifically for that area or run.
SPECIAL
CONTROLS This guide assumes keyboard & mouse controls. WASD: Movement SPACE: Dash LEFT CLICK: Attack RIGHT CLICK: Cast Q: Special Attack F: Call (when available) E: Interact (when available) G: Gift (when available) 1: Summon (when available) W A S SHIFT G 3
INFERNAL ARMS
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increase survivability.
ARES
ARES’ main status curse is DOOM, and effect that will cause a damage delay after the initial hit. Some of his BOONS also create swirling vortexes of damage called Blade Rifts. His BOONS also may increase your attack damage.
ARTEMIS
ARTEMIS’ BOONS offer critical damage chance: a certain percent chance that your attack/cast/ special will do 200%+ it’s original damage value. Her CALL is con sidered one of the most powerful. Her BOONS may also increase CAST effectiveness.
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mostly defensive, but can bolster
CHAOS
CHAOS is not an Olympian God but still offers boons. Their boons will apply a debuff to you for several encounters before resolving into a number of buffs that are not offered by any other BOON.
DEMETER
Icy DEMETER offers curse effect CHILL, which slows enemies. Her BOONS may also improve healing and decrease debuffs. Her CAST BOON is considered very power ful; it effectively turns your cast into laser turrets.
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BOONS / GODS
HERMES
HERMES’ BOONS are almost en tirely concerned with movement improvements, but can also im prove ability speeds and evasion. One of HERMES’ most valuable BOONS is his additional dash.
ZEUS
ZEUS’ BOONS may add chain lightning to your abilities, dealing extra damage to enemies. Some of his other BOONS cause lightning to strike nearby enemies.
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OTHER ITEMS
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KEEPSAKES
There are over twenty keepsakes that you can equip. Gain these keepsakes by gifting Nectar (a room clear reward) to NPC characters. A keepsake’s benefit can range from adding another Death Defiance (meaning you can die a whole extra time without having to start over) or to ensuring you get boons from certain Gods.
advantage and try swapping out keepsakes to maximize the benefits.
For example, I usually start a run with Hypnos’s Chthonic Coin Purse for extra spending money in Tartarus, the first region. I swap out of the Coin Purse and opt for Eurydice’s Evergreen Acorn for Asphodel, the second region, be cause it nulls a certain number of instances of damage in the boss fight that I tend to take too much damage in otherwise. Depending on how many lives (death defiances) I have left, I’ll either keep the Acorn on or swap to Skelly’s Lucky Tooth for an extra life. After Elysium I will always swap to Skelly’s keepsake for the region and final boss.
This is however only one of many, many possibilities. The more you use a trinket, the better it will become, so don’t be afraid to swap around and try new configurations!
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REGION ONE: TARTARUS
Congrats! You’ve spoken to the NPCs you need to, have chosen a weapon, and have found your way out through the broken window. Welcome to TARTARUS... if you haven’t already found your way around and died once or twice. Brimming with hostile souls, TARTARUS holds the foundations for what your escape attempt may eventually turn into.
COMMOn HAZARDS
Beware of the spike traps. They activate on contact and deal around five damage per strike-not an immense amount, but enough to slowly chip away at your health.
Mini-bosses are indicated by a skull & no or few ribbons beside the room reward on the door in. One boss includes lasers; stay out their path. Another includes two bomb skeletons with armor. Try focusing on one at a time.
Some enemies shoot projectiles. Be sure to focus on them first to reduce the amount of chance damage you can take by acciden tally dashing into their shots.
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REGION ONE: TARTARUS
FRIENDLIES
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REGION ONE: TARTARUS
megaera tips/tricks
Meg’s attacks largely consist of ramming forcefully into you, getting close to deal melee damage with her whip, or shooting waves of projectiles your way. Otherwise, she tends to spawn extra enemies to keep you on your toes and divide your attention.
The giant pillars in the rooms are de structible. If you manage to get Meg near one, try hitting the pillar as well as Meg to cause stones to fall onto her and deal massive damage.
For her melee attacks as well as her ramming attack, dashing away is your best bet. There are a few moments after each of her moves that allow you to throw a few hits at her before her next attack. Be sure to take advantage.
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Meg’s projectile attack sends waves of little orbs flying your way. It’s difficult to deal with. Some ways to deal include attacking the projectiles to disperse them before they hit you, threading between or dashing through them, or my favorite meth od, using the shield (if unlocked) and simply blocking them all.
Notice the hazards around the room that can both benefit and harm you. The Tartarus spike traps can damage Meg if she runs over them. If you’re having difficulty damaging her, you can trail her over them when she chases you for a few extra hits.
REGION
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ONE: TARTARUS
Region TWO: ASPHODEL
So you’ve battled your way across Tartarus. Now what?
Welcome to Hell.
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Region TWO: ASPHODEL
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The lava hazards in the battlefield can and will kill you. Be sure you’re not dashing out of the frying pan and into the fire.
harm you from a distance. Every head has a slam attack if you get too close for too long.
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Region TWO: ASPHODEL
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REGION
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THREE: ELYSIUM
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THESEUS tips/tricks
Theseus’s spear can be blocked by the pillars in the arena. If you’re not behind one, be sure to dash when his pink crosshair
Theseus’ shield is an issue. Try to slip behind him to attack him.
dealt with solo: kill the Minotaur
AsterIus tips/tricks
Asterius’ bull rush can be stopped by leading him headfirst into a wall. Try dashing through pillars.
Asterius’s second phase causes many of his attacks to shoot projectiles in a 180 degree radius in the direction he ’s facing. Consider staying behind & far away from him.
Good times to attack Asterius are after his Bull Rushes and before he swings his axe.
REGION
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THREE: ELYSIUM
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Charon’s Shop
Charon, for some reason, holds a premuim shop at the border between the living and the dead. He intends to drain you of your money.
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REGION FOUR: THE TEMPLE OF STYX
FINAL BOSS
Enough games, boy.
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HADES PHASE ONE
Hades, as you would expect, hits very hard. At minimum, some of his attacks do twenty damage. At worst, you could be seeing up to eighty. Stay FAR away from his attack, but most namely his spin attack.
Hades with throw skulls that land on the ground with a countdown timer. When the timer runs out, they will explode and send a wave careening across the battlefield, dealing 20 dam-
After losing 1/3 and 2/3’s health, Hades will spawn added enemies for you to fight. They are extremely tough, but tend to fall easly once you get through their shield. The enemies can be any standard ene my from any region.
ible for a time, and he uses it to try and get the jump on you. Examine the snowy ground for emerging scratches and footsteps. Dash away when you see them to avoid his attack.
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FINAL BOSS
HADES PHASE Two
Hades now has two laser attacks. For his triple laser. you can slip behind him and deal some pot shot damage. For his 360 lasers, hide behind a pillar.
these vases will cause them to spill out into a puddle and deal damage as well as stun you for a moment. Feel free to break them at a distance if you can. Hades may break them himself.
There are naturally more skulls. Dashing through the waves gets more difficult the more explode, so try to break a few of them in order to reduce the amount of dashing you have to do that might throw you in Hades’ path.
His attacks become more frequent and more powerful. Sometimes, if you’re hit by Hades’ cast attack, you’ll gain a Boiling Blood debuff, which causes you to take increased damage while the cast is lodged in you.
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Congratulations!
Or not....
It’s okay if you died. It’s okay if you died twenty times. I went through thirty-nine tries before beating a run, and then I went on to beat three more runs right after. The game is difficult so keep on trying, but don’t let the end goal distract you from the fun
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FINAL BOSS
