Support NeoGAF

[SCB3]

Because I seem to be a glutton for punishment these days having struggled with and beaten both Returnal and Demons Souls within the last year and with Elden Ring out soon enough I decided to come back to a game I was enjoying a lot and had actually backed back on its reveal:

Hades

I love the style of this game and it is so enjoyable to play, however I'm missing alot of weapons and never actually got past the third area, so with that said, lets go again, we have a month before ER and Destiny 2's Witch Queen, lets see if a couple of runs a day can let me finish it.

1st run went well, I'm range filth with a Bow so far, though I like the Shield as well and actually got to the 3rd boss for the first time (maybe Returnal had some effect on me here) and managed to unlock 2 Death Defiance unlocks, great! Maybe I can do this....

Any tips and advice are more than welcome here

 

[Con-Z-epT]

How many runs have you done?

Keep playing and the game will get easier through all the upgrades.

If you really struggle you can always activate God Mode.

 

[Gonpachiro Kamaboko]

I found that Athena’s shield boons helped me a lot. My play style was very fast and aggressive and I’m not that great and am very impatient, so being able to dash into projectiles and reflect them was the way I beat my first play through and helped me get a lot of the dodging and stuff down. Good luck! It’s a fantastic game with great dialogue and an awesome script.

 

[manfestival]

The game is said to take on average 20-30 hours before you beat it for the first time. The game didn't quite hook me for a while but I kept giving it a shot. Though boy oh boy. I have probably beaten the game about 25 times now and I still go back completely hooked

 

[SCB3]

How many runs have you done?

Keep playing and the game will get easier through all the upgrades.

If you really struggle you can always activate God Mode.

I wanna say around 10 or so on the Xbox version, I do own the ox version and have a little time in that as well

 

[Con-Z-epT]

I wanna say around 10 or so on the Xbox version, I do own the ox version and have a little time in that as well

Than everything is fine. Just play some more and upgrade what you feel will help you. I got through with the bow the first time. There are some Daedalus Hammer upgrades that will push back the enemies when you shoot. That helped me a lot. You still have so many things to discover. Just play and have fun!

 

[Vognerful]

Athena +Ares boons is the way.. their build is overkill.

 

[Naked Lunch]

Once your finish the game once, or around there - the power ups you get make it so you should be finishing the game almost every run. Youre basically just forced to endure dying over and over until you reach that point - the entire game is designed around you failing.

I respect and recognize that Hades is a good game with some great gameplay - but I wish they could have made a game in this exact gameplay template but with 20+ different areas and 20+ different unique bosses. The rougelite genre is so lazy and stale at this point.

 

[april6e]

I'm in the same boat. While I was dying waiting for Monster Hunter Rise/Dying Light 2/Horizon 2/Elden Ring to come out, I decided to fire back up Hades. When I did a couple runs a year or so ago, it was clear to me that its a top 5 roguelite of all time and one of the best indie games of all time so I always wanted to get back to playing it.

I finally beat the game for the first time after around 20 attempts and felt like I climbed Mount Everest. I am godawful at roguelites so I never expected I would ever accomplish this, especially with how insanely difficult the last two areas in the game are. It happened off the back of a Triple Rocket + ArtemisxAphrodite Duo boon.

I cannot stress how much this game impresses me. I'm someone who never can stay up past 11pm on my weekends because I'm old and yet, this game had me up until like 6am in the morning doing run after run. Every aspect of the game, the satisfying gameplay, fantastic music, insane amount of voiced dialogue, fantastic build variety where it feels like you can make anything work if you properly plan around it and more...just one of the best games I've played period.

 

[SkylineRKR]

For the first runs, focus on getting currency to max out the mirror. Get the back damage bonus and the bonus when 2 debuffs proc etc. Also get the 2nd version of the weapons and give the gods the fruit. From there you can beat the game.

Its very fun. But I usually only beat these games once or twice and then I'm done.

 

[SCB3]

I'm in the same boat. While I was dying waiting for Monster Hunter Rise/Dying Light 2/Horizon 2/Elden Ring to come out, I decided to fire back up Hades. When I did a couple runs a year or so ago, it was clear to me that its a top 5 roguelite of all time and one of the best indie games of all time so I always wanted to get back to playing it.

I finally beat the game for the first time after around 20 attempts and felt like I climbed Mount Everest. I am godawful at roguelites so I never expected I would ever accomplish this, especially with how insanely difficult the last two areas in the game are. It happened off the back of a Triple Rocket + ArtemisxAphrodite Duo boon.

I cannot stress how much this game impresses me. I'm someone who never can stay up past 11pm on my weekends because I'm old and yet, this game had me up until like 6am in the morning doing run after run. Every aspect of the game, the satisfying gameplay, fantastic music, insane amount of voiced dialogue, fantastic build variety where it feels like you can make anything work if you properly plan around it and more...just one of the best games I've played period.

I agree, Dead Cells and Rogue Legacy are my favorite Rogue likes, I like how the build upon each run rather than reset from 0, Returnal is up with them as well

 

[SCB3]

A few runs later, I got the Minotaur down in Elysuim's last fight, only for him to one shot me as I did, I am slowly getting better and never failed to reach this boss at least

On the plus side, I am unlocking stuff, so there is progression regardless, I just need to figure out why I am gifting Nectar and when do I stop for certain Gods

 

[april6e]

My utter noob, "this is the bare minimum to beat the game for the first time" advice is:

A. The mirror of the night is key to everything. You want to speed unlock as many of the mirror of the night sections (with keys) and purchase upgrades (with darkness).
-Having at least 2 revives unlocked is mandatory
-Dark Regeneration maxed out (you'll eventually unlock the ability to switch to the alternative versions of the mirror upgrades by playing the game)
-Greater Reflex maxed
-Shadow Presence maxed

B. The keepsake given by Chaos (dark portals on ground that hurt you, give him a nectar) is incredible. Skelly (free revive), Acorn (woman sometimes encountered during runs), coin purse (Charon) and Artemis keepsake should be prioritized.

C. Unlock all the weapons as fast as possible. Once you unlock the ability to use titan blood, just focus on maxing out one weapon's fighting style. Don't spread it among weapons in the early game

D. Duo Boons (combo upgrades having two compatible gods) are some of the strongest builds. You should look up which gods, when combined, grant these powerful skills. The house upgrade that allows you to swap keepsakes mid run is life changing. This allows you to get one god (in the first room) and then once you beat the first boss, simply select the elemental god keepsake that will produce the desired duo (because the keepsake will ensure that the next god you encounter is the same as the keepsake you swapped to).

E. The house upgrade that adds fountains to the various floors will save your life many times.

 

[mistuhcahlos]

I just started playing this again too. Prioritize hammers. Athena has the best dash. I prefer crystal beams for cast to apply constant damage and slow down enemies. Artemis gives great critical and extra damage later in the game. Never end a run early because you hate your boons. I’ve beat Hades when going in thinking it would be impossible. Wear headphones so you can hear when to dodge (dash). This was most important for me against Theseus. Just be patient and get good at knowing when to dodge.

 

[Kev Kev]

it was fun and had good gameplay, but it was repetitive and boring after a while. i only made it a few hours before deleting it.

 

[SCB3]

The most annoying thing here is the bosses change every so often and usually when you're either at a disadvantage or doing too well, the Bone Hydra has some really infuriating changes sometimes with little payoff

But I do feel better each run, you're always progressing a little bit more, though I do wish it was a bit more obvious on who I've given gifts to or if I need to continue giving gifts to certain gods

 

[SCB3]

ok, how the fuck are you expected to do Elysuims final boss, its ridiculous

 

[Fbh]

Really enjoyed this game, it's pretty hard and punishing at first but it's really rewarding once you start beating it consistently. The only disappointing part to me was the story, at first it hints at some big events but nothing much happens.

Anyway, IMO the best weapon to clear the game for the first time is the shield. When you do the charge attack buildup the shield actually blocks the vast majority of attacks, including those from bosses

 

[april6e]

ok, how the fuck are you expected to do Elysuims final boss, its ridiculous

The second half of the game is a giant difficulty spike (specifically, the last two bosses). Elysium is always the area where my runs come to an end because of all the enemies with armor that I can't blow through quick enough.

A. Prioritize the bull. He will do three swipes with very large range (so stay far away and then fly towards you and slam once or three times in a row. After the easily dodged slam, you are free to wail on him. Once he gets his axe out, immediately start spamming dodge away or you'll get caught by the triple slash and take severe damage.

B. The attack where he charges and auto homes on you is nasty. Dash to the nearest wall, wait until he is about to reach you and then dash in either direction along the wall. He will hit the wall and get stunned, allowing you free hits.

C. Stay the hell away from the champion at all costs. If you get close to him, he does a giant circular attack that does massive damage. Instead, wait behind one of the six giant pillars in the boss room until he throws his spear (if you see a pink crosshair on you, get behind something). He will then recall it and then turn away from you and start slowly walking away for a couple seconds. He is completely vulnerable during that time and you can wail on him or shoot ranged attacks with zero risk.

D. When the champion is at half health, he summons a god to perform ground attacks on you but they are easily avoided by dodging. Just dodge and then wail on him as he recovers.

E. Getting rid of the bull is the hardest part of the fight. Once it is dead, the champion is somewhat easy in comparison as long as you never get close to him. Never kill the champion first or you'll regret it as the Bull will get empowered and make the boss fight miserable.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I escaped one time, I've been playing this casually. I really enjoy it but the gameplay loop gets repetitive after awhile

 

[SCB3]

The second half of the game is a giant difficulty spike (specifically, the last two bosses). Elysium is always the area where my runs come to an end because of all the enemies with armor that I can't blow through quick enough.

A. Prioritize the bull. He will do three swipes with very large range (so stay far away and then fly towards you and slam once or three times in a row. After the easily dodged slam, you are free to wail on him. Once he gets his axe out, immediately start spamming dodge away or you'll get caught by the triple slash and take severe damage.

B. The attack where he charges and auto homes on you is nasty. Dash to the nearest wall, wait until he is about to reach you and then dash in either direction along the wall. He will hit the wall and get stunned, allowing you free hits.

C. Stay the hell away from the champion at all costs. If you get close to him, he does a giant circular attack that does massive damage. Instead, wait behind one of the six giant pillars in the boss room until he throws his spear (if you see a pink crosshair on you, get behind something). He will then recall it and then turn away from you and start slowly walking away for a couple seconds. He is completely vulnerable during that time and you can wail on him or shoot ranged attacks with zero risk.

D. When the champion is at half health, he summons a god to perform ground attacks on you but they are easily avoided by dodging. Just dodge and then wail on him as he recovers.

E. Getting rid of the bull is the hardest part of the fight. Once it is dead, the champion is somewhat easy in comparison as long as you never get close to him. Never kill the champion first or you'll regret it as the Bull will get empowered and make the boss fight miserable.

This was my issue, I beat the bull but using the Bow to beat Theseus whilst Poseidon was fucking flailing around water constantly was rock hard, I couldn't find an opening

 

[edbrat]

Never end a run early because you hate your boons. I’ve beat Hades when going in thinking it would be impossible.

This is good advice, Hades (and Returnal) are so well designed that many, many builds are viable esp those which combo power ups you would never chase and end up being insane...or just oddly suited to your playstyle. Some of the most fun I've had in these games is stumbling on a build when I thought all was lost.

 

[The Eradicator]

A few runs later, I got the Minotaur down in Elysuim's last fight, only for him to one shot me as I did, I am slowly getting better and never failed to reach this boss at least

On the plus side, I am unlocking stuff, so there is progression regardless, I just need to figure out why I am gifting Nectar and when do I stop for certain Gods

Giving gifts ends up being the most annoying part of this game, if you want to unlock all the stories. I've beaten this game at least 50 times, and I still haven't seen the "true ending". It actually has soured me on the game tbh. It's just obnoxious to expect players to grind your game incessantly just to get drip fed dialogue spread out over dozens of interactions.

 

[SCB3]

This is good advice, Hades (and Returnal) are so well designed that many, many builds are viable esp those which combo power ups you would never chase and end up being insane...or just oddly suited to your playstyle. Some of the most fun I've had in these games is stumbling on a build when I thought all was lost.

oh definatly, I beat Biome 4, 5 and 6 with builds I didn't consider in returnal, I am sticking with the Bow in Hades for now, but the shield seems cool as well

 

[KormaChameleon]

Great game! Love the art style, fantastic soundtrack, addictive game play and the voice acting is just perfection.

Twin fist are OP as heck though. Almost game breaking especially if you have the right build for it.

 

[SCB3]

Ok, did a couple of Shield runs, this thing is slow but hits so hard, had the 2 Poseidon boons that 1 caused enemies to be knocked back and 2 took damage from being knocked into walls, it was fantastic, almost had Theasus as well, just a slither of health, the Minotaur was nothing here either

The only issue with the Shield, the Hydra in World 2 is awful to fight with it

 

[SCB3]

And first run complete, after beating Theasus with a shield build, Hades himself was super easy

I do think I am done though, fun while it lasted but kinda bored of it now if I'm honest