Core Gameplay - Hades | gameskill.top

Core Gameplay Guide

This guide breaks down the core gameplay of Hades by player progression tiers. The game is a roguelike dungeon crawler where you, as Zagreus, attempt to escape the Underworld through a series of chambers filled with enemies, rewards, and Olympian boons. Death sends you back to the House of Hades, but you retain certain resources and story progression, making each run a learning experience.

Core Gameplay Loop

1. Escape Attempt: Start in the House of Hades, choose your weapon, then enter Tartarus.
2. Chamber-by-Chamber Combat: Clear each room of enemies to earn a reward (boons, darkness, gems, keys, nectar, etc.).
3. Biome Progression: Tartarus → Asphodel → Elysium → Temple of Styx → [REDACTED].
4. Boss Fights: Each biome ends with a boss (Furies, Lernie, Theseus & Asterius, Hades).
5. Death or Victory: If you defeat Hades, you reach the surface (ending) and then begin again with increased difficulty. If you die, you return to the House.
6. House Interactions: Spend resources on Mirror of Night, weapon upgrades, Contractor renovations, and gift Nectar/Ambrosia to characters for Keepsakes, story, and bonuses.

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Early Game (Runs 1-20 / First Few Hours)

What to Expect

Learning enemy patterns and basic combat mechanics.

Unlocking the first few weapons (Stygius, Varatha, Aegis, Coronacht).

Collecting Darkness (for Mirror of Night), Keys (to unlock weapons and mirror talents), and Gems (for House Contractor).

Your first encounters with Olympian Boons – limited choices.

Dying regularly; progress is made through permanent upgrades and story unlocks.

Recommended Focus

Mirror of Night: Prioritize unlocks: Death Defiance (once), Chthonic Vitality, Greater Reflex, Boiling Blood (after unlocking Cast).

Weapons: Unlock all four initial weapons using keys. Try each to find preferred style.

House Contractor: Small upgrades like the Lounge, music stand, or decorative items. Don’t spend heavily yet.

Nectar: Gift to one or two characters early (e.g., Cerberus for a Keepsake that gives +HP, or Skelly for Lucky Tooth).

Combat Basics

Attack (X/□), Special (Y/△), Dash (A/X), Cast (B/O): Experiment with combos. Dash-striking is crucial for safety.

Boons: Early game, choose boons that boost damage (e.g., Aphrodite’s Weak, Ares’ Doom, Zeus’s chain lightning). Avoid overly complex builds.

Daedalus Hammers: Always take them when offered; they drastically change your weapon’s moveset.

Poms of Power: Upgrade boons that scale well (percentage increases like Attack/Special boons).

Progression Gates

Unlocking the third weapon requires one key. Fourth weapon requires two keys.

Meeting requirements for story triggers (e.g., talking to Nyx, Chaos, Orpheus).

First successful escape? Unlikely but possible with good RNG. Focus on learning.

Mid Game (Runs 20-60 / Unlocking Aspects & Reaching Surface Occasionally)

What to Expect

All six weapons unlocked (including Adamant Rail and Twin Fists, require keys and Titan Blood).

Unlocking first few Weapon Aspects (requires Titan Blood from Furies, Lernie, or trades).

Consistently reaching Elysium, sometimes Temple of Styx. Occasional escapes.

Unlocking most Mirror of Night talents (upgrade Death Defiance to 3 charges).

Starting to use Fated List of Minor Prophecies for Titan Blood and Ambrosia.

Meeting more characters: Orpheus, Eurydice, Patroclus, Sisyphus, Chaos – unlocking their Keepsakes.

Key Systems

Weapon Aspects: Each weapon has 4-5 aspects. Focus on unlocking the first aspect of each weapon (costs 1 Titan Blood) to gain new moves. Example: Aspect of Zagreus for bonus damage, Aspect of Talos for magnetic pull on Fists.

Mirror of Night: Max out Death Defiance, Chthonic Vitality, Greater Reflex, Boiling Blood. Unlock Infernal Soul (extra cast stone), Stubborn Defiance (for challenge runs).

Keepsakes: Level up Keepsakes by equipping them and clearing rooms. Notable mid-game: Skull Earring (low HP damage), Distant Memory (bonus damage per distance). Also start using Olympian Keepsakes (like Zeus’s) to force boon god early.

House Contractor: Unlock Lounge renovations (extra Darkness), Garden (Ambrosia later), Weapon Display cases (unlocking weapon upgrades).

Economy & Resources

Resource	Primary Use	Mid-Game Priority
Darkness	Mirror of Night	High – max all talents
Keys	Unlock weapons, refresh shop	Medium – buy missing weapons
Gems	Contractor renovations	Medium – essential upgrades first
Nectar	Gifts for Keepsakes, story	High – give to every character once
Titan Blood	Unlock Aspects, upgrade weapons	Very High – farm from bosses & Prophecies
Diamonds	Rare Contractor upgrades, Fated List	Low – few needed early
Ambrosia	Friendship with characters, Fated List	Low – save for late game

Combat Strategies

Start forcing specific boon combos using Keepsakes. Example: Ares Keepsake for Doom on Attack, then Aphrodite on Special to get Curse of Longing duo.

Learn to use Cast effectively: Trippy Shot (Dionysus) is powerful combined with Demeter’s Arctic Blast.

Facing [REDACTED] for the first time? Focus on dodging his spin attack and skull beams. Use Lucky Tooth or Skelly’s Keepsake for extra death defiance.

Late Game (Runs 60-120 / Completing Main Story & Unlocking Pact of Punishment)

What to Expect

First escape leads to credits sequence with Persephone. Continue runs to advance the main story (need 9 more escapes to fully conclude the family drama).

Unlock all Weapon Aspects (including Hidden Aspects – require specific resource combinations and dialogue from characters).

Max out Mirror of Night talents, unlock all Keepsakes and max them.

Start using the Pact of Punishment (after first escape) – add difficulty modifiers (Heat) to earn Titan Blood, Diamonds, and Ambrosia from bosses again.

Complete most Fated List prophecies for permanent stat boosts and high-tier resources.

Fishing becomes important for rare fish that grant Diamonds/Ambrosia.

Pact of Punishment (Heat System)

Accessed from the courtyard after first escape. Each level of Heat adds conditions like Extreme Measures (harder bosses), Benefits Package (tougher enemies), Lasting Consequences (less healing), etc.

Recommended initial pact: Extreme Measures 1 (boss upgrades) and Convenience Fee 1 (Chthonic keys cost more). Aim for 5-10 Heat per run to farm resources.

Higher heats (16, 32, etc.) unlock special rewards (statues, titles) and are for bragging rights.

Build Optimization

Learn duo boons and legendary boons. Examples:

Aphrodite + Ares:

Zeus + Poseidon:

Demeter + Artemis:

Hammers: Some hammers are build-defining. For Zagreus Sword: Cursed Slash (heal on kill) but less max HP. For Hera Bow: Triple Shot or Explosive Shot.

Core Boons: Pick a god for attack, one for special, and possibly one for cast. Fill with utility from others.

End of Main Story

After 10 successful escapes (in total), you trigger the final conversation with Persephone and Hades. The credits roll, but the game continues with epilogue and more challenges.

Unlock the Administrative Chamber for additional story dialogue and the ability to upgrade the Pact.

Endgame (Post-Credits / 120+ Runs)

What to Expect

All weapons fully upgraded (all 6 weapon Aspects maxed at rank 5).

Mirror of Night complete, all Keepsakes maxed.

Every character relationship maxed (full hearts) – requires many Ambrosia gifts and story triggers.

All House Contractor renovations purchased (including extreme ones like the Hades statue).

Fated List completed for permanent +3% damage per prophecy (highly valuable).

The Epilogue – continues the story with Olympians visiting (requires a few more runs after credits).

High Heat Runs: Clearing runs with 16, 32, 40+ Heat for the Skelly’s Last Snack and statues.

Speedrunning: Aim for sub-20 minute escapes; some players achieve sub-10. The game tracks best times per weapon.

Resource Farming: After maxing everything, excess resources like Darkness become irrelevant; Ambrosia can still be used for story interactions.

Endgame Goals

All Hidden Aspects: Complete the special requirements for each (e.g., Aspect of Arthur – sword; Aspect of Beowulf – shield; Aspect of Lucifer – rail; Aspect of Rama – bow; Aspect of Gilgamesh – fists; Aspect of Guan Yu – spear). Each offers unique playstyles.

Completionist Run: Achieve 100% on all weapon aspects, Fated List, relationship ranks, trophies/achievements.

Challenge Runs: self-imposed limitations (no boons, only cast, fists only, etc.).

Tips for Late/Endgame

Save Ambrosia for characters that give the most useful duplicate Keepsakes (like Syrinx from Eurydice or Spiteful from Achilles).

Use the Poseidon boons with knockback and Razor Shoals (rupture) for speed clears.

For high heat, consider Stubborn Defiance (one per room) vs Death Defiance (3 total). Stubborn works better with high pressure.

Learn Theseus & Asterius patterns perfectly to avoid losing Death Defiances.

Summary of Core Gameplay Principles

Permanent Progression: Everything you earn (Darkness, Keys, Gems, Nectar, Titan Blood, Diamonds, Ambrosia) carries over between runs. Spend wisely.

Roguelike Variety: Every run offers different boon combinations, room layouts, and enemies. Adapt your build on the fly.

Story Unfolds Through Death: Each return to the House advances dialogue and unlocks new quests (like unlocking Orpheus’s song, reuniting Nyx and Chaos, or helping Sisyphus).

Master the Combat: Learn enemy attack patterns, use dash to avoid damage, and exploit the environment (traps, exploding urns).

Experiment with Builds: There is no single best build; many combinations can win. Embrace the chaos.

With this tiered understanding of Hades's gameplay, you can systematically improve your runs, unlock all content, and eventually master the Underworld.