Hades Stygian Blade Build Guide

Sometimes it’s tough getting the mechanics of a new game down, and Supergiant Games’ Hades is no exception. With so many weapons to pick from, there are many ways to fight your way through Tartarus and beyond. Luckily, if you’re looking for the best ways to use your Stygian Blade, we’ve got you covered.

Hades Stygian Blade Build - Aspect of Zagreus

Zagreus’ aspect, as you level it up, focuses on improving move speed and attack speed, all the way up to +15% when you max it out. Naturally, this pairs well with boons from Hermes, god of speed and message delivery, and there’s plenty of Daedalus upgrades to capitalize on this, so let’s take a look.

My favorite Daedalus upgrade for the sword is Breaching Slash, which deals 300% more damage to armor with your attack, and it’s compatible with any aspect. However, Piercing Wave works well when paired with the improved move and attack speed, turning your attack into a wave dealing 25 damage. When combined with knockback boons from Poseidon, such as Tempest Strike, and the use of a good corner, it essentially allows you to just keep a clear radius around you as foes keep advancing, which works very well for Tartarus.

However, for Asphodel and Elysium, you now have to contend with enemies throwing projectiles, which means you can’t stay in one place for too long. Here is where the Hermes boons come in, as Swift Strike works with the aspect of Zagreus to increase your attack speed even further while Greater Haste improves your move speed, letting you speed out of harm’s way in the field. Combined with Rush Delivery, your attack and special now deal bonus damage thanks to your bonus move speed.

Aspect - Zagreus
Attack - Tempest Strike (Poseidon)
Best Boons - Swift Strike (Hermes), Rush Delivery (Hermes)
Daedalus Upgrades - Breaching Slash, Piercing Wave

Hades Stygian Blade Build - Aspect of Poseidon

Poseidon, the original wielder of the Stygian Blade, has an interesting and easy-to-exploit aspect bonus on Stygius. Your Special will dislodge Cast from foes and deal additional damage, up to 50% when it’s fully upgraded. Now, that might not sound like much, but combined with boons and the Mirror of Night, it’s easily exploitable for a lot of bonus damage.

First of all, the Infernal Soul ability from the Mirror of Night gives you two additional Cast stones, so you’ll want to equip that ability right away. For Keepsakes, you’ll want to equip Artemis’ Adamant Arrowhead, at least until you get the boons you want.

Artemis’ True Shot enables your Cast to seek out foes, which is ideal when you’re going fast and don’t have time to aim. Additionally, there’s a base 10% chance for it to deal critical damage. Artemis also has the Exit Wounds boon which deals damage whenever a Cast lodged in a foe is dislodged, which you can guarantee will happen every time when using the Special with the Aspect of Poseidon.

Other Artemis boons which enhance these are Clean Kill, causing critical effects to do even more damage, and Deadly Flourish which gives your Special a 20% or more chance to do critical damage in addition to dislodging Cast from foes.

Artemis’ Legendary Boon, Fully Loaded, gives you two additional Casts. However, as it is Legendary, this isn’t a boon to depend on for your build, but a good strategy to aim for. The Mirage Shot duo boon with Artemis and Poseidon also fires a second projectile as part of your Cast, dealing additional damage with no additional work from you.

If you happen across a Daedalus Hammer, there’s a couple of upgrades that work perfectly with this aspect. The best is Super Nova, which has your Special hit a wider area and deal 20% increased damage. Dash Nova has your Special make you lunge and become Sturdy for 0.6 seconds, aiding in damage reduction.

Aspect - Aspect of Poseidon
Mirror of Night - Infernal Soul
Keepsake - Adamant Arrowhead (Artemis)
Best Boons - Exit Wounds (Artemis), True Shot (Artemis), Clean Kill (Artemis), Deadly Flourish (Artemis), Fully Loaded (Artemis, Legendary), Mirage Shot (Duo)
Daedalus Upgrades - Super Nova, Dash Nova

What are your favorite builds for Stygius? Let us know in the comments below!