All boons in Hades 2

Hades 2 boons are a helping hand extended to you from the clouds of Mount Olympus by the gods and goddesses themselves. These boons serve to help Melinoë on her quest to rescue her father and save the Underworld. As the daughter of Hades himself - and little sister to everyone's favorite prince of the Underworld, Zagreus - Melinoë is tasked with freeing her father from the clutches of Chronos, the titan of time, before he wages war with Olympus.

So, quite understandably, the deities on high are keen to help you out in this daunting task. Different boons can turn the tide on any run, and it pays to understand the gifts you'll be receiving so you can make a beneficial choice, so we've got all of the different boons listed and explained in this handy guide.

Here's everything you need to know about all Hades 2 boons.

What are Hades 2 boons?

All the Hades 2 boons from the gods and goddesses of Olympus are valuable to Melinoë's task in some way, but the choicest picks depend entirely on what you want to get out of a certain run. No two runs are the same in Hades 2, and therefore, you're never guaranteed to get the same loadout as your last. But, the rinse-repeat nature of the roguelike means you can test out a number of different combos when it comes to boons.

You can see what boons are coming up by the icons on each door at the end of an encounter. There are symbols to represent each god or goddess waiting for you, such as a flame icon for Hestia, or a lightning bolt icon for Zeus. Keep in mind that, outside of the non-standard boon-givers that we've listed below the primary Olympians, you're usually restricted to four boon-givers per night, with exceptions in cases of keepsakes, Echo's boon gift, and Charon's mystery boon.

This is why it's so important to understand all of the Hades 2 boons and what they can offer you, so you can make the best decisions when creating a build on the fly and adding enhancements to your basic attacks, Special attacks, Casts, and Omega abilities. We've compiled a list of the available Hades 2 boons, so you can plan out your run and make it the best it can possibly be.

Hades 2 Apollo boons

Considering Apollo is associated with the sun and light, this Olympian god imbues his boons with a stunning Daze effect. This does what it says on the tin and causes enemies to occasionally miss their attacks on Melinoë, which is understandably useful. Apollo pairs well with a fast and furious play style, so if you're a fan of the Sister Blades weapon, then this shining god is a great pick for all you hackers and slashers out there.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Apollo boons:

Hades 2 Aphrodite boons

We all know Aphrodite is the goddess of love, and yet her boons are anything but loving. They inflict a Weak status on your foes, making their knees tremble and their attacks not cause quite as much damage. If you're after a tankier build, then beauty incarnate is a good pick. She works particularly well with Apollo, since both of their boons lessen incoming damage.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Aphrodite boons:

Hades 2 Ares boons

Ah, Ares, what a guy. A serious man who leads the frontlines of the war against Cronos, Ares hasn't changed much since his first appearance in the original Hades game - except now, he's all about his new mechanic, Wounds. Unlocking much later than some of his brothers, sisters, and other assorted relatives, you must reach the final boss at the top of Olympus in order to be able to gain his aid, but once you have, it's worth the reward.

Here are all the Hades 2 Ares boons:

Hades 2 Demeter boons

Demeter is the goddess of the changing seasons and one of the newer additions to Hades 2. She helps Melinoë by freezing enemies and slowing them down, which means her boons are great for any kind of crowd-control build or play style. If you're wielding the Moonstone Axe, a noticeably slower weapon, Demeter's boons can offer you some much-needed space and time.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Demeter boons:

Hades 2 Hephaestus boons

Hephaestus is the god of the forge and, being the wily innovator he is, has quite an interesting status effect to offer through his boons. Vent deals delayed burst damage to enemies, so if you know you're going to come up against a lot of enemies at once, the residual damage can really come in handy. It can be a slower play style, but still very effective.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Hephaestus boons:

Hades 2 Hera boons

Given that she's the literal Queen of Olympus and Zeus' wife, Hera boons are pretty rare in Hades 2. Ruling the Mount means that she's a busy lady, it's understandable. When she does appear, Hera can aid Melinoë by offering the hitch effect, a knock-on status that chains damage between enemies. She can also help by upgrading your existing boons, particularly if you have other earth-type boons from the likes of Hephaestus.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Hera boons:

Hades 2 Hermes boons

Hermes is fast as heck, and so it stands to reason that the basis of his boons increase your speed and agility in the height of battle. He is the god of swiftness, after all. If you're working on a speedy run, Hermes' boons can be super helpful, especially if you're wielding weapons like the Sister Blades. Faster, faster, faster!

Here are all of the Hades 2 Hermes boons:

Hades 2 Hestia boons

This sweet and spicy goddess is a new face to the franchise, and as the goddess of flame, offers some pretty hot boons. Her Scorch status does exactly what it says on the tin and burns enemies with damage-over-time, which can come in clutch when you're battling big bosses that have a devastatingly long health bar.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Hestia boons:

Hades 2 Poseidon boons

Poseidon is the god of the sea and, much like the oceans themselves, is an unstoppable force. His boons remain similar to the original game, as his status effect Slip specializes in knock-back effects and high damage. They can also serve to increase range, so if you're looking to stay out of the fray as much as possible, equip the Witch's Staff and take enemies out without them touching you.

Here are all the Hades 2 Poseidon boons:

Hades 2 Zeus boons

Zeus is the King of Olympians, and his boons focus on lightning damage - because of course they do. His boons can offer some devastating cast effects, and his blitz status effect strikes foes with lightning. He also appears a lot more than his spouse, Hera, because he's probably lounging around on a thunder cloud and leaving the actual ruling of Olympus to her…

Here are all of the Hades 2 Zeus boons:

Hades 2 non-standard boons

Many of the characters Mel will come across offer boons that don't work in the same way that the main Olympians' boons do. For example, Selene's boons offer branching paths, and Athena's boons - after I feared my favorite from the original game was no longer with us - only appear at a certain time and place. Below you can find a list of the more unconventional boons.

Hades 2 Athena boons

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, so she's wise enough not to go down to the Underworld anymore. Consequently, she will only appear at Mount Olympus, and even then, it's an occasional thing. As such, my personal GOAT from the original Hades has far fewer boons to offer, and is no longer considered one of the primary Olympians to go to for aid. We've included her boons, anyway, because if you're in a pinch on Mount Olympus, she can be a game-changer.

Here are all the Hades 2 Athena boons:

Hades 2 Artemis boons

Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, and where the other gods and goddesses like to wait until you've cleared an encounter before they offer their services, Artemis jumps straight into the fray with you. She marks foes - and takes some of them out with some pretty hefty arrows - and she still offers you a boon, as well as the reward for that encounter. Her Marked status effect can help with critical damage, so she's a good all-rounder, whatever weapon or play style you go for.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Artemis boons:

Hades 2 Chaos boons

Considering they are the primordial embodiment of disorder and turmoil itself, Chaos boons operate a little differently than those bestowed by the gods. They curse Melinoë at first, so you have to work to overcome this in order to receive the blessing that awaits. With this in mind, there are a number of combos that Chaos can present to you. Below, we've listed out all of the curse effects as well as all of the blessing effects, so you can make an informed decision about whether they're worth taking or not.

Here are all of the cursed effects that Chaos offers:

The Hades 2 Chaos blessings:

Hades 2 Dionysus boons

Much like Athena, Dionysus also makes a surprising return to the Hades series in Mount Olympus only. You won't find your usually fun-loving uncle southside, as he's in a sulk about the war against Chronos, so keep your wits about you, and make sure to save up some of that sweet sweet nectar he likes so much.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Dionysus boons:

Hades 2 Hades boons

You might notice that this is a hidden entry - we didn't link to it at the top. This is because Hades's presence in this game - let alone the idea that he can give you boons - is a spoiler for underworld content. Mel and the player were told that her father had been driven out of the underworld and taken away by Chronos, leading us to think he wouldn't be making an appearance. Surprise: he's okay, but he's locked up. Consequently, you'll find daddy dearest and little Cerberus in just one single chamber in Tartarus - find him by going to the help symbol in the region, and do try not to skip him, because he'll help out hugely in the final boss battle.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Hades boons:

Hades 2 Selene boons

Similar to Chaos, Selene's boons work a little differently than those offered by the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Selene is the embodiment of the moon, and she offers a hex that is more of an 'ultimate' ability than a long-lasting boon. With that being said, the hex remains with you for your current run, and you can upgrade it on the Path of Stars. But it costs magick, so if you have a build that specializes in magick restoration, make sure to pick Selene for some extra fire - or moon - power.

One other thing to note is that each of Selene's gifts can be Godsent, which triggers heavenly assistance from one of your aunts, uncles, or grandmother. In order for you to get their help, you need to have at least one boon from a specific god already in your possession before you meet Selene that night, or their keepsake. For example, Phase Shift will only be offered to you as a Godsent boon if you already have a Demeter boon or have equipped the Barley Sheaf.

Here are all of the Hades 2 Selene boons:

Well, there you have it, that's everything you need to know about all of the available Hades 2 boons. As we said, this is a list of the boons we've found so far, so we'll make sure to keep this list updated with any we might not have come across yet.