Hades 2: Best Zeus Boons, Ranked

Zeus’s Boons in Hades 2 are capable of dealing a significant amount of damage, and they focus primarily on inflicting Blitz, a powerful offensive Curse, and striking foes with bolts of lightning. Not all of Zeus’s Boons are of equal strength, though, and fans who want to maximize their chances of completing a run should make sure to select his best offerings. This guide is here to assist with that endeavor, and a ranking of all of Zeus’s Boons in Hades 2 can be found below.

Related

Hades 2: All Arcana Cards (& How to Upgrade Them)

This guide contains a complete list of all 25 of the Arcana Cards in Hades 2 and explains how players can go about upgrading them.

11 Spirit Surge

• Description: While you have no more than 10 Magick, all foes are occasionally struck by lightning.

This Boon encourages players to keep their Magick low, and that can easily be done by ignoring any Boons in Hades 2 that increase Magick restoration. However, fans who want to create the best builds are advised to do the exact opposite and prioritize effects that replenish their Magick. The reasons behind that recommendation are discussed further below, but, for now, it is sufficient to say that Spirit Surge is in conflict with the foundational elements of powerful builds, and it thus find itself at the bottom of the rankings.

10 Static Shock

• Description: After you enter a Location, Prime 50 Magick to make your strikes emit chain-lightning.

While this Boon works well with Spirit Surge, as its hefty Priming cost usually makes it easy to stay at 10 Magick or less, it is again not recommended that players go down this path. Even if a fan is able to counteract Priming away 50 Magick, either by having high Magick restoration or a large Magick bar, the damage gained by selecting Static Shock is not particularly exciting.

9 Electric Overload

• Description: Whenever your Blitz effects activate, a bolt of chain-lightning fires from the foe.

Blitz, a Curse that deals damage if a foe takes 120 damage within three seconds of being afflicted, is undoubtedly very powerful, and some Blitz-focused Boons can definitely be considered high-priority pickups. Electric Overload is not one of those Boons, though, as it is unlikely to have a considerable impact during the game’s most difficult Encounters (like those with the Guardians).

8 Double Strike

• Description: Your lightning bolt effects may strike 1 more time.

Lighting bolts are good sources of additional damage, and there are some very strong Boons, which are placed higher in this ranking, that create them. While players who have picked up a majority of those other lightning-focused Boons may be happy to enhance them with Double Strike, it is not an extremely powerful alongside just one or two ways to create bolts.

7 Divine Vengeance

• Description: After you take damage, your foe is struck by lightning, and again 50% of the time.

Ideally, players take minimal damage during their Encounters and do not see Divine Vengeance trigger very often. That said, this Boon packs quite a punch even if a player gets hit only occasionally, as its damage is quite high. Divine Vengeance really shines during fights with Guardians, as it can dish out a lot of damage over the course of a long battle, and it is definitely worth considering when it shows up among Zeus’s offerings.

6 Thunder Sprint

• Description: Your Sprint causes nearby foes to be struck by lightning bolts, which use 3 Magick each.

While this is not the best damage-dealing Sprint Boon in the game, it is quite strong nonetheless. Indeed, players who have picked up Thunder Sprint, and who have high Magick restoration, can clear many Encounters without doing much more than Sprinting, and that makes it very easy to progress through Regions in Hades 2.

5 Storm Ring

• Description: Your Ω Cast also causes lightning bolts to repeatedly strike 1 foe at a time.

Adding additional damage to Ω Casts in Hades 2 is a great way to justify the associated Magick cost, and Storm Ring brings a lot of damage to the table. While this ranking has placed this Boon behind several Blitz-focused offerings, it is perfectly reasonable for players to prioritize Storm Ring if they prefer a lighting bolt-based strategy to a Blitz-based one.

4 Lightning Lance

• Description: Hold Cast to aim where the binding circle appears. Foes within are struck by lightning.

It is extremely valuable to have the ability to hit foes with Cast from a distance, and Lightning Lance provides exactly that. Furthermore, the Boon has the added benefit of attaching additional damage to Cast, making that weapon skill even more potent.

3 Heaven Flourish / Heaven Strike

• Description: Your Specials/Attacks inflict Blitz.

As has already been stated, Blitz is a very powerful effect, and Heaven Strike or Heaven Flourish are the ways to consistently apply it. With respect to which of those two Boons is best, that is highly contingent upon the player’s weapon, previously-selected Boons, and playstyle.

2 Toasting Fork

• Description: Your Blitz effects deal damage even if they expire without being activated.

Toasting Fork takes Heaven Flourish and Heaven Strike to the next level, and players should almost always take it if they have, or are planning to select, one of the two Blitz-applying Boons. Indeed, the removal of the requirement for triggering the Curse’s additional damage is significant, and Hades 2 fans should find that they are more consistently benefiting from Blitz after obtaining Toasting Fork.

1 Ionic Gain

• Description: Gradually restore Magick, but your total amount is reduced by 70%.

As has been alluded to several times in this guide, high Magick restoration is extremely valuable, as it essentially allow players to use their Ω Moves and Boon-enhanced Sprints without stopping. This has the added benefit of making Hexes, which are provided by Selene in Hades 2, available frequently, and that can have a a significant impact in battle. It is thus in a player’s interest to take Boons that provide Magick restoration in almost every situation, and Ionic Gain is one of the very best of the bunch.