Best weapons in Hades

Hades has been around for more than 5 years, enough time for Supergiant to enter a sequel into early access, get the necessary feedback AND stage its full release. Hades 2 and Melinoë may be the newer models, but Zagreu's journey to escape the underworld and make it to Mount Olympus is not only worth picking up, but also a definitive entry into the roguelike genre. If you were introduced to this universe through the sequel, don't skip over its predecessor in the belief that you've already played the superior game; the two titles stand on their own and are equally brilliant. If you are just starting out on this challenging path, you will be slowly introduced to it Hades'Infernal Armswhich are the different weapons. While they all have their uses and builds, some are naturally stronger or more versatile than others.

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To choose best weapons in Hades is somewhat influenced by personal preference, as Infernal Arms are quite different and singular. But let's go through all the weapons in the game to highlight their strengths, weaknesses and upgrades. Hades is long, addictive, and difficult, so you'll want to take chances and try different builds to make this adventure as fun as possible.

Updated November 21, 2025 by Mark Sammut: These days, Hades 2 is the talk of the town, and for good reason. But its predecessor is still incredibly popular, averaging 5K+ players on Steam, an impressive number for a single-player game that's been around since 2020. Weapon of Zagreus is a big reason why Hades has lasted this long because they're shaking up the core gameplay loop to ensure that boredom doesn't set in for a very, very long time.

6

Stygius, Blade Of The Underworld

The game starts you off with the worst weapon

Stygius is the first weapon that Zagreus can use: a basic longsword with a balanced movement. It is well rounded and has both decent damage and speed. But it also doesn't shine very brightly in any of the departments, making it pretty middle of the road. Stygius' greatest weakness is that it lacks rangeforcing Zagreus to engage with enemies in melee. While the Piercing Wave upgrade can remedy this, the player cannot count on being able to get that particular upgrade every playthrough.

Stygius' upgrades overall are underwhelming, and so are its aspects. Aspect of Poseidon, for example, is only really good for cast-based builds. And while Excalibur's Hallowed Ground can save the player from a tough pinch, it doesn't do much to increase Stygius' damage potential despite being a Hidden Aspect. While the Stygius is a decent weapon to use, any weapon that Zagreus later acquires simply surpasses it in many aspects.

5

Exagryph, The Adamant Rail

Some will love it, some will hate it

The Exagryph is the final weapon Zagreus can unlock, and it's an extremely unique one. It's basically a rifle that fires bullets rapidly, and can also fire a bomb that deals area damage. It can do a lot of damage quickly, but it is hampered by it it needs to be recharged quite often. While the Delta Chamber upgrade can remove this reload requirement, again it's not something the player can count on consistently achieving.

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Exagryph's biggest problem is that it might be quite slow on the damaging side. While Exagryph's aspects can provide a variety of interesting bonuses, none of them really solve this main problem. The Aspect of Eris increases Exagryph's damage quite a bit, but not to the level of other weapons. However, Exagryph is very good at clearing large groups of enemiesespecially with its special attack. Several upgrades also increase the special's ability to deal splash damage.

4

Aegis, Shield of Chaos

Live out your Captain America fantasies

Aegis holds unique ability to block attacksallowing Zagreus to reduce the damage on him. In addition, it has fast melee attacks and a ranged attack to deal with distant enemies. While throwing the shield will cause Zagreus to lose his ability to attack for a while, this can be bypassed equip Aspect of Zeus, allowing Zagreus to attack even after throwing his shield.

Zeus' aspect is particularly powerful, as the thrown shield creates a Blitz Disc that moves very slowly, creating great potential to deal massive damage over time. Combine this with powerful boons like Doom-granting effects (especially the Merciful End bonus, which allows Deflect effects to instantly trigger Doom), and the Aegis can become an extremely potent weapon. Without these, Aegis' damage potential isn't very high, but it can be a wonder with the right boon choice.

3

Varatha, The Eternal Spear

Enemies won't know what hit them

Varatha is one of them fastest weapons in Hades. Its special is a powerful ranged attack, and its spin attack gives it a strong area attack to deal with multiple mobs. Add to that its naturally long reach and its powerful dash, and a strong case can be made for calling the Varatha one of the best weapons in Hades.

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Unfortunately, the Varatha has several that hamper its usefulness. One of them is its lack of useful aspects. Many of them are tricky, like Frost Fair Blade, which cuts Zagreu's life in exchange for a draining spin attack. Another weakness is that Varatha's spin attack requires a charge to reach its full potential, making it less useful compared to other area attacks, such as Stygius' Nova Smash. Yet these weaknesses are minor compared to Varatha's many strengths.

2

Coronacht, the heart-searching bow

Poor speed is compensated by its usability

The Coronacht is likely one of the first weapons Zagreus will unlock, and it provides an extremely different playstyle from Stygius. It's Zagreu's first ranged weapon, and it's pretty simple. Zagreus can hold attack to shoot farther and use his special to release a volley of arrows in a wide area. It's a decent ranged weapon, but that's about it quite slow and not very good at dealing damage quickly.

But the Aspect of Chiron changes things considerably. Zags Attack will turn all arrows fired by the Special into homing arrowsturn a broad special attack into a devastating shotgun blast. Add a blessing effect like Doom or Hangover or an upgrade like Relentless Volley or Concentrated Volley, and Coronacht can make life bars melt like butter. Even without the Aspect of Chiron, players can still simulate a similar effect by firing the salvo in a straight line, causing all arrows to hit the same enemy.

1

Twin Fists of Malphon

Combat is best when it's up close and personal

The Twin Fists of Malphon can seem rather unassuming. Their range is quite short, even compared to Stygius. It is, however fastest weapon in the gamecan deal a flurry of blows before the enemy can react. Twin Fists also have incredible aspects, especially when powered by Titan Blood. Zagreu's personal aspect gives him innate avoidance; Aspect of Talos allows his specialty to draw enemies in and eliminate them at the same time; and Claws of Enkidu provides one special that causes enemies to take an extra burst of damage, similar to Doom's effect.

Twin Fists really shine when combined with the Merciful End Duo combo. With the right setup, Malphon can stack Doom effects with regular effects and trigger instantly with a Special, creating a deadly combo that can deal massive amounts of damage even to bosses. While Merciful End can be used with any weapon to decent effect, it reaches its maximum potential when used with Malphon. Twin Fists are the go-to weapon for anyone looking to dish out massive amounts of damage quickly.

Hades

10/10

Released

September 17, 2020