Hades: How To Get Every Duo Boon (2024)

Hades' gameplay centers around boons, colorful gifts from the gods that give Zagreus unique abilities to fight his way out of the Underworld. Each god's boons are themed around their domain, such as Zeus giving Zag lightning powers, Athena giving defensive abilities, and Artemis increasing the chance for critical damage, just to name a few. The unpredictable selection of boons and synergies between the various powers are what make each run feel entirely unique.

Boon rarities differ, but among some of the harder to find are Duo Boons, which require a player to have specific sets of Boons from two different Olympians. Duo Boons are incredibly powerful, and can wholly alter the course of a specific run. They can be frustrating to obtain, especially if a player doesn't know what the exact prerequisites are. Here's how to get each one, as well as what build makes the best use of them.

Updated on May 11, 2024 by Noelle Warner: With the Hades 2 early access finally available, fans are revisiting their favorite roguelike to get prepped for the sequel's full release. This article has been updated with even more information about the game's Duo Boons, and to adhere to CBR's current editorial standards.

28 Aphrodite/Ares' Curse Of Longing Adds Insult To Injury

The Curse of Longing revolves around the two debuffs offered by Ares and Aphrodite: Doom and Weak. Doom inflicts a single burst of damage after a set amount of time, while Weak makes enemy attacks weaker for the entirety of its duration. With Curse of Longing, Doom now deals damage multiple times to Weak enemies, halving the amount it deals each time.

Because of how the math around that halving works, it's effectively as if a second instance of Doom was applied to that foe. Curse of Longing also has extra synergy with the Privileged Status aspect of Nyx's Mirror of Night, as each rank gives the player +20% damage against foes with at least two Status Curse effects. In order to obtain this Boon, players will need a way to inflict Weak (via Heartbreak Strike, Heartbreak Flourish, Crush Shot, or Passion Dash), as well as a way to inflict Doom (via Curse of Agony or Curse of Pain).

27 Ares/Artemis' Hunting Blades Turns The Battlefield Red

Hunting Blades enhances Ares' cast, Slicing Shot. Slicing Shot normally creates a Blade Rift, which is a slow-moving vortex of blades that deals damage to any enemy in its area. Hunting Blade transforms it into a projectile that shoots towards the nearest enemy.

One of Slicing Shot's main weaknesses is that it's powerful, but isn't always guaranteed to hit — Hunting Blades helps with this issue, which makes it well worth having. In order to obtain Hunting Blades, players need Slicing Shot, as well as one of several different Artemis-related Boons (Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish, Hunter Dash or Artemis' Aid).

26 Artemis/Athena's Deadly Reversal Makes Blocking Even More Effective

Plenty of Athena's Boons allows the player to Deflect oncoming projectiles and attacks, rewarding them for good timing on their Attacks, Specials and Dashes. Deadly Reversal ups the ante on those Boons even more, giving the player a 20% chance to deal critical damage after Deflecting.

Critical damage is double what it would be normally, which means a player constantly Deflecting with Deadly Reversal will have a 40% greater damage output overall. In order to obtain Deadly Reversal, players will need a way to Deflect attacks (via Divine Strike or Divine Flourish), as well as one of several Boons from Artemis (Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish, True Shot or Artemis' Aid).

25 Athena/Demeter Stubborn Roots Lets Players Heal Over Time

Stubborn Roots is perhaps one of the best Duo Boons in Hades, as it allows players to regenerate health (provided they're out of Death Defiances). If players can keep the rate of regeneration above the rate at which Zagreus takes damage, their health total becomes functionally infinite. Going through a run without any backup lives can be pretty terrifying, but Stubborn Roots gives players another chance — if they can stay up long enough to reap its benefits.

This Boon is also fairly easy to obtain, as players only need one of the basic five boons from Athena that affect Zagreus' Attack, Special, Cast, Dash or Call (Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, Divine Dash or Athena's Aid), as well as one of Demeter's (Frost Strike, Frost Flourish, Crystal Beam, Mistral Dash or Demeter's Aid).

24 Demeter And Dionysus' Powers Combined Creates The Cast-Centric Ice Wine

Ice Wine acts as an enhancement to Dionysus' Cast, Trippy Shot. Trippy Shot creates a cloud of poisonous fumes that damage enemies called Festive Fog. Ice Wine makes Festive Fog also inflict Chill, which is Demeter's unique status effect. Trippy Shot is already a great AOE ability, but having that extra layer of damage and slowing effect makes Ice Wine a run-making Boon.

Chill slows enemies down, which means they'll take even longer to escape the Festive Fog and stop taking damage. Players will need Trippy Shot from Dionysus, but the other prerequisite is just one of Demeter's basic Boons, aside from her Cast (Frost Strike, Frost Flourish, Mistral Dash or Demeter's Aid).

23 Pick Up Dionysus & Poseidon's Duo Boon Exclusive Access Early

Exclusive Access stands out from a lot of other Duo Boons in that it doesn't actually highlight a synergy between Dionysus and Poseidon. Instead, it provides a powerful static effect, making it so that any Boon players find is guaranteed to be of Epic rarity or higher. Since it affects all Boons that come after it, the earlier players pick up Exclusive Access, the better. Be careful choosing it in the later stages of Elysium or the Temple of Styx, since at that point there might not be many more Boons to obtain.

Its prerequisites are fairly simple since it doesn't care about any specific effects. Players will need one of Poseidon's basic Boons (Tempest Strike, Tempest Flourish, Flood Shot, Tidal Dash or Poseidon's Aid), as well as one from Dionysus (Drunken Strike, Drunken Flourish, Trippy Shot, Drunken Dash or Dionysus' Aid).

22 Hades' Sea Storm Duo Boon Combines Poseidon And Zeus' Powers

The two youngest brothers of the original six Olympians have a contentious relationship, but there's a ton of synergy between the Boons they offer in Hades. Sea Storm takes natural advantage of this synergy, creating lightning bolts whenever players knock enemies away.

This effectively makes it so any of Zeus' multiple Boons that care about lightning bolts will now be triggered by most of Poseidon's Boons. The prerequisite Boons to acquire this Duo are one of Poseidon's basic Boons, excluding his dash (Tempest Strike, Tempest Flourish, Flood Shot or Poseidon's Aid), as well as any of Zeus' basic Boons (Lightning Strike, Thunder Flourish, Electric Shot, Thunder Dash or Zeus' Aid).

21 Aphrodite and Zeus Create The Smoldering Air Duo Boon

Aphrodite and Zeus' Duo, like the previously mentioned Exclusive Access, gives the player a new capability instead of relying on any inherent synergy between these two gods. Smoldering Air causes Zagreus' God Gauge to charge up 1% every one-fifth of a second but caps it at 25 % (one use).

This means that even without attacking or dealing damage, Zagreus will be able to use his Call every five seconds. It's natural to then combine this with other Boons that care about the use of the Call since those will trigger more often. Any basic Boon from Aphrodite (Heartbreak Strike, Heartbreak Flourish, Crush Shot, Passion Dash or Aphrodite's Aid), as well as one from Zeus (Lightning Strike, Thunder Flourish, Electric Shot, Thunder Dash or Zeus' Aid) will unlock this Duo, although it's probably not worth picking up without already having a Boon that gives Zagreus access to a Call.

20 Heart Rend Is Aphrodite/Artemis' Critical Damage Game Changer

Heart Rend can lead to a tremendous increase in damage output, as it causes Critical attacks to deal 150% more damage to Weak enemies. This means Critical hits will now deal 3.5x more damage to enemies. Status effects are already powerful enough on their own, but having even stronger attacks in tandem makes for a truly unstoppable build.

If Zagreus has access to one of Artemis' Boons that grants a 20% Critical chance, his overall damage should increase by 70%. That's a huge boost in killing power, and it's a natural synergy since Zagreus needs one of those Boons (Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish or True Shot) to unlock Heart Rend, as well as a Boon from Aphrodite that can inflict the Weak status (Heartbreak Strike, Heartbreak Flourish, Crush Shot or Passion Dash).

19 Crystal Clarity Combos Artemis/Demeter With Deadly Accuracy

Demeter's Cast is called Crystal Beam, as it creates a small turret-like crystal that fires a slow-moving beam. This Duo Boon doesn't actually incorporate any of the mechanical aspects of Artemis' Boons, but it feels like a natural fit that a boost in accuracy would come from the Goddess of Archery and Hunting.

A player looking to grab this Duo should go "all in" on boosts to their Cast, making sure they have the passive benefit from Nyx's Mirror that gives extra Cast crystals. They'll need Crystal Beam to start with, as well as any of Artemis' basic Boons (Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish, True Shot, Hunter's Flare or Artemis' Aid).

18 The Blizzard Shot Duo Boon Turns Poseidon's Flood Shot To Ice

Poseidon's Cast is normally Flood Shot, a fast-moving projectile that explodes to push enemies backward. This Duo transforms it into Blizzard Shot, which moves much slower but deals plenty of damage as it shoots out shards of ice. This is much more useful in encounters with dense groups of enemies, but can be harder to utilize in boss fights with highly mobile enemies, like the Furies or Hades.

Blizzard Shot is admittedly not the most powerful Duo Boon in the game, but it can certainly help cap off a build of otherwise powerful Boons. Players will need Flood Shot to start, as well as any of Demeter's basic Boons that aren't her Cast (Frost Strike, Frost Flourish, Mistral Dash or Snow Burst).

17 Hades' Aphrodite And Poseidon Combo Creates Sweet Nectar

Poseidon's Boons seem to be difficult to combine with others, as Sweet Nectar is once again completely unrelated to either of these gods' domains. Instead, it increases the effectiveness of any Poms of Power Zagreus might find. Poms normally increase another Boon's level by one. This makes them increase Boons by two levels instead.

Like Exclusive Access, Sweet Nectar gets better if the player can find it earlier on in their run. It's also great going into the Temple of Styx, as Charon will normally have one or two Poms for sale in his shop. Since it doesn't touch any specific mechanical part of either god's Boons, a basic Boon from both Aphrodite (Heartbreak Strike, Heartbreak Flourish, Crush Shot, Passion Dash or Aphrodite's Aid) and Poseidon (Tempest Strike, Tempest Flourish, Flood Shot, Tidal Dash or Poseidon's Aid) will be enough to unlock it.

16 Athena And Ares' Merciful End Duo Boon Is Tricky

Ares' Doom debuff takes a little bit of time to activate, and as such there are a number of different Boons that interact with how it goes off. Merciful End is one of these, allowing Zagreus' attacks that Deflect to trigger Doom immediately. The prerequisite to unlock this is to have an Attack or Special that inflicts Doom (Curse of Pain or Curse of Agony) and then have the other offensive option Deflect in order to trigger it (Divine Strike or Divine Flourish).

Once the player has unlocked this, they'll need to be careful to alternate between the two, as the most efficient strategy is to apply a new instance of Doom after clearing the previous one. This is one of the more difficult Duo Boons to use effectively, but once players get the hang of it, there will be few foes that can stand in their way.

15 Calculated Risk Deftly Balances Athena And Dionysus

Athena and Dionysus are on the opposite ends of the pantheon as far as both temperament and domain are concerned, but Calculated Risk is an interesting synthesis of their two portfolios. It slows down enemy projectile attacks, which means the player can be far more reckless in how they take on some enemies. It's an imposition of order, which is very Athenian, but ironically also lets the player act in a far more chaotic manner, which is very Dionysian.

Calculated Risk can also be valuable to players taking on Skelly's Pact of Punishment, as one of the difficulty modifiers players can choose from makes enemies attack faster. Its prerequisites are pretty simple, needing only one of four different Boons from both Dionysus (Dionysus' Aid, Drunken Dash, Drunken Flourish or Drunken Strike) and Athena (Athena's Aid, Divine Dash, Divine Flourish or Divine Strike).

14 Scintillating Feast Uses Dionysus' Trippy Shot With A Basic Zeus Boon

Much like Demeter's Frozen Fog, Scintillating Feast acts as an enhancement to Dionysus' Trippy Shot Boon. The Festive Fog produced by the Cast now also crackles with lightning, increasing its damage output and allowing it to be affected by any of Zeus' Boons that care about dealing damage with lightning.

As with other Cast-based Duos, players taking this Boon should focus on maxing out the effectiveness of their Cast through other ways. Players will need Trippy Shot to start, and then any of Zeus' five basic Boons (Lightning Strike, Thunder Flourish, Electric Shot, Thunder Dash or Zeus' Aid).

13 Hades Combos Ares And Zeus For Vengeful Mood

Both Ares and Zeus have Boons that trigger when the player takes damage. These Boons are effective, but run up against the issue of Zagreus only having so much health. In an ideal Hades run, the player takes less damage, not more. Vengeful Mood solves this by causing any damage-based Boons to trigger on their own, without any needed pain on the player's part.

It's also a little harder to obtain, as it requires one of Ares' basic Boons (Curse of Agony, Curse of Pain, Slicing Shot, Blade Dash or Ares' Aid), one of Zeus' basic Boons ( Lightning Strike, Thunder Flourish, Electric Shot, Thunder Dash or Zeus' Aid), and a "revenge" effect from any god (Wave of Despair, Curse of Vengeance, Frozen Touch, Holy Shield or Heaven's Vengeance).

12 Demeter Applies Chill To Ares Spinning Blades In Freezing Vortex

Ares' Slicing Shot already creates a vortex of spinning blades, but Freezing Vortex causes the Blade Rift created by the Cast to also apply Chill. This slows enemies down, which means they'll have a harder time escaping the Rift. Players can also get some synergy with the Privileged Status aspect of Nyx's Mirror of Night, as Chill and Doom are both status effects.

Freezing Vortex also shrinks the Rift and causes it to move more slowly, which means that it can be harder to use against highly mobile enemies. To unlock it, players will need Slicing Shot and one of Demeter's non-Cast basic Boons (Demeter's Aid, Frost Flourish, Frost Strike or Mistral Dash).

11 Hades' Cold Fusion Duo Boon Increases The Jolted Condition

The Static Discharge Boon causes lightning to inflict the Jolted condition, which makes enemies deal damage to themselves and those around them when they attack. Normally the Jolted condition only activates once, but Cold Fusion causes it to last for a full 10 seconds instead.

This is a huge amount of time in a game as fast-paced as Hades and can cause crowds of enemies to annihilate themselves as multiple Jolted conditions hurt each enemy in the group. Players will need Static Discharge to obtain this Duo Boon, plus one of Demeter's non-Cast basic Boons (Frost Strike, Frost Flourish, Mistral Dash or Demeter's Aid).

10 The Lightning Rod Duo Boon Combos Artemis And Zeus

Zagreus' dropped Cast crystals can be annoying to go pick up, and serve no purpose on their own. However, the Lightning Rod Boon makes them shoot lightning at nearby enemies. This allows the player to scatter their Cast crystals as tiny remote turrets. They'll also benefit from the myriad of Zeus Boons that care about dealing lightning damage.

To unlock Lightning Rod, players will need one of Artemis' basic Boons (Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish, True Shot, Hunter Dash or Artemis' Aid), in addition to one of Zeus' (Lightning Strike, Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, Electric Shot or Zeus' Aid).

9 Artemis/Dionysus' Splitting Headache Stacks Critical Damage

Like many of Artemis' Duo Boons, Splitting Headache interacts with Critical damage. In this case, it increases the likelihood for an attack to deal Critical damage, depending on how many stacks of Hangover the targeted enemy has. Enemies can have up to five stacks of Hangover, which means attacks on a fully hungover enemy are 7.5% more likely to deal Critical damage. Critical damage is a 2x modifier, which means Splitting Headache is an effective 15% bonus to damage against enemies that Zagreus is focusing down.

This can be combined with other Critical damage enhancers. Inflicting the Hangover status (Dionysus' Aid, Drunken Dash, Drunken Flourish or Drunken Strike), as well as one of Artemis' non-Dash basic Boons (Artemis' Aid, Deadly Flourish, Deadly Strike or True Shot) is required.