Sister Blades Starter Build

The best build for The Sister Blades looks for Trick Knives and Dancing Knives Deadelus Hammers to maximize Blitz damage in both chambers and boss encounters. Zeus also opens up Static Shock, which is a great Boon to have for AoE damage on this fast-hitting Weapon Aspect.

Once you have Heaven Flourish, this build is basically ready to go. Every other part will be supplementary but not absolutely required, making this a great build to use before you've unlocked Boon rerolls.

Blitz and chain-lightning will make up most of the damage. Therefore, any Attack Boon will work with this build. On-hit effects like Scorch synergize with the Aspect of Melinoë multi-hit Attack, and percentage-boosting Boons like Apollo are suitable for raw damage.

Furthermore, because the combat loop revolves entirely around standard Moves, you won't need Magick, which helps defensively, since you'll have an easier time increasing your max HP by selecting more Centaur Hearts. Consequently, this build doesn't rely on a Hex, which further decreases the role luck and RNG plays in its success.

Aspect

The Sister Blades are a hybrid close-quarters and ranged Aspect. The Attack hits quickly but has very short range. The Omega Attack has decent range and instantly dashes Melinoë through her target for a big Backstab slash.

The Specials are a medium-range move. The best part of Specials on Mel Blades is that the thrown Knives return to Melinoë, so you'll always hit a Backstab in one of the directions. The Omega Special charges up multiple Knives then throws them in a wide spread. Unless you get Sureshot Flurry, Omega Specials are useless on Aspect of Melinoë.

Animal Familiar

Start with Frinos to increase your base max health. Frinos also comes in handy during the fight against the Guardian of Erebus (1st Underworld Region). When the Guardian shoots the Morph ball at you, simply stand behind Frinos, and he will absorb it for you.

Arcana

Priority: The Wayward Son (II), The Huntress (III), The Furies (VI), Persistence (VII), The Messenger (VIII), The Swift Runner (XI), Death (XII), Origination (XIV)

Secondary and Optional: The Boatman (XVII), The Artificer (XVIII), The Enchantress (XVI), The Lovers (XV), The Sorceress (I)

Take everything that boosts damage (Origination (XIV), The Huntress (III), The Furies (VI)). Because Huntress is equipped, try to begin every encounter with an Omega Attack. The dash mechanic will get you into fight so it will be a natural way to start the encounter and activate the Huntress simultaneously.

The rapid attacking and close-range combat will also favor equipping The Messenger. Practice the timing. Melinoë is invulnerable for the moment the Cast first appears on the ground. Use this tight window to dodge enemy attacks and the movement boost to be evasive.

If you prefer mixing in the Omega Attack more often, Sub out The Messenger for The Sorceress, or trade the Boatman for Artificer to free up some Grasp.

Keepsakes

1. Cloud Bangle
2. 1. Zeus make up the majority of this build, so you don't want to leave having him in your God pool up to chance.
2. Beautiful Mirror
3. 1. Aphrodite and Zeus have an incredible amount of synergy together, and with theAspect of Melinoë. Romantic Spark is perfect for Mel Blades because you are always positioned close enough to Dash through the enemies.
3. Experimental Hammer
4. 1. Nearly every Lim and Oros is beneficial to this build. Once fully upgraded, a 3rd region Hammer will persist throughout the rest of the run, all the way to the final Guardian.
4. Luckier Tooth
5. 1. Going into the final Region, we need all the help we can get for the final boss. Luckier Tooth is the best Keepsake for the job. Ensure you don't let it activate before getting to the final chamber.

Hammers

The best Hammers by far are Trick Knives and Dancing Knives. On runs where you aren't offered either of these Hammers, take the Attack Hammers, Rapid Onslaught or Wicked Onslaught. Either of these will also work fine in this build.

Hermes

The most useful boons from Hermes will be Stutter Step and Nitro Boost. Stutter Step perfectly synergizes with Trick Knives since it increases the frequency of your Dash-Strikes. Nitro Boost will help with movement speed and absorbing damage in every encounter.

Magick and Health Requirements

Because we aren't focused on Omega Moves, you should take Centaur Hearts over Soul Tonics every Time. If you get Boons the Prime Magick, just make sure you have enough Magick to perform one Omega Move every encounter so you can activate The Huntress Arcana.

Hexes

Hexes require a lot of Magick use, and since we aren't using very much Magick, we won't recommend investing heavily into one. Whenever you do grab a Hex, you can use Omega Attacks and Cast to get it ready, but it still should not be your focus.

Lunar Ray deals high damage and has the lowest Magick requirement of any Hex. Furthermore, the ranged damage is a welcome addition to your primary close-ranged arsenal.

NPC

Pressure Points will be the rarest Boon we're looking for. If you encounter Artemis and she offers it, all damage you deal, including Blitz and chain-lightning, will gain the chance to deal critical damage. Support Fire is a great option as well. Combined with your already great AoE damage and Air Quality, you'll be breezing through chambers.

Combat Loop

The standard combat loop for this build will utilize Dash-Strikes and Attack combos.

1. Start by hitting the target with a Special to inflict Blitz
2. Then Dash-Strike + Attacks to activate Blitz.
3. Dash to dodge, Special to inflict Blitz, and repeat.

Once you get get Trick Knives, you'll be spamming Dash-Strike for the rest of the run. Before acquiring Trick Knives - or if you never get it - you'll depend on Attack combos with Specials woven in after Blitz gets activated. Everything else about the build and strategy remains constant.

Dancing Knives bounces the Specials to additional enemies, so you'll be able to inflict Blitz on groups of enemies faster and more easily.