Witch's Staff Starter Build

Melinoë's starter Weapon is versatile and strong in both early and late game builds. A mixture of melee and ranged attacks makes it effective against every type of enemy. This build will help expose you to the foundational skills you need to master Hades II.

Aspect of Melinoë increases max Magick and Special Power. In Hades II, Power is the base damage that gets multiplied by all damage percentage upgrades. That makes Mel Staff a powerfully versatile Aspect with many viable builds. Put any damage % increasing Boon on Special to benefit from the base Power effect.

Blitz damage from Heaven Strike are the foundation of this build. Using this build enables combat loops with both Omega and standard moves. After grabbing Heaven Strike, it's basically impossible to end up with a bad build when following this guide.

As you get better at recognizing enemy attack patterns, you can shift more towards the close-range standard move combos (see General Tips and Tricks below).

• This guide was written by HookieDookie, who has played over 500 hours of Hades 2, cleared every weapon at high fear on both the Surface and Underworld, has multiple 62 Fear Victories.
• • For those interested you can view his Victory Screen at the bottom of the guide

Weapon Aspect

While the Staff's Special is slow on its own, it can be canceled into an Attack, Dash, or Cast. You can mix and mash Attacks, Dashes, Casts, and Specials as you see fit when wielding Aspect of Melinoë.

Omega Attacks can also be useful for their long-reaching AoE. Although the environment stops Omega Specials, Omega Attacks can safely be used behind cover to attack enemies on the opposite side.

Omega Specials charge quickly and tend to be easier to use safely due to their range. We're putting Flutter Flourish on Special for mid-range Omegas and the damage needed to trigger Blitz.

Animal Familiar

Start with Hecuba for the increased starting Magick and her ability to dig up more Magick during each encounter. Then you will be able to utilize Omega Specials immediately in your run.

Listen for Hecuba's "Bark" and try to hit the stunned enemies with some big Omega moves.

Arcana

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

Optional: Night (X), The Boatman (XVII), The Artificer (XVIII), The Enchantress (XVI)

For Arcana, take everything that boosts damage (Origination, Huntress, The Furies) as well as The Sorceress, since you'll be using Omega Specials frequently.

If you prefer mixing in Omega Attacks, you could sub in Night (X) for critical hit chance. If you plan to do so, you could also consider going for Apollo or Hera on Special because max range Omega Specials won't always activate Flutter Flourish's damage increase.

Hammers

The best Hammers are Aetheric Moonburst and any of the Thrashers: Rapid Thrasher, Mirrored Thrasher, or Wicked Thrasher. Prioritize the Attack Hammer first, then go for a Special Hammer if offered later.

If you manage to get Mirrored Thrasher, the double hit triggers on both Omega and standard Attacks. Even though you should already have plenty, of Magick, prioritize increasing the maximum amount.

Hermes

From Hermes, the most useful boons will increase our standard and Omega Move speed. Both Racing Thoughts and Nimble Limbs are good choices. Especially when paired with Aphro's Attack and Thrasher Hammers, you can ramp your Attack Speed way up. If your build already focuses more on Omega Specials, prioritize Racing Thoughts.

Magick and Health Requirements

Because we started with Hecuba and Aspect of Melinoë, and are taking a high Magick Gain, you should be able to take Centaur Hearts most of the time. If you find yourself running out of Magick from priming, only then should you look for Magick. Even if you do run out of Magick, this build still performs well by utilizing the standard move combos.

Hexes

Thanks to our high Magick use, we'll be activating our Hex frequently. Topping off this build with Twilight Curse will make room clears super easy because you'll have nearly infinite Morph time. Path towards Spread first if it is on your Path of Stars. Next priority will be Ambition for Guardian damage.

Because we have Zeus, we can also get his Godsent, Temper of Zeus for an electrifying burst of damage.

NPC

Shadow Pounce will be the rarest Boon we're looking for, but if you get lucky enough to run into Artemis and she offers it, definitely take it. Just make Sure to always Dash into Omega Special, or charge Omega Special, then release it by Dashing.

Combat Loop

Apply Blitz with Attack, then trigger Blitz with a Special; or by Dashing through the foe if you manage to grab Romantic Spark later in the run.

• Dash-Strike + Special is all you need to repeatedly trigger Blitz. Just run around and spam Dash-Strike + Special in one quick motion for easy wins.

Prioritize triggering Blitz over spamming Attacks. Thanks to Aspect of Melinoë increased base Power, and Flutter Flourish extremely high damage multiplier, you should always be able to trigger Blitz with a single Special.

If you notice an enemy is not affected by Blitz, hit them with an Omega or standard Attack, then quickly follow up with damage to trigger the lightning.

From a distance, utilize Omega Specials and Attacks to outrange the enemies attacks.

As enemies are spawning, drop an Omega Cast over their spawn point, then Dash Away and channel an Omega Special/Attack.

At close range, focus on quick combos. When enemies use attacks that prevent you from staying within Attack range, stay back and spam Omega Specials. Remember, the Omega Specials always benefit from the increased Special Damage of Aspect of Melinoë.

Here's an example of a combo loop you can practice to help increase your DPS

Standard Move Combo: Dash-Special → Attack x2 → Dash-Strike → Special → Attack → Dash → Attack x2 (Repeat)