The best Hades 2 weapons and how to unlock them
Weapons are the essential tools for your rampage through Hades 2's underworld in search of the Titan of Time. Each one can be unlocked fairly quickly and will give you an edge over some of the monsters and bosses you'll find as you progress. Through weapon aspects (which we'll cover in a future guide), you can equip weapons with new passive bonuses, like the ability to restore your health.
Melinoë doesn't fight like Zagreus from Hades 1: Her set of five weapons are all new, but they do broadly fill the same roles. You start out with the Witch's Staff and will eventually gather up the right materials to unlock the other four weapons. And you should unlock them all because, like in the first Hades, weapons in Hades 2 have a huge impact on how you approach each run.
The unlock materials you need are found in stages across all the regions of the underworld and some of them can only be obtained with a gathering tool called the Crescent Pick. You'll be able to obtain a Crescent Pick quite quickly, but know that it'll take several runs to harvest enough resources to begin trying new weapons out.
How to unlock all weapons
How to unlock all weapons
You won't have to play Hades 2 very long before you can start working towards unlocking its weapons. As soon as you end your first run through the underworld, you can find the Nocturnal Arms menu in the training room right before the exit. You probably won't have the materials to unlock one yet, but it'll give you an idea of what to aim for as you head back out on a run.
Where to find weapon unlock materials
Where to find weapon unlock materials
To start gathering the materials you need to unlock weapons, you need the Crescent Pick gathering tool. You can unlock it with only one ash, which can be found as a reward in any region of Hades 2 (it's the gray-white icon). Ashes, and the other materials used for weapons, also unlock Arcana cards and Incantations, too, so you'll want to gather as much up as you can.
- Silver: Found in the first region, Erebus, in shiny deposits of three silver each
- Cinder: Earned after defeating the first boss, Headmistress Hecate, in Erebus
- Glassrock: Found in the third region, the Mourning Fields, in dark, jagged deposits of three glassrock each
The best Hades 2 weapons for your playstyle
The best Hades 2 weapons for your playstyle
Your choice of weapon will depend on how you prefer to play, and it's too early to say which will become the meta favorite. But each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses you can make up for with certain boons as you go along. Each region has its own set of enemies and they can be susceptible to certain weapons. So if you're struggling with a particular section, don't hesitate to try a new weapon out.
Here are the best weapons to use as you begin your journey in Hades 2:
The Witch's Staff
Melinoë starts out with the Witch's Staff and its mix of mid- to long-range attacks give it flexibility as you encounter different enemies. Its charged attacks can reach across the screen, too.
- Pro: Moderately fast attack speed combos well with boons like Hestia's fire DoT attacks or Hephaestus' critical hits
- Con: Deals low damage without several offensive boons attached to it
The Sister Blades
These twin blades have a super fast attack speed and their charged regular attack can teleport you behind enemies. Their charged special attack, however, sends out a long-range cone of projectiles.
- Pro: Fast attack speed gives you time to move around the battlefield
- Pro: Teleporting backstab charge attack is fantastic for repositioning and focusing a specific enemy
- Con: Close-range attacks force you to be near enemies with a greater risk of being hit
The Umbral Flames
These two torches send out large projectiles that can hit enemies on the other side of the screen. They also have a charged special attack that makes projectiles spin around you.
- Pro: Long-range projectile attacks let you play far away from enemies (which can feel like cheating)
- Pro: Ranged special attacks can outperform regular attacks with Hestia's fire boons
- Con: Very low damage output without considerably strong boons
The Moonstone Axe
It's a big axe with weighty attacks that deal ridiculous amounts of damage. Other weapons can't beat how cool it is to charge up its normal attack and turn yourself into a cleaving tornado.
- Pro: Swipes can cover the entire room, especially with boons from Hestia or Posiedon
- Pro: Very useful special that can block damage in front of you
- Con: Extremely slow attacks need to be timed correctly to avoid getting hit
The Argent Skull
A late-game weapon that shoots out explosive shells. You have to retrieve the ammo each time, but if you hit your shots, it can deal some of the highest damage in the game.
- Pro: Deals loads of explosive damage for large packs of enemies
- Pro: Isn't available until you unlock the above-ground region
- Con: Use of ammo that has to be retrieved can be a pain