Hades Weapons Tier List: Best Weapons Ranked (2023)

Making a Hades Weapons Tier List is no easy task, especially considering the monumental number of builds players can potentially make in the game. What works for one person may not work for another, and debates about which weapons perform better than the others will almost always get heated. So we would like to start this article by clarifying that the placements of weapons in this list are our personal preferences. This is a highly subjective article, and it should not be viewed as an objective fact.

Here’s a complete summary of the Hades Weapons Tier List:

With that out of the way, let’s jump into the details of Hades Weapons Tier List.

When players first start the game, they have access to six different weapons. One of these is unlocked by default, but the other five can also be unlocked in quick succession by collecting a currency called Chthonic Keys. These are relatively easy to come by, and players should be able to unlock the entire base arsenal after a handful of runs.

Over time however, players can unlock variations of these weapons which are known as “Aspects.” These switch up the way the weapons function, giving players much more options in how they approach combat. Aspects are basically complete weapons on their own, with their own unique attacks and abilities.

So in this Hades Weapons Tier List, we will be ranking all 24 of these weapon Aspects

S-Tier Weapons

These weapons are the most powerful in the entire game. When players manage to get their hands of these, runs should become an absolute cakewalk.

Aspect of Beowulf (Shield of Chaos)

The Shield of Chaos is already the best weapon to complete runs with, but the Aspect of Beowulf is a complete beast on it’s own. This allows you to load your Bloodstones into the shield, and then use the charge attack to unleash them all together in the form of the Dragon Rush attack.

Additionally, the Aspect can also be upgraded to increase the damage and area of the Dragon Rush attack by up to +100%. All of this does come at the cost of +10% damage taken by the player, but the tradeoff is more than worth it.

Aspect of Chaos (Shield of Chaos)

When you use the Shield of Chaos, do you ever wish you had more than one shield? Well then, that’s exactly what this Aspect does by allowing the weapon to deploy multiple projectiles with its special attack.

The Aspect of Chaos allows players to use the throw special after the Bull Rush, to send out multiple shields instead of simply one. You can even increase the number of shields thrown out by up to +5 to absolutely decimate foes with a single attack.

Aspect of Chiron (Heart-Seeking Bow)

The Heart-Seeking Bow can be a bit tough to get a hang of, so why not opt for an Aspect that literally makes it hard to miss your targets. The Aspect of Chiron is great for this exact same reason, because it’s special Volley Fire attack automatically seeks out the foe you last damaged.

You can also upgrade it further to increase the number of shots fired by the Volley Fire attack, for a maximum of 8 total projectiles.

Aspect of Guan Yu (Eternal Spear)

Now this one has a bit of a risk-reward mechanic involved, but it’s usually worth it for those that are skilled enough. The Aspect Of Guan Yu reduces your total health, as well as the amount you can heal by up to -50% when upgraded.

But at the cost of that, the weapon gains a unique Serpent Slash attack that heals the player for 1 HP per hit. This might not seem like a lot, but trust me when I say that it can keep you maxed out for long periods of time.

Aspect of Demeter (Twin Fists)

It can be really risky getting up close enough to deal some real damage with the close ranged Twin Fists. So why not go for an Aspect that lets you stack multiple attacks at the same time.

With the Aspect Of Demeter, the player can unleash a maximum of 5 extra special attacks at once after they land at least 12 strikes on an enemy first. And if a player goes for boons that enhance special damage on top of this, we’re looking at a guaranteed way to shave off chunks of health from bosses.

A-Tier Weapons

These weapons on our Hades Weapons Tier List are not among the elite, but they are nonetheless some of the best in the entire game.

Aspect of Zeus (Shield of Chaos)

I’m going to go ahead and say that the Aspect of Zeus is the most underutilized variation of the Shield of Chaos. With this active your special turns into the Blitz Disc, which is a slow moving throw attack that brings the shield to a halt after a moment. It still keeps rotating in place and dealing damage however.

What’s great about this special is that it still let’s you use your regular attacks on top of the ability, and you can bring the Shield back to you anytime with the push of a button. For those moments where you encounter slow moving enemies with large health bars, you can simply deploy the Blitz Disc on them and then focus on the faster mobs yourself.

Aspect of Arthur (Stygian Blade)

The base Stygian Blade is the first weapon you have access to at the beginning of the game, and most players probably never looked back as soon as they unlocked any of the other base five. The Aspect of Arthur however gives you a reason to come back to the blade.

This Aspect gives you access to the unique Hallowed Ground special attack, which creates an area-of-effect on the ground. When inside it, enemies are slowed, traps are disabled and the player gains damage reduction and the improved Nova Smash attack. Additionally, you also gain +50 to your total HP when the weapon is simply equipped.

Aspect of Hera (Heart-Seeking Bow)

With the Aspect of Hera, players can load their Cast ammo, Bloodstones, into the Heart-Seeking Bow. And then the next time they use it, the arrow deals increased damage upon impact.

On top of this, the drop time for the Bloodstones is reduced significantly to as little as 5 seconds with upgrades. This works great because players are likely to ignore the Cast attacks when their main weapon already has a ranged projectile. So this Aspect puts the otherwise ignored Cast attack to extremely effective use.

Aspect of Poseidon (Stygian Blade)

Apart from any of the main six weapons, the player always has access to the Cast attacks. This is a ranged projectile that deals damage on impact, but also gets embedded in enemies for a short period and can potentially apply a status effect.

The Aspect of Poseidon is a weapon that allows you to dislodge the Bloodstones from an enemy when you strike them with the special attack. Additionally, the Aspect can be upgraded to increase the damage done by the Cast for a maximum of +50%. This doesn’t seem all that powerful at first glance, but you can create a build focused around using Casts repeatedly and then dislodging them for continuous use.

Aspect of Zagreus (Shield of Chaos)

The Aspect Of Zagreus is the form in which you first unlock the Shield of Chaos, and as many fans can attest, the weapon is still fantastic as is. Most of it’s appeal has to do with it’s core functionality, which revolves around blocking incoming damage and rushing into foes to deal damage.

In fact, the Shield is so widely recognized as the best weapon in the game, that many players acknowledge that using it is the easiest way to complete your first run.

Aspect of Eris (Adamant Rail)

Now this entry on the Hades Weapons Tier List is a bit unique, since it asks you to put yourself in your own line of fire. Basically, with this Aspect you have to walk into the area of impact of the Adamant Rail’s special attack, which is a bomb explosion.

You absorb the blast, and in exchange you get increased damage for a maximum output of +75%. Unfortunately the buff only lasts for 4 seconds, so you will have to use this tactic repeatedly to get extended use out of it.

Aspect of Rama (Heart-Seeking Bow)

Sometimes it can be a bit hard to deal with a particular enemy for a variety of different reasons. It’s too fast, it soaks up a lot of damage, you can’t get close to it without taking damager, etc. In these situations, why not completely ignore that particular foe and instead focus on it’s friends.

With the Aspect of Rama, players can use the special Volley Fire attack to inflict the Shared Suffering effect on a foe. When this is active, the targeted enemy takes up to a maximum of 60% of the damage dealt to the enemies around them. So you basically harm a foe by targeting their companions.

Aspect of Talos (Twin Fists)

Some enemies in Hades can be extremely fast and hard to pin down, as they dash around the map without giving you a clear opportunity to attack. And while the Twin Fists are not exactly known for their range, you don’t really require it with the Aspect Of Talos.

This Aspect replaces the special attack with the Magnetic Cutter, which is a move that pull in foes towards you. On top of this the attack deals 20 base damage, and then also makes the targeted enemies more susceptible to damage for 6 seconds. With upgrades, this ability can allow players to deal a maximum of +50% damage.

B-Tier Weapons

None of the Aspects in this section of our Hades Weapons Tier List are bad. But they’re also not ones that players should prioritize over A or S ranks. They’re simply decent at best.

Aspect of Lucifer (Adamant Rail)

Opinions on the Adamant Rail already vary greatly from fan to fan, and many would even consider the Aspect of Lucifer to be the worst among the bunch. I however disagree, mostly because this weapon works surprisingly well if you put in the time to learn about it.

With this Aspect active, the special bombardment effect is replaced by small floating Hellfire obs. These deal 20 damage per second to enemies in the vicinity, but then they also explode if they are attacked by either the player or the enemy. The Blast Damage dealt by this explosion can reach up to 100 when fully upgraded. You can keep deploying the orbs in quick succession and then shooting them yourself for massive damage.

Aspect of Zagreus (Heart-Seeking Bow)

This is the base version of the Heart-Seeking Bow, and it’s a pretty decent weapon if I’m being honest. You can hold your attack to charge up shots, and use the special attack to fire 9 arrows in an arc. There’s also a Power Shot that can be used if you time the charging of the attack to right when you see the flashing effect.

What can I say, this weapon is reliable. It also gets a maximum of +15% critical attack chance when fully upgraded, which is surprisingly decent.

Aspect of Achilles (Eternal Spear)

The special attack of the Eternal Spear is a throw that launches the weapon at an enemy to deal damage. If you use the attack again at this point, or even use the regular attack, the spear flies back to you instantly.

With the Aspect of Achilles however, the weapon does not come back to you. Instead, the players rushes towards the enemy and gains increased damage on the next four attacks. So essentially you throw the spear, dash towards the enemy and then attack them again with increased effect.

Aspect of Gilgamesh (Twin Fists)

Once again we have an Aspect of the Twin Fists that revolves around making it easy for the player to actually hit the enemy with this melee weapon. The problem however is that the risk and reward balance is really not worth the effort here.

While using the Dash-Upper attack, players can inflict the Maim effect on foes so that they take +25% damage and move -30% slower for the next 4 seconds. The problem however is that the enemies are also able to deal an additional +50% to the player, and nothing is worse than unexpectedly taking a powerful hit that also deals increased damage to you.

Aspect of Hades (Eternal Spear)

If you hold down the attack button on the Eternal Spear, you can charge it up to release a spin attack that deals damage in an area of effect.

The Aspect of Hades builds on this by morphing it into the Punishing Sweep. The radius of the spin attack is now massive, and any enemies hit by it also take increased damage from regular and special attacks for the next 10 Seconds. It’s not the weakest Aspect of the Eternal Spear, but it’s definitely not as powerful and useful as the ones mentioned above.

Aspect of Nemesis (Stygian Blade)

If you feel that the Stygian Blade is a bit underpowered, then the Aspect of Nemesis might be your go-to in terms of critical damage output.

With this Aspect equipped, using the special attack increases the chance of you doing damage for the next 3 seconds. It’s pretty simple as far as some of the other weapons on this Hades Weapons Tier List go, but a maximum of +30% bonus critical chance is not bad at all.

C-Tier Weapons

The Aspects in this section of our Hades Weapons Tier List are among the weakest in the game. And although none of the weapons in Hades are technically bad, you can definitely do better than these ones.

Aspect of Hestia (Adamant Rail)

At the top of C tier we have the Aspect of Hestia, which is barely better that it’s base counterpart. This Aspect works by encouraging the player to constantly reload, so that the next shot in the clip is slightly empowered.

When fully upgraded, the empowered shot is capable of dealing 150 damage by itself, after which the rest of the clip is full of regular shots. This is meant for those players who compulsively reload, but apart from that it has little to offer. One shot in a full magazine being stronger than the others is not really all that great to be honest.

Aspect of Zagreus (Stygian Blade)

The weapon you begin the game with. You have access to a regular strike, a three hit combo, a dash strike and finally a slam attack that deals damage in a small area of effect. And there’s not much else to say about it.

It’s a simple weapon with a basic move set, and you’ll quickly want to move on to better Aspects as soon as you can. But once again, no weapon is bad in the game, and you can definitely complete an entire run with this.

Aspect of Zagreus (Adamant Rail)

As the Aspect of Zagreus, the Adamant Rail is a gun with a small magazine. You can upgrade it to get a maximum of +12 ammo per clip, but I wouldn’t bother wasting precious resources on it at the start.

This is a decent choice for players who like to keep their distance from enemies, and the bombardment special attack is also capable of dealing enormous damage with the proper boon. But it severely lacks the punch that the other weapons have, and that makes it an incredibly divisive weapon.

Aspect of Zagreus (Eternal Spear)

As a spear, the Aspect of Zagreus is about as unsatisfying a weapon as ever. The range is nice, but otherwise the low damage output and lack of mobility makes it extremely tedious to play with.

You are able to gain a maximum of a +25% damage to your special damage, range and speed with this equipped, but that still doesn’t make it worth it. This is undoubtedly the worst Aspect of the Eternal Spear.

Aspect of Zagreus (Twin Fists)

The Twin Fists are at their worst in their starting form. The short range and limited damage output do not make up for the fact that you constantly have to put yourself in danger for it to be even slightly effective.

If you master the art of dashing, the +15% dodge chance can definitely come in handy. But why bother wasting the time and effort required to make this work at all. There are 5 other better weapons already available to you.

This has been eXputer’s Hades Weapons Tier List (2021). While you’re here, why not also check out our AFK Arena Tier List.