h2-builds-and-combat

[mystic mango]

Exceptional talent and giga cleaver hammer so you can get double or quadruple omega special

Something to throw your cast like lightning lance is also great

Definitely don’t take winners circle

Oh and super nova

Makes the casts massive

[grave parrot]

okie dokie

[mystic mango]

If you aren’t aware you can use multiple casts if you have exceptional talent or giga cleaver

Lets you just spam down casts if you get both

But even just having one lets you quickly drop a second cast right after the first explodes

Massive buff to damage

[grave parrot]

yum

[mystic mango]

And obviously make sure you bring furies arcana

[fast prawn]

morrigan builds?

i just got it and it seems so fun AND good

i feel like smth with blitz..?

[opal pecan]

Have you checked the pins?

[fast prawn]

i have not, thanks

[severe flax]

How do you beat rivals eris with Medea skull without tanking her orbs?

She goes from an easy boss with every other weapon to a huge HP tax on an otherwise ridiculously strong weapon

[alpine raft]

oattack or a cast/rush boon

[severe flax]

I can't kill the orbs with a drive-by cast/dash reliability, is there some trick to it

I completely forgot this weapon has Oattack honestly

Since it doesn't help you zoom around

[tough torrent]

Heph is pretty alright too

The hammers keep going even if you end the cast early

[grave parrot]

does glorious disaster take extra mana to channel if you detonate your cast into ocast with charon?

[spiral wadi]

glorious disaster just doesn't work with charon

[grave parrot]

aww

[spiral wadi]

ye it's unfortunate

the only other way to get gd out is if u get a hex then (painfully) hope for an "your casts become ocasts" which also includes gd

which is still rng -> need to also find path of stars -> kinda not worth

on top of having zeus and apollo in pool

[spiral wadi]

i think dark side and moon water, maybe one more hex idk, has omega cast node

[grave parrot]

💔

[spiral wadi]

but yea gd is just a really bad boon anyway

the aesthetic is funny tho

[split igloo]

so here's the arcana loadout I usually run with jpom, is this the best one for 30 grasp, or am I missing something obvious? #h2-victory-boasting message

[spiral wadi]

it's pretty standard for strength 👍

was boutta go on a tangent but remembered wayward son is a card that works

[split igloo]

I just wish I could take Eternity, but I don't think I can drop anything

[spiral wadi]

yea it's why i dislike strength cuz it's like uniquely very limiting to arcana

[split igloo]

I could drop Messenger, but it's just 1 grasp anyway

[spiral wadi]

like u drop messenger or huntress and now divinity is gone

[split igloo]

how so? death is the same 4 grasp

[spiral wadi]

the middle row is like miles better than middle column

swift + death + centaur + orig + lovers are all the giga meta

[split igloo]

ah yeah, so I actually cannot drop messenger

[spiral wadi]

ye, like it's possible but unfortunately divinity wants that row fulfillment

it's ok eternity is meh anyway

[split igloo]

if I swap Artificer for Eternity then I'll get the top row, that's what I used to run

but Artificer seems strong, you can exchange 3x bones/ashes for boons/health

[spiral wadi]

ye artificier is very valuable on jpom setups

eternity is like, yea it helps with omegas but also the game doesn't like omegas anyway

[split igloo]

Eternity also gives you Moon which auto-charges your moon water or w/e

[spiral wadi]

kinda wish they threw old torch omega spam onto one of the secret aspects

imagine if hel switched to omega atk spam

[split igloo]

old torch omega spam?

[spiral wadi]

the way torches worked was that once u charged to an omega atk, u'd only spam omega atks as long as u held atk

[split igloo]

wouldn't that burn through your magic bar in seconds?

[spiral wadi]

it could but i mean u kinda just born gain iirc

i never played torches preceding unseen's rework but i have gotten a taste of it through omega charge stacking and it's like very manageable and peak

i just wish it was basekit again

put mel torch on same level as moros and eos

like after having played the other two aspects i literally cannot go back to mel torch it has nothiiing

[split igloo]

Unseen's rework?

[spiral wadi]

ye they removed torch atk's base piercing

[split igloo]

Mel torches have 10% crit, you can stack it with Raki for some decent damage

[spiral wadi]

it used to have innate piercing and that's gone now, u need inverted

meanwhile moros continues to have piercing which makes sense cuz otherwise it'd be ass too

[split igloo]

how was Unseen different though? I think in the current version it stops giving you mana when you channel, kinda making it bad with the torches

[spiral wadi]

the 10% crit is like fine it's just not comparable to just big boom moros

i believe unseen is more or less the same as now

[split igloo]

you just said it was reworked though

[spiral wadi]

oh i mean

unseen the early access patch update

not unseen the card

[split igloo]

ah that was one of the update names

[spiral wadi]

mb should've clarified lol

[split igloo]

np

anyways, from what I've heard Supay was very strong in EA, but now it's basically trash unless you get 2 specific rushes

[spiral wadi]

like i do get it like i didn't initially gravitate towards torches before the rework, it does feel more approachable but god it just doesn't hold up particularly easily at the high level

[split igloo]

torches are very easy to play, when I was starting out I only played staff and torches, everything else seemed like rocket science lmao

[spiral wadi]

ye supay on release was cracked, now it's very weak without getting a couple boons to get running

mhm, i think if they just made mel torch atk get innate piercing it'd at least be way more playable

nothing too gamebreaking but like i'll play it more probably

[split igloo]

I think you're supposed to take the hammer that makes your attack split into two on hit, this way you can deal good damage to groups

[spiral wadi]

ye dividing and inverted are the two best mel torch hammers

which is funny cuz inverted is bad on moros and OK on eos

they should just make inverted the mel torch aspect

[split igloo]

I think the default torches are fine, it's just Moros is OP and Supay is scuffed

Eos is kinda on par with Mel, babysitting the dawnbreaker is annoying, so you might as well take Mel's 10% crit

[spiral wadi]

woah woah eos is giga nutty

daybreaker babysitting is like nonexistent u kinda let it do its thing and it just cooks

[opal pecan]

Literally, if you have Slow Cooker ;D

[spiral wadi]

truu

[split igloo]

I beat Chronos with Eos once, but didn't really like it, you first attack until dawnbreaker, then you omega special then you spam the regular special, oh and don't forget to put down a cast
too much multitastking lol

[tough torrent]

Im so used to just spamming attack on torches that with eos I often end up wasting mana resummoning it early

[split igloo]

with Eos your attack is only to spawn a dawnbreaker, you're meant to use the special 95% of the time

[opal pecan]

Normal coats, on the other hand, don't need to multitask because you can simply attempt to input every move at once simultaneously /taps nose

[spiral wadi]

fair, i do get how differently it plays

[tough torrent]

I understand the way its more or less meant to be played

[opal pecan]

I honestly probably skipped the omega special most of the time when I did Eos runs, other than at the start of the encounter maybe

[spiral wadi]

u do kinda just

1. spawn daybreaker
2. either spam normal special or charge ospec
3. win

[tough torrent]

What i was saying is that I forget and play it like other torches

Moros and Mel i just o spec when its down and spam attack o-attack between.
Even supay is kind of like that honestly? Cause the o attack buff seems to fall off faster than the o spec buff

[split igloo]

the advantage of Eos is that spamming specials gives you much better mobility than channeling (holding attack), so it's better than Moros on high fear runs, supposedly

[spiral wadi]

well i wouldn't say better as much as they're both just op

[tough torrent]

I just dont love aspects that make me feel like I should rebind keys to swap spec and attack

[spiral wadi]

two different playstyles both very strong

[split igloo]

and then you spend 6 shadow extractions and 9 fear to unlock and max out Supay and it's trash lmao

[spiral wadi]

i mean i play with atk left button special right button, cast top dash bottom, i like having cast/dash immediately available when i'm playing either atk or spec

i also don't play medea

[tough torrent]

Supay is gas

[spiral wadi]

supay fun

u throw some boons and it does numbers

[split igloo]

Medea is very strong, though I don't play it often, the playstyle doesn't appeal to me that much, it's very one note

[alpine raft]

i love being able to play supay one handed while i blow dry my hair

[tough torrent]

There's nothing quite like almost timing out on hec and then having 5 minutes of spare time after cerberus

[spiral wadi]

single joycon supay

i had a crack thought earlier

what if they implemented switch 2 mouse functionality into hades 2

[tough torrent]

This like always happens on supay btw

Every time I play it

[spiral wadi]

have one joycon be movement, one joycon be the mouse

fake kbm but i get better control over where i actually want to aim with torches

[split igloo]

you mean like twin stick shooter controls? eh idk

[spiral wadi]

idk i mean there's like a total of 0 games that interact with switch 2 mouse besides deltarune

would be fun to see some implementation in h2

(and let me playtest so i can verify for high fear gaming)

[split igloo]

I've heard that Grim Dawn has good gamepad support and it's originally a mouse driven game, I should check it out someday

[spiral wadi]

what's that game about

[split igloo]

it's a Diablo like ARPG, from Titan Quest devs

lots of builds, multiple expansion packs to chew through

it's only on PC and Xbox though

[spiral wadi]

interesting

[keen bluff]

gonna try 40f for the first time on circe does this look good? https://h2crossroads.pages.dev/FearCalculator/?vows=WzAsMCwyLDYsMCwzLDIsNSwwLDIsMiwzLDYsMCwyLDIsNV0=

no i dont rly wanna run rivals 3

[fast prawn]

tbh im no expert but i REALLY hate denial

[alpine raft]

for rivals 2 it looks pretty good

[fast prawn]

esp since circe loves apollo boons for cast, trying out denial i got smacked with prominance flare, lucid gain, and supernova all in one

[alpine raft]

circe doesnt really love those 3

ocast stuff is kinda niche and you wont need a gain

[fast prawn]

really???? those three are awesome for me

double prominance flare is so nice

[alpine raft]

ocast is just not worth using usually

[fast prawn]

i c

[alpine raft]

prominence flare is fine but better to just have a good cast boon that's always up

[keen bluff]

What would you remove for rivals 3? Forfeit?

[alpine raft]

if its underworld yes

eh nvm for surface too

[opal pecan]

If you have Artificer + Boatman + FW, you're probably fine

If Rivals Scylla becomes a roadblock you can move her points into Pain 2 or something, but other than that, this looks fine

[mystic mango]

The best part of cast is that it can be placed near instantly without channeling. There’s times and places for omega casts if you really build into it but chances are that it’s better to just place it, get the normal damage, and get the damage buff from furies

[tough torrent]

i basically only o cast when i have winner circle

[split igloo]

finally tried Circe and now I get it why 2 casts are OP, they OVERLAP for double the damage

[heavy palm]

…

[split igloo]

before that I thought huh 2 casts, what's the big deal, you can't aim your cast or something, but they can actually overlap

[keen bluff]

Yeah all depends on familiar

Well not all but a big portion

[split igloo]

I had Gale, he stays close, so that's the best case scenario I think

though he lags behind sometimes, so you have to wait for him to catch up

[opal pecan]

She does stay close, yes

[split igloo]

is it a she or a he

[opal pecan]

She

[split igloo]

ok

[opal pecan]

Melinoe literally says "good girl" to her, and she's based on a female character from Greek myth

[split igloo]

good to know

[heavy palm]

Raki is also good because he sticks to the enemies

[keen bluff]

Yeah it's whatever you want

[opal pecan]

Raki is liked for spreading your AOE, Gale for stacking

[split igloo]

I always laugh out loud when Mel says "Raki use that beak" because it kinda sounds like another word

[young bloom]

got it :DDD

[grave parrot]

if i have a duo boon (arterial spray) and i remove one of the boons thats a requirement to get it (grisly gain) do i keep the duo boon effects or do i lose it?

same thing for legendary boons, if i remove one of the boons/replace it with another one, do i keep the legendary boon effects?

[wild drift]

You keep it but some duos actually use the prerequisites so in those cases the duo would just do nothing

[turbid karma]

oh my god the Chronos P2 patterns are vile when you only have 30hp

flower floor explodey pattern overlapping with rotating time bubbles into dash strike into "stand in this small ring to avoid the 1HK and also there's the rotating line you have to dodge and ALSO we've overlaid the clock hands onto that because screw you"

[mystic mango]

It does feel like he always waits until I get the balls to run wantler to just pull out the most insane BS I’ve ever seen

[turbid karma]

dying to stuff in P2 of the rivals fight on my learning-Whantler savestate that I swear I've never seen him pull before

[tough torrent]

Just never died to it before

[hexed valley]

would anyone like to share their tarot build with me? i havent played in forever but would like to see what ppl are doing and for what reasons (high fear, speed etc)(

[split igloo]

I run a standard Strength build like this https://h2crossroads.pages.dev/ArcanaDeck/?deck=WyJjMSIsImMyIiwiYzMiLCJjNiIsImM3IiwiYzgiLCJjMTEiLCJjMTMiLCJjMTQiLCJjMTUiLCJjMTciLCJjMTgiLCJjMjMiLCJjMjQiXQ==

[hexed valley]

ty!!!

[dense shadow]

hey so

i foinally got him wanna know how

i just kept my distance LMAOOO and dodged

had plenty time to spare too

time was 19:11:57

[turbid karma]

certainly

[fallow shale]

does someone have a good updated thanatos build.. for maybe like.. 20+ fear?

[flint widget]

check the pinned message here

[tough torrent]

Aquire hera attack
???
Kill chronos

[split igloo]

why Hera over Aphro?? it's an axe

I put Hera on the special though, big damage if get giga cleaver as well

[tough torrent]

Because hera is busted

And still a big %

[split igloo]

eh, Aphro, Apollo, Hera, you can't really go wrong with any of the 3, just pick whichever spawns

[tough torrent]

Aphro and Apollo are fine, they just make getting origination a little more involved

Would rather Apollo than aphro

would rather ares than apphro

[split igloo]

Ares is okay on the special

[tough torrent]

Ares is like always okay, but never best

[split igloo]

last time I played axe I had heroic flutter strike lv 11, it was like +250% damage or something, insane

[tough torrent]

eh

[split igloo]

you still have flourish/cast/rush to apply origination

[tough torrent]

no idea what my last axe was, been a while

[alpine raft]

aphro attack isnt even top 3 on than

[split igloo]

huh why not

[flint widget]

the top one thanatos speedrunner finds aphro attack to be great (with jpom)

[digital juniper]

with jpom especially you can go apollo/hera/aphro and even ares lol

[rare grove]

id go apollo that extra range is nice

[dim quartz]

If I’m using aspect of hel with frenzy 2 on, should I just expect to get very few o specials in?

I did it last night and really only used them during really big openings against bosses

[opal pecan]

Sorceress and Eternity arcana cards + channel speed bonuses can help with getting more ospecials in, but generally speaking, you can just use your normal specials most of the time

[frank siren]

https://youtu.be/4gqrTZs06Xk?si=LgeId4GyneT-svid

You use it as much as possible

[split igloo]

is it worth actually building Persephone around the omega special, or should I just play it like the Mel skulls?

[dim quartz]

Idk about high fear but for lower fear runs its fun building around the o special

[tough torrent]

Persephone o spec can be clutch but its really hard to time well

Its fun to play as, like, a mel skull that doesnt make you feel bad for taking wide grin or retrieving array

[surreal hazel]

Wide grin doesn't work on mel skull the way you'd like

Making persephone the best aspect for it

[tough torrent]

I forgor a word

[surreal hazel]

Ahhh

Also persephone can just randomly hand you a build that works due to sheer power

[tough torrent]

Its very sad that most skulls cant or dont want wide grin cause its a really fun hammer

[surreal hazel]

Get a level 10 storm ring in room 1? Guess it's a cast aspect now

Volcanic strike with a 2 second cooldown just handed to you? Nexus rush that just instakills, sure. It might do any of these

[keen bluff]

jpom is added to it?

[surreal hazel]

Yep

[split igloo]

so you randomly get +0-6 levels on boons, right?

[vernal quiver]

high fear its worse mel skull otherwise ive seen Ospec shred on lower stuff before

[split igloo]

idk, I don't really like the skull o spec, and the guides suggest getting Zeus/Heph attack which I feel is bad on skulls

I'd rather take a fat % and then fish for p.array or something, lol

[vernal quiver]

zeus is never bad

and heph is a take because the poms can make him 2 seconds off rip

[split igloo]

depends on the rarity, unless you take calling card in region 1, I guess

[surreal hazel]

0-5 but not evenly

50% chance to get nothing

[mystic mango]

I’m literally over here taking notes because, as you know, I’ve been trying to get fast with Hel because it’s funny

A lot of it is really just execution and some things I waste time on here and there

[mystic mango]

Fetching array is really funny on P-array builds

[tough torrent]

yeah

[frank siren]

I didnt have amazing luck or anything this run so its totally possible to get sub 7. Wave strike is the only must have, I gambled on static shock lol I just got lucky there was a Magick pot in a fast room

I didnt get arterial spray or king tide, those would have put me under 7 for sure

[mystic mango]

Yeah that was disappointing. Master conductor was a decent pull though

I personally would have taken electric overload over divine vengeance though since it would have buffed your per hit damage a bit more

I think that was an option I saw

[frank siren]

Yeah could have done that too

The hardest part about Hel is how stationary you have to be

[mystic mango]

If you managed to get heinous affront from final shop that would have been good

Since you had success rate

[frank siren]

Did I have the prereqs for it? That would've been nice. I got the optimal god pool this run, I die on summit without heph lol

[mystic mango]

Oh wait no you didn’t have a main Zeus boon

Nvm

[frank siren]

I also go back and forth on the hammer that extends valkyrie mode by 3s. On paper its nice but it gets awkward with timing on Eris specifically. Usually I have enough dps to phase her in one ospecial

But the extra 3 seconds kinda makes me mistime the next charge when she's invulnerable

[mystic mango]

Yeah i usually don’t take that one. But I also don’t really use ospecial at all. Seems like I should though

[frank siren]

It feels soooo slow without it

[mystic mango]

I usually go the route of spamming special while doing the main attack but that’s usually cause I have like colossus driver and runic

[frank siren]

I definitely feel a loss in dps when I dont have the ospecial out. Ares is unironically great on hel for getting more channel speed

[mystic mango]

Would have been nice if you got sanguinary savor

I always get iffy on what to take on gain since I don’t like to disable huntress

But it would be worth it for plasma

[frank siren]

Hah when speed running you only get so many boons, im just happy I got slippery slope early

[tough torrent]

I like just throwing a normal hel spec over an ospec

What did I even say

[frank siren]

[wild sun]

I was quite happy to discover that the Aspect of Morrigan only feels harder to use than it actually is. Once I got it going in an actual run it really got going. Setting up the triad gets easier with practice.

[wild drift]

Yeah after a few runs it just becomes natural

[umbral horizon]

2 extra oattack is so good

[wild sun]

Oh God, when I discovered that the omega attack targeted three enemies at a time, all of my neurons activated.

I'm going to take some time later to play around with it more and see what build is strongest for it.

[wild drift]

Hera is #1 for me because of the AoE meaning it hitches like the whole room in a few attacks

[wild sun]

Hm, I'll give it a shot. Despite getting all the Steam achievements, I've still got a fair few things to do, and some interesting builds would certainly add to my enjoyment.

[split igloo]

so the nyx coat's sprint blast doesn't scale with anything, just like the triad?

if so, it's kinda meh, only 300 for 30 magic

also, is it just me, or the coats are all only good with wave strike? scorch takes much longer unless you get pyro technique + highly inflammable + lots of poms and rarity on all of these
whereas wave strike just works out of the gate, and then you put slippery slope on it

[vernal quiver]

Nightspawn murders rooms though

[vernal quiver]

Well yeah wave strike, static shock is gonna be best in slot for anything that attacks like that

Scorch is still plenty strong but yeah for coat attack that isnt Shiva its really just poseidon or hestia

[split igloo]

yeah, I always take static shock as well, along with blitz special if possible

this kinda limits the scope though

like on the staff you can take basically anything and it works

[manic shuttle]

Boost can do pretty good complementary damage by itself #h2-victory-boasting message

Pos attack is the absolute best for attack oriented builds

Zeus, hestia, heph or epic aphro are pretty good too

[split igloo]

anyway, I don't have to play Nyx or Selene ever again

the default coat is much stronger and no weird gimmicks

[manic shuttle]

Nah Nyx better, it has shimmering rockets by default

[split igloo]

Mel has much higher speed by default

[surreal hazel]

Nyx is just a better Mel coat

that attack speed bonus is a lie btw

[manic shuttle]

+20% attack speed is good but nyx biome clear is way better than 20% compared to mel

[surreal hazel]

It's more like 6% or something

the move speed is correctly 20% faster though

[manic shuttle]

Oh good to know

[surreal hazel]

The other weird thing is that the nyx rush attack is considered an omega attack

[split igloo]

and what about Shiva, I still have to suffer through that one, only played the demo trial yet, didn't really get it, just mashed attack to get it over with

[surreal hazel]

so fine line, cut above and oceans's swell all trigger

[split igloo]

you do the bouncy ball thing a few times, then your o attack hits for like 500? is that it?
it has no rockets though, which seems like a big downgrade

[surreal hazel]

yesn't

the special seems more fiddly than the rockets, but it's actually not

for starters, if you launch it at point blank, it just hits

and it has an actual AoE too

[split igloo]

do they increase the magic cost though, or is it like p. array where it's bugged and you get boosts for free

[surreal hazel]

Don't fret too hard about the destructive rank thing either, use it if you get the right stuff for it

[surreal hazel]

Nah, they adjust correctly too. It's written exactly like other omega moves

[split igloo]

30 is already pricey

[surreal hazel]

there just happens to be no effects that specifically affect "omega rush attack"

[surreal hazel]

Yes, but Nyx doesn't really spend mana on anything else

nightspawn doesn't affect omegas

so the idea is that you rush in face first and them smoosh your fingers and thumbs into the attack and special buttons

[split igloo]

I use o spec sometimes to soften groups or attack from range, or w/e

[surreal hazel]

yeah, but only sometimes

brawl harder I guess?

[split igloo]

anyway, this works best with cardio gain I think, that's what I took that run, you punch 3 times and you get all the magic back

[surreal hazel]

also dealing a big AoE of pretty big damage just for running up to enemies matters more than you think

[split igloo]

bumping into enemies can be a bit of a gamble though, it's easy to take damage

maybe I should circle around them first, idk

[surreal hazel]

it's got a bigger radius than just faceplanting them

trigger radius, that is

[split igloo]

oh yeah, I had to turn off the barrier vow, because it completely ruins this aspect, so there's that

[surreal hazel]

as for shiva, the attack combo is significantly more powerful, so you weren't even wrong to play the trial by just punching everything

and just because you can get an omega attack bonus for standing in your oSpecial, doesn't mean you always should

you can just send it elsewhere while you beat up someone else

[split igloo]

you actually have to stand in that circle huh, so that's why the charging was so inconsistent lol

[surreal hazel]

Yeah, that's how it works

Each time you do adds +50% additive power to your next Omega attack

[split igloo]

does it work if there's no enemy

[surreal hazel]

in what sense?

can you build ranks in it? Sure

Do you still use up all of the ranks if your omega attack misses completely? Also yes

[split igloo]

so you can just stand in a corner and play basketball with yourself to build ranks? huh

[vernal quiver]

Yeah but for high fear the weapon ignores its omegas entierly

Like you can use em sure but once you get to like 62+ the omegas are so mana hungry and slow that youre better off doing regular stuff

Also dash attack canceling is super important cuz its dash attack suck balls

[split igloo]

isn't that true for all weapons if you take those vows

[vernal quiver]

No flames cant function without omegas

And anubis also really wants omegas

[split igloo]

maybe I played Anubis wrong, but I used the omegas very sparingly

attack is already stupid slow, so charging it is gonna stall you even more

and the special is super spammy, so no real need for the omega, unless you need more range

Anubis is pretty bad though, didn't really like it, yes scorch attack gives silly damage, but the moveset is horrible and the pull mechanic hurts more than it helps

[mystic mango]

Learn to dash charge

Anubis is really good just takes a lot to learn it

Also works pretty well with a good few of the gods rather that being super restricted to one

[split igloo]

dunno about that, flame strike is much higher DPS than anything else, it's like you take flame strike or the run is wasted

[mystic mango]

Poseidon waves

Hera is really strong

It’s super good with arc flash blitz on the omega attack

You can also do what a lot of people do and just spam omega special

Hera attack on Anubis just makes everything explode

Hestia genuinely isn’t even the best god on Anubis imho

[split igloo]

I just played it like a Circe cast build tbh, you get a big cast that applies scorch really really fast, you put it down then do whatever

[mystic mango]

I try to play aggressively with omega attacks and omega specials and spam normal special on smaller enemies to get stuff like blitz while your attack is damaging them

If you just let it sit there with just a normal attack yeah it’s gonna feel pretty weak

You got get used to using the omega attack and a big part on that is getting used to dash charging

#h2-victory-boasting message

Example of blitz on Anubis attack

[split igloo]

I think I'll just play Circe lol, that one is much smoother, already got the Anubis prophecy so no need to torture myself any more

[split igloo]

I've tried blitz attack, and killing things in the first room took forever, so I reset the run

[mystic mango]

Blitz relies on popping it so it definitely is gonna be weaker if you’re only using the main attack

[split igloo]

blitz needs what, 120 dmg or 4 sec to proc the lightning strike, and Anubis only hits for 24

[mystic mango]

Adding on chain lightning makes popping it a lot faster

And just using the omega attack more

And again spam omega special more

[split igloo]

or you can just get scorch + pyro technique + highly inflammable, it chews through boss health bars

[mystic mango]

My blitz was hitting for like 700 a piece and doing thermal dynamics 🤷‍♂️

That’s way more than scorch alone would ever do

[split igloo]

oh yeah, that 24 base damage is with Strength I guess? the base is likely only 20, so Blitz will take at least 5 business days to pop

[mystic mango]

The omega attack does way more damage

Like 3x as much

[split igloo]

isn't the omega just that small rim outside the big circle

[mystic mango]

It’s an arc you can place anywhere and you can dash while it’s charging

So the usual strat is to stand right on the enemy, drop a cast and attack then dash away while charging so you can spin around an out the omega on them

Not doing that is just massively handicapping all your damage with Anubis attack

[split igloo]

that's fine and all, but I don't really want to play Anubis anymore

[mystic mango]

I’m not saying you gotta, I’m just saying the weapon is better when you use its tools

It’s very limited without omegas

[surreal hazel]

lil "Ackshully" moment. But while I agree flame strike isn't the best.... having hestia around for slowcooker does gangbusters

especially if you're rolling with sworn strike

[lime moth]

Anyone else hate Eris purely because she took your main weapon in H1 so you can't use it in H2

[surreal hazel]

You'll take your delta-chambered Rail, call it Hel and like it

[split igloo]

Nemesis also wields a weapon from 1

it's neat to finally see some of the aspect bearers, makes the world more fleshed out

[tough torrent]

Athena has zooz shield too

[split igloo]

post game spoiler ||what spear is Zagreus wielding in his fight? doesn't seem to correspond to any of 1's aspects||

[tough torrent]

||gigaros||

[lime moth]

||Gigaros||

[tough torrent]

||the spear dad uses in the first game||

[lime moth]

Still mad he gets it and not us

[split igloo]

oh yeah I just looked up the screenshots, that's it

[tough torrent]

Not sure if anyone is using Varatha, Coronocht or Malphon

[split igloo]

which is funny though because there's an aspect of Hades and it looks nothing alike

[austere trail]

talos is using the fists

[tough torrent]

Oh, lmao

[tough torrent]

Hades used Varatha against Chronos. Gigaros is different

[split igloo]

and yeah, Athena has the shield, actually she comments on it in 1, saying that's her shield IIRC

[tough torrent]

The primary reason we cant use any of the hades 1 weapons is cause they were all used against chronos in the past

...wait why can nemesis use stygius against chronos then

[lime moth]

I am an Anubis staff user

[lime moth]

Because she's Nemesis

[split igloo]

Nemesis fighting ||Chronos|| is a big spoiler, I only just unlocked that lol

[austere trail]

no you can fight him with any weapon, but to ||kill him permanently, you had to use something else||

[tough torrent]

This is a spoiler allowed chat

[austere trail]

it's why mel had to ||go to such lengths to get gigaros||

[split igloo]

but yeah Mel asks how did she win, and Chronos is like well she has her ways but I won't elaborate, cause yeah it's a bit of a plothole and the writers gloss over it

[tough torrent]

meaning I dont feel like censoring today

[lime moth]

I'm still mad we couldn't actually use gigarosssssssssssssss, why does Zag gets it

[austere trail]

how is it a plothole?

[split igloo]

Nemesis is wielding an infernal arm, Chronos is supposedly immune to these

[tough torrent]

I mean chronos does the final blow with his scythe each time

Which like, presumably has never killed chronos before

And its an alt time line each time

[lime moth]

idc, honestly, my favorite twist in the game is the Hecate thing

[tough torrent]

What da hec

[wild drift]

As one of the coat's strongest soldiers, the way I play coat is special spam, so the attack I want on coat is Zeus or Hephaestus since they're good if you only want to attack once in a while, then Zeus/Poseidon/Hestia/Hera on special

[tough torrent]

I wish I liked coat more. I liked malphon in the first game

But coat just feels meh to me

[wild drift]

I'm the opposite lol I didn't like fists in H1 (unless Merciful End) but I like the coat now that I don't consider it fists 2.0 (or shield 2.0, shield was my favorite but the coat block is ASS) and just use the rockets

[surreal hazel]

Furious Rockets stanning time?

[wild drift]

Shimmering > Ripper > Furious for me, but I do really like Furious for making the animation less annoying lol

[mystic mango]

Yeah I can’t really argue with that, but I’d probably still rather have hestia on my cast or gain for Anubis

Would be extra good if I was building into % damage with Hera

[surreal hazel]

Oh sure. Controlled burn also plays real nice on anubis too

[mystic mango]

Yeah that too

[surreal hazel]

Sucks them into the fireball

[surreal hazel]

Straight up halves the cooldown between normal special mashing

[wild drift]

Wow really? I think I've only gotten it a few times but it didn't feel like it

But now that I think of it my 16 minute 50f with Nyx had Furious Rockets and I didn't think anything of it, maybe that's why it was so fast

[lime moth]

Imagine how funny it'd be if this worked on bosses

https://imgur.com/a/PicjIKH

[wild sun]

How do you use that thing??

[flint widget]

dash strike and get the omega attack in and always cast to make sure that the enemies dont leave the area of death

[opal pecan]

It does work on minibosses, which is funny enough

[lime moth]

Hestia the goat

[final sedge]

on attack?

[tough torrent]

Ye

The pulse waves the attack leaves apply the scorch as well

[split igloo]

I had 38% chance last time, I think because of epic Success Rate

[lime moth]

Yeah

[tough torrent]

Based success rate on offer when your only chance boon is pressure point

[final sedge]

i wanna try that soon

[final sedge]

does success rate only show if you have a chance boon?

[tough torrent]

Yeah

[wild drift]

Sadly chance hammers like Banshee Brand and Launcher Frame don't act as prerequisites for Success Rate by themselves

[dapper elbow]

what are some good acrana loadouts i can use for fates whim?

[opal pecan]

There's one in the pins

[alpine raft]

if you cba to scroll through the pin heres the standard fw
https://h2crossroads.pages.dev/ArcanaDeck/?deck=WyJjMSIsImMyIiwiYzMiLCJjNiIsImM3IiwiYzgiLCJjMTEiLCJjMTIiLCJjMTMiLCJjMTQiLCJjMTUiLCJjMTciLCJjMTgiXQ==

[clear sail]

im so bad at dodging like Half of typhon's attacks its not even funny 😭 esp if im on a melee build i can never time attacking him right. well tbh this is also my problem with prometheus

[split igloo]

isn't Typhon's only melee range attack the chin slam? just pull back when he winds it up

[clear sail]

hm no the whirlwind and the charybidis like. tails?? idk what those are will also hitt he front of the stage

im so bad w/ the tails bc i dodge them and immediately run into the attakc he does where he like. spits out three orbs. every time

ive only beaten him by face tanking frankly stupid amounts of damage 😔

[split igloo]

well, those hit everywhere, just get out of their way, the tentacles go from bottom to top, just dash through them

[clear sail]

as i said

i usually doge the tenteacles and then run into the other attack

i did finally realize u can dodge his beam by just hugging him

instead of trying and failing to dash through it Every time

[split igloo]

huh? the beam can be dashed through reliably in any part of the arena

[clear sail]

i think ive demonstrated im bad at dodging things

[split igloo]

the follow up beam in the last phase comes very quickly though, so you need to dash twice

I'm just saying, you have to learn how to dodge, because the Rivals version of Typhon is like 3x harder with even more stuff flying all over the arena

[clear sail]

yea im not looking forward to it

also like. i know that. im just very bad at it

[split igloo]

it has 5 phases lmao, and Zeus doesn't come to help

but anyway, it just sounds like you're stressing out, just try to stay calm and look for safe spots, the game is actually pretty slow if you're not panicking

[clear sail]

where are the safe spots

[flint widget]

the corners of the arena

[split igloo]

which attack? the tentancles just go from bottom to top, the tornadoes track you a bit, so just go from left to right or vice versa

[odd bolt]

for the tongue attack in the beginning it's just the bottom right corner no?

[flint widget]

it can be both sides

[odd bolt]

huh good to know

[clear sail]

it seems u can just go directly under his tongue and dodge it thankfully (?) but yes upper right/left corners too. im not sure abt the safe spots for the others and i'm doin a very poor job of intuiting them

[odd bolt]

There's a lot of stuff you can get away by just sticking close to Typhon

[split igloo]

as for exploding balls you need to stay between them, that attack kinda punishes panicking

[odd bolt]

Ofc you need to be also looking for Chronos doing his stuff

[flint widget]

scythe throw is the one that gets me the most

why does it have to be so damn big

[odd bolt]

But in a way it's similar to regular Typhon stay right close to him and dodge the chin attack

[clear sail]

i am not diong rivals typhon

and will not for a while bc . UGH

[split igloo]

welp, you guys just spoiled Rivals Typhon for him

[clear sail]

tbh... actually can u guys give me similar tips for the safe spots in like. every boss 😅 . like currently the Struggle is that i keep dying stupidly to rivals polyphemus which kneecaps the rest of the run

[odd bolt]

This channel allows spoilers...

but I really thought we were talking about rivals sorry

[clear sail]

no im just bad at games

also idc

i have no idea where to put myself to reliably avoid poison and attack

[odd bolt]

don't worry Typhon was also the boss I had the most difficulty of all but then eventually you get his patterns and he Lowkey becomes kinda easy

[split igloo]

Prom is easy, just bait an attack, dodge it then punish, it's like Dark Souls, though you want to focus Herc first, he gets pretty aggressive when he phases

[clear sail]

ive never played dark souls 😭 and also i said polyphemus i haven't done rivals prom yet

[odd bolt]

For rivals poly try to look when he goes for the counter and just don't attack him

[split igloo]

Rival Polyphemus? just wait out the poison, it's only 2 times

[odd bolt]

Try to stay mostly behind him and get away when he becomes immune (he's gonna jump and Medea will show up throwing poison in a pattern, use your dodges with patience to get closer to him again)

[vernal quiver]

or do and hope to god you dont get an undodgable boulder cage dropped on you

[clear sail]

... what counter? i don't know what you mean 😓

[odd bolt]

He stops and starts trying to listen to you doing something

[vernal quiver]

when he holds his hand to his ear its a counter stance

[clear sail]

oh that move

ok im glad u told me tht bc tbh i did not pick up on that like. at All

[odd bolt]

If you attack he throws a big stupid almost impossible to dodge rock

[clear sail]

i may be very bad at reading bosses...

[split igloo]

he's blind and sometimes he just stands around with a hand over his ear trying to pin point your location, if you attack him at this time, he will counter with a boulder slam

[odd bolt]

Which can be poisoned

A lot of bosses have combo breakers / counters

[split igloo]

if you got countered, just make some distance and dodge between the waves, it's possible to dodge this if you have enough space

[clear sail]

✍🏿 noted... and also can you clarify what you mean when you said the poison is only twice? medea does that move where she covers the area in poison just twice?

[odd bolt]

She fills the arena with poison when poly is switching phases

[clear sail]

ahhhhhhhhh

[odd bolt]

But other times she also does some smaller poison attacks

[clear sail]

ok wow i am Bad at reading bosses i didnt connect it to his phase shift at all

[odd bolt]

Where she spawns right by your side and throws a smaller puddle

[split igloo]

yeah, the first time is just lines, then the 2nd one is a pentagram (stay in a corner), just wait it out

[clear sail]

this has been Immensely helpful

[odd bolt]

The worst part is that poly's attacks can spread the poison that's usually the harder part of not getting poisoned

Avoiding the patterns is easier

[split igloo]

rivals Polyphemus is a little annoying due to all the waiting, but he's not too bad, just don't try to speedrun the fight unless your build is super strong

[clear sail]

i struggle less w/ rivals hecate but what tf are u meant to do when she turns the arena into bullet hell 😭

[odd bolt]

Then again its just a matter of knowing how to dodge

When he does the stomp that goes forward you dodge towards it

[split igloo]

hide behind one of the stone pillars, there are tons all over the arena

[odd bolt]

Etc etc

[clear sail]

aaaa

[odd bolt]

When she enters dark side and start throwing stuff you can just stay behind a pillar yeah

[split igloo]

you know how to dodge the curse, right? just dash through it back and forth

[clear sail]

im realizing maybe i should turn on god mode at some pint but idk maybe ill just brute force my way thru it all eventually 😅 high fear runs are going to be Something

[odd bolt]

I trust youll get it eventually

Im also bad at games and eventually was able to do "high fear"

[clear sail]

i was able to get it w/ hades i eventually

[odd bolt]

400 hours in

[clear sail]

the first playthrough i did was w/ god mode but then i came back to it like a year later and managed to get even further than i had before w/o god mode :D

[odd bolt]

I'm a pleb in H1 I only did 32 and it was just a while back

And I kinda don't wanna do it again lol

[clear sail]

but hades ii kinda forcing me to play completely differently... its actully very funny bc hades i was one o the first games i got on a console (switch) and it veyr much Taught me how to use a controller and now Hades II is forcing me to actually git gud 😭

[split igloo]

you can bruteforce the game to a point, if you're good at making builds, and I'd also recommend strength and moon water

[odd bolt]

Have you finished the main story?

[clear sail]

the thing abt strength is that if it's activated im kinda already screwed

[odd bolt]

In hades 2

[clear sail]

of hades ii? no i need to buy typhon a few more times (well i need One more for the incantation but i assume i need to beat him again after that. and then beat chronos again?)

[odd bolt]

Oh then dont worry, the post credits keepsakes are like

[split igloo]

you don't take Death and Strength together, this way Strength is always active, so you take half damage and your heals are twice as effective, that's why moon water is OP on Strength builds

[odd bolt]

Really good at enabling you to do higher fears easily

And I mean, they are REALLY good

[clear sail]

that is going to get me Killed so quickly

do you know how much damage i took from typhon the first time i beat him 😭

807

[odd bolt]

Death is pretty good and still the safer option but strength is not as bad as it seems initially

[odd bolt]

Imagine you would take 40% less with strength

[split igloo]

not really, you can stack 400+ hp before Typhon, and that's effectively 800 hp with Strength, it's almost impossible to die even if you literally never dodge at all

[clear sail]

idk that run i had 387 hp and i basically always spec for hp

[odd bolt]

Also every point of healing becomes more effective

[odd bolt]

Yeah but with strength every point of Hp and healing becomes more effective

Something that dealt 10 damage will do 6

[clear sail]

im confused what u mean by healing being more effective

[odd bolt]

And when you heal 10 your effectively healing "more"

[split igloo]

you only take half damage, so heals last twice as long

[clear sail]

that is not how that works 😭

[odd bolt]

uhh kinda

The example I gave, let's say monster deals 10 dmg to you with an attack, it will deal 6 with strength

So when you heal 10 youre not just healing one hit

You're healing almost 2 (since 2 hits will deal 12)

Also you're dealing more damage so you're less likely to take hits cause you're gonna kill things faster

[clear sail]

when i use the piggy bank keepsake it almost always activates strength so

i mean i will try to use it anyways

[odd bolt]

Then again when you start pumping fear and adding scars death defiances get better

[split igloo]

ah, don't bother, people won't play Strength because psychologically playing without a single revive is too scary for them, even though it's actually much safer

[odd bolt]

Not really a good keepsake

[clear sail]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[odd bolt]

I still like death for some stuff specially high fear

I think it's pretty neat how both playstyles are balanced

But yeah strength is still my preferred way for anything 50f and below

[clear sail]

if i have 5 death defiances that revive 100 health each its going to get me farther than strength for someone who tanks hits more than i dodge them. idk maybe if i was better at reliably dodging uh... anything, esp with that damage boost

[split igloo]

almost everywhere I look people play with DD's, even though DD's are harder to replenish and you don't get the damage boost from Strength, it's just easier for people to visualize that revives = better survivability

[odd bolt]

Yeah that's true, it becomes better when you start to use less dds

But also it helps you start actually learning to dodge and it rewards you greatly for it

Also not every DD is equal when you say 5 dds im assuming toula and that does not heal your for 100 it's poo poo ass

[clear sail]

maybe ill use it more for underworld runs bc i am far better at Not dying in those when my build's any good

oh also i dont think ive touched poseidon or zeus seriously in any of my runs are tthey like. even worth it ? 😭 they seem kinda terrible to start with

[split igloo]

the only undisputable advantage of DD's is that they will tank an insta-kill, while Strength will not, though you can stack some armor

even if you only have 1 point of armor it will still tank Chronos' 999 attack

[odd bolt]

Yes

Zeus is the best god in the game and Poseidon is really good with the aspects that go well with his boons

[clear sail]

he is??

[split igloo]

some of the best gods in the game, both in top 3 IMO

[odd bolt]

Yes blitz is extremely busted and even his other boons are really good

[clear sail]

ok have i been using blitz wrong or smthn like... ?

[odd bolt]

He has some bad/less useful/situational stuff but like

[clear sail]

wait im looking up the boon list

[split igloo]

I'd say overall it's Hera > Zeus > Poseidon > the rest > Demeter > Ares lol

never take Ares unless you really know what you're doing

[odd bolt]

Demeter is not bottom 2

[clear sail]

i like demeter for her freeze but why'd they downgrade her damage buff so much.. and her cast 😔

[split igloo]

don't take freeze

[odd bolt]

You apply blitz, deal 120 dmg (really easy) and then it pops up and it can be boosted by origination and other things

[split igloo]

Demeter's good boons are gust rush/cast and snow queen and such

[clear sail]

i definitely like her cast it makes the casts so like. practical. really easy wayy to target foes bc u can just wail on them w/ no worries while they're frozen

[odd bolt]

Double strike works with blitz btw

For Poseidon it's weapon dependent, fast attacking weapons like his splash effects

[split igloo]

as for Blitz, it needs to be popped yeah, so you should use it with something else, people often pair Zeus with Hera

[odd bolt]

Blades, hel skull, some coat aspects, etc

[clear sail]

hm i guess my next run itll b a zeus one... tbf i get So few duo boons atm but what gods should go w/ him

[split igloo]

e.g. if you're playing the Moros torches, you take Hera attack and Zeus special + born gain, that's the meta build

[clear sail]

popped?

[odd bolt]

Don't worry about duos unless you're aiming for something specific

[split igloo]

activated

[odd bolt]

Get 2 curses and ggs

Specially if one of the curses is blitz

[clear sail]

ahh like to get the blitz to Do something

[split igloo]

Blitz won't do its thing unless you deal 120 dmg to this enemy or wait 4 sec

[odd bolt]

I have legit avoided Zeus in the past on purpose because I thought getting blitz would make the run too easy if I'm just doing a fun run

[split igloo]

lol, same with Poseidon and blades/coat, they just deal silly damage with wave strike

[clear sail]

also am i wrong abt Hephaestus it feels like his main boons apart from his cast are also terrible btu apparently i was wrong about pos and zeus so

[odd bolt]

Heph is good with high rarity. His core boons I mean

He is still the best defensive god in the game with the armor boons

Trusty shield, heavy metal and security system are super valuable

[split igloo]

I don't play Heph much anymore, but he hard carried my early runs
but yeah the blasts need high rarity and a lot of poms

[odd bolt]

It's just a shame when he's your c1 reward and he offers you common attack special and cast

[split igloo]

I also like the boon that gives you hp based on your magic amount, what was it called again

[odd bolt]

Uncanny fortitude

[clear sail]

i do like that one

im unclear does it keep upping your hp based on your magic or is one time

[odd bolt]

Yeah it's good too

[split igloo]

if you take that + Aphro's hp/mp boost then you will be super tanky for the run

[clear sail]

i do like tanking things

[split igloo]

it's retroactive and will keep boosting your hp until the run ends

[clear sail]

oh thats even better than i thoguth it was

[odd bolt]

This game is so incredibly balanced it's insane, even the "worst god" is not even bad lol

[clear sail]

who is the worst god to you?

[odd bolt]

Ares

[split igloo]

it's especially great in surface runs if you pick up Medea's +5mp every room boon

[clear sail]

REALLY?

[odd bolt]

Yeah, wounds is alright and kinda sucks with wards, falling blades are mostly a gimmick, omega cast stuff is meh, plasma is meh

but then he has grievous blow probably a top 10 boon

Mutual destruction also really good

[clear sail]

i agree with falling blades and plasma being meh but the omega cast is meg??

[split igloo]

Ares is the worst, yes, because the way wounds work you get +50 power on the first hit so it hits hard and that's cool, but then you get a 3 sec cooldown until the next power boost
it's basically a worse Heph blast

[odd bolt]

it's good for a full ocast build but like... there's better things to do trust

[clear sail]

ok

[odd bolt]

I do like it it's fun with the Demeter duo and prominence flare and stuff

I actually have a lot of fun with ares focused builds I love falling blades supay

[clear sail]

hestia is my go too when im feeling very lazy bc its pretty easy to make scorch work

[odd bolt]

Heph blasts are worse unless you get a high rarity with levels

[clear sail]

and also am i incorrect in saying that apollo seems to fulfuill a similar role to aphrodite in the first game? where he gives you the biggest straight damage increase percentage while having a meh status effect ?

[odd bolt]

Aphro still gives you the biggest %

[clear sail]

well Aphrodite is higher but its onyl for close up so i only do that on like. the blades

[odd bolt]

Apollo gives the second highest, and range which is crazy good on the right weapon (axe)

And daze is INSANE

[clear sail]

it is??

[odd bolt]

Yes, specially blinding rush

It's my favorite boon in the game

[clear sail]

tbf i have not been even Able to get daze on a run yet bc i dont know why its not just like. in his boons. why dont the attack and special inflict daze

i alwayys go for him on attack and special bc i like the increased range and damage

[odd bolt]

Daze is really powerful

[split igloo]

blinding rush + back burner is a very easy combo to like triple your damage

[odd bolt]

You don't really notice but blinding rush is insane

You apply the daze in a large area, meaning 1 curse down to activate origination

And its essentially 20% dodge change

[clear sail]

mhm ✍🏿

[odd bolt]

Lasts an eternity too

Dodge stacking is incredibly strong

Daze + hasty retreat + hot pot + wispy wiles + gale

(daze is a different calc from general dodge but still)

[clear sail]

i will say if ares is the worst why did they gate him behind beating typhon 😭

[odd bolt]

He was the last god released in EA

[clear sail]

ah

[split igloo]

I believe he was added the last, so they kinda rushed him, hence his boons being meh

[odd bolt]

The reason he shows up after Typhon is because he got added when Typhon was added

Well there's a lore reason there too but you get the idea

[clear sail]

thats a shame i loved doom sm in hades i... ares + aphrodite runs <3

[odd bolt]

I don't think wounds is bad it just interacts badly with wards and the base % dmg from ares boons are too low

I still like having wounds just because it opens the best duo boon in the game (with the right setup) and also grievous blow

Also it's a good curse for origination

[split igloo]

wards is a pretty limiting vow actually, basically nullifies the Nyx aspect, among other things, just take something else instead IMO

[odd bolt]

Nah wards with nyx is fine

[clear sail]

wards is the one that gives them all one nullified like hitpoint right (the blue heart)

[odd bolt]

You're not supposed to be relying on the omega boost dmg

Just get nightspawn and spam special or even attack

Even if you waste it on a ward it's okay

The duplicating attacks/specials shred through everything

[split igloo]

it feels bad to waste a big blast on wards, and this will happen constantly

[odd bolt]

I hate wards with really slow aspects like shiva

Forget that, I think i just hate shiva in general

I remembered Shiva dash strike, day ruined

[split igloo]

Shiva is gimmicky like most of the hidden aspects

[clear sail]

hm question i do Not think i understand how the aspect of artmeis works on the blads like. i thought i did but then i didn't... is it like every time you charge u omega attack u have a chance of loading a parry...? do you have to do an omega attack a set amt of times...? i dont get it 😭

[odd bolt]

It has a cool down for you to parry

14s? I think

[clear sail]

ohhhhhhhh

[split igloo]

the description sucks, it's not chance based, when you're in a bubble you will auto-parry everything, even an insta-kill, but it has a cooldown

[odd bolt]

And makes your oattack really fast so you can do an oattack meme build if you want to

It can parry everything btw

Chronos insta kill? Yeah

[clear sail]

oh that description is Terrible. i was literally thinking 'what on earth is the point of a parry that only Half works?' but i also noticed it seemed to always work but i couldn't figureout when it was like. loading. thanks ok omfg that explains it bc id do it and just get hti anyways and had No idea what was going on

[odd bolt]

You get an audio queue and I think a visual indication when the parry is ready

[split igloo]

there's a blue pip next to your health bar, that's the parry cooldown

[odd bolt]

Yeah also that

[clear sail]

im deaf so audio is eh but i do see the visual one.

[split igloo]

that said, I think it's a pretty weak aspect due to the very long cooldown

[odd bolt]

It's... It's a blade aspect

idk if its better than mel aspect

it's def better than pan, but ofc worse than morrigan

[split igloo]

default mel blades are the best IMO, backstabbing doubles your damage, which is guaranteed without any gimmicks

[clear sail]

mel is just backstab bonus damage so yea it may be. and the other one makes specials seek in the cast. but tbh the aspect of pan only seems good for bosses

[split igloo]

no need to paint a triad or whatever, just backstab

[odd bolt]

idk both aspects are alright (Mel and art)

Artemis do allow me to do silly oattack builds so I think I prefer it

[split igloo]

Artemis kinda forces this stop and go parry fishing playstyle, which can be boring

[odd bolt]

Mel is straightforward I'm not even trying to force backstab I just play regular blades

[clear sail]

i think ill stick to mel from now on bc considering the whole point of the o attack is that u dash across to backstab them not having it feels like a Waste

[odd bolt]

But you still have it lol

[clear sail]

wait you do

do you still have backstab bonus on art???

[split igloo]

Pan is very bad though, they overnerfed it, the only advantage of the aspect is more blades on omega special, but you need to hold it down for so long for them to appear, it's pointless

[odd bolt]

Nope but its like suuuper fast

[mystic mango]

Pan would be so much better if you could dash charge

[clear sail]

OH YEA

[odd bolt]

When you level the aspect you get omega attack speed

[mystic mango]

The fact it locks you in place makes Pan so much weaker

[odd bolt]

That's what I'm saying with oattack meme builds

[mystic mango]

If you could play it like Charon axe and do dash charges it would be way better

[clear sail]

wait no actually i completely forgot that's why i like art bc i rarely use my oattack w/ it otherwise LMAO and with it just spam it

[split igloo]

I've heard it insta-charged during EA, then people made too many meme videos where they steamrolled everything with Pan, so the devs nerfed it too hard

[mystic mango]

Pan lives and dies by having lightning lance or glowing coal. Or dad cast but I don’t like dad cast cause it misses too often

[odd bolt]

Like #h2-victory-boasting message

I love it

[odd bolt]

pan is actually the trick knives aspect

It really really needs it

[mystic mango]

Every aspect is the trick knives aspect

[odd bolt]

it's never worth actually doing ospecial it's crazy how bad it is specially when you look at how strong it was before

[odd bolt]

[mystic mango]

That’s like doing a special build on Circe staff though lol

Because it’s just inherently weaker than Mel staff

Same goes for Mel blades

[odd bolt]

But it's actually better with pan

And it allows pan to like... Be an aspect

[mystic mango]

Well cause of cast I guess yeah

I should try it sometimes

But I doubt the game will ever give me trick knives

[odd bolt]

I did 40f pan without trick knives I'm NEVER doing it again

[clear sail]

oh other pertinent question which cast is the best . i love runs where the cast just kinda turns into an ICBM

[odd bolt]

I love Demeter but it depends on the aspect and what you're doing

Zeus is really good and it's the best for Circe

Aphro is alright, hestia is good too

Winners circle works well with Heph (still kinda meme)

[mystic mango]

Demeter is a god I don’t dislike getting on stuff like Hel or Anubis since it holds them in place

Get it on special or cast to hold them in place for the attack

[clear sail]

true.its a littleconfusing to me that the cast doesnt actually keep them in place. on its own? does it just keep them like. out ? maybe these are questions i should be able to anser like 30 hours in

[mystic mango]

Best cast for damage is absolutely Zeus

Hestia cast is absolute best for dealing with wards

But Zeus is highest raw damage

[odd bolt]

Yeah it's Zeus for damage, Demeter for safety and curse, everything else for the curse or other interactions

[mystic mango]

And you can kings ransom Zeus cast

[split igloo]

then why ever play Pan if the o spec is so bad? it's just nerfed Mel blades otherwise

[odd bolt]

Yeah that's the thing

[mystic mango]

Because trick knives

[odd bolt]

it's a bad aspect

[mystic mango]

The trick knives also track

But yeah pan is a bottom tier aspect

[split igloo]

do they work differently on Pan, is it more than 3 knives

[odd bolt]

if there's ever a patch 2 I hope they buff pan a bit I know it is paying for the crimes it committed on EA

[mystic mango]

No same knives from trick knives but because they track you’ll hit them more often

[odd bolt]

No but they go seek enemies in cast

So you cast dash strike and I think it can even hit and enemy twice

Or just hit other enemies

[split igloo]

if there is another patch, I want them to make coat's o attack more like the shield in H1

it's one of these glaring oversights that bothers me

[odd bolt]

It's very intentional

[split igloo]

no one uses coat o attack because it's slow and hard to time

[odd bolt]

I think they don't want free easy blocking

[mystic mango]

They’ll never make major functional changes to the game if we ever get another cast

[odd bolt]

There is so much unlockable stuff and you can't hold it forever as well

[mystic mango]

And there’s a reason they didn’t make it like shield

Shield was baby’s first clear because it could just cheese every boss

[clear sail]

this is funny 2 me bc i was very bad at the shield and rarely used it bc i hated it

[mystic mango]

Yeah but it was easy to crutch on even if you didn’t like it

But there’s a very good reason coat doesn’t behave like shield

[odd bolt]

Who needs blocking just dodge/armor/bubble stack

[split igloo]

then just rework it to be something else, at this point literally no one uses coat o attack, so it's a wasted slot

[mystic mango]

It’s not a “glaring oversight”

[mystic mango]

Okay cool 🤷‍♂️ it’s never gonna change

[split igloo]

make it like the skull o spec or something

[odd bolt]

You can block some stuff but I do agree it's kinda bad

Still it's good for Shiva

[mystic mango]

I mean nobody ever uses Oattack or ospecial on skull but those are still high tier aspects

Unless you’re making a build specifically for Oattack

Which I’ve done before and it’s funny

[odd bolt]

i love oattack mel skull with wide grin even though it makes the aspect useless but that's because I like dumb stuff

[split igloo]

I use o attack on skulls when I need a long range attack like in the summit rooms with all those twitchy small enemies and explosive eggs

if you have static shock it will clear the room actually

[mystic mango]

Just blow them up with your mind 🧠

Oh also I set a new overall UW PB with Anubis 6:31

It’s goated super fun

[odd bolt]

Yeah right? It's super fun

[mystic mango]

The ospecial on Anubis is insane the pull range is massive

[odd bolt]

Dropping nukes on bosses it's really funny

[mystic mango]

I’m out here to spite Anubis being called bad

#h2-victory-boasting message

[split igloo]

I still maintain that the pull mechanic hurts more than it helps

[mystic mango]

Sunny dispo is insane on Anubis cause every ospecial activates it

[mystic mango]

Except watch the videos

Makes room clear insanely easy

Since it just sucks in everybody in an area as large or larger than a skull oattack

[split igloo]

yeah so? that's Chronos, pull doesn't work on bosses

[mystic mango]

Scroll up

I said videos

[odd bolt]

i like anubis

[split igloo]

if you're pulling regular mobs they will be in their wind up animation and then will boop you right on your nose

it sucks

[mystic mango]

That’s why you use the ospecial

Not the normal special

The ospecial pulls to the explosion, not you

If you use the normal special on big enemies you’re asking to get hit

But it can be used to suck enemies into the attack which worked wonders for early clear for me

I need to play it on high fear

[split igloo]

the o spec is a big orb, like on the regular staff, right? but it still pulls them to you, no?

[mystic mango]

No it pulls to the explosion

So it works insanely well with dual moonshot, fine line, ocean swell, or controlled burn

Since even if it doesn’t land it sucks them in

Then the second explosion hits them

And they can actually be hit by the first explosion as it’s pulling them in

[split igloo]

fine, I'll try it again with dual moonshot sometime

[mystic mango]

Just bring Hecuba and spam ospecial it’s great

[split igloo]

but it's kinda lame that you can't use regular specials and you need this one specific hammer

[mystic mango]

That video was without dual moonshot

And I never got exceptional talent

That was just aetheric moonburst

But yeah if you do Anubis go for hestia for controlled burn, Poseidon for ocean swell, or Hera for fine line

They’re also all great options for Anubis attack

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1233146305308528650/1481411045468667925/Hades_II_2026-03-11_16-52-47_-_Trim.mp4?ex=69b3370c&is=69b1e58c&hm=d5520a8c6618293af751dea86d1c803862211e640dc62f17c66684585f689298&

Ocean swell go brrr

Zeus attack on Anubis, as we’d talked about, does take a bit to ramp

But a single ospecial can pop blitz

So you can just spam it on them and it’ll constantly refresh

[split igloo]

idk, the whole point of Anubis is that the special is insanely fast and spammy, but turns out it's a trap and will get you mauled

badly designed IMO

[mystic mango]

It’s not

It’s designed to pull enemies into the attack

When you use it that way it makes a lot more sense

[split igloo]

yeah but they don't freeze up when being pulled so they will just wind up an attack and land it on your face

[mystic mango]

You can stand in your safety bubble and yoink dudes into your circle of pain

Then just time it better and they won’t wind up on you

Or dodge

[split igloo]

or I could just play circe and stack Zeus casts for easy wins

[surreal hazel]

Get shimmering moonshot, embrace chaos

[vernal quiver]

with that logic why use anything that isnt medea

[mystic mango]

“Where’s that enemy gonna end up”
“Yes”

I have had some of the most fun in the last few weeks using Hel, an objectively inferior aspect

[split igloo]

Medea's playstyle is kinda meh, fun wise, tbh my fav aspect is Thanatos, cause it plays more like a regular action game

[surreal hazel]

It can get very silly and still has some uniquely silly combis

[mystic mango]

Because enemy hurt and I’m bad at Medea

[split igloo]

you've got chunky melee swings and a big o spec for range and AoE, Thanatos is just fun

[mystic mango]

Than axe is quite intuitive overall, it makes sense for most people more than some of the other weapons. I do still kinda like Mel axe more though for the extra power since dash attack and special are just safer to use over your normal attacks

[split igloo]

with Thanatos you can just use normal attacks, esp with rapid hack, it's very safe unless you overcommit or something, but that's true for any weapon

[alpine raft]

it's all hammerslop

[mystic mango]

Don’t you dare insult my dash attack explosion hammer

[alpine raft]

mel axe without dashing or seething is barely a weapon

[split igloo]

anyway, the only aspects I'm yet to do a clear with are Artemis (should be no prob) and the 3 remaining hiddens, Nergal (god please), Supay (oh no) and Shiva (guess I'll just punch things)

[austere trail]

stop posting about slop! I'm tired of seeing it!

[mystic mango]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1233146305308528650/1476089653856829552/Hades_II_2026-02-24_23-22-57.mp4?ex=69b2f8dd&is=69b1a75d&hm=06aa5f466df77ca9ce9abc51e4455d8210c8175d8868c765430569faacb41c6b&

[mystic mango]

Correct

[alpine raft]

don't even get me started on psychic whirlwind

[mystic mango]

Nergal’s crutch lol

[split igloo]

Nergal is so insanely limiting I might need to look up some meme build

and play on 0 fear

with moon water

[mystic mango]

Exception talent 🐐

#h2-victory-boasting message

[split igloo]

yeah that's some meme alright, post the build

[mystic mango]

Scroll down

[split igloo]

"just roll for a legendary bro"
oof

[mystic mango]

I mean pretty much but I’ve done well without it

But that’s the thing with Nergal

It has insane potential but is REALLY rough if you don’t get the right stuff

[split igloo]

legendary rates are too low to be reliable, you can play 10 runs and you won't get this particular one

[mystic mango]

So then just do a build that doesn’t need it

It’s also amazing with Hera attack

Or Zeus since it instantly pops it if you have arc flash

[vernal quiver]

nergal is just get psychic whirlwind, a half decent game, and unless you forget to dodge dying is kinda a choice

[mystic mango]

Yeah iron core and psychic whirlwind is practically an automatic win

[flint widget]

<@&456908176877551658> execute him

[mystic mango]

10 thousand f-ing pigeons. EAT THIS MAN

[mellow totem]

my knowledge is omnicient except for one basic question thats been nagging at me for literal years

do separate percentile increases scale additively or multiplicatively

[mystic mango]

Additive

[mellow totem]

tragic

[mystic mango]

Crit and ares crit is multiplicative after all other calculation

But every other % buff is additive

[mellow totem]

yeah ofc

[mystic mango]

That’s why white antler is so insanely strong

And why ares crit is a lot stronger than you’d think

Since it’s a 10% buff at common to damage AFTER additive calculations to ALL damage (besides scorch or other stuff that can’t crit)

Not something to only build for but good if you have it

[edgy cairn]

what the hell

I don't like Rivals Scylla's fight 😭

her shell charge feels kinda awkward to dodge; it reminds me of trying to dodge Commander Gaius' hog charge in the Elden Ring DLC lmao

[alpine raft]

yea trying to dodge anywhere but right through her will often get you hit

[edgy cairn]

mmh, I think it'll just be a matter of getting used to fighting Rivals Scylla until I can dodge mostly anything

but now I have to suffer burning through... all of my death defiances LOL

[edgy cairn]

Ohhh, Xinth feels good to use

still prefer Malphon though

[mystic mango]

Black coat is that weapon everybody hates until they realize “oh wait spamming dash attack and special is a million times better than using omegas”

“Everybody” includes me lol

[flint widget]

i hate it until i get shimmering rockets

then i love it

or pos exhaust riser

[lime moth]

I used to hate the staff, especially the anubis aspect until I realized it is goated and now it is my main. Same thing happened with the supay torches, i also hated them before

[mystic mango]

I'm currently working on getting better with anubis staff and my main improvement was getting used to just throwing down the attack and then spamming omega special at everything

[flint widget]

just get omega attack in, cast, and if u have nexus rush then just run across the room ez game tbh

[lime moth]

Literally

I will argue that anubis staff is basically H2's beowulf shield

[flint widget]

medea is h2's beowulf tbh

[wild drift]

That's Medea though

[flint widget]

exactly

[wild drift]

Though the funny thing is Medea is like one of the most unsafe weapons in this game but Beowulf is super safe because it's a shield lol

But just in terms of how the attacks work

[flint widget]

and also in the speedrunning meta

beowulf and medea are top one in speedrunning

[lime moth]

Fair, but I feel like as he said, Medea lacks the safety of beowulf, it has the speedrunning but doesn't have the safety the shield provides, so personally, I feel like the staff is a more accurate similarish weapon

Also, it honestly took me an embarrassingly long time to learn how to use Medea when I started playing on the beta

[flint widget]

wait

if u think about it shiva is h2's beowulf

[wild drift]

Valid except I hate Shiva and I love Beowulf

Destructive Oattack = Dragon Rush

[lime moth]

Kinda funny how much your taste changes as you play and replay the games.

When I played H1 years ago, I focused on the story and like the rail the most. Then I went to early release h2, loved axe, and then got very into the actual combat aspect and ended up like the staff. Then when I finished the game when it fully released I went back to 1 to also get all achievements and switched from rail to shield and spear main

[tough torrent]

I hardly use omega on it and still dont like it much

[lyric summit]

Upping Heat also changed my perspective on some weps too. Sword and Spear were my favs but then at higher heat i was only really using Rail and Shield 😅

[lime moth]

I have never been able to get the sword hype

[lyric summit]

I used to love doing Nemesis sword speedruns

Plus Poseidon and Arthur felt fun to use. Upping the Heat made the experience with all swords kinda miserable though 😂

[flint widget]

common consensus in h1 high fear about sword is that its absolute dogass iirc

[mystic mango]

Doesn’t surprise me

[proper cloak]

Poseidon sword is very fun if you ignore how build dependent it is

Soooo nice how pretty much every God gets multiple cast boons in h2

[spiral wadi]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1051942150025269309/1481756087555199159/20260312134931-01KKHWZARW1W3ZRE5QTSRM2GF9.mp4 the very reactable swifter + sheep curse fang

[vernal quiver]

Easiest 67 erebus room

[spiral wadi]

truu

[split igloo]

do gorgon shield and fig leaf break fw?

[manic shuttle]

Fig leaf doesn't break but athena does

[split igloo]

thanks, that's a shame

[mystic mango]

Average Fangs 2 experience

[wild drift]

Is there a way to turn on auto-fire for only attack or only special

[surreal hazel]

Sadly not. Best way is just to learn to use it in shift mode rather than toggle

[wild drift]

Now that would be another reason to get a mouse with side buttons lol

[icy crypt]

been reading up on duo boons on the wiki
is romantic spark basically merciful end?
seems a little harder to pull off consistently but looks about the same

[lyric summit]

Sorta yeah. Kind of a budget version but the same idea

Supay probably utilises it the best with Zeus Special since you’re gonna be constantly sprinting

[icy crypt]

just came over from h1
how good can builds get in h2 compared to h1

[split igloo]

Mel is much stronger than Zag, you can make insta-melt builds, e.g. stacking backstab bonuses on the blades to the point they make bosses phase shift in 2 sec flat

[lyric summit]

Yeah there’s a lot more broken stuff you can do with the aspects this time. Plus Mel has more base kit options for crowd control like her casts and omega moves. I feel like I was mainly abusing 2 Duo boons in H1 whereas here I’d be happy with getting around half of them

[split igloo]

any reason why sun worshipper/night bloom deals so much damage to Typhon? if you have one of these the fight will be over in seconds

on my last run I picked up Sun Worshipper at the final shop and the results screen said the "allies" dealt 49k dmg lmao

[wild drift]

The way ally damage is calculated is weird is all I know

Especially if they're rapid attackers like Polyps or Auto-Watchers

[split igloo]

how much HP does Typhon even have?

[wild drift]

65k

[split igloo]

it was the snake looking monster, idk what it's called, not the chunky one

[split igloo]

so it did most of the work then? pretty crazy, unless Raki's pecking also counts as "allies"

[wild drift]

Apparently ally damage is multiplied by 10, Sun Worshiper multiplies that by 3 so every hit would be multiplied by 30, so for example if you summoned a Polyp that does 20 damage (not sure how much damage the Typhon Egg Armored Polyp actually does), every hit on Typhon would do 600 damage (not sure if these are affected by global damage boosts)

Night Bloom also has damage boost, attack speed boost, and crit chance nodes that would make it go even harder

[manic shuttle]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1438829189385031692/1482032980342870058/output.mp4?ex=69b57a45&is=69b428c5&hm=a65499925163c2aa691e3ed2e509e9ac0ce659f6792b09d65e57945f168b17fb& next phase please

[wild drift]

Bet those Artificers were HITTING

[manic shuttle]

I think I got the Aphro special from artificer, and then there was a Ares/Hera challenge room

Run died because of stick drift anyway

[spiral wadi]

stick drift comes for all

[ionic widget]

will this game get any more updates balance wise??

[spiral wadi]

my ps4 controller i used to use when i played h2 on deck has started to drift so bad that it still drifts beyond max deadzone setting

[spiral wadi]

probably not tbh

h1 only got like one balance change post 1.0 before it mostly became bug fixes etc

[surreal hazel]

Definitely feels like the tier 2 boon design was much more wonky in h1

[opal pecan]

What do y'all reckon is the smallest buff to Selene that you would accept, if it were to be buffed

[thin gazelle]

Always give it the largest path of stars tree. I’m playing the hex aspect let me have a hex

[opal pecan]

Honestly that might be my "minimum acceptable" pick too

[thin gazelle]

That’s the big thing barring it from being fun, let alone good

[rare grove]

Putting it on an aspect that actually wants me to use omegas lol

[opal pecan]

That's a pretty big change 😆

[rare grove]

make a new weapon that each aspect is a different ninja turtle weapon and put it on one of those

I did a Selene run earlier and pretty much gave up on the hex, I had the henious affront dream so it was fine

[spiral wadi]

selene the aspect or selene in general

[spiral wadi]

yea tru, having to hope for a good tree on an aspect that should guarantee a reliable hex in the first place is ass

[alpine raft]

if moon was basekit thatd be enough for me

[spiral wadi]

ye moon should absolutely be basekit

so much of omegas and hexes are baked into arcana it kinda sucks cuz it'd be so cool if they were actually reliable enough for max fear

[wild sun]

For those who have done it; how did you manage a boonless run in Hades II?

[opal pecan]

The aspect yups

[spiral wadi]

ye idk if that aspect can be saved with a small change

[opal pecan]

That's why it's an interesting thought exercise :P

If there was one EZ Button answer, it wouldn't be worth asking!

[spiral wadi]

tbh i've had the thought of like, why not let players pick the hex they want active in the training grounds

in general not just selene aspect

cuz it's already unreliable to pick selene over another major reward

then forced to find more selenes to upgrade path

idk maybe im insane

[alpine raft]

i think that makes her way more boring bc i'll just pick the best hex always

[spiral wadi]

fair

[wild drift]

Maybe if the aspect upgrade was omega move power and the hex always started at 60 recharge

[turbid karma]

TIME BUBBLES into CUTSCENE?!??

just lost a run to time bubbles (avoid them, dead in the middle of the cluster) into cutscene attack (can't dodge because I'm surrounded by bubbles, take 88 and die) - that was bananas

I was right at the middle of the time bubbles when they telegraphed their appearance, I don't think there was a way to run out of them before they popped and would have trapped me, and barring the cutscene attack or triple scythe, I think that must have been the safest place to be? what a rough loss that was