Is there a "Best" weapon in this game?

[Mr. Avocado Man]

I've been enjoying this game like Hades 1 and it seems I like using the Descura far more than the other nocturnal arms. I do wish they bring back coronacht or some kind of bow to the game.

[Crow Buddy]

The best weapon is the one you're most comfortable playing with. If you like Mel's animations, movement, and the style of the weapon clicks for you, that's what counts the most.

Folks will play better and reach that "gamer flow state" and follow boss/enemy mechanics better if they're not worried about using their weapon correctly, it's a huge benefit.

When I started, I picked the Moonstone Axe and clicked with it. I'd recommend it. Both Aspects of Thanatos and Charon are extremely strong.

Mel can take any of her current weapons into high fear and make it work. Here's an example:

Black Coat - Aspect of Melinoë is probably one of the weakest aspects:
Your Attacks, Sprint, and move speed are faster.
▸ Bonus Speed: +0%/+5%/+10%/+15%/+20%/+35%

However, even if the Aspect is weak, the Black Coat still has an insane Dash-Strike attack. Add the "Exhaust Riser" hammer boon upgrade, and now you're cooking with gas.

Even the "worst" aspect in the game can potentially become cracked with the right build choice decisions.

If you wanna go way more in-depth, Haelian is a super-skilled YouTuber and has good insights. Here's his take on the weapons tier list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ZwSYk3ock

He ranked Mel Blades - Aspect of Artemis low, and I think that's because Aspect of Pan is leaps and bounds better if you're just talking about clear speed efficiency.

[Specific Beef]

You can search here for threads on this argument, and the lack of community agreement is the best indication of how well they've made the weapons. For every person who insists a certain weapon is the best, someone else will say it's the worst. There's no consensus "best" or "worst" weapon, either. You also might not warm to certain weapons until you've unlocked their full range of aspects (for example, I like the daggers but I absolutely love them with Pan and Hera's Hitch powers — omega specials home in on anything inside your cast!).

The thing with weapons in this game is that you have to consciously build them during the run in a much more intensive way than in Hades 1. A lot of people tend to think the skulls are useless, but you can turn them into a machine gun among other things: they're devastating. Some complain about the torches, but again, whatever a weapon's weak point seems to be, you simply have to bolster them with boons and develop any of the many paths to exploiting their strengths.

Some people don't realise how great every weapon can be until they play the challenges, which are single-zone scenarios that you can optionally play for rewards. They give you a starting loadout, and they're a great way to discover what the studio hoped you might do with the tools.

There are plenty more besides (as CB said, check out Haelian's build videos on YouTube to discover some absurd possibilities).

[Neo NiGHTS ®]

Originally posted by Specific Beef:

You can search here for threads on this argument, and the lack of community agreement is the best indication of how well they've made the weapons. For every person who insists a certain weapon is the best, someone else will say it's the worst. There's no consensus "best" or "worst" weapon, either. You also might not warm to certain weapons until you've unlocked their full range of aspects (for example, I like the daggers but I absolutely love them with Pan and Hera's Hitch powers — omega specials home in on anything inside your cast!).

The thing with weapons in this game is that you have to consciously build them during the run in a much more intensive way than in Hades 1. A lot of people tend to think the skulls are useless, but you can turn them into a machine gun among other things: they're devastating. Some complain about the torches, but again, whatever a weapon's weak point seems to be, you simply have to bolster them with boons and develop any of the many paths to exploiting their strengths.

Some people don't realise how great every weapon can be until they play the challenges, which are single-zone scenarios that you can optionally play for rewards. They give you a starting loadout, and they're a great way to discover what the studio hoped you might do with the tools.

There are plenty more besides (as CB said, check out Haelian's build videos on YouTube to discover some absurd possibilities).

+1000

[Breathe]

I would just add I hope that they’re not done with aspects or tweaking aspects. Some weapons still need some love to offer more variety of playstyles. But agreed the weapons (jank aside which can be fixed) seem to be well designed and balanced, and offer a lot of depth. Hoping for more chaos challenges too!!

[r1ver]

Just try every aspect and find your favorite — even the 'worst' one can be great in the right build.

There are a lot of videos that might change your perspective on each aspect and how to use them. You can also find a tier list if you're really looking for the best ones. Moros and Pan are S-tier for me

[SPRITENADO]

Moonstone Axe, hands down

[Holografix]

Originally posted by SPRITENADO:

Moonstone Axe, hands down

my fav as well

[Creeper-D]

Sister blades with Aspect Of Pan is my personal favourite. I don't think there is really a best weapon overall tho.

[The Sojourner]

Originally posted by Specific Beef:

You can search here for threads on this argument, and the lack of community agreement is the best indication of how well they've made the weapons.

Indeed, the mark of a well-balanced game — it's come far since its initial EA iterations. Once Hades reached v1.0, there were probably a dozen or so threads like this one, with all sorts of opinions as to the best or worst weapons.

Anyway, my personal faves/aspects: Artemis, Nyx, and Thanatos. My least favorites: Ygnium (Melinoe aspect) and Medea. When it comes to the Hammer Enchantments, it feels hard to go wrong with those for Lim & Oros and Zorephet, more so than Ygnium (which imo has the worst Omega Special, which the Hammer Enchantments only do so much to fix for a casual run) or Revaal (I don't always trust the Special on Revaal).