Adamant rail?

[kekkuli]

Is this weapon supposed to be a meme or why is it so bad? I mean i've been beating hades 100% of times quite easily in last few days with all other weapons in rather low heat of <10, but i just can't beat the game with adamant rail, even without any heat settings. The fact that it doesn't stagger enemies, it's dps is insanely bad, and it's inaccurate when shooting from afar makes it imho easily the worst weapon in the game. Range is pretty bad too compared to bow. There's nothing that actually makes it better in anything than any other weapon. Expect MAYBE attack speed which doesn't really matter because the dps is ♥♥♥♥ anyways.

I heard there is a hammer mod for it that removes the need of reloading but i have never seen that so far.

[squat_instructor]

Try one of the following:

- Hestia aspect with the Artemis/Aphro attack and Artemis dash. You will be one-shotting enemies and boss phases.
- Zagreus aspect with Demeter's Arctic Blast (Concentrated Fire hammer as a bonus)
- Artemis dash with Spread Fire hammer upgrade
- Pretty much anything with Explosive Fire hammer upgrade
- Eris Aspect with Triple Bomb/Rocket Bomb/Inescapable Blast/Cluster Bomb hammer upgrades (either one or a combination of several)

It's an awkward weapon at first, but once you get a grip on it it's quite fun and my personal favorite.

[Tiank]

Every weapon can be bad - depends on the build and approach. Rail shines with Hestia Aspect and Artemis Attack - it's like a sniper shot build with high damage.

Or get Athena for Attack, which will make your build more tanky, as you can shoot and easily deflect most of the ranged attacks.

Rocket Bomb upgrade for special is good base for a special based build (Especially combined with Triple Bomb, which allows you to use your special 3 times in a row).

Attack that stack their effect (like Demeter's cold or Dionysus poison) can be good foundation for a great build as well.

God's Chosen ability of the Mirror increases chance to get Daedalus Hammer, which is useful when using Rail.

Personally, I really like Rail, as it is required from you to be careful and think about positioning. You need to Dash and shoot a lot, be quick and prioritise your targets. You just need a different approach, than you're used to.

[Uli Minati]

The Special makes it great, especially with some hammer upgrades you can more than triple its damage. Big range, big area of effect, hits behind cover or even shielded enemies in the back. And then there's Eris aspect which increases all kinds of damage by 60% so you aren't locked into a setup when you start the run.
I agree it doesn't stagger, but you don't need stagger if you can burst down groups of enemies from range

Here's some damage numbers which show off the burst potential:
Eris + Triple Bomb: 288 damage every ~3 seconds, also boosts Attack and Cast
Eris + Triple Bomb + Rocket Bomb: 480 damage instead, but you have to shoot walls to buff yourself
Eris + Triple Bomb + Hazard Bomb: 576 damage instead, but you can only shoot at yourself (and take a bit of damage whenever you hit yourself)

And here's my favorite hammer if I don't get Triple Bomb:
Eris + Spread Fire: 80 damage rapid fire shotgun (bit faster than 1 shot per second), higher fire rate when you keep dash-attacking

And of course you also increase Cast damage by 60% so this is even better than Poseidon Sword or Hera Bow if you use ammo which doesn't stick (Dionysus, Ares, Demeter)
And of course you even increase Dash damage so you could even do a Greatest Reflex run

[Zymeth]

Hammer upgrade is the most important for Adamant rail I'd say.
Get hammer upgrades on Q - you will notice a huge difference.

For auto attack, you may try poison or Demeter.

[kekkuli]

Well thanks for answers, i will try some things suggested. And yeah i always get hammer upgrades, even the explosive shot haven't really made much difference so far. I wish there was a hammer upgrade for this weapon that increased the range or something :/
This is also the only weapon that i've had no chance to beat Thanatos with if i meet him in during acts 2-3. >.<

[Niccolo']

don forget zeus on autoattack, it more than doubles damage by itself

[kekkuli]

Originally posted by Niccolo':

don forget zeus on autoattack, it more than doubles damage by itself

Haha even tried that. It's not all about the damage though, mostly just that i can't get used to it because it doesn't stagger. I rely on that very heavily on most builds.

[Trolleur_Durden]

The Rail is my most successful weapon, and I can reliably clear heat 20+ with it. But I can definitely sympathize with you on the fact that it's not an easy weapon to play. From my point of view, the early game is the hardest, with a special that deals delayed damage (giving enemies more time to damage you) and an inaccurate attack. But it's probably the best weapon when it comes to Daedalus upgrades, giving you some really crazy options. Replacing the mortar by rockets makes the weapon suddenly way easier to handle, for example.

You should definitely invest in the Hestia aspect if you have the titan blood to afford it, it makes the early game much smoother. Shoot, dash away, reload, repeat. You will one-shot most of the enemies in the first level with almost no risk. This should give you time to get some good boons and shape the build you are gonna play.

[kekkuli]

Haven't unlocked the hestia yet, it's not very high on my priority list :p But i will give it a try sooner or later.

[Peak Ahjussi]

Try main zeus/dionsys strike builds. The rapid fire weapons get a lot out of boons that can stack. Rail gun is also really fun when you get triple/cluster rockets.

I've even got close to perma charming Hades. 30% attack speed with 24 + 6 ammo. Dash away reload come back make Hades walk back and forth. Repeat.

[kekkuli]

Well i've managed to beat hades couple times now with rail, but even with maxed out hestia aspect i find it easily the most difficult weapon to play and i feel like you need amazing build for it to be good.

[squat_instructor]

You only need a good attack boon for it to work, that's pretty much it but it certainly takes getting used to.

[kekkuli]

Originally posted by Sailor_seller:

You only need a good attack boon for it to work, that's pretty much it but it certainly takes getting used to.

I find that quite hard to believe, i feel like you need some epic chaos attack boons and other heroic attack boons etc....the damage falls off so hard after act 2. Act 3 is just pain with all the chariots and fast moving enemies. All i can do is just dash around and when i stop i get hit instantly.

[Trolleur_Durden]

My experience differs greatly. Don't take it the wrong way, but are you reloading manually while using the Hestia aspect?

[kekkuli]

Originally posted by Trolleur_Durden:

My experience differs greatly. Don't take it the wrong way, but are you reloading manually while using the Hestia aspect?

Yes. And always in the end i just end up relying on some great cast&call boons to carry me through the last acts.