Haven't even escape Elysium after 36 attempts, wtf?

[bachelor]

Either this game is way too hard or there is something I'm really not getting here.

On my 36th attempt, I got all 3 of my extra lives replenished just before the boss of Elysium and I still got my ass kicked. Level 6 boon on my special, and I barely do any damage to these guys.

People here saying they beat the game after less than 20 attempts? What the actual F

This isn't fun anymore. This is just frustration and I hate it

[VBro96]

Upgrade more. Ignore people that say stupid ♥♥♥♥ like "I beat the game in two hours"

[VAL]

Hey friend. Your difficulties may lie in your boon selection. It may be tempting to choose certain boons over others, but combinations of boons could end up stacking or working in a way that is much more beneficial. For first run completion I always recommend the shield- you get good defense with okay offense. The important thing is that you take your time getting through the level, don't rush it. This also is a great way to learn enemy attack patterns really well, which is important, since you don't want to get hit.

As for boon selection, regardless of which weapon you choose, I recommend either Poseidon's attack boon, which pushes back enemies, or Athena's attack boon, which deflects attacks. Regardless, both should be able to give you space while you fight.
Alternatively, both of their dashes are extremely useful for the same reason.

Secondly, passive boons are extremely important. I find myself favoring the passive buffs Dionysus gives you if you take his festive fog boon. If you choose Demeter or Zeus boons, you open up the option of getting a duo boon which makes festive fog absolutely op in my opinion.

Personally, I think the above is a great way to get more comfortable with the mechanics of the game and then you can bring the pace up with the rail or sword.

Next, when you're choosing charms, you want to be careful with selecting the appropriate gods first. Do you want your dash first? Your special? Your attack? Base your charm order on when you want those boons. And typically, boons come in higher rarity the further you go, so keep that in mind.

Finally, upgrading your mirror skills is also a conscious strategy. You want 3 death defiances to start. Restore health upon entering a new chamber. And any other more "defensive" attributes.

As for the Elysium boss fight. You can fight the bull earlier in a mini-boss chamber, denoted by the skull symbol on the chamber door. This allows you to fight the final stage bull with a semi-depleted health bar. Next, the general strategy is to target the bull first. Theseus can't pierce the shield and you can lure the bull behind the pots to avoid his attacks as well.

Mainly, just be patient and experiment with weapon/boon combos that are most comfortable for you! Some people figure it out early and thats how they beat the game faster than others.

[Suzaku]

Turn on God Mode in the options. Reduces damage you take, and gets better each time you die. Once you're comfortable and getting some wins, you can turn it off.

[wpegg]

I don't know where this 20 attempts thing has come from, I've seen it around in people's advice of late. It's way lower than suggestions used to be and the game hasn't got any easier. I think it's just stupid posturing. you're fine knocking around Elysium at 35 attempts. You'll get the hang of those bosses, and honestly they are to my mind the hardest bosses to beat. Once you're through them it's just a matter of learning the final level & boss then you'll have it easy.

[Wittman]

Turn on God Mode to reduce nervousness, u will find u improved a lot after enough escapes.

[Nibbie]

Originally posted by wpegg:

I don't know where this 20 attempts thing has come from, I've seen it around in people's advice of late. It's way lower than suggestions used to be and the game hasn't got any easier. I think it's just stupid posturing. you're fine knocking around Elysium at 35 attempts. You'll get the hang of those bosses, and honestly they are to my mind the hardest bosses to beat. Once you're through them it's just a matter of learning the final level & boss then you'll have it easy.

There was a huge thread around of how many attempts it took you for your first win, and the average was around 20-30 (edit: out of curiosity I found it again, and the average runs to first win from the first page of responses was ~23.25, and that was back in 2019, so it is definitely not a new thing). As long as you are still enjoying the game though, it doesn't really matter how fast or slow you make it out, and unless it takes you over 100 attempts, you will probably be progressing at least some stories the whole time regardless.

[wpegg]

Originally posted by Nibbie:

Originally posted by wpegg:

I don't know where this 20 attempts thing has come from, I've seen it around in people's advice of late. It's way lower than suggestions used to be and the game hasn't got any easier. I think it's just stupid posturing. you're fine knocking around Elysium at 35 attempts. You'll get the hang of those bosses, and honestly they are to my mind the hardest bosses to beat. Once you're through them it's just a matter of learning the final level & boss then you'll have it easy.

There was a huge thread around of how many attempts it took you for your first win, and the average was around 20-30 (edit: out of curiosity I found it again, and the average runs to first win from the first page of responses was ~23.25, and that was back in 2019, so it is definitely not a new thing). As long as you are still enjoying the game though, it doesn't really matter how fast or slow you make it out, and unless it takes you over 100 attempts, you will probably be progressing at least some stories the whole time regardless.

Not aiming this at you at all, but I'd note that It's one thing for people to boast they've escaped in 20 turns, it's another for people to claim it's the benchmark a player should be aiming for (which is what I see happening now, and didn't used to). Any such thread will naturally be skewed towards those that are happy with their number so you can assume the average for a player will be much higher.

[Quyzbuk]

Lacking quite a bit of context here OP, what weapon(s) are you using, what boons are you prioritizing? How are you tackling the boss when you get there?

Can't give you pointers with what you've provided.

[GiantOctopodes]

Can you share what weapon and special you were using? Honestly it sounds like you had sufficient power and health to where it’s not about what you were using, more about how you were using it. Which isn’t a knock on you at all, it’s just that the only way we can offer concrete advice on how to manage the fight better is to know what you’re going for; the way to be successful in the fight with a Dionysus special on swords for example is very different from a Zeus special on the bow. Neither of those are optimal, deliberately, but they’re certainly also definitely viable.

[ChrisPharmD]

Originally posted by bachelor:

People here saying they beat the game after less than 20 attempts? What the actual F

This isn't fun anymore. This is just frustration and I hate it

I'm not a statistics or math guy, but I'm pretty sure most of these people saying this fall outside of the average. First, it's only taking into consideration people who are interested enough in the game to actually read the forums. Second, if a person didn't clear in 20 attempts, they might be less likely to post their number of attempts because of the "Get gud" mentality gaming is seeing these days. Third, most people probably don't even care.

I played this game in an earlier build and completed a run. But I never even thought about how many runs it took me. I didn't care. When I play The Binding of Isaac, do I think of how many runs it took me to get to any certain point in the game? (Trying not to spoil it + I don't remember the new final bosses from Repentance) No, because I'm not trying to win a competition. I'm trying to enjoy a game.

One game that fascinates me is FTL because it is so freaking hard. Don't get me wrong, FTL is an absolute amazing game... but it is frustratingly difficult. The people who can actually clear a run in FTL gets my full respect, but are they better than me? Yeah, at FTL. But who really cares?

If you're struggling with the game, I think it's good to ask questions, ask what you could do better, etc. But I'm willing to bet the vast majority of people who play Hades take more than 20 runs to clear a run. And more importantly, they don't care.... because it's a videogame.

[DaBa]

The worst thing you can do to ruin your fun in anything is compare yourself to others. Why should it matter that others have finished the game faster than you? You are your own person, not others. You are better at some things and worse at others. Just accept it and go along with it.

And if the game is not fun anymore because it's too hard for you, then you can just quit and try another one. Games are supposed to be played for fun after all. And if you cannot find fun in overcoming the difficulty and improving, there's nothing else to be done about it.

[rockatanskj]

2 things made me progress in the game: the Hammer is a massive power spike. Always pick the hammer if you see it, and learn which boons work better for your play style

and 2, understand which boons synergize with each other, and where to place them. For example, if I'm using the Fists, I'm spamming Attack and only pressing Special once in a while. Putting Aphrodite on the Attack and Dionysus on the Special would give me significantly less DPS then the other way around, since one stacks and the other doesn't.
Artemis in particularly has some really heavy hitting boons, her full call can shred a boss's healthbar

[Walmart Balrog]

how it must suck, to suck

[wpegg]

Originally posted by DreadNaughty:

how it must suck, to suck

Well, you would know. Don't worry, the nice thing about the game of life is that you keep getting more chances (similar to Hades I suppose). Perhaps on your next run you'll do better at it.

[whitemage_of_doom]

OP, i took over a hundred runs to beat it the first time, don't sweat it.

And as people said, god mode exists.