Best Boons in Hades 2

Here is a full list of God Boons in Hades 2 and our top picks for the best ones

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

Looking for the best Boons in Hades 2? Like its predecessor, Boons play a major role in Hades 2 . They’re essentially blessings from Gods that give you added perks in and out of combat and can mean life or death on a run in Erebus and beyond.

With returning faces as well as some new ones, each God in the Pantheon of Hades 2 offers unique Boons and specialities (or Curses). We’ll go through these as well as the best Boons for each major God. If you’re interested in seeing a full list of all Boons in the game we have that too.

Beware spoilers ahead for the different Gods featured in Hades 2.

In this guide:

• How Boons work in Hades 2
• Best Boons in Hades 2
• Full Hades 2 Boons list
• Hades 2 Curses list

Check out the official Hades 2 reveal trailer here and see what adventures await Melinoe.Watch on YouTube

How Boons work in Hades 2

Each God has a unique symbol , which you will occasionally see on gates throughout Erebus. As a reward for clearing encounters, you’ll get a choice of three Boons from that God to choose from. These Boons are randomly rotated in rarity and you can only pick one at a time.

The rarity of Boons are as follows:

• Common: White.
• Rare: Blue.
• Epic: Purple.
• Legendary: Orange.
• Heroic: Red.

There are 5 different rarity types of Boons in Hades 2. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

You can increase the likelihood of receiving a specific God’s Boon and receive the option to upgrade one of their Boons in rarity by equipping their Keepsake . Earn a Keepsake from each God by gifting them a Nectar. Remember to offer the gift before you accept their Boon or their sigil will disappear.

You can also upgrade the quality of your Boon by consuming a Pom of Power which looks like a pomegranate. These can appear on doorways or within Charon’s shop.

Other than normal God Boons, there are also the following Boon types in Hades 2:

• Boons of Chaos: offered by Chaos. These Boons require you to take on a stipulation in return for a reward.
• Infusion Boons: Boons that grow stronger if you have the necessary elemental Essence requirement. Gain Essences from Chaos. These Essences are Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Aether.
• Gifts of The Moon: Special Boons offered by Selene. These Boons usually revolve around a special power connected to your Hex, which you can unleash after using a certain amount of Magick on foes.
• Duo Boons: An enhanced version of a Boon that combines the effects of two different Gods.
• Legendary Boons: Each God has one Legendary Boon each. These are powerful Boons which require you to have favoured a particular God during the run.

Gods may also offer to swap out one of your equipped Boons for one of theirs. This is usually indicated with dialogue and a switch arrow symbol on the Boon they are offering a trade for.

Once you reach the final region beyond Erebus, you’ll receive the recipe for the Insight into Offerings Incantation. This will essentially provide you access to a list of all God Boons via your Book of Shadows and show which ones you haven’t acquired. If you haven’t accessed this late-game mechanic yet, we’ve listed all Boons below.

Best Boons in Hades 2

You can pick one of three Boon choices per encounter. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

Of course, picking the best Boons in Hades 2 is largely down to preference and the type of build you’re going for. We generally recommend elemental boons from Gods like Demeter, Poseidon or Hestia when wielding close-range weapons like the Sister Blades. It’s also worthwhile focusing on Boons that improve or add effects to your Dodge when zipping in and out of combat.

For longer-range weapons like the Umbral Flames and Witch’s Staff we recommend Boons that will buff your Casts and Magick Reseverve like Hera’s Keen Intuition (Omega moves deal more damage when you have 100% Magick) or Demeter’s Tranquil Gain which will bump up your Magick restoration. Boons from Selene are additionally good candidates for the use of Hex abilities.

For the Moonstone Axe, I found particular luck with Zeus and Hephaestus Boons. Zeus will usually inflict Blitz which will maximise the amount of damage you inflict and strike foes with lightning, sometimes chain lightning if you’re lucky. Whilst Hephaestus offers large damage output to consecutive Attacks (which you’ll be doing a lot of with the Moonstone Axe’s Omega Attack).

You can see our best weapons guide for more precise recommendations, but for the Best Boons, we’ve gathered a shortlist of the ones we particularly found effective for each God below.

Aphrodite - Healthy Rebound

Healthy rebound is a great way to ensure you go into boss encounters with max health. It essentially allows you to restore any lost health when you exit a location. The Boon doesn’t have limited uses, you can use it for as long as you have the required max health percentage and essentially have constantly replenished health.

Demeter - Frigid Sprint

Due to the fast-paced nature of combat in Hades 2, chances are, you’ll be Sprinting a fair bit. With the Frigid Sprint Boon, your Sprint forms a Cyclone around you that lingers after you stop. Enemies can then get caught up in the Cyclone and freeze, giving you enough time to re-position yourself for attack. Freeze in general is a fantastic condition to apply to foes for better crowd control.

Poseidon - Wave Strike

Speaking of crowd control, the Wave Strike Boon can knock enemies away with a splash when you Attack. Most of Poseidon’s Boons concentrate on minor finds or knock-back damage. This is especially helpful if you’re using close-ranged weapons like the Sister Blades or Moonstone Axe as it can give you a few vital seconds in-between Attacks. The Crashing Wave Boon can also be extremely useful (particularly in the third major area) as you can use the splash to slam enemies into barriers and create a blast for added damage.

Hestia - Flame Strike

I like most of Hestia’s Boons for the Scorch they can inflict on foes. Scorch is a fire attack that can add considerably to your damage total. The Flame Strike Boon is simple in function but very effective and effectively applies Scorch to your attacks. This can be extremely powerful if you’re chaining multiple Attacks together or using the Moonstone Axe Omega Attack, which can emit up to 20 consecutive spinning attacks in a short amount of time.

Zeus - Static Shock

Most of the Boons offered by Zeus are pretty substantial. The Static Shock Boon in particular is incredibly useful against large crowds as it enables you to perform a chain-lighting attack that travels across foes. To use it, you need to Prime 50 Magick after entering a location. I suggest using this one once you have upgraded your Magick pool a couple of times. You can then pair this Boon with the Spirit Surge Boon, also offered by Zeus. This will strike foes with lightning when you have no more than 10 Magick. This means you can perform these Boons one after another to great effect. Zeus’ Boons in general work extremely well when stacked together.

Hephaestus - Volcanic Strike and Molten Touch

Volcanic Strike is possibly my favourite of all Boons. It essentially creates a blast that deals 200 damage in an AOE. This blast is triggered when you perform Attacks. For a Moonstone Axe build, it will trigger fairly often and will usually be a fantastic aid in boss fights. In smaller skirmishes, it will blast multiple foes at once and will often one-shot them.

I also recommend picking up the Molten Touch Boon from Hephaestus if you can. This will allow your Attacks and Specials to deal bonus damage to enemies in armor. Armor can be cumbersome and often you’ll have to whittle it away for some time before the enemy is vulnerable to attacks. With this Boon, you can shortcut this process.

Most of Hephaestus’ Boons are useful and will amp up your damage. The Mint Condition Boon is also fantastic as it will turn you immune to damage at the start of encounters for a brief spell. For obvious reasons, this is particularly helpful in boss fights where you can focus on delivering as much damage as possible before adopting a more tactical approach.

Artemis - Support Fire

Support Fire is one of my favourite Boons across the board and can be criminally overlooked. It essentially shoots enemies with an arrow after you perform an Attack or Special. These arrows usually offer around 10 damage each. Although this sounds small, they will release an arrow after every single Special or Attack which will soon add up. Often, they’ll contribute to finishing off bosses and other enemies when they only have a sliver of health left and you’re seconds away from being smacked. Artemis’ Boons in general buff the chances for critical damage and tend to be worth picking up if you encounter the wandering Goddess.

Gifts of the Moon - Phase Shift and Dark Side

The Gifts of the Moon Boons offered by Selene are all unique powers that you can perform once your Hex has charged up. The Phase Shift Boon is particularly useful as it will slow time and allow you to get in some cheap shots on your enemies whilst they lumber about slowly. The Dark Side Boon is also helpful as it will make you immune to all damage for a short while and give you a new Attack in the process. With this, you can stand in harm’s way and concentrate on blasting foes, removing a chunk of their health before the Hex wears off and you can continue a tactical approach.

Hera - Bridal Glow

Hera’s Bridal Glow Boon is considerably powerful. It allows you to turn all equipped Boons to Heroic quality. The rarity will then lower every 7 encounters. Of course, it’s a Boon best picked towards the end of your run or near a boss battle. The perks of the Boon completely outweigh the negatives, however, especially if you can time it right.

Apollo - Critical Miss

Apollo usually provides Boons that inflict Daze. This is a curse that offers the chance for enemies to deal no damage during an attack. As such, if you choose a Boon like Dazzling Display (which adds the chance for Daze on all your attacks) and pair that with the Critical Miss Boon, you’ll have a strong loadout. Critical Miss deals out damage to foes that miss because of Daze. In a way, it’s like you’re reversing the damage back onto enemies. If you’re wielding the Sister Blades and have access to its powerful back-slash Dodge Attack, I also recommend picking up the Back Burner Boon which applies more damage to foes struck from behind.

Hermes - Mean Streak

Hermes usually specialises in speed buffs or wealth gain. Something like the Swift Flourish Boon is helpful for most builds, especially arcana-focused ones as it will speed up your Special Attacks. I particularly like the Mean Streak Boon as it allows you to increase more damage output every time you slay a foe. During encounters with large groups of enemies, this can be a powerful boost and allow you to tear through crowds with relative ease.

Full Hades 2 Boons list

The following Boons are all the ones included in Hades 2, as of writing.

Aphrodite Boons

Apollo Boons

Artemis Boons

Boons of Chaos

Chaos Boons are organised slightly differently. The first table contains stipulations which are usually a negative effect, whilst the second contains the rewards. Chaos Boons can be a random mix of the two tables and you’ll need to discover all possible combinations to fulfil the Chaos Prophecy via The Fated List. There is also one Legendary Chaos Boon and Infusion Boon, found at the bottom of these tables.

Demeter Boons

Hades Boons

Hera Boons

Hermes Boons

Hephaestus Boons

Hestia Boons

Poseidon Boons

Selene Boons (Gifts of the Moon)

Selene’s Boons usually impact your Hex, a separate combat skill/spell. Once you accept a Gift of the Moon from Selene, you can increase the effectiveness of the Hex’s properties by visiting additional gates with Selene’s symbol . Acquiring additional blessings will lead you to the ‘Path of Stars’ screen where you can upgrade your original Boon choice. These upgrades vary from Normal (white), Bright (blue) and Sublime (purple) rarity, with Sublime being the most powerful.

Zeus Boons

Hades 2 Curses list

You’ll notice that a lot of the Boons mention specific conditions called Curses. These all have unique effects and are usually implemented by a specific God. We’ve offered a list of all Curses below along with the Curse effect and which God usually implements them.

That rounds off our guide to the best Boons in Hades 2. For more Hades 2 tips and tricks , see our guides to the best weapons and all symbol meanings in the game.

Hades II

PC , Nintendo Switch , Nintendo Switch 2

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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