Hades 2 tier list: Best weapons ranked

Here are the best weapons in Hades 2 and how to unlock them

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

Looking for the best weapons in Hades 2? Hades 2 is a gruelling rogue-like dungeon crawler that puts you in the shoes of Melinoe, desperate to avenge her family against the tyrannical Kronos.

If you have any hope of even getting to Kronos, you’ll need to have the best weapons possible. Join us as we go through each weapon currently availible via early access, judging the best and which Keepsakes , Arcana Cards and Boons we would pair with them for a successful run. We’ll also tell you how you can unlock each one.

In this guide:

• Weapons in Hades 2 explained
• Witch’s Staff
• Sister Blades
• Umbral Flames
• Argent Skull
• Moonstone Axe
• How to unlock weapons

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

Weapons in Hades 2 explained

Below we’ll go all Hades 2 weapons availible as of writing and explain each of their attacks and the build they are best suited for.

Each weapon in Hades 2 has 6 main attacks . These are a regular Attack and a Special (which varies from weapon to weapon) and Omega versions which tend to be the charged variations. To charge an attack and unleash an Omega version of it, hold down the regular prompt before releasing.

Each weapon will also have the ability to perform a Dodge Attack and a Cast . All Casts (except for the Umbral Flames) start at 180 damage. The cast attack will summon a circular sigil on the ground. Enemies within the sigil will be snared and take damage.

See below for a rundown of each weapon in Hades 2, their strengths and weaknesses and ways to unlock them in the game.

#5 Witch’s Staff

The Omega Attack is the best attack the Witch’s Staff delivers. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

• Attack: Multiple thrusts that deal more damage as they progress before a swinging attack. The damage output without buffs is usually 20, 25, and then 30.
• Omega Attack: Delivers an attack to all foes in a line for 120 damage each. Costs 20 Magick to perform.
• Special: A singular orb, delivered to a foe in a straight line causing 10 damage.
• Omega Special: A chargeable orb blast that will crash upon enemies in a line. Delivers 80 damage and costs 10 Magick to perform.

The Witch’s Staff is the first weapon you’ll recieve at start of Hades 2. Despite this, it is by no means weak and still offers a powerful short and long-range attack.

In fact, the standard Attack still has a good amount of reach to it and can allow you to attack foes whilst maintaining a bit of breathing room. Consecutive attacks deal more damage and on the last one, Melinoe will spin the staff to deliver a final, slightly more damaging blow.

The staff is suited for thinning large crowds of enemies and is best used at a range. As you’ll mainly be relying on the Special attack, consider equipping the Silver Wheel Keepsake (you can acquire this from Hecate after gifting her a Nectar), which will restore your consumed Magick over 3 seconds for up to a total of 1,000 Magick.

#4 Sister Blades

The Sister Blades can target up to 5 enemies at at time with its Omega Special. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

• Attack: Three slashing arcs that deliver 20 damage each, a thrust for 50 and then a larger sweeping attack for 80 damage.
• Omega Attack: A dash backwards that delivers a strong attack for 100 damage. Costs 10 Magick to perform.
• Special: Throws a dagger at an enemy in a straight line for 25 damage.
• Omega Special: Throws multiple daggers at once (up to five), targeting multiple foes from a distance. Costs 10 Magick to perform (plus an additional 1 for every additional dagger) and foes take 50 damage each.

The Sister Blades are likely to be the first weapon you unlock as they are the easiest to source the resources for.

The Sister Blades are a brilliant option that lend themselves well to the fast-paced combat of Hades 2. Consecutive blows with the normal Attack will result in Melinoe arcing slashes, then thrusting before delivering a sweeping attack that can deliver high damage (even higher, if paired with the right Boons).

The Special is extremely useful at targeting multiple foes at once. Although, the reach of the blades is much shorter so they suit a more aggressive build. Pair this with Hestia’s Controlled Burn Boon and these daggers will also inflict Scorch damage on enemies.

I found that the aggressive nature of the blades paired very well with elemental Boons like this, as well as the Flame Strike Boon , as this essentially emitted a wave of flames at enemies that dealt impressive close-range damage.

For this build, you’ll likely be relying on Dodge a lot more. I found that the Fridgid Sprint Boon from Demeter also worked very well. This Boon will create a cyclone of frost when you dodge and has the chance of freezing enemies. This is fantastic for buying you some time as enemies advance towards you and you’re waiting for your Magick to restore.

#3 Umbral Flames

The Umbral Flames has high damage output but is the hardest to initially unlock. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

• Attack: Summons an orb that delivers 15 damage.
• Omega Attack: Uses 5 Magick per hit to make your orbs bigger and deliver 50 damage each.
• Special: Summons an orb that circles you and delivers 25 damage to nearby foes.
• Omega Special: Summons two orbs at once for 20 Magick which circle around you and deliver 20 damage to nearby foes. Attacks multiple times before dissipating.

The Umbral Flames are ideal for a ranged fighter but you’ll likely struggle at first to adapt to a ranged build if you’re coming from the Moonstone Axe or Sister Blades. The Omega Attack is very powerful and you can still move - albeit slowly - when casting it.

However, with the fast-paced nature of combat in Hades 2, you may struggle to manoeuvre around enemies to deliver the blows. In short, the Umbral Flames can be very powerful but require some skill to wield effectively. Unlike the other starting weapons, the Cast attack will deliver 150 damage to foes instead of 180.

For an Umbral Flames build, we recommend utilising any Magick-centric Arcana Cards as you’ll be constantly using Magick for both your Attacks and Specials. In particular, consider The Huntress card which gives you a +30% damage to Attacks and Specials when you have less than 100% Magick. The Titan card is also one you can unlock relatively early and will give you a +20 to both Magick and Health.

Additionally, we recommend equipping Hecate’s Keepsake, The Silver Wheel which will allow you to restore Magick after use for a possible cumulative total of 1,000 Magick. This will be your steady supply of Magick and make sure you have enough on a run to fuel your Umbral Flames Attacks.

#2 Argent Skull

The Argent Skull is also known as Revaal. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

• Attack: Fire up to three spectral skulls that deliver 50 damage each and retrieve the skulls to re-cast.
• Omega Attack: Charge up your attack with 10 Magick to form a binding circle. The skull will then descend on the circle and deliver 90 damage in an AOE.
• Special: Dash forward and deliver a blow with your skull for 25 damage.
• Omega Special: Charge up your Special with 20 Magick, then dash forward, brandishing the skull and attacking all foes in a line for 100 damage each.

The Argent Skull is the last Nocturnal Arm you’re likely to unlock as it requires Glassrock to make, which can only be obtained from mining in the third major region.

Once obtained, you’ll find that the Argent Skull can be tricky to wield at first and will require some skill and practice. The basic Attack is powerful enough, but will require you to monitor your skull count closely and Dodge around the rooms to pick them up.

For this reason, we recommend picking up Boons from Hermes , who will usually offer sprint and Dodge speed increases. We also recommend The Swift Runner Arcana Card which will give you a +20% speed increase and can be improved further with Infusions.

The real strength of the Argent Skull comes with its Omega Special attack which can charge through a line of foes and deliver 100 damage each. As such, we recommend keeping your Magick count replenished by equipping The Unseen Arcana Card, which will give you the ability to restore Magick every second and The Titan card, which will raise your base health and Magick upwards of +40 when upgraded. Additionally, whilst performing this attack, you’ll usually pick up any expended skulls in the process. During a run, I tried to flick between the Special and Omega Special to avoid the skull-collecting process altogether.

#1 Moonstone Axe

The Moonstone Axe is our pick for the best starting weapon in Hades 2. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

• Attack: A large sweeping attack that delivers 40 damage.
• Omega Attack: Several consecutive sweeping attacks that emit a torrent of damage (50 each). The initial charge costs 10 Magick with an additional 1 per swing.
• Special: Block attacks with a flurry motion that can also emit 10 damage.
• Omega Special: Block attacks whilst charging up an AOE that distributes across three large circles. Foes caught in these circles take 140 damage. Costs 25 Magick to perform.

The Moonstone Axe can be a tricky weapon at first as it is notably heavier and slower than the other weapons in Hades 2. Despite this, it is an absolute powerhouse once you get to grips with it and is my personal pick for the best weapon in Hades 2 , out of the starting options.

You can Dodge and Attack for a sweeping hit behind enemies. The blocking mechanism as you gear up for an Omega Special is also incredibly useful and prevents enemies from overwhelming you whilst you pause to cast it.

Once you get used to the added weight and buff it with the right Keepsakes and Boons, the Moonstone Axe can chop through waves of enemies with incredible force. I recommend also using any Boons that apply an elemental damage effect to your Special plus The Sorceress Arcana Card to slow time as you cast, giving you more time to line up your special and trap as many enemies in it as possible.

The Unseen Arcana Card is also incredibly useful. As you’ll be using your Magick a lot with this axe, The Unseen will give you Magick regeneration (1 Magick for every 2 seconds). With this, you can repeatedly queue up Omega Special attacks.

Also, consider The Huntress card which gives you an added 30% damage to your Attack and Special when you have less than 100% Magick.

Of course, the Boons and buffs you encounter on a run are completely randomised but if possible, pick the Furious Whirlwind Daedalus Hammer and the Heaven Strike Zeus Boon. This combination allowed me to quit literally Blitz past the first boss and inflicted seriously impressive damage. With the Whirlwind ability, your Omega Attack is twice as fast and outputs the damage required to trigger the Zeus Boon which will inflict Blitz (lightning) on your foe for a 200-damage output.

How to unlock weapons

The Witch’s Staff will automatically be unlocked at the beginning of Hades 2. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Supergiant Games

There is a pool of weapons called the Nocturnal Arms available to you at the sigil opposite Schelemeus. These weapons require the following resources to unlock:

• Sister Blades: Requires Silver x1.
• Moonstone Axe: Requires Silver x15.
• Umbral Flames: Requires Silver x3 and Cinder x3.
• Argent Skull: Requires Glass Rock x2 and Bronze x1.

Once you have unlocked a new weapon, make sure it is equipped. Equipped weapons will have a ring around them. You can train with Schelemeus here, if you wish to get familiar with the weapon’s specials before entering Erebus.

Silver can be mined from ores throughout Erebus, they will look like rocks with crescent moons on them. To mine, you’ll need to first unlock the Crescent Pick. To do so, brew the ‘Night’s Craftwork’ Incantation at Hecate’s cauldron.

Below is a spoiler for the first boss’s identity in Hades 2 and the name of a region beyond the second boss.

For the Argent Skull, you’ll need Glass Rock and Bronze. Glass Rock can be mined with the Crescent Pick within the third major region past Erebus. Whereas Bronze can be found within the city of Ephyra, above ground . See our guide to getting Bronze in Hades 2 for more details about this region.

That rounds off our guide to the best weapons in Hades 2. For more Hades 2 tips and tricks, see our guides to best Boons , a list of all Hades 2 symbols and what they mean, and more.

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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