The Underworld is a harsh place—and building a strong, synergized loadout is key to surviving it. While the boons you receive are randomized, this guide will help you understand how to manipulate the boon system, build around your strengths, and create powerful combinations worthy of Zagreus’s divine heritage.

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1. Understanding Boon Availability

By the end of a typical run, you can expect to receive:

• 2 Daedalus Hammers
• 3 Hermes Boons
• Boons from 4 primary gods
• Possible Chaos Boons
• 18–23 total boons, depending on choices and events

To expand your god selection:

• Equip a 5th god’s keepsake in Elysium
• Equip a 6th god’s keepsake in Styx (grants only one boon)

This limited selection means you should plan carefully and accept boons only from gods who synergize well together.

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2. Room Selection: Risk vs. Reward

Not all rooms offer equal boon potential. Here’s what to prioritize:

• Standard Boon Rooms – Offer basic boons with rarity based on the biome.
• Charon’s Shops – No combat, but boon rarity is similar to standard rooms.
• Elite Combat Rooms (Skull Icon) – Higher chances for Epic+ rarities and increased odds for Duo and Legendaryboons.
• Double Boon Rooms (Two God Symbols + Skull) – Grants two boons, but at slightly reduced rarity compared to standard rooms.

Pro tip: Always prioritize Elite Combat Rooms offering boons for the best chance at high-rarity upgrades.

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3. How to Influence Boon Selection

To improve the odds of building a powerful loadout:

• Use a god’s keepsake at the start to increase the frequency of their boons early.
• Switch keepsakes at Asphodel or Elysium to line up synergy or chase specific Duo boons.
• Early boons from a god increase the likelihood of seeing more from them later—but odds diminish over time.
• Re-equipping a god’s keepsake later can help fish for Duo or Legendary boons tied to that god.

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4. Boon Rarity vs. Boon Level

Rarity > Level—always.

• Rarity upgrades (Rare → Epic → Heroic) dramatically increase a boon’s base effect.
• Level upgrades offer smaller, diminishing returns after level 2.
• Power Palms are useful only in niche builds with exceptionally strong boons.

Aim for higher rarity over more levels unless you have a near-perfect build in place.

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5. The Three Core Damage Types

Understanding the three damage pools helps you build around your strengths:

1. Physical Damage

Attack and Special

• Scales with attack/special-focused boons like Artemis’s Hunter Strike or Chaos’s Strength.

2. Magic Damage

Effects like Zeus’s Lightning or Ares’s Doom

• Buffed by general damage bonuses or specific status-boosting boons.
• Very effective when paired with status stacking or area-of-effect effects.

3. Cast Damage

Bloodstone-based ranged attacks

• Scales extremely well with boons like Urge to Kill, Chaos Cast buffs, and Hermes’s Bad News.

Determine your damage direction early:

• Artemis or Athena? Build for physical.
• Zeus or Ares? Build for magic.
• Chaos Cast bonuses? Commit to cast builds.

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6. How to Obtain Heroic Boons

Heroic boons can outperform Legendary ones, but they’re harder to acquire:

• Replace an Epic boon with another god’s boon (random chance of upgrading to Heroic).
• Eurydice’s Ambrosia Delight has a chance to boost Epic boons to Heroic.
• Demeter’s Rare Crop passively upgrades all non-Heroic boons over time (works best early).

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7. Increasing Duo & Legendary Boon Potential

Maximizing your chances for powerful boons requires careful planning:

• Target gods with known Duo synergy early in the run.
• Avoid cluttering your build with unrelated boons—this dilutes the pool.
• Use god-specific keepsakes to ensure the right duo partners show up.
• Upgrade related boons to increase the odds of unlocking a Legendary boon from that god.

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Final Thoughts

To build better and run farther in Hades, remember these key takeaways:

• ⚔️ Plan around a 4-god boon limit, but expand via keepsakes in later zones.
• 🛡️ Prioritize Elite rooms and boon rarity above level upgrades.
• 🌀 Manipulate the boon pool to match your intended synergy.
• 🔥 Choose a damage type early—and build around it.
• 🌟 Target Heroic, Duo, and Legendary boons strategically.

With these strategies, you’ll not only survive longer—you’ll thrive in the Underworld.

Now go, Zagreus. The surface awaits. 🏛️🔥

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