Hades 2 v1.0 is here, and even though it's been in early access for over a year, there are plenty who waited for its full launch before jumping into Supergiant's latest.
Myself included, as I said in my review of Hades 2, I avoided the sequel so I could have the same experience I had with the first game. Now that I've spent a good deal of time with the game and have felled Chronos and reached Olympus' peak, there are a few nuggets of wisdom I feel ready to share.
Starting with what is undoubtedly the only thing that the action fans of the first Hades game are curious about when it comes to jumping into Hades 2. How good are the weapons and which one is the best?
This tier guide will go through which are the best weapons in Hades 2, and where their pros and cons lie, even if they're not always what you want to grab on your way down into the Underworld, or up towards Mount Olympus.
Hades 2 Weapons Tier Guide
S-Tier: The Sister Blades, Lim and Oros
Starting with the best of the best, there is really only one weapon sitting at the top of Mount Olympus compared to the other five Nocturnal arms available to Melinoë, and it's the Sister Blades, Lim and Oros.
They're the fastest weapons in Hades 2, with each of their starting aspects all extremely viable for wherever you are in the game. They don't need certain boons to be powerful; you can build around them easily, no matter what you're trying to lean into.
The Special lets you hit multiple enemies with different curses quickly, and while the two aspects you can unlock are more than viable, Melinoë's own aspect is already so powerful that you don't need to focus your resources and efforts on upgrading anything else.
A-Tier: The Witch's Staff, The Black Coat, and The Moonstone Axe
Half of all the Nocturnal Arms sit in the A-tier, because they're all better than the rest but none are as good as the Sister Blades.
The Witch's Staff, Descura
Starting off with The Witch's Staff, Descura, which is also the first weapon you'll have available to you right at the beginning of Hades 2. The Staff is similar to your starting sword in the first Hades. It's an all-around solid choice, even with a reliance on its charged attacks that really make the Staff shine. You'll definitely want to be levelling up your mana bar throughout your run with this weapon equipped, or have Arcana cards like The Unseen equipped, but that doesn't hold the staff back from being a strong choice.
Moonstone Axe, Zorephet
Zorephet, the Moonstone Axe's major drawback is that it's unfortunately slower than you might like for a typical run in Hades 2. That said, the aspect of Thanatos changes that, bringing it up to speed so you'll be able to do the immense amount of damage the axe already does even faster.
Even without the aspect of Thanatos, the Moonstone Axe more than makes up for its slow attack speed with the massive amounts of damage a single hit can deal. It's Special attack is also great at taking out multiple enemies and dealing Curse damage to every enemy in any given encounter since it easily reaches across most of the tighter spaces in Hades 2.
Yes, you might need to get used to how slow it can be, and you might not find your groove with it until you've unlocked the aspect of Thanatos, but even before that, it is a solid choice to build around and one of the better weapons to use in the game overall.
The Black Coat, Xinth
Perhaps the biggest drawback to The Black Coat, Xinth, is that it's the last weapon you'll unlock out of the six. That doesn't stop it from reaching above the other weapons you'll have had more time with by the time you get to it.
It's a jet pack that launches missiles and punches through enemies like nothing else. What more could you ask for, really? How it changes your sprint might take a bit to get used to, but it's Special attack lets you hit multiple enemies at once, its main attack is quick and akin to the speed of the Sister Blades, and one of its aspects even unlocks a powerful hidden Hex that is otherwise unavailable to you.
Like every other weapon mentioned so far, it's fairly easy to build around and doesn't require any particular boons or upgrades to be effective.
B-Tier: Umbral Flames, Ygnium
The Umbral Flames can take some getting used to, and like the Witch's Staff, it's reliant on you having a large mana bar or Arcana cards like The Unseen equipped, so you're not running around without the use of your charged attacks. That said, there's more to these flames than meets the eye when you first grab them in hand.
Its range lets you do consistent damage while staying out of the line of fire, and its Special orbiting around you helps keep enemies at bay when you don't have your Cast available to you. It's Eos aspect also adds a slow-moving grenade ready to do massive damage on top of the damage you're already dolling out with its base attack.
C-Tier: Argent Skull
This will probably be the most controversial placement for this whole list, because yes, the Argent Skull, Revaal, can be massively powerful - if you have the right upgrades. That's why I have it all the way down in C-tier.
Out of all six weapons, the Argent Skull is the most 'great with the right upgrades' weapon in the game. At least for me, in a roguelike, that's not the marker of a good weapon choice. Without those upgrades, it packs a strong punch but makes you grab your ammo after firing.
I'm not saying this weapon isn't viable - all six can lead you to a win at the peak of Mount Olympus or in the depths of the Underworld, including the Argent Skull. But out of all of them, it's the one that comes with the biggest asterisk, because not only does it only get more useful with the right upgrades, it actively puts you in harm's way with how you'll need to move across each encounter to keep the skull loaded and ready to fire.
Ultimately, these rankings are based on my own experiences with each weapon, and what you prefer might be different. Just make sure to give each a try to find what you like and what fits your playstyle.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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