Why the Tier List Matters Now
Through Early Access, Hades II's weapons were balanced for the underworld's six biome rhythm. The 1.0 release added a second campaign — the surface, ending at Olympus — and a moon-bound true-ending postgame that punishes the boon-stacking strategies that carried EA. Several weapons that were S-tier in 2024 dropped two tiers without their kit being touched, simply because the new content asks different questions.
This list is built from 80+ heat-50 clears split across surface and underworld postgame. It isn't optimized for streamers or tournament play. It's optimized for the question most players actually care about: which aspect feels both strong and fun on the way to the true ending?
S Tier — The Real Top Three
Aspect of Pan (Sister Blades). The post-1.0 buff to Throw damage scaling combined with Aphrodite's Heartbreak Strike remains the single most disgusting damage interaction in the game. Trivializes Chronos. Slightly more skill-floor than other S-tier picks, but the ceiling is unmatched.
Aspect of Thanatos (Witch's Staff). The reworked auto-attack chain with Demeter Cast effectively turns Mel's staff into a tracking laser. Pair with Hera's Hitch and you have a single-target build that solo-clears Typhon's surface mid-phase faster than any other weapon can deal with the third add wave.
Aspect of Pyrrhus (Skull). Out of the gate in 1.0, the Skull aspect that turns Special into a delayed implosion. Hephaestus blast on Special turns the implosion into a proximity nuke. It's broken, Supergiant knows, and the 1.0.4 patch notes already mention "future tuning." Play it now.
A Tier — The Reliable Picks
Aspect of Charon (Sister Blades). Slightly behind Pan but more consistent run-to-run. The bonus Throw damage on Cast targets makes it a no-brainer for any Cast-heavy boon load.
Aspect of Eos (Witch's Staff). The dawn-themed aspect added in 1.0. Healthy auto-attack chain, mid-tier Special. Best paired with Hestia for the AOE roll synergy.
Aspect of Persephone (Daggers). The Throw-Special chain is one of the cleanest skill expressions in the game. Lower DPS ceiling than Pan; higher reliability against the surface biome's punishing geometry.
Aspect of Mab (Torches). Niche but glorious. The Mab aspect's pulse cadence pairs with Hera's Sworn Boon system in a way that, on a perfect roll, breaks the late surface biome's enrage timer.
B Tier — Situationally Good
Aspect of Tisiphone (Skull). Strong on first three biomes, falls off hard against surface bosses. If you're farming early-game keepsakes, fine. If you're chasing the true ending, look elsewhere.
Aspect of Iris (Torches). The 1.0 aspect that lets Special chain across multiple targets. Looks broken on paper, doesn't play that way — the chain is gated by enemy density and surface boss arenas don't have it.
Aspect of Circe (Witch's Staff). The transformation gimmick is genuinely unique, but it doesn't scale. By heat 30+ you're fighting through it, not with it.
Aspect of Achilles (Daggers). Good. Solid. Perpetually B-tier in a roster that has Pan and Persephone above it. Pick it for fun, not for clears.
Aspect of Selene (Skull). The default Skull aspect post-1.0 buff. B-tier specifically because Pyrrhus exists. Without Pyrrhus this would sit at A-low.
C Tier — The Hard Mode Picks
Aspect of Demeter (Witch's Staff). The freeze-stack identity is too narrow. Cold damage scales poorly against Olympian-tier shields.
Aspect of Hecate (Sister Blades). Fine through underworld. Falls apart on surface biomes where the Cast lock-on can't keep up with target density.
Aspect of Nyx (Torches). The "darkness aspect" that scales with Boon rarity. In theory busted. In practice, you don't get enough heroic boons by biome four for it to mature.
Aspect of Hermes (Daggers). Movement-speed gimmick. Fast, frantic, fragile. The aspect stat-checks against Chronos in a way that the rest of the dagger roster doesn't, and that fact alone keeps it out of B.
F Tier — Don't
Hades II 1.0 doesn't really have F-tier weapons in the way the original game did, but two aspects are genuinely undertuned at the moment. Aspect of Vesta (Skull) can't compete with Pyrrhus or Selene on damage and offers nothing the others don't. Aspect of Athena (Sister Blades) is a defense-oriented pick whose entire identity is invalidated by the new Hera boon system. Both should be tuned up by the next patch; both are skip-tier today.
- Hephaestus + Pyrrhus Skull — implosion proc carries entire surface biomes.
- Aphrodite + Pan Blades — Heartbreak on Throw. The single highest-DPS combo in the game.
- Hestia + any Cast weapon — Wildfire Boon plus AOE Cast = trivial mob clear.
- Hera + Mab Torches — the under-discussed pulse-Sworn synergy that everyone misses.
What's Coming in the Roadmap
Supergiant has confirmed at least one more weapon (the Lyre, leaked extensively in EA datamining) and a hidden seventh boss for the post-true-ending arc. Tier lists will move when those drop — expect Lyre to arrive overpowered, get patched, and settle around A-tier within a month, in true Supergiant fashion.
For now, the meta is unusually wide. There are five genuinely viable S/A picks across all three weapon classes, which is rare for a roguelike at 1.0. Play the aspect you enjoy. The tier list optimizes for clear time. The game optimizes for wonder.