Hades II God Tier List (Post-Launch Patch 2)

Sixteen Olympian gods and alternate boon sources ranked by post-1.0 and Post-Launch Patch 2 build-defining potential. Rankings reflect 32-Fear runner consensus, signature boon strength, and how often each pool anchors a top-end clear.

TL;DR

Hera, Aphrodite, and Apollo (for omega builds) define the post-1.0 ceiling. Zeus, Hephaestus, and Hestia carry the next tier as flat-damage and percentage-modifier anchors. Apollo drops to B-tier outside omega-cast aspects because his non-Lucid-Gain pool is narrower than the giants above. Ares stays C-tier despite the Patch 2 rework, with the Anubis Cut Above duo standing as the lone exception.

Methodology

Rankings weight four factors: signature boon strength (does the god offer a build-defining keystone), boon pool depth (how many of the god's boons see play across multiple aspects), omega-cast versus base coverage (whether the pool serves both omega-heavy and attack-driven builds), and 32-Fear runner consensus from r/Hades2 and verified clears. Patch 2 reworks were checked against community sentiment as of 2026-05-03. A god with one S-tier signature and a thin supporting pool ranks below a god with three A-tier picks across attack, special, and cast slots.

S Tier

Hera

The most universal pool in the game. Sworn Strike anchors Moros Flames and Medea Skull as the headline attack boon, and Hitch carries Hera global modifiers across every flat-damage stack. King's Ransom multiplies Blitz, Double Strike, and Arc Flash on a single line, the rare three-axis multiplicative effect that turns fast-hitter aspects into 600-per-proc machines.

Aphrodite

Psychic Leash is the central scaling vector for the entire Circe Staff archetype, returning roughly 50% magick refund while feeding 40-60% global multipliers through Aphrodite's Charm chain. Heart Strike anchors the Vytautas Love and Thunder Melinoe staff build. Flutter Flourish at +250% percentage damage is the slow-weapon special boon of choice on Charon Axe.

Apollo (S-tier for omega builds, B-tier general)

Lucid Gain is mandatory first-pick on every omega-cast aspect: Charon, Anubis, Circe, Moros, and Nyx all collapse without it. The 40 magick returned per 30 spent funds infinite omega-cast spam on Charon and the omega-special channel on Moros. Outside omega builds, the Apollo pool runs narrower than Hera or Aphrodite; Solar Ring and Nova Strike are good but not structural.

A Tier

Zeus

The flat-damage king on fast-hitter aspects. Blitz adds 200 per proc and stacks on every chip-damage swing of Sister Blades or Umbral Flames; Heaven Flourish carries the Special slot on Moros Flames and Medea Skull builds. Static Shock breaks armor on the Medea speedrun rotation.

Hephaestus

The defensive A-tier pick that doubles as a damage anchor on Nergal. Volcanic Strike on the Nergal Axe Berserker build feeds the lifesteal loop, and the universal damage-reduction passives keep face-tank aspects alive in the Pact of Punishment runs that punish dodge-heavy play.

Hestia

Smolder Ring is the persistent 20 DPS scorch that pairs perfectly with the Always-Be-Casting Circe rotation. Scorch on Moros Flames Special is a community-validated alternate path when Zeus does not roll. The flat tick damage scales the same way Blitz does, which makes Hestia a reliable second pick when the god rotation is unfriendly.

B Tier

Poseidon

Splash adds 100 per cleave on every fast-hitter, and the knockback effects clear chip-damage waves cleanly. The pool lacks a single S-tier keystone, which keeps Poseidon out of the top builds. Tidal Ring is a viable cast scaler on Charon Axe when Solar Ring does not appear.

Demeter

Frozen status pairs with percentage-damage modifiers, and Frigid Gain is the cleanest Apollo alternative when no Lucid Gain offer comes through. Demeter's pool is solid but rarely the build's centerpiece, and the freeze interactions slow burst windows on bosses that already have stagger thresholds.

Hermes

Movement and APM boons that smooth out every aspect without defining one. Greater Haste, Quick Recovery, and Speedy Recovery are the kind of picks that shave seconds off a speedrun without anchoring the build. Useful on Medea Skull rotations that want every dash to come back faster.

C Tier

Ares

The Patch 2 rework to Profuse Bleeding, Sanguinary Savor, and Grievous Blow did not shift community sentiment. r/Hades2 polls continue to rate Ares C-tier or D-tier. The HookieDookie 65-Fear Moros Flames build explicitly skips Ares in favor of Hera, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hestia. The exception is the Anubis Staff zoning archetype, where the Apollo and Ares item:cut-above paired with item:coffin-nails creates a community-validated scaling path that turns the persistent damage fields into a 32-Fear capable kit.

Other Sources

Selene (Hex amplifier)

Selene boons modify the Hex slot rather than offering attack and special scaling. Lunar Ray, Total Eclipse, and the other Hex effects function as run-defining ultimates rather than continuous damage. Selene picks are tier-agnostic; the Hex you take matters more than the rarity rolled.

Hecate (Crossroads buffs)

The Crossroads chamber rewards stack on top of every other system. Hecate's pool offers shrine-tier global buffs that affect the entire run, similar to Arcana effects but earned mid-run. Treat as a flex slot rather than a Olympian replacement.

Chaos (gambles)

Chaos boons trade short-term debuffs for long-term gains. Worth taking on long marathon clears where the debuff window expires before the boss; skip on speedrun pacing where the debuff costs the timer.

Artemis, Athena, Dionysus (mid-tier extras)

Artemis crit modifiers shine on Medea Skull and Persephone aspects but lack a universal anchor. Athena's deflect chain trades damage for safety, useful on high-Fear vow stacks that punish hits taken. Dionysus Hangover stacks slowly and rewards long fights, which makes the pool situational rather than build-defining.

See Also

• Boon Tier List
• Build Hub
• Aspect Tier List