Hades Beginner's Guide: First Escape Attempts, Boons and the Mirror of Night

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1. Play the opening run to the end You start with the Stygian Blade and will most likely die. That's expected. Back home, talk to characters; story and new systems unlock through these conversations.
2. Spend Darkness at the Mirror The Mirror of Night in your room turns Darkness into permanent talents. According to the wiki some are available from the start, others need Chthonic Keys. Death Defiance, which gives extra lives, is one of the most valuable early investments.
3. Choose routes by door rewards After clearing a chamber, the doors show the next reward. Early on, health and permanent resources (Darkness, Keys) are great, while boons and hammers make you stronger for the current run.
4. Pick boons that work together Favour boons that strengthen the move you use most instead of scattering effects across gods. Press B to review what you have.
5. Open the Codex Hold C to open the Codex, which describes enemies, gods and items you've met. It's the first place to look when you don't understand what a foe does.
6. Gift Nectar to characters Give Nectar you find to characters with G and you'll receive a Keepsake in return, small but useful bonuses you carry into a run.
7. Unlock a new weapon with keys Only the Stygian Blade is available at first. According to the wiki the other Infernal Arms are unlocked with Chthonic Keys, 24 in total for all of them. Trying different weapons keeps runs fresh and shows you which style suits you.
8. Visit the House Contractor The House Contractor offers cosmetic and functional renovations. According to the wiki, helpful rooms such as health fountains in the Underworld are unlocked through these upgrades.

• Keep movingStanding still is rarely safe. Dash gives brief invulnerability, so use it both to escape and to get behind enemies.
• Rebind your keysThe wiki suggests mouse and keyboard players move Special from Q to the right mouse button and Cast to another easy key. Special is used far more often than Cast.
• Pick your bloodstone back upCast fires a bloodstone that lodges in an enemy. By default it drops when the foe dies or after a while, and you walk over it to collect it. No stone, no Cast.
• Spend obols, don't hoard themCharon's Obols only last for the current run. Spend them on healing or a strong boon rather than saving.
• Hit from behindThe Shadow Presence talent at the Mirror boosts Attack and Special damage when striking foes from behind. Make dashing behind enemies a habit.
• Learn enemy tellsMost enemies wind up before striking. In early runs focus on reading these tells rather than dealing damage; you'll lose far less health.
• Turn on God Mode if you're strugglingAccording to the wiki God Mode can be toggled any time: it starts at 20% damage resistance, rises 2% per death and caps at 80%. It doesn't lock achievements or content; records are just kept separately.
• Don't fear dyingCharacters open up new conversations as you die and reach new places. Every failed run moves the story and your permanent progress forward.
• The Pact of Punishment comes laterAccording to the wiki the Pact of Punishment appears in the courtyard after your first successful escape. It raises difficulty for extra rewards; no need to think about it before then.

• Hoarding Darkness instead of spending it at the Mirror: without permanent upgrades every run stays just as hard.
• Picking boons at random: boons that don't support each other make a scattered, weak run.
• Standing still to attack: players who don't dash lose health very quickly.
• Skipping conversations at home: new systems, keepsakes and story unlock through them.
• Saving obols: they reset on death and should be spent during the run.
• Leaving your bloodstone on the floor: you can't Cast without it.

This guide was written for version: Guide written for the current version of Hades (the first game) as of September 2026; Hades II is a separate game.

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