Summary
Hadeshas to be, at this point, one of the most popular roguelikes of all time. This story, detailing Zagreus' journey out of Tartarus, has such an incredibly deep well of content in it, and the fanbase seems to agree since the game is so incredibly popular. And, this is par for the course for Supergiant Games, as they’ve been making stellar titles all the way since the days ofBastionback in 2011.
Now, a lot of the actual character depth, gameplay depth, and all-around content depth ofHadescomes from the Gods that you can find all over it. Whether this is the Gods of Olympus, the Gods of the Underworld, or just the Gods that are concepts given forms, all of them make different impacts on Zagreus. With that in mind, why don’t we take a look at every single God you come in contact with inHadesand see which ones seem to be the best overall when it comes to their design, their character growth, and their impact on the actual gameplay side ofHades?
Updated May 22nd, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter:With Hades 2 now out in Early Access, players might be surprised to discover just how many people have gone back to give the first Hades game a look now that there’s a sequel for them to play. In fact, in the first week the sequel game came out, the first Hades game hit a new all-time highest player peak. So, with all these people going back to give the original underworld roguelike title a look, it seems worth it to recomb through all the gods found in the game and seehow they all stack up against each other. Keep in mind, while we will be mentioning what some characters are now up to in Hades 2, what they’re doing in the sequel has absolutely no bearing on their rankings on this list.
Disclaimer: May contain spoilers for Hades.Additionally, these rankings take the God’s usefulness in-game into account, their character writing, their growth as a character over the course of the game, and their visual design as well. So, this is more than just a list talking about the best Boons from each Olympic God and so on.
D
C+
The primary ‘antagonist’ of the first gameis none other than Zagreus' very own father, the God of the Underworld, Hades. This version of Hades compared to most other depictions of him in other media is probably the most well-rounded. He has a fantastic design, is perfect ‘on brand’ for the king of the underworld, and actually becomes a pretty deep and nuanced character as the story of the firstHadesgame progresses.
His personification in Greek Legends and other media has always differed drastically, more so than a lot of the other Olympus Gods, but in this game specifically, they really took it in a whole new direction by making Hades a bad dad who eventually learns the error of his ways. Honestly one of the biggest achievements of this characterization of Hades is the fact that the game came up with a believable reason as to why Hades is so curt with Zagreus, something that originally no one thought they would be able to do. In terms of gameplay, Hades is basically the only god from Mount Olympus to offer 0 Boons to Zagreus, but the small thing he does give him (the Sigil of the Dead Keepsake) is pretty amazing if utilized correctly.
C-
While Poseidon’s design does have a lot in common with other depictions of Poseidon, namely the fact that he’s shirtless and boisterous, there’s a lot that Supergiant did that made this version of Poseidon incredibly unique. Design-wise this can be seen in the way his hair and beard flow like water, in his unique fashion sense, or especially in his demeanor (he has a really ‘jolly uncle’ vibe).
But sadly, when it comes to gameplay utility, Poseidon takes a beating here, as many of his Boons don’t really impact combat and the ones that do rely very heavily on the Knockback and Rupture mechanics, which were made a lot better inHades 2but were weak outside of a few specific builds in the firstHadesgame. Additionally, while his dialog is always fun to read/hear, this version of Poseidon is probably one of the characters in the game who changes the least and doesn’t really have anything that anyone could call a ‘character arc’.
F+
Hypnos is by far the funniest characterHadeshas, outside of Theseus (and of course not including Zagreus). He’s the literal incarnation of Sleep as well as the ‘God’ ruling over the concept of sleep, is one of Nyx’s many sons, is the twin brother of Thanatos, and is an all-around professional slacker. Sadly, Hypnos and his brother Thanatos don’t get along, at least at first, as the latter isn’t a huge fan of the former’s work ethic. But, over the course of the game, their relationship matures and grows in a positive direction both due to Zagreus and Nyx as well as some effort from both Hypnos and Thanatos.
Design-wise, Hypnos is pretty simple compared to his mother Nyx, but everything about his concept almost masterfully fits the concept of Sleep Incarnate. There’s his cape which looks like it serves as both a cape and a quilt, his eternally droopy eyes like he’s about to nod off at any most, his eternally bed-head hairstyle (even more so inHades 2), and of course, there’s the sleep mask he always wears on his forehead. Sadly, like with Hades, it’s the gameplay integration that explains why Hypnos is this far down on this list. He is another character that can’t offer Zagreus any Boons, but he does give him the Chthonic Coin Purse Keepsake. The thing is, while this Coin Purse is good for the early game, it quickly falls off once players unlock even a few other Keepsake options to choose from.
B
C
Next up is Dionysus, AKA the God of Wine. However, like most Gods, there are a lot of other domains that Dionysus rules over in the original Greek Mythology, such as him also being the God of Madness and Festivities. In terms of his design, Dionysus looks amazing. The long hair, the cheetah print mantle, his hair that flows like wine, his long eyelashes that are oh-so-obviously well maintained, and of course the clusters of grapes sprinkled on his clothes all combine to give off this perfect image of a well-groomed fratboy who is ready to party.
It makes so much sense to characterize him as a down-to-earth frat boy, given the concepts he holds domain over. Whereas other sources of media usually go for the ‘overweight alcoholic’ type of look for Dionysus, Supergiant Games made sure to keep this iteration of the character visually appealing, so that he could stand alongside almost every single other character in the game, all of which are ungodly attractive in general. As far as his personality or character writing goes, that’s his biggest flaw as once the player hears one line of dialog from him, they’ve basically learned all they’re going to learn about Dionysus. He doesn’t really grow, change, or reveal anything about himself, making him feel pretty flat in comparison to other Olympic Gods like Artemis or Hermes.
It’s very similar to Poseidon, but even Poseidon has a bit more going on than Dionysus does. There are some cute references in his dialogue that allude to the fact that ‘technically’ Dionysus and Zagreus are the same person/god, but outside of that he’s really just a one-note character. As for his game mechanic utility, Dionysus is based all around the concept of Festive Fog. While Festive Fog might seem like a bad Status Effect at first glance, it’s incredible when used correctly. Plus, the Hangover ailment is the best method of dealing passive damage to enemies in the entirety of the firstHadesgame.
In comparison to Zeus and Aphrodite having designs that are more ‘stereotypical’ for the God of the Sky and the Goddess of Love, Ares' representation inHadesis incredibly unique. The God of War in any and all media is usually depicted as someone with all the physical attributes of a stereotypical lumberjack, covered in blood and full of fury, barely holding themselves back from attacking anyone in sight. Just look at Ares and Kratos in the God of War series to get a picture of what a ‘god of war’ typically looks like however, once this version of Ares starts talking about the ideas of violence, war, and blood that’s when players can start to pick up on the little things like the fact that there’s more emotion and energy in the voice actor’s delivery of their lines based around these concepts. This iteration of Ares obviously loves fighting, killing, and war as much as any other depiction of him, but the Ares inHadesjust has a better grasp of his emotions and keeps his bloodlust a bit more ‘under wraps’.
As far as Ares' gameplay mechanics are concerned, he’s pretty good. All of his Boons are centered around things like Blade Rifts, the Doom ailment, or the Revenge mechanic. All three of these concepts have their uses and can be overpowered in specific builds, but in general, Doom especially is not the best for a primary build option.
A+
The most famous (or infamous) God in the whole pantheon is, of course, Zeus. All types of media, including games, games tend to portray Zeus on both sides of the moral spectrum, AKA a morally grey character, someone who seems to have a strong sense of justice but is constantly caught cheating on his wife.Hadesportrays him a tad nicer than say,God of Waror even the original Greek myths do, but the amount of shade Hades himself throws at his brother Zeus when talking about him paints a clear enough picture of the side of this character Zagreus doesn’t get to see.
Frankly, he’s only this high on the list because his Boons might be the all-around strongest in the game. His design is every bit as stereotypical as any other design of Zeus is, and his writing is barely ever anything more than pompous small-talk. But, every single Zeus Boon is almost unbelievably strong thanks to them being built around the Jolted ailment, the ability to create lightning bolts that bounce between enemies, damaging enemies when they hurt you, or even damaging enemies when you successfully dodge their attacks. It’s almost unfair how good his Boons are compared to some of the other Olympic Gods, but even then, that’s sort of ‘par for the course’ for Zeus.
S-
B-
Aphrodite might known as the most beautiful Goddess on Olympus, but she kind of fell flat for a lot ofHadesplayers the first time they saw her. Ares, Artemis, and most of the other God designs inHadesfeel like very unique spins on these classic deities. But, in comparison, this Aphrodite design is, of course, expertly made, but is conceptually very similar to a lot of other iterations of this goddess. She’s showing a lot of skin, she’s flirtatious, and she can be fickle, just like almost every other depiction of Aphrodite. That isn’t to say that the art for this character isn’t incredible or that she doesn’t have memorable moments of dialog, it’s just not quite as unique or memorable as the rest. Of course, inHades 2, they’ve improved upon this character in almost every way, giving he a lot of accessories that add to her design, or having her give her genuine thoughts on characters when Melinoë speaks to her.
In terms of what Aphrodite adds to the gameplay of the firstHadesgame, she’s incredible. Her Boons truly are just about as amazing as Zeus', but with more versatility and synergy overall. She has Boons that let Zagreus take less damage, increase his Max HP earlier, charm enemies, inflict the Weak ailment on enemies, and more. And,as far as Duo Boons go, almost every single Duo Boon that Aphrodite is a part of is overpowered.
C- to S+
Supergiant Games really went all-in when it came to bringing lesser-known classic Greek Mythos icons to life, whether it’s the Fury Sisters, Hypnos, Asterius, Moros, Nemesis, Hecate, or any of the other characters that aren’t reallyas well known as the iconic Greek Godsof Greek Mythology. But, it’s likely that no one out there expected them to give the literal concept of Chaos itself a physical form, or that it would be so immediately recognizable. Chaos is the Primordial Void (again, technically not a God, but equal or greater to them in power) that Nyx and all the other Titans (such as Chronos or Gaia) rose out of, which makes them Nyx’s one and only parent. Now, as far as their impact on gameplay is concerned, Chaos is inarguably one of the stronger Boon-granting Gods in the game. Because their Boons offer amazing rewards as long as you take an equally difficult risk for a certain amount of encounters, Chaos Boons feel the most like upgrades that you’ve actually ‘earned’. However, this is where the C- to S+ ranking for Gameplay Utility comes in, because depending on your build, the Boons Chaos offers you, or the Encounters you have directly after meeting with Chaos, his Boons can end a run early or make sure a run makes it all the way to the end.
In terms of design, Chaos is incredibly well done. Their design screams ‘beyond mortal comprehension’ in every single way, and their manner of speaking only backs up this core concept of their design. And, inHades 2, they even managed to make their design even stronger, with Chaos' design in the sequel game being one of the absolute fan favorites of the Early Access title overall. The best visual aspect of Chaos’ design that people don’t gush about enough is that fact that you’re able to see aspects of their design in Chaos' children and grandchildren. Take, for example, the white hair Chaos has that both Thanatos and Hypnos also have, or the faces on Chaos' lower section and the red jewelry and how similar they look to the accessories that both Nyx and Hypnos wear, and lastly even just Chaos' strong and stoic facial features is something that all his descendants also have.
One of the ‘underdogs’ of Olympus, Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, is actually a lot like Ares (in terms of gameplay) with the Doom ailment in that she’s all about one specific thing, and that’s burst damage in the form of critical hits. Basically,all of Artemis’ Boonshave to do with giving Zagreus extra crit chance, Marking enemies so that they’re easier to crit, or just granting him more crit damage overall. Critical Hits in most games are game-breaking if triggered often, but they’re also equally worthless if they never trigger. But, because a lot of the weapons inHadeshit pretty rapidly overall, there are a ton of chances to crit throughout a run compared to other games where the average attack speed is lower.
Moving on to how Artemis is as a character inHades, she’s one of the best. Her design is so immediately recognizable as something related to hunting. Because she doesn’t hold domain over the sky or ocean, the other Gods look down on her a bit, so her dialogue with Zagreus shows the inadequacy that she’s feeling. She’s a bit of a loner, and players can feel that in her dialog. Yet, out of all the Gods, Artemis is likely one of the most relatable and most enjoyable to talk to. Thankfully, this closeness with Artemis and her genuine demeanor carries over toHades 2as she’s one of the two Olympus Gods that have stuck by Melinoë since the beginning.
S+
S
Players probably weren’t expecting someone like Hermes to be near the top of the list, but there are actually quite a few reasons he deserves this spot:
His Boons really are just ‘that’ good, both in the originalHadesgame and inHades 2. There are a couple of reasons for this, such as the fact that his Boons don’t take up a proverbial ‘modification’ slot for the thing they’re modifying like any other Boons with the words Dash, Shot, or Flourish do for your Dash, Cast, and Special. On top of that, his Boons almost always make combat a bit more responsive thanks to the attack speed buffs he gives, the Sturdy buff, or just giving Zagreus a bit of Dodge Chance to work with.
Honestly, even just with Hermes' Boon called Greatest Reflex, the game becomes a whole leap easier as this Boon gives Zagreus one more Dash to work with. Then there’s his Keepsake, the Lambent Plume, which can buff Zagreus’ innate speed and dodge chance an absurd amount as long as players focus on clearing rooms quickly.
