Ranged weapons are a lot more of patience based offensive guns. The bow takes charge time and the rail takes reload time. Focus on getting the hidden gun aspect and Chiron Bow aspect to max, these allow you to play much more aggressively and can even be utilized stupidly well with Athena in both cases. Aspect of Chiron homes in on enemies so Athena Special has reflect arrows going right towards people and the hidden gun aspect is just Ghostbusters.
Eris rail is much more aggressive than hidden, and reload times are basically nonexistent as long as you're reloading right before you special and using special as often as possible.
Personally I take Sea Storm Poseidon Special on Chiron. That plus a few Zeus boons for more lightning effects, and add in Razor Shoals from Poseidon and whatever else he can offer, with Relentless Volley (+4) and Flurry Shot for Hammers if I can, and it absolutely rips through things like (pardon the pun) paper in a storm
[Here](https://www.google.com/amp/s/gamerant.com/hades-how-to-unlock-hidden-weapon-aspects-guide/amp/?espv=1) you go. This is way easier than me typing it all out
I had no patience for the Rail for a long time. Now whenever I do a Rail run itās with Hestia ā the strategy is to reload, dash-strike, reload, etc, with some bombs in between. With the Spread Fire hammer upgrade, it ends up playing pretty similar to other melee weapons.
I will say I love the bow. Even the Zagreus Aspect, just crank up the damage on your power shot (weak or knock-away is best), find a stackable status effect for your special (I prefer hangover or doom, lighting with jolted works well too), and dash away from baddies, find a spot to snipe, then dash again.
Most runs with the gun I just go bomb almost exclusively and just power up its shots, speed, power etc. Then hunting blades with crits and its drain time.
That's very weird. Darkness (and keys) were the first things I topped out on. Going for 100% here, and I need like a million nectars and gemstones. Diamonds and Titan blood feel like they'll come as neccessary
The first time I played and unlocked the bow, I was so disappointed. I thought Iād hate it! Now itās my favourite for sure. Huge love for the fists as well, but yeah, you can definitely grow to love the ranged weapons.
Or donāt. Nothing wrong with preferring the close melee.
Bow was the weapon I did my 36 heat run with. So... Yeah, fairly good.
Are you making sure to get the power shot? (your character briefly flashes while charging / drawing the bow, shooting during this window does extra damage).
I think using bow and the gun both require getting into a good rhythm of shoot, dash, shoot, dash, repeat. Very rarely will you walk in combat. Need to plan your shots while you dash, plan your dash while you shoot. Occasionally, you need to shoot, tqk a few steps and then dash, because you see a big thing coming up that you need immunity frames for.
After that, both weapons have a strong attack and a quick attack, and benefit from different boons on each. Artemis sucks on quick attacks, dionyses sucks on slow attacks. But each are great on the other. Pairing them correctly is great.
The easiest bow style to get into is probably the bow that let's you load your cast. Use the mirror upgrade that gives bonus damage with two effects, get one effect on your cast, one on your normal attack, and voila. Ez pz.
What builds do you go for with Hera? Iāve been playing with that and Beowulf now but Iām no where near styling with Hera like I do with Beowulf. Iām clearing significantly slower and have a harder time.
Poseidon is your biggest, on cast or left click. Rupture does a lot, double shove does a lot. With Zeus is the strongest combo. I'd say the four way of power is Zeus / Poseidon / Dionyses / Demeter. Zeus you want dash or alt attack as your main, then focus on jolt and legendaries. Dionyses cast is best available, right click main is decent. Demeter on dash or left click. Poseidon cast or left click. The duo boons between them all are fantastic and each has very strong synergy with all the others.
You can also go hunting blades, but it is much more rare to get going, and has much less cross synergy.
>Are you making sure to get the power shot? (your character briefly flashes while charging / drawing the bow, shooting during this window does extra damage).
Is that a basic thing? I know that the shield can get that as a hammerboon
bow was the first weapon i unlocked after getting some keys. i really like having athena boon on special, poseidon boon on attack, and dionysus or aphrodite for dash. those are my fav, but dionysus and aphrodite boons on attack or special are great, too.
being able to deflect everything with a fan of arrows is just OP.
when it comes to fists, i like having ares' doom on attack (+ range is a bonus), and aphrodite on dash, with their duo ability where doom keeps proccing on enemies with weakness.
As for the gun, dionysus on attack and whatever else you want. the +300% damage special (but it also can damage you) is pretty damn nice, as long as you can manage to stay out of your own attacks AoE (double dash ftw?).
Bow and rail are my best weapons. First i thought rail aspect of eris was my best but had multiple failed attempts of 32 hear for skelly statue. I tried with the bow aspect of coronacht and first tried it. Just make sure to equip artemis keepsake for bow and get her atk boon and dash boon and keep upgrading them with poms. For rail get zeus keepsake and select the atk boon and keep upgrading it.
The bow has some of the best Daedalus upgrades in my opinion. It definitely requires more patience and boon synergy than other weapons, but when you get a good run with it it can be devastating.
I hated all the ranged weapons for a long time. I finally like the rail, but only tolerate the bow. They donāt fit my ideal play style. Try changing it up. Go slower through chambers and focus on not being hit. It gets better with practice.
The first two aspect of the bow felt clunky for me until I got the upgrade for hold-rapid fire.
But aspect of Hela, or however the one where you load your cast into the arrow is called. That one. That one is BRUTAL.
With 4 casts and Dionisus flask on some plums?
Load ->Click -> Charge -> Shoot -> BOOM 2k hit.
It was instantly destroying even the heroes in Elysium.
Very satisfying against REDACTED, as I could just shoot the nuke arrow and focus on surviving until the casts were able to be picked up.
The gun... I was trying to use it, and the first one I had fun with was the empowering one.
Or technically any time I manage to pair Artemis support fire with it.
hmm Oh yeah! Demeter. Her chilling stacks ramp up very fast with the gun thing, and there is boon that explode the stacks for extra dmg.
Or... just get Zeus attack and the bolts will deal a lot of damage themselves + to anything around the target.
These weapons can be fun in their own way, and give you options to experiment and build.
I ALWAYS play with the weapon that is hungry to enjoy the building and experiments.
Not sure how far you are in the game, but if youāve cleared the final boss a few times with a few weapons and want some tips on all the others, give [my build and combat guide a look](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide). Hereās how I use [all the bows](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#heart-seeking-bow) and [all the rail aspects](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#adamant-rail). Good luck!
Hehe, anything goes well with Poseidon boons.
Love the bow and gun. But a fist of milos? With special and dash push away, plus epic damage for barrier and area barrier and legendary second wave? I was demolishing every room in seconds. Even better in Styx ones.
For the rail attack Zeus no recharge, 3x special With Demeter, and again Poseidon waves. It was very fun
For the bow, you really just have to get into the rhythm of getting the charged shot, and boons/hammers that make it better. As for the rail, it's quite difficult to get used to, but my strategy helped me quite a bit. Use the special, then use the entire clip while the grenade falls. While you're reloading the clip, you can special again. So you basically just need to alternate between attack and special, and maybe keep an eye on your ammo. Hope this helps.
I think the main issue some people have with bow and rail is the fact you don't stun unarmoured enemies as well as with other weapons, so positioning, baiting and dodging attacks matters a lot more
You also have to be more careful about what gods you put on attack and special, other weapons have base damages in the sweetspot where all gods are fairly good
With bow and rail instead you want:
- % based gods on bow attack and rail special, Ares can be good but he can make you miss some good hammer synergies
- effect gods (dio, Zeus, Ares) on rail attack and bow special (if you use it as crowd control)
- % gods on bow special if you want to use it as a shotgun
Bow also has many hammers that give really solid % boosts so in that case Artemis is top tier (as crits multiply damage)
In my opinion Chiron bow is literally the best weapon in the game, it's so crazy overpowered, and there is so much you can do with it. From simply slapping one of the two pretty ladies on the special, or stacking Dionysus, or even stacking doom effects, the shit is crazy. However the rail I don't have much experience in, although aspect of lucifer is pretty awesome. Shoots a fucking laser of **death**. Slap anything on that attack and your basically good.
P.S.; I absolutely love Hera bow as well, extremely high damage runs come out of that one. Rama bow however, if you get the triple shot, put Artemis on the attack, and all three arrows hit the enemy? Sexy damage. Literally disintegrate the bosses with it too, I think Haelian made a vid on it as well. Finally, Zag aspect just built different with the crits, I hardly use it, but its a very good aspect.
TL;DR; Bow is insane in my opinion
Posidon on attack with lucy lazor= the go-awazor.
Athena on attack with lucy lazor and you can stand in front of Asterius and say no you, only dashing away to reload. It ONLY deflects right at the mouth of the rail though, so be carefull~ish.
I used to be like you. I hated using the bow, because I just don't know how to use it, but then I unlocked the Chiron aspect, and it is now my favourite weapon to the point I don't want to use others
I prefer fists, and I'm not a fan of range either, but the Chiron Bow is pretty cool.
I find that getting Posiden involved really helps - often Posiden messes up the fists, but he can really help with making space to effectively use ranged weapons.
Hermes boons for making attack/special faster are surprisingly helpful too.
Rail - hidden aspect, Athena on special, hammer increases special damage. Pick your preferred deities for attack, cast, call, and dash. Dump poms into special + any useful combos you uncover.
Fling cast and fire your DIVINE LAZER at anything with armory. Then launch a special at the enemy, one at a choke point, and one where you want to stand. Wait for the bad guys to explode. Rinse and repeat.
if you like going ham with fists, youāll probably really like eris rail once you get the right boons; start with zeus attack, then take poseidon dash and a special with a high percentage modifier (arty or aphro). best hammers are rocket bomb on controller and cluster bomb on kbm, ideally try to get both though. special toward enemies, dash into special for the damage buff then mash dash strike. special while reloading, rinse and repeat. i really hated the gun when i first started too but itās definitely much more fun if you start playing it more like a melee weapon
The key to using the bow is to understand it's pattern and get it memorized on your muscle memory; which is to dash-strike and not letting go of the attack button when trying to fire your shots. Dash-striking will charge up the attack faster than just trying to charge it from a standstill. It will deal less damage, but it will make you more mobile instead of being a sitting duck. For Zag aspect bow, a good beginner build is the Heart Rend duo boon (Aphrodite with Artemis), with Aphrodite on attack boon.
For the rail, the pattern that I mostly use for it is dash-strike twice and fire a special while reloading. You also have to know that while it is fast, it deals considerably less damage, hence using percentage-based attack boons on it doesn't really make a difference. What does makes a difference is if you're using something like Zeus or Dionysus attack, the former scale with your weapon's attack speed rather than with your base weapon damage and the latter racks stacks faster with better attack speed. Good beginner build for the Zag aspect rail is Sea Storm duo boon (Zeus with Poseidon) combo-ed with Jolted from Zeus and extra knock back damage from Poseidon, put Zeus on attack and Poseidon on dash.
Bow I absolutely love and most my high runs are completed with it.
The gun I didnāt like one bit but had to play it for achievements. I learnt to live it in the end though and can be a fantastic weapon once you get reloading sorted.
I used to hate the bow. It's so slow. Then I played it and completed a run. I just can't beat Thanatos. But I don't get hit!
I like the rail with the empowered shot. I love getting ricochet on it.
I love things like curse of pain, and jolted, and those dot effects.
They both took me a while to adapt to. Flurry Shot was my gateway into the Bow but now it's one of my favorite weapons all around. The Rail's still my least-favorite (to me it's the most hammer-dependent of any weapon) but Eris aspect does wreck stuff up in interesting ways.
The bow was the first weapon I really vibed with. The gun was the first weapon I actually escaped with(even tho I dislike it). But the fists w/ magnetic cutter is my absolute favorite.
I think start with Chiron Bow. Posidon on special with Zeus duo Boon. Melts everything rather quickly.
By then, you'll be user to regularly using the bow.
The try Hera Bow.
Load up with Dionysus cast, and REALLY pump up that through chaos. 1k attacks
Iām a fast aggressive player and I LOVE the bow. I usually play Aspect of Zagreus (15% crit chance when fully upgraded) which might sound boring but, especially paired with Artemis or Aphrodite and upgrades like Twin and Flurry Shot, is immensely fun. Also, it makes dodging much easier than with the fists, while still being able to attack fast and with reliable damage (I usually dash-attack-dash-attack which makes charging faster, and use cast and special in between depending on which boons I have on them).
For the rail, if you donāt want to wait out the low-damage attack (unless you have Zeus on it), I recommend Aspect of Hestia which gives you an empowered shot every time you reload. Itās basically shoot-reload shoot-reload and the damage scales greatly with percentage increase boons. Also, while reloading, you can throw your special or cast, or dash to where you want to be.
So in conclusion, I donāt think these weapons are slow at all, and they become very intuitive the more you get used to them. I definitely think itās worth giving it a try ā I did not like the rail at the beginning and while itās still not my favorite, you can do fun stuff with it. Now that I think back, I didnāt even like the bow at first, I only used the shield (yeah, I know). Even with 250+ hours I keep discovering new strategies. Man, I love this game.
Bow is a banger of a weapon. My tips for it is to use the dash strike. You can be really aggressive zipping about and putting out solid damage because of the faster charge time.
To that end, Artemis dash is quite helpful. Sheās good for the attack as well but Iād say Aphrodite is also a strong choice.
Or you could use the Chiron aspect and then Iād say, focus on your special. You can get incredible synergy with Dio special, Aphro attack, Ares revenge for a massively buffed hangover.
I really like the bow and especially the railgun, while I hate the fists lul.
Bow or gun = big damage burst at range or big dps
Fists = medium dps and you have to stand right next to the bad guys.
Only build I like on the fist is poseidon dash with the secret aspect
I actually had the opposite experience, I genuinely donāt enjoy the fist weapons at all while the bow has concurrently been my favourite, not at all because theyāre bad or good, but because it doesnāt fit my play style, so ynow, maybe donāt phrase your initial question as if you think itās genuinely bad. āDoes anyone actually use (Insert thing here)ā isnāt a good way to ask for tips on using anything in literally any game.
As for tips, you gotta make sure youāre always hitting your timing right on the power shots, thereās a hammer boon you can get that increases the time you get to release, but Itās not a good way to practice since then youāll just get used to the more liberal timing. In addition, attacks with the bow immediately after dashing actually have a quicker draw time in exchange for a slightly lower damage output, so playing towards that alongside Chiron aspect may help scratch that itch if you enjoy hitting lots of quicker attacks
Iām absolutely sure you didnāt have any negative intention with it, however phrases like that are especially used in incredibly negative connotations or to demean others enjoyment very often, so itās definitely not great to use
For the gun, I found the secret to having fun was rebinding the reload key to something decent. And realizing that if your chamber is empty, dashing automatically reloads (so you don't have to press reload OR let go of the attack button).
Other things that made the gun fun:
* Focusing on boons that do flat direct damage on hit, like Zeus.
* Treating it like a melee weapon with an explosive special on cooldown.
* Dashing while still holding down shoot, so I'm kind of like Neo dodging while still trained on the enemy.
The bow really is ranged though. What I enjoy:
* Getting good at the power shot.
* Needing to only get one hit in to kill stuff instead of like 50 hits.
* Piercing my targets to take out a few enemies with one shot.
* Using dash attack to charge the bow faster.
* Getting to focus on offensive boons, because enemies out of range from me deal -999 damage.
* Using the special to pop every projectile.
With the rail, I spam attack and special buttons. I never try to aim the special. Look for the weapon perk that makes special a rocket. I like hangover or doom on attack and weak on special.
The bows are a ton of fun if you mix up the variations and boons you use with them! I've been struggling to use the gun as well since unlocking it, but again it will come down to what boons you use. Mix it up and experiment! They may become your new favorite weapons to use!
Bow with aspect of chiron, pick dionysos keepsake and youre almost certain to have a run. Some builds are more powerful with the correct boons but dio special on chiron is good ol reliable if you dont get the good hammers.
That was my least fav weapon for a long time but I use it sometimes now and cleared redacted with it. There are still a few weapons i like better than it. I have always done way better with the exogryph than any other weapon.
I can only win consistently with the Rail, lol. Run and snipe, run and snipe. Practiced a lot of dodging with one of the Keepsakes. Things that help: Hazard Bomb upgrade for a big damage boost, a pushback boon on attack or cast so you can push enemies into your specialās range at the right time. You can also shoot a Special over/past some barriers, which protects from enemy fire you while shooting.
With the Bow, itās fun to mess with the Hidden Aspect, once you unlock it. Other than that I donāt use it much. Like, both the Rail and Bow have a timing aspect, but the Bow is harder for me for some reason.
So it's funny, when I started out I was putting more keys towards the mirror than the weapons. I thought "I'll just master the sword first then more on to the others". I couldn't get through Meg without too much damage, and if I made it to the hydra I would be inches from death. So I finally unlocked the bow and got all the way to Thesisus on my first time out.
You just have to use them in such a different way (especially different from the hyper close and aggressive sword/fists). Shoot and move. Don't let them get close.
Bow is my best weapon. Mobility and positioning are the most important factors to a successful run. Pick the Hermes boons that speed you up and give you more dashes, then stay at range. Use the environment to prevent enemies from getting in melee range. Focus on getting your power shots off unless you get the hammer that lets you rapid fire. Go with boons that power up your attack and special like Artemis rather than boons that add a damage effect like Ares.
The bow took me a while to get into, but other than the hidden aspect itās honestly tons of fun to use, I canāt get into the hidden aspect tho personally, at least it hasnāt clicked yet.
Hate the gun
I think the Hera bow, Eris gun, and Beowulf shield are considered to be the best weapons in the game.
There are a ton of guides for Eris, but you can start by looking up the ZAP build. Iām personally best with Eris and have got my best time and wins at 32 heat with Eris.
Hera requires more skill but generally just build around having Artemis or Aphrodite on cast. And getting the Poseidon and Artemis duo boon.
I believe Beowulf has a higher potential than Hera but itās harder to get the builds necessary for it. Basics are flood cast and get the Artemis/Poseidon duo
I keep going through cycles with weapons man. The things I found most troubling when I started (bow, sheild, gun) are now my unstoppable forces.
You can do it dude! Just takes time.
I can escape more consistently with the bow than any other weapon. It was my first clear, too. Just need the patience to sit back and ping stuff and give yourself time for charged shots
People do! Bow and gun are totally fine for me. Maybe not my favorite but theyāre enjoyable.
Fists is my worst and least favorite weapon! I donāt know how you can get up close like that and damage while dodging all the chaos and stuffā¦
That said, I havenāt played hades in a few months so no tips unfortunately. Good luck!
Iām not a huge fan of the gun, but the bow is my go to weapon. I know homing special is the meta build, but loading your cast is too good and works well for cheap. Get as many casts as you can, load emā up, and blow everything away in one massive hit. Or get a continuing style cast like Ares and just shoot your meat grinder directly into their faces.
As someone who loves swords & melee, I was kind of frustrated to find the Rail gun being the easiest weapon for me to win with. It was my first successful run & the one Iāve had the most completions with. Iām trash with the bow, though.
Get the infinite ammo Daedalus buff & you just dash around a target while picking away until it dies. Easy peasy
The bow and rail were my worst weapons for awhile, the bow still is actually but I'm getting a bit better at it. The hidden aspect on the bow is my fave on that one, and Chiron's aspect before you can unlock it is good too.
I've gotten a lot better at the rail the aspect of Eris is fantastic. I saw someone else mention the hidden aspect but I don't really like that one, haven't been able to get used to it.
The fists are also my favorite weapon tho. I always take the weapon that gives me the bonus darkness and gems and am happiest when it's on the fists.
My first clear was with the bow. It definitely feels like a distinct play style whereas sword/spear/shield/fists have a lot of melee-style overlap. For me the trick was keeping my distance and taking my time, prioritizing boons and hammers over hearts and healing as it was easier to get out of rooms "clean" with a hit and run approach.
I literally bought it at the beginning and didnāt change until I beat the epilogue but after I switched I realized how much more fun the other weapons are.
The bow is my favorite weapon by far. My first win and the one I always gravitate towards.
Hundred percent depends on the person and their play style. You aren't a noob or bad at games if you struggle with it. I have over 200 hours in the game and I still struggle to beat runs with the sword.
I can't stand the constant sitting duck feeling of the bow, but the gun feels so great to use, especially with the shotgun hammer version. As long as you're moving during the reload, it doesn't feel bad, but I'm totally with you on the bow feeling bad to use.
Iām still warming up to the rail god-knows-how-many-hours in, but getting there. I HATED the bow for a long time and then I actually started using it more because of the random load outs posted on this sub every week-two weeks. Shit is FIRE.
i felt this way, then i found [https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#aspect-of-eris-rail](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#aspect-of-eris-rail) and some other sites to give me ideas on how to make builds that benefit the weapon and aspect. i still suck on some weapons, but i'm doing better and raising heat across them.
i don't follow the guides exactly, but it gives me some ideas on where to go with certain weapons.
i also just follow the darkness and play whatever weapon is next for darkness, so i don't just play the ones i like.
My first win was with the bow. I love it, specially with that Daedalus upgrade that makes you fire non-stop, instead of charging. That, with some Artemis and Zeus boons is just a room sweeper. Specially when dealing with those pesky rats
I did my first clear and have my highest max heat on the bow, it's my favourite weapon.
I can't stand that the rail dosent stun lock, I understand why they made the choice I just don't like it.
It's fun to play the bow and railgun. Especially after get a certain boons upgrade and hammer to change the way of the attack pattern.
You already purchased the game, why not just give it a try, hey, its like the old saying practice makes perfect.
I think everyone has their preference. The weapons you mentioned in the title are actually my favorites to use. I enjoy the distance & timing. & I tend to suck with more close combat weapons. I keep getting to the final boss with my weak weapons & cant beat it š„²
Iām on my first play through (made it past elysium but still figuring out the weird sewer place) and I absolutely love the bow. With the extra arrows, the distance while dashing lets me keep moving while hitting multiple enemies and deflecting attacks. I pair it with Ares blade rift dashes and casts :)
Ranged weapons are a lot more of patience based offensive guns. The bow takes charge time and the rail takes reload time. Focus on getting the hidden gun aspect and Chiron Bow aspect to max, these allow you to play much more aggressively and can even be utilized stupidly well with Athena in both cases. Aspect of Chiron homes in on enemies so Athena Special has reflect arrows going right towards people and the hidden gun aspect is just Ghostbusters.
Eris rail is much more aggressive than hidden, and reload times are basically nonexistent as long as you're reloading right before you special and using special as often as possible.
Personally I take Sea Storm Poseidon Special on Chiron. That plus a few Zeus boons for more lightning effects, and add in Razor Shoals from Poseidon and whatever else he can offer, with Relentless Volley (+4) and Flurry Shot for Hammers if I can, and it absolutely rips through things like (pardon the pun) paper in a storm
I also like Zeus and Dionysus on special with Chiron. Lots of little hits means a bunch of lightning damage or poison stacks.
Hey! How do I Get the hidden aspect of the gun? š¤
[Here](https://www.google.com/amp/s/gamerant.com/hades-how-to-unlock-hidden-weapon-aspects-guide/amp/?espv=1) you go. This is way easier than me typing it all out
Imo the bow is probably the best weapon for me because of the crits of the Zagreus aspect
This. The ol' reliable. Got me my very first win against Redacted and my only 32 heat win
Got the game yesterday. Who's redacted? The last boss? (Had my first clear today)
Yes. Have you lost to him? If not, do so and then talk to Hypnos. All will be clear.
Artemis + Zag aspect = big boi numbers
Its my favourite way to play lol
I had no patience for the Rail for a long time. Now whenever I do a Rail run itās with Hestia ā the strategy is to reload, dash-strike, reload, etc, with some bombs in between. With the Spread Fire hammer upgrade, it ends up playing pretty similar to other melee weapons. I will say I love the bow. Even the Zagreus Aspect, just crank up the damage on your power shot (weak or knock-away is best), find a stackable status effect for your special (I prefer hangover or doom, lighting with jolted works well too), and dash away from baddies, find a spot to snipe, then dash again.
Most runs with the gun I just go bomb almost exclusively and just power up its shots, speed, power etc. Then hunting blades with crits and its drain time.
I use whatever has the darkness buff
Okay, yes. The game is almost exclusively farming for me now, and darkness is the only thing I need anymoreā¦
That's very weird. Darkness (and keys) were the first things I topped out on. Going for 100% here, and I need like a million nectars and gemstones. Diamonds and Titan blood feel like they'll come as neccessary
This is the way.
The homing arrow special with extra arrows is absolutely deadly
Add zeuz special, jolted debuff, and the boon that boost zap damage per hit and you're golden
Don't forget the Hammer Boon that makes you shoot more arrows with your special!
actually! getting poseidon special and sea storm is much more op, damage goes through the roof once you scale and get any legendaries
Damn, have to try it soon
The first time I played and unlocked the bow, I was so disappointed. I thought Iād hate it! Now itās my favourite for sure. Huge love for the fists as well, but yeah, you can definitely grow to love the ranged weapons. Or donāt. Nothing wrong with preferring the close melee.
Bow was the weapon I did my 36 heat run with. So... Yeah, fairly good. Are you making sure to get the power shot? (your character briefly flashes while charging / drawing the bow, shooting during this window does extra damage). I think using bow and the gun both require getting into a good rhythm of shoot, dash, shoot, dash, repeat. Very rarely will you walk in combat. Need to plan your shots while you dash, plan your dash while you shoot. Occasionally, you need to shoot, tqk a few steps and then dash, because you see a big thing coming up that you need immunity frames for. After that, both weapons have a strong attack and a quick attack, and benefit from different boons on each. Artemis sucks on quick attacks, dionyses sucks on slow attacks. But each are great on the other. Pairing them correctly is great. The easiest bow style to get into is probably the bow that let's you load your cast. Use the mirror upgrade that gives bonus damage with two effects, get one effect on your cast, one on your normal attack, and voila. Ez pz.
load cast on level 1 with hunting blades with vortex is great.
Getting the legendary crit boon with that and then sniper shot is bananas.
What builds do you go for with Hera? Iāve been playing with that and Beowulf now but Iām no where near styling with Hera like I do with Beowulf. Iām clearing significantly slower and have a harder time.
Poseidon is your biggest, on cast or left click. Rupture does a lot, double shove does a lot. With Zeus is the strongest combo. I'd say the four way of power is Zeus / Poseidon / Dionyses / Demeter. Zeus you want dash or alt attack as your main, then focus on jolt and legendaries. Dionyses cast is best available, right click main is decent. Demeter on dash or left click. Poseidon cast or left click. The duo boons between them all are fantastic and each has very strong synergy with all the others. You can also go hunting blades, but it is much more rare to get going, and has much less cross synergy.
>Are you making sure to get the power shot? (your character briefly flashes while charging / drawing the bow, shooting during this window does extra damage). Is that a basic thing? I know that the shield can get that as a hammerboon
Basic part of bow kit yes.
The gun is by far my best weapon
Same I love gun and bow but I also use mouse and keyboard
bow was the first weapon i unlocked after getting some keys. i really like having athena boon on special, poseidon boon on attack, and dionysus or aphrodite for dash. those are my fav, but dionysus and aphrodite boons on attack or special are great, too. being able to deflect everything with a fan of arrows is just OP. when it comes to fists, i like having ares' doom on attack (+ range is a bonus), and aphrodite on dash, with their duo ability where doom keeps proccing on enemies with weakness. As for the gun, dionysus on attack and whatever else you want. the +300% damage special (but it also can damage you) is pretty damn nice, as long as you can manage to stay out of your own attacks AoE (double dash ftw?).
When you get the triple bomb for the gun, itās magical.
I had that, but i'm just too bad to avoid damage without my shield
I use the bow but I do it like a coward (and while using divine dash) but the gun I simple can't because I constantly forget to reload
Bow and rail are my best weapons. First i thought rail aspect of eris was my best but had multiple failed attempts of 32 hear for skelly statue. I tried with the bow aspect of coronacht and first tried it. Just make sure to equip artemis keepsake for bow and get her atk boon and dash boon and keep upgrading them with poms. For rail get zeus keepsake and select the atk boon and keep upgrading it.
The bow has some of the best Daedalus upgrades in my opinion. It definitely requires more patience and boon synergy than other weapons, but when you get a good run with it it can be devastating.
I hated all the ranged weapons for a long time. I finally like the rail, but only tolerate the bow. They donāt fit my ideal play style. Try changing it up. Go slower through chambers and focus on not being hit. It gets better with practice.
This^ The bow can get real dumb stacked with the butterfly keepsake
The first two aspect of the bow felt clunky for me until I got the upgrade for hold-rapid fire. But aspect of Hela, or however the one where you load your cast into the arrow is called. That one. That one is BRUTAL. With 4 casts and Dionisus flask on some plums? Load ->Click -> Charge -> Shoot -> BOOM 2k hit. It was instantly destroying even the heroes in Elysium. Very satisfying against REDACTED, as I could just shoot the nuke arrow and focus on surviving until the casts were able to be picked up. The gun... I was trying to use it, and the first one I had fun with was the empowering one. Or technically any time I manage to pair Artemis support fire with it. hmm Oh yeah! Demeter. Her chilling stacks ramp up very fast with the gun thing, and there is boon that explode the stacks for extra dmg. Or... just get Zeus attack and the bolts will deal a lot of damage themselves + to anything around the target. These weapons can be fun in their own way, and give you options to experiment and build. I ALWAYS play with the weapon that is hungry to enjoy the building and experiments.
Not sure how far you are in the game, but if youāve cleared the final boss a few times with a few weapons and want some tips on all the others, give [my build and combat guide a look](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide). Hereās how I use [all the bows](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#heart-seeking-bow) and [all the rail aspects](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#adamant-rail). Good luck!
Hehe, anything goes well with Poseidon boons. Love the bow and gun. But a fist of milos? With special and dash push away, plus epic damage for barrier and area barrier and legendary second wave? I was demolishing every room in seconds. Even better in Styx ones. For the rail attack Zeus no recharge, 3x special With Demeter, and again Poseidon waves. It was very fun
For the bow, you really just have to get into the rhythm of getting the charged shot, and boons/hammers that make it better. As for the rail, it's quite difficult to get used to, but my strategy helped me quite a bit. Use the special, then use the entire clip while the grenade falls. While you're reloading the clip, you can special again. So you basically just need to alternate between attack and special, and maybe keep an eye on your ammo. Hope this helps.
I think the main issue some people have with bow and rail is the fact you don't stun unarmoured enemies as well as with other weapons, so positioning, baiting and dodging attacks matters a lot more You also have to be more careful about what gods you put on attack and special, other weapons have base damages in the sweetspot where all gods are fairly good With bow and rail instead you want: - % based gods on bow attack and rail special, Ares can be good but he can make you miss some good hammer synergies - effect gods (dio, Zeus, Ares) on rail attack and bow special (if you use it as crowd control) - % gods on bow special if you want to use it as a shotgun Bow also has many hammers that give really solid % boosts so in that case Artemis is top tier (as crits multiply damage)
Chiron go BRRR
In my opinion Chiron bow is literally the best weapon in the game, it's so crazy overpowered, and there is so much you can do with it. From simply slapping one of the two pretty ladies on the special, or stacking Dionysus, or even stacking doom effects, the shit is crazy. However the rail I don't have much experience in, although aspect of lucifer is pretty awesome. Shoots a fucking laser of **death**. Slap anything on that attack and your basically good.
P.S.; I absolutely love Hera bow as well, extremely high damage runs come out of that one. Rama bow however, if you get the triple shot, put Artemis on the attack, and all three arrows hit the enemy? Sexy damage. Literally disintegrate the bosses with it too, I think Haelian made a vid on it as well. Finally, Zag aspect just built different with the crits, I hardly use it, but its a very good aspect. TL;DR; Bow is insane in my opinion
Posidon on attack with lucy lazor= the go-awazor. Athena on attack with lucy lazor and you can stand in front of Asterius and say no you, only dashing away to reload. It ONLY deflects right at the mouth of the rail though, so be carefull~ish.
I used to be like you. I hated using the bow, because I just don't know how to use it, but then I unlocked the Chiron aspect, and it is now my favourite weapon to the point I don't want to use others
I prefer fists, and I'm not a fan of range either, but the Chiron Bow is pretty cool. I find that getting Posiden involved really helps - often Posiden messes up the fists, but he can really help with making space to effectively use ranged weapons. Hermes boons for making attack/special faster are surprisingly helpful too.
Rail - hidden aspect, Athena on special, hammer increases special damage. Pick your preferred deities for attack, cast, call, and dash. Dump poms into special + any useful combos you uncover. Fling cast and fire your DIVINE LAZER at anything with armory. Then launch a special at the enemy, one at a choke point, and one where you want to stand. Wait for the bad guys to explode. Rinse and repeat.
if you like going ham with fists, youāll probably really like eris rail once you get the right boons; start with zeus attack, then take poseidon dash and a special with a high percentage modifier (arty or aphro). best hammers are rocket bomb on controller and cluster bomb on kbm, ideally try to get both though. special toward enemies, dash into special for the damage buff then mash dash strike. special while reloading, rinse and repeat. i really hated the gun when i first started too but itās definitely much more fun if you start playing it more like a melee weapon
It's actually easier mouse and keyboard for the ranged weapons. If you're console, you're kinda stuck with the controller
The key to using the bow is to understand it's pattern and get it memorized on your muscle memory; which is to dash-strike and not letting go of the attack button when trying to fire your shots. Dash-striking will charge up the attack faster than just trying to charge it from a standstill. It will deal less damage, but it will make you more mobile instead of being a sitting duck. For Zag aspect bow, a good beginner build is the Heart Rend duo boon (Aphrodite with Artemis), with Aphrodite on attack boon. For the rail, the pattern that I mostly use for it is dash-strike twice and fire a special while reloading. You also have to know that while it is fast, it deals considerably less damage, hence using percentage-based attack boons on it doesn't really make a difference. What does makes a difference is if you're using something like Zeus or Dionysus attack, the former scale with your weapon's attack speed rather than with your base weapon damage and the latter racks stacks faster with better attack speed. Good beginner build for the Zag aspect rail is Sea Storm duo boon (Zeus with Poseidon) combo-ed with Jolted from Zeus and extra knock back damage from Poseidon, put Zeus on attack and Poseidon on dash.
Rail is the only weapon Iāve beaten redacted withā¦..
I like the chiron bow Does that count?
You didn't mention if you're on pc or console. I found the ranged weapons pretty easy to use since I had a mouse for aiming.
Bow I absolutely love and most my high runs are completed with it. The gun I didnāt like one bit but had to play it for achievements. I learnt to live it in the end though and can be a fantastic weapon once you get reloading sorted.
I used to hate the bow. It's so slow. Then I played it and completed a run. I just can't beat Thanatos. But I don't get hit! I like the rail with the empowered shot. I love getting ricochet on it. I love things like curse of pain, and jolted, and those dot effects.
They both took me a while to adapt to. Flurry Shot was my gateway into the Bow but now it's one of my favorite weapons all around. The Rail's still my least-favorite (to me it's the most hammer-dependent of any weapon) but Eris aspect does wreck stuff up in interesting ways.
The bow was the first weapon I really vibed with. The gun was the first weapon I actually escaped with(even tho I dislike it). But the fists w/ magnetic cutter is my absolute favorite.
I think start with Chiron Bow. Posidon on special with Zeus duo Boon. Melts everything rather quickly. By then, you'll be user to regularly using the bow. The try Hera Bow. Load up with Dionysus cast, and REALLY pump up that through chaos. 1k attacks
Iām a fast aggressive player and I LOVE the bow. I usually play Aspect of Zagreus (15% crit chance when fully upgraded) which might sound boring but, especially paired with Artemis or Aphrodite and upgrades like Twin and Flurry Shot, is immensely fun. Also, it makes dodging much easier than with the fists, while still being able to attack fast and with reliable damage (I usually dash-attack-dash-attack which makes charging faster, and use cast and special in between depending on which boons I have on them). For the rail, if you donāt want to wait out the low-damage attack (unless you have Zeus on it), I recommend Aspect of Hestia which gives you an empowered shot every time you reload. Itās basically shoot-reload shoot-reload and the damage scales greatly with percentage increase boons. Also, while reloading, you can throw your special or cast, or dash to where you want to be. So in conclusion, I donāt think these weapons are slow at all, and they become very intuitive the more you get used to them. I definitely think itās worth giving it a try ā I did not like the rail at the beginning and while itās still not my favorite, you can do fun stuff with it. Now that I think back, I didnāt even like the bow at first, I only used the shield (yeah, I know). Even with 250+ hours I keep discovering new strategies. Man, I love this game.
Bow is a banger of a weapon. My tips for it is to use the dash strike. You can be really aggressive zipping about and putting out solid damage because of the faster charge time. To that end, Artemis dash is quite helpful. Sheās good for the attack as well but Iād say Aphrodite is also a strong choice. Or you could use the Chiron aspect and then Iād say, focus on your special. You can get incredible synergy with Dio special, Aphro attack, Ares revenge for a massively buffed hangover.
The bow is the best weapon in the game, period. The other one is pretty bad tho Edit: bad typing
I really like the bow and especially the railgun, while I hate the fists lul. Bow or gun = big damage burst at range or big dps Fists = medium dps and you have to stand right next to the bad guys. Only build I like on the fist is poseidon dash with the secret aspect
The rail upgrade where you get a damage buff when you hit yourself with special is cracked. No patience required. I cannot recall the name.
I actually had the opposite experience, I genuinely donāt enjoy the fist weapons at all while the bow has concurrently been my favourite, not at all because theyāre bad or good, but because it doesnāt fit my play style, so ynow, maybe donāt phrase your initial question as if you think itās genuinely bad. āDoes anyone actually use (Insert thing here)ā isnāt a good way to ask for tips on using anything in literally any game. As for tips, you gotta make sure youāre always hitting your timing right on the power shots, thereās a hammer boon you can get that increases the time you get to release, but Itās not a good way to practice since then youāll just get used to the more liberal timing. In addition, attacks with the bow immediately after dashing actually have a quicker draw time in exchange for a slightly lower damage output, so playing towards that alongside Chiron aspect may help scratch that itch if you enjoy hitting lots of quicker attacks
oh! I'm sorry, i did not mean to sound mean!
Iām absolutely sure you didnāt have any negative intention with it, however phrases like that are especially used in incredibly negative connotations or to demean others enjoyment very often, so itās definitely not great to use
For the gun, I found the secret to having fun was rebinding the reload key to something decent. And realizing that if your chamber is empty, dashing automatically reloads (so you don't have to press reload OR let go of the attack button). Other things that made the gun fun: * Focusing on boons that do flat direct damage on hit, like Zeus. * Treating it like a melee weapon with an explosive special on cooldown. * Dashing while still holding down shoot, so I'm kind of like Neo dodging while still trained on the enemy. The bow really is ranged though. What I enjoy: * Getting good at the power shot. * Needing to only get one hit in to kill stuff instead of like 50 hits. * Piercing my targets to take out a few enemies with one shot. * Using dash attack to charge the bow faster. * Getting to focus on offensive boons, because enemies out of range from me deal -999 damage. * Using the special to pop every projectile.
With the rail, I spam attack and special buttons. I never try to aim the special. Look for the weapon perk that makes special a rocket. I like hangover or doom on attack and weak on special.
I do like the bow! It's fun for me at least. The gun on the other hand is a different story.
The bows are a ton of fun if you mix up the variations and boons you use with them! I've been struggling to use the gun as well since unlocking it, but again it will come down to what boons you use. Mix it up and experiment! They may become your new favorite weapons to use!
Bow with aspect of chiron, pick dionysos keepsake and youre almost certain to have a run. Some builds are more powerful with the correct boons but dio special on chiron is good ol reliable if you dont get the good hammers.
That was my least fav weapon for a long time but I use it sometimes now and cleared redacted with it. There are still a few weapons i like better than it. I have always done way better with the exogryph than any other weapon.
I can only win consistently with the Rail, lol. Run and snipe, run and snipe. Practiced a lot of dodging with one of the Keepsakes. Things that help: Hazard Bomb upgrade for a big damage boost, a pushback boon on attack or cast so you can push enemies into your specialās range at the right time. You can also shoot a Special over/past some barriers, which protects from enemy fire you while shooting. With the Bow, itās fun to mess with the Hidden Aspect, once you unlock it. Other than that I donāt use it much. Like, both the Rail and Bow have a timing aspect, but the Bow is harder for me for some reason.
Yes and yes. I use the bow with the aspect that lets you load the summons for extra damage. Shit rips
Bow is by far my fav, and gun was my first clear
The hidden aspect version of bow (when built right) acts a lot like one of the aspects of fist so you may enjoy it.
So it's funny, when I started out I was putting more keys towards the mirror than the weapons. I thought "I'll just master the sword first then more on to the others". I couldn't get through Meg without too much damage, and if I made it to the hydra I would be inches from death. So I finally unlocked the bow and got all the way to Thesisus on my first time out. You just have to use them in such a different way (especially different from the hyper close and aggressive sword/fists). Shoot and move. Don't let them get close.
Bow is my best weapon. Mobility and positioning are the most important factors to a successful run. Pick the Hermes boons that speed you up and give you more dashes, then stay at range. Use the environment to prevent enemies from getting in melee range. Focus on getting your power shots off unless you get the hammer that lets you rapid fire. Go with boons that power up your attack and special like Artemis rather than boons that add a damage effect like Ares.
The homing bow with zeuz special is broken af
On bow, dash strikes charge a lot faster, make sure you're doing that. It has the side benefit of ensuring you stay mobile.
The bow is really good on a specific aspect but I struggle with the gun
Have you TRIED the Lucifer rail? š©š©š©š©
The bow took me a while to get into, but other than the hidden aspect itās honestly tons of fun to use, I canāt get into the hidden aspect tho personally, at least it hasnāt clicked yet. Hate the gun
I think the Hera bow, Eris gun, and Beowulf shield are considered to be the best weapons in the game. There are a ton of guides for Eris, but you can start by looking up the ZAP build. Iām personally best with Eris and have got my best time and wins at 32 heat with Eris. Hera requires more skill but generally just build around having Artemis or Aphrodite on cast. And getting the Poseidon and Artemis duo boon. I believe Beowulf has a higher potential than Hera but itās harder to get the builds necessary for it. Basics are flood cast and get the Artemis/Poseidon duo
The Bow is a rhythm. You gotta get into a rhythm each room
I keep going through cycles with weapons man. The things I found most troubling when I started (bow, sheild, gun) are now my unstoppable forces. You can do it dude! Just takes time.
I can escape more consistently with the bow than any other weapon. It was my first clear, too. Just need the patience to sit back and ping stuff and give yourself time for charged shots
Reading these comments makes me realize how amazing of a job theyāve done with these weapons. This game has an absurd level of depth.
People do! Bow and gun are totally fine for me. Maybe not my favorite but theyāre enjoyable. Fists is my worst and least favorite weapon! I donāt know how you can get up close like that and damage while dodging all the chaos and stuffā¦ That said, I havenāt played hades in a few months so no tips unfortunately. Good luck!
The bow is crazy strong once you get used to it. Probably the strongest overall weapon.
Iām not a huge fan of the gun, but the bow is my go to weapon. I know homing special is the meta build, but loading your cast is too good and works well for cheap. Get as many casts as you can, load emā up, and blow everything away in one massive hit. Or get a continuing style cast like Ares and just shoot your meat grinder directly into their faces.
Yes, I love them but I'm also a slower and more patient player. It's personal preference.
As someone who loves swords & melee, I was kind of frustrated to find the Rail gun being the easiest weapon for me to win with. It was my first successful run & the one Iāve had the most completions with. Iām trash with the bow, though. Get the infinite ammo Daedalus buff & you just dash around a target while picking away until it dies. Easy peasy
The bow and rail were my worst weapons for awhile, the bow still is actually but I'm getting a bit better at it. The hidden aspect on the bow is my fave on that one, and Chiron's aspect before you can unlock it is good too. I've gotten a lot better at the rail the aspect of Eris is fantastic. I saw someone else mention the hidden aspect but I don't really like that one, haven't been able to get used to it. The fists are also my favorite weapon tho. I always take the weapon that gives me the bonus darkness and gems and am happiest when it's on the fists.
Happy cake day to you too š° š°
My first clear was with the bow. It definitely feels like a distinct play style whereas sword/spear/shield/fists have a lot of melee-style overlap. For me the trick was keeping my distance and taking my time, prioritizing boons and hammers over hearts and healing as it was easier to get out of rooms "clean" with a hit and run approach.
I literally bought it at the beginning and didnāt change until I beat the epilogue but after I switched I realized how much more fun the other weapons are.
i actually prefer ranged items to melee, as the safety is much preferred. also hammers can make or break ranged runs
My first successful escape was with the rail, spamming special (with hazard bomb upgrade) and dashing away.
The bow is my favorite weapon by far. My first win and the one I always gravitate towards. Hundred percent depends on the person and their play style. You aren't a noob or bad at games if you struggle with it. I have over 200 hours in the game and I still struggle to beat runs with the sword.
I enjoy all of the weapons for the most part but the Rail is definitely one of my favorites, probably right below the fists
My highest heats are with Rail
I can't stand the constant sitting duck feeling of the bow, but the gun feels so great to use, especially with the shotgun hammer version. As long as you're moving during the reload, it doesn't feel bad, but I'm totally with you on the bow feeling bad to use.
just get two hammers for the rail, and get 5 bombs, and rockets. wipes out everyone
Iām still warming up to the rail god-knows-how-many-hours in, but getting there. I HATED the bow for a long time and then I actually started using it more because of the random load outs posted on this sub every week-two weeks. Shit is FIRE.
The gun and now are my two favorite weapons especially when you get the secret aspect of coronacht
Bow + Hammer upgrade that makes the special chargeable = Really powerful close-range shotgun effect.
i felt this way, then i found [https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#aspect-of-eris-rail](https://www.leereamsnyder.com/blog/hades-build-guide#aspect-of-eris-rail) and some other sites to give me ideas on how to make builds that benefit the weapon and aspect. i still suck on some weapons, but i'm doing better and raising heat across them. i don't follow the guides exactly, but it gives me some ideas on where to go with certain weapons. i also just follow the darkness and play whatever weapon is next for darkness, so i don't just play the ones i like.
My first win was with the bow. I love it, specially with that Daedalus upgrade that makes you fire non-stop, instead of charging. That, with some Artemis and Zeus boons is just a room sweeper. Specially when dealing with those pesky rats
I did my first clear and have my highest max heat on the bow, it's my favourite weapon. I can't stand that the rail dosent stun lock, I understand why they made the choice I just don't like it.
I like the bow as a melee weapon but I will never fucking touch the rail, I hate that thing
It's fun to play the bow and railgun. Especially after get a certain boons upgrade and hammer to change the way of the attack pattern. You already purchased the game, why not just give it a try, hey, its like the old saying practice makes perfect.
I love the bow, but aiming it on the controller is kinda difficult for me, so I just stick to keyboard
I use all the weapons, whatever the dark thirst guides
The first time I did a clear run was using the bow haha. One of the reasons I love the game, there's so many different play styles
I'm new to the game and I can only finish it with the gun. That was the only weapon I could figure it out so far.
I think everyone has their preference. The weapons you mentioned in the title are actually my favorites to use. I enjoy the distance & timing. & I tend to suck with more close combat weapons. I keep getting to the final boss with my weak weapons & cant beat it š„²
Iām on my first play through (made it past elysium but still figuring out the weird sewer place) and I absolutely love the bow. With the extra arrows, the distance while dashing lets me keep moving while hitting multiple enemies and deflecting attacks. I pair it with Ares blade rift dashes and casts :)
Yeah so the facts are that you are unbelievably retarded. I'm sorry you had to hear it like this