Hades guide: Skills and boons from the Gods of Olympus

Aphrodite’s boons

Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, is one of the Olympians who can give you blessings in Hades. Her boons are symbolized by a pink heart.

She specializes in applying the “Weak” debuff on enemies (lowering their damage output and making them more susceptible to your own attacks). She also has “Revenge-type” boons that lower the damage you receive from mobs.

Note: If you’re just starting out in Hades, it’s not possible to meet Aphrodite during your first escape attempt.

Here are some examples of Aphrodite’s boons:

• Heartbreak Strike, Heartbreak Flourish, and Passion Dash (tier 1) – Your attack, special, and dash abilities (respectively) have more damage and inflict the Weak status.
• Crush Shot (tier 1) – Your casting skill becomes a short-ranged blast that inflicts Weak.
• Wave of Despair (tier 1/revenge) – When you take damage, nearby enemies also take damage and are afflicted by Weak.
• Different League (tier 1) – Resist damage from enemies.
• Sweet Surrender (tier 2) – Weak-afflicted enemies take more damage.
• Unhealthy Fixation (tier 3/Legendary) – Weak effects have a chance to charm enemies.

Truth be told, I’m not really quite a fan of getting Aphrodite’s skills unless they can offer synergy with the weapon I’m using or the other gods that I’ve encountered. Crush Shot is something I greatly dislike using whether I’ve got a melee or ranged weapon. Heartbreak Strike, meanwhile, is very helpful for weapons with high attack speed, though I feel that Poseidon’s boon is better.

Still, inflicting the Weak status on enemies, causing more damage due to the debuff, and increasing your survivability are all extremely potent capabilities. You can learn more about Aphrodite’s Duo boons here.

Up next, let’s talk about Ares.