Introducing “Hades II – How To Get Good At The Moonstone Axe” – your go-to manual for mastering the art of wielding the Moonstone Axe with ease. In this simple yet effective guide, we’ll provide you with straightforward advice aimed at boosting your skills without overwhelming you with complex strategies. Whether you’re a novice looking to improve or a seasoned player seeking some quick tips, let this guide be your beacon in the abyss of gaming. Let’s dive in and sharpen those skills!
How To Get Good With The Moonstone Axe In Hades 2
Embrace the Axe’s Unique Build
Accept that the Axe demands a precise build to thrive.
Recognize that the Axe’s slower wind-up doesn’t translate to higher damage compared to other options. Instead, it rewards with excellent AoE and mobility capabilities. Focus on leveraging these strengths effectively.
Maintain a single-minded approach to most challenges, adhering to a consistent strategy. Exercise patience and discern the opportune moments to engage bosses.
Consistently choose the same upgrades and boons, avoiding experimentation until you’ve honed your skills with the Axe to a high level. Mastery with the Axe diminishes the reliance on additional boons.
Acknowledge that the Axe excels under specific conditions. Are you suited to embrace the challenges and strengths of wielding the Axe?
Compulsory (must possess)
Combat Enhancement (Attack Enhancement):
Select either Nova Strike or Flutter Strike, with a preference for Nova Strike. Ice Strike is also acceptable.
Improvements for the Hammer
Priority should be given to Psychic Whirlwind above all else. It’s crucial to remember and utilize this upgrade, as it enables spinning without interruption during dashing, allowing for seamless transitions between actions such as casting spells, attacking, and blocking.
This versatility is unmatched and facilitates offensive and defensive maneuvers, even permitting sprinting while executing the Omega attack. This upgrade should be prioritized without exceptions.
Following Psychic Whirlwind, consider acquiring Furious Whirlwind, which similarly alters gameplay dynamics, enabling more aggressive play with reduced risk. It’s important to note that Advancing Whirlwind should be avoided unless Psychic Whirlwind is already obtained.
However, when paired with Psychic Whirlwind, Advancing Whirlwind may prove to be a valuable secondary upgrade. Personal experience suggests that this combination can significantly enhance combat effectiveness, as evidenced by defeating Chronos without incurring any casualties.
Acquiring Magical Energy Boost (Magical Energy Regeneration Enhancement)
Glamour Gain is preferred, especially when complemented by Rapture Ring or Passion Dash. However, even without these synergies, it remains a solid choice. Ionic Gain surprisingly proves to be effective due to the modest magical requirements of this build.
Lucid Gain is also a viable option. It’s advisable to obtain one of these enhancements promptly, without waiting for a specific favorite, as they all offer significant benefits.
How to Utilize Remaining Slots
These additional enhancements, while not essential for maximizing your Omega Attack strategy, can provide valuable utility to your arsenal and are worth considering if no directly beneficial options are available.
Flourish Enhancement (Special Enhancement)
Nova Flourish is particularly effective for clearing out a significant portion of the room before focusing on closer threats. Ice Flourish also proves to be a solid choice.
Ring Enhancement (Casting Enhancement)
Rapture Ring stands out as a favorite due to its ability to draw enemies towards the center, offering crowd control benefits that are especially noticeable in boss encounters. It also inflicts Weakness, which can be potent when combined with other boons for additional buffs.
Arctic Ring provides a reliable freezing effect, although its utility is somewhat diminished against rooted enemies. Storm Ring offers extra damage potential.
Anvil Ring is intriguing, potentially extending the duration of your cast by 50%, although this needs confirmation. While Solar Ring deals less damage overall compared to Zeus cast, it affects all enemies within its radius, making it a decent option, especially when paired with Apollo.
Sprint Enhancement
Frigid Sprint is an excellent choice, slowing projectiles and enemies by 60% while dealing damage. Combining this with spinning while sprinting provides both safety and increased damage against slowed foes. Blinding Sprint is a strong alternative, offering a combination of Daze, Evasion, and Weakness for enhanced survivability.
Passion Dash occupies the same slot and is also a viable option. If Demeter isn’t part of your build, prioritize Blinding Sprint or Passion Dash. Other choices in this category are less impactful and can be selected based on personal preference.
Other Beneficial Boons to Consider
- Broken Resolve: Enhances survivability.
- Wispy Wiles: Provides significant survivability boosts.
- Dazzling Display: Underrated for its Daze effect.
- Extra Dose: Becomes decent when rarity is around 10%.
- Light Smite: Offers genuinely effective abilities, with Daze being underrated.
- Cold Storage: Effective when paired with freeze abilities.
- Gale Force: Remarkably strong and doesn’t occupy a cast slot; prioritized over many other options.
- Local Climate: Offers choice between mobile or stationary cast, enhancing defensive capabilities.
- Rare Crop: Incredible if acquired early for obtaining Heroic boons.
- Weed Killer: A clear choice for added efficiency.
- Winter Coat: Enhances survivability significantly with Daze, Weak, Evasion, and Barriers.
- Glowing Coal: A notable Hestia boon, though may not stack with Lightning Lance.
- Flood Control: Notably beneficial; ensures sufficient Magick and Magic Regen before acquisition.
- Hydraulic Might: Provides significant damage increase, enabling quick encounter clears.
- Water Fitness: Challenging to activate but highly rewarding.
- Divine Vengeance: More impactful than anticipated, capable of eliminating distant enemies frequently.
- Lightning Lance: Offers considerable benefits, potentially surpassing Glowing Coal.
- Lavender Dress (Arachne): Provides a substantial buff as long as the effect is maintained.
- Death Warrant (Artemis): A clear choice for enhanced combat effectiveness.
- Silver Streak (Artemis): Particularly useful when combined with Psychic Whirlwind for frequent dashes.
- Revelation: Increases Channeling speed significantly.
- Strike: Boosts attack damage effectively.
How to Approach Combat:
In combat, your primary focus should always be on executing the Omega attack consistently, without exception. When engaging enemies, initiate with a dash attack followed by casting, then retreat to charge the Omega attack while benefiting from slowed time, ensuring your safety.
This sequence should be repeated continuously throughout combat. Remember, it’s crucial to prioritize evading damage over dealing it. If you anticipate being hit, it’s better to end the spin with a dash rather than risking damage just to complete the attack. Avoid developing habits that involve enduring damage to finish the spin, as survival should always come first.
Acquiring the Psychic Whirlwind enhancement significantly enhances your combat effectiveness. Once you have it, consider casting in the middle of the spin when you’re close to your primary target. This allows you to maintain safety while the Omega attack charges.
If you obtain the Furious Whirlwind upgrade, you’ll notice faster charging and increased movement speed during the spin. This allows for less conservative tactics; you can afford to charge more aggressively, sweeping through rooms efficiently. Focus on eliminating smaller enemies first to even out the numbers before dealing with larger, tankier foes.
In the event that you acquire Advancing Whirlwind while already possessing Psychic Whirlwind, it’s worth utilizing it as a projectile rather than engaging directly. With Apollo’s increased range, you can strike from a distance, complementing this tactic with screening casts and maintaining dash availability for survival.
Facing Chronos
When facing Chronos, it’s crucial to adopt a patient approach and avoid being directly in front of him whenever possible. Most of his attacks are difficult to dodge when facing him head-on.
His forward dash is swift and can catch you off guard, while his throw and swing attacks have wide hit arcs. To evade these, try to position yourself to Chronos’ side or behind him as he executes his moves. Even if you’re facing him, you can still dash behind him with enough time to spare.
A good strategy is to aim for hitting him with approximately 2/3 of a spin after he finishes one of his attacks. Chronos has various attack combinations, including triple charges and double swings into charges.
Patience is key; prioritize avoiding damage and strike when he’s vulnerable. As Chronos’s health dwindles, around 30% in the first phase, he won’t become stronger. Mastering dodging at this point indicates proficiency in fighting his first phase.
In the second phase, avoiding damage becomes even more critical as Chronos’s attacks are devastating and difficult to dodge passively. Wait for your openings; there are plenty of opportunities to hit him without risking injury. The window of opportunity widens in the second phase, allowing for more calculated strikes.
Of all the weapons I’ve unlocked so far, it feels like the axe is the one I’m the best at using, but I wasn’t sure how to use it best or what the best boons were for use with the axe. Hence I wrote this guide. Hopefully you can learn from my experience.
Last Updated on May 16, 2024
An avid listener of music from a number of countries. Writing is his hobby and passion. A follower of all the latest android and PC games. Not to mention his favorite: Mobile Legends!