Hades guide: Skills and boons from the Gods of Olympus

Athena’s boons

The goddess of wisdom is one of the most vaunted allies of Zagreus as he attempts to escape in Hades. Her boons are symbolized by a golden shield (large circle surrounded by four smaller circles).

Athena specializes in providing you with defenses via her Deflect triggers and damage reduction capabilities. Here are some examples of Athena’s boons:

• Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, and Divine Dash (tier 1) – Your attack, special, cast, and dash abilities (respectively) have a chance to Deflect enemy attacks.
• Sure Footing and Bronze Skin (tier 1) – Resist a bit of damage from traps/environmental hazards or enemy attacks respectively.
• Holy Shield (tier 1) – When you take damage, you also damage nearby enemies and Deflect.
• Deathless Stand (tier 2) – Death Defiance makes you invulnerable for a few more seconds whenever a charge is expended; restores one charge when this boon is selected.
• Last Stand (tier 2) – Death Defiance restores more health whenever a charge is expended; restores one charge when this boon is selected.
• Divine Protection (tier 3/Legendary) – Conjure a barrier that negates incoming damage; once the barrier is broken, it’ll take 20 seconds before it’s refreshed.

Athena is another top-tier god in Hades primarily because of all the defensive capabilities you can obtain. Deflecting attacks saves you from losing a ton of health, and you can even make projectiles bounce back to your foes. Sadly, I found many of her Duo boons very unnecessary compared to other Olympians.

Up next, it’s time to look at Demeter’s skills.