Hades II Arcana & Boons: Build a Loadout That Works Together

UNDERWORLD NOTE

Start with the move the build repeats

Normal Attack, normal Special and their Omega versions are different upgrade targets. Read a card’s exact wording before counting its damage in a charged build. The Huntress supports normal Attack and Special under its Magick condition; a Momus sequence alternating Omega actions asks a different question.

Decide which action gets the opening, which one applies a setup effect, and what you do while waiting for Magick or a safe channel. Then allocate damage support to the action doing the work. This is more reliable than choosing a deck solely because its icons appear in a high-Fear victory screen.

UNDERWORLD NOTE

Choose the defensive contract deliberately

For a first-clear learning run, Death is our straightforward recovery recommendation. It gives room to survive an unfamiliar lethal mistake. Strength is a different plan: its condition requires having no Death Defiance available. Equipping both does not give you an always-active version of both effects.

Review the familiar and Keepsake alongside the deck. If another source adds Death Defiance, you have changed Strength’s activation state. The card comparison below checks that particular conflict; it does not import your game or simulate every effect.

UNDERWORLD NOTE

Name both curses before counting Origination

Origination requires curses from two different Olympians on the same target. Two damage colours or two Boons in the same run are not enough information. Name the first curse, the action that applies it, the second Olympian and its application. Then ask whether you repeat both actions against a Guardian.

A second curse on an awkward or expensive action can make the sheet look finished while the actual bonus spends much of the encounter inactive. Choose an application you can fit naturally into your sequence. If the pair has not arrived, keep the main damage plan functioning instead of sacrificing the whole run to one future offering.

UNDERWORLD NOTE

Treat Magick as a repeating budget

Maximum Magick controls the size of the reserve. A Gain effect controls how you replenish it. Priming reduces the usable budget. Those are separate questions, and a run can have a large-looking bar that still cannot support its main loop.

Test the sequence over several repetitions. If it stalls, check whether your Gain condition is actually happening. An added Magick cost from a Hammer or support Boon can turn yesterday’s stable sequence into today’s empty bar. Remove the assumption that one famous Gain choice makes every possible cost harmless.

UNDERWORLD NOTE

Use the next offering to solve the next problem

When a Duo appears, read every prerequisite and the actual effect. A Duo is not automatically better than an upgrade to the damage source already carrying the run. Rerolls are a limited tool for finding missing functionality; decide what counts as a successful alternative before spending the next one.

• If the main action lacks support, fund that slot before a luxury side effect.
• If the sequence stops at an empty bar, prioritise a usable recovery condition.
• If ordinary enemies reach you from every angle, improve control or use a shorter offensive turn.
• If a Guardian ends the run with the same unfamiliar move, retain recovery while learning the tell.