UNDERWORLD NOTE
A clear starting plan.
Choose the Sister Blades when you enjoy deciding exactly when to step in. Their speed can make a room feel easy, but fast attacks do not remove the need to leave. A clean short punish is a better learning goal than an uninterrupted combo.
The default Melinoë aspect rewards Backstabs. The Omega Attack can help you reposition behind a target, while the ranged Special gives you something to do when close combat is unsafe. Pan, Artemis and the Morrigan change the job substantially; do not treat them as four copies of the same build.
This is a practical first-clear route. If you already know another aspect’s timing, use the aspect notes below to adapt the sequence.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
A sequence you can repeat.
- 01
Choose your target
Pick an isolated ranged foe or an enemy already committed to an animation. Avoid opening in the middle of several independent attack patterns.
- 02
Control the approach
Drop Cast so a pursuer cannot freely follow you. Look for a side or back angle instead of crossing every danger in a straight line.
- 03
Make a short punish
Take a few quick hits or a deliberate Omega Attack. Finish the sequence while the target is still recovering.
- 04
Exit with intent
Move to a clear lane. Ranged Specials can maintain pressure while you wait for the next safe approach.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Give each Boon a job.
The choices below are starting directions and fallbacks. They are not a guarantee that a random run offers every piece. Read the actual range, trigger and Magick condition before taking a named choice.
Flame Strike / Wave Strike
Fast normal attacks can use an added damage source. Choose one, then check its follow-up choices rather than filling every support slot without a plan.
A complementary curse or damage choice
On a melee build, this can be a safe way to apply a second effect before approaching. Pan instead makes Special the central damage budget.
A Cast you reliably place
A room-control Cast is valuable before it becomes a damage build. Avoid standing still to channel while multiple enemies are still free to surround you.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Choose the action, then the Hammer.
A Hammer can change which action deserves your next upgrade. Check the equipped aspect, eligible moves and added costs rather than treating three suggestions as a guaranteed package.
Trick Knives
A normal-moves direction that adds ranged pressure to a Dash-Strike. It is not available to every alternate moveset.
Sudden Flurry
A Special-channel option when the run actually centres on Omega Special. It is less useful if you spend most of a room using normal Attacks.
Sweeping Ambush
An Omega Attack direction. Read the exact offered effect and test its timing before relying on it in a Guardian fight.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Four ways to play this weapon.
Melinoë
Extra Backstab damage.
Use positioning as a reward: get behind a committed foe, take the clean hit and leave. Ranged pressure remains useful between openings.
Watch for: A backstab bonus is not permission to pursue the rear of every target through hazards.
Artemis
A parry-and-Riposte rhythm around Omega Attack.
Learn which incoming attack you are answering before building a run around the counter. The reward is strongest when your defensive timing is deliberate.
Watch for: Riposte has a recharge; it is not a permanent shield against every hit. Patch 2 changed its recovery timing.
Pan
Special knives seek enemies caught in your Casts.
Make Cast placement the beginning of the damage sequence, then fund Special. Check that the target remains inside the relevant area before committing more Magick.
Watch for: A strong Special plan loses its identity when you neglect Cast or keep spending upgrades on unused Attacks.
The Morrigan
A new moveset culminating in Blood Triad.
Learn how its sequence creates the Triad opportunity, then use a Guardian’s recovery to finish it. Keep a shorter safe sequence for ordinary rooms.
Watch for: The payoff asks for setup and its Hammer pool differs; do not assume a normal-Blades recipe transfers unchanged.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Fix the awkward moment.
I teleport into damage
Treat the destination as part of aiming. Going behind one foe can put you in front of a different one; check the whole landing area.
I keep chasing backstabs
A conditional bonus should reward a safe opening. If following the back of a moving boss causes more hits taken, use the safe frontal punish and reset.
My Pan Special ignores my plan
Pan’s seeking knives work around enemies in Cast. Cast placement and Special damage must be planned together; a melee Attack loadout is a different route.
UNDERWORLD NOTE
Take one question into the next room.
Pick one enemy type and practise taking exactly one opening before retreating. Once that feels controlled, add an Omega Attack or a ranged Special to the same opening. You are testing control of the exit, not the longest possible combo.
Keep the same aspect while testing that one habit. Once it works, change one Boon choice or one movement decision and observe what improves.
THE SOURCE DESK
What this guide is built on.
Reviewed . Latest gameplay note found: Post-Launch Patch 2 · Hotfix 5, published . The newer September publisher post covers the documentary and concert.
Our routes, comparisons and first-clear recommendations are editorial synthesis from the references below. They are not a claimed Cobalt playthrough or a measured damage simulation.
- Supergiant Games · official Steam announcements ↗Post-Launch Patch 2 and Hotfix 5; checked 3 November 2026.
- Hades Wiki · Sister Blades ↗Moveset and aspect reference.
- Mobalytics · Morrigan moveset analysis ↗Cross-check of alternate moveset and Blood Triad priorities.