Hades 2 weapon tier list and how to unlock all weapons

Our Hades 2 weapon tier list lays out which of the Nocturnal Arms we think are best for Melinoe to bring into the Underworld and the Surface. Based on over 100 hours playing Hades 2, we've used each weapon extensively – from the super stabby Sister Blades and simple Witch's Staff to the exploding Argent Skull, and missile-launcher-loaded Black Coat exosuit – and have ranked them from S to C-tier – none of the weapons are strictly bad, some are just less good!

Importantly, you won't have immediate access to any weapons aside from the Witch's Staff at the start of Hades 2, so if you want to use some of the best weapons the Silver Pool can reveal, you'll need to finish lots of runs and gather the necessary resources to unlock them. So as well, as writing up the Hades 2 weapon tier list below, I've also detailed how to unlock all the Nocturnal Arms.

Weapons can be powered up even more with Hades 2 Aspects, so if you've got every weapon and are looking for ways to improve them further, check out the linked guide!

Hades 2 weapon tier list

Since each of the Nocturnal Arms has several different attack options and their own combat styles, you'll want to try them all out to see which you find to be the best for you. Although, I think there are some clear standouts that top our Hades 2 weapon tier list as they can easily take you far in any run:

• S-tier:
  • Sister Blades: Lim and Oros take the top spot in our tier list since they aren't too difficult to use and can deal monstrously high damage with the right Boons and good use of the backstabbing Omega Attack. The regular Attack is also so fast that it's great for effectively stun-locking most enemies, and the ranged Special and Omega Special are excellent for applying various Curses to multiple foes at once.
• A-tier:
  • Black Coat: Xinth is great since it can do a bit of everything. It's got good melee and ranged attacks, explosive power, a defensive block, and helps Melinoe move faster, making it highly versatile and great in almost any fight.
  • Argent Skull: The Skull takes a bit of getting used to due to its limited shell system but can deal excellent damage in a short space of time and at a variety of ranges. The special and Omega Special are also great for dealing damage and helping Melinoe move around and through foes rapidly.
• B-tier:
  • Moonstone Axe: The great-axe deals hefty damage in a small area with each swing, but it's so slow, particularly when it comes to charging its admittedly very powerful Omega moves, that it necessitates a far more cautious approach to combat.
  • Witch's Staff: Melinoe's starting weapon is a solid option that's easy to use as a beginner but doesn’t feel like it excels in anything in particular.
• C-tier:
  • Umbral Flames: The Flames aren’t that great in their base form and only shine when you're able to continuously fire the Omega Attack. Otherwise, I find them to be awkward to use, requiring a very different playstyle compared to the rest of the weapons.

How to unlock all Hades 2 weapons

Melinoe starts the game with the Witch's Staff, but the five other Hades 2 weapons need to be unlocked at the Crossroads' Silver Pool. You'll do this by gathering and spending the resources listed in their Silver Pool entry, some of which are quite difficult to obtain – for example, the Black Coat and Argent Skull can only be unlocked once you've unlocked the Surface in Hades 2. Those two weapons are also the last to reveal themselves in the Silver Pool, requiring you to unlock all previous weapons first.

Below, I've listed the resources you need to unlock all six weapons in Hades 2 and have explained a little about how they work so that you know how to use them:

Hades 2 Witch's Staff, Descura

• Unlocked by default.
• A magic staff that Melinoe can swing for precise melee Attacks with considerable reach and use to cast a magick projectile that's great for applying status effects. Its Omega Moves are good for hitting multiple enemies at once with a line of explosions from the Omega Attack and an exploding projectile from the Omega Special.

Hades 2 Sister Blades, Lim and Oros

• Unlocked at the Silver Pool by spending:
  • 1 Silver: Mined in Erebus
• A dagger and sickle used together for a mix of fast, close-range sweeps, stabs, and thrown attacks. The Omega Attack teleports you behind an enemy to deliver a backstab, making it great for evasion and damage, while range of the Special sickle throw and Omega Special dagger fan make them good for applying Curses too.

Hades 2 Umbral Flames, Ygnium

• Unlocked at the Silver Pool by spending:
  • 2 Silver: Mined in Erebus
  • 2 Cinder: Reward for defeating Hecate in Hades 2
• A pair of torches that fire out ghostly fireballs in various forms. Hold the Attack button to turn every third fireball into a fire wave at the cost of Magick. The Special and Omega Special summons more fireballs to orbit Melinoe for a short time, dealing damage to enemies that get in their way.

Hades 2 Moonstone Axe, Zorephet

• Unlocked at the Silver Pool by spending:
  • 15 Silver: Mined in Erebus
• A hefty axe that deals massive damage with each swing but is very slow to use, leaving Melinoe open to harm. However, the Special move is a very fast, short-range, overhead spinning attack that can be used in a pinch and then charged into the mighty Omega Special, which creates a line of three large, circular shockwaves on the ground for massive damage.

Hades 2 Argent Skull, Revaal

• Unlocked at the Silver Pool by spending:
  • 2 Glassrock: Hades 2 G Rock is mined in the Mourning Fields
  • 1 Bronze: Hades 2 Bronze is mined in Ephyra
• The Argent Skull is an odd weapon that can shoot up to four high-damage explosive shells that need to be retrieved once fired. For a bigger explosion and better aim, you can use the Omega Attack, but if you need to quickly retrieve spent shells, the Special acts as dash, letting Melinoe hurt enemies in her way as she moves. Alternatively, you can use the Omega Special to dash a great distance while also sending out several high-damage projectiles either side of her, covering a massive area.

Hades 2 Black Coat, Xinth

• Unlocked at the Silver Pool by spending:
  • 2 Adamant: Hades 2 Adamant is mined in Olympus
  • 2 Cinder: Reward for defeating Hecate
• The Black Coat is the final weapon that will reveal itself to Melinoe, a thruster-pack exosuit that boosts Melinoe's speed and packs brutal fists and a missile swarm Special that gains lock-on when turned into an Omega Special. Additionally, while channeling the Omega Attack, Melinoe deploys a forward-facing shield that can block most incoming attacks and projectiles that leads into a devastating punch.

Of course, unlocking weapons is just the start as you'll eventually unlock Weapon Aspects that can radically change how each weapon feels and can upgrade them to massively boost Melinoe's strength, letting her crush previously deadly bosses. Check out the linked guide near the top of this page!

Hades 2 Arcana Cards are another incredibly important part of Melinoe's bag of tricks that improve her combat capabilities. And if you want to even more improvements, try and recruit one of the Hades 2 Familiars.

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