Summary
Melinoe’s starting weapon is the Witch’s staff, which is odd considering the cover art depicts her wielding theSister Blades. These blades consist of a dagger and a sickle, and they rank up there as some of the best weapons in the game so far. Players get the advantage of deadly precision when up close, and then they have long-range capabilities by throwing the dagger at enemies.
It’s almost like the developers want players to start out with theseweapons inHades 2. Whether that is true or not, they are well-balanced. They can become stronger with equipped Boons though, so let’s see what Boon combos are out there for the Sister Blades.
8Concentrated Flurry
Daedalus Hammer
Concentrated Flurryis a Daedalus Hammer Boon for the Sister Blades. The charged Special attack, which was already mentioned, will shoot a flurry of knives at enemies. One strategy is to hit as many targets as possible from a distance.
Another strategy is to slink up close to one enemy, like a boss, and then use this charged Special on them. All damage will be directed into that one target, likea shotgun blast, and Concentrated Flurry will boost the Power of each knife that hits the same target by 4 on the Boon’s lowest tier.
7Dancing Knives
Dancing Knivesis another Daedalus Hammer Boon that also aims to boost the Special of the Sister Blades. The normal Special attack will fling one dagger at an enemy. This gives the weapon an advantage above others in the game, as it has both short and long-range capabilities.
With Dancing Knives applied, this thrown dagger will do 15% more damage, and it has a chance to bounce between at least two enemies. If players keep flinging blades, they can do a lot of damage to a large group of enemies, even without using Magick.
6Swift Strike
Hermes
Swift Strikeis a Boon that can be obtained from Hermes, the God of Swiftness inHades 2. It will increase the speed of normal attacks, turning Melinoe’s Sister Blades into wisps of speeding metal. The faster the weapons become, the more hits players can get out of a basic attack combo, which should be obvious.
Naturally, the twin blades are already fast, since they weredesigned to be ninja- or assassin-like.Still, every little bit of speed will help make Melinoe more skilled in battle.
5Greater Evasion
As important as attack speed boosts are, Melinoe also has to have a good defense against enemies.Greater Evasionis another Boon from Hermes, and this one will give Melinoe the ability to Dodge attacks. Dodge, inHades 2, is a stat buff that will give players a chance to evade damage completely.
It’s as if enemies inHades 2are rolling natural ones like in aDungeons and Dragonscampaign. The chances to use Dodge are low, just 10%, at the starting tier of Greater Evasion, but sometimes players can get lucky. If They upgrade the Boon, those chances will improve.
4Traces Of Spirit
Medea
Traces of Spiritis a Boon that can be obtained from the witch Medea. She’s marked by theCupped Hands doors inHades 2,and has a chance to appear in the City of Ephyra on the surface.
This Boon will increase Melinoe’s allotment of Magick energy after every enemy encounter. Players will naturally go through several dozen enemy encounters on a good run, making this Boon an invaluable investment. The more Magick Melinoe has, the more charged attacks and Casts they can use in battle.
3Word Of Smaller Stature
Circe
Word of Smaller Staturecan also be obtained from a witch on the surface, but this Boon belongs to Circe. Players will have a chance to encounter her in the second surface area, the Rifts of Thessaly, which is themed around jumping between sailing vessels.
Word of Smaller Stature is a fun Boon, because it will shrink Melinoe slightly, which in turn will make her harder to hit, thus increasing her chances of activating Dodge. It will also boost her overall speed. Combined with Swift Strike and Greater Evasion, Melinoe will becomeone slippery assassin.
2Support Fire
Artemis
A good assassin should be able to stand their ground in battle. However, what assassin wouldn’t appreciate a helping hand, especially from a goddess like Artemis?Support Fireis one of Artemis’ Booms, and will fire an arrow randomly at enemies. A green arrow will appear from offscreen whether players use a basic attack or a Special to trigger it.
It’s a good move to combine with Special attacks specifically, as it will be like players are throwing two knives at once or even more if the bounce effect from the Dancing Knives Boon is applied.
1Unseen Ire
Hades
It may be a bit of a spoiler for thelore ofHades 2to reveal Hades himself is in the game. He will appear in Tartarus through the Cupped Hand doors alongside a more chilled-out Cerberus. Most of his Boons will weaken Chronos in the final battle, but there are a few that will improve Melinoe as a character.
Unseen Ire, for example, will cast Dark on her if she gets hit by an enemy. Dark will turn Melinoe invisible for a short time, or will reveal her if players use an attack. In this state, attack damage is multiplied greatly, giving Melinoe another tool to be a deadly assassin hiding in the literal shadows.
