Hades

Foreword

This guide is written with the assumption that you will get Flurry Jab as your first hammer. It does not touch on other builds like Serrated Point start.

It is also written for people that have some amount of knowledge on speedrunning Hades.

Resetting for Flurry Jab on Achilles is rough but on the other hand you only need Flurry and good Hermes. Reset points are very simple and no matter what gods you find in Tartarus it will still work so I think it’s easy to get into.

Boons

Main Boons

Build starts out with Tidal Dash. You will go for Zeus build only if you find natural Zeus in Tartarus. If you don’t find either Zeus or Artemis, you should go with the Artemis Build and force Artemis into Asphodel.

“Vs Styx” boons you need to pick up at some point before Styx so keep them in mind. (Proud Bearing only if you end up with Hades Call). Achilles lacks instant burst damage so if you don’t find any of these Styx will be slow.

“Sub” includes things like Hunter’s Mark, Hydraulic Might, Billowing Strength and such. These are pretty much the same as for Eris so I didn’t write them all down. They’re basically your standard set of good secondary boons.

“Duo/Legend” includes things that you can build towards on Achilles. These are detailed in the Special and Cast sections.

Attack

Zeus

If you find Zeus Attack in Tartarus you should go full on Zeus build. Switch to Zeus Keepsake for Asphodel and aim for Static Discharge (Jolted).

Without Static Discharge Zeus Attack is very weak so it is worth it to roll twice to get it, no matter the rarity.

If you find Static Discharge in Tartarus you should still take Zeus Keepsake and aim for Splitting Bolt or Zeus Call.

Artemis

If you didn’t find Zeus in Tartarus or did find natural Artemis, aim for Artemis build.

Artemis build gets heavily buffed by Chaos so aim for Attack, Dash Attack or Backstab boons in Chaos.

For bosses you want to get Mirage Shot. This is even more important than Hunter’s Mark.

Zeus vs Artemis

If we assume you get Static Discharge then it’s probably safe to say that Zeus build is better.

That said, when mixing epic Chaos boons, Mirage Shot with a good cast and Duo boons, Artemis will work beautifully.

If in Tartarus you have to choose between Zeus and Artemis you should go for Zeus unless you already have Ares Cast.

My World Record is on Zeus build but that’s only because that happened to be the run where I found the 2sack. My best pace before getting sacked was actually using Artemis build. So please keep in mind that there is no reason to think that Artemis build is just inferior.

Special

Specials are mainly chosen for the Duos that they open up. Usually you’ll be able to pick up a Special Boon in Tartarus. You should keep tier 2 boons for each in mind when picking one up.

Explaining the picture from the top:

Aphrodite: You can open up Heart Rend and Smoldering Air (with Zeus Call). Sweet Surrender is an easy way to add some damage so Aphro is always a safe pick.
Athena: You can open up Deadly Reversal. Pay extra attention to Blinding Flash since it’s very easy to get backstabs on Achilles so it’s a very nice match.
Demeter: Not really taken for any duos but Killing Freeze is pretty strong on its own. It’s also nice to not have to get sad every time Demeter shows up. You may get chances to try out Cold Fusion or Freezing Vortex, but they’re not worth aiming for.
Dionysus: If you get Exclusive Access before Hermes the run is going to be awesome. Splitting Headache is definitely not weak either. Strong Drink will lose its value after Tartarus.
Artemis, Zeus: Certainly not weak but there are other things you want from them. If you already have Hunter’s Mark the special is probably worth picking up, but still isn’t ideal.
Poseidon: Not only do you have so many other boons you would rather have from him, but it will also push enemies around making it harder to aim for backstabs.
Ares: Doom won’t get many chances to proc and it will open up all the other tier 2 doom boons.

Cast

Casts are used to add some firepower to your boss damage on Achilles.

Try to pick one up before Asphodel and pom it.

Explaining the picture from the top:

Ares: It’s the strongest cast for Achilles. Aim for Mirage Shot and Hunting Blades while working towards Vicious Cycle. If you already have Artemis and Ares shows up, it’s worth using one roll to get the Cast.
Dionysus: This cast is hard to use on controller but it’s easy and very powerful on mouse+keyboard. I don’t really take this cast because aiming it on controller is too hard (like Cluster Bomb on Eris). You will open up Exclusive Access and can build towards Ice Wine and Scintillating Feast to make your cast even stronger.
Athena: It has big damage, good AOE and even deflects so it’s very good. Mirage Shot (if you go Arty) and Lightning Phalanx (if you go Zeus) both make this strong but LP in the pool can make it harder to get Static Discharge.
Artemis, Zeus: Again, they are not weak but you have other things that you want from them.
Poseidon: Strong in Tartarus and opens up Sea Storm but falls off in Asphodel. It might be worth picking up on Zeus Attack build but Poseidon also has so many other good boons you want so it’s a tough choice.
Aphrodite: I use casts to kill faraway enemies so I don’t really like this one. If you can use it well it’s fine.
Demeter: BEAM

Dash

There is only Tidal Dash.

Tidal Dash on Achilles is not only for damage but also for grouping enemies so it’s irreplaceable.

You should focus on pushing enemies from the sides of the room into big groups and finishing them all off at once. Or taking central enemies and pushing them towards side enemies in a similar manner.

For shielded enemies or enemies in weird places you can use your special to get behind them without knocking them back needlessly.

Call

It’s either Zeus or Hades. Achilles has great dmg uptime so you will always get the full use out of Hades call.

Hermes

Aim for rare or better Greatest Reflex or Hyper Sprint + Rush delivery.

If the first Hermes has +2 dashes and Hyper Sprint, if I still have more than 3 rerolls I’d take Hyper Sprint. Of course Hyper Sprint is simply wrong on the runs where you don’t get Rush Delivery so it’s pretty safe to take whichever you want.

The absolute optimal build is of course all three. I think it’s worth using one reroll to get Hyper Sprint even after getting +3 dashes. If you do this, just remember to save 500 obols for Hermes in Styx shop.

Chaos

Get: Attack, Dash Strike, Cast, Coin, Boon Rarity, Backstab

Avoid: More foes, minus HP on Attack or Special

It’s worth using one reroll on Chaos but Achilles has so many build options that it’s okay to just take any of the good ones at Epic.

Extra money comes in clutch for Styx Hermes.

Reduced dash distance or move speed don’t really hurt at all because you have Achilles Special to move around.

Second Hammer

To be honest none of them make that big of a difference so it’s not even worth going for. Mostly go for it if you are offered it against Poms that you don’t need, Gods you don’t care for, or non-menu reward before seeing Than.

Extending Jab: Happy to see it on Artemis build.
Triple Jab: Adds AOE which makes grouping enemies easier. Probably better than Extending Jab on Zeus build.
Serrated point: Reset
Other: Does not matter.

Biomes

Tartarus

The most important thing to keep in mind for Tartarus is that you can one-shot Wringers (hand fellas) with your base cast with High Confidence + Family Favorite (you need least one God) + Achilles buff. This won’t work after losing HC for Chaos or right after hammer start before picking up the first boon.

You really want to have at least level 3 dash before Furies. Having at least that will make Furies fights way more consistently fast.

Room priorities (assuming Poseidon C1):

Free Room ≧ Hammer > Zeus ≧ Artemis > Poseidon > Pom(Tidal Dash Lv1,2) > Ares > Coin > Pom > Other

I personally take Hammer over Chaos. If it’s early in the biome the room clear takes no time at all. For late biome I take hammer hoping for fountain or survival room.

You really want to have the hammer before Furies. The DPS increase will outweigh the time loss if you take it over a free room.

Asphodel

Nothing Achilles specific comes to mind.

For 3-exit rooms you can throw your spear to one of the exits while checking the others so you won’t lose time returning to the furthest door.

vs Hydra

Kill the heads as they appear even if they are purple heads.

For purple heads you can go around them while avoiding their attacks to neatly take care of them.

Elysium

When you enter a room you should first make sure all enemies are aggroed before starting your attacks.

Kill witches and archers one by one while always trying to push them towards the next enemy.

Archers have some really annoying movement patterns so there isn’t really any way to deal with them other than just killing them one by one.

vs Heroes

Start with Meg -> Special through Asterius

Be sure to aim for backstabs.

Styx

In small rooms you don’t start with the special but rather go straight to dash attacks.

If you have Breaking Wave or something similar that will be enough.

Start with Special -> Meg -> Cast -> dash strikes.

If you have Ares Cast it’s Special -> Meg -> dash -> Cast.

Backstab damage comes in clutch here so aim for that as much as possible.

Achilles is said to be slow in the Hades fight and sure, compared to Eris or Beowulf it is.

But please keep in mind that my record has no Epic Rush Delivery or anything like that.

If my build were stronger it would easily have been less than a 40 second fight.

Well of Charon

Depends on how much money you have and if your build includes Cast.

The main things to look for:

Cyclops Jerky
Nail of Talos (Especially when entering Asphodel)
Light of Ixion
Yarn of Ariadne (for Hermes)

Mirror

Shadow Presence vs Fiery Presence

Fiery will make Tartarus a little bit easier, but Achilles is already very good at fast Tartarus clears.

Getting backstabs by using Achilles special to get behind enemies is very easy and Shadow Presence is a big help in the Hades fight where Achilles usually falls off. There is no reason to not take Shadow Presence.

Infernal vs Stygian

Casts are part of building Achilles. That’s why Infernal is better here.

Buffed base casts oneshot a lot of things in Tartarus too.

I think people take Stygian for Ravenous Will but if you just do your best you can get the bonus even on Infernal.

Useful Tips

Start rooms with dash or special buff?

If you see enemies when you enter a room you start with special and if not you start with dash.

Dash towards where you think you’ll find enemies and autoaim – the special will do the rest.

About room clear

I feel like I have said this many times already, but pay attention to grouping enemies.

Also, after defeating an enemy use your special to smoothly go towards the next enemy or spawn point.

Rerolls

You basically never want to reroll more than twice for anything other than your core boons.

Achilles can build in so many ways that you usually find at least something that makes you stronger (for example going for Mirage -> Finding Hunter’s Mark instead)

When going for Duos keep your Pride Gaming in mind and roll responsibly.

After second Hermes you can basically roll whatever you feel like. You might want to keep one extra roll for Hermes in Styx.

Special buffs and dash strikes combo

Special -> dash strike -> dash strike -> special make up for the most ideal combo. Even I still flub it sometimes so it’s all a matter of practice. It’s pretty easy to do before getting Flurry Jab.

If you find that with Flurry jab your special isn’t always coming out after dash strikes you might be holding the attack button for too long. It may be easier to just press the button repeatedly instead of holding it, like you do when playing without Flurry.

When Flurry Jab just won’t appear

Let’s go to sleep for the day.

Reset Points

Hammer
Hermes
Barge, too many armorless enemies, sack
The rest is up to good balancing on build and your goals

For Sub 6

Tartaros 1:50
Asphodel 3:00
Elysium 4:40

With Epic RD or another otherwise strong build you can keep going even with 3:20 Asphodel.

Hades – Achilles Spear Speedrun Guide

Foreword