One of the first things you learn in Hades is that perks are unique effects that can make or break you. Perks can increase your damage and chances of survival while granting you unique abilities. The personalization that comes from perks can drastically change the way you play the game. Each God has a different type of windfall effect and what God shows in your race can completely change your strategy.
Fortunately, it is possible to exert a little influence on the benefits you get from using Keepsakes. Even with Keepsakes, there's a good chance you'll be forced to adapt your strategy on the fly to accommodate the gods who present themselves in the Underworld. Knowing the basics of the benefits that each God offers can help you plan ahead for inevitable changes in your strategy. Here's a full list of all the perks currently available in the game.
There are also Duo Boons available in the game that combine the powers of two different gods. Duo Boons usually require at least one of each God involved. We have included the necessary prerequisites for each perk and duo perk in the lists below.
Aphrodite
The Goddess of Love grants perks which are good for increasing your own damage while also dampening enemy attacks. Its perks inflict the low status curse which decreases the amount of damage dealt by enemies when afflicted by them. Some of Aphrodite's perks can also inflict Charms that will cause enemies to turn on other enemies. Weak is especially useful against tougher enemies that appear later in the game. Its advantages stack perfectly with the advantages of Athena and AoE constructs.
Ares
The violent Ares grants perks that increase damage and do damage over time. Its benefits can also create damaging blade rifts and inflict the Curse of Doom Status. Blade Rifts are pockets of rapidly spinning blades that will damage any enemies inside. Doom inflicts a large amount of damage on enemies after being dealt.
Artemis
The Reserved Goddess of the Hunt grants perks that improve cast and can deal critical damage. The Bounties of Artemis can also inflict the Marked Curse which increases the critical strike chance on the afflicted enemy. Artemis perks are mostly geared towards ranged playstyles, but work great in any damage build.
Athena
Athena is the only goddess who offers protective benefits rather than offensive or favorable. Athena's perks grant the Deflect ability and give you more defensive options. Its perks can also inflict Exposed, increasing the amount of damage enemies take from behind. When used well, Athena's perks can dramatically increase your chances of survival and fit right into almost any build.
chaos
Primal Chaos grants a wide variety of perks that act differently from normal perks. The benefits of chaos have two parts. You will start with a debuff or curse for a certain number of encounters. Once you've completed enough encounters, the curse transforms into a powerful buff. These make the game much harder, but surviving on the debuff provides some incredibly useful perks later on. Along with Hermes, Chaos is the only God who does not have Duo Boons.
Demeter
Demeter will only appear after the first time you reach the surface. Its benefits focus on the Chill status effect which slows enemies and can spread by smashing. Many of its benefits increase damage and survivability through healing. Demeter's perks are highly adaptable and offer some of the biggest damage bonuses in the game.
Dionysos
The laid-back blessings of God Dionysus are designed for crowd control and damage over time. They can stun and slow enemies while dealing damage over time thanks to the Hangover Status Curse. Its benefits are great for any AoE build and can increase your health. Like the bounties of Zeus, the bounties of Dionysus can combine with those of any other God to produce enormous damage.
Hermes
The benefits of Hermès focus entirely on increasing your speed. Its perks increase your movement and attack speed, and can reduce all of your charge times. While Hermes does not grant any special abilities or status effects other than speed, some of his perks increase survivability by granting you health, invulnerability, and similar effects. Hermes is the only God with Chaos who doesn't have Duo Boons.
Poseidon
Poseidon's perks increase your damage and add breaking and knocking back effects to your attacks. Recoil is good for crowd control as it keeps enemies away from you, it can also be used to knock them down into surfaces and traps. Enemies that have been affected by Rupture take damage while moving. Bosses cannot be affected by Knockback, but Rupture can still damage them.
Zeus
The health benefits of Zeus grant your attacks the Chain Lightning and Jolted Status Curse effect. Chain Lightning causes lightning strikes to strike multiple enemies with each attack. Jolted causes enemies to be struck by lightning with a small area of effect when attempting to attack. Zeus Perks are designed to deal with multiple opponents at once. Lightning effects can pair well with most other perks from other gods.
