The Gifts of the Moon system in Hades 2 are Melinoe’s ultimate abilities that you charge up by spending Magick. Some are more powerful than others as you reach Tartarus and fight high-damage dealing enemies and Chronos. Let’s list the best Selene Gift of the Moon Hexes in Hades 2.
Top Selene Hexes in Hades 2
While all of the Gifts of the Moon Hexes are flashy and interesting, some that provide windows of invulnerability or healing are drastically superior to others. I’ll list all of them below from best to worst with explanations on how good they are both early/late game and whether you should consider their Moonglow. For those unfamiliar, the better the Moonglow on a Hex from Crescent to Half to Full, the more points you get to upgrade the Hex in Path of Stars.
1. Phase Shift
I found that the best Hex in Hades 2 is Phase Shift. It’s similar to Dark Side below but it’s much more offense-oriented. After you activate it for 5 seconds, you don’t have to worry as much about high-damage boss abilities since they’ll move 80% slower or more with PoS upgrades. This allows you to exploit some riskier tactics like fully charging the Axe or going wild on Umbral Flame Omega Attacks.
Essentially, Phase Shift opens up more damage windows for you to exploit and should always be used when you wouldn’t normally be able to reliably damage the boss. I highly recommend taking it with half or full Moonglow because the upgrades for the extended duration are amazing.
2. Dark Side
The Dark Side is the ultimate escape button that turns you invulnerable for 5 seconds at the mere activation range of 90 Magick. During those 5 seconds, you get access to some decent damage projectiles and a small AOE damage ability. While these aren’t bad at dealing damage Dark Side is all about the defensive aspect. For example, when Cerberus locks you up close with his full-level AOE or the Sirens do the same, if you can’t escape Cerberus’ charges or the Sirens’ AOE effects just hit Dark Side.
Not only will you negate all the damage but you can output some decent DPS too. Unlike some other Hexes that get worse as you progress through the game, Dark Side will always be useful. It’s great against Chronos both for beginner players to get used to his moveset and for advanced players to make use of damage windows while he’s charging around or escape some damage from the Satyrs as he summons them. Lastly, I like that it’s accessible on all weapons due to its low Magick requirement and even low-Magick using Axe builds can utilize Dark Side.
3. Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse, much like Lunar Ray below, is all about pure damage. That said, it’s much safer to use than Lunar Ray because you can just drop it and then keep moving. After 4 seconds it hits a wide area for 1200 damage so it’s great for taking out crowds and against stationary bosses like Cerberus. The only problem is keeping enemies in the AOE for four seconds so make sure to use your Cast in combination with this. You can make good use of it in the Chronos fight both for damaging the Titan but also for taking out the Satyrs.
4. Moon Water
The fourth-best Hex Moon Water will keep you sustained throughout your Night. Three times per area, you can activate it after spending 70 Magick to heal for 25 HP. All of these values can be upgraded in Path of Stars, so I would pick this up with half or full Moonglow, though it works just as well as a crescent. The best part is that it resets for each area after the fountain so it can essentially be activated 12 times for a total of 300 HP healed or more with Path of Star upgrades.
Sustain is useful on any build and picking up Moon Water can save a run. Of course, as you get better and start taking less damage, Moon Water loses its power, but this Hex is incredible as you’re getting used to the game.
5. Twilight Curse
The Twilight Curse has occasionally been an MVP Hex for me a few times in Tartarus and against Chronos. It allows you to turn up to 10 non-boss enemies into sheep that can’t attack and can freely be damaged. Basically, you’re removing threats from a fight allowing you to systematically take them out without taking damage. This is incredible in Tartarus where you have to reach those Hourglasses and laser-shooting money bags ASAP while morphing other enemies.
Furthermore, during the Chronos fight, Twilight Curse is essential for taking out the Satyrs more easily and safely as you focus on dodging Chronos dashes. You’ve probably noticed a pattern in these top 3 Hexes where you’re gaining safe and reliable damage windows which is crucial in the late game where attacks hit like trucks.
6. Lunar Ray
Out of all the damage-oriented Hexes, Lunar Ray has the highest potential for damage both for mobs and for boss fights but it’s also quite dangerous to use. Essentially, you fire a long-range beam of moonlight that deals 1200 damage over 3 seconds or more with Path of Star upgrades but you have to stand still.
Lunar Ray can deal some great damage for clearing out third-area mobs and those summoned by Chronos but you have to use it at the right moment since you’re an easy target during those 3 seconds. I would carefully look for a window as you back away and make sure to use that long range since firing this spell in melee is a death sentence in later areas.
7. Wolf Howl
Now we get to the bottom of the barrel with Wolf Howl and Night Bloom. Let’s be real here, while Wolf Howl is an affordable Hex at only 80 Magick, it’s not the best. It serves two purposes, mobility and AOE damage. The mobility aspect is outshined by simply dashing or sprinting with the damage-negating Apollo sprint or the projectile-destroying Hestia sprint.
As for damage, it’s not that much and most of Melinoe’s weapons want you to stay further away from enemies for high-damage ranged attacks. At that point just dash away and pick up a better Hex option.
8. Night Bloom
Night Bloom, though quite interesting with those damage-boosting and extra summoning upgrades in Path of Stars, isn’t that optimal. First off, the summon doesn’t draw that much aggro to itself so it doesn’t free you up to do any powerful Omega attacks when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Second, the damage the summon deals is negligent even with some PoS upgrades. And third, both Cerberus and Chronos will take out your summon in a heartbeat.
Even if you were to pick up the final Finality upgrade in Path of Stars that makes the summon explode for 900 damage on death that’s a hefty investment for only a decent effect. You can’t even choose the summon and get some better options since they’re random. You’re much better off sticking with some of the above options.
That’s it for my guide on the best Selene Gift of the Moon Hexes in Hades 2. For more Hades 2 guides, check out our best weapons tier list.
