TL;DR
- Selene’s hexes function as powerful super abilities requiring significant magick investment to activate
- Moon Water and Night Bloom provide exceptional value for most builds due to healing and tactical advantages
- Path of Stars upgrades offer diminishing returns unless you’re specifically building around hex mechanics
- The Moon Beam keepsake provides +1 upgrade point, making it essential for hex-focused runs
- Strategic sigil selection and magick regeneration are critical for maximizing hex effectiveness
Mastering Selene’s lunar blessings represents one of the most distinctive strategic elements in Hades 2. Unlike traditional Olympian boons that provide persistent combat enhancements, the Goddess of the Moon offers transformative super abilities that can dramatically shift battle dynamics when properly utilized.
Hades 2 features numerous divine allies ready to empower your journey through the underworld. However, Selene introduces mechanics fundamentally different from her fellow deities, requiring specialized knowledge to leverage effectively. This comprehensive guide breaks down the optimal strategies for harnessing her celestial power.
Look for the crescent moon sigil if you want Selene’s blessings.
Selene maintains a more predictable presence compared to the randomized appearances of Artemis and Primordial Chaos. Her distinctive crescent moon emblem clearly marks doorway exits leading to her chambers, providing reliable opportunities to secure her blessings throughout your runs.
Strategic navigation becomes crucial when pursuing Selene’s path. Unlike other deities whose appearances can feel arbitrary, her sigil-based system allows for intentional route planning. This predictability enables you to build your magick resources in anticipation of hex activation requirements.
Look for the crescent moon sigil if you want Selene’s blessings.
Presenting Selene with a Nectar gift rewards you with the Moon Beam accessory, a keepsake that provides immediate tactical value for hex-focused builds.
When equipped, Moon Beam grants a +1 upgrade point for your selected hex through the Path of Stars system. This seemingly minor enhancement can dramatically impact your build’s effectiveness, particularly when combined with high-tier hexes that benefit significantly from additional upgrades.
Obtain Selene’s Moon Beam item if you need the extra upgrade point for your hexes.
Selene’s hexes operate fundamentally differently from standard Olympian boons, functioning as high-impact super abilities with significant activation requirements. Understanding these mechanics is essential for effective implementation.
Your initial Selene encounter presents three hex options, establishing your lunar foundation for the run. Each subsequent crescent moon sigil encountered provides additional upgrade opportunities through the Path of Stars progression system.
- Hex selection follows a strategic commitment pattern – your first choice determines your lunar specialization for the entire run
- The moon phase indicator system provides immediate insight into upgrade potential:
- Crescent Moon – Base level with zero upgrade points
- Half Moon – Enhanced starting point with +1 upgrade
- Full Moon – Premium beginning with +2 upgrade points
- Activation requires spending the specified magick amount during a single encounter, with the counter resetting upon room transition
- Practical example: Twilight Curse demands 140 magick expenditure, requiring sustained omega ability usage before becoming available
- Successful hex utilization demands careful boon selection, strategic build construction, and Arcana Cards that enhance mana regeneration capabilities
Advanced Tip: Prioritize magick regeneration boons early in your run if planning a hex-focused strategy. This ensures you can activate your chosen hex multiple times during challenging encounters.
You have to spend a lot of mana before you can activate a hex.
Selene’s celestial arsenal offers eight distinct hexes, each with unique tactical applications and resource requirements. Strategic selection should align with your overall build strategy and combat preferences.
- Phase Shift – Temporarily slows all non-player entities by 80% for five seconds; 150 magick cost
- Twilight Curse – Deploys homing projectiles that transform vulnerable enemies into sheep (affects up to 10 targets); 140 magick requirement
- Lunar Ray – Channels a continuous beam delivering 1,200 total damage over three seconds; 120 magick expenditure
- Wolf Howl – Executes an aerial dash followed by area impact dealing 200 damage; 80 magick consumption
- Moon Water – Restores +25 health per charge with three total uses refreshed at healing fountains; 70 magick threshold
- Night Bloom – Resurrects a randomly selected defeated enemy to fight alongside you for 12 seconds; 100 magick requirement
- Total Eclipse – Detonates targeted area after four-second delay for 1,000 damage; 200 magick cost
- Dark Side – Transforms you into an invulnerable entity with new abilities for five seconds; 90 magick expenditure
Strategic analysis reveals Moon Water and Night Bloom as the most consistently valuable Selene boons in Hades 2. Moon Water provides exceptional sustainability, offering +75 total health restoration between fountain visits, significantly enhancing survivability during extended encounters.
Night Bloom offers tactical superiority by resurrecting powerful enemies to disrupt enemy formations. However, its effectiveness varies based on which enemy gets revived – resurrecting weaker foes provides minimal combat advantage. Note that your attacks and high-damage abilities from random NPC allies (including Artemis and Icarus) will damage your resurrected minions.
Common Mistake: Many players underestimate the magick regeneration requirements for high-cost hexes. Ensure you have sufficient mana recovery capabilities before committing to hexes with 150+ magick requirements.
Sometimes, the hex with the full moon (i.e. +2 upgrade points) is also the worst.
Each Selene hex features its own specialized upgrade tree called the Path of Stars. This progression system allows you to enhance your chosen lunar ability throughout your run, with upgrade points determined by the initial moon phase symbol and additional Selene encounters.
Standard upgrades within the skill tree provide incremental improvements like minor damage increases or reduced magick costs. The rare and epic upgrade variants deliver more substantial enhancements, such as causing resurrected allies to explode upon expiration or generating secondary area effects.
Strategic evaluation suggests these upgrades offer diminishing returns for most players. Unless you’re specifically constructing a magick-intensive hex-focused build, the opportunity cost of pursuing additional Selene sigils often outweighs the benefits gained.
Moon Water remains the standout exception, as early upgrades can significantly enhance its healing capabilities. However, if Selene encounters prove scarce during your run, you’ll typically achieve better results by prioritizing blessings from other Olympians that provide immediate combat advantages.
Advanced Optimization: For players committed to hex strategies, prioritize the Moon Beam keepsake and focus on magick regeneration Arcana Cards. This combination maximizes the effectiveness of your chosen hex while minimizing the strategic trade-offs.
It can take a while before you get all the upgrades you need, and you’ll also miss out on other potential rewards.
This concludes our advanced guide to Selene’s boons in Hades 2. For comprehensive coverage of divine powers available throughout your underworld journey, consult our best boons/skills guide.
Hades 2 features Melinoe, the Underworld Princess, in this challenging roguelike experience where strategic iteration leads to perfected runs. For additional tactical insights and gameplay strategies, visit our guides hub.
Action Checklist
- Identify crescent moon sigils during run navigation for reliable Selene encounters
- Present Nectar to Selene to acquire Moon Beam keepsake for +1 upgrade advantage
- Evaluate initial hex options based on your current build and magick capabilities
- Prioritize magick regeneration boons and Arcana Cards when planning hex-focused strategies
- Activate hex abilities strategically by monitoring magick expenditure during encounters
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Hades 2 – Selene Boons And Path Of Stars Guide Master Selene's lunar magic in Hades 2 with strategic hex selection and upgrade optimization techniques
