The Greek god Athena is the god of Wisdom and War. Athena is one of the many gods that assist Zagreus in his quest to reach the surface. Athena gives Zagreus is the power to deflect attacks and the protection he needs. In this Athena Boon Guide, I will outline all boons and the use cases for them.
General Athena Advice
Some of the best boons in the game
In my view, the Athena boons have the highest average power level of all of the boons. The boons generally can slot into any kind of build, and can turn an alright run into a really good one. Despite this, Athena does have a couple of meh boons that make the choice of boons easy. It is also dependent on the weapon you use.
What Weapons are best with Athena?
In my experience, almost every weapon works really well with an Athena build. You have quite a bit of protection, and if you are aware of your surroundings you can deflect or dodge most attacks. However, the one exception is the Heart-Seeking Bow. The bow doesn’t benefit from the attack boon like other weapons, and an Athena-focused build likes that option.
What does Exposed do?
Exposed is one of the many debuffs in the game Hades. Exposed means that for the next five seconds your enemies take more damage when backstabbed. Backstabs are a good thing to try to get in general, and this debuff makes those attacks even more effective.
The Boons
Divine Strike
Description: Your Attack is stronger, and can Deflect
Common: Attack Damage +40% / Rare: Attack Damage +52% / Epic: Attack Damage +72% / Heroic: Attack Damage +92%
Analysis
This is a really great boon, and one of my favorite attack boons. The deflect mechanic is one of the best in the game, and this boon is instrumental in that. In this game, you are almost always attacking, and this now means you are always deflecting. This boon makes spamming attacks a defensive maneuver which is helpful. It is a hard skip in general even if you don’t factor in the great damage scaling. However, this boon is not as great if you are using the bow, as mentioned above
Divine Flourish
Description: Your Special is stronger, and can Deflect
Common: Special Damage +60% / Rare: Special Damage +78% / Epic: Special Damage +108% / Heroic: Special Damage +138%
Analysis
My opinions of this boon are really similar to the boon above. It is very good, and the damage scaling can let you destroy the enemies easily. This comes down to how often you use your special. If you are constantly using it then pick it up. However, if you are sparingly using it then skip it.
Phalanx Shot
Description: Your Cast damages foes in a small area, and can Deflect
Common: Cast Damage 85 / Rare: Cast Damage 102 / Epic: Cast Damage 119 / Heroic: Cast Damage 136
Analysis
It is okay. The boon isn’t as good as the competition. The casts range in usefulness, and this is towards the bottom middle. The cast just doesn’t do the damage I would want it to do. The deflect is nice, but it is a cast so it is harder to use. However, you are normally choosing this over one of the other stellar Athena boons.
Phalanx Flare
Description: Your Cast damages foes around you, and can Deflect
Common: Cast Damage 80 / Rare: Cast Damage 90 / Epic: Cast Damage 100 / Heroic: Cast Damage 110
Analysis
Similar idea to the other cast boon, but this one is exclusive to the Aspect of Beowulf. If you want to pick it up for the novelty then go ahead. Despite this, this boon is probably worse as having range is better than a close combat for a cast. However, having a deflect on close range might be better.
Divine Dash
Description: Your Dash deals damage and can Deflect
Common: Dash Damage 10 / Rare: Dash Damage 12 / Epic: Dash Damage 14 / Heroic: Dash Damage 16
Analysis
The best dash in the game. The dash is a game-winner. The damage is kind of irrelevant, but it is nice. However, the deflect makes the game way easier. I tend to dash around the map quite a bit in order to get to the next enemy. The deflect means that I have very little risk in taking a dash. The deflected attacks also do damage which is pretty good in terms of offense.
Athena’s Aid
Description: Your Call briefly makes you Impervious and Deflect all attacks.
Common: Effect Duration 1.5 Sec / Rare: Effect Duration 1.65 Sec / Epic: Effect Duration 1.8 Sec / Heroic: Effect Duration: 1.95 Sec
Analysis
The call is good. It isn’t the worst call but isn’t close to the best. The fact you are impervious and deflect is pretty good, but that is about it. If your damage is low then this isn’t much help, and other boons will work better for you. However, if you have a very high damage output then this might be right for you. All you need to do is worry about hitting the enemies for a couple of seconds.
Holy Shield
Description: After you take damage, damage foes around you and briefly Deflect
Common: Revenge Damage 30 / Rare: Revenge Damage 39 / Epic: Revenge Damage 54 / Heroic: Revenge Damage 69
Analysis
The boon is kind of underwhelming. You already took damage, so the deflect was useful a couple of seconds ago. However, if you are getting hit with a flurry of projectiles then it might be useful. The revenge damage is kind of low in my point of view. It is a pass from me.
Bronze Skin
Description: Resist damage from foes’ attacks
Common: Reduced Damage from Foes 5% / Rare: Reduced Damage from Foes 7% / Epic: Reduced Damage from Foes 10% / Heroic: Reduced Damage from Foes 13%
Analysis
Resisting the damage is pretty good, as taking less damage is generally a good thing. The 5% at the common level is not great, but the Epic and Heroic levels are better. Despite this, I only pick this up when the other boons are not as great. Athena offers some boons that are incredibly hard not to pick up. This boon is just alright not amazing when compared to the rest of the pack.
Deathless Stand
Description: Death Defiance makes you Impervious longer. Replenish 1 use.
Common: Effect Duration 2 Sec / Rare: Effect Duration 2.5 Sec / Epic: Effect Duration 3 Sec / Heroic: Effect Duration: 3.5 Sec
Analysis
I pick this up if I am doing bad, but I can salvage the run. Getting a Death Defiance back is great, and can set you back up for a great run. The boon also gives you impervious for a little longer which is nice. This boon does require you to have either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, or Divine Dash to have it as an option. If you have all of your Death Defiance’s then I might just skip this boon.
Last Stand
Description: Death Defiance makes you Impervious longer. Replenish 1 use.
Common: Bonus Restoration 10% / Rare: Bonus Restoration 12% / Epic: Bonus Restoration 14% / Heroic: Bonus Restoration 16%
Analysis
This boon is really similar to the boon above this, but I like this one more. The extra health is something I care about more than a couple of seconds of imperviousness. This boon does require you to have either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, or Divine Dash in order for you to have to think about picking this one up. If you have all of your Death Defiance’s then I might just skip this boon. The scaling on higher rarity boons is good.
Proud Bearing
Description: You begin each Encounter with your God Gauge partly full.
Common: Starting Gauge 20% / Rare: Starting Gauge 25% / Epic: Starting Gauge 30% / Heroic: Starting Gauge 40%
Analysis
It depends on how good your Call is. If you have a really good one then this might be a good pick, but if your call is not great then skip it. However, when you need to figure out if you are going to really want this in the end. A good call can be bad if you don’t use it often. This is really dependent on a couple of factors. However, you only need to make this choice after you already have a call unlocked.
Sure Footing
Description: Resist damage from Traps.
Common: Reduced Damage From Traps 60% / Rare: Reduced Damage From Traps 75% / Epic: Reduced Damage From Traps 90% / Heroic: Reduced Damage From Traps 95%
Analysis
Just don’t step on traps. The traps are not hard to avoid for the most part, and you shouldn’t need this boon. However, if you do find yourself falling on traps quite a bit then pick it up. Despite this, I would argue that you should instead pick up other Athena boons instead.
Blinding Flash
Description: Your abilities that can Deflect also make foes Exposed
Common: Bonus Backstab Damage 50% / Rare: Bonus Backstab Damage 63% / Epic: Bonus Backstab Damage 75% / Heroic: Bonus Backstab Damage 88%
Analysis
The bonus backstab damage is good. I try to get in some good backstab if I have this boon. The exposed debuff also makes this a good combo. You can get some good to backstab in on later bosses, so this can help with those bosses. The exposed debuff then makes the damage even more. However, the boon requires you to have either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, or Divine Dash. If you can get Divine Dash or Divine Strike then this should be really good!
Brilliant Riposte
Description: When you Deflect attacks, it deals more damage
Common: Deflect Damage 80% / Rare: Deflect Damage 104% / Epic: Deflect Damage 160% / Heroic: Deflect Damage 210%
Analysis
If you have a bunch of other deflect abilities then pick this up. You will be generating a lot of passive damage just by doing other things. First, build a great set of deflecting abilities such as Divine Strike or Divine Dash. Then, you pick this up at a high rarity and you can destroy enemies. The 160% or 210% additional deflect damage is just insanely good. However, you need either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Divine Dash, or Holy Shield first.
Divine Protection
Description: You have a barrier that negates an instance of damage.
Common: Barrier Refresh Time 20 Sec.
This is a legendary boon. It isn’t an amazing legendary like the Zeus one but is generally really good. This is good insurance, as you can prevent damage once. 20 seconds is a little too long for this to be legendary. If you have to have Brilliant Riposte then you have the option to pick this one up.
Conclusion
Athena has some really great boons! I love a pure Athena build, but it is also a very good build. You should be able to finish the game, as the boons give you so much protection. I think the Athena builds is the equivalent to playing the game with training wheels.