Zeus is the Greek god of Thunder and is the Ruler of Olympus. Zeus is one of the many gods that assist Zagreus in his journey to escape the Underworld. The boons given by Zeus give Zagreus the ability to harness Thunder and give the debuff of Jolted. In this Zeus Boon Guide, I will outline all boons and the use cases for them.
General Zeus Advice
Zeus is the AOE God
Zeus’s Boons really excel in doing Area of Effect damage to enemies, and in areas with a lot of enemies in close proximity is when Zeus shines. Chain-Lighting and the Jolted debuff both act when enemies are close to each other. However, this makes the abilities not as great in boss battles.
What is Jolted?
Jolted is a debuff given by some of Zeus’s boons. If inflicted then the enemy with deal damage to itself and surrounding enemies on its next attack. This can do quite a bit of AOE damage if you can get a lot of enemies in close quarters. However, this becomes less good when you are attacking an enemy one on one.
What Weapons pair well with Zeus?
In my experience, Zeus really benefits from high attack speed weapons. If you can continuously apply chain lighting and jolted to enemies then you can knock out a horde very quickly. The Twin Fists and the Rail are both great candidates for the best weapon for a Zeus heavy build. Despite this, some of the boons are just going to fit into any build pretty well.
The Boons
Lightning Strike
Description: Your Attack emits chain-lightning when you damage a foe.
Common: Lightning Damage: 10 / Rare: Lightning Damage: 13 / Epic: Lightning Damage: 15 / Heroic: Lightning Damage: 20
Analysis
The damage is rather low even at the Heroic level. However, the point of this boon is to deal with AOE damage to all enemies in the area. This boon does really well with the minor enemies that you encounter but struggles with bosses. If you are going with the Rail or Twin Fists then this is a good boon, but if you are slower attack speed then it is probably a skip.
Thunder Flourish
Description: Your Special causes a lightning bolt to strike nearby foes.
Common: Lightning Damage: 30 / Rare: Lightning Damage: 38 / Epic: Lightning Damage: 45 / Heroic: Lightning Damage: 60
Analysis
Whenever you special it with cause a lightning bolt to strike some enemies nearby. If you are constantly specialing then it is a good pick up. The scaling is also pretty good if you can get the heroic or epic rarity version. This boon would have been better if it scaled by percentage than flat lightning damage. A special is used less often than a normal attack.
However, this could be great if you pair it with a bunch of different Zeus boons that increase the lightning effects. Of course, this takes your special slot, and I think better specials do exist.
Electric Shot
Description: Your Cast is a burst of chain-lightning that bounces between foes.
Common: Cast Damage: 60 / Rare: Cast Damage: 70 / Epic: Cast Damage: 80 / Heroic: Cast Damage: 90
Analysis
This is probably one of the best casts in the game. This cast can easily clear a room and scales really well. The cast can attack faraway enemies while you handle the enemies near you. It is really hard to not pick this over some of the other casts. I would say if you are running a Zeus heavily build or a generalist build then pick this up.
Thunder Dash
Description: Your Dash causes a lightning bolt to strike nearby foes.
Common: Lightning Damage: 10 / Rare: Lightning Damage: 15 / Epic: Lightning Damage: 20 / Heroic: Lightning Damage: 25
Analysis
The dash really is dependent on helper boons that you are not guaranteed to grab. The damage is too low, and the effect isn’t that great. The problem also comes to the fact that this boon means you can’t get some of the way better dash boons like Athena or Poseidon. If you are really dead set on a Zeus Lightning build then grab it, but if not then it is hard to recommend.
Heaven’s Vengeance
Description: After you take damage, your foe is struck by lightning.
Common: Revenge Damage: 80 / Rare: Revenge Damage: 104 / Epic: Revenge Damage: 144 / Heroic: Revenge Damage: 184
Analysis
The revenge boons are pretty good in my opinion, and this one scales pretty well. If you can get it up to the Heroic or Epic level then you have some good defense in your build. However, this is not as good as other boons from Zeus. It seems very build-dependent if you should take this or not. If you are using the fists and taking damage then this is a good choice.
Storm Lightning
Description: Your chain-lightning effects bounce more times before expiring.
Common: Lightning Bounces: +2 / Rare: Lightning Bounces: +4 / Epic: Lightning Bounces: +6 / Heroic: Lightning Bounces: +8
Analysis
Storm Lightning requires you to have either Lightning Strike or Electric Shot. This is a boon that directly buffs the two of those. I think if you have Lightning Strike or Electric Shot is a no-brainer to pick this up at a higher rarity. The base of those skills is already pretty good, but adding an extra 6-8 bounces can clear a room. Of course, this isn’t amazing in boss battles, as you are not bouncing things off each other.
High Voltage
Description: Your lightning bolt effects deal damage in a larger area.
Common: Bolt Area of Effect: +60% / Rare: Bolt Area of Effect: +72% / Epic: Bolt Area of Effect: +84% / Heroic: Bolt Area of Effect: +96%
Analysis
High Voltage requires you to have either Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, or Zeus’s Aid. I am very bearish when it comes to the lightning bolt effects, and really question if it is worth going with. The damage is typically high, but they are mostly situational. I don’t know how much an increased area of effect will do. The percentage scaling is good, but I think it is a pass. Other Zeus boons are better in my viewpoint.
Double Strike
Description: Your lightning bolt effects have a chance to strike twice.
Common: Strike Chance: +25% / Rare: Strike Chance: +30% / Epic: Strike Chance: +35% / Heroic: Strike Chance: +40%
Analysis
Double Strike requires you to have either Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, or Zeus’s Aid. I pass on this for the same reason I pass on High Voltage. The problem with this one is that the effect won’t always happen. At best you get double damage, but at worse it does nothing. I would personally pick High Voltage over this.
Static Discharge
Description: Your lightning effects also make foes Jolted.
Common: Jolt Damage 60 / Rare: Jolt Damage 78 / Epic: Jolt Damage 108 / Heroic: Jolt Damage 138
Analysis
Double Strike requires you to have either Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, Heaven’s Vengence, Lightning Strike, Electric Shot, Lightning Reflexes, or Zeus’s Aid. I really like boon! Jolt damage is really great, and it synergizes with many other boons that it is a great pick-up always. I am trying to think of a case where I wouldn’t pick it up. Of course, if you have one random Zeus boon then probably pass unless it is something great like Lightning Strike.
Clouded Judgement
Description: Your God Gauge charges up faster when you deal or take damage.
Common: Faster Gauge Gain: +10% / Rare: Faster Gauge Gain: +12% / Epic: Faster Gauge Gain: +14% / Heroic: Faster Gauge Gain: +16%
Analysis
The scaling on rarity isn’t amazing. However, I think if you can get a really great call then this is a good boon. I like getting a strong call, and spamming it whenever my gauge fills up. This boon makes that happen more often. This boon is very build-dependent and is better to fill the gaps in your build. However, I think it could be hard to pick up especially because some of the other Zeus boons are pretty good.
Not all of the calls are made equally, and it all depends on what you have already. I would not pick up this boon if you don’t have a good call already.
Billowing Strength
Description: After using Call, you deal more damage for 15 Sec.
Common: Bonus Damage: +20% / Rare: Bonus Damage: +22% / Epic: Bonus Damage: +24% / Heroic: Bonus Damage: +26%
Analysis
I like this one. I love a good call, and adding the benefit of high damage post-call is great. The best thing about this boon is that it is a percentage scale. An added percentage instead of a flat damage increase is way better. The stronger you get the stronger this attack is. It seems situational, but you can change your playstyle to take advantage of this one.
I would not pick up this boon if you don’t have a good call already. Not worth picking up unless you will use it.
Lightning Reflexes
Description: After you Dash just before getting hit, a blot strikes a nearby foe.
Common: Bolt Damage 20 / Rare: Bolt Damage 30 / Epic: Bolt Damage 40 / Heroic: Bolt Damage 50
Analysis
The boons of this genre scale with your ability. If you are good at dodging with the dash then this might be a good boon to pick up. I think my biggest problem is to think about if this will be used often enough. It is rare you get to pick up a lot of the Zeus boons you want. At the moment I have to ask myself if this is the boon that will make my run better. In most cases, I come to a “No”. I think Zeus has a lot of really great boons, but this is really on the borderline.
Zeus’ Aid
Description: Your Call makes lightning strike nearby foes repeatedly for 1.5 Sec.
Common: Lightning Damage 50 / Rare: Lightning Damage 55 / Epic: Lightning Damage 60 / Heroic: Lightning Damage 65
Analysis
This call is really dependent on how you play the game in this run. If you are using the Twin Fists then this is pretty good, but if you are using the rail then you are probably going to skip this. If you are playing at range then you don’t want to be in a situation where this call is good. However, if you are in close range then it is a great boon.
This call is a good general-purpose one, but its mileage varies depending on the route. I do like this call, but I question if this is this is right whenever it is an option.
Splitting Bolt
Description: All your lightning effects create an additional burst.
Legendary: Lightning Damage 40
Analysis
This is one of the best boons in the game. All of the legendaries are generally pretty good, but this is can turn an okay run into an amazing one. The damage output goes through the roof, and it is insane when it comes to how quickly you can chip health down. It requires either Storm Lighting, High Voltage, or Double Strike which is easy enough to fit into a normal build.
This is hard for me to think of a case where this is not the best boon to pick up. It normally occurs late game, so you should know if it is right or not. It is almost always the right choice.
Conclusion
Overall Zeus is a solid god to build around. The build up for getting the legendary boon is worth it. A Zeus and Railer build is one of my favorite in the game, and I have had good success in making it to the end with that build.