The Black Coat Weapon Guide For Hades 2 – Best Builds, Boons, & More

In the first Hades, Zagreus had the twin fists of Malphon, and now, after the Olympic Update in Hades 2, his younger sister has the Black Coat – a pair of powered fists to help Melinoe punch her way through the Underworld. This new weapon’s speed and raw firepower make it an addictive addition to an already incredible Roguelike.

Building around this weapon can be a daunting task at first because it has so many unique elements to it. It can block attacks, its rockets have strange homing properties, and it has a unique dash attack that can be tricky to make the most of at first. However, with the right understanding of what boons will elevate this already terrifying weapon into a brutal force of nature, players will be able to shred through Chronos and the new boss guarding the path to Olympus.

Xinth, the Black Coat Overview: Regular Attacks, Ω Moves, Aspects

Power Punches, Shields, Missiles, And More

From the shadows the Nocturnal Arms were born, but those shadows never dissipated; they congealed into one final form. We call them Arms for a reason; they are extensions of ourselves and our will. Xinth is simply that idea made manifest.

The Black Coat uses powered fists and missile launchers to obliterate the minions of Chronos. Its fast normal attacks, “homing” rockets, unique dash attack, and powerful Omega moves allow it to be built around in a variety of different ways.

The Black Coat receives the Moonstone Axe’s former guard ability on its Ω Attack. This guard can be finicky to use, but it encourages Melinoe to get into the thick of a fight, block any incoming attacks, and then unleash a powerful punch in return.

Regular & Ω Moves

Black Coat Aspects

• Aspect of Melinoe: Attacks, Sprint, and Move speed are faster. (Increases speed by +20% at max rank)
• Aspect of Selene: Start with a hex that hits foes with a column of light. Each foe hit takes 50% more damage from Omega attacks for 8 seconds.
• Aspect of Nyx: Gain an Omega Sprint. At max charge, Melinoe explodes in a small area around her, dealing 150 damage to any enemies caught in the explosion and gaining a buff that can split her attacks and specials into two additional hits.

Out of the three, Aspect of Melinoe and Selene tend to create the most powerful builds. Aspect of Melinoe is fairly self-sufficient and doesn’t require too many other resources/boons to work well. In comparison, Aspect of Selene starts out weak and is heavily reliant on Omega attacks, but with enough Selene boons, this aspect becomes a powerhouse in the later stages of the run.

Aspect of Nyx can hit like a truck because of the raw power behind its Omega Sprint, but building around it doesn’t match the simple destructive power of Melinoe’s Aspect nor the ranged damage potential of Selene’s Aspect. Additionally, Nyx’s Aspect is still reliant on getting a good Gain Boon early, and a decent Sprint Boon later to make the most of its unique ability.

Best Black Coat Boons And Builds

Bolded choices
should be prioritized over the rest.

Best Boons For Aspect of Melinoe

The Aspect of Melinoe wants to attack and use its special as often as possible. As a result, boons that can increase how much damage Melinoe does with each attack or special usage are perfect for it.

Best Boons For Aspect of Selene

The Aspect of Selene wants to use Magick as often as possible to charge its unique Hex, Sky Fall. Then, when its Hex is fully charged, Melinoe can unleash it, repeatedly damaging nearby enemies and increasing the damage they take from Ω moves by 50%.

Sky Fall’s Path of Stars

​​​​

• Rare Upgrades:
  • Scorn: Your Hex deals +50% damage each time it hits the same foe.
  • Ferocity: Your Hex gains the bonuses of your Attack Boon.
  • Calm: During your Hex, you take -20% damage.
• Epic Upgrades:
  • Prism: Hex also strikes +2 Foes each time, but adds +30 Magick Recharge Cost
  • Cascade: Whenever you use an Ω Move, one random nearby foe is struck by the effect of your Hex, but adds +30 Magick Recharge Cost.

Since the Aspect of Selene comes with a unique Hex, it’s important to plan out which skills are worth upgrading toward in its Path of Stars. Scorn is best used for boss killing, while Cascade is best used for both mobs and bosses alike. Ferocity can be a good addition to a build, but only take it if Melinoe’s Attack Boon is useful and gives multiple hits. Heaven Strike is the perfect example of this, but Frost Strike and Sworn Strike can also work too.

Best Boons For Aspect Of Nyx

The Aspect of Nyx does best when it sprints into fights, detonates its Ω Sprint, then follows up with a dash attack or a handful of regular attacks before sprinting again to charge its Ω Sprint. Boons should be picked to support this game plan or to increase the damage from sprinting at enemies.

Best Black Coat Builds

• Wave Strike: With the Aspect of Melinoe, Poseidon’s Wave Strike — and later Slippery Slope — helps the Black Coat fly through levels at a remarkable pace. The dash attack can trigger Wave Strike multiple times, which in turn will melt through a majority of enemies. This build is fairly flexible in what direction it can go after that foundation is set, and the pilot should be looking for a good Special Boon to complement Wave Strike.
  • This build is also used in speedruns. However, current speedrun builds disable the XII.Eternity Arcana card in favor of the XXIII.Strength card. This maximizes Melinoe’s damage at the cost of no longer having any Death Defiances to rely on.
• Blitz: The idea behind this is to use Attacks or Specials to both apply and activate Blitz as fast and as often as possible. This is usually done through a Zeus boon in the Attack or Special slot followed by a high-damage boon in the other slot. The Aspects of Nyx and Selene benefit from this kind of build since their Ω abilities are perfect for Blitz activations, but the Aspect of Melinoe with Wave Strike can also recreate this idea with Heaven Flourish.

Best Black Coat Arcana Cards

Customizing The Black Coat To Your Playstyle

Every build can benefit from universally good Arcana cards like XII.Eternity and II.The Wayward Son, but there are a few unique cards that the Black Coat aspects can make the most out of.

The Aspect of Selene will benefit from the V.The Moon and I.The Sorceress cards because of Selene’s focus on Ω Specials. Be aware that IX.The Unseen is not usually used because starting a run with a good Gain boon will make it pointless.

The Aspect of Nyx can benefit from the X.Death Arcana by cycling between its Ω Special and its Ω Sprint.

Finally, the Aspect of Melinoe benefits from any damage-increasing Arcana. However, since this aspect is fairly flexible with what boons it can take after Wave Strike, the XIV.Origination card is an easy way to increase damage during a run.

Best Black Coat Keepsakes

GIving Melinoe The Best Starts, And The Easiest Routes

• Vivid Sea (Poseidon): Since Poseidon synergizes so well with the Black Coat, using this keepsake at the start of a run guarantees starting with Wave Strike.
• Everlasting Ember (Hestia): Two of the aspects are heavily reliant on Magick generation, and starting out with Hearth Gain will make runs much smoother.
• Blackened Fleece: Great to use with Aspect of Selene against Chronos. It’ll increase the damage of Ω moves by 40%.
• Fig Leaf: Best for speedruns or runs that need some free rooms. Fig Leaf automatically clears a room up to 3 times per night. It’s best used in Tartarus or Olympus.
• Aromatic Phial: Increases the healing power of Fountains, and upgrades a common boon to Heroic. If Melinoe has a build centered around one skill that just so happens to be common, or if she only has a common of a powerful Athena, Dionysus, or Hermes boon, then Aromatic Phial is perfect for making those boons even more powerful.
• Moon Beam: Great for Aspect of Selene. This keepsake will ensure the next boon is from Selene and gives more upgrades for the Path of Stars.