This guide aims to help new and experienced runners improve at the Aspect of Eris of the Adamant Rail, by providing the most recent and updated strategies for speedrunning Hades with it. This guide will also assume a basic level of prior knowledge about Hades Speedrunning in general.
Definitive Guide to Eris
By Wmic
Introduction
Once the most prominent aspect in the early days of Hades speedrunning, Eris is the gateway drug to all other weapons. It is very easy to get started on, and offers a great learning curve where knowledge of the aspect can noticeably lead to faster times. One also does not need to fully master Eris to achieve fast times with it, making it rewarding to learn for new and veteran runners alike. With a simple yet powerful buff, a flexible build path, and the ability to scale extremely well into the late game, Eris is considered a top tier aspect. Combined with its fast-paced and engaging playstyle, Eris is one of the most interesting aspects to play, and an excellent starting point to learn how to speedrun Hades.
Key Bindings
My controller key bindings as an example
Before you start practicing, it would be beneficial to find a set of key bindings to your preference as soon as possible so you can develop muscle memory for it earlier. Unlike other weapons, Rails have 5 actions to perform on a frequent basis (Attack, Special, Cast, Dash, and additionally Reload). On a typical controller with only 4 face buttons this means one of these actions will need to be located elsewhere. The Reload button is binded to R3 by default – it is highly recommended to rebind this action since R3 is incredibly inconvenient to press during combat. A good set of bindings should allow access to these five actions as well as Call, Interact, and Summon in a quick and comfortable manner.
A tip on binding keys for Eris is to bind Attack to a button which you can hold down on without having to release while pressing the Dash button. This will allow you to optimize your damage output by keeping bullets constantly shooting. As a side note, opening the codex is illegal while the timer is running so feel free to unbind it to prevent accidental use, while also freeing up an extra button.
Mirror Setup
A typical mirror setup for Eris
In terms of mirror setup, Eris has little room for variance. The general mirror setup for speedrunning Hades is applicable here. Below are brief explanations for the mirror options.
- Fiery Presence – Vastly increases the damage of Rocket Bomb to reach one-shotting breakpoints, especially useful in Tartarus. Rails can’t backstab with Special anyway.
- Chthonic Vitality – Better for maintaining High Confidence throughout a run.
- Death Defiance – It is possible to lose more than one Death Defiance in the Hades fight which makes this the safer option compared to Stubborn Defiance.
- Greater Reflex – Two dashes is always better than one, unless you are playing the Aspect of Gilgamesh in which case three dashes might be better than four.
- Boiling Blood – Extra damage is better than slowing enemies in the context of speedrunning.
Stygian Soul vs. Infernal Soul – The only debatable option for Eris. Assuming that picking up Bloodstone instead of regenerating them is not an inconvenience, Stygian Soul still offers the benefit of improving Hermes boons. Specifically, Flurry Cast is removed on Stygian Soul making finding Rush Delivery easier. Additionally, Greater Recall is replaced with Bad News which introduces another potential scaling option. Infernal Soul, on the other hand, trades these benefits for two extra Bloodstones which improves Cast scaling, as well as offers more utility for Cast-scaling builds.
- Deep Pockets – Being able to buy damage with coins earlier will provide more efficient timesave.
- High Confidence – 25% global damage is a lot of damage. This is a very powerful mirror option and maintaining above 80% health should be an important focus throughout the run.
- Family Favorite – More consistent uptime compared to Privileged Status makes it the better option.
- Dark Foresight – Boons and Hammers are both essential parts of an Eris build that will save time as soon as you find them. Boon rarity can be increased in other ways, but the Dark Foresight reward ratio cannot be altered once you’ve chosen Olympian Favor.
- God’s Pride – The current most popular build on Eris does not rely on specific Duo or Legendary boons. Having more Epic boons will provide a much better improvement for the build overall.
- Fated Persuasion – Eris does, however, rely on specific core and secondary boons and has strong Hermes preferences. Having rerolls to increase the chance of acquiring these boons is crucial.
Base Damage
A brief glimpse at Eris’ base stats. Don’t worry about memorizing these numbers, the main takeaway for now is that Eris has very low base damage on its Attack but high base damage on its Special. A single bullet has 10 base damage. Rocket Bomb has 80 base damage, increased to 220 with Eris and mirror buffs. Detailed information regarding breakpoints against enemies will be discussed later.
Aspect Of Eris
For 4 Sec. after absorbing your Special’s blast, deal more damage.
- Bonus Damage: +75%
Basic Summary
Tartarus
Keepsake: Zeus
- Start with Lightning Strike
- Look for 1st Hammer, ideally Rocket Bomb
- Look for Poseidon for Tidal Dash and Zeus for Static Discharge
- Look for a Special from Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, or Demeter
- Look for Hyper Sprint or Greatest Reflex from Hermes
Asphodel
Keepsake: Poseidon, Artemis, Coin Purse, or Lambent Plume
- Force Poseidon for Tidal Dash, or Artemis for Deadly Flourish
- Look for Rush Delivery or Bad News from Hermes
Elysium
Keepsake: Bone Hourglass
- Look for 2nd Hammer, ideally Cluster Bomb
- Look for a Call from Zeus, Dionysus, Artemis, or Aphrodite
- Look for secondary boons from Zeus, Poseidon, and Artemis
Styx
Keepsake: Hades’ Sigil or Evergreen Acorn
Boon Preferences
The current most popular Eris build is known as Flat Damage Soup (FDS), which aims to stack as many sources of flat damage as possible. Eris’ global damage buff multiplies damage from all sources which makes FDS extremely effective. This also means there are many available boons options to scale from.
Starting Boon
Lightning Strike – Your Attack emits chain-lightning when you damage a foe.
- The ideal start – a source of flat damage that provides additional AOE to complement Eris’ base Attack. Also opens up Static Discharge, a powerful secondary boon.
Core Build
Tidal Dash – Your Dash damages foes in an area and knocks them away.
- A source of spammable, high flat damage that also opens up great secondary boons.
Deadly Flourish – Your Special is stronger, with +20% chance to deal Critical Damage.
- Eris’ buff makes up for Artemis’ lower base damage, allowing for extremely high crits.
Static Discharge – Your lightning effects also make foes Jolted.
- A source of very high flat damage that procs frequently. An essential part of the build.
Preferred Hermes
Hyper Sprint – For 0.5 seconds after you Dash, become Sturdy and run +100% faster.
- Any movement buff will save time by navigating rooms faster, but the main benefit of Hyper Sprint is its synergy with Rush Delivery, an extremely powerful combination.
Rush Delivery – You deal bonus damage based on any bonus move speed.
- If combined with Hyper Sprint, constantly dashing in combat will allow Rush Delivery to basically provide a permanent 50%, 75%, or 100% damage increase based on rarity. The main theme for Eris’ build so far is to take advantage of its global damage buff by stacking as many sources of flat damage as possible. The combination of Hyper Sprint and Rush Delivery takes this concept one step further by increasing the multiplier.
Greatest Reflex – You can Dash more time(s) in a row.
- Unfortunately, you will not find Hyper Sprint and Rush Delivery every run. Greatest Reflex provides a movement buff, as well as an increase to the amount of damage you can deal with your Dash per attack cycle. This is a great fallback option and a boon to consider taking if you do not want to risk not finding Hyper Sprint and Rush Delivery.
Bad News – Your cast deals more damage to foes without Bloodstone on them.
- A Legendary boon only available while Stygian Soul is active, requires Auto Reload or Lambent Plume. Despite the description, this boon simply provides +50% damage to all enemies without Bloodstone. Although not typically feasible, Bad News is still a possible way to acquire damage scaling from Hermes. Pairs well with Greatest Reflex.
Useful Secondary Boons
Razor Shoals – Using knock-away effects also Rupture foes.
- A good source of extra flat damage. Especially useful against enemies in Asphodel.
Breaking Wave – Slamming foes into walls or corners creates a watery blast in the area.
- A very high source of damage when set up correctly. Especially useful in Styx.
Hydraulic Might – Your Attack and Special are stronger the first 10 Sec. in Encounter(s).
- A useful buff throughout the run. 10 seconds will cover most of a combat’s duration.
Pressure Points – Any damage you deal has a chance to be Critical.
- A powerful secondary boon. Eris tends to deal a great amount of instances of damage due to its various damage sources, and produces extremely high crits due to its buff.
Hunter’s Mark – After you deal Critical damage to a foe, a foe near it is Marked.
- Especially powerful when combined with Pressure Points, allowing chained crits.
Support Fire – After you Cast, or hit with an Attack or Special, fire a seeking arrow.
- With Eris’ high firing rate, Support Fire is another great source of flat damage.
Storm Lightning – Your chain-lightning effects bounce more times before expiring.
- Provides no real benefit aside from opening Zeus’ Legendary boon Splitting Bolt.
Heaven’s Vengeance – After you take damage, your foe is struck by lightning.
- Extremely high damage with infinite range, very strong as long as you take damage.
Zeus’ Aid – Your Call makes lightning strike nearby foes repeatedly for 1.5 Sec.
- The best call for Eris. Beware that acquiring a Call will open up Second Wind and Quick Favor from Hermes which makes finding preferred Hermes boons harder.
Other Relevant Boons
Dionysus’ Aid – Your Call inflicts Hangover to foes all around you for 1.5 Sec.
- A great alternative to Zeus’ Aid. Very similar except damage is dealt over time.
Strong Drink – Using a Fountain restores all health and gives you bonus damage.
- A small damage boost, better if acquired earlier before the 4 guaranteed fountains.
Premium Vintage – Gain health when you pick up Nectar. Receive 1 Nectar now.
- A free? pom. Just be careful to not accidentally buy something when picking it up.
Dying Lament – When foes are slain, they damage nearby foes and inflict Weak.
- Effective against groups. This boon reaches higher damage than usual with Eris’ buff.
Wave of Despair – After you take damage, damage nearby foes and inflict Weak.
- A weaker version of Heaven’s Vengeance with less range, but functions similarly.
Curse of Vengeance – After you take damage, inflict Doom on surrounding foes.
- A slower version of Heaven’s Vengeance with less range, but has high damage.
Battle Rage – After slaying a foe, your next Attack or Special deals more Damage.
- A niche boon that requires setup. Can be useful with Cluster Rockets against Hades.
Ravenous Will – While you have no Bloodstone, take less damage and deal more.
- A small damage boost when used efficiently. Better with the Stygian Soul option.
Rare Crop – Your Boons become Common, then gain Rarity every 3 Encounter(s).
- Could be decent, but try to preserve the rarity of Lightning Strike in the early game.
Proud Bearing – You begin each Encounter with your God Gauge partly full.
- A powerful boon once you acquire a Call. Provides immediate access to damage.
Boiling Point – Your God Gauge charges faster when you take damage.
- Similar to Proud Bearing, but only mostly useful during late game boss fights.
Billowing Strength – After using Call, you deal more damage for 15 Sec.
- A great damage boost once you acquire a Call. Be sure to use Call as soon as possible.
Double Strike – Your lightning bolt effects have a chance to strike twice.
- A very powerful late game boon. Double Strike only procs on lightning bolts that appear from the sky, such as Static Discharge, Heaven’s Vengeance, or Zeus’ Aid.
Cast Boons
With Eris’ global damage buff, all Cast boons become very strong out of the gate. Although a typical Eris build does not need to focus on scaling its Cast, it does not hurt to open an additional source of damage. If worked efficiently into your attack cycle, a strong Cast can noticeably improve your damage output. Cast boons are also great for opening up Duo boons since it is usually harder to fulfill the requirements with other core slots. With that in mind, Eris can benefit from almost every Cast.
Electric Shot – Your Cast is a burst of chain-lightning that bounces between foes.
- One of the best Casts, however there are many other boons you may want from Zeus.
Flood Shot – Your Cast damages foes in an area and knocks them away.
- Opens up Sea Storm, a powerful Duo boon. Provides decent AOE but has knockback.
True Shot – Your Cast seeks foes, with a 10% chance to deal Critical damage.
- A strong Cast with the same tradeoff as Electric Shot.
Phalanx Shot – Your Cast damages foes in a small area, and can Deflect.
- A strong Cast that opens up Lightning Phalanx. Beware this lowers Splitting Bolt odds.
Crush Shot – Your Cast is a wide, short-range blast that inflicts Weak.
- Has very high damage, but very short range. Requires practice to use effectively.
Trippy Shot – Your Cast lobs a projectile that bursts into Festive Fog.
- Has high damage and AOE, stuns enemies, and opens up Exclusive Access with Tidal Dash. Note that this Cast will not enable Boiling Blood which is a tradeoff to consider.
Slicing Shot – Your Cast sends a Blade Rift hurling ahead.
- Opens up Hunting Blades with Deadly Flourish, which can carry late game boss fights. Disables Boiling Blood, but can be scaled with secondary boons such as Black Metal.
Crystal Beam – Your Cast drops a crystal that fires a beam straight ahead for 5 Sec.
- The only bad option. Disables Boiling Blood and deals lower damage than other Casts.
Duo and Legendary Boons
Duo and Legendary boons are not an essential part of Eris’ build but can provide strong benefits if acquired. They typically require setup and are difficult to come by, however it can be useful to keep in mind which options are available. These boons become easier to access with rarity buffs, such as a Chaos Favor, Yarn of Ariadne, Refreshing Nectar from Eurydice, or the rarity buff from a Keepsake.
Splitting Bolt – All your lightning effects create an additional burst.
- The only Legendary boon to aim for. Typically this involves finding Storm Lightning early in Tartarus, and finding Zeus again while his Keepsake is still active. The tradeoff is usually having to pass up on Static Discharge several times, however if Splitting Bolt is acquired early it can carry through the entire run by itself. Sell Storm Lightning after.
Mirage Shot – Your Cast fires a second projectile, though it has reduced damage.
- Not that this boon is impactful on Eris, but you will be seeing this boon very often since it opens from Deadly Flourish and Tidal Dash. So get used to seeing it!
Sea Storm – Your knock-away effects also cause foes to be struck by lightning.
- A strong Duo boon, effectively adding 40 damage per Tidal Dash which can be further multiplied. Requires a Poseidon core aside from Dash to open, typically Flood Shot.
Lightning Phalanx – Your Cast bounces between nearby enemies.
- A decent buff to your Cast, opens from Phalanx Shot. A good offering from Athena.
Scintillating Feast – Your Festive Fog effects also deal lightning damage periodically.
- Another decent Cast buff, opens from Trippy Shot. A good offering from Dionysus.
Lightning Rod – Your collectible Bloodstones strike nearby foes every 1 Sec.
- Requires Infernal Soul to unlock, and opens from any Artemis core. Lightning Rod can deal lots of damage, however it requires setup during combat to utilize effectively.
Hunting Blades – Your Cast creates a faster Blade Rift that seeks the nearest foe.
- An extremely strong buff to Slicing Shot, opens with any additional Artemis Core. With Eris’ global damage buff, Hunting Blades can carry through late game boss fights by itself. This is definitely a boon to aim for especially if using Infernal Soul.
Ice Wine – Your Cast blades an area with freezing Festive Fog that inflicts Chill.
- Although a very strong buff to your Cast, this boon is difficult to open as it requires a Demeter core on top of Trippy Shot, typically Frost Flourish. A niche scaling option.
Blizzard Shot – Your Cast moves slowly, piercing foes and firing shards around it.
- A bad option that you may see if you have Frost Flourish, as it opens from a Demeter core and Flood Shot. This boon deals too little damage even with Eris’ buff.
Cold Fusion – Your Jolted effects do not expire when foes attack.
- Another bad option from Demeter that opens from Frost Flourish and Static Discharge. You already constantly apply Jolted with Lightning Strike.
Exclusive Access – Any Boons you find have superior effects. Minimum Boon Rarity: Epic
- An extremely powerful boon if acquired early, such as before finding Rush Delivery. This boon requires a Poseidon core and Dionysus core to open, typically Tidal Dash and Trippy Shot. It is difficult to find the requirements early on, but if acquired this boon can significantly boost the quality of your build. Loses value in the late game.
Sweet Nectar – All Poms of Power you find are more effective. Pom level Increase: 1
- Another powerful boon if acquired early that loses value in the late game. Opens from a Poseidon core and Aphrodite core, typically Tidal Dash and Heartbreak Flourish.
Smoldering Air – Your God Gauge charges up automatically but is capped at 25%.
- It may seem like a harsh tradeoff, but in reality this boon is nothing but extremely beneficial. This is because you should be using Call as soon as you charge it up anyway, and this boon improves that significantly. Opens from any Aphrodite core and a Call.
Heart Rend – Your critical hits do more damage to Weak enemies.
- A niche boon that opens from any Artemis core and Aphrodite core, typically Deadly Flourish and Crush Shot. Could provide a damage increase, mostly during boss fights.
Deadly Reversal – After you Deflect, briefly gain +20% chance to deal Critical damage.
- Requires Divine Flourish and an Artemis core to open, typically True Shot. A strong boon since it is very easy to Deflect with Divine Flourish, especially with Rocket Bomb.
Unshakable Mettle – You cannot be stunned, and resist some damage from Bosses.
- A questionable boon that you may see if you have Athena cores as it opens with those and Tidal Dash. It is unclear whether this boon actually does anything.
Relevant Chaos Boons
Eris is not particularly reliant on specific boons from Chaos, and frankly there aren’t many boons from Chaos that Eris can strongly benefit from. In most cases, Chaos serves more as a free room and boon selection is often determined by choosing the least harmful curse. Below are a few decent options.
Flourish – Your Special deals 30-60%, 45-90%, 60-120% more damage.
- The best boon from Chaos. Note the peculiar range of scaling on this boon – a high roll can provide a significant boost to your Special, worth taking even on some bad curses.
Favor – Boons have 11-20%, 16.5-30%, 22-40% chance to be Rare or better.
- Another good option. Especially useful if acquired before finding Rush Delivery.
Affluence – Any obols you find is worth 30-50%, 45-75%, 60-100% more.
- Eris can always use more coins to buy more boons, Poms, well items, or healing.
Assault – You deal 30-40%, 45-60%, 60-80% more damage striking undamaged foes.
- As with Fiery Presence, this boon makes Rocket Bomb stronger when opening with it.
Pom Allocations
With boon preferences out of the way, this section will briefly summarize how to allocate Poms of Power. In general, Poms are always beneficial to have on Eris as there are countless boons to pom.
In the early game, Lightning Strike can take a pom or two. Once you’ve acquired Tidal Dash or Static Discharge, the majority of Poms should be allocated to these two boons. A good rule of thumb is to keep these two boons at equal level, up to around level 4, while tiebreaking with Tidal Dash. Getting Tidal Dash and Static Discharge to level 2 should take high priority as the damage scaling is massive.
Cast and Call boons also scale very well with Poms, feel free to put most of your remaining Poms here. Deadly Flourish does not scale very well beyond level 2, however this is not the case with Aphrodite, Athena, or Demeter Special which can take Poms up to level 4. Secondary boons such as Razor Shoals, Pressure Points, Double Strike, and many vengeance boons can also take Poms as they also scale well.
Alternate Core Boons
So far we’ve covered the mainstream build for Eris, however Hades is a roguelike and sometimes you will be given boons which are different from what you had in mind. While some boons work better in certain slots than others, it is important to learn how to adapt to different situations. Luckily, Eris can be flexible and still get by with a few variations in its core slots, which will be covered in this section.
Special
Heartbreak Flourish – Your Special deals more damage and inflicts Weak.
- An alternative to Deadly Flourish. Although this boon cannot deal extremely high crits without Pressure Points, it has the highest base multiplier out of all Special boons and is certainly viable at Rare or Epic rarity. Also opens up Sweet Surrender, a useful boost.
Divine Flourish – Your Special is stronger, and can Deflect.
- A slightly weaker alternative compared to Heartbreak Flourish. At Rare or Epic rarity this boon can still provide enough of a damage boost to your Special. Deflecting with Rocket Bomb can often happen unintentionally which is a nice added bonus to have.
Frost Flourish – Your Special is stronger and inflicts Chill.
- An even weaker alternative, but still enough to get by at Rare or Epic rarity. This boon does open several decent secondary boons including Killing Freeze, Arctic Blast, or even Winter Harvest which can be a niche way to acquire some additional scaling.
Tempest Flourish – Your Special deals more damage and knocks foes away.
- A questionable option due to its knockback, which makes enemies harder to reach with Tidal Dash. That being said, this boon has a high base multiplier and opens up Sea Storm. Can consider this option if you are in desperate need of a Special boon.
Call
Aphrodite’s Aid – Your Call fires a seeking projectile that inflicts Charm.
- At full charge this call can deal massive damage with Eris’ buff, enough to potentially one-shot Hades in phase 2. The main drawback is having to charge it to full to use it.
Artemis’ Aid – Your Call fires a seeking arrow with +35% Critical Chance.
- Can achieve the same effect as Aphrodite’s Aid in boss fights with a bit of luck.
Dash
Blade Dash – Your Dash creates a Blade Rift where you started.
- This boon comes with significant compromises. Tidal Dash provides spammable, instant damage as well as opens up great secondary boons such as Breaking Wave which can be very helpful in Styx. While Blade Dash can be scaled with Black Metal or Engulfing Vortex, it relies on enemies remaining stationary to achieve the maximum damage output. In general, Tidal Dash is much better for producing consistent results.
Attack
Drunken Strike – Your Attack inflicts Hangover.
- Only possible if you experiment with Tidal Dash as your starting boon. In which case, this boon opens up Exclusive Access by itself and can potentially deal great damage. The main drawback is losing AOE and access to Static Discharge, a very strong boon.
Hammer Preferences
Moving on to Daedalus Hammer upgrades, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Eris has an extremely overpowered hammer combination that decimates all enemies once acquired. The bad news is that all other hammer combinations are shy in comparison, meaning you will rarely have the thrilling experience. The combination in question is Rocket Bomb plus Cluster Bomb, known in the community as Cluster Rockets or Clockets. This allows you to instantly release 5 rockets at close range on a low cooldown, capable of insta-phasing even Hades with the press of a single button.
Rocket Bomb – Your Special is replaced with a rocket that deals 80 base damage.
- The best Hammer without question. Provides much better control for your Special, higher base damage, instant access to Eris’ buff, and opens up Cluster Rockets.
Cluster Bomb – Your Special fires a spread of 5 bombs, but each deals -30% damage.
- The other half of the puzzle. On its own, it is still a strong option and can potentially achieve the highest damage of all hammers if all bombs hit, with some aim practice.
Delta Chamber – Your Attack is a 3-round burst; you never have to Reload.
- A good utility hammer. Delta Chamber provides additional i-frames on Dash-Strikes, which feels noticeably better since you will be constantly dashing. Not needing to reload can also improve your rhythm in combat and produce smoother attack cycles.
Triple Bomb – You can use your Special 3 times in rapid succession.
- The budget version of Cluster Rockets if you don’t find Cluster Bomb. Beware that this hammer introduces a shift in rhythm since it changes your Special’s frequency and cooldown. May require some practice to get used to, but can be strong if mastered.
Targeting System – Foes targeted by your Special move slower and take +30% damage.
- A nice boost to damage and decent hammer overall, but the target window is small if you have Rocket Bomb. This hammer can also increase the damage of Summons.
Flurry Fire – Your Attack is faster and more accurate; gain +6 ammo capacity.
- A budget version of Delta Chamber. From now on we start to get into less impactful or even worse, detrimental hammers, and this hammer is considered not detrimental.
Ricochet Fire – Your Attack bounces to +1 other foe.
- A little bit of extra damage, somewhat noticeable in the early game. Not detrimental.
Piercing Fire – Your Attack pierces foes and deals +50% damage to Armor.
- An even smaller amount of extra damage, slightly counters shields. Not detrimental.
Explosive Fire – Your Attack deals damage in an area and briefly slows foes.
- Detrimental. This hammer interferes with Static Discharge as it stuns enemies.
Seeking Fire – Your Attack seeks the nearest foe and deals +10% damage.
- Detrimental. This hammer makes your attack look funny and take ages to connect.
Spread Fire – Your Attack becomes a spread that deals 40 base damage; lose -6 ammo.
- Detrimental. Although this hammer can deal very high damage, having to reload every 6 bullets is very inconvenient. The reduced attack range is also not worth it.
Hazard Bomb – Your Special deals +300% base damage in a large area, but can hurt you.
- Detrimental. You would need to be absolutely precise with using your Dash to i-frame your Special every time you want Eris’ buff, or you will take damage and be stunned.
Keepsake Selection
With the ideal build in mind, Keepsakes mainly serve to help acquire specific boons needed. Later in a run, Keepsakes can also provide utility or further scale your damage by empowering items from wells.
Tartarus
Thunder Signet – The next boon you find will be from Zeus.
- Use this at the start to find Lightning Strike. Also helps with finding Splitting Bolt.
Asphodel
Conch Shell – The next boon you find will be from Poseidon.
- Use this to help find Tidal Dash. Also helps with increasing its rarity when you find it.
Adamant Arrowhead – The next boon you find will be from Artemis.
- Use this to help find Deadly Flourish if you are in need of a boon for your Special.
Chthonic Coin Purse – Receive 150 Obols to spend as you please.
- If you already have Tidal Dash and Deadly Flourish, an extra 150 Obols is nice to have. Eris can always use more coins to buy more boons, Poms, well items, or healing.
Lambent Plume – Gain Dodge chance and move speed each time you clear an Encounter.
- An interesting option. Opens up Rush Delivery and Bad News by itself, which is the main reason to take it. This makes finding Hyper Sprint and Rush Delivery easier since you can now be offered either on your first Hermes boon. Bad News being opened up on Stygian Soul is a small plus, not something you should aim for without rarity buffs.
Elysium
Bone Hourglass – Items from the Well of Charon have durations increased by 8 Encounters.
- An underrated best option for Elysium. Well items can provide significant buffs to damage and utility, and extending item durations by 8 Encounters usually allows these buffs to last for the rest of the run. Details on well items will be covered next.
Styx
Evergreen Acorn – In the final encounter in each underworld region, take 0 damage for 5 hits.
- Another underrated option. Being able to tank 5 hits during the Hades fight provides strong benefits, including maintaining High Confidence and being immune to getting stunned. The latter can significantly help improve your rhythm in combat, especially if you have Cluster Rockets and are trying to land all 5 rockets on cooldown. Reducing the number of interruptions during the Hades fight can result in noticeable timesave.
Sigil of the Dead – Your Call becomes Hades’ Aid, which briefly makes you invisible.
- To be clear, Hades’ Aid provides a 100% damage boost for about 2 Sec., or 5 Sec. on a full charge. This is an alternative for a Call boon with the tradeoff being the benefits of Evergreen Acorn. If you are worried about finding a Call in Styx this is the safer option.
Relevant Well Items
Many items from the Well of Charon provide decent buffs to Eris whether in the form of damage or utility. They can often be expensive earlier in a run, however later on with Bone Hourglass they become valuable options to provide some extra scaling. Below are some items to keep an eye out for.
Light of Ixion – Ensure a Chaos Gate will spawn ahead (where possible).
- Provides an extra free room, universally good for speedrunning Hades. The only times you don’t want to purchase this is if the next room is the last normal Encounter in a biome, or you don’t think you will have enough health to enter it in the next room.
Ignited Ichor – Gain 20% move speed.
- If you have Hyper Sprint and Rush Delivery, it should be clear why this item is good. Even by itself, gaining 20% move speed can save time by navigating rooms faster. All move speed bonuses are multiplicative so prepare to zoom if you have lots of these.
Chimaera Jerky – Your Special deals +40% damage.
- A small damage buff, nothing special (ha, get it?)
Eris Bangle – You deal +50% damage striking undamaged foes.
- Another small damage buff. It has the name Eris in it.
Nail of Talos – You deal +50% damage to Armor.
- This item is relatively expensive, but can provide a useful damage buff. It is best to purchase this item for Asphodel since Lernie has Armor, and buying it after Tartarus will guarantee this item to last until then. Could also be useful in Elysium and Styx.
Night Spindle – Gain +1 use of your Chthonic Companion’s Summon.
- An extra Summon is very useful, usually meaning you’ll have one to use for Styx minibosses. You can also use these in normal Encounters as well, if you like.
Stygian Shard – Traps deal +500% damage to your foes.
- This item stacks multiplicatively, and can deal tens of thousands of damage if stacked.
Hydralite – You recover 10% health when you enter a chamber.
- With Bone Hourglass, this is incredibly useful for maintaining High Confidence.
Eye of Lamia – Slain foes have a 15% chance to drop healing items.
- Similar to Hydralite, except this item allows you to regain health during combat.
Braid of Atlas – Your Cast deals +50% damage.
- A brief glimpse into the nonsense that is the Aspects of Beowulf and Hera. If you have a Cast boon, this item could vastly boost the damage of your Cast for a very low price.
Aether Net – You start Encounter(s) with your God Gauge 15% full.
- Similar functionality to Proud Bearing, providing more immediate access to damage.
Yarn of Ariadne – The next Boon you find has upgraded Rarity.
- A powerful item to buy right before finding a key boon, such as Rush Delivery. Also useful if you are looking for Duo or Legendary boons, just beware that it is expensive.
Roll Allocations
With Fated Persuasion, you start with 4 rolls that you can use on boons or wells. A good rule of thumb for Eris is to not roll more than once except for Hermes, as preferred Hermes boons will make the biggest difference in a build. You should also use rolls to find Tidal Dash or Static Discharge if you have the chance to acquire them early, as they will provide instant timesave. If you have extra rolls left in Elysium, feel free to spend them on wells to find Light of Ixions and other well items. Don’t spend rolls on Chaos boons unless all curses are terrible. Feel free to roll for Duo or Legendary boons as well.
Combat Strategies
This section will discuss the optimal ways to clear enemies during normal Encounters, minibosses and boss fights in each biome on Eris. First off, there is a basic combo you should familiarize yourself with:
- Special → Hold down Attack → Dash Dash → Dash Dash → Reload → Cast (and repeat).
This combo will be your bread and butter during combat, as it utilizes all sources of your damage and can be used universally regardless of enemy type. One important optimization to keep in mind while playing Eris is to always cancel the animation of your Reload with either a Special, Cast, or Dash. This may be difficult to get used to at first but will come naturally once you adapt to the rhythm. Of course, not every combat should be played the same way and sometimes you could deviate from the rhythm to clear enemies more efficiently. The remainder of this guide will discuss strategies against each and every enemy type, miniboss, and boss encountered in each biome. Note that in certain miniboss and boss encounters, using Summon is involved.
Tartarus Enemies
Thugs
- A Rocket Bomb with Eris’ buff will one-shot these regardless of High Confidence.
Witches
- Get Eris’ buff as soon as possible to clear distant Witches with Lightning Strike.
Louts
- A Rocket Bomb with Eris’ buff will one-shot these, but only with High Confidence.
Pests
- A Cast, Special, or couple bullets of Lightning Strike with Eris’ buff will one-shot these.
Numbskulls
- Has even less health than Pests. Lightning Strike clears these very efficiently.
Skullomats
- Usually requires a Special. Beware of the 4th Skullomat spawning from behind you.
Wringers
- Try to avoid being grabbed. A Special without Rocket Bomb will one-shot these.
Brimstones
- A Cast, Special, or couple bullets of Lightning Strike with Eris’ buff will one-shot these.
Tartarus Minibosses
Sneak
- Use Special at the pillar to get Eris’ buff as soon as you enter, and Cast as you Summon.
Doomstone
- Cast as you Summon, and use Special as soon as its Armor breaks.
Bombers
- Cast as you Summon, and use Special as soon as its Armor breaks.
Boss Fight: Furies
- Start with a Cast, then Dash into range, Special, and use the basic combo and repeat.
Asphodel Enemies
Bloodless
- Use the basic combo and try to damage multiple of them at once.
Bone-Rakers
- Static Discharge is especially effective against these as it will proc multiple times.
Inferno-Bombers
- Use the basic combo, stay close to avoid missing Rocket Bombs.
Slam-Dancers
- These can keep jumping around without proccing Static Discharge, in which case you can try shooting while standing still without dashing to bait them to attack.
Burn-Flingers
- Use the basic combo, stay close to avoid missing Rocket Bombs.
Wave-Makers
- Can potentially jump very far away so try to clear these as soon as possible.
Dracons
- If these are far away, it’s best to Dash to the exit and let them come to you.
Spreaders
- A Rocket Bomb with Eris’ buff will one-shot these.
Gorgons
- Can spawn from very far away and remain there. Try to avoid being stunned. Listen for sound cues to make sure there are none remaining before you Dash to the exit.
Skull-Crusher
- If the room looks fishy when you enter, immediately look for these and clear them before they jump. A quick Rocket Bomb followed by Tidal Dash can do the trick.
Asphodel Minibosses
Witches
- Dash near the center group to get Eris’ buff from Rocket Bomb, then clear the top one.
Powercouple
- Try to break the Megagorgon’s Armor before you Summon, and avoid getting stunned.
Barge of Death
- Use the basic combo. If there are Voidstones, clear them first. Take advantage of Traps.
Boss Fight: Lernie
- Start with a Cast, then use the basic combo. Note that you should leave small heads with some health once their Armor breaks, and let Static Discharge finish them off.
Elysium Enemies
Splitters
- A Rocket Bomb with Eris’ buff can one-shot these. Static Discharge is effective here.
Chariots
- Try to group them as they will follow you, and hit multiple at once with Rocket Bomb.
Flamewheels
- Lightning Strike and Tidal Dash are very effective against these. Beware that some may get stuck on a wall until you approach. Try to group them as they will follow you.
Brightswords
- The classic Elysium enemy. Try to group them with Tidal Dash. Beware of their zooms.
Longspears
- These tend to group nicely by themselves. Use the basic combo and try to group them.
Strongbows
- These do not group nicely by themselves. You may need to clear them one at a time.
Greatshields
- Tidal Dash makes it tricky to get behind their shields. A tip is that these always spawn facing the right side, so you can stand on their left as they spawn to clear them quickly.
Soul Catcher
- Use the basic combo. Beware that these usually spawn far away and don’t group well.
Elysium Minibosses
Butterfly Ball
- If you have Cluster Rockets this is your time to shine. Otherwise, try to clear it quickly.
Asterius
- Similar to fighting Furies, start with a Cast then use the basic combo. If you have Cluster Rockets, try to Dash up close and land all 5. Beware that he can jump away.
Boss Fight: Heroes
- Cast on Asterius as you Summon, and focus him first. Note that you should stay near Theseus when they are both vulnerable, since Asterius will tend to jump to you.
Styx Enemies
Small Rats
- Lightning Strike is very effective against these.
Giant Rats
- Use the basic combo. Beware that a 4th Giant Rat may spawn if there appears to be 3.
Bothers
- Aim your Rocket Bombs carefully, as it is easy to miss these when they scatter around.
Snakestones
- A Rocket Bomb with Eris’ Buff will typically one-shot these with a strong Special.
Satyrs
- Surprisingly tanky enemies. Use your biggest source of damage on these.
Styx Minibosses
Tiny Vermin
- Hard to see, Support Fire is useful to help spot it. Try your best to land Rocket Bombs.
Gigantic Vermin
- Easier to see, but extremely tanky. Best if you have an extra Summon for its Armor.
Bother Miniboss
- Recognize the arena as soon as you enter the room, and Dash to it to clear it quickly.
Snakestone Miniboss
- Cast as you Summon, and use the basic combo. Try to push it to a wall with Tidal Dash.
Satyr Miniboss
- Recognize the arena as soon as you enter the room, and Dash to its spawning position. Try to immediately land a Cast and Special when it spawns, then use the basic combo.
Boss Fight: Hades
- Start with a Cast, then use the basic combo. The biggest timesave will come from landing every Special and Tidal Dash, meaning all 5 rockets if you have Cluster Rockets. Hades will move around, it may take practice to follow him tightly and stay up close. Avoid firing rockets from afar since they may either miss or you may not get Eris’ buff. If you think you have enough damage with Cluster Rockets, you can consider using Summon in phase 2 instead. Be sure to Cast again in the beginning of phase 2.
Closing Words
Thank you for taking your time to read this guide! I hope you can take away a thing or two, and I will be very happy if even one person finds this guide helpful.
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