Boons are the gifts that define your run, and there are thirteen gods offering them. Understanding which god does what — and the four-god cap that quietly reshapes your run — is what separates a coherent build from a pile of random blessings.
The thirteen gods at a glance
| God | Signature | Element(s) | Notable boons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeus | Blitz, chain lightning | Air | Heaven Strike, Heaven Flourish, Static Shock, Arc Flash, Lightning Lance, King’s Ransom (L) |
| Hera | Hitch, scales off your other boons | All four | Sworn Strike, Sworn Flourish, Engagement Ring, Nexus Rush, Queen’s Ransom (L) |
| Poseidon | Knockback, splash, resource rewards | Water | Wave Strike, Wave Flourish, Tidal Ring, Flood Gain, King Tide (L) |
| Demeter | Freeze, amplifies Casts | Earth / Water | Ice Strike, Ice Flourish, Arctic Ring, Tranquil Gain, Winter Harvest (L) |
| Apollo | Daze, larger areas | Air / Fire | Nova Strike, Nova Flourish, Solar Ring, Lucid Gain, Exceptional Talent (L) |
| Aphrodite | Weak, stronger at high health | Air / Water | Flutter Strike, Flutter Flourish, Rapture Ring, Passion Rush, Nervous Wreck (L) |
| Hephaestus | AOE blast on cooldown, armour | Earth / Fire | Volcanic Strike, Volcanic Flourish, Anvil Ring, Trusty Shield, Premium Service (L) |
| Hestia | Scorch | Fire | Flame Strike, Flame Flourish, Smolder Ring, Cardio Gain, Fire Away (L) |
| Ares | Wounds | Earth | Vicious Strike, Vicious Flourish, Sword Ring, Grievous Blow |
| Artemis | Critical hits | Earth / Air | Death Warrant, Pressure Points, Support Fire |
| Athena | Deflect, defensive | Fire | Phalanx Shot, and the Deflect suite |
| Hermes | Speed, Magick economy | Earth / Fire / Air | Midnight Oil, Greater Evasion, Quick Buck |
| Selene | Hexes | None | Path of Stars upgrades |
Outside the ranking: Chaos (powerful augments with temporary drawbacks), Hades (in Tartarus, powerful against Chronos), and the regional allies — Arachne (Erebus, Silken Armor), Narcissus (Oceanus), Echo (Fields of Mourning), Medea (Ephyra), Circe and Icarus (Rift of Thessaly).
Hephaestus joined the roster at 1.0, and the April 2026 patch reworked a chunk of Ares’s kit around Sword Ring and Wounds.
The four-god cap
This is the rule most players learn too late:
Once Melinoe has boons from 4 core Olympian gods, she only sees rooms for gods she already has boons from.
Two important exceptions:
- Keepsakes override it. A god keepsake can add a fifth god even after the cap is hit.
- Hermes and the others do not count. Boons from Hermes and other characters are still offered and do not consume a slot.
The strategic consequence: do not take four gods casually. Every early boon you accept spends a slot in a limited roster. If you are chasing a specific Duo, keep a slot free for the second half of the pairing — or rely on a keepsake to force it.
Elements and Infusions
There are five elements: Air, Water, Earth, Fire and Aether. Each god’s boons carry a fixed element or a mix of two — Hera carries all four — and Aether is present on all Duo boons.
To unlock Infusions you must cast Divination of the Elements at the Cauldron, which has two specific requirements: you must have fought Scylla at least once and spoken to Zeus at least once.
| Infusion | God | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Quality | Zeus | 2 Air | Minimum damage per hit of 30 |
| Chant | Chaos | 1 Aether | Omega moves deal +30–48% per Aether |
| Frosty Veneer | Demeter | 4 Water | Maximum damage taken per hit of 15 |
| Martial Art | Hephaestus | 1 Earth | Attack and Special +5% per Earth boon |
| Proper Upbringing | Hera | 1 of each | Common boons gain rarity at 2+ elements |
| Rallying Cry | Ares | 3 Earth | Olympian damage effects +50% at 8 Earth |
| Self Healing | Apollo | 1 Fire | Restore health when damaged at 3+ Fire |
Elements also drop rarely as a bonus-room reward, and the rank II gathering tools (Crescent Pick, Rod of Fishing, Silver Spade, Tablet of Peace) each have a one-time 50% chance to yield one.
The Zeus lightning build, end to end
The best-documented high-tier build, and a good model for how a boon package fits together:
- Static Shock — every strike emits chain lightning bouncing up to 4 times, for the price of Priming 50 Magick. The foundation.
- Arc Flash — damage from your Attack or Special instantly pops active Blitz and makes it 30–60% stronger. This turns Zeus’s delayed burst into on-demand damage.
- Electric Overload — +20–35% chain lightning damage and 3 extra bounces.
- Master Conductor (Duo, Zeus + Hephaestus) — your chain lightning bounces off you and hits harder each time.
Pair it with Thermal Dynamics (Zeus + Hestia) so every Blitz proc also inflicts 160 Scorch, running two delayed-damage systems at once.
Strong Duo and Legendary picks
| Boon | Pairing | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Master Conductor | Zeus + Hephaestus | Chain lightning bounces off you, hitting harder each time |
| Thermal Dynamics | Zeus + Hestia | Every Blitz proc also inflicts 160 Scorch |
| Island Getaway | Aphrodite + Poseidon | Less damage from nearby foes; Aphrodite treats all foes as nearby |
| King’s Ransom | Zeus Legendary | The three-axis scaler |
| Queen’s Ransom | Hera Legendary | The only boon with three independent multiplicative axes |
| Heinous Affront | Ares + Zeus | Inflicting Wounds fires all your “after you take damage” effects |
Practical notes
- Aether thresholds are the hidden gate. Infusions and Duos need specific element counts, so pick gods with the elements you need rather than whatever has the biggest number.
- Do not chase rarity over synergy. A common boon that completes your build beats a heroic one that does nothing.
- Hermes is free value. Because he does not count against the four-god cap, his speed and Magick economy boons are pure upside.
Related guides
- Best Arcana Builds — Origination’s two-curse rule and which gods supply them
- Best Keepsake Tier List — forcing the gods you need
- Best Weapons Tier List — what the boons attach to
- Bosses and Routes — where you will meet them