Unleash the Stormfront

Dominate the Underworld with the Adamant Rail's Aspect of Eris. This guide provides a systematic, low-RNG blueprint for consistent high-heat clears, leveraging core mechanics and optimized decision-making.

Part 1: Your First Steps & Permanent Progression

Before you can master a build, you must learn to walk. Your initial runs should focus on two key areas:

Understanding Irreversible Decisions (and What You Can Undo)

Most choices in Hades can be reversed or re-farmed, but some have permanent consequences or are very time-consuming to undo.

Decisions You CANNOT Easily Reverse:

Choices You CAN Reverse:

Essential Items for This Guide: Your First Nectar Gifts

Your immediate goal is to acquire specific **Keepsakes**. Give your first bottle of Nectar (🍯) to the following characters as soon as you meet them:

Item Giver How to Get
**Thunder Signet** (Keepsake) Zeus Zeus appears as a Boon chamber reward (⚡ symbol). Gift him Nectar.
**Conch Shell** (Keepsake) Poseidon Poseidon appears as a Boon chamber reward (🔱 symbol). Gift him Nectar.
**Pom Blossom** (Keepsake) Persephone You'll meet her automatically by progressing the main story. Gift her Nectar.
**Evergreen Acorn** (Keepsake) Eurydice Found in a chamber with a music note (🎵) in Asphodel. Gift her Nectar after her song.
**Lucky Tooth** (Keepsake) Skelly This is the training dummy in the Arsenal Room (your starting area). Gift him Nectar.
**Companion Battie** Megaera After she appears in the House of Hades, gift her Nectar until her heart gauge is full. Eventually, a special "favor" event will trigger. Complete it, then gift her Ambrosia to receive Battie. (This is a longer-term goal compared to the Keepsakes, which you'll get quickly.)

Part 2: Building Your Permanent Power Base

Between runs, you'll invest your hard-earned resources into permanent upgrades in the House of Hades. Focus on these two critical areas.

A. The House Contractor: Foundational Upgrades

This shady figure lets you purchase upgrades for the Underworld. Prioritize these with your **Gemstones** (💎):

B. The Mirror of Night: Your Core Talents

This is where you spend your **Darkness** (🔮) to gain permanent power. Use your **Keys** (🔑) to unlock all 24 talents. Here are the recommended choices for this build, roughly in order of priority for a new player:

Talent Rationale for the Build
**Death Defiance** Offers three full revives. Crucial for surviving difficult boss fights and pushing further. Prioritize getting at least one rank early.
**Greater Reflex** A single point grants an extra dash. Non-negotiable for mobility, survivability, and proccing dash boons.
**Shadow Presence** Provides consistent backstab damage that synergizes with your high mobility and the Rail's dash-strike.
**Chthonic Vitality** Provides reliable, passive healing after every single encounter, adding great sustain.
**Deep Pockets** Starts the run with Obols (gold), ensuring you can afford an early boon or item from Charon.
**Boiling Blood** An easy, passive damage boost against any enemy with your Cast stone stuck in them.
**Infernal Soul** More Cast stones means you can apply the Boiling Blood debuff to more enemies at once. (Ensure you pick this over Stygian Soul, which is less effective for this build.)
**High Confidence** A core damage component. Grants a significant damage bonus when you are healthy, rewarding skilled play.
**Privileged Status** The central damage multiplier of the entire build. Grants a massive +40% damage bonus to foes afflicted with two or more status curses. Our build applies two curses constantly.
**Dark Foresight** Increases the chance for "gold laurel" doors (Boons, Hammers, etc.), giving you more opportunities to build your engine faster.
**God's Pride** Increases the chance for boons to be of Epic rarity, which provides higher base damage and better scaling.
**Fated Persuasion** Provides dice to re-roll boon offerings. This is your primary tool for filtering through unwanted boons to find the exact ones you need.

Run Progression Simulator: Track Your Build

Start your run to track your build progression!

Tartarus (Biome 1) - Forcing Zeus

Expected Acquisitions:

Remember to equip **Thunder Signet** (Zeus's Keepsake) before starting the run.

Asphodel (Biome 2) - Forcing Poseidon

Expected Acquisitions:

Remember to switch to **Conch Shell** (Poseidon's Keepsake) after the Tartarus boss.

Elysium (Biome 3) - Solidifying the Engine

Expected Acquisitions:

Consider switching to **Pom Blossom** (if strong) or **Evergreen Acorn** (if defensive) after the Asphodel boss.

Temple of Styx (Biome 4) - Final Polish

Expected Acquisitions:

Consider switching to **Evergreen Acorn** for the final boss if you haven't already.

Part 4: Mastering the Build - Combat & Contingencies

The Eris Buff & Combat Loop

The Aspect of Eris's power comes from its unique buff:

Daedalus Hammer Priority

Hammers modify your weapon significantly. Prioritize these for the Eris Rail:

Strategic Pivots (When RNG Resists)

Even with keepsake forcing, RNG can sometimes be stubborn. Here's how to adapt:

Part 5: Optimizing Your Build & Beyond

Once you have the core build down, these points help you push its power even further.

1. Optimizing Your "Filler" God Slots

The core guide correctly locks in Zeus, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. However, you will inevitably encounter other gods. Planning for them can lead to significant gains.

The Case for Artemis (Best "Fourth God"):

Artemis is arguably the best "fourth god" for this build. Her boons provide a multiplicative damage increase, which is exactly what you want.

2. Choosing the Right Call (God Gauge)

The guide doesn't specify a Call, which is a major source of damage and utility.

3. The Eris Aspect Investment Itself (The Biggest Improvement)

This is the most crucial point for maximizing the build's power. **Investing Titan Blood into the Aspect of Eris is the single most important upgrade you can make for this build.**

4. Advanced Companion Strategy

Companion Battie is excellent for front-loading damage. However, for higher Heat levels, an alternative can be even better.

Part 6: The Endgame - The Pact of Punishment & Resource Farming

After your first successful escape, you will unlock the Pact of Punishment. This allows you to add "Heat" to your runs to earn new rewards from bosses.

Scaling the Heat Safely

Comprehensive Resource Farming Guide

Titan Blood (For upgrading weapon Aspects)

Diamonds (For House Contractor upgrades)

Ambrosia (For relationships & companions)

General Farming Tips

Part 7: Advanced Mastery: Nuance & Execution

For players looking to push this build to its absolute limit, these points focus on in-run mastery and subtle decision-making that can provide marginal yet consistent gains.

1. Chamber Pathing Mastery (Beyond Just Boons)

2. Shop Management & Charon's Obols

3. Enemy Behavior Exploitation

4. Death Defiance Management (and Resourceful Revival)

5. Weapon Alternative Usage

Part 8: Advanced Mastery: Optimal Micro-Decisions

These final points represent the highly refined decision-making that can further enhance runs for the most experienced players, recognizing subtle synergies and situational advantages.

1. Understanding God Pool Sizes & Duo Boon Chances (Subtle Meta-Knowledge)

2. Keepsake Cycling Nuance (Pre-emptive vs. Reactive)

3. Specific Boons within Core Gods (Deep Dive into Utility)

4. "Shop Before Boon" Mentality (Advanced Resource Management)

MythBusting & Advanced FAQ

Common Myths Debunked:

Myth 1: "Eris Rail is only for long-range play."

Debunked: While the Rail is a ranged weapon, the Aspect of Eris's core buff encourages close-to-mid range engagement. Dashing into your Special's explosion to gain the +75% damage buff means you'll often be in the thick of combat, utilizing dash-strikes and the area-of-effect of your boons (like Sea Storm) effectively. It's a highly mobile, aggressive playstyle, not a static sniper build.

Myth 2: "You need perfect RNG for a good build."

Debunked: The Eris Protocol is specifically designed to minimize RNG. By strategically using Keepsakes to force specific gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite) in order, you dramatically increase the consistency of acquiring your core boons and Duo Boons. While some runs will be luckier than others, this guide provides a reliable framework to build a powerful setup almost every time.

Myth 3: "Stubborn Defiance is better than Death Defiance."

Debunked: For the Eris Protocol, **Death Defiance** is superior. While Stubborn Defiance provides a single revive per chamber (good for early progression and learning), Death Defiance offers multiple full revives per run. For difficult boss fights and higher Heat levels, having 2-3 full revives provides significantly more survivability and a higher margin for error than a single, quickly-recharging revive that might not be enough in a prolonged boss encounter.

Advanced FAQs:

FAQ 1: How do I get more Titan Blood/Diamonds/Ambrosia?

These rare resources are primarily earned by defeating bosses on *new Heat levels* with *each weapon*. For example, defeating Megaera with the Sword on 0 Heat, then 1 Heat, then 2 Heat, etc., will grant Titan Blood each time. Refer to "Part 6: Comprehensive Resource Farming Guide" for detailed methods, including Prophecies, Broker trades, and fishing.

FAQ 2: What if I don't get the exact boons or hammers recommended?

The guide includes "Strategic Pivots" in Part 4 for exactly this reason. If Sea Storm doesn't appear, pivot to a pure Zeus build. If ideal hammers are missing, adjust your Special's role. The Fated Persuasion Mirror talent is your primary tool for re-rolling boon offerings to increase your chances. Adaptability is key!

FAQ 3: When should I use my Companion (Battie/Shady)?

Companion usage is tactical. **Battie** is best for burst damage against high-health targets (e.g., armored elites, mini-bosses, or boss phases). **Shady** excels at drawing aggro and creating breathing room in chaotic rooms or against dangerous ranged enemies/boss attacks (e.g., Theseus's Call). Practice timing their deployment for maximum impact.

FAQ 4: Is this build good for speedrunning?

The Eris Protocol is exceptionally fast and consistent, making it a popular choice for speedrunning. Its high global damage multiplier and ability to rapidly clear rooms contribute to quick clear times. While this guide focuses on consistency and high-heat clears rather than pure speedrunning tactics, the core principles lay a strong foundation for speed-oriented play.

FAQ 5: Can I use other weapon aspects with this guide?

This guide is specifically tailored to the **Aspect of Eris for the Adamant Rail** due to its unique damage buff and synergy with the recommended boons. While some general principles (like Mirror talents or resource farming) apply across all weapons, the core boon and hammer priorities are optimized for Eris Rail's playstyle. Other aspects will require different build strategies.

FAQ 6: What about Chaos boons with negative effects?

Chaos boons offer powerful, multiplicative buffs but come with temporary curses. For an aggressive build like Eris, the damage gains often outweigh the risks, especially for experienced players. Evaluate the specific curse (e.g., "take more damage from traps" is less risky than "lose a Death Defiance") against the potential reward. Look for Chaos gates early if you feel confident in your ability to manage the temporary debuff.

Sources