Strong runs commit early to one damage source and stack it, then add defence and utility around it. Here are reliable boon plans, weapon pairings and the meta-progression to back them up — plus how to start climbing Heat once you're escaping consistently.
Reliable damage plans
⚡ Zeus Attack/Special
Put Zeus on your main hit for chain lightning that clears whole rooms; add Static Discharge for burst.
🗡️ Ares Doom
Stack Doom and dash-strikes; add the Curse of Longing duo (Ares + Aphrodite), whose Doom effects keep striking Weak foes.
🏹 Artemis Crit
Crit chance snowballs with Coronacht (Aspect of Rama) or any fast hit; superb with Hunter's Mark.
🌊 Poseidon Splash
Knockback plus wall-slam damage — safe, strong, and forgiving to pilot for newer players.
❄️ Demeter Cast
Crystal Beam plus Chill slows everything and melts bosses; pairs with almost any attack god.
🍷 Dionysus DoT
Festive Fog stacks hangover so foes rot while you dodge — low-effort, high-reward at any Heat.
Defensive & utility core
- Athena Deflect on dash or attack turns projectile rooms and Elysium into a formality.
- Take at least one health source: Centaur Hearts, Fountains, or Poseidon/Aphrodite healing boons.
- Hermes boons (Rush, Greater Haste, Hyper Sprint) add speed, dodge and attack rate to any build.
- Keep a Death Defiance banked for each boss; the Stubborn Defiance Mirror talent restores one per biome.
Progression priorities
- Mirror: buy Death Defiance (all ranks) and Shadow Presence first, then Greater Reflex (extra dash).
- Keepsakes: Old Spiked Collar early for survival; god keepsakes to fish for a specific god's boon in chamber one.
- Titan Blood: focus one Aspect you enjoy rather than spreading it thin across weapons.
- Heat: raise the Pact gradually — Extreme Measures 1 and Convenience Fee are gentle first picks for better rewards.
Sample top-tier runs
🔱 Guan Yu Doom-spear
Spear (Aspect of Guan Yu) + Ares Doom on attack; the spin special and lifesteal offset the reduced max HP.
🏹 Rama crit-bow
Bow (Aspect of Rama) + Artemis crit and Hunter's Mark; add Support Fire for hands-free damage.
⚡ Zeus shield
Aegis (Aspect of Zeus) Blitz disc + Zeus lightning everywhere; Splitting Bolt or Sea Storm seals it.
🗡️ Arthur tank
Sword (Aspect of Arthur) + Athena and Aphrodite for a near-unkillable high-Heat clear.
Sources
Cross-checked on 26 September 2026 against TheGamer. What is still unverified is the only thing reading cannot settle — nobody here has played it.