[Top 10] Hades Best Builds That Are Powerful

Updated:

09 Dec 2022

Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler game where you play as Zagreus, son of Hades, trying to scape his father's domain. Every time you die, no matter how far you get, you return to the Underworld and have to start your escape from the beginning. The clue to escaping is a good build; here is a ranking of 10 best Hades builds to help you stack up that damage and defense, complete with recommended weapons, Aspects, Boons, and Mirror of Night Abilties.

10. Life Thief

Just a picture to prove that a build like that does work

Weapon: Varatha, or the Eternal Spear

Aspect: Guan Yu

You have the Frost Fair Blade, but your life and healing are reduced by 50% at the highest level.

You also get Serpent Slash, which lets you hold down Attack and then release it to send a forward-moving spinning blade.
Another Guan Yu move you get is Crackling Skewer: when you press Special, instead of throwing your spear like you normally would, you send out an irretrievable firework moving forward in a straight line.
Although you lose at least half of your Life Total, this Aspect is great for adding some ranged attacks to your move set.
This build is good for efficiently damaging foes from afar, and swapping your normal Special for Crackling Skewer means you won’t have to let go of your Spear and stay weaponless until you recall it.

Best Boons

Demeter	Nourished Soul	Any Health effects are more potent. Restore some Health now.
The Boons for this build are focused on maintaining your lowered health levels. Although your Life Total gain will also decrease, it’s good to have extra potency for those that you do manage to get your hands on.
Dionysus	After Party	If your Life Total is low after Encounters, restore it to the threshold.
This Boon lets you maintain at least some Life Total throughout your escape attempt, increasing your chances of survival.
Aphrodite	Crush Shot	Your Cast is a wide, short-range blast that inflicts Weak.
Weak is a status curse that makes foes deal at least 30% less damage for four seconds, which is a good way to balance the health you lose to the Aspect.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Massive Spin	Your Spin Attack deals +125% damage and hits a larger area.
Now that your Attack does not stay static thanks to the Aspect of Guan Yu, you can beef it up even more by increasing its range and damage.
Quick Spin	Your Spin Attack charges and recovers much faster.
Since your spear now leaves you when you use your Spin Attack, recovering it faster means you can get back to fighting almost right away. By reducing your Attack charge time, you can evade foes’ attacks more efficiently.
Winged Serpent	Your Frost Fair Blade Spin Attack travels for 80% longer.
*Aspect of Guan Yu exclusive. This upgrade is very useful when fighting groups of enemies - if you can aim it right. You can also hit more distant foes by sending your spear further.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Thick Skin

Each rank adds +5 Health to your Life Total, with a max of +50 health at the highest level.

Even though this Ability will also be impacted by your Aspect’s health reduction, you will be able to keep going in your escape attempt even after you die thrice.
Equip Skelly’s Lucky Tooth Keepsake to add another Death Defiance - it restores up to 100 Health at the highest level once your Life Total is depleted (once per escape attempt).

What Life Thief Excels In:

Ranged fighting targeting multiple foes at once
Quick ranged attacks with low retrieval time
Area attacks with increased damage

9. Perfect Aim

And you too can be like a centaur lord with the might of this bow

Weapon: Coronacht, or the Heart-Seeking Bow

Aspect: Chiron

Your Special automatically seeks the foe last struck by your Attack.

Aiming can be a drag, especially when fighting fast-moving foes like Sneak or anyone in Asphodel, really. This build makes your aiming much, much easier.

Best Boons

Artemis	Deadly Flourish	Your Special is stronger, with a chance to deal Critical Damage.
Critical increases your damage by 300%, and with your Special firing several arrows, the chance of it only increases.
Artemis	Support Fire	After you Cast, or hit with an Attack or Special, fire a seeking arrow.
Another way to make your arrows aim themselves. A seeking arrow automatically seeks foes, and as you use your attacks in rapid succession, you can send a flurry of those out with little effort.
Zeus	Lightning Strike	Your Attack emits chain lightning when you damage a foe.
Your Attack can use some beefing up in this build, so get some lightning going for increased damage to multiple foes at once.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Relentless Volley	Your Special shoots +4 shots.
Now that your Special is auto-aiming, it’s time to increase its damage by adding some arrows to it.
Concentrated Volley	Your Special deals +3 base damage for each consecutive hit to a foe.
More hits equal more damage, which is especially nice when you don’t have to aim.
Piercing Volley	Your Special pierces foes and deals +400% damage to Armor.
Piercing is a great addition to your Special since now your arrows will damage a foe and anyone behind them. Destroying Armor with ease is also a nice perk.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Family Favorite

Each rank gives you +2.5% damage for each different Olympian whose Boons you have, with a max +5% damage per Olympian at the highest level.

This build features several Olympians, so capitalize on that by adding damage per each god who grants you their Boon.

What Perfect Aim Excels In:

Automatic aiming for various attack styles
Increased attack damage
Higher chances of Critical damage, and increased damage to Armor
Ranged fighting targeting both individual foes and enemy groups

8. Charged Up

Look at all that bombardment going on!

Weapon: Exagryph, or the Adamant Rail

Aspect: Eris

For four seconds after absorbing your Special's blast, deal more damage, +75% at the highest level.

Exagryph’s Special is Bombard, a grenade thrown close to you that explodes for 60 damage in a 400-unit radius without damaging Zagreus himself.
Once he absorbs the blast, you deal more damage with any attack you use, making this build especially deadly if you are big on using the Adamant Rail.
Just hit yourself with your Special every four seconds, and you are a killing machine!

Best Boons

Hermes	Swift Flourish	Your Special is +X% faster, +40% at the highest Rarity level.
You might not need to hit yourself with your Special more often than every four seconds, but since it deals 60 base damage in an area plus the Aspect of Eris damage increase, it is a good tool to have when you need to clear the field around you.
Artemis	Deadly Flourish	Your Special is stronger, with a chance to deal Critical Damage.
This build is all about beefing up your Special, and this Boon is just the way to go. With your Critical dealing +300% damage, you can be sure to one-hit a few foes once in a while.
Artemis	Hide Breaker	Your Critical effects deal even more damage to Armor.
Armor can be a real bummer when it comes to one-hitting foes since you would need to get rid of it first. With this Boon, your crits will take care of it for you.
Demeter	Frost Strike	Your Attack is stronger and inflicts Chill.
Chill slows the victim down by 4% for eight seconds and can be stacked up to 10 times. Your Rail Attack is fast, meaning you can stack Chill repeatedly and slow foes down to make them easier to target with your Special.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Targeting System	Foes targeted by your Special move slower and take +30% damage.
Your Special needs to be aimed correctly if you want it to hit, and slowing foes down makes it easier. Increased damage is always nice, too.
Cluster Bomb	Your Special fires a spread of 5 bombs, but each deals -30% damage.
With this upgrade, you would need to be sure you absorb at least one of them for your Aspect to work, so it will take some dashing. In exchange, your Special will hit even more foes.
Explosive Fire	Your Attack deals damage in an area and briefly slows foes.
Slowing foes makes them easier to target with your powered-up special. This upgrade also makes inflicting Chill easier now that your Attack hits in an area.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Fiery Presence

Each rank makes you deal 15% damage when you strike undamaged foes, with +75% damage at the highest level.

With a sufficiently powered-up Special, you can use this Ability to one-hit foes.

What Charged Up Excels In:

Increased damage at a higher speed
Inflicting stackable status curses
Increased chances of Critical damage and damage to Armor
Easily targeting foes

7. Sweep of Doom

I don't think that's good for Skelly's spine

Weapon: Varatha, or the Eternal Spear

Aspect: Hades

Your Spin Attack becomes Punishing Sweep, increasing the Attack radius and adding +150% damage at the highest level.

Make the most of your Spear with this build - Varatha’s Attack is normally pretty weak, in my opinion.
Normally, you would just stab ahead once, and that’s it, but with this Aspect, you can hit several foes at once in one sweep, and your reach becomes wider than usual.

Best Boons

Athena	Bronze Skin	Resist damage from foes' attacks.
If you are using Varatha, you need some defense. This Boon will help you reduce incoming damage.
Artemis	Pressure Points	Any damage you deal has a chance to be Critical.
With a 300% damage increase, you can rely on your crits to one-hit foes. This Boon gives any damage you deal a Critical chance, so no matter what you choose to do with your weapon or your Cast, you can be sure to occasionally deal quite a bit of damage.
Ares	Curse of Agony	Your Attack inflicts Doom.
Not only will you be able to deal the increased Attack damage, but you can also passively hurt foes after 1.1 seconds by using Doom. Sweep at the group of foes and watch the daggers fall to finish them off.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Extending Jab	Your Attack has +40% range and deals +40% damage to distant foes.
The Aspect of Hades already increases your Attack range, so why not increase it some more? Extra damage for enemies more than 475 units away is also worth it.
Chain Skewer	Your Special bounces to up to seven foes, dealing +30% damage for each.
In this build, I am not going to disregard the Special. By making your spear bounce to more foes, you can deal damage to multiple enemies even if they are not close to each other. Add any Special-enhancing Boon for extra effects.
Serrated Point	Your Dash-Strike hits three times, but your dash has -25% range.
This upgrade works in tandem with the Hunter Dash Boon. The decreased range is a small price to pay for the triple hit this upgrade grants you.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Shadow Presence

Each rank gives you +10% damage when you strike foes from behind, +50% damage at the highest level.

You gotta think about tactics, and this is just the Ability to help you outsmart your foes.
Throwing your spear when using your Special allows you to target foes before they notice you, making it a perfect weapon for backstabbing.

What Sweep of Doom Excels In:

Increased Attack radius and damage
Targeting distant foes
Inflicting passive damage
Powered-up combo attack

6. Aggressive Defense

Impenetrable tank mode

Weapon: Aegis, or the Shield of Chaos

Aspect: Beowulf

You have Naegling's Board but take +10% damage. The Aspect comes with Dragon Rush, which allows you to load your Cast into your Attack and deal 50 damage per Cast Ammo, +20% damage per aspect level with 100% bonus damage at the highest level.

Another Aspect with the ability to load Cast Ammo into your Attack is a great basis for this defense-heavy build.
In addition to being perfect for staying protected, this build buffs your Attack up so you can obliterate foes in just a few strikes.

Best Boons

Poseidon	Tempest Strike	Your Attack deals more damage and knocks foes away.
This Boon strengthens your Attack, and makes it able to knock foes away. Great for keeping enemies out of range given that they deal increased damage to you.
Poseidon	Flood Shot	Your Cast damages foes in an area and knocks them away.
This is a Cast-reliant build, so adding a Cast upgrade is a must. It can also knock foes away and deal damage in an area, making it perfect for fighting multiple enemies at once.
Ares	Curse of Pain	Your Special inflicts Doom.
With all that defense and Attack building, you shouldn’t ignore your Special. Doom makes afflicted foes take a burst of damage after 1.1 seconds, so you can throw your shield so it bounces between foes and get in back while Doom takes effect.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Unyielding Defense	After using your Naegling's Board Cast, you are Sturdy for three seconds.
*Aspect of Beowulf exclusive. Sturdy makes you take 30% less damage. Your actions aren’t interrupted by taking damage. After using your Beowulf Attack, you can immediately start powering up your Rush again without worrying about someone hitting you while it’s charging.
Ferocious Guard	After blocking a foe, gain +20% damage and move speed for 10 seconds.
This is an additional perk for your Rush, which will automatically block foes striking you from the front while you are charging it up. Once you let go of the Attack button, you will Rush at your foes with increased damage from the upgrade and the Aspect, and add some Poseidon’s knockaway on top.
Empowering Flight	After your Special hits, your next two Attacks deal +80% damage.
This upgrade balances your Special and your Attack. After your Special deals Doom damage to several foes, you can almost immediately Rush at your foes with an extra 80% damage.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Infernal Soul

Each rank gives you +1 Cast Ammo for your Cast, +2 at the highest level.

Since this build relies on casting, you should invest in getting more Cast Ammo so you don’t have to wait for it to return to you before your next Dragon Rush.

What Aggressive Defense Excels In:

Increased Rush damage
Great defense capabilities
Inflicting passive damage
Knocking foes out of range

5. Holy Crits

Weapon: Stygius, or the Stygian Blade

Aspect: Arthur

You have Holy Excalibur, and +50 Health to your Life Total. The Aspect comes with Hallowed Ground: pressing Special creates a static aura that gives you up to 40% incoming damage reduction at the highest level, disables traps, and slows the speed of enemy projectiles.

This Aspect is very OP, and it is pretty hard to get, but it’s worth it.
You gain more Life and defense with the Hallowed Ground Special, as well as Special damage increase, making it a great build to defend yourself while using the melee-oriented sword.
This isn’t the main goal of this build, though; with crit-oriented Boons, you can one-hit foes easily.

Best Boons

Artemis	Deadly Flourish	Your Special is stronger, with a chance to deal Critical Damage.
This Boon is about beefing up your Special and having a chance to deal Critical damage, which increases your damage by 300%. Your sword Special is a Nova Smash that deals damage in an area, making it a perfect way to dispose of the foes around you in just a few hits.
Hermes	Swift Flourish	Your Special is +X% faster, with +40% speed at the highest Rarity level.
Now that your Special is really strong, it’s time to make it faster. The more times you can use it, the higher Critical chance you get. You can just use your Nova Smash repeatedly and watch the foes crumble.
Poseidon	Typhoon's Fury	You deal more damage when slamming foes into barriers.
Nova Smash automatically knocks foes away, so using it while standing next to a barrier will knock your foes into it. This is where this Boon comes in handy, increasing your passive damage.
Artemis	Clean Kill	Your Critical effects deal even more damage.
300% damage increase is pretty good, but why not increase it even more? This is the perfect way to become a one-hit machine.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Dash Nova	Your Special makes you lunge ahead, then become Sturdy for 0.8 seconds.
You can stay safely out of range until you are ready to knock enemies around with your Special. Sturdy makes you take 30% less damage, which is even better with the Aspect’s damage reduction, and your actions aren’t interrupted by taking damage.
Super Nova	Your Special hits a 20% wider area and deals +20% damage.
More damage for your Special! You can also target more foes with a wider area of impact, but it does not impact your Hallowed Ground aura size.
Greater Concentration
*Aspect of Arthur exclusive. Your Holy Excalibur aura is 45% larger and makes foes 10% slower. This upgrade is really just to show off; increase your area of defense and slow your foes down further for some extra protection.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Fiery Presence

Each rank makes you deal 15% damage when you strike undamaged foes, up to +75% damage at the highest level.

Combined with your Critical chances, this helps you clear out a bunch of undamaged and unarmored foes in just one strike.

What Holy Crits Excels In:

Increased Life Total
Great defense power-ups
Dealing passive damage by slamming foes into barriers
Increased chances of Critical damage, and Critical damage increase

4. Lightning Storm

How am I supposed to choose a Boon from these?!

Weapon: Malphon, or the Twin Fists of Malphon

Aspect: Gilgamesh

You have the Claws of Enkidu, whose Dash-Upper can Maim foes, with 400 Maim damage at the highest level. Maim causes the target to take an additional 25% damage and deal an additional 50% more damage to you for four seconds, dealing a Doom-like burst of damage when it expires.

This build requires some relatively complex combo moves, namely the Dash-Upper which requires you to press Special while Dashing.
However, Lightning Storm is not only about Maiming; it's about getting the right Boons from the right gods so you can really take your fistfighting to the next level.
This is why the Boon list for this build is longer than the others, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Best Boons

Poseidon	Tempest Flourish*	Your Special deals more damage and knocks foes away.
Since the Main effect makes foes deal more damage to you, knocking them out of attack range is useful for self-defense. As you will see below, your knock-away effects will deal some additional damage, so it’s worth equipping at least one Boon with that effect.
Zeus	Lightning Strike*	Your Attack emits chain lightning when you damage a foe.
With the Aspect of Gilgamesh, you can hold Attack to pummel a foe for 60 damage per hit. With Zeus’ Boon, you can add more damage by striking the foes around your target with lightning repeatedly.
Zeus	Splitting Bolt	All your lightning effects create an additional burst.
Double lightning means double damage, so make sure to grab this Boon if you have a chance.
Zeus	Static Discharge	Your lightning effects also make foes Jolted.
Jolt makes the victim's next attack self-inflict lightning damage that harms itself and nearby foes. With your lightning-heavy Attack, you can cause repeated Jolt damage to your foes.
Poseidon	Razor Shoals	Using knock-away effects also Rupture foes.
Ruptured foes take rapid damage every 0.2 seconds while moving, so good luck getting back in range after being hit with the Tempest Flourish!
Poseidon and Zeus	Sea Storm	Your knock-away effects also cause foes to be struck by lightning for 40 damage.
This Boon requires prerequisite Boons from both Zeus and Poseidon, marked with an in this list (there are other options). Now, this is the Boon for this build, and it’s the hardest one to get since it is a Duo Boon. Now, with the Aspect of Gilgamesh and the Boons listed above, using your Special will Maim, Rupture, and Jolt afflicted foes at once, making them take delayed Maim damage, get hurt while moving, and self-inflict the next attack, making this build a one-hit machine.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Rending Claws	Maim-afflicted foes take +25% damage and move 30% slower.
*Aspect of Gilgamesh exclusive. More damage for Maiming is just what you need for this build, and slower foes are easier to target.
Quake Cutter	After using your Special, deal 90 damage in an area where you land.
That’s just going a little further with the damage, but it never hurt anyone (except for your foes, of course).

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Fated Authority

Each rank gives you one die, used to randomly alter the reward for the next chamber. Maximum of eight dice at the highest level.

Since this build is all about getting the right Boons, having dice that will essentially let you choose which Olympians grant you their favors is a must.

What Lightning Storm Excels In:

Stacking OP Boons
Heavy passive damage from Maim, Rupture and Jolt
Increased defense for melee-heavy Malphon with knockback

3. Deep Wounds

You think you are so cool with your ranged orbs, witch? Well, get THIS!

Weapon: Stygius, or the Stygian Blade

Aspect: Poseidon

Your Special dislodges Cast Ammo from foes; +50% Cast damage at the highest level.

This build is a good balance between melee and ranged fighting styles.
Stygius’ Special is Nova Smash, a strike that deals 50 base damage in an area.
It can target several foes at once, so when you lodge your Cast in multiple enemies, you will be able to knock it free with just one strike.

Best Boons

Poseidon	Tempest Strike	Your Special deals more damage and knocks foes away.
Increased damage is always a plus, and the knock-away effect will make sure your enemies are forced out of attack range, keeping you safe especially when fighting groups of enemies.
Artemis	Exit Wounds	Your foes take damage when your Cast Ammo stuck in them is dislodged.
Double damage for your Cast is a worthy upgrade, especially with the Aspect that makes your foes drop the ammo upon impact.
Hermes	Greater Recall	Your Cast Ammo automatically returns to you.
You will be able to avoid running around the room collecting Ammo. This Boon is also an excellent addition to Poseidon’s Tempest Strike since your Special will dislodge the Ammo and knock foes away, meaning that the Ammo will be dropped out of your immediate range.
Artemis	Fully Loaded	Gain extra Ammo for your Cast.
The more ammo you have, the more damage you can deal with it by loading it into your Attack. Combining this Boon with the highest-level Infernal Soul, you can have up to four pieces of Ammo on you.
Poseidon	Razor Shoals	Using knock-away effects also Rupture foes.
Rupture effect makes the victim take rapid damage every 0.2 seconds while moving. You will be able to knock the foes out of attack range, and they will take damage trying to approach you again.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Super Nova	Your Special hits a wider area and deals +20% damage.
Again, increased damage is always good to have, and being able to hit a wider area will let you hit more enemies with one strike.
Dash Nova	Your Special makes you lunge ahead, then become Sturdy for 0.8 seconds.
When you are Sturdy, you take 30% less damage, and your actions aren’t interrupted by taking damage. You can add an extra layer of safety when using your Nova Smash on many close-proximity foes.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Infernal Soul

Each rank gives you +1 Cast Ammo for your Cast, for a maximum of +2 Cast Ammo at the highest rank.

This Ability at its highest level paired with Artemis’ Fully Loaded will give you four pieces of Ammo for your Cast, so you can maximize the Exit Wounds damage when using your Poseidon-powered Special.

What Deep Wounds Excels In:

Double damage when using Cast
Passive damage from Rupture
Layer of defense for melee-heavy Stygius
Speeding up your Cast retrieval

2. Nuclear Arrows

Congratulations, you have exploded the nice bull man. Are you proud of yourself?

Weapon: Coronacht, or the Heart-Seeking Bow

Aspect: Hera

Your Cast Ammo loads into your next Attack, firing on impact; 5 seconds Ammo drop time at the highest level.

Hera’s Aspect is one of the best power-ups you can give your bow.
Coronacht is already a ranged weapon, so casting does not really add that layer of distance-based attacks that melee weapons might benefit from.
By loading your Cast Ammo into your bow Attack and adding some Boons to it, you can really deal some really heavy damage.

Best Boons

Artemis	Exit Wounds	Your foes take damage when your Cast Ammo stuck in them is dislodged.
Not only will you be able to deal damage on impact, but also wreck your foes some more when your Cast Ammo is removed from them.
Hermes	Quick Reload	Foes drop Cast Ammo stuck in them faster.
For this build, you don’t need the Cast Ammo to stay in your foes for long. It’s better to shoot it, let it do its job of dealing damage on impact and on exit, and grab it right away for your next Attack.
Artemis	Fully Loaded	Gain extra Ammo for your Cast.
The more ammo you have, the more damage you can deal with it by loading it into your Attack. Combining this Boon with the highest-level Infernal Soul, you can have up to four pieces of Ammo on you.
Hermes	Greater Recall	Your Cast Ammo automatically returns to you.
No need to run around and collect your Cast Ammo with this Boon!

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Explosive Shot	Your Attack deals +300% damage in an area but charges slower.
In addition to targeted Attack damage, you can now damage groups of foes standing close to each other with this area damage-based upgrade.
Triple Shot	Your Attack fires three shots in a spread pattern.
Three powered arrows are much better than one, so make use of this upgrade to damage several foes at once.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Infernal Soul

Each rank gives you +1 Cast Ammo for your Cast, up to +2 Ammo at the highest level.

More Ammo means more damage; you can use your upgraded Attack several times while you wait for the Ammo to drop from the foes you already hit.

What Nuclear Arrows Excels In:

More than doubling the damage when using Cast
Speeding up your Cast retrieval
Powering up your range fighting
Fighting both individual foes and groups of enemies

1. Frisbee Fire

I'm just saying, adding three more discs would make your next Ultimate Frisbee game much more exciting

Weapon: Aegis, or the Shield of Chaos

Aspect: Chaos

After you Bull Rush, your next Special throws multiple shields, +5 shields at the highest level.

This has got to be my favorite Aspect of all, because I love it when I throw one shield and five bounce around between foes as a result.
This build focuses on dealing long-distance damage to multiple enemies.
A shield is also a great defense weapon, so buffing it up to deal damage definitely makes it one of the best in the game.

Best Boons

Ares	Curse of Pain	Your Special inflicts Doom.
Doom causes the afflicted foes to take a burst of damage after 1.1 seconds, making it an ideal Boon to use with Chaos-empowered Aegis. You can stand away from all the action, throw your shield, and watch the foes be smote by the god of war.
Ares	Dire Misfortune	Your Doom effects deal more damage when applied multiple times.
With your shields bouncing between foes, you are bound to apply Doom several times to a couple of them. Capitalize on that with this Boon for some extra damage.
Athena	Divine Strike	Your Attack is stronger, and can Deflect.
Not equipping any defense Boons on a defense-based weapon is, frankly, stupid. Deflect enemy attacks back to hit them with this Boon so you can stay nice and safe before releasing Attack for a Bull Rush.

Best Daedalus Upgrades

Explosive Return	Your Special deals 50 damage to nearby foes when you catch it.
Why stop at powering up your throws if you can also deal damage when catching your shield? Since you cannot use it while it's in flight, dealing damage on retrieval can help you clear the foes who are stupid enough to approach you.
Ferocious Guard	After blocking a foe, gain +20% damage and move speed for 10 seconds.
Use Athena’s Deflect to bounce the attacks back to hurt your foes, then Rush with an extra 20% damage to completely destroy them, all while staying protected.
Minotaur Rush	Your Bull Rush gains a Power Rush that does +500% damage.
Your Bull Rush has a base damage of 40, so upping it to 200 makes for a hefty damage increase. Combined with Ferocious Guard, you can one-hit foes with your Rush like nothing.

Best Mirror of Night Ability: Ruthless Reflex

If you Dash just before getting hit, gain +50% damage and dodge chance for two seconds.

Hiding behind your shield is not the only way you should be defending yourself.
Dash to evade, and this upgrade will give you extra damage.
Dodging negates all incoming damage, so you can be invincible as long as you move!