Hades Best Calls Revealed (All Calls Ranked)

Updated:

09 Dec 2022

Hades is a roguelike dungeon crawler game, where you play as Zagreus attempting to escape from the underworld. Along the way, you are helped by numerous characters, including Olympian gods that grant you Boons - powerups that affect your Attack, Special, Cast, and defense. Every god except for Hermes offers a Call Boon: a gauge appears at the bottom of your screen that fills up as you deal and take damage. When your gauge is sufficiently full and you press Call, an effect is triggered; it depends on the Rarity level of the Boon (Common, Rare, Epic, or Heroic) and is extra powerful when used when your God gauge is full. Here is a ranking of all Calls in the game, along with recommended Boons* to complement them:

*Every Boon in the Recommended Boons section requires prerequisite Boons from the respective Olympian unless specified otherwise.

9. Zeus’ Aid

I really don't think I should be looking directly at this giant lightning, uncle

Your Call makes lightning strike nearby foes repeatedly for 1.5 seconds. At full gauge, the Call lasts for nine seconds.

Paired with lightning-affecting Boons, Zeus’ Aid is a go-to for dealing targeted damage in an area.

Recommended Boons

Static Discharge		Your lightning effects also make foes Jolted.
Jolt makes the victim's next attack self-inflict. It is one of the best passive damage sources in the game, and it works perfectly with Zeus’ Call. Cause all surrounding foes to be hit by lightning, then watch them take an extra burst of damage when they try to retaliate.
Billowing Strength		After using Call, deal more damage for 15 seconds.
Not exclusive to Zeus’ Aid, this Boon makes you stronger for quite a while after using any Call.

What Zeus’ Aid Excels In:

Dealing heavy targeted damage to multiple foes in an area.
Dealing repeated damage for a period of time while still being able to attack normally, increasing the damage rate.

8. Athena's Aid

Like father, like son

Your Call makes you Invulnerable and Deflect all attacks for 1.5 seconds. At full gauge, the effect lasts six times longer.

Invulnerable means you do not take damage, and Deflecting makes enemy attacks bounce back to them instead of hitting you.
This is a great Call for defense purposes: it doesn’t only protect you from incoming damage but also lets you turn the enemy attacks against them by Deflecting.
If you are seeking ways to stay protected, Athena’s Aid is for you.

Recommended Boons

Proud Bearing		You begin each Encounter with your God gauge partly full.
This Boon works with any god Call in the game. It saves the precious time it takes to fill up your God gauge, which is especially useful while fighting bosses. Those can be mean enough to make you want to call for help right when you enter their chamber.
Brilliant Riposte		When you Deflect attacks, they deal more damage to foes.
Since you automatically Deflect while using your Call, might as well get some bonus damage out of it.

What Athena’s Aid Excels In:

Staying safe from foes’ attacks with the Invulnerable effect.
Sending enemy damage back with the Deflect effect.

7. Poseidon's Aid

Thank you for your support, but I would rather have you call me literally anything else

Your Call makes you surge into foes while Impervious at the 3500 units impact velocity. At full gauge, the effect lasts for 7.2 seconds.

Poseidon’s Aid lets you stay defended while dealing some heavy damage by surging into foes.
This Call is ideal for situations when you are swarmed by foes and need to clear the field.

Recommended Boons

Boiling Point		Your God Gauge charges faster when you take damage.
The faster you fill your God gauge, the more often you can use it, and the more opportunities you have to use the max gauge bonuses. This Boon is not exclusive to Poseidon’s Call, so you can make use of it no matter what your build is.
Rip Current		Your Call pulls foes in and lasts longer.
You can target more foes in the limited time when your Call is active by pulling them into your surge attack. This Boon further increases your damage rate by increasing your Call’s duration.

What Poseidon’s Aid Excels In:

Clearing the field by surging into foes and knocking them away.
Staying defended with the Impervious effect.
Breaching an enemy circle and getting out of range at 3500-unit velocity.

6. Dionysus' Aid

Check out my circle of Hangover!

Your Call inflicts Hangover on foes around you in a 600-unit range. At full gauge, the effect lasts for nine seconds.

Hangover is a stackable status curse that causes your foes to take damage every 0.5 seconds for four seconds. It can be stacked up to five times.
This Call is great for repeatedly applying a stackable status curse to multiple enemies at once, causing them to take passive damage for a period of time.

Recommended Boons

Bad Influence		Deal more damage while three or more foes are Hangover-afflicted.
Since you can inflict Hangover to many foes at once with your Call, might as well get some extra damage out of the poor souls.
Numbing Sensation		Your Hangover effects also make foes slower.
Foes are easier to fight when they are slowed down, so why not add another layer of drunkenness to your Hangover effects?

What Dionysus’ Aid Excels In:

Applying a stackable status curse that deals damage over a period of time.
Damaging foes in a large area and leaving them to take more passive damage after.

5. Ares Aid

Well aren't you intense

Your Call turns you into an Impervious Blade Rift, a vortex that deals damage every 0.2 seconds to the foes caught in it. At full gauge, the Blade Rift lasts for five seconds.

When you turn Impervious, you do not take damage, meaning you can get as close to an enemy as you want to deal repeated damage with your Blade Rift powers.
Ares’ Aid is great due to its large area of impact, specially beefed up by the Boons.
Staying Impervious while using your Call adds some much needed defense regardless of your weapon choice.

Recommended Boons

Black Metal		Your Blade Rift powers deal damage in a wider area.
No need to chase foes around if your Blade Rift is big enough to cover a room.
Engulfing Vortex		Your Blade Rift effects last longer and pull foes in.
Now that your Call-triggered Blade Rift is larger thanks to Black Metal, you can make it last longer and pull foes in to guarantee that no one can escape your vortex of death.

What Ares’ Aid Excels In:

Dealing repeated damage in an area with Blade Rift that adds up to a hefty total.
Staying defended in a pickle with the Impervious effect that allows you breach a group of foes unscathed.

4. Artemis' Aid

Here comes the flurry of arrows!

Your Call fires a seeking arrow with a +35% Critical chance. At full gauge, the Call fires 10 seeking arrows at once.

A Critical hit deals at least +300% damage when not increased by other effects.
The Call costs 1/5th of the God gauge per use, unlike other gods’ aids that cost 1/4th gauge.
A seeking arrow means you don’t have to aim for your Call to find a foe - it will do it on its own.
The seeking arrow is unblockable by shield-bearing foes.
This Call is great since it’s “cheaper” than other ones, and the max gauge effect is great for dealing increased damage to multiple foes.
Paired with some crit-enhancing Boons, this is an unparalleled power-up for bow users.

Recommended Boons

Hunter’s Mark		After you deal Critical damage to a foe, a foe within a 1200-unit range is Marked.
Marked status curse increases the chance of a foe taking Critical damage from any attack. Once you start dabbling in crits, it only makes sense to increase your chances of dealing those devastating blows. With increased Critical chance from your Call, especially when it fires 10 arrows at once, you can keep Marking and crit-hitting foes one after another.
Clean Kill		Your Critical effects deal more damage.
This Boon simply increases your Critical damage to make you a one-hit, crit-dealing machine.

What Artemis’ Aid Excels In:

Increasing your damage by at least 300% with Critical hits, allowing you to one-hit many foes of various strength levels.
Destroying numerous foes by using your Call at max gauge, which sends a swarm of auto-targeting arrows towards anyone in the vicinity.
Repeated Call use due to its lower gauge cost, so you can make sure to deal at least 100 ranged damage every so often in addition to your normal attack options.

3. Aphrodite's Aid

It's a circle of... love!

Your Call fires a seeking projectile that inflicts Charm. At full gauge, the projectile deals 2500 damage.

Charm is an effect that causes foes to attack each other and deal no damage to you.
You can Charm bosses, however, the effect lasts for a shorter time, but it will disrupt their attack as if they have been stunned.
This Call is really useful when you want to reduce damage, or when you are fighting a lot of foes and simply can’t be bothered to deal with all of them by yourself.
The seeking projectile is very convenient since you do not need to aim manually.
In addition, the projectile pierces foes, continuing its trajectory through enemies (but not walls), so it can hit more than one foe at once.
And, of course, you cannot deny the massive damage the max gauge triggers.

Recommended Boons

Dying Lament		When foes are slain, they damage and inflict Weak on foes in a 200-unit radius.
Weak is a status curse that causes foes to deal 30% less damage for four seconds. This Boon lets you take less damage from Weak-afflicted foes as well as deal some damage in an area. It works really well in tandem with the next Boon on this list.
Unhealthy Fixation		Your Weak effects also have a chance to Charm foes for four seconds
With this Boon, you can use Dying Lament so you can inflict Weak on multiple foes at once, then Charm them with Unhealthy Fixation. This way, you can Charm way more foes into fighting for you than just by using your Call.

What Aphrodite’s Aid Excels In:

Outsourcing the fighting to your own foes with Charm, causing them to fight for you for a period of time. Great for when you are fighting multiple foes.
Dealing a lot of damage at once when using your Call at mex gauge, which is a great tool against bosses, especially given the stun effect Charm has on them.
Getting out of a difficult fight against multiple foes with the auto-targeting piercing projectile with no need for manual aim.

2. Demeter's Aid

Dim the lights and get chilling

Your Call creates a winter vortex that deals damage every 0.25 seconds and inflicts Chill. At full gauge, the effect duration increases to 10 seconds.

Chill is a stackable status curse that slows foes down by 4% for eight seconds. It can be stacked up to 10 times, severely reducing enemy speed.
Demeter’s Aid both deals damage and inflicts a stackable status curse, which makes it a perfect Call to supplement with Chill-related Boons.

Recommended Boons

Killing Freeze		When all foes are Chilled, they become slower and Decay.
Decay status curse makes the victim take damage every 0.5 seconds. Your winter vortex can be large enough to Chill all foes in a room, and this Boon capitalizes on that by slowing the enemies down even more and causing passive damage.
Winter Harvest		Chilled foes shatter at 10% health, inflicting Chill and damage on surrounding foes.
Another great complimentary Boon for your Call that can help you Chill even more foes and save some time as Winter Harvest finishes enemies off.

What Demeter’s Aid Excels In:

Slowing foes down by stacking the Chill status curse.
Dealing repeated damage over a period of time while still being able to move and attack normally, which significantly increases the rate of damage you can deal.

1. Hades' Aid

Calling Hades to help you while fighting Hades is either a power move or just plain stupid

Your Call briefly makes you turn Invisible. At full gauge, you turn Unseen instead of Invisible.

While Invisible, you cannot be targeted, move faster, and deal more damage.
While Unseen, you cannot be targeted, move faster, and deal bonus damage for five seconds.
This is the hardest Call to obtain, but it is also the most powerful one.
The damage increase is through the roof, and the defense capabilities of Hades’ Aid are unparalleled.

Recommended Boons

Hades does not grant his own Boons, but there is one Olympian left that does not have his own Call but can empower other gods’ Calls. The following Boons are granted by Hermes:

Quick Favor		Your Call charges up automatically.
You can use your Call more often if the gauge fills faster, and you can reap the benefits of the max gauge Call faster with this Boon.
Second Wind		After using the Call, gain a Dodge chance and increased move speed for 10 seconds.
Dodging an attack negates all incoming damage, so this Boon is great for evasive maneuvers.

What Hades’ Aid Excels In:

Becoming completely invincible against foe attacks by becoming Invisible or Unseen.
Increasing movement speed for a period of time.
Increasing damage by a lot for a period of time.