Hades: Everything You Need To Know About Dark Thirst

Hades: Everything You Need To Know About Dark Thirst

As a seasoned gamer with countless hours poured into the captivating world of Hades, I can confidently say that this game is a masterpiece of design and mechanics, subtleties hidden within layers upon layers of depth. One such hidden gem is the Dark Thirst buff, a secret sauce that, if utilized correctly, can significantly enhance your gaming experience.


In the popular roguelike game Hades, developed by Supergiant Games, there’s a variety of intricate mechanics at play that some players might not fully appreciate. For instance, one less-noticed feature is the Skull Icons found beneath the Room Reward Previews. These icons indicate whether the rewards and difficulty level of these rooms have been boosted.

In Hades, there’s a less-known but intriguing mechanic called Dark Thirst, and this guide aims to enlighten players about its workings within the game.

What Is The “Dark Thirst” Buff?

Hades: Everything You Need To Know About Dark Thirst

The term “Dark Thirst” is associated with an inherent bonus that can be acquired by one of the Infernal Arms. This bonus boosts Zagreus’ ability to gather 20% more Darkness from loot throughout his entire adventure, assuming he selects this particular weapon during gameplay.

Each Infernal Arm receives the Dark Thirst buff individually during different runs, and this buff is usually swapped out with each playthrough. Players can identify the weapon adorned with the Dark Thirst effect by observing its surrounding aura of purplish light.

How is Dark Thirst Decided?

How The Game Chooses Which Infernal Arm It’s Applied To

Hades: Everything You Need To Know About Dark Thirst

The part of Dark Thirst that left players puzzled for quite some time wasn’t so much about understanding its mechanics, but rather figuring out how to obtain it. In simpler terms, I’d say that the occurrence of Dark Thirst is largely based on chance or randomness (RNG), as it gets applied to one of the six Infernal Arms at random every time Zagreus finishes or fails a run.

In no circumstance will Dark Thirst affect the weapon that Zagreus utilized during his latest breakout endeavor.

It’s possible that some Hades players were unaware of this buff because many players tend to stick with a single effective Infernal Arm they’ve found, using it throughout their gaming sessions instead of trying out other weapons.

To emphasize, it’s crucial to remember that Dark Thrust affects the entire Infernal Arm encompassing all its Aspects and varying Heat Levels. This implies that once a player decides on a weapon with Dark Thrust applied, they are automatically granted the perks of the buff without needing to pick a specific Aspect or Heat Level.

The Utility Of The Dark Thirst Buff

Is It Really Worth It To Use?

Hades: Everything You Need To Know About Dark Thirst

It can’t be understated how useful this buff is for farming, by the way. A 20 percent increase to all Darkness earned in a run is absolutely huge when players are grinding out Darkness. Grinding Darkness in Hades can grow tedious after a certain point, so anything to make it easier is highly useful. That said, do note that this 20% increase is applied to each individual pickup, and not the end total of all Darkness obtained throughout the run.

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that Dark Thirst might function more as a burden than an advantage in certain situations. To illustrate, consider a scenario where a player excels with the Stygian Blade, but struggles significantly with the Shield of Chaos.

In essence, it’s generally wiser to persist with the Stygian Blade, despite the Shield having the Dark Thirst Buff, because if Dark Thirst is applied to a less preferred weapon, it slows down its effectiveness and can even lead to run failures. It’s more advantageous to disregard Dark Thirst and continue using an effective weapon. For players who want to enjoy the benefits of both worlds, there’s a method to influence the game so that Dark Thrust affects a better weapon. This is done by initiating an escape attempt and then dying immediately, which resets the random application of Dark Thrust.

Read More

2024-11-01 15:25