Top of the Hades speedrunning leaderboard right now is runner “Vorime”. Don’t let this 20-minute video fool you, the clock technically stops when you’re choosing boons and talking to NPCs. His actual clear time is an incredible seven minutes and 16 seconds. (Probably goes without saying, but this is spoilerific if you’ve not cleared a Hades run yet.)
Vorime battles out of hell with the Adamant Rail (the Ancient Greek gun) with the aspect of Eris (which makes you deal more damage if you absorb your special ability’s blast), and a mixture of boons from Zeus, Poseidon and Ares. The most impressive part of this run for me is where he destroys the Elysium bosses, Theseus and The Minotaur, in about 10 seconds. I could barely find it to rewatch again because it was such a small section of the video (it’s at 17:44 if you want to take a look). There are so many amazing runs like this on the leaderboards, and what’s interesting is that, for the most part, the weapons players are using to get these times are pretty varied. The Adamant Rail aspect Vorime uses here is certainly one of the most popular, but other top times have been made with the sword, spear and fists, too. It’s a testament to how well-balanced all these weapons are that the speediest clears can be done with whichever you feel works best for you. My fastest clear time in Hades is around 18 minutes with the Twin Fists, and I felt like a god after that (Zeus, specifically, I had mostly his boons). Before this, I had a little chuckle to myself every time someone posted their 30+ minute run. Rest assured these speedruns have put in me in my place.
If you want to have a go at absolutely demolishing the wretches of the underworld in the quickest time possible, check out our Hades guides for loads of tips on making the best builds. And if you still haven’t played it, check out Jay’s Hades review and be tempted into this wonderful game with us.
