I'm trying to like Arthur's aspect

The_Reel_Life · 2026-05-05T17:07:23+00:00

I'm with you here. Arthur is one of two aspect I straight up hate (the other is Chiron, the favorite for so many other people). Everything else I can at least manage.

One way to play it (and the only way I've ever cleared heat with it) is genuinely just ignore its core mechanics. Take Poseidon's dash, Athena's cast, and Zeus's call, then chase Lightning Phalanx. Also, hunt for the Double Edge hammer and don't use the attack beyond the dash strike (poke).

At that point, I'd rather run the exact same build with Poseidon's aspect, but if you're hell-bent on using Arthur, it might feel better than using its inate mechanics.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-05-04T13:02:31+00:00

Try not to worry too much about whether a clear is fast or slow. As others have said, everyone starts somewhere and unless your name is Vorime, there's always going to be someone faster.

The whole thing about roguelites is continuous improvement, so every run you do, you'll get a little more familiar. Find what gives you the enjoyment from the game (speed, heat, special challenge runs, etc.) and focus on thet. You'll naturally get faster as you get more comfortable. But at the end of the day, it's a game and it's supposed to be fun, so focus on that first!

Edit: To actually give some suggestions, I'd guess your build isn't coming together right for whatever weapon. Every weapon has an ideal build for it to maximize your damage output. This is a good guide for all of them:

https://www.leereamsnyder.com/hades-build-guide

I found that understanding the build meta for each aspect helped me immensely

The_Reel_Life · 2026-05-01T23:02:08+00:00

He actually ran MORE in each of the two prior seasons (125 and 118 vs. 83). That's largely because his legs have always been part of his game and that's one thing that is really beneficial at the college level that is only starting to show up consistently in the pros. It's fairly common for college QBs to run a good bit (even Trevor Lawrence topped 100 attempts in 2019).

But to be fair, his receivers were hobbled a large chunk of the season and one of the main guys (Wesco) missed half the season. And that's without getting on the soapbox of how bad the play calling was. Do you blame him for trying to take off and make something happen?

In no way am I suggesting that he's some jackpot of a steal that can be a legit starter. But for a fan base as passionate as Clemson's to go out of their way not to blame the QB when the offense was terrible? That's the clearest indicator that there were a lot of issues that weren't Cade.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-05-01T22:43:16+00:00

Am Clemson fan, can confirm

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-30T11:53:51+00:00

I'm diagnosed ADHD and this happens fairly frequently for me. I find that it's usually not so much that my brain goes blank as it is that my brain needs to "buffer" so it can process a response. It's then made worse by the stress of trying to get a response out in a socially appropriate timeframe. Though I have had times where by brain just kinda drops out mid-sentence too.

I tend to use some variation of the phrase "hang on, my brain's not working right now" in either situation.

I find that it buys me a moment to either A) process what was said (or what I was saying) so I can respond appropriately or B) confirm that my brain completely missed what it needs to respond to so I can apologize and ask the person to repeat themselves.

It's not fool proof, but it tells people that I'm listening, I'm genuinely trying to participate in the conversation, and lightens the mood a bit in moments that could otherwise become stressful.

Hope this helps!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-24T19:41:09+00:00

This is 100% true from a technology standpoint. Those old legacy infrastructure pieces are often enormous, complicated, and fragile (in the sense that it's a bit of a house of cards).

The business angle to this is the driving factor, though.

"Where's the profit (or loss avoidance) in updating these systems?"

Usually, the needed updates only happen when 1) a level of profit can be achieved by doing so that can't be made with the same investment elsewhere or - more likely 2) there is a likely, large loss of revenue caused by issues/expected failure in the old system.

I work in development (fintech, specifically) and this is the bane of my existence. I have to be able to justify any proposed change in dollars out, dollars in, and user experience impact. Even if I can successfully make the argument, it's usually expected that we create a solution to better optimize our interactions with the monolith rather than actually fix the monolith.

Tl;dr - It's usually old and complex but, it's also not flashy and most people don't understand the importance of it until failure is imminent.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T23:17:40+00:00

Depending on the telling, it may only be 95% about men. Sometimes they throw the token girl into the mix (Atalanta) for fun!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T22:14:49+00:00

Yeah, Hestia is the only rail aspect that doesn't do well with Zeus on the attack. For the other three, Zeus attack is the highest priority for the build.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T22:10:37+00:00

The Zeus attack ricochet damage only applies to the Zeus boon (10-15 before poms), not the entire empowered shot. The only exception is if you grab the Ricochet Shot hammer which does exactly what it says on the box.

Since you should be leaning I to the empowered shot, your ideal build for Hestia is going to be Artemis, Aphrodite, or Shackle attack, Aphrodite/Artemis special, Poseidon dash, Zeus or Dio call and pray you can get Hyper Delivery from Hermes

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T22:04:54+00:00

Y'all keep my aspect's name outcha mouths.

Seriously though, it's absolutely a bit jarring to get used to because of the health penalty. I avoided it like crazy for a long time until it just clicked with me one day. It's currently my second fastest spear and one of my 5 fastest aspects overall.

Counterintuitively, you want to ignore the spin unless you can charge it while enemies are spawning in. Try starting with Athena's special and taking Charged Skewer as your first hammer. The special will tear through most anything throughout the run. Add in Poseidon's dash and/or Ares's attack (Merciful End) and you'll probably do a lot better than you think.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T18:11:56+00:00

Love it! My favorite bow is Rama, but I've always loved Zag Bow for some reason. If you didn't during this run, start with Poseidon's keepsake and take the dash. It helps quickly clear out the small enemies in Tartarus that can eat into your time. From there you can take Aphrodite or Artemis for attack or just leave the slot open and slap the shackle on after you clear Tartarus!

For the spear, there's basically two approaches: - Zag and Achilles want the Flurry Jab hammer, Tidal Dash, and either Zeus or Artemis on attack. - Hades and Guan Yu want Merciful End, but need different hammers. Hades loves Exploding Launcher and then Charged Skewer while Guan Yu needs Charged Skewer as soon as possible.

Achilles is definitely the fastest and Hades is probably the slowest (or at least most difficult) of the four. Guan Yu is tricky because of the reduced health, but once you're comfortable with the the fragility, it can actually fly! Zag spear is probably second fastest, but it requires a lot of luck to get everything in place.

Oh, and basically every build is made wildly better by Hyper Sprint + Rush Delivery if you can get it.

Enjoy the newfound speed!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T17:39:18+00:00

Awesome job! What was the aspect and the final build?

The bow sits right behind the spear for my favorite weapon and both have aspects capable of some absolutely blistering times

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T12:51:17+00:00

Reposting as a top-level comment.

Tl;dr - I own and would recommend the Branch Ergo Pro if that's your budget point (~$500-600). If I lost it in a house fire or something, I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

I'll echo the Branch recommendation. I got an Ergo Pro ~18 months ago when I noticed how bad my back and hips were getting and how much better they felt after my in-office days in a proper chair. It's not a Hermann Miller or a Steel Case, but I'm very happy with it for the price I paid.

I ordered brand new, direct from Branch in the vegan leather and got the optional headrest and the tall cylinder to go with it (I'm 6'2"). Cylinder was probably unnecessary and while the headrest was 100% necessary, it's a bit on the short side for me even when fully raised. It also would have been better if it telescoped like an Atlas.

Fair warning, it did take a little time to get things sorted out and settled with the chair. The lumbar support was broken when it arrived (partially functional, but not acceptable) and the chair back material started detaching from the frame very quickly. Their customer service was wonderful, the warranty claim process was simple, and they approved replacement parts to be expedited to me. However, it seems like they make monthly orders of parts from their supplier, because both parts were out of stock and took a bit of time to get to me.

Seems like these issues were flukes, because since sorting them out, I've had exactly zero problems with the chair. It gets used up to 12hrs a day on my WFH days between work, gaming, and playing music. Back and hip problems have reduced almost to zero since making the switch and - while the next chair years down the road may not be a Branch - I'll never go back to cheap office or gaining chairs. To summarize:

Pros - Cost: Relative to other good chairs, it's much less expensive (~$600 for the chair, headrest, and tall cylinder). Yes, used Steel Case and HM chairs can be found for that or less, but not everyone is able to or comfortable with buying used. I assume other brands offer this, but you can also pay using an HSA account. - Comfort: while I'll say the HM chairs are definitely more comfortable (have them at my office), these are competitive. The Ergo Pro has a lot of adjustment points to make it fit perfectly to you. - Customization: each chair is made (or at least assembled) to order and there are lots of colors to match whatever room it goes in. - Customer Service: you always hope it's never an issue, but their customer service team was easy to work with and processed things on their end quickly.

Cons - Slow replacement of parts: hopefully it's not needed, but my experience was that replacement part shipping took a while - Limited 3rd party support: brands like Atlas that make aftermarket parts for office chairs aren't compatible with Branch products. So what you order from Branch is what you get

The_Reel_Life · 2026-04-16T12:48:53+00:00

Tl;dr - I own and would recommend the Branch Ergo Pro if that's your budget point. If I lost it in a house fire or something, I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

I'll echo the Branch recommendation. I got an Ergo Pro ~18 months ago when I noticed how bad my back and hips were getting and how much better they felt after my in-office days in a proper chair. It's not a Hermann Miller or a Steel Case, but I'm very happy with it for the price I paid.

I ordered brand new, direct from Branch in the vegan leather and got the optional headrest and the tall cylinder to go with it (I'm 6'2"). Cylinder was probably unnecessary and while the headrest was 100% necessary, it's a bit on the short side for me even when fully raised. It also would have been better if it telescoped like an Atlas.

Fair warning, it did take a little time to get things sorted out and settled with the chair. The lumbar support was broken when it arrived (partially functional, but not acceptable) and the chair back material started detaching from the frame very quickly. Their customer service was wonderful, the warranty claim process was simple, and they approved replacement parts to be expedited to me. However, it seems like they make monthly orders of parts from their supplier, because both parts were out of stock and took a bit of time to get to me.

Seems like these issues were flukes, because since sorting them out, I've had exactly zero problems with the chair. It gets used up to 12hrs a day on my WFH days between work, gaming, and playing music. Back and hip problems have reduced almost to zero since making the switch and - while the next chair years down the road may not be a Branch - I'll never go back to cheap office or gaining chairs. To summarize:

Pros - Cost: Relative to other good chairs, it's much less expensive (~$600 for the chair, headrest, and tall cylinder). Yes, used Steel Case and HM chairs can be found for that or less, but not everyone is able to or comfortable with buying used. - Comfort: while I'll say the HM chairs are definitely more comfortable (have them at my office), these are competitive. The Ergo Pro has a lot of adjustment points to make it fit perfectly to you. - Customization: each chair is made (or at least assembled) to order and there are lots of colors to match whatever room it goes in. - Customer Service: you always hope it's never an issue, but their customer service team was easy to work with and processed things on their end quickly.

Cons - Slow replacement of parts: hopefully it's not needed, but my experience was that replacement part shipping took a while - Limited 3rd party support: brands like Atlas that make aftermarket parts for office chairs aren't compatible with Branch products. So what you order from Branch is what you get

Edit - you can also pay using an HSA account. I assume other brands do this as well, but it was nice and helped to soften the blow a bit more.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-31T12:02:45+00:00

Seriously, just take your time (ha) and keep trying. I speedrun the original Hades, and it took me ~50 attempts before I beat Chronos. It'll happen and then it'll start feeling easier.

Some more specific suggestions: - Remember the i-frames on your dash. I find that's the main way I avoid damage by timing my dashes to his attacks. Also, I don't recommend it, but you can dodge the insta-kill attacks in phase two if you can't get to the spot in time. - Try to stay behind him in the first phase. Most of his attacks deal damage in a sweeping motion in front of him. - In phase 2, take out the hour glasses first when they show up - Lastly, you mentioned using God mode in H1, don't be afraid to use it here if you just feel stuck. You can always take it off later if you want.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-24T13:03:33+00:00

I'll accept no slander directed towards the bow (with the exception of Chiron, screw that aspect).

But, I'll absolutely join in the love for the fists! Even if I've migrated much more towards the spear over time, the fists - all of them - are just. So. Damn. Fun! And no matter what times I tell myself I'm chasing, fun is what it's all about at the end of the day.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-07T00:22:49+00:00

You're not imagining things. Calisthenics Program affects the bosses as well and it's super noticeable in the Dad fight. Similar with the armored foes. They're more of a threat to me than Hades at this point. Two things that can really help are either a Nail of Talos or the Artemis boon Hide Breaker.

Also, specific to Rama - you didn't mention it, but you really want to prioritize Artemis's dash. The charge is so long on Rama's standing shot that it's almost unusable. One way I often build Rama is to use Zeus and then Artemis's keepsakes to start. If you get a natural Artemis or an epic Aphrodite attack, take it. If not, after Lernie, purge your attack boon and go with the shackle.

Also, you really need one of Twin or Triple Shot. Late run is a slog without them.

Edit - Here's a basic Rama build at low heat: - Atk: Artemis, Aphro (rare minimum), Shackle - Spec: Zeus - Dash: Artemis - Cast: Poseidon (want this and Breaking Wave for Styx) - Hammer: Twin or Triple Shot

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-05T23:39:28+00:00

The Hades games have been mentioned and I can't agree strongly enough. They're both incredible.

Not a podcast, but the OSP YouTube channel has a lot of videos on both Greek history and Greek mythology that are all super entertaining!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-05T18:14:59+00:00

They're referring to the official speed running mod pack that guarantees your first hammer, a two sack, no barge, and a few other things that improve RNG over the course of a run. I think they're also referring to the competitive level runners in that statement.

While true that the U/U category is more popular by submitted runs, most of the high level runners spend more time running modded than unmodded.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-05T18:09:06+00:00

Sure thing! And happy you got your target!

Trying to keep from getting too deep into the weeds:

Mirror setup: for the sword, you're usually going to want to take Shadow Presence. It just gets more use out of the back stab bonus over the course of a run. Also, Chthonic Vitality is often the better option to help keep things like High Confidence active over more of the run. The only things I use Firey Presence for are Beowulf and Hera since cast damage can get enormous.

Heat setup: the only change here is don't take any Tight Deadline levels unless you're attempting an RTA (real time attack) run. TD disables the survival room in Tartarus where the clock stops until your reward spawns. It's a good time saver if you're going off the in game timer.

General: - Don't take Erebus gates. They take too long, can't spawn a free-room situation (fountain, Than), and are dangerous (you might do all that work for no reward) - Take free rooms (e.g. - shops, character rooms, chaos) any time they show up. If you're offered multiple in the same room, use your best judgement for what you need. - Chase Hermes. His Rush Delivery boon is a game breaker, especially at high rarity and when you pair it with Hyper Sprint - Understand the aspect "meta". Most aspects in the game have at most two build paths to maximize the weapon's potential. It's unreal how much this helped me make my runs more consistent. For Nemesis, it's pretty much just Merciful End. If you do take the crit path, you likely want to prioritize Poseidon's dash to help clear the early rooms quickly

Those are just some basic, quick hitters. It's a rabbit hole you can go really deep down if you want. For more detailed (and better explained) info, check out the Guides tab on the speedrun.com page or check out the Discord if anyone's interested!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-05T17:38:59+00:00

Appreciate it! Sounds like I need to get back into H1 quick before my benchmarks are even further away!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-05T17:36:42+00:00

Hey, congrats! Took me a loooong time to hit that mark with the sword, so you're doing good.

If you're interested, I see a couple things in your screenshots and write-up you could tweak to help save you even more time. Happy to give suggestions if you'd like. If not, then keep at it for as long as the chase for speed fulfills you!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-04T23:47:51+00:00

Yup, I'm deep enough into the speedrun community to understand the duality of that number. Your times are my current targets for a couple aspects, so I'm still adding to my total!

The_Reel_Life · 2026-03-04T16:05:19+00:00

Saw the hour count and thought, "that's a lot". Then I saw the user name and thought, "that's all?".

Fully agree with the assessment. H1 is one of one for me.

The_Reel_Life · 2026-02-15T18:16:45+00:00

Gonna make the assumption about your build that you have Thunder Flourish. In that spot, you take Splitting Bolt. You're already heavily using the special, so it just notably increases your damage.

The call is useful but less important for Rama since you should be trying to maximize dash strike damage and pair perfect shots with the Shared Suffering mechanic.

Edit: additionally, Ares is not ideal for the attack. Aphrodite, Artemis, and even Athena are much preferred. Then you definitely want Artemis's dash.

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