Guide

Introduction

Hades is the most defensive Greek god, built around strong archers, fortified buildings, and a slow but relentless push toward a dominant late game. While Zeus rushes and Poseidon raids, Hades turtles, techs up, and crushes you with superior economy and overwhelming force.

If you like playing safe, booming behind towers, and winning with a massive late-game army — Hades is your god.

Hades Bonuses

• Buildings have +20% HP — towers, TCs, and houses are harder to take down
• Human soldiers killed in combat have a 20% chance to become Shades — free myth units that fight for you at the Underworld Gate
• Archers deal +10% damage — makes Toxotes (Toxotai) the core of your army
• Vault of Erebus tech — passive gold trickle that kicks in early and never stops
• God Power — Sentinel: Summons 4 guardian statues around a Town Center that attack enemies. Can be used once
• Unique Tech — Vaults of Erebus: Generates a slow trickle of gold passively (researched at Temple)

Heroes

Age	Hero	Type	Notes
Archaic	Ajax	Infantry	Tanky melee hero. Great for early defense vs myth units.
Classical	Chiron	Archer	Ranged hero — fits Hades' archer-heavy playstyle perfectly.
Heroic	Achilles	Infantry	Very strong melee hero with high damage.
Mythic	Polyphemus	Infantry	A Cyclops hero with massive HP and throw attack.

Minor Gods

Age	Options
Classical	Athena, Ares
Heroic	Apollo, Aphrodite
Mythic	Hephaestus, Artemis

Build Orders

Standard Safe Opener (All-Round)

This build gets you to Classical around 4:30-5:00 with a solid economy and Vault of Erebus already running.

1. All starting villagers to food (hunt preferred)
2. First 6-7 new villagers to food
3. Next 3-4 to wood (build a Storehouse near wood and gold)
4. Next 2-3 to gold
5. Send 1-2 villagers to build Temple
6. Put 3 villagers on Temple for favor generation
7. At ~200 wood + 15 favor: research Vault of Erebus (~3:00)
8. Balance eco: 400 food + 120 gold → click Classical with Athena (safe) or Ares (aggressive)

Upon Classical: Build Archery Range immediately and start massing Toxotes. Add Barracks for Hoplites as a front line. Research Sentinel on a vulnerable TC.

Aggressive Cyclops Rush (Ares)

Hit Classical at ~4:15 with Vault of Erebus done, then spam Cyclopes for immediate pressure.

1. All starting villagers to food
2. First new villagers to food until 6-7 total
3. 2-3 to gold, 2-3 to wood
4. Build Temple early, put villagers on Temple for favor
5. Research Vault of Erebus at ~3:00
6. Click Classical at ~4:15 with Ares (18 pop: 17 vills + scout)

Upon Classical:

• Queue Cyclops immediately at Temple
• Research Wheel of Kronos after 2nd Cyclops starts → Elder Cyclops
• Start Toxotes production for ranged support
• Attack with 2-3 Cyclopes + Achilles + Toxotes
• Use Cyclops throw to isolate heroes and high-value targets
• Focus on villagers and production buildings

Classical Age Strategy

Minor God Choices

Athena (Default/Safe)

Restoration is excellent for sustaining your expensive archer army. Aegis Shield upgrades for Hoplites make them nearly unkillable. Best choice for defensive play and standard games.

Ares (Aggressive)

Cyclopes are devastating in early Classical. Ares' god power shuts down enemy towers during a push. Choose this when you want to end games early or punish greedy booms.

Core Army

Hades' army revolves around Toxotes (archers) with a melee front line:

• Toxotes: Your bread and butter. Hades' +10% archer damage makes these incredibly efficient. Mass them.
• Hoplites: Front line to protect your archers. With Athena upgrades, they become very tanky.
• Cyclops/Minotaur: Myth unit support for disrupting enemy formations.

Heroic Age Strategy

Minor God Choices

Apollo (Offensive)

Underworld Passage enables sneaky attacks on enemy bases or quick reinforcement. Good for maps with split bases. Manticore is a strong flying myth unit.

Aphrodite (Defensive/Macro)

Curse god power can turn the tide of battles. Nemean Lions are tough myth units. Better for longer, macro-heavy games.

Heroic Priorities

• Take settlements aggressively — Hades' building HP bonus makes your TCs harder to snipe
• Start investing in upgrades — armory techs are critical for archer effectiveness
• Add Gastraphetes (ranged siege units) for pushing fortified positions
• Use Underworld Passage (if Apollo) for surprise attacks
• Set up trade if the game looks like it'll go long

Mythic Age Strategy

Minor God Choices

Hephaestus (Recommended)

Forge of Olympus reduces armory upgrade costs by 75% — absurdly good if you haven't fully teched yet. Colossus is a powerful siege myth unit. Plenty Vault generates free resources. Earthquake god power can devastate enemy bases.

Artemis (Situational)

Earthquake is also available through Artemis (in some versions). Chimera are fast, mobile myth units with flame attacks — excellent for raiding and responding to threats quickly.

Late Game Composition

Unit	Role
Toxotes / Gastraphetes	Core ranged DPS
Hoplites / Hypaspists	Front line
Colossus	Building destruction
Heroes (Achilles, Polyphemus)	Anti-myth
Chimera (if Artemis)	Fast response, raiding

Matchup Tips

vs Norse

Norse struggle against Hades' towers and archers. Wall up, tower up, and mass Toxotes behind defenses. Norse infantry melts to massed archers. Be careful of Flaming Weapons — have your army near fortifications so they take building fire too. If they go Ragnarok, have Earthquake ready or mass Colossus + heroes to deal with the flood.

vs Egyptian

Egyptian Chariot Archers can contest your Toxotes. Add Hoplites or cavalry to pressure them. Watch for Ancestors — keep heroes nearby. In long games, Hades' eco advantages through Vault of Erebus compound. Earthquake their Migdols when ready.

vs Greek (Mirror)

Hades vs Zeus is a classic matchup. Zeus wants to rush and pressure; you want to defend and outscale. Don't panic at early aggression — your buildings are tougher and Sentinel gives your TC extra teeth. Boom safely, hit Heroic first if possible, and overwhelm with superior numbers.

vs Atlantean

Atlantean rushes can be scary, but Hades defends well. Sentinel on your main TC, Crenellations upgrade, and early Toxotes production. Once you survive Classical, Hades outscales Atlantean hard. Take map control with forward TCs and towers.

General Tips

• Don't be passive. Hades is defensive but not AFK. Raid when opportunities arise, especially with cavalry in Heroic.
• Vault of Erebus early. The gold trickle compounds over time. Getting it 30 seconds earlier can mean hundreds more gold by mid-game.
• Use Shades. Don't forget they spawn at your Underworld Gate — rally them to where they're needed.
• Forward TCs win games. Hades' building HP bonus makes forward TCs incredibly annoying to take down.
• Earthquake timing. If you have it, save it for a critical moment — a Titan Gate, a cluster of production buildings, or a key TC.
• Scout with your hero. Ajax is tanky enough to survive early scouting. Know what your opponent is doing.