The House of Hades

What the House is#

The House of Hades is the Season of Hades raid. It sits deep below the Halls. One to five players fight down through the House, break its three seals in any order, then open the Vault, where Hades waits for them twice.

Every party gets its own instance: you see only your own monsters, doors, pylons, seals and chest, even with other parties inside at the same time. Dying doesn't end the run. You wake at the Atrium checkpoint and walk back in, and the run only ends when everyone has left.

The whole House is multi-combat and counts as season content, so your season talents, boons, potions and the Grimoire all work inside. Your minimap outlines every room and corridor.

The map#

Hover or tap a number. North is up. You go north as you go deeper.

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1. 1
   The lobbyThe Mode Obelisk opens the party panel. The Descent Gate at the north end starts the run. The cave at the south end climbs back up to the Halls.
2. 2
   The DescentA long hall with two packs of the House's guards. Clear them to reach the Atrium.
3. 3
   The AtriumThe checkpoint (you wake here when you die) and the Seal of Three. Each wing's socket lights when its seal breaks, and the Chains of Kronos braziers ring it. Doors lead west, east and north.
4. 4
   The Cyclopes' Forge (west)The Great Furnace in the middle, three anvils, and a Quench trough in each corner.
5. 5
   The Garden of Persephone (east)The Well of Tears at the crossing of the paths, and four pomegranate trees: your cover from the Gaze.
6. 6
   The Abyss of Erebus (north)Eight light-pylons in a ring. Keep them lit.
7. 7
   The VaultReached by the stair in the Seal of Three. Twelve judgement seals round the Keeper's dais.
8. 8
   The Pyre of the Throne (Elite)Phlegethon's fire bed. On Elite it must burn out before the Keeper wakes.
9. 9
   The reward hallThe Vault chest (purple if you're lucky) and the exit portal.

The route#

1. 1
   The Descent. Two packs of the House's guards. Clear them to reach the Atrium.
2. 2
   The Atrium. The checkpoint and hub. If you die, this is where you wake. Doors lead to the Cyclopes' Forge (west), the Garden of Persephone (east) and the Abyss of Erebus (north). Visible barriers block every door that isn't open yet.
3. 3
   The three seals, in any order. Beat each wing's guardian to break its seal. The Seal of Three lights that wing's socket, and the HUD tells you which wings are left.
4. 4
   The Seal of Three. With all three broken, the stair in the middle of the Atrium opens. Descend to the Vault.
5. 5
   The Vault. (Elite: Phlegethon at the Pyre first.) Then Hades, Keeper of the Vault, and when he falls, Hades Reborn. (Hard and Elite: with all three Chains of Kronos blazing, Kronos rises next.)
6. 6
   The reward hall. The door opens. Claim your Vault chest, then leave by the portal.

The House's guards: Legionaries, Hounds and Shades of the House in the Descent, and Shadows of Erebus in the Abyss.

Modes: each step up adds a mechanic#

Every mode down takes one mechanic away from every boss, so Easy is a real learning run and Elite has everything. Affixes step up with the modes too.

Each step up pays clearly more per minute, not just per run.

• Party scaling: each extra player adds +55% boss HP, and the packs get tougher too. HP is set by the party the run started with, so a player leaving doesn't soften anything. Upkeep mechanics (the Smiths' re-forge window, Erebus's pylons) scale with party size, so every wing can be soloed.
• Anti-leech: in a party of 2 or more, you need at least 3% of the boss damage to claim.
• Wipes: if nobody stands in a fight's arena for 40 ticks, that boss resets to full.

Reading the floor#

Every mechanic has its own telegraph colour. Once you know a boss, a glance at the floor tells you what's coming. Ground mechanics always leave gaps, and there's a breather after each one lands before the next can start. Some attacks fall from above, dropping onto their shadow.

Your debuff panel (under the Favour panel) shows anything on you, such as Searing stacks. Players have no overhead HP bars inside the House, so the floor is easier to read.

Favour of Olympus#

Olympus is watching. In every boss fight you build a Favour meter by dealing damage (scaled to your share of the boss), stepping out of telegraphs, surviving safe-zone blasts, and sheltering behind cover. A mechanic that lands on you halves it.

When the meter fills, a god drops their boon on the floor 3-5 tiles away: a giant medallion that only you can see. Stand on it to claim it within about 10 seconds, or it fades. Each boon lasts 30 seconds. Different gods stack, and the same god refreshes. Players low on health are more likely to get Demeter or Athena. Your active boons show on the panel at the top left.

The seals#

HP below is the base on Easy with one player. Multiply by the mode and add 55% per extra player. Mechanics marked (M), (H) or (E) start on Medium, Hard or Elite.

The Cyclopes' Forge#

Brontes, Steropes and Arges

The cyclopes who forged the Helm of Darkness - 720,000 HP each

• Molten channels. The furnace floods three spokes of metal out to the anvils. The spokes turn 40 degrees each time and the metal lingers (orange).
• Brothers of the forge (M). Kill them together. If one falls while another still stands, the Great Furnace re-forges him at 40% when a countdown runs out (it shows on the HUD; the window is longer the smaller your party). Every fallen brother enrages the others. They don't leash, so you can pull them together.
• Searing (H). Their blows and the molten metal add burning stacks (see your debuff panel). Quench at a corner trough to clear them.
• Hammerfall (E). Each smith in turn marks a player's ground, and slag drops from the roof onto it (red). Step off.

The Garden of Persephone#

Ascalaphus

The gardener who saw Persephone eat the seeds, and told - 1.92M HP

• The Tell-tale Gaze. He fixes his great eyes on the garden, and when they open, everyone he can see is struck. The four pomegranate trees are the only cover. Keep one between you and him.
• Feather storm (M). Bronze feathers fall from his wings onto marked ground (gold), with one patch always on each of you.
• Tattletale (H). He tells on one of you. The marked player has a few seconds to Draw from the Well of Tears, or the curse bursts on them and everyone near them.
• Flight (E). At 50% he takes to the air, and the storm doubles.

The Abyss of Erebus#

Erebus, the Primordial Dark

The Darkness itself - 2.24M HP

• The pylons. Erebus douses pylons as the fight goes on: two at a time with 3 or more players, one when you're solo or a duo, and more slowly in smaller parties. Click a dark pylon to Kindle it.
• Umbral tide. The dark rises, and when it breaks, everyone not near a lit pylon is swallowed (within 2 tiles, or 3 solo/duo). Kindling during the wind-up still counts.
• The Long Night (M). At 50% every pylon goes out at once. Relight at least three before it falls, or the whole party is swallowed for far more.
• Shadow waves (H). Rings roll out from him one after another (purple). Step through the gaps.
• Shadows of Erebus (E) crawl out at 75% and 25%.

The Vault#

The Pyre of the Throne (Elite only)#

Phlegethon, Warden of the Pyre

The river of fire given a body - 2.08M HP

• Pyre pulse. Three rings of fire roll out from the pyre one after another (orange). Each has one gap, at a different bearing. Find it, step through, then find the next.
• Ember brand. Two players are branded. When it goes off, it burns everyone within a tile of them. Spread out.
• Firestorm at 50%. The whole walkway ignites except the ring hugging the pyre. Go in.

Hades, Keeper of the Vault#

Hades, Keeper of the Vault

The first life - 2.56M HP

• Judgement of the Vault. The twelve floor seals judge you, alternating between two patterns. Either three seals SHINE (stand on them; everyone off them is struck) or four seals BURN (get off them; red).
• Soul Nova (80%, 55%, 30%). Three Obsidian Pillars rise and Hades gathers the souls of the Vault. When it breaks, only a pillar between you and him saves you. Every blast cracks the pillar that took it, and after three cracks it's gone, so spread out behind different pillars.
• Bident strike (H). A lane from Hades through one of you (blue). Step out of the line.

Hades Reborn#

Hades Reborn

He falls, and rises again in his demon form - 2.24M HP

• Judgement carries on, faster, and Soul Nova returns at 60% and 25%.
• Eyes of the Pit. The damned fall out of the dark onto every player's ground at once (green). Move.
• Phlegethon floods (M). A quarter of the Vault floods with fire (magenta). The flood turns a quarter each time, in the direction he announces, so get ahead of it.
• Enrage (E). He grows angrier the longer he lives: up to +60% damage.

The Chains of Kronos (Hard and Elite)#

Nine braziers ring the Seal of Three: three on each arm, one arm per wing. On a Hard or Elite run, one brazier per wing smoulders. Each smouldering brazier stands for a chain: a specific thing to do in that wing, different every run.

• Inspect a smouldering brazier to hear its riddle. The three riddles are also whispered when the run starts, and the HUD counts Chains n/3.
• Do what the riddle asks and the brazier blazes. Do the opposite, or leave it undone when the Keeper falls, and it goes cold for the run.
• All three blazing when Hades Reborn falls, and Kronos rises through the broken Vault floor.

Every chain can be done solo, and no chain ever conflicts with another wing's. Working out the riddles is up to you.

Kronos, the Devourer

The Titan Hades helped chain beneath the world - 4.8M HP

• Scythe of Ages. A wide wedge of the Vault is marked for the scythe (white). Be outside it.
• Devour. He fixes on one player, and when he lunges, anyone within 4 tiles of him is swallowed. Get away from the Titan.
• Chronostasis. Time stops everywhere except the six seals he lights. Be on one.
• Titanic stomp (E). Whoever hugs him is thrown (cyan).
• At 50% he breaks the last chain, and the scythe comes twice as often.
• Beating Kronos doubles your Key fragments and gives you a separate 1 in 25 roll at an Ember of the Throne.

Affixes#

Each run rolls affixes at the start: 0 on Easy, 1 on Medium, 2 on Hard, 3 on Elite. Every affix makes the run harder, and they show on the events panel.

Bounties#

Each run also rolls one optional bounty, judged when the Keeper falls. Complete it and everyone's Key fragments grow by half.

Rewards#

The Vault chest: Key fragments#

Claim the chest in the reward hall. Every player's payout is worked out separately:

Your account's fragment bonuses (prestige, Veteran Mode, talents, cosmetics and raid gear) then multiply the total. Elite clears also roll the Ember of the Throne at 1 in 100.

100 Key fragments combine into a Key of the House of Hades. The Season Board pays them too (see below).

The purple Vault#

When the Vault breaks, every player rolls once. Hit it and your chest turns purple: it glows violet, and only you can see it. Claiming it pays a piece of the Panoply of Hades instead of Key fragments, and the whole server hears about it.

Mode	Chance	Pieces it can pay
Easy	1 in 500	Jewellery: Torc, Signet, Pall
Medium	1 in 350	+ armour: Helm, Cuirass, Greaves, Gauntlets, Sabatons, Aegis
Hard	1 in 250	+ weapons (Bident, Ballista, Lantern) and the Crown
Elite	1 in 100	Same as Hard

Jewellery is the commonest piece, then armour, then the Crown. The weapons are the rarest.

Pieces the purple Vault can pay

Hades' Torc

Jewellery (every mode)

Hades' Signet

Jewellery (every mode)

Hades' Pall

Cape, counted as jewellery (every mode)

Hades' Helm

Armour (Medium+)

Hades' Cuirass

Armour (Medium+)

Hades' Greaves

Armour (Medium+)

Hades' Gauntlets

Armour (Medium+)

Hades' Sabatons

Armour (Medium+)

Hades' Aegis

Shield (Medium+)

Hades' Crown

Aura (Hard+)

Hades' Bident

Weapon (Hard+), rarest

Hades' Ballista

Weapon (Hard+), rarest

Hades' Lantern

Weapon (Hard+), rarest

Keys of the House of Hades#

A Key of the House of Hades opens on the Box Opening spinner, like every other raid key: one spin, one reward. The panel shows every roll and its odds.

Reward	Chance
Cyclopean ingot (for a Panoply weapon)	1 in 1,000
Erebus obsidian (for Panoply armour / the Aegis)	1 in 750
Tear of Persephone (for Panoply jewellery)	1 in 500
$500 Olympian Bond	1 in 1,500
$250 Olympian Bond	1 in 500
Each Greater boon (eight gods)	1 in 500
Treasury of Hades	1 in 200
30M Dracma hoard	1 in 25
Tribunal Reliquary	1 in 25
Boss materials, garnets and weapon parts, bars, hide and ectoplasm, 600k Dracma, Soul shards	the rest

There are two roads to the Panoply: straight from a purple Vault, or by forging it from the three Key materials plus the Ember of the Throne that every weapon needs (see the Season of Hades guide). The season's rank track also pays whole Keys: 10 at rank 60, 25 at 75 and 50 at 95. Rank 100 pays a Cyclopean ingot and an Ember outright.

Season Board tasks#

Four Season Board tasks are House tasks, one per row from row 2:

Tips#

• Start on Easy. One mechanic per boss is the best way to learn the Forge's spokes, the Garden's trees and Erebus's pylons.
• Read the colours. Each boss has its own, and they stay the same every run.
• Chase the Favour. Dodging cleanly and doing damage fills it. Getting hit halves it.
• The Forge is a damage check. Pull the brothers together and drop them together, or they come back.
• In the Garden, pick your tree before the Gaze, and know your way to the Well before you're marked.
• Assign pylons in the Abyss. In a party, one player per side stops the Long Night wiping you.
• Spread your pillars in the Vault. Three cracks and a pillar is gone, and The Pillars Stand bounty needs one left.
• Inspect the braziers on Hard and Elite. The riddles are the only clue to Kronos, and he doubles the Vault.