The sixth and final weapon of Hades 2, Black Coat Xinth, is a beautiful combination of the knuckles and gun weapons from the original game. Beautifully blending strength and agility, the Black Coat is a welcome alternative for fans of the Sister Blades who want something a little sturdier.

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But mastering this weapon will require study of its aspects, its tricky benefits asking a player to pay attention to the fine text. Without understanding the mechanics of this surprisingly complex mech-suit of a weapon, you might just end up making decisions you'll want to rewind time to undo.

Updated September 28, 2025 by Alexis Campbell: We have updated this guide to be in line with the official 1.0 release of Hades 2.

What Is The Black Coat Moveset?

Attack

Description

Attack

Melinoe unleashes a flurry of punches that ends in a large, horizontal sweep.

Omega Attack

A blocking attack in much the same fashion as the shield from Hades or the pre-patch Moonstone Axe special, Melinoe holds her block and unleashes it with a powerful but short forward blow. Damage dealt is scaled to a growing Magicka consumption.

Special

Melinoe unleashes two untrained projectiles in a short burst in front of her.

Omega Special

Within a cone on the ground, Melinoe locks onto any targets within range with six nodes. She releases an equal amount of missilesto nodes that track the target, even if they move out of the initial range.

There are two important takeaways from the Black Coat moveset:

  • Tracking multi-shots
  • Close-quarters, quick attacks

This means thatthe Black Coat has the flexibility to serve players well in close-quartersas well as at medium distance. Aggressive playstyles and hit-and-run playstyles can both work very well with this weapon.

Blocking is also a great asset for this weapon and makes it stand out in the crowd of weapons as one of the few weapons with defensive options. The block serves both a means for protecting against projectiles while also charging up a powerful attacking strike that can deal significant damage.

Xinth's block is diamond shaped, and because of its narrow nature, it can sometimes be difficult to consistently block projectiles that have a curve. Misaligning a block even slightly can be punishing. Therefore, it is recommended to use this blocking feature sparingly until one gets accustomed to its odd shape.

Aspect of Shiva Moveset Changes

Shiva's normal attack is very similar to all other aspects for Xinth; however, it has slight changes with lower speed but larger punches. The Omega Attack is no longer a simple riposte shield. Rather, it performs a long dashing tackleafter blocking that increases in range and power with the length of charge.

The greatest change for Xinth lies in the specials. Rather than several projectiles, Shiva's Omega Special will create a purple orb that launches into the air and falls onto a designated spot three times. Standing in this spot will increase your Destructive Charges (empowering your Omega Attack). Normal specials create the same orb but do not increase Destruction.

For those who have played the original Hades, Aspect of Shiva is a direct blend of the Adamant Rail: Aspect of Eris and the Aegis shield (the Bull Rush attack). Fans of the rail and shield may enjoy this aspect more than others.

What Are The Aspects Of The Black Coat?

Aspect

Description

Upgrades

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

Aspect of Melinoe

This is the default incarnation. It has no special effects to begin with, but upgrading it willincrease your sprinting speed, attack speed, and attack power.

+0%

+5%

+10%

15%

20%

35%

Aspect of Selene

This incarnation will grant you the special Hex, Sky Fall. Having this aspect willprevent you from having any other boon of Selene, but you'll be able to upgrade it via a special path on the Moon of Stars.

Upgrading this weapon decreases the amount of required expended magick before you can use Sky Fall again.

100

90

80

70

60

40

Aspect of Nyx

This aspect will include a special new attack by Dashing. Holding Dash, you can charge your sprint andthen ram into an enemy to unleash a shockwave. Afterward, you'll gain a special effect that results in your attack (special or normal) becoming split into two damage instances at slightly reduced damage individually. This effect lasts five seconds.

Upgrading this aspect increases the secondary damage dealt by your Nightspawn.

+15%

+30%

+45%

+60%

+75%

+100%

Aspect of Shiva

Firing the Omega Special will create a glob that falls onto the arena three times. Standing in the area of effect during the Omega Special will increase your Destruction charges. Using a Destructive Charge will increase your Omega Attack power.

Upgrading this aspect will increase the number of Destructive Charges gathered for an Omega Attack.

2

3

4

5

6

8

The first three of these incarnations will be available to you with the Coat of Night, but they'll require extra-rare resources to properly unlock. Likewise, upgrading both the Aspect of Selene and Nyxwill require a large amount of Nightmares. Melinoe's is much easier to upgrade, allowing you to play with the Black Coat in the long interim to get used to the coat's playstyle.

You can gain the Aspect of Shiva at a later time once you have:

  1. Unlocked all other Black Coat aspects
  2. Increased one of the Black Coat aspects to Level V
  3. Spoken to Selene

The Aspect of Nyx is incredibly difficult to obtain due to the necessity of Plasma. You will need four pieces of Plasma and one Darkness to unlock this aspect. Unfortunately, Plasma is extremely rare. In our experience, it took 56 runs to acquire two Plasma without intentional farming.

To get this aspect, you will have to intentionally look for Plasma. To increase your chances to the maximum, we recommend the following strategy:

  • Bring Raki, the raven familiar you can find in Erebus.
  • Level up his ability, Stone Bond, through the use of treats.
  • Use the boon from a Charon's Well to summon a Chaos Gate, and if a Plasma isn't in Chaos's realm, look for the boon from Chaos that increases the odds of finding resources (or for increasing the intake of resources).
  • Look for Chaos again in the same run, and your odds of finding a Plasma should be slightly better.

Each aspect has its pros and cons. None of them have a claim to being the best, but one might be a better fit for your playstyle than another:

  • The Aspect of Melinoe is a general catch-all that helps you learn the basics of this weapon. It has lower Magicka cost, higher speed, and flexibility to use any choice of Selene boon.
  • The Aspect of Selene is for those who prefer to utilize the Omega moves over normal attacks as use of Magicka will be rewarded by Selene's inherent boon and the use of an Omega after using your hex will enjoy a high damage boost.
  • The Aspect of Nyx is essentially - in most regards - a bulldozer. It has a very high Magicka cost, requiring a good Mana-setup to function properly but dealing incredible damage. It requires constant close-combat to utilize well, risking high damage intake.
  • The Aspect of Shiva is an awkward adjustment for avid Xinth users. Although very different at first, masterful usage of this aspect is an easy way to deal over 1,000 damage in a single attack. Best for those who like very big numbers.

Aspect Of Selene, Path Of Stars: Sky Fall

Name

Rank

Effect

Sting

Common

Hex has +10 Power.

Omen

Common

When afflicted by Shine, enemies take +5 percent damage from Omega moves.

Growth

Common

The hex charges 1 Magicka point every second.

Brilliance

Common

The hex deals +1 instance of damage.

Scorn

Rare

Each time the hex hits the same foe, it deals an additional +50 percent damage (stacking).

Calm

Rare

During the hex's duration, you take -20 percent damage.

Ferocity

Rare

Your hex gains the trait bonuses of your Attack's boon.

Prism

Epic

Rather than targeting one nearby foe each strike, your hex targets three nearby foes for each strike.

This special boon from Selene, inherent to the Aspect of Selene, has its own Path of Stars tree. You will not be able to change the type of hex Selene grants you while donning this aspect, nor does it appear to give any post-hex status bonuses like other hexes. As such, it is recommended to liberally use your Magicka and your hex to get the maximum benefit from this aspect.

We highly recommend using Selene's keepsake, Moon Beam, to get the best outcome for any Selene-aspect build. This will greatly increase the amount of investment you can make in it while opening yourself up to address other pressing concerns (like magick resource management).

What Are The Best Boons and Upgrades For The Black Coat?

There are three general rules of thumb to follow when making any build for the Black Coat:

  1. Increase your ability to negate or lower damage.
  2. Find a way to reliably restore Magicka and quickly.
  3. Prioritize damage boons that benefit most from quick damage build-up and close-quarters fighting.

Weapon Upgrades

Weapon Upgrade

Effect

Shimmering Rockets

Your specials bounce twice more between foes.

Launcher Frame

Whenever you strike a foe with a normal attack, you have a 25 percent chance to fire your special.

Sudden Salvo

Your Omega Special locks on faster and costs 20 percent less Magicka.

Ripper Rockets

Your Special deals +5 Power for each hit against the same foe, stacking up to five times.

Rapid Frame

Your Attack is dealt 35 percent faster.

Exhaust Riser

Your Dash Strike hits three times with one attack.

Chakra Collider

Shiva only. Your Omega Attack also fires a powerful blast that deals an additional 80 percent of your Omega Attack's damage.

While the Black Coat has several great aspects, the six above shine the most for their ability to synergize with the most amount of boons for the least amount of effort. Likewise, there are certain boons that can sabotage builds, such as the Siege Frame, which could potentially sabotage Aphrodite's Flutter Strike.

World Collider (charged Omega Attack deals +100 Power) could be a very fun build, and it's been tested and proven capable of destroying the entire first and second phase health pool of the Siren Sisters in a single blow each. However, it comes at the great cost of large damage intake and requires clever boon-hunting to pull off. It should be considered a high-effort, high-risk, and high-reward ability.

God Boons

God

Evaluation

Aphrodite

She is hands-down the absolute best choice for this weapon. Almost every boon in her repertoire will benefit a Black Coat user. The best boons will be the Flutter Strike (increase Close-Up damage) and the Glamour Gain (inflict Weak on nearby foes and restore Magicka when near them). Additionally, her Legendary is massively useful for a high-hit/high-speed build, and her ability to increase Evasion with Wispy Wiles takes any Black Coat build to the next level.

Apollo

Apollo can serve two phenomenal purposes: evasion builds and Cast support. With Super Nova, your casts will be larger and help stop mobs from swarming until you're ready to face them (which can also stack with your choice of Cast type, such as Demeter's Freeze Cast or Hestia's Scorch Cast).

Additionally, his Daze effects can limit damage intake while also giving Air Infusions for Ahprodite's Evasion Infusion Boon: Wispy Wiles. As icing on the cake, the Back Burner boon allows for increased Backstab damage while Dazed.

Hera

Hera's Hitch effects can allow your chaining attacks to hit multiple mob enemies - something Black Coat can struggle with. This is especially best on the Special Attack which is best for setting up damage rather than building up status effects.

Hestia

Hestia's Scorch builds up quickly with this weapon. Her Dodge chance here is wonderful, and she can be a great pairing with Apollo for Fire Infusion and evasion builds. Her most important benefit is her magick regain ability, allowing you to regain magick with every hit (which you will do often).

Zeus

With so much outgoing damage with this fast and hard weapon, Blitz effects will trigger often. His Sprint can also be a benefit, dealing additional damage when you have to dodge out of an enemy's range for some reason (though the downside is an even higher Magicka cost). His Infusion build also greatly increases the Black Coat's standard attacks.

Artemis

Support Fire for a build this fast-paced is absolutely fantastic. She synergizes well with everything in the Black Coat's arsenal, though it is a shame she does not appear on runs so often.

The best boons you can take from the gods are those that slow your opponents, raise your own speed, and create high build-up of curses.

When it comes to the remaining gods:

  • Demeter can be okay, but she's just outclassed. Her Mana regeneration is fast, but it requires standing still on a weapon that likes to spend a lot of time moving in opponents' faces. Additionally, Freeze is really only good at a distance and for allowing retreats unless you set up for a Hestia and Demeter Duo build.
  • Hephaestus is best for defense and not much else. On a weapon that hits so frequently, there are much better attack boons that fit it. However, his cast, Anvil Ring, can have great synergy, and his defensive boons are a welcome addition. Heavy Metal gets wasted on this build given its penchant for incoming damage without evasion.
  • Poseidon self-sabotages this weapon. Pushing away your enemies when you want to get close is the antithesis of the Black Coat. He's best used for resource-gathering or pushing away from casts when you need an escape.
  • Ares is redundant but still okay. Speed is not something that the Black Coat needs much more of. While an Ares build can be good, he is better used on slower weapons that need the speed to justify their damage.

Dionysus would be a great god for the Black Coat with the Hangover Strike, but his help is so short-lived that it isn't fair to place him in the list. Only available for the end of the road as of the Olympic Update, both Dionysus and Athena (with her amazing Deflect ability sorely enjoyed by this weapon) cannot be fairly judged yet.

How To Best Use The Black Coat In Combat

The Black Coat is all about attack, attack, and attack. Weaving in and out of the line of fire, the Black Coat's fast-paced action will require you to strategically plan your assault to avoid unnecessary damage.

When using this weapon, follow these general tips:

  • Single out the highest-risk enemies at the start of combat.
  • Open fire with your Omega Special first and then Dash-Strike after firing to close the distance.
  • Use your Attack to stagger-lock mob enemies, but don't overstay your welcome with Shielded enemies and Guardians.
  • Cast should be used for zoning first and damage second, keeping enemies where you want them at all times.

It is very easy to forget your Omega Attack with how long it takes to charge and how much damage you can take during that charge. While it is generally poor for mobs, there are certain enemies where it can function very well at certain points.

For Guardians and minibosses, this list includes:

  • The Root Stalker
  • Hecate
  • The Sirens: Scylla only
  • Chronos
  • Eris

Your high-Magicka cost will be the greatest downfall for this build, so getting a steady supply of it will be your ticket to success. This goes especially double for the magick-hog, Shiva, who eats this resource like cake. Manage your Magicka wisely, picking boons that best fit your strategy to prioritize the amount you have at all times.

As long as you have a solid magic regeneration and a good head for knowing where you should be on the battlefield, the Black Coat's raw potential will do the rest of the heavy-lifting for you and punch through every barrier between you and success.

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