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While this antihero can gain access to a wealth of power and abilities, Hades players know that all too often, this god-like figure can fall from grace and meet his demise. A group of powerful enemies can quickly whittle down Zagreus’ health bar if players aren’t careful. Even when Zagreus is laced with a strong build, he will no doubt run into some fights that will put players’ skills to the test.
Thankfully, there is one particularly useful ability that can help weather the storm: the aptly-named Death Defiance.
What Is Death Defiance?
Serving as a sort of glorified extra life, Death Defiance gives Zagreus an extra layer of protection. Instead of falling in battle, a charged Death Defiance will deplete, making the hell-fighter impervious for a short time, while restoring 50% of his health.
This is all well and good, but what happens when this precious power is lost? Zagreus will perish and return to the House of Hades unless the ability is restored or given an extra charge. Thankfully, there are several ways players can replenish or add stacks to the Death Defiance ability. This guide will cover each of the methods available to do so.
Death Defiance & How To Obtain It
This useful ability can be unlocked by paying a visit to the Mirror of Night—the large mirror in Zagreus’ room. This object serves as one of the main hubs when it comes to progression and gaining abilities.
While there are plenty of notable abilities, or “Talents” to be had here, Death Defiance is a particularly great one to focus on in the early goings. It can be a true life-saver, and it’s available from the start of the game. The Artifact currency “Chthonic Keys” won’t be needed to unlock this ability, even when opting for the higher-ranked version of Death Defiance.
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As a Side Note: This ability is not to be confused with Stubborn Defiance, an even more potent ability that restores Zagreus to 30% health once-per-chamber when his health bar is completely depleted. Make sure that “Death Defiance” is toggled on at the Mirror of Night rather than “Stubborn Defiance,” as Zagreus will not begin his journey with any Death Defiance hearts if this Talent is accidentally set.
Death Defiance can be upgraded twice, producing a total of three extra charges (or essentially three extra lives with half of Zagreus’ health restored). However, this will take some time, as players will need to accumulate quite a bit of Darkness (the game’s currency) to do so.
Ranks Of Death Defiance
The first rank of the ability costs only 30 Darkness and yields one extra chance. The second rank of the ability costs 500 Darkness and yields two extra chances. The third and final rank of the ability costs 1000 Darkness and yields three extra chances.
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How To Replenish Charges
Even if a player has unlocked Death Defiance, they can still find themselves in dire straits fairly quickly if the charge is used up from a lethal enemy hit. But there are a few ways to replenish the initial charge, even if Zagreus has only unlocked the first form of the Talent. The methods to replenish Death Defiance are as follows:
Purchase a Kiss of Styx from a Well of Charon for 200 Obols (one of the various Artifact currencies earned in the underworld). The Wells of Charon are those pools comprised of purple liquid that randomly show up in encounter rooms. Keep in mind: these Obols will be lost when Zagreus perishes. Getting the Kiss of Styx Premium, which is granted by the fallen warrior Patroclus in Elysium (the third biome Zagreus visits during his escape attempt from the underworld). This will replenish all of the spent charges of Death Defiance at once. When examining where to go next via the room preview, this encounter will be indicated by an exclamation point icon. Choosing Athena’s Last Stand and Deathless Stand boons. Boons are skills, buffs, and curses granted by the gods throughout the course of Zagreus’ odyssey through the underworld. This avenue shouldn’t be relied on too heavily as it’s more random and harder to come by than the Well of Charon.
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How To Add Charges
Charges can also be added in a couple of ways as well. This means that players will gain a separate charge with their own slot, which in turn can also be recharged. The ways to add to the stack of Death Defiance are as follows:
Choosing the Legendary Boon “Defiance” from Chaos This omnipotent god can only be found by way of the Chaos Gates, which randomly appear throughout the underworld. The Chaos Gate won’t be traversable until after Zagreus has slain each of the foes in the area. Keep in mind: entering these gates will inflict a small amount of damage, so make sure that Zagreus isn’t at critically low health before using it. This damage can be negated by equipping the Cosmic Egg Keepsake. This boon will only show up if Zagreus already has another Chaos boon. Equipping the training dummy Skelly’s Keepsake, known as Lucky Tooth This will be granted upon providing him with Nectar (another Artifact currency). Lucky Tooth can have its effects enhanced if Zagreus clears enough encounters with it equipped. Lucky Tooth’s resurrection effect is consumed following the depletion of all Death Defiance effects. Its benefit will be lost upon swapping the Keepsake out. Thus, players should ensure this Keepsake is affixed to Zagreus if it seems as though they may run into trouble soon.
Hades was released on September 17, 2020 and is currently available on PC, macOS, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.
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