Summary
The Black Coat was added intoHades 2with theOlympic Update. The newest edition to the roster of Nocturnal Arms has Melinoe wielding two mechanical fists and two rocket launchers mounted on her shoulders. As awesome as these weapons look, using them can be an exercise in frustration.
At first, it seems like the Black Coat doesn’t do anything differently from the other Nocturnal Arms. However, after spending some time getting to know its unique properties and what boons are best to take with it, the Black Coat shines as one of Melinoe’s best weapons.
9Low Cooldown Sky Fall
Never Ending Moon Beams
The idea here is to constantly use Sky Fall, the Aspect of Selene’s unique Hex, as often as possible during a fight. To do this, unlock the passive ability to generate Hex charge in thePath of Stars, activate the Moon Arcana, and get Hermes' Witty Retort. With all these pieces in place it’s possible to get Sky Fall out almost nonstop.
This can lead to some fun damage spikes since Sky Fall also increases Ω skill damage. With the Ferocity Path of Stars Upgrade, a low cooldown Sky Fall can also be used as a means to quickly apply Melinoe’s Attack boon repeatedly.
8Death Arcana
Nyx’s New Best Friend
While it’s among thebest Arcana cardsto use in other Ω builds, the Death Arcana gives Melinoe’s Ω moves an 18% critical hit chance if the last Ω move was different from the currently used one. This is perfect for the Aspect of Nyx since Melinoe can now rotate between using the Black Coat’s Ω Special and Ω Sprint for a high damage rotation.
A crit with an Ω sprint deals 450 damage. While it’s less than a crit Ω Attack’s full charge at 600 damage, it still charges 1 second faster and has Melinoe moving away from attacks that can’t be blocked.
7Hearth Gain (Hephaestus)
The Perfect Way To Gain Magick
Hearth Gain gives Melinoe Magick each time her Attack or Special deals damage. This is particularly useful for the Black Coat because of how frequently it can dish out attacks, dash attacks, and specials. Since the Black Coat also launches two missiles with each Special use, it’s easy to get back a good chunk of Magick by just landing a few missiles from a safe distance.
6Controlled Burn (Hestia) And Blood Line (Hera)
Fireballs And Fissures For Everyone
The Aspect of Selene needs to keep using Magick to fuel its Hex and the Black Coat’s Ω Special is perfect for that job. However, the Ω Special can be a little slow to get all of its lock-ons out of the way before firing its missiles. This is where Controlled Burn and Blood Line become excellent additions into a Selene build.
Since the Ω Special can be fired with just one lock on, it’s possible to just continually rattle off fireballs and fissures at Melinoe’s targets when a full salvo of missiles isn’t a realistic option.
5Heaven Flourish/Heaven Strike (Zeus)
The Wrath Of Zeus In Melinoe’s Hands
Blitz works extremely well with the Black Coat. Builds that want to Attack can squeeze in a missile or two between dashes in order to put Blitz on a target, and builds that want to focus on Special usage can still perform an attack just for the Blitz application.
Out of all the boons inHades 2, Blitz is one of the best ways to increase Melinoe’s damage as long as she can keep activating the curse. Without any buffs, two punches and a dash attack is already 115 out of the 120 damage needed to activate Blitz. In comparison, an Ω Special with 4 locks will deal exactly 120 damage, making it fairly easy to activate Blitz in a single salvo.
4Anvil Flourish (Hephaestus)
Multiple Missile Explosions Usually Do The Trick
Anvil Flourish has a unique interaction with Ω Missiles in that all the missiles Melinoe fires will trigger Hephaestus' blast. This can be used to create a string of 5 consecutive blasts which in turn will clear out groups of densely packed enemies. Be aware that doing this will only create one explosion per enemy unless Melinoe has the Chain Reaction duo boon with Hestia.
This is best used with builds involving the Aspect of Selene since it wants to use as much Magick as fast and as often as possible. The Aspect of Nyx can also appreciate having Anvil Flourish since it can use its Ω Sprint and some attacks to fill in the gaps between the blast’s cooldown.
3Static Shock (Zeus)
Electrifying The Crowd With More Damage
Static Shock primes 50 Magick and in exchange, Melinoe’s strikes now emit chain lightning. Fans ofHades 1will recognize this as the same effect as Zeus' old attack boon, and it remainsone of the bestways to quickly wipe out an entire room of enemies.
Since the Black Coat’s dash attack hits multiple times, this will create several chain lightning balls that can also hit other enemies, and deal a good chunk of damage to the original target. Missiles and the Black Coat’s Ω Special are also perfect ways to repeatedly trigger this effect for more damage.
Since it can synergize with so many different parts of the Black Coat’s kit, Static Shock is a perfect way to further increase Melinoe’s damage regardless of what build the player is aiming for. The Aspect of Selene appreciates a way to increase its Ω missile damage, and the Aspects of Melinoe and Nyx appreciate more damage through its dash attacks.
2Slippery Slope (Poseidon)
Ensuring Damage Will Always Be Impactful
Slippery Slope inflicts Slip on enemies after they’ve been hit by a splash effect. This curse increases the damage and knock back dealt to afflicted enemies. For the Black Coat, this boon is the perfect way to ensure damage always remains relevant even later in the run when enemies and bosses have far more HP. The additional knockback is fairly useful when it comes to herding small enemies into the nearest wall or physical object for slam damage.
Slippery Slope is also perfect for activating Origination as soon as possible. Since it works off splash effects which cover a wide area near the target, it’s easy to apply Slip to an entire room of enemies.
1Wave Strike (Poseidon)
The Anything And Everything Blender
Wave Strike is one of the best boons to get for the Black Coat regardless of what Aspect is being used. Not only does this boon put you intoPoseidon’s amazing boon pool, but Wave Strike gives attacks a splash effect that deals bonus damage each time it triggers.
Since the Black Coat has a fast swing speed and its dash attack can hit three times, this boon allows the Black Coat to hit some astounding damage numbers against practically any target. If the mobs are small and capable of being moved by the splash, then its damage potential only increases since Melinoe can use the waves to slam them into walls and other physical objects.
