Stygian Blade

The Stygian Blade (also known as Stygius, the Blade of the Underworld) is one of the Infernal Arms and is your starting weapon in Hades.

Codex entry

'...Stygius, the Blade of the Underworld, must have been among the finest weapons ever wielded, back when it was whole. Back when the six elder gods sealed the Titans in the deepest recesses of Tartarus, that blade evidently played no small role in their success. It must have been Lord Poseidon who brandished that blade before he opted for that trident he so likes. Now the blade lies broken, survived only by its burning soul. I knew that Master Hades would pay little heed if I provided all the shattered remnants of the thing to his own son, who naturally was able to reconstitute them into something more than functional, indeed. It has been long since last the blade had a partner, and as I transported it, I could sense its eagerness to return to battle; to relive its own memories. I am left to wonder, who else shall someday bear this blade? The Master's son, among his charitable qualities, isn't warlike enough to want to use it forever.'

Fighting style

Stygius is a longsword with a mixture of wide and directional swings. It balances speed and strength, with medium range attacks and an AoE special. The special creates a small burst but leaves Zagreus stationary for a short time.

Statistics

Attack	Description	Damage	Effects
Strike	Press Attack button to Strike.	20 Damage	None
Combo	Press Attack > Attack > Attack for Combo.	Strike: 20 Damage Chop: 25 Damage Thrust: 30 Damage	Thrust: Knockback
Dash-Strike	Press Attack quickly after Dashing.	Thrust: 30 Damage	Thrust: Knockback
Nova Smash	Press Special to Nova Smash.	50 Damage	Cannot Backstab Knockback

Aspects

The Stygian Blade has 4 Aspects: Zagreus, Nemesis, Poseidon, and Arthur. Like all other weapons, each Aspect has 5 levels that can be unlocked by spending Titan Blood. The higher the level of the Aspect, the more effective its improvement is. Reaching the highest level in all Aspects requires 51 Titan Blood. An Aspect will not only change the appearance of the Stygian Blade, but will also improve its attacks. The Aspect of Arthur has a unique move-set which changes the fighting style of the Stygian Blade.

Aspect	Description	Upgrade	Cost
Aspect of Zagreus	The form in which the blade of the underworld first revealed itself. A blade such as this seeks not to remain idle for more than an aeon or two.	Bonus Attack Speed & Move Speed (+3% / +6% / +9% / +12% / +15%)	1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 Titan Blood (Total: 5)
Aspect of Nemesis	For 3 Sec. after you Special, your Attack may deal Critical damage. One of Nyx's daughters once brandished the blade against the arrogant.	Bonus Critical Chance (+15% / +19% / +22% / +26% / +30%)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 Titan Blood (Total: 15)
Aspect of Poseidon	Your Special dislodges from foes. Even before he ruled the seas, the blade's first bearer liked making a splash.	Cast Damage (+10% / +20% / +30% / +40% / +50%)	2 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 Titan Blood (Total: 16)
Aspect of Arthur	You have Holy Excalibur*, and +50 to your Life Total. Peace and destruction await a kingdom governed by the rule of might.	Aura Damage Reduction (+20% / +25% / +30% / +35% / +40%) Not listed: aura significantly slows enemy projectiles, disables floor and wall traps in or near the aura. Aura has a 8 second duration.	3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 Titan Blood (Total: 15)

*See below for Holy Excalibur's alternate moveset.

Revealing the Aspect of Arthur

Reveal the Aspect of Arthur by meeting the following requirements:

• Reveal the Aspect of Guan Yu (does not need to be unlocked with Titan Blood)
• Have a total of 5 or more invested into Blade aspects
• Talk to Nyx until she gives you the waking-phrase ("I see your kingly pardon from a prison of stone")
• Equip the Sword at the House and then interact with its placeholder to reveal the Aspect of Arthur

Aspect of Arthur Moveset

Attack	Description	Damage	Effects
Heavy Slash	Press Attack button to Strike.	60 Damage	None
Combo	Press Attack > Attack > Attack for Combo. Each subsequent strike has increased windup time. * Dashes can be performed between the Attack inputs without interrupting the combo	60 / 80 / 200 Damage	None
Dash-Strike	Press Attack quickly after Dashing.	50 Damage	None
Hallowed Ground	Press Special button to use Hallowed Ground, creating a static aura that gives you damage reduction, disables traps, and slows the speed of enemy projectiles. * Duration of aura is 8 seconds. A new Hallowed Ground cannot be created until previous one has expired.	70 Damage	Cannot Backstab Knockback Create aura
Nova Smash	Press Special button during Hallowed Ground.	70 Damage	Cannot Backstab Knockback

Upgrades

Upgrade	Description	Notes
Breaching Slash	Your Attack deals +300% damage to Armor.
Cruel Thrust	Your Thrust deals +200% damage and has a +40% Critical chance.	Cannot be combined with World Splitter or Flurry Slash Although Dash-Strike looks like a thrust, it does not benefit from Cruel Thrust Incompatible with Aspect of Arthur
Cursed Slash	Your Attack restores 2 , but you have -60% .	This upgrade affects all sources of , including Centaur Hearts and Old Spiked Collar, meaning that you'll receive -60% health from those too Dash-Strike does not restore health. Piercing Wave has no benefit from this upgrade; only melee strikes will restore health.
Dash Nova	Your Special makes you lunge ahead, then become Sturdy for 0.8 Sec.
Double Edge	Your Dash-Strike hits twice and deals +20% damage.
Double Nova	Your Special hits twice but no longer knocks foes away.
Flurry Slash	Hold Attack to strike rapidly, dealing 25 base damage per hit.	Cannot be combined with World Splitter or Cruel Thrust Incompatible with Aspect of Arthur
Hoarding Slash	Your Attack deals bonus damage equal to 5% of your current .
Piercing Wave	Your Attack fires a wave that pierces foes, dealing 30 damage.	Piercing Waves cannot restore health if used with Cursed Slash.
Shadow Slash	Your Attack deals +200% damage when striking foes from behind.	The damage bonus is additive
Super Nova	Your Special hits a wider area and deals +20% damage.	Increases damage radius by 20% Does not impact Hallowed Ground aura size
World Splitter	Your Attack is replaced with a big chop that deals 90 base damage.	Cannot be combined with Flurry Slash or Cruel Thrust Incompatible with Aspect of Arthur
Greater Consecration	Your Holy Excalibur aura is +45% larger; makes foes +10% slower	Aspect of Arthur exclusive