| “ | You've got quite the fighting spirit in you there, I have to say. Most intriguing, and yet no surprise for someone born in hell itself. You come on out of there, and tell me all about it. I'm a fellow student of death, you see. | „ |
| ~ Ares |
Ares is the Olympian God of War. Unlike the more strategically oriented Athena, Ares' domain is the physical, violent, and untamed aspects of warfare.
He offers boons to Zagreus, which can increase his ability damage, inflict his signature Status Curse, Doom, or create Blade Rifts which deal rapid damage to enemies who walk into them.
Ares boons deal high amounts of damage over time, either by keeping enemies inside Blade Rifts, or by continuously applying Doom to enemies.
His signature Status Curse is Doom, which causes enemies to take a large amount of damage shortly after being inflicted, consuming the Curse. Ares also offers boons which increase the effectiveness of his Status Curse itself, such as Dire Misfortune.
Ares returns in Hades II and offers his boons to Melinoë. His new signature Status Curse is Wounds which makes Melinoë's strike have +50 power that can be re-applied every 3 seconds.
Characteristics and Personality[]
Ares is a lover of war and chaos, and while he may have a calm and courteous demeanor, he revels in the chaos of battle. As the Blood Knight, he is willing to aid his cousin Zagreus in his struggles in the Underworld, leading him to sow a chaotic trail wherever he goes in his name.
Other Olympians are not particularly fond of Ares, and may curse him for his weak compliments. They find his thirst for polite carnage disconcerting. Ares is very confident, even arrogant, about his boons and often boasts about how his boons are better or will help Zagreus more than those of other gods, particularly Athena's. They see Ares as a terrible influence on Zagreus. Aphrodite, on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind and considers him a "bad boy".
The God of War is often misunderstood by his fellow Olympians. Artemis, in particular, finds Ares' conversations "embarrassing", as he always lets slip his "peculiar tastes" and prefers to keep her distance from him, with his attempts to start a conversation always ending in disaster. He secretly admires the Chthonic Gods for their darker roles, and he is the only Olympian who treats them beyond cold affability. Unfortunately, his joy in death is not even shared by the Chthonic gods, who see it more as a mundane aspect of their work.
In conversation with Chaos, it is revealed that surprisingly, Ares is one of the few who still venerates them. However, it is implied that Ares' worship of "chaos" was misguided, as he confused it with the vast and infinite void of violence and disorder. He also mentions having studied "all the designs of fate" and is the only god to express familiarity with Excalibur, implying he knows much more about the future than Athena does.
Physical description[]
Ares is described as a powerful man with broad shoulders, a dark skin tone, and white warpaint over his eyes. He is dressed in a complex set of heavy battle armor and a badly tattered cape. However, his golden helmet is damaged with a large red "X" carved into the forehead, and he holds it in his arms, revealing his white hair, strong jawline, and black-leafed victory laurel. Ares is armed with a red-edged Kopis, along with two other swords strapped to his back. His body armor appears to be themed around a vulture, one of his sacred animals, with a large raven's-face motif on his breast, alongside black feather-like decorations tucked into his shoulder pieces.
In Hades II, Ares sports a different armor from the first game, but in the same colors. He keeps his tethered cape and his helmet now has more war marks. His hair is messier and he is covered in blood, especially on his hands and feet, that are completely stained. Beside him is a red chop saw blade.
Hades[]
Ares is one of the gods that reaches out to Zagreus. He is eager to lend his powers to his cousin to aid him in his killings and wishes he could be present to see it. He often talks about war and death and his respect and admiration for the chthonic gods, as well as encouraging Zagreus with his killings and wishing many more.
He attends the feast alongside the other Olympians, glad to have seen Nyx face to face during it. From then on, he will continue lending Zagreus his help.
Hades II[]
He appears after you first encounter Typhon at Olympus peak. Note: you don't have to defeat him, just get to him.
Affinity[]
Ares' affinity gauge is maxed out at 7 hearts. The final affinity gauge will be locked until Zagreus completes the War-God's Bloodlust prophecy (the prerequisite for this prophecy is 3 
Nectar given to Ares and slaying 2000 enemies) which requires slaying at minimum 10,000 enemies total. The affinity gauge will not immediately unlock upon completing the prophecy, but rather from a dialogue with Ares a few encounters later.
As of Early Access, Ares' affinity gauge is maxed out at 3 hearts.
Codex entry[]
Book of Shadows entry[]
Trivia[]
- Athena benefits are centered around increasing defense, while he focuses on boosting your attack.
- Ironically, the delayed blessings of Ares suggest a more defensive playstyle, whereas Athena's protective aspects promote a more offensive style.
- His politeness towards the Chthonic gods likely sterns from different myths of his where they work together and the fact his domain is often intertwined with theirs.
- It was Ares that eventually rescued Thanatos from Sisyphus's imprisonment.
- His wish to contact Nyx perhaps comes from how he is close to Eris, often said to be one of his bloodthirsty partners.
- Eris confirms she knows him, further supporting this theory.
- Alternatively, it could also be from the one time it's said both hooked up.
- Ares's associated color is red. This is most likely a reference to his status as a God of War and Bloodshed, but might also be an indirect reference to his Roman counterpart, Mars, which in astronomy is also the name of the Red Planet.
- Ares was the last of the Olympian Gods introduced in Hades II with The Warsong Update.
- His Hades II portrait is based on the Ludovisi Ares statue.
- All of Ares' elemental boon affinities are earth. This can be attributed to the wars of mortalkind on land, as well as the multiple cults Ares had scattered around different places.
- Coincidentally, his Roman counterpart, Mars, was also said to be an agricultural deity.
Gallery[]
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Ares Reward -
Ares Symbol in Hades
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Ares Symbol in Hades II
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Ares Bond Forged Icon
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Ares Codex entry portrait
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Ares Book of Shadows entry portrait
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Ares WIP portrait
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Halloween 2020 by Joanne Tran
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The Warsong Update illustration
Additional notes[]
For additional information on Ares that does not pertain to Hades, see Wikipedia's article: Ares
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