Hades was part of Wizard101's first area and dungeon wizards could rent instead of buy. While Hades' gear is currently in an awkward spot being squished into setups ten levels before Darkmoor, it was a staple at the time of its release, replacing Waterworks gear for those lucky enough to snag it (though there were a fair number of Waterworks holdouts).
Hades the Unseen
Hades is fought alongside a more powerful version of Zeus and Poseidon at the end of Tartarus, a dungeon designed for wizards level 90+. It is a four-fight dungeon (five if you mess up the urn puzzle or more if you accidentally get pulled by some of the mobs) with some stunning environments and challenging enemies. Tartarus costs 3,995 crowns to access, or you can rent the zone for 6 hours for 695 crowns. Hades has a boss chest that scales at 75 crowns per reward rather than the usual 50. Like with the Waterworks dungeon, you will only get Hades drops (including from his chest) for your wizard's school.
Gear Appearance
Hades' gear has a unique look that's pretty cool, despite not looking quite like what Hades actually wears. One of the most interesting pieces is the hat. The horns point forwards on the male gear and curve backwards on the female gear. Hades also drops a staff for each school.
Balance Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Balance wizards.
Death Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Death wizards.
Fire Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Fire wizards.
Ice Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Ice wizards.
Life Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Life wizards.
Myth Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Myth wizards.
Storm Hades Gear
Hades drops two sets: one offensive and one defensive. Check out the options for level 90+ Storm wizards.
Hades Wands
Here are the wands that Hades drops - one for each school. They offer piercing, universal critical, and school-specific critical. Ice is a little different and offers block instead of pierce. These wands are also dropped by Cronus in Tartarus. (Feel free to click these images to enlarge them.)
Exalted Amulets & Amulet of Divine Influence
The other items of note dropped by Hades specifically in Tartarus (which is notable because it means they do drop from his chest) are exalted amulets and the Amulet of Divine Influence. Exalted amulets are essentially upgraded mastery amulets. The Amulet of Divine Influence was the best amulet available at the time, and is still a very good option for any wizard. These exalted amulets (not the Amulet of Divine influence) are also dropped by Gladiator Dimecharus in Mount Olympus, the Sand Squid in Atlantea, and Cronus in Tartarus. (Feel free to click these images to enlarge them.)
Why They Matter
Over the course of this month, I'll be doing a sort of "Significant Gear Series" that covers the most important sets and items that have defined where wizards farm, how they build their setups, and more. This will be an opportunity to compare stats and discuss structure. We'll cover everything from Waterworks to Darkmoor to some of the more recent sets. In the future, we may go further back.
Hades gear was another set that was generally considered the best available. But at level 90, Tartarus was still a fairly difficult dungeon. Waterworks, which still offered great gear, was much easier 30 levels later (as Tartarus is now at level 130). But Hades gear did something that Waterworks didn't - it gave options. Now, you didn't have to get exactly the piece you wanted. You could get the other robe and be okay. They are very close in terms of stats and one can be used in place of the other. Alternatively, if you farm a lot and got all of your gear, you could choose. Do I want to pursue a more offensive or defensive setup? Again, the options are pretty close, but there are some differences.
This would be emulated by Malistaire gear ten levels later, which would offer tiers that were all-around pretty good. Plus, you could use your secondary gear piece if you didn't get your Malistaire drops (which was and is incredibly common). Furthermore, after the release of Darkmoor, Hades gear because a sort of alternate option on its own. Even with these newer, level 100 offerings, Hades gear was still a fair set, and if you got a piece of yours while completing the quest in Aquila, you might be inclined to keep it instead of tackling the Graveyard or other dungeons that are still daunting at level 130.
Credits: Thanks to the following individuals for help with images: JaredJamesTheWizard, Evelya, Bailey Jade, Chris Fireheart, FIRE, Phenoixblizzard, Ravino., Fairy Queen, steMoGeL, Lord of Ice, Morgrim Dragonstaff, Alia Dawnbreaker, and Margarita
Did you farm for your Hades gear?
Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!
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