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Prince of the Underworld - Zagreus for Smash!

SirBillyBob

Smash Ace
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
551
Location
My house
Switch FC
SW-5257-9274-9505
The Prince escapes into Smash!
Zagreus for Smash.jpg

What is Hades?

Hades is an indie rogue-like from the American developer SuperGiant games. It originally came out in early access on the Epic Games store in 2018 and made a full release on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2020. It has since gone on to receive critical acclaim for its gameplay, story, graphics, and music. It also received awards for Best Action and Best Indie at the 2020 Game Awards.
Who is he?
Zagreus is the Main Protagonist of Hades. Son of the God of the Dead (not Death, that's Thanatos), Hades, he wishes to escape his realm and get to the outside, and battles his way through multiple levels of the underworld. He encounters the help of many classical Greek gods and entities, and may also build relationships with them while using their gifts to his advantage.
Why should he be in Smash?
Zagreus would be able to bring a unique moveset to Smash, being able to use many different weapons in his home game while also augmenting them with various boons from the gods, gifts that give certain aspects of his attacks different attributes and abilities. An example of this would be Ares, the god of war, whose boons often give Zagreus' weapons the trait of doom, which deals a burst of damage to an enemy a little while after they've been struck. This is just an example of the many potential boons that could come with his kit.
Potential Movesets:



Zagreus Raises Hell! (or, if that’s not acceptable by the ESRB, Zagreus Breaks Out!)

Zagreus’s palette swaps are based on other characters that he encounters – Thanatos (black and gold), Megaera (blue and yellow), Charon (an inverted version of Thanatos’s colours – far more gold than black), Nyx (purple), Cerberus/Hypnos (mostly red with some green), Achilles/Dusa (green with blonde hair), and Persephone (white with some green, and his hair is very light blonde).

For a series logo, I’ll go with Hades’ symbol, which appears on Charon’s obols and Hades’ beard, among other places.

For a stage, I’m going with House of Hades, where Zagreus returns every single time that he dies. Specifically, the main lobby, where Hades is sitting at his desk in the background as shades pass through. Various characters can be present in the background, whether it’s Cerberus, Thanatos, Megaera, Orpheus, Nyx, Achilles, or Hades himself. If Zagreus is being played as, Hades is always absent for reasons that I’ll get into later. The house contractor is always present, and will occasionally get tossed some gems or diamonds to add new features to the house, that act as platforms or obstacles.

Zagreus arrives on stage similarly to how he starts a run – by falling from the sky and landing on the platform, though fire flares out of the ground on either side of him as he lands. For his idle animations, he hops from foot to foot impatiently or twirls his sword.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zagreus will cycle between his various weapons for the moveset, though he’ll generally be holding the Stygian Blade in his right hand, keeping his left hand free, and taking the others out as he needs them. To justify his main gimmick (which I’ll get into later), he’ll be wearing the Shattered Shackle from Sisyphus on his arm.

A-->AA-->AAA: Zagreus swings the Stygian Blade twice before stabbing with it.

Forward A: Zagreus stabs with the Eternal Spear

Up A: Zagreus uppercuts the enemy twice (based on the Twin Fists of Malphon’s special)

Down A: Zagreus throws out two quick punches with the Twin Fists of Malphon

Forward Smash: Bull Rush – while charging, Zagreus holds the Shield of Chaos in front of him, which blocks attacks from the front like Link’s shield. Upon release, he shoves with the shield; it doesn’t send enemies as far as most Smash attacks or have much range to compensate for its blocking properties.

Up Smash: Zagreus shoots an explosive into the air, which acts like Snake’s mortar. (based on the Adamant Rail’s special)

Down Smash: Zagreus uses the Eternal Spear’s spin attack

Neutral Air: Zagreus spins around, swinging the Shield of Chaos

Forward Air: Zagreus fires the Adamant Rail (basically a machine gun) at a slightly downwards angle – the recoil pushes him back slightly.

Back Air: Zagreus turns around, swinging the Stygian Blade behind himself.

Up Air: Zagreus throws the Shield of Chaos into the air

Down Air: Zagreus uses the Heart-Seeking Bow’s Volley Fire ability straight down. (fires several arrows quickly in an arc)

Dash Attack: Zagreus thrusts with the Stygian Blade

Wake-Up Attack: Zagreus punches on either side of him with the Twin Fists of Malphon

Climb Attack: Zagreus climbs back on stage, swinging the Stygian Blade vertically at the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grab: Zagreus grabs the opponent with his left hand.

Pummel: Zagreus hits the opponent with the bottom of the sword.

Forward Throw: Zagreus quickly charges up a shot with the Heart-Seeking Bow, firing it point-blank to knock the opponent away.

Back Throw: Zagreus stabs the opponent with the Eternal Spear and throws it behind him, with the opponent still attached to it. He recalls the spear shortly after, though the opponent keeps flying in the original direction.

Up Throw: Zagreus uppercuts the enemy with the Twin Fists of Malphon, launching them into the air.

Down Throw: Zagreus throws the opponent to the ground and smacks them in the back with the Shield of Chaos before kicking them away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up Taunt: Zagreus pumps his arm into the air, which he does when he catches a fish.

Side Taunt: Zagreus points forward, like he does in front of the motivational poster, and tries giving a motivational speech that just sounds lame.

Down Taunt: Zagreus puts his hand on his face and shakes his head

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlike most of my move lists, I’m going to start with Down B, since it’s the source of Zagreus’s main gimmick.

Down B: Fickle Boon. Much like Shulk’s Monado art, Zagreus can cycle between six boons, which have different effects on his specials:

  • none – represented by a gray picture of Bouldy, Sisyphus’s boulder. No special powers, but it’s more powerful​
  • Zeus – represented by a lightning bolt in a yellow circle.​
  • Poseidon – represented by a trident in a blue circle.​
  • Athena – represented by a shield in a yellow and blue circle.​
  • Artemis – represented by a bow and arrow in a green circle.​
  • Ares – represented by a spear in a red circle.​

The boons decrease the damage of Zagreus’s specials slightly, and he travels shorter distances for his side B and up B in exchange for abilities that are detailed below.

B: Cast. Zagreus fires a red projectile, and if it hits the enemy, it latches on to them, indicated by a Bloodstone symbol (a red prism) above their life bar. Only one Bloodstone can be latched on to anyone at a time, and while it’s latched, Zagreus deals more damage to them. Hitting the opponent enough times, or hitting them hard enough, will knock the Bloodstone out of them.

  • Zeus: the cast projectile becomes chain lightning, bouncing between up to three opponents. The Bloodstone will latch onto the last person who is hit.​
  • Poseidon: the cast projectile knocks enemies away once it hits​
  • Athena: the cast projectile’s range is shorter, but it can deflect projectiles​
  • Artemis: the cast has a slight homing ability, and is flanked by two homing arrows that deal additional damage.​
  • Ares: the cast sends a Blade Rift (a whirling circle of blades) ahead. The Blade Rift is slower than the normal cast, and has a shorter range, but it deals significantly more damage if the whole thing hits.​

Up B: Dash. Zagreus dashes upwards, which can be controlled similar to Lucario’s up B. This does no damage without any boons, though it travels farther.

  • Zeus: lightning strikes where he started the dash​
  • Poseidon: when he reaches the end of the dash, water bursts out from Zagreus to knock opponents away and damage them​
  • Athena: a shield appears around Zagreus at the start of the dash, deflecting projectiles​
  • Artemis: the attack ignores super armour (based on some of her skills doing more damage to armour)​
  • Ares: a Blade Rift appears where Zagreus started, continuously dealing damage for a second or two​

Side B: Nova Smash. Leaping forward, Zagreus swings the sword downwards, creating a small burst as an area attack.

  • Zeus: lightning strikes on the outer edges of the shockwave, dealing significantly more damage if the opponent is on the outer edge of the shockwave​
  • Poseidon: water bursts out from Zagreus, causing enemies to get send further away​
  • Athena: a shield appears around Zagreus to deflect projectiles, though it’s in a much tighter circle than the shockwave​
  • Artemis: the shockwave has a small chance to inflict critical damage, significantly increasing damage and knockback​
  • Ares: the shockwave causes Doom, meaning that a few seconds after it hits, opponents take extra damage, though the extra damage doesn’t cause knockback.​

Final Smash: Blood and Darkness. Hades appears in a puff of smoke, saying something like “Thought you could escape me, boy?” before burning off his cloak. Hades teleports into the air and starts firing lasers all over the stage, with Zagreus dashing to avoid them. Zagreus is temporarily invincible (as shown by a blue crystalline shield around him), but his opponents aren’t so lucky.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For his first victory pose, Zagreus places his sword on his shoulder, like his stance on the game’s title screen. For his second one, he bites into a slice of a Pom of Power, and he makes a comment about how good it tastes. For his third victory pose, Cerberus growls at the camera before Zagreus walks on-screen. Cerberus’s demeanour immediately changes to being a big, friendly three-headed dog as Zagreus pets him.

For a victory theme, the first thing that comes to mind is a snippet from No Escape, the game’s title theme. (the 23 second mark or the ending seem like good notes to possibly end on)

When Kirby absorbs Zagreus, he gets Zagreus’s hair and laurel wreath, along with his Cast ability. Like with Zagreus, Kirby’s attacks will deal more damage to whoever it latches onto, though Kirby’s Bloodstone is pink to differentiate it from Zagreus’s.
ZAGREUS

GIMMICKS:

Zagreus' weapons are linked to specific attacks, regular normals are sword based, aerials are fists, Smash attacks are spear based.

Bloodstone and God Gauge. Bloodstone shows you when Cast is available, as the move has a cooldown effect.

God Gauge lets you know when Boons are available, this slowly builds up overtime but builds up faster when hit and even faster when dealing damage


NORMALS
Jab: Zag swings Stygius 3 times, once per button press like the typical attack.
Up tilt: Zagreus swings Stygius above him in a wide arc.
F tilt: Zagreus performs a clean horizontal cut
Down tilt: Zag crouches and stabs at a low angle.
Dash attack: Zagreus jumps before crashing Stygius to the ground.
Up Smash: Zagreus stabs with Varatha directly in front of him.
F Smash: Zagreus stabs directly in front of him, this can be angled.
Down Smash: Zag swings Varatha in a circle, hitting both sides of him at once.
AERIALS
Nair: Wielding Malphon, Zag punches in front of him similar to the other character who's Nair has them punch
Fair: Zag does two swift punches while reaching forwards
Up air: Punches in an arc above him before following through with a second punch
Bair: Zag performs a uppercut behind him, slow, but strong and has the most range of his aerials.
Dair: Zagreus lifts both hands before striking directy beneath him. This can spike when sweetspotted
THROWS
Pummel: Zagreus knees the enemy
F Throw: Zagreus bashes the opponent with a shoulder barge
Up Throw: Using Stygius, Zagreus swings upwards, dragging his foe with him.
Back Throw: After fully picking up the opponent, Zagreus slams the foe into the ground behind him
Down Throw: Zagreus forces the foe on their knees before slamming them into the ground
SPECIALS
B: Cast, Zagreus will stand for a second before launching his Bloodstone. This move has a cooldown similar to the original game, even if it misses, so make it lands. Beyond being a reasonably strong projectile, opponents hit by Cast will take extra damage for a few seconds until the Bloodstone gets dislodged. Cast has other effects when a certain condition is fullfilled, but we'll get to that.

Side B: Shield Toss, Zagreus tosses Aegis, which functions identically to the Link trio's Boomerangs, meaning it can be angled and bounce off surfaces. This cannot be used again until Aegis either returns to Zag or disappears.

Up B: Bull Rush. Zagreus charges up, allowing the player to point in a full 360 degree angle, before charging in that held direction. It's hard to intercept as the hitbox is directly in front of Zagreus and goes surprisingly far, but this move becomes unavailable when Shield Toss is used until Aegis returns.

Down B: Boon. Hoo boy this is a doozy. When Zag's God Gauge is full, he can obtain a Boon, similar to MvC Pheonix Wright, this is RNG determined which streamlines it significantly and also remains accurate to the roguelike nature of the game. He can only summon a Boon when the God Gauge is full and it'll last until it's emptied, in which the Boon gets discarded. A symbol will appear when Zagreus holds the Boon above him before activating and said symbol will appear on his UI, said symbol corresponding to the God he summoned.
BOONS
Aphrodite: Attacks debuff those who are hit for while, Cast becomes a shortranged blast.

Ares: Attacks inflict Doom, which works like Sephiroth's Shadow Flare, so foes who get hit by Zag end up taking extra damage after a set time, this effect more damage the more you hit someone, but it'll also reset the timer before Doom goes off. Cast throws a slow Blade Rift that deals damage quickly but no knockback

Artemis: Opponents become 'marked', so Zagreus deals more damage. Cast becomes a homing shot.

Athena: Zagreus gets a Franklin badge and gains a slight defence boost, Cast throws out a projectile that reflects anything coming it's way while dealing some damage on it's own.

Chaos: After a alightly longer summon animation, Chaos randomly gives Zagreus a bad effect, ranging from poisoning him, lowering his own stats, falling asleep/getting his shield broken, etc. If he survives by the time the effect wears off, he gets a random good effect, including healing, stat boosts, an extra Bloodstone, etc. The God Gauge gets refilled when certain effects happen to clarify how long the buffs happen.

Demeter: Attacks can freeze, Cast becomes a shockwave that freezes on impact.

Dionysis: Attacks deal DoT, cast becomes a bomb that leaves a big poison cloud.

Hermes: Increased speed, Cast has less cooldown.

Poseidon: Attacks do more knockback, Cast becomes a powerful waterbomb that explodes on impact.

Zeus: Attacks do more hitstun, Cast becomes a piercing projectile.
FINAL SMASH

Hades charges through, capturing those unlucky enough to be hit in a cinematic where Zagreus and Hades duke it out with the trapped foes getting caught in the crossfire before Zag goes through them to strike the final blow to Hades.
Introduction Video by Room100:
Supporters:
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Þe 1 → Way
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Last edited:

Megadoomer

Moderator
Moderator
Writing Team
Joined
Jun 28, 2013
Messages
10,396
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SW-0351-1523-9047
This game is downright addicting - I got it figuring that it would be more accessible than something like Enter The Gungeon (plus, I liked Bastion), and now it's one of the most played games on my Switch (just behind Final Fantasy 7, which took me 35-ish hours to beat).

I already wrote up a moveset for Zagreus in the Newcomer Speculation thread, so if it's all right, I'll just copy and paste that here:


Zagreus Raises Hell! (or, if that’s not acceptable by the ESRB, Zagreus Breaks Out!)

Zagreus’s palette swaps are based on other characters that he encounters – Thanatos (black and gold), Megaera (blue and yellow), Charon (an inverted version of Thanatos’s colours – far more gold than black), Nyx (purple), Cerberus/Hypnos (mostly red with some green), Achilles/Dusa (green with blonde hair), and Persephone (white with some green, and his hair is very light blonde).

For a series logo, I’ll go with Hades’ symbol, which appears on Charon’s obols and Hades’ beard, among other places.

For a stage, I’m going with House of Hades, where Zagreus returns every single time that he dies. Specifically, the main lobby, where Hades is sitting at his desk in the background as shades pass through. Various characters can be present in the background, whether it’s Cerberus, Thanatos, Megaera, Orpheus, Nyx, Achilles, or Hades himself. If Zagreus is being played as, Hades is always absent for reasons that I’ll get into later. The house contractor is always present, and will occasionally get tossed some gems or diamonds to add new features to the house, that act as platforms or obstacles.

Zagreus arrives on stage similarly to how he starts a run – by falling from the sky and landing on the platform, though fire flares out of the ground on either side of him as he lands. For his idle animations, he hops from foot to foot impatiently or twirls his sword.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zagreus will cycle between his various weapons for the moveset, though he’ll generally be holding the Stygian Blade in his right hand, keeping his left hand free, and taking the others out as he needs them. To justify his main gimmick (which I’ll get into later), he’ll be wearing the Shattered Shackle from Sisyphus on his arm.

A-->AA-->AAA: Zagreus swings the Stygian Blade twice before stabbing with it.

Forward A: Zagreus stabs with the Eternal Spear

Up A: Zagreus uppercuts the enemy twice (based on the Twin Fists of Malphon’s special)

Down A: Zagreus throws out two quick punches with the Twin Fists of Malphon

Forward Smash: Bull Rush – while charging, Zagreus holds the Shield of Chaos in front of him, which blocks attacks from the front like Link’s shield. Upon release, he shoves with the shield; it doesn’t send enemies as far as most Smash attacks or have much range to compensate for its blocking properties.

Up Smash: Zagreus shoots an explosive into the air, which acts like Snake’s mortar. (based on the Adamant Rail’s special)

Down Smash: Zagreus uses the Eternal Spear’s spin attack

Neutral Air: Zagreus spins around, swinging the Shield of Chaos

Forward Air: Zagreus fires the Adamant Rail (basically a machine gun) at a slightly downwards angle – the recoil pushes him back slightly.

Back Air: Zagreus turns around, swinging the Stygian Blade behind himself.

Up Air: Zagreus throws the Shield of Chaos into the air

Down Air: Zagreus uses the Heart-Seeking Bow’s Volley Fire ability straight down. (fires several arrows quickly in an arc)

Dash Attack: Zagreus thrusts with the Stygian Blade

Wake-Up Attack: Zagreus punches on either side of him with the Twin Fists of Malphon

Climb Attack: Zagreus climbs back on stage, swinging the Stygian Blade vertically at the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grab: Zagreus grabs the opponent with his left hand.

Pummel: Zagreus hits the opponent with the bottom of the sword.

Forward Throw: Zagreus quickly charges up a shot with the Heart-Seeking Bow, firing it point-blank to knock the opponent away.

Back Throw: Zagreus stabs the opponent with the Eternal Spear and throws it behind him, with the opponent still attached to it. He recalls the spear shortly after, though the opponent keeps flying in the original direction.

Up Throw: Zagreus uppercuts the enemy with the Twin Fists of Malphon, launching them into the air.

Down Throw: Zagreus throws the opponent to the ground and smacks them in the back with the Shield of Chaos before kicking them away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up Taunt: Zagreus pumps his arm into the air, which he does when he catches a fish.

Side Taunt: Zagreus points forward, like he does in front of the motivational poster, and tries giving a motivational speech that just sounds lame.

Down Taunt: Zagreus puts his hand on his face and shakes his head

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlike most of my move lists, I’m going to start with Down B, since it’s the source of Zagreus’s main gimmick.

Down B: Fickle Boon. Much like Shulk’s Monado art, Zagreus can cycle between six boons, which have different effects on his specials:

  • none – represented by a gray picture of Bouldy, Sisyphus’s boulder. No special powers, but it’s more powerful
  • Zeus – represented by a lightning bolt in a yellow circle.
  • Poseidon – represented by a trident in a blue circle.
  • Athena – represented by a shield in a yellow and blue circle.
  • Artemis – represented by a bow and arrow in a green circle.
  • Ares – represented by a spear in a red circle.

The boons decrease the damage of Zagreus’s specials slightly, and he travels shorter distances for his side B and up B in exchange for abilities that are detailed below.

B: Cast. Zagreus fires a red projectile, and if it hits the enemy, it latches on to them, indicated by a Bloodstone symbol (a red prism) above their life bar. Only one Bloodstone can be latched on to anyone at a time, and while it’s latched, Zagreus deals more damage to them. Hitting the opponent enough times, or hitting them hard enough, will knock the Bloodstone out of them.

  • Zeus: the cast projectile becomes chain lightning, bouncing between up to three opponents. The Bloodstone will latch onto the last person who is hit.
  • Poseidon: the cast projectile knocks enemies away once it hits
  • Athena: the cast projectile’s range is shorter, but it can deflect projectiles
  • Artemis: the cast has a slight homing ability, and is flanked by two homing arrows that deal additional damage.
  • Ares: the cast sends a Blade Rift (a whirling circle of blades) ahead. The Blade Rift is slower than the normal cast, and has a shorter range, but it deals significantly more damage if the whole thing hits.

Up B: Dash. Zagreus dashes upwards, which can be controlled similar to Lucario’s up B. This does no damage without any boons, though it travels farther.

  • Zeus: lightning strikes where he started the dash
  • Poseidon: when he reaches the end of the dash, water bursts out from Zagreus to knock opponents away and damage them
  • Athena: a shield appears around Zagreus at the start of the dash, deflecting projectiles
  • Artemis: the attack ignores super armour (based on some of her skills doing more damage to armour)
  • Ares: a Blade Rift appears where Zagreus started, continuously dealing damage for a second or two

Side B: Nova Smash. Leaping forward, Zagreus swings the sword downwards, creating a small burst as an area attack.

  • Zeus: lightning strikes on the outer edges of the shockwave, dealing significantly more damage if the opponent is on the outer edge of the shockwave
  • Poseidon: water bursts out from Zagreus, causing enemies to get send further away
  • Athena: a shield appears around Zagreus to deflect projectiles, though it’s in a much tighter circle than the shockwave
  • Artemis: the shockwave has a small chance to inflict critical damage, significantly increasing damage and knockback
  • Ares: the shockwave causes Doom, meaning that a few seconds after it hits, opponents take extra damage, though the extra damage doesn’t cause knockback.

Final Smash: Blood and Darkness. Hades appears in a puff of smoke, saying something like “Thought you could escape me, boy?” before burning off his cloak. Hades teleports into the air and starts firing lasers all over the stage, with Zagreus dashing to avoid them. Zagreus is temporarily invincible (as shown by a blue crystalline shield around him), but his opponents aren’t so lucky.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For his first victory pose, Zagreus places his sword on his shoulder, like his stance on the game’s title screen. For his second one, he bites into a slice of a Pom of Power, and he makes a comment about how good it tastes. For his third victory pose, Cerberus growls at the camera before Zagreus walks on-screen. Cerberus’s demeanour immediately changes to being a big, friendly three-headed dog as Zagreus pets him.

For a victory theme, the first thing that comes to mind is a snippet from No Escape, the game’s title theme. (the 23 second mark or the ending seem like good notes to possibly end on)

When Kirby absorbs Zagreus, he gets Zagreus’s hair and laurel wreath, along with his Cast ability. Like with Zagreus, Kirby’s attacks will deal more damage to whoever it latches onto, though Kirby’s Bloodstone is pink to differentiate it from Zagreus’s.
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
Hades is fantastic and worth every penny. Count me in on Zag. It'd be a huge missed opportunity to not have the Kid Icarus cast involved in his trailer like Palutena offering a Smash invitation to Zagreus in the form of a boon.
 

SirBillyBob

Smash Ace
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
551
Location
My house
Switch FC
SW-5257-9274-9505
Alright, I've added both of y'all to the supporters list.
This game is downright addicting - I got it figuring that it would be more accessible than something like Enter The Gungeon (plus, I liked Bastion), and now it's one of the most played games on my Switch (just behind Final Fantasy 7, which took me 35-ish hours to beat).

I already wrote up a moveset for Zagreus in the Newcomer Speculation thread, so if it's all right, I'll just copy and paste that here:


Zagreus Raises Hell! (or, if that’s not acceptable by the ESRB, Zagreus Breaks Out!)

Zagreus’s palette swaps are based on other characters that he encounters – Thanatos (black and gold), Megaera (blue and yellow), Charon (an inverted version of Thanatos’s colours – far more gold than black), Nyx (purple), Cerberus/Hypnos (mostly red with some green), Achilles/Dusa (green with blonde hair), and Persephone (white with some green, and his hair is very light blonde).

For a series logo, I’ll go with Hades’ symbol, which appears on Charon’s obols and Hades’ beard, among other places.

For a stage, I’m going with House of Hades, where Zagreus returns every single time that he dies. Specifically, the main lobby, where Hades is sitting at his desk in the background as shades pass through. Various characters can be present in the background, whether it’s Cerberus, Thanatos, Megaera, Orpheus, Nyx, Achilles, or Hades himself. If Zagreus is being played as, Hades is always absent for reasons that I’ll get into later. The house contractor is always present, and will occasionally get tossed some gems or diamonds to add new features to the house, that act as platforms or obstacles.

Zagreus arrives on stage similarly to how he starts a run – by falling from the sky and landing on the platform, though fire flares out of the ground on either side of him as he lands. For his idle animations, he hops from foot to foot impatiently or twirls his sword.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zagreus will cycle between his various weapons for the moveset, though he’ll generally be holding the Stygian Blade in his right hand, keeping his left hand free, and taking the others out as he needs them. To justify his main gimmick (which I’ll get into later), he’ll be wearing the Shattered Shackle from Sisyphus on his arm.

A-->AA-->AAA: Zagreus swings the Stygian Blade twice before stabbing with it.

Forward A: Zagreus stabs with the Eternal Spear

Up A: Zagreus uppercuts the enemy twice (based on the Twin Fists of Malphon’s special)

Down A: Zagreus throws out two quick punches with the Twin Fists of Malphon

Forward Smash: Bull Rush – while charging, Zagreus holds the Shield of Chaos in front of him, which blocks attacks from the front like Link’s shield. Upon release, he shoves with the shield; it doesn’t send enemies as far as most Smash attacks or have much range to compensate for its blocking properties.

Up Smash: Zagreus shoots an explosive into the air, which acts like Snake’s mortar. (based on the Adamant Rail’s special)

Down Smash: Zagreus uses the Eternal Spear’s spin attack

Neutral Air: Zagreus spins around, swinging the Shield of Chaos

Forward Air: Zagreus fires the Adamant Rail (basically a machine gun) at a slightly downwards angle – the recoil pushes him back slightly.

Back Air: Zagreus turns around, swinging the Stygian Blade behind himself.

Up Air: Zagreus throws the Shield of Chaos into the air

Down Air: Zagreus uses the Heart-Seeking Bow’s Volley Fire ability straight down. (fires several arrows quickly in an arc)

Dash Attack: Zagreus thrusts with the Stygian Blade

Wake-Up Attack: Zagreus punches on either side of him with the Twin Fists of Malphon

Climb Attack: Zagreus climbs back on stage, swinging the Stygian Blade vertically at the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grab: Zagreus grabs the opponent with his left hand.

Pummel: Zagreus hits the opponent with the bottom of the sword.

Forward Throw: Zagreus quickly charges up a shot with the Heart-Seeking Bow, firing it point-blank to knock the opponent away.

Back Throw: Zagreus stabs the opponent with the Eternal Spear and throws it behind him, with the opponent still attached to it. He recalls the spear shortly after, though the opponent keeps flying in the original direction.

Up Throw: Zagreus uppercuts the enemy with the Twin Fists of Malphon, launching them into the air.

Down Throw: Zagreus throws the opponent to the ground and smacks them in the back with the Shield of Chaos before kicking them away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up Taunt: Zagreus pumps his arm into the air, which he does when he catches a fish.

Side Taunt: Zagreus points forward, like he does in front of the motivational poster, and tries giving a motivational speech that just sounds lame.

Down Taunt: Zagreus puts his hand on his face and shakes his head

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unlike most of my move lists, I’m going to start with Down B, since it’s the source of Zagreus’s main gimmick.

Down B: Fickle Boon. Much like Shulk’s Monado art, Zagreus can cycle between six boons, which have different effects on his specials:

  • none – represented by a gray picture of Bouldy, Sisyphus’s boulder. No special powers, but it’s more powerful
  • Zeus – represented by a lightning bolt in a yellow circle.
  • Poseidon – represented by a trident in a blue circle.
  • Athena – represented by a shield in a yellow and blue circle.
  • Artemis – represented by a bow and arrow in a green circle.
  • Ares – represented by a spear in a red circle.

The boons decrease the damage of Zagreus’s specials slightly, and he travels shorter distances for his side B and up B in exchange for abilities that are detailed below.

B: Cast. Zagreus fires a red projectile, and if it hits the enemy, it latches on to them, indicated by a Bloodstone symbol (a red prism) above their life bar. Only one Bloodstone can be latched on to anyone at a time, and while it’s latched, Zagreus deals more damage to them. Hitting the opponent enough times, or hitting them hard enough, will knock the Bloodstone out of them.

  • Zeus: the cast projectile becomes chain lightning, bouncing between up to three opponents. The Bloodstone will latch onto the last person who is hit.
  • Poseidon: the cast projectile knocks enemies away once it hits
  • Athena: the cast projectile’s range is shorter, but it can deflect projectiles
  • Artemis: the cast has a slight homing ability, and is flanked by two homing arrows that deal additional damage.
  • Ares: the cast sends a Blade Rift (a whirling circle of blades) ahead. The Blade Rift is slower than the normal cast, and has a shorter range, but it deals significantly more damage if the whole thing hits.

Up B: Dash. Zagreus dashes upwards, which can be controlled similar to Lucario’s up B. This does no damage without any boons, though it travels farther.

  • Zeus: lightning strikes where he started the dash
  • Poseidon: when he reaches the end of the dash, water bursts out from Zagreus to knock opponents away and damage them
  • Athena: a shield appears around Zagreus at the start of the dash, deflecting projectiles
  • Artemis: the attack ignores super armour (based on some of her skills doing more damage to armour)
  • Ares: a Blade Rift appears where Zagreus started, continuously dealing damage for a second or two

Side B: Nova Smash. Leaping forward, Zagreus swings the sword downwards, creating a small burst as an area attack.

  • Zeus: lightning strikes on the outer edges of the shockwave, dealing significantly more damage if the opponent is on the outer edge of the shockwave
  • Poseidon: water bursts out from Zagreus, causing enemies to get send further away
  • Athena: a shield appears around Zagreus to deflect projectiles, though it’s in a much tighter circle than the shockwave
  • Artemis: the shockwave has a small chance to inflict critical damage, significantly increasing damage and knockback
  • Ares: the shockwave causes Doom, meaning that a few seconds after it hits, opponents take extra damage, though the extra damage doesn’t cause knockback.

Final Smash: Blood and Darkness. Hades appears in a puff of smoke, saying something like “Thought you could escape me, boy?” before burning off his cloak. Hades teleports into the air and starts firing lasers all over the stage, with Zagreus dashing to avoid them. Zagreus is temporarily invincible (as shown by a blue crystalline shield around him), but his opponents aren’t so lucky.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For his first victory pose, Zagreus places his sword on his shoulder, like his stance on the game’s title screen. For his second one, he bites into a slice of a Pom of Power, and he makes a comment about how good it tastes. For his third victory pose, Cerberus growls at the camera before Zagreus walks on-screen. Cerberus’s demeanour immediately changes to being a big, friendly three-headed dog as Zagreus pets him.

For a victory theme, the first thing that comes to mind is a snippet from No Escape, the game’s title theme. (the 23 second mark or the ending seem like good notes to possibly end on)

When Kirby absorbs Zagreus, he gets Zagreus’s hair and laurel wreath, along with his Cast ability. Like with Zagreus, Kirby’s attacks will deal more damage to whoever it latches onto, though Kirby’s Bloodstone is pink to differentiate it from Zagreus’s.
What a great moveset you've made here, this would be a lot of fun to play as, I'm sure. You mind if I add this to the introduction post?
Hades is fantastic and worth every penny. Count me in on Zag. It'd be a huge missed opportunity to not have the Kid Icarus cast involved in his trailer like Palutena offering a Smash invitation to Zagreus in the form of a boon.
That would be awesome to see, I can just imagine Zagreus being confused seeing a boon from a god he's never heard of before. You could even have a bit with Palutena and Athena, with them accusing eachother of copying.
 

Megadoomer

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Alright, I've added both of y'all to the supporters list.

What a great moveset you've made here, this would be a lot of fun to play as, I'm sure. You mind if I add this to the introduction post?
Nope, I don't mind!

Hades is fantastic and worth every penny. Count me in on Zag. It'd be a huge missed opportunity to not have the Kid Icarus cast involved in his trailer like Palutena offering a Smash invitation to Zagreus in the form of a boon.
I figured that Pit and Palutena would be involved in Zagreus's trailer if he ever made it into Smash, but I didn't think of Palutena offering him a boon. I know osby osby mentioned that Bayonetta should appear in there, which makes a lot of sense.
 

SirBillyBob

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Nope, I don't mind!
Thanks mate, I've included it in the post (now if only I can center it without breaking it...) But anyways, I love how you represented the boons and weapons in his moveset. My idea was to have the Stygian blade be his default weapon and his specials be the other ones, with the down special letting you choose a boon ala Shulk, having it affect all of his attacks.
 

SNEKeater

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Add me to the support list.

It's a fantastic game. one of the best games I've played this year.

Probably not happening (at least for the current Pass), but he would definitely have the potential to bring a very interesting challenger pack.
 

Megadoomer

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Thanks mate, I've included it in the post (now if only I can center it without breaking it...) But anyways, I love how you represented the boons and weapons in his moveset. My idea was to have the Stygian blade be his default weapon and his specials be the other ones, with the down special letting you choose a boon ala Shulk, having it affect all of his attacks.
Thanks! Admittedly, trying to use all of the weapons might have left the moveset feeling a little unfocused, but I didn't want to stick with just generic sword swings - there are plenty of characters who can already do that. (plus, I haven't gotten enough Titan Blood to see what all of the Aspects of the sword can do)
 

Schonberg

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Yeah there’s no way Zagreus is getting in this pass, the game just came way too late after the stated finalizing of the fighters pass. The early access was around for a while, but I highly doubt it would be on Smash’s radar at that point even as far as indies are concerned.

But in the future? Maybe, and I’m ALL here for it. Hades is one of the best Rougelikes I’ve ever played, and he’s easily made his way up to being my second most wanted indie character even after such a short time. It’s such a stylishly composed game, not to mention addictive and loads of fun. I’d love to see how the Smash team would interpret Hades’ artstyle into the Smash style for a character model.

Put me in for support.
 

SirBillyBob

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Add me to the support list.

It's a fantastic game. one of the best games I've played this year.

Probably not happening (at least for the current Pass), but he would definitely have the potential to bring a very interesting challenger pack.
Added. I admit he's definitively not happening in this FP, but I could see him filling a similar role to The Knight where they become popular in the Smash Fandom and might get something like a mii costume if his game continues to be successful, which I imagine it will.

Thanks! Admittedly, trying to use all of the weapons might have left the moveset feeling a little unfocused, but I didn't want to stick with just generic sword swings - there are plenty of characters who can already do that. (plus, I haven't gotten enough Titan Blood to see what all of the Aspects of the sword can do)
That's fair, I imagine Sakurai would want to do something similar as well. I think a nice compromise would be three weapons being used in his moveset. I don't think you need to represent everything; Byleth certainly doesn't.

Schonberg Schonberg Added you to the list. I agree, I would love to see these characters remade in higher-quality models, kinda hard to appreciate the smaller characters.
 
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SirBillyBob

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Even though Hades didn't win game of the year, it was still nice that it won some awards. Nice to see Nintendo congratulate them as well.
Another cool thing to note is that it's getting a Japan release as well, so that'll cover our bases over there too.
Overall, I think it's been a good year for the game.
 

SNEKeater

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Even though Hades didn't win game of the year, it was still nice that it won some awards. Nice to see Nintendo congratulate them as well.
Another cool thing to note is that it's getting a Japan release as well, so that'll cover our bases over there too.
Overall, I think it's been a good year for the game.
Game was absolutely great. I honestly thought it was going to only win in Best Indie Game but glad to see it won Best Action Game. Though I'm not gonna lie, I voted for Streets of Rage for that award. Wasn't expecting SoR4 to win anyways lol

Surprised that the game isn't available in japanese to be honest.
 

SirBillyBob

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Game was absolutely great. I honestly thought it was going to only win in Best Indie Game but glad to see it won Best Action Game. Though I'm not gonna lie, I voted for Streets of Rage for that award. Wasn't expecting SoR4 to win anyways lol

Surprised that the game isn't available in japanese to be honest.
I'm surprised it won over Doom Eternal to be honest. And as for it not being available to the Japanese, it's an indie studio. Yeah, SuperGiant's one of the more successful ones, but it's still an indie studio.
 

SNEKeater

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I'm surprised it won over Doom Eternal to be honest. And as for it not being available to the Japanese, it's an indie studio. Yeah, SuperGiant's one of the more successful ones, but it's still an indie studio.
True. Though as far as I have seen from some journalists, it feels like Hades has been more well received among them than Doom Eternal. That would explain the result.

By the way, Nintendo seems to really like Hades:
 

SirBillyBob

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True. Though as far as I have seen from some journalists, it feels like Hades has been more well received among them than Doom Eternal. That would explain the result.

By the way, Nintendo seems to really like Hades:
Yeah I saw that post. Just makes me feel like if Hades has more time to grow within these next few years, then Zagreus has a decent chance to feature in Smash in some capacity, especially once it comes out in Japan.
 

ShrimpScampi

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I'm a little under two hours into Hades, and I'm already in love with it. I've played Bastion and Transistor and enjoyed both of them, but never got around to Pyre. I adore Hades' combat, and the roguelike elements make it really addicting, especially when you get a good set of boons -- the first setup I beat Meg with was the shield + three dashes (second dash from the permanent upgrade, third dash from Hermes) + Aphrodite's boon that lets your dash inflict Weak + Dionysus' Cast boon that turns it into the Festive Fog bomb, and I was having a blast sprinting all over the place and tossing projectiles.

I'd be down for Zagreus in Smash, both because I like Hades itself and because Supergiant Games as a studio makes some great games, and it'd be cool to see them get a rep. Not to mention Darren Korb makes some really fun music, both in Hades and in Bastion/Transistor. Most likely not gonna happen in this pass, but I'd love to see Supergiant get some recognition in Smash somewhere down the line.
 

SirBillyBob

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I'm a little under two hours into Hades, and I'm already in love with it. I've played Bastion and Transistor and enjoyed both of them, but never got around to Pyre. I adore Hades' combat, and the roguelike elements make it really addicting, especially when you get a good set of boons -- the first setup I beat Meg with was the shield + three dashes (second dash from the permanent upgrade, third dash from Hermes) + Aphrodite's boon that lets your dash inflict Weak + Dionysus' Cast boon that turns it into the Festive Fog bomb, and I was having a blast sprinting all over the place and tossing projectiles.

I'd be down for Zagreus in Smash, both because I like Hades itself and because Supergiant Games as a studio makes some great games, and it'd be cool to see them get a rep. Not to mention Darren Korb makes some really fun music, both in Hades and in Bastion/Transistor. Most likely not gonna happen in this pass, but I'd love to see Supergiant get some recognition in Smash somewhere down the line.
I saw all the hype regarding Hades when it came out and I finally got it when it was on sale during Black Friday and I fell in love with it since then. I agree that the gameplay can be really addicting when you get a good set, though I must admit it can get a little cheesy when you get multiple Athena boons and just deflect everything.

Much like I've said before, Zagreus won't make it in this FP, but once his game comes out in Japan and its had some years to garner support, I believe he will be prime to feature in Smash in some capacity. In any case, glad to have another supporter. Should I add you to the list?
 

ShrimpScampi

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I saw all the hype regarding Hades when it came out and I finally got it when it was on sale during Black Friday and I fell in love with it since then. I agree that the gameplay can be really addicting when you get a good set, though I must admit it can get a little cheesy when you get multiple Athena boons and just deflect everything.

Much like I've said before, Zagreus won't make it in this FP, but once his game comes out in Japan and its had some years to garner support, I believe he will be prime to feature in Smash in some capacity. In any case, glad to have another supporter. Should I add you to the list?
Yeah, definitely add me to the list, thanks
 

Tetrin

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Of the few indie reps I think belong in smash, I'd say Zagreus (despite his game coming out very recently) is one of them.
 

SirBillyBob

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I got the game as a birthday gift and holy **** I've been so addicted I forgot to eat 2 days in a row, I'd love for Zag to get acknowledged
First of all, how do you forget to eat for two days straight? That's just wild.
Second, I'm glad you've become enlightened. Once his game comes out in Japan, then the ball starts rolling for his inclusion, I feel.
 

Cutie Gwen

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First of all, how do you forget to eat for two days straight? That's just wild.
Second, I'm glad you've become enlightened. Once his game comes out in Japan, then the ball starts rolling for his inclusion, I feel.
I meant forgetting dinner specifically, my job's pretty physically demanding so I'd have probably fainted if I forgot to eat as a whole lmao.

Anyway due to a very brief discussion on the subject in the Newcomer Speculation thread, I've come up with some moveset ideas. I've only got a few ideas so far but I'm going to constantly update it until I have a full moveset to post. Here's a teaser, I've already figured out how to 2 specials and some normals
 

SirBillyBob

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I meant forgetting dinner specifically, my job's pretty physically demanding so I'd have probably fainted if I forgot to eat as a whole lmao.

Anyway due to a very brief discussion on the subject in the Newcomer Speculation thread, I've come up with some moveset ideas. I've only got a few ideas so far but I'm going to constantly update it until I have a full moveset to post. Here's a teaser, I've already figured out how to 2 specials and some normals
Ah, that makes sense then. As for the moveset, here's an idea I had if you feel like using it. I imagine his down special being sort of like Shulk's neutral special which allows him to choose between a preset of boons which affects his entire moveset for the rest of his stock. Haven't decided if it gets replaced with another move or to allow him to change his boon to another, but it's a start regardless. In any case, I look forward to what you make.
 

Cutie Gwen

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Ah, that makes sense then. As for the moveset, here's an idea I had if you feel like using it. I imagine his down special being sort of like Shulk's neutral special which allows him to choose between a preset of boons which affects his entire moveset for the rest of his stock. Haven't decided if it gets replaced with another move or to allow him to change his boon to another, but it's a start regardless. In any case, I look forward to what you make.
Thanks but I've already written my idea down, I'm thinking more Pheonix Wright if you catch my drift
 

Cutie Gwen

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ZAGREUS

GIMMICKS:

Zagreus' weapons are linked to specific attacks, regular normals are sword based, aerials are fists, Smash attacks are spear based.

Bloodstone and God Gauge. Bloodstone shows you when Cast is available, as the move has a cooldown effect.

God Gauge lets you know when Boons are available, this slowly builds up overtime but builds up faster when hit and even faster when dealing damage


NORMALS
Jab: Zag swings Stygius 3 times, once per button press like the typical attack.
Up tilt: Zagreus swings Stygius above him in a wide arc.
F tilt: Zagreus performs a clean horizontal cut
Down tilt: Zag crouches and stabs at a low angle.
Dash attack: Zagreus jumps before crashing Stygius to the ground.
Up Smash: Zagreus stabs with Varatha directly in front of him.
F Smash: Zagreus stabs directly in front of him, this can be angled.
Down Smash: Zag swings Varatha in a circle, hitting both sides of him at once.
AERIALS
Nair: Wielding Malphon, Zag punches in front of him similar to the other character who's Nair has them punch
Fair: Zag does two swift punches while reaching forwards
Up air: Punches in an arc above him before following through with a second punch
Bair: Zag performs a uppercut behind him, slow, but strong and has the most range of his aerials.
Dair: Zagreus lifts both hands before striking directy beneath him. This can spike when sweetspotted
THROWS
Pummel: Zagreus knees the enemy
F Throw: Zagreus bashes the opponent with a shoulder barge
Up Throw: Using Stygius, Zagreus swings upwards, dragging his foe with him.
Back Throw: After fully picking up the opponent, Zagreus slams the foe into the ground behind him
Down Throw: Zagreus forces the foe on their knees before slamming them into the ground
SPECIALS
B: Cast, Zagreus will stand for a second before launching his Bloodstone. This move has a cooldown similar to the original game, even if it misses, so make it lands. Beyond being a reasonably strong projectile, opponents hit by Cast will take extra damage for a few seconds until the Bloodstone gets dislodged. Cast has other effects when a certain condition is fullfilled, but we'll get to that.

Side B: Shield Toss, Zagreus tosses Aegis, which functions identically to the Link trio's Boomerangs, meaning it can be angled and bounce off surfaces. This cannot be used again until Aegis either returns to Zag or disappears.

Up B: Bull Rush. Zagreus charges up, allowing the player to point in a full 360 degree angle, before charging in that held direction. It's hard to intercept as the hitbox is directly in front of Zagreus and goes surprisingly far, but this move becomes unavailable when Shield Toss is used until Aegis returns.

Down B: Boon. Hoo boy this is a doozy. When Zag's God Gauge is full, he can obtain a Boon, similar to MvC Pheonix Wright, this is RNG determined which streamlines it significantly and also remains accurate to the roguelike nature of the game. He can only summon a Boon when the God Gauge is full and it'll last until it's emptied, in which the Boon gets discarded. A symbol will appear when Zagreus holds the Boon above him before activating and said symbol will appear on his UI, said symbol corresponding to the God he summoned.
BOONS
Aphrodite: Attacks debuff those who are hit for while, Cast becomes a shortranged blast.

Ares: Attacks inflict Doom, which works like Sephiroth's Shadow Flare, so foes who get hit by Zag end up taking extra damage after a set time, this effect more damage the more you hit someone, but it'll also reset the timer before Doom goes off. Cast throws a slow Blade Rift that deals damage quickly but no knockback

Artemis: Opponents become 'marked', so Zagreus deals more damage. Cast becomes a homing shot.

Athena: Zagreus gets a Franklin badge and gains a slight defence boost, Cast throws out a projectile that reflects anything coming it's way while dealing some damage on it's own.

Chaos: After a alightly longer summon animation, Chaos randomly gives Zagreus a bad effect, ranging from poisoning him, lowering his own stats, falling asleep/getting his shield broken, etc. If he survives by the time the effect wears off, he gets a random good effect, including healing, stat boosts, an extra Bloodstone, etc. The God Gauge gets refilled when certain effects happen to clarify how long the buffs happen.

Demeter: Attacks can freeze, Cast becomes a shockwave that freezes on impact.

Dionysis: Attacks deal DoT, cast becomes a bomb that leaves a big poison cloud.

Hermes: Increased speed, Cast has less cooldown.

Poseidon: Attacks do more knockback, Cast becomes a powerful waterbomb that explodes on impact.

Zeus: Attacks do more hitstun, Cast becomes a piercing projectile.
FINAL SMASH

Hades charges through, capturing those unlucky enough to be hit in a cinematic where Zagreus and Hades duke it out with the trapped foes getting caught in the crossfire before Zag goes through them to strike the final blow to Hades.
 

Strife

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Isn't it like impossible for Zagreus to get in the game as the roster was decided before his game was even announced?
 
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SirBillyBob

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ZAGREUS

GIMMICKS:

Zagreus' weapons are linked to specific attacks, regular normals are sword based, aerials are fists, Smash attacks are spear based.

Bloodstone and God Gauge. Bloodstone shows you when Cast is available, as the move has a cooldown effect.

God Gauge lets you know when Boons are available, this slowly builds up overtime but builds up faster when hit and even faster when dealing damage


NORMALS
Jab: Zag swings Stygius 3 times, once per button press like the typical attack.
Up tilt: Zagreus swings Stygius above him in a wide arc.
F tilt: Zagreus performs a clean horizontal cut
Down tilt: Zag crouches and stabs at a low angle.
Dash attack: Zagreus jumps before crashing Stygius to the ground.
Up Smash: Zagreus stabs with Varatha directly in front of him.
F Smash: Zagreus stabs directly in front of him, this can be angled.
Down Smash: Zag swings Varatha in a circle, hitting both sides of him at once.
AERIALS
Nair: Wielding Malphon, Zag punches in front of him similar to the other character who's Nair has them punch
Fair: Zag does two swift punches while reaching forwards
Up air: Punches in an arc above him before following through with a second punch
Bair: Zag performs a uppercut behind him, slow, but strong and has the most range of his aerials.
Dair: Zagreus lifts both hands before striking directy beneath him. This can spike when sweetspotted
THROWS
Pummel: Zagreus knees the enemy
F Throw: Zagreus bashes the opponent with a shoulder barge
Up Throw: Using Stygius, Zagreus swings upwards, dragging his foe with him.
Back Throw: After fully picking up the opponent, Zagreus slams the foe into the ground behind him
Down Throw: Zagreus forces the foe on their knees before slamming them into the ground
SPECIALS
B: Cast, Zagreus will stand for a second before launching his Bloodstone. This move has a cooldown similar to the original game, even if it misses, so make it lands. Beyond being a reasonably strong projectile, opponents hit by Cast will take extra damage for a few seconds until the Bloodstone gets dislodged. Cast has other effects when a certain condition is fullfilled, but we'll get to that.

Side B: Shield Toss, Zagreus tosses Aegis, which functions identically to the Link trio's Boomerangs, meaning it can be angled and bounce off surfaces. This cannot be used again until Aegis either returns to Zag or disappears.

Up B: Bull Rush. Zagreus charges up, allowing the player to point in a full 360 degree angle, before charging in that held direction. It's hard to intercept as the hitbox is directly in front of Zagreus and goes surprisingly far, but this move becomes unavailable when Shield Toss is used until Aegis returns.

Down B: Boon. Hoo boy this is a doozy. When Zag's God Gauge is full, he can obtain a Boon, similar to MvC Pheonix Wright, this is RNG determined which streamlines it significantly and also remains accurate to the roguelike nature of the game. He can only summon a Boon when the God Gauge is full and it'll last until it's emptied, in which the Boon gets discarded. A symbol will appear when Zagreus holds the Boon above him before activating and said symbol will appear on his UI, said symbol corresponding to the God he summoned.
BOONS
Aphrodite: Attacks debuff those who are hit for while, Cast becomes a shortranged blast.

Ares: Attacks inflict Doom, which works like Sephiroth's Shadow Flare, so foes who get hit by Zag end up taking extra damage after a set time, this effect more damage the more you hit someone, but it'll also reset the timer before Doom goes off. Cast throws a slow Blade Rift that deals damage quickly but no knockback

Artemis: Opponents become 'marked', so Zagreus deals more damage. Cast becomes a homing shot.

Athena: Zagreus gets a Franklin badge and gains a slight defence boost, Cast throws out a projectile that reflects anything coming it's way while dealing some damage on it's own.

Chaos: After a alightly longer summon animation, Chaos randomly gives Zagreus a bad effect, ranging from poisoning him, lowering his own stats, falling asleep/getting his shield broken, etc. If he survives by the time the effect wears off, he gets a random good effect, including healing, stat boosts, an extra Bloodstone, etc. The God Gauge gets refilled when certain effects happen to clarify how long the buffs happen.

Demeter: Attacks can freeze, Cast becomes a shockwave that freezes on impact.

Dionysis: Attacks deal DoT, cast becomes a bomb that leaves a big poison cloud.

Hermes: Increased speed, Cast has less cooldown.

Poseidon: Attacks do more knockback, Cast becomes a powerful waterbomb that explodes on impact.

Zeus: Attacks do more hitstun, Cast becomes a piercing projectile.
FINAL SMASH

Hades charges through, capturing those unlucky enough to be hit in a cinematic where Zagreus and Hades duke it out with the trapped foes getting caught in the crossfire before Zag goes through them to strike the final blow to Hades.
This is a great moveset, I love how you included the god gauge in relation to the boons. And I must say, you took my exact idea of having the boons change the cast (then again, it'd be strange not to.) You should definitely post this in the Newcomer thread if you haven't already. May I put this in the intro post?

Isn't it like impossible for Zagreus to get in the game as the roster was decided before his game was even announced?
Yes, it is impossible for Zagreus to get in because his game came out after everything was decided. But we're not expecting him to get in this Smash, at most maybe a spirit or a Mii costume. This is just to rally support for maybe a FP3 or, more likely, next Smash.
 

Strife

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This is a great moveset, I love how you included the god gauge in relation to the boons. And I must say, you took my exact idea of having the boons change the cast (then again, it'd be strange not to.) You should definitely post this in the Newcomer thread if you haven't already. May I put this in the intro post?


Yes, it is impossible for Zagreus to get in because his game came out after everything was decided. But we're not expecting him to get in this Smash, at most maybe a spirit or a Mii costume. This is just to rally support for maybe a FP3 or, more likely, next Smash.
Zagreus would make a great starter for FP3 honestly. He is also one of those picks I don't think needs to be saved for the Next Smash iteration either.

Speaking of which, if there is a FP3 does everyone think they'll have 6 characters? Or would they add an additional slot like they did for FP2?
 

SirBillyBob

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Zagreus would make a great starter for FP3 honestly. He is also one of those picks I don't think needs to be saved for the Next Smash iteration either.

Speaking of which, if there is a FP3 does everyone think they'll have 6 characters? Or would they add an additional slot like they did for FP2?
Not to get too tinfoil hat on you, but given what those 15 WOL slots mean, and subtracting that from FP1 and FP2, I feel like a FP3 would only be four fighters.
 

Cutie Gwen

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This is a great moveset, I love how you included the god gauge in relation to the boons. And I must say, you took my exact idea of having the boons change the cast (then again, it'd be strange not to.) You should definitely post this in the Newcomer thread if you haven't already. May I put this in the intro post?


Yes, it is impossible for Zagreus to get in because his game came out after everything was decided. But we're not expecting him to get in this Smash, at most maybe a spirit or a Mii costume. This is just to rally support for maybe a FP3 or, more likely, next Smash.
I came up with it when thinking of how to let players know how long their boosts last and then I went "Wait, there's already something like that"

Sure thing, it'd be an honour
 

Megadoomer

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Backer surveys are out for Fraymakers, and Zagreus is one of the playable characters that I voted for. If the backer Discord is any indication, he seems to be a popular choice for the game (this survey is happening at a good time for him), so it might be worth keeping an eye on the game in case he does become playable there.
 

SirBillyBob

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Backer surveys are out for Fraymakers, and Zagreus is one of the playable characters that I voted for. If the backer Discord is any indication, he seems to be a popular choice for the game (this survey is happening at a good time for him), so it might be worth keeping an eye on the game in case he does become playable there.
That's actually pretty cool to know. Fraymakers is getting a decent amount of buzz, so if he gets in then that might create some demand for him to get in Smash proper. Overall, a win-win situation.
 
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