The Aspect of Thanatos speeds up the slow Moonstone Axe and feeds crit chance to your Omega Moves with every strike you land.
The Aspect of Thanatos fixes the Moonstone Axe biggest weakness, its slow swing, and turns every strike into stacking crit for your Omega Moves.
Each Attack you land grants Mortality, a fleeting plus 2 percent critical chance for your Omega Moves that climbs to plus 20 percent and holds until you take damage. The faster you attack, the faster that crit ceiling fills, which is why the aspect also raises Attack Speed up to plus 55 percent.
The loop is clean: hit fast with the Attack to build Mortality, then unload an Omega whirlwind or Cleave that crits hard. It is the highest single-target ceiling the axe offers.
This guide covers how Mortality works, the aspect rank scaling, the crit boons that pair with it, and when to pick Thanatos over the axe's other aspects.
faster Attacks that grant Mortality, plus 2% Omega crit per strike up to +20%. the Moonstone Axe, where the speed boost answers its slow swing.
Artemis and other crit boons that stack with Mortality.The Aspect of Thanatos does two things at once: it speeds up your Attack and it builds Mortality, a crit buff for your Omega Moves, on every strike.
On the Moonstone Axe, the base Attack is slow and heavy, so the attack-speed boost is felt immediately. The wiki specifies that Mortality is a fleeting plus 2 percent critical chance for your Omega Moves, stacking up to a maximum of plus 20 percent, and it lasts until you take damage.
That ties offense to survival. Land a string of fast Attacks without getting hit and your next Omega whirlwind or Cleave swings with a fat crit chance on top of the axe already huge per-hit damage. Take a hit, and the Mortality resets, so the aspect rewards clean, aggressive play.
Build Mortality before you commit an Omega Move. Throw a few quick Attacks to climb toward plus 20 percent crit, then fire your Omega Attack or Omega Special so the crit lands on your biggest hit, not a basic swing.
The aspect scales Attack Speed, which indirectly raises your damage by letting you build Mortality and land Omega Moves faster.
| Rank | Attack Speed |
|---|---|
| Rank I | +20% |
| Rank II | +25% |
| Rank III | +30% |
| Rank IV | +35% |
| Rank V | +40% |
| Rank VI | +55% |
Rank I costs Glassrock and Nightshade, ranks II through V each cost Nightmare, and the rank VI jump to plus 55 percent unlocks through the Hephaestus Legendary boon Premium Service. The Mortality effect itself is fixed at plus 2 percent per strike up to plus 20 percent; the ranks make you reach that cap faster and swing the slow axe more comfortably.
Even rank I is a real quality-of-life upgrade on the axe. The plus 20 percent attack speed alone makes the weapon feel far less clumsy, so this is a strong aspect to take early and rank up as Nightmare allows.
The strongest Thanatos build stacks crit boons on top of Mortality, keeps Magick up for frequent Omega Moves, and avoids damage to hold the crit buff.
Because Mortality only buffs Omega Move crit, you want crit boons that stack with it and a steady supply of Magick to fire Omega Moves while the buff is high. Add a defensive layer so a stray hit does not wipe your Mortality stacks mid-fight.
Aspect of Thanatos (attack speed and Mortality crit) Artemis (crit chance and damage that stacks with Mortality)
Apollo or Hestia (percentage damage on the Omega hit)
Magick regen sources (fire Omega Moves often)
Aphrodite Weak (avoid the hit that resets Mortality)
Furious Whirlwind (faster Omega Attack channel)In practice this build melts single targets. Fast Attacks cap Mortality in a second or two, Artemis stacks more crit on top, and the Omega whirlwind or Cleave lands a critical hit with the axe huge base damage behind it. Across multiple runs, Thanatos has the axe highest boss-damage ceiling.
The Thanatos build wants crit boons that stack with Mortality, percentage damage on the Omega hit, and Magick sustain.
Artemis is the natural partner because her crit chance and crit damage stack on top of Mortality, pushing your Omega Moves toward near-guaranteed crits. Apollo and Hestia add percentage damage that multiplies the axe already large hits, which crits then amplify further.
Aphrodite Weak protects your Mortality stacks by softening incoming damage, and Poseidon adds spacing so you can keep attacking untouched. In practice, Artemis plus one percentage-damage god is the entire Thanatos core; everything else protects the crit buff.")
Crit boons multiply with Mortality rather than replacing it. Stacking Artemis crit on top of the plus 20 percent from Mortality is what turns the Omega whirlwind from a big hit into a screen-clearing critical, so prioritize crit sources over flat damage.
Pick Thanatos for single-target crit damage, and pick a different aspect for area clear or pure survivability.
The Aspect of Charon turns your Cast into an Omega Cast eruption for pack clear, the area option. 
The Aspect of Melinoe adds flat Attack Power and Max Life for a safe, simple build, and the hidden Aspect of Nergal swaps in the Rock Lion Mace and a Berserk state.
Thanatos has the highest single-target ceiling because Mortality plus crit boons make your Omega Moves crit constantly, but it asks you to avoid damage to keep the buff. If you want forgiving pack clear instead, Charon is the better pick. The full Moonstone Axe weapon guide compares all four aspects in depth.
On the Moonstone Axe, the Aspect of Thanatos makes your Attacks faster and grants Mortality on each strike, a fleeting plus 2 percent critical chance for your Omega Moves up to plus 20 percent. Attack Speed scales up to plus 55 percent at rank VI.
The Aspect of Thanatos is an aspect of the Moonstone Axe, Zorephet. It suits the axe because the attack-speed boost offsets the weapon's slow swing, and the Mortality crit feeds the powerful Omega Moves the axe relies on for damage.
Stack crit boons like Artemis that add to Mortality, take a percentage-damage god such as Apollo or Hestia for the Omega hit, keep Magick regeneration high to fire Omega Moves often, and use Aphrodite Weak so a stray hit does not reset Mortality.
Mortality is granted by the Aspect of Thanatos on each Attack. It gives a fleeting plus 2 percent critical chance for your Omega Moves, stacking up to plus 20 percent, and it lasts until you take damage, at which point it resets.
Yes, it is the best Moonstone Axe aspect for single-target damage. The attack-speed boost fixes the weapon's slow swing, and Mortality plus crit boons make the Omega Moves crit hard. It is weaker than Charon for clearing grouped packs.
It works without them, but it shines with them. Mortality caps at plus 20 percent crit, so crit boons like Artemis stack on top to push your Omega Moves toward consistent critical hits, which is where the build's damage spikes come from.
Pick Thanatos for single-target crit damage against bosses and elites, and pick Charon for pack clear through the Cleave-Cast. Thanatos has the higher boss ceiling but wants clean play, while Charon is the more forgiving area option.
Rank VI gives plus 55 percent attack speed, but even rank I at plus 20 percent is a strong quality-of-life upgrade on the slow axe. Rank it up as Nightmare allows, since faster attacks both build Mortality quicker and make the weapon smoother.
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Game data and weapon art adapted from hades.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Supergiant Games.