Introduction

As the goddess of home, Hestia is often not noticeable. Her ability to build twice is often compared to Demeter or Hephaestus by most people. However if you have read our posts before, you will know that Demeter and Hephaestus are both deadly, and so is Hestia! But the main problem is, where to release the fire of the hearths on?

God Power

Your worker may build one additional time, but this cannot be on a perimeter space.

Category

Player build

Explanation

During your build stage, you may build twice. The first build can be anywhere, even on the perimeter. However, the second build must be in the center 9 spaces. Both builds can be blocks or domes.

Game Strategies

Early Game

Preferably, Hestia would like to play in the center, since there is where her power is most effective. But of course the center is not easy to control since the opponent has easy access to almost every square of the center. This is why usually Hestia goes first for the perimeter. Having moved to a level 1 in the perimeter, you can now aim for the center of the board. Like what Hephaestus would do, you can build level 2s. If your opponent lets you move to one of the 9 central squares while being on a level 2, things will be very complicated for him. For example, consider the following position, which is now Hestia to play:

Hestia in her turn moves to E3 and builds on D4, threatening to move to D4 with a level 2. The opponent immediately prevents this by building a level 3 over it. Not being able to move to a level 2 in the center, Hestia goes for a level in the perimeter. By moving to E4 and building on D5, it will be easy to transit to a central level 2. The game is almost over for the opponent (it is very hard to stop the win in E5).

Anyway, the idea here is that by threatening to move to a central level 2, your opponent has two options: either he lets you move (and you will have a very good position) or he builds a level 3 (which he should in most cases do) to prevent you from moving up. But by building the level 3s, Hestia is in the area of the board in which it will be easier to win and she will also be in a good position.

You might be wondering: “How do I stop any of the previous situations from happening?” In some cases such as the example, this might be impossible if your power is too weak. But the best way to prevent Hestia from doing this strategy is by staying close to her regardless of your power. This way, it will be harder for her to move up to places in the center where you cannot go first.

Mid Game

Hestia is very good at attacking but also at defending. She can do something that almost no god can do, which is to build a dome over a level 2 by building twice in that square. While this can be a very good defensive resource, keep in mind that this is reducing Hestia’s ability as there is one less central square, since if all the central squares are domed, Hestia is a mortal. Other than this, most of Hestia’s strategies are familiar to those who play with Demeter or Hephaestus. Of course, she can only build twice in the same square if that square is in the center, and twice in different squares if at least one of the squares is in the center. But the fact that she can alternate between both strategies is just amazing, and is what makes her so powerful!

Late Game

If the board is built almost everywhere, then Hestia is probably not the best power to have, since it is hard to make use of her ability. But this situation is unlikely in a game featuring Hestia, so don’t worry.

Specific Matchup

Clio

If Clio builds the first three times in the 9 central squares, keep in mind that Hestia cannot use the extra build in none of those squares. Furthermore, with Clio controlling the center, it won’t be easy for Hestia to move up to a level 2 in a central square. It won’t be easy to play this game with Hestia and you would probably wish you were Demeter.

Demeter

If you want a balanced game, this can be your selection. The fact that the powers are similar makes the game well balanced. Anyway, Hestia should have a slight edge.

Graeae

Having 3 workers makes it a lot easier to cover several areas of the board. Don’t be tricked by Graeae’s passiveness -- there are cases when she can steal the win from Hestia.

Limus

This is another case in which Limus proves how strong she is! Everyone knows that building in the center is not easy when you are facing Limus. In particular, if Limus keeps a worker in the center C3, the opponent can only build in the perimeter. Therefore, Hestia almost has no ability when playing against Limus. It will be almost impossible to defeat Limus with Hestia.

Other gods

Most gods which are balanced against Demeter are also balanced against Hestia: Aphrodite, Ares, Artemis, Asteria, Athena, Castor & Pollux, Chaos, Charybdis, Eris, Graeae, Hephaestus, Minotaur, Prometheus, Scylla, Terpsichore.

Conclusion

Hestia could be considered a simple god as you can see her as a mix between Demeter and Hephaestus. Sometimes you would wish you were only Demeter and sometimes you would wish you were only Hephaestus. But being Hephaestus in one and Demeter in the other is really powerful. Hestia is definitely a very strong goddess and you need good skills and a good god power to beat her.

Tier ranking: A