Boon Advisor — Picking the Right Boon at Every Nexus Gate
A static reference for picking the best Boon at a Nexus Gate in Crimson Moon, organized by status-effect family and build identity.
Boon Advisor — Picking the Right Boon at Every Nexus Gate
Nexus Gates are the mid-run choice points in a Ward run. At each gate, you're offered three Boons and pick one. Picking consistently — stacking the same status-effect family or resource — is what turns a base weapon + Angel setup into a build by run's end.
This page is a static reference (no interactive chooser). Use the tables below to plan your picks before you enter a Ward.
The decision flow
For each Nexus Gate, ask:
- What status effect does my weapon / Weapon Art apply? (Frost, Bleed, Poison, Burn, Marked)
- What is my Angel? (Aegis for defense, Sunder for offense)
- What am I missing? (Damage? Survivability? Status-effect uptime? Resource generation?)
If the answer to #3 lines up with one of the three offered Boons, take it. If none line up, take the Boon that extends your status-effect uptime — that decision almost never loses.
Status-effect family picks
Per Status Effects and the three launch-week community builds:
Frost builds (the meta)
| Your weapon applies | Best Nexus Gate pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frost | **Frost-scaling Boon** | Extends Frost uptime → reaches Frozen → windows your burst |
| Frost | **Frost duration Boon** | Same — sometimes duration > damage |
| Frost | **Resource regen Boon** | Banks Angel Ascension faster → more transformations |
| Frost | Avoid: DoT-scaling Boons (Bleed, Poison) | Off-family; splits your scaling |
Best Frost build refs: Hellish Frost Reaper, Frost BREAKS.
Bleed / Poison (DoT) builds
| Your weapon applies | Best Nexus Gate pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | **Bleed damage Boon** | Multiplies your per-tick |
| Bleed | **Poison Boon** (if you have Poison-scaling secondary) | Enables the [Poison Bleed double-debuff](/builds/poison-bleed-newdengs/) |
| Poison | **Poison duration Boon** | Stacks cleanly |
| Poison | **Poison damage Boon** | Multiplies per-tick |
| Bleed / Poison | Avoid: Frost / Burn | Splits scaling; doesn't compound |
Burn builds
| Your weapon applies | Best Nexus Gate pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Burn | **Burn damage Boon** | Multiplies per-tick |
| Burn | **Burn duration Boon** | Extends window |
| Burn | Avoid: Frost, Bleed, Poison | Off-family |
Burn builds are less-represented in launch-week community content — Frost dominates. See Status Effects for the full breakdown.
Marked builds
| Your weapon applies | Best Nexus Gate pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Marked | **Marked duration Boon** | Extends the damage-taken window |
| Marked | **Burst damage Boon** | Marked multiplies your burst — stack burst |
| Marked + Frost | **Frost + Marked Boons** | Double-dips — Marked multiplies Frost's DoT |
| Marked | Avoid: pure DoT extensions | Marked wants burst, not DoT |
Angel-driven picks
| Your Angel | Best Nexus Gate pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Aegis | **Angel Ascension charge rate Boon** | More transformations = more cleanses |
| Aegis | **Defensive Boons** (damage resistance, block / parry extension) | Compounds with Aegis's defensive window |
| Sunder | **Sunderance Boons** | Multiplies the burst window directly |
| Sunder | **Damage Boons** | Sunder wants raw damage output |
| Either | **Resource generation Boons** | Universal — works for both |
Survivability picks
If you're about to die and a Nexus Gate appears:
| Situation | Best Nexus Gate pick |
|---|---|
| Low HP, no Aegis | **Heal Boon** (if available) — banks a one-shot save |
| High DoT uptime | **Cleanse Boon** (if available) — lets you survive the next DoT phase |
| Boss-fight incoming | **Damage resistance Boon** — direct mitigation for the next 30 seconds |
| Resource-starved | **Resource regen Boon** — banks Angel Ascension for the boss |
Survivability picks are the only situation where you break the status-effect family rule. If your Frost build is about to die to a Frost-resistant boss, taking a damage-resistance Boon is the right call.
When to skip a Boon
You can't skip Nexus Gates — you must pick one of three. But the "least-bad" pick is:
- A Boon that doesn't actively hurt your scaling (e.g. a generic stat Boon)
- A Boon with conditional value (only triggers in a situation you're not in — better than nothing)
- A Boon whose downside doesn't compound (some Boons have trade-offs)
Cross-references
| Build identity | Status effect family | Angel | Best Boon picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Hellish Frost Reaper](/builds/hellish-frost-reaper-rpjames/) | Frost | Sunder | Frost-scaling + Frost duration + Sunderance |
| [Frost BREAKS](/builds/frost-break-hellish-fidisti/) | Frost | Either | Frost-scaling + resource regen |
| [Poison Bleed](/builds/poison-bleed-newdengs/) | Bleed + Poison | Either | Bleed damage + Poison duration |
Related
- How Runs Work — when Nexus Gates appear in the run loop
- Status Effects — what each status does
- Angels — Aegis / Sunder and how Angel Ascension works
- How Builds Work — weapon + Boons + Angel + gear
- Hellish Frost Reaper, Frost BREAKS, Poison Bleed — concrete Boon-pick examples
Confirmed by
- Steam store page ↗ — Nexus Gates as a system
- "How Runs Work" dev post (linked from How Runs Work guide)
- crimsonmoonguide.online Boon Advisor page (community wiki, cross-checked)
- The three launch-week community builds (RPJames, FIDISTI, NewDengs)