Hades Keepsakes: Who to give Nectar to
Like everything in Supergiant Games’ incredible catalogue, using Nectar to ingratiate Zagreus with the pantheon of Gods in Hades is an absolute mood. Blending eye-straining action, a huge suite of powers, and the most stylish interpretation of Greek mythology this side of the underworld, Hades lets you make friends as well as enemies.
Gifting the bottles of Nectar you find as you battle through the realms of Hades to your family, rivals, and various other characters grants you Keepsakes. These are special souvenirs of your friendship that give Zagreus powerful buffs as he makes his escape.
Hades Keepsakes - Who to give Nectar to
Unlike coins and Boons, Nectar is kept in Zagreus’ inventory even when he dies - so you can keep hold of as many bottles as you like before splurging on that special someone.
However, you don’t get a Keepsake every single time you give a character Nectar. You can see who’s about to cough up in Achilles’ codex.
The hearts displayed under a character’s name indicate their relationship with Zagreus. Filling up the heart with the pink bow inside will net you a Keepsake.
Often, especially when you’re offering tribute to the gods of Olympus, the resulting trinket will help you to find rarer Boons from a specific god out in the dungeons. This means you can focus on collecting the buffs from a single, complementary branch.
However, there are also plenty of Keepsakes with more general powers that are very useful.
These are great additions to your build, and can really help to push your runs to the next level.
As for who to give your Nectar to early on in the game: Cerberus is a brilliant first choice. His Keepsake increases your starting health and is a solid, basic, pick.
If you find yourself falling at the final hurdle, hit up your ol’ pal Skelly for an extra chance at victory. His Keepsake revives you just like your second chance ability.
Depending on your playstyle, Achilles could be another decent choice. His Keepsake greatly reduces the damage you take from the front, while making you take slightly more from the back.
From there, if there’s a god whose Boons you particularly enjoy, their keepsake is the best way to make them appear consistently.
Right at the start - until you’ve got some Keepsakes you like - don’t bother giving Nectar to daddy Hades, because he doesn’t give you one.
Upgrading Keepsakes
Each Keepsake can be upgraded twice into a 3-star Keepsake. Each time you upgrade a Keepsake, its power increases.
Generally, Keepsakes give a percentage buff to something beneficial happening. As you upgrade its star level, that percentage increases.
To upgrade Keepsakes, simply equip it and complete rooms in the dungeons of the underworld. Eventually, it’ll get better.
Hades - Full Keepsake list
Below is a full list of the Keepsakes you can find in Hades. As you try and fail to escape over and over again, more and more characters will start to appear at the House of Hades or in the dungeon.
If you don't recognise the name of a character you who want the Keepsake of straight away, it's likely you'll meet them soon.
However - at the same time - be advised of a mild spoiler warning for character names.
The Keepsakes are listed in the order they appear in the cabinet.
| Hades Keepsakes - Who to give Nectar to | ||
|---|---|---|
| Character Name: | Keepsake Name: | Keepsake Effect: |
| Cerberus | Old Spiked Collar | Gain +25 to your starting health |
| Achilles | Myrmidon Bracer | Take 20% less damage from the front, but 10% more from behind |
| Nyx | Black Shawl | Do 10% more damage to undamaged enemies and from behind |
| Hypnos | Chthonic Coin Purse | Get an extra 100 coins at the start of every run |
| Charon | Bone Hourglass | Items you buy from Wells of Charon last for an extra 4 enounters |
| Megaera | Skull Earring | Deal 20% more damage when at 30% health and under |
| Thanatos | Pierced Butterfly | Gain +1% damage for every encounter you beat without taking damage |
| Orpheus | Distant Memory | Deal up to 10% more damage to distant foes |
| Dusa | Harpy Feather Duster | Broken Urns have a 3% chance to drop healing items |
| Skelly | Lucky Tooth | Survive with 50 health when you die once per run |
| Sisyphus | Shattered Shackle | Deal 40% more damage while you have no Boons |
| Eurydice | Evergreen Acorn | Avoid damage the first 3 times a boss hits you |
| Patroclus | Broken Spearpoint | Become immune to damage for 0.5 seconds when you get hit on a 7 second cooldown |
| Athena | Owl Pendant | The next Boon you find will be from Athena - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Zeus | Thunder Signet | The next Boon you find will be from Zeus - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Poseidon | Conch Shell | The next Boon you find will be from Poseidon - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Aphrodite | Eternal Rose | The next Boon you find will be from Aphrodite - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Artemis | Adamant Arrowhead | The next Boon you find will be from Artemis - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Ares | Blood-filled Vial | The next Boon you find will be from Ares - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Dionysus | Overflowing Cup | The next Boon you find will be from Dionysus - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Demeter | Frostbitten Horn | The next Boon you find will be from Demeter - it has a 10% chance to be rare or better |
| Hermes | Lambent Plume | Get 1% extra dodge chance and movement speed every time you beat an encounter quickly |
| Chaos | Cosmic Egg | Visit Chaos without offering health with a 20% chance their Boons will be Rare or higher |