Our Hades Keepsakes guide will walk you through how Keepsakes can be earnt, used, and upgraded, along with a tier list of the very best Keepsakes in the game and the full effects of each one (including two secret Keepsakes!). On this page:
Hades Keepsakes - how do they work? Best Keepsakes in Hades (tier list) Full Keepsakes list & effects
Hades Keepsakes - how do they work?
Almost every persistent NPC in Hades can be compelled to offer you a Keepsake for you to take on your escape attempts through the Underworld. You can get a character to gift you their Keepsake by gifting them a bottle of Nectar. Nectar is a fairly common room reward in Hades, so it shouldn’t take long for you to start stocking up on Nectar bottles to give to various characters. There are a total of 25 Keepsakes currently in the game (two of which are secret, little-known Keepsakes), and each one provides a passive benefit to Zagreus while it is equipped. The effect of each Keepsake can also be upgraded to a maximum of Level 3 by completing encounters while it is equipped. You can access your collection of Keepsakes via the display case in the courtyard of the Underworld before every run. This display case will also magically appear in the connector-rooms between each realm, so you’ll have a chance to switch Keepsakes between realms. But bear in mind that if you switch away from a Keepsake at a certain point during a run, you cannot re-equip that same Keepsake again in the same run.
Best Keepsakes in Hades: Keepsakes tier list
The best Keepsakes to unlock and level up early on are the ones which will give you the greatest chance of survival through the most dangerous encounters and obstacles in the Underworld. I’ve done my best to organise each of the 25 Keepsakes in Hades into a tier list ranging from best (S-Tier) to worst (D-Tier) so you’ll have an idea of where you should spend your starting Nectar. Click on each Keepsake to skip to a description of its effects and the character who gifts it. Bear in mind that there are spoilers below!
Here are the best Keepsakes in Hades:
As you can see, I very much favour the survival-oriented effects, followed quickly by the damage-dealing effects - as long as they don’t come with too many strings attached (looking at you, Myrmidon Bracer). I’d focus on upgrading these Keepsakes first, before grinding through the various Olympian-gifted Keepsakes to give yourself the greatest chances of Rare or Epic Boons (which you can learn much more about by perusing our Hades Boons guide!).
Hades Keepsakes list & effects
Now let’s finish off with a complete description of every Keepsake, including how the effect strengthens over time:
Which brings us neatly to the end of our Hades Keepsakes guide. Hopefully you’ve emerged with a good idea of the most potent and valuable Keepsakes to start levelling up right away. Now, why not check out our primary Hades strategy guide if you haven’t already, which we’ve packed with top-tier practical tips and strategies to help you beat the game?
