In Hades, there is a fantastic cast of characters, from inhabitants of the Underworld to charismatic Olympian Gods. When Zagreus gives (almost) any character a Nectar, they’ll return the nicety with a Keepsake. All of the Hades Keepsakes have different effects, which can be improved by using that particular Keepsake enough times.
It takes 25 chamber clears with the Keepsake equipped for it to reach level two, and 50 more for it to reach level three. Not all Keepsakes are created equal, but it’s worth playing around with them to find what works best for you and your playstyle, though the best ones will shine very brightly.
Updated on January 11, 2026, by Ben Williams: With Hades 2 finally out, it’s a better time than ever to dive back into the original game and test out alternative builds with different Keepsakes, with some added detail as to why they’re the best, worst, or somewhere in between.
Hades is the type of game where you won’t achieve the true ending until you’ve beaten its final boss quite a number of times, so this Keepsakes ranking is the best way to get the added advantage to do just that.
18
Harpy Feather Duster
|
Given by |
Dusa |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
A chance for one urn per chamber to contain a healing item. |
|
Level 1 |
+3% chance |
|
Level 2 |
+5% chance |
|
Level 3 |
+6% chance |
You probably feel horrible about it, but Dusa’s Keepsake isn’t great. It might be a bit harsh to say it sucks, but it kind of does. Sure, it’s sweet to think that Dusa might be stashing food in the urns throughout the Underworld for Zagreus.
Be that as it may, there’s no guarantee you’ll even get to use the benefits of her Keepsake, with the odds of a healing item spawning being so low.
Yes, healing during each run can be incredibly beneficial, though that’s if you even get the chance to heal. It would be ranked way higher up this list if Happy Feather Duster Levels 2 and 3 boosted the odds further than five and six percent, respectively. Sometimes the best defense is offense, or prioritizing an actually more defensive build and not relying on the chance to heal. Her friendship is fantastic, but her Keepsake is not.
Who Is The King Of The Indies, Hollow Knight: Silksong Or Hades 2?
The battle of two highly anticipated sequels to genre-defining indies is here!
17
Olympic Keepsakes
|
Given by |
Any Olympian sans Hermes |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Your next boon encounter will be with the Keepsake’s god or goddess, and has a greater chance of being rare (or better). |
|
Level 1 |
+10% chance for boons to be rare or better |
|
Level 2 |
+15% chance for boons to be rare or better |
|
Level 3 |
+20% chance for boons to be rare or better |
Unless you’re going for a specific build in Hades, there are many better Keepsakes out there than the ones given to you by the Olympians. While they’re great for crossing tasks off of the Fated List of Minor Prophecies (or reaching that nigh-impossible 100 percent completion), that’s about it.
What’s more, although they might be great for guaranteeing boons from certain Olympians for a specific build (e.g. Dionysus’ Strong Drink for more survivability), there’s no actual guarantee you’ll get the specific ones you need; all the while, you could have used more beneficial Keepsakes to complement your build no matter what boons you end up with on your latest run.
There are far better Keepsakes you can pair yourself with when you go out on your dashing adventure. Plus, if you’re attempting a boon-free run, then these Keepsakes move from incredibly useless to downright hazardous. Regardless of how much you love specific Olympians, they all treat you the same, which is just a tad bit unfortunate.
16
Cosmic Egg
|
Given by |
Chaos |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Enter Chaos Gates without losing health; blessing from Chaos have a chance to be rare or better. |
|
Level 1 |
+20% chance for blessings to be rare or better |
|
Level 2 |
+30% chance for blessings to be rare or better |
|
Level 3 |
+40% chance for blessings to be rare or better |
The Cosmic Egg is only slightly better than your standard Olympian boon purely because you get an additional benefit, which gets handier the more you make use of it on a run. Not only do Chaos’s boons have a chance to be Rare or better, but you don’t take damage from using the Chaos Gate either; this effectively reduces your risk and further boosts your gain.
As a run goes on, and you’d normally refuse a Chaos Gate because of the health cost while Zagreus is on low health, the helpful boon you can get from Chaos this time around might be enough to turn your run around. If you see a Chaos Gate, you should take it because they’re not super common, and you get to talk to Chaos, which, in itself, is a perk.
Be that as it may, it’s still not the best Keepsake you can have, due to the high degree of chance involved. You could go through a whole run and only see a Chaos Gate once, while there are other Keepsakes that have assured use multiple times.
15
Skull Earring
|
Given by |
Megaera |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Deal bonus damage when your health is below 35% of its maximum. |
|
Level 1 |
+20% bonus damage |
|
Level 2 |
+30% bonus damage |
|
Level 3 |
+40% bonus damage |
Once you defeat Megaera for the first time, she’ll appear in the House of Hades. From then on, she’ll appear sometimes after defeating her. Once she starts hanging around, you’ll be able to gift her with some Nectar. In return, she’ll give you the Skull Earring.
This Keepsake will cause you to deal bonus damage when your health is below 35 percent of its maximum. If you level it up, it will increase the amount of damage you deal. At the first level, you’ll deal 20 percent bonus damage, at the second level, you’ll deal 30 percent more, and at the final level, you’ll deal out a whopping extra 40 percent damage.
Meg’s is a relatively straightforward Keepsake that indeed gives you a useful power boost when your back is effectively against the wall. In spite of that, what keeps the Skull Earring at a lower rank is how short-lived its benefits can be in most situations — since you have to be on low health for it to activate in the first place.
14
Shattered Shackle
|
Given by |
Sisyphus |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Your Attack, Special, and Cast damage increases when not empowered by a Boon |
|
Level 1 |
+50% damage |
|
Level 2 |
+75% damage |
|
Level 3 |
+100% damage |
Sisyphus has a bone to pick with the gods, and it shows, given what his Keepsake does. If you’re doing a boon-free run, then this is absolutely one of the Keepsakes you should consider having on hand. Unfortunately, most of the time, you’re likely not going to be doing a boon-free run.
Still, it’s worth considering trying it out at least once or a few times for the early stage of a run — where you can first, for example, instead focus on boons that will focus on Zagreus’ stats, before switching Keepsakes after Megaera’s boss fight.
The damage increase is significant enough that, when bolstered by the Mirror of Night and empowered weapons, it becomes a relatively useful Keepsake
13
Myrmidon Bracer
|
Given by |
Achilles |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Take less damage from the front, but take 10% more from the back |
|
Level 1 |
-20% less damage |
|
Level 2 |
-25% less damage |
|
Level 3 |
-30% less damage |
The Myrmidon Bracer is an interesting play on the traditional “Achilles Heel”, given that you take far less damage from the front, but if you leave your back exposed, things can get tricky. Achilles’ Keepsake probably isn’t one that you want to use with weapons that throw you into the middle of the fray.
Picking your weapon carefully and being able to control where you are on the battlefield at all times is essential with this Keepsake — for example, using the Heart-Seeking Bow so you can attack enemies from a distance and leave Zagreus’ back less exposed.
You can be a complete powerhouse if you play your cards right, but the drawbacks are severe if you grow careless enough.
12
Distant Memory
|
Given by |
Orpheus |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Deal bonus damage to distant enemies |
|
Level 1 |
+10% bonus damage |
|
Level 2 |
+20% bonus damage |
|
Level 3 |
+30% bonus damage |
At the onset of the game, Orpheus will not be present in the House of Hades. He’s apparently in solitary confinement at Hades’ decree because he refused to sing. You can commute his sentence at the House Contractor with a Diamond. Once he begins to appear in the House of Hades, you can give him Nectar, and he’ll give you the Distant Memory.
This Keepsake, like Meg’s, will increase the damage you deal, but under different conditions. With this Keepsake equipped, you’ll deal bonus damage to enemies that are far away from you (500 in-game units away, that is). Level one grants 10% bonus damage, level two gives 20%, and level three will increase the damage you deal by a 30% bonus.
Although a solid mid-level entry on this Hades Keepsake ranking list, Distant Memory is an excellent buff item with certain weapons, but not others. Again, mentioning the long-range Heart-Seeking Bow, Orpheus’ Keepsake will effectively boost nearly all of the long-range weapon’s attacks (depending on how you play each stage’s terrain), but is nulled around its more close-range weapons, like Stygian Blade.
11
Bone Hourglass
|
Given by |
Charon |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Increases the number of encounters that items from the Wells of Charon last for |
|
Level 1 |
+4 encounters |
|
Level 2 |
+6 encounters |
|
Level 3 |
+8 encounters |
After giving Nectar to the boatman of the Styx, Charon, he’ll give Zagreus the Bone Hourglass. When you purchase an item from the various Wells of Charon, it’ll have a set number of encounters before it disappears. This Keepsake increases the number of encounters that those items will last for. At the first level, it increases their duration by four encounters; at level two, it’s an additional six encounters, and the final level will increase the number of encounters by eight.
This can be the difference between victory and loss if applied correctly. Some items from the Well of Charon give Zagreus the edge he needs to defeat a boss, but they could run out before he reaches the boss chamber. The Bone Hourglass can ensure the effect lasts long enough.
10
Chthonic Coin Purse
|
Given by |
Hypnos |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Grants Obols immediately |
|
Level 1 |
100 Obols |
|
Level 2 |
125 Obols |
|
Level 3 |
150 Obols |
Give some Nectar to faithful Hypnos, and he’ll return the favor with the Chthonic Coin Purse. This Keepsake also affects purchasing things from Charon or his well. The Coin Purse adds money to Zagreus without any strings. Level one adds 100 Obols, level two adds 125, and level three adds 150.
Many players choose this at the beginning of a run and then swap it out after they finish Tartarus for another Keepsake. It doesn’t subtract the money; rather, you get to keep it after returning the Keepsake to the case.
9
Old Spiked Collar
|
Given by |
Cerberus |
|---|---|
|
Effect |
Grants additional max health |
|
Level 1 |
+25 max health |
|
Level 2 |
+38 max health |
|
Level 3 |
+50 max health |
Sometimes, the winning strategy is to just build up Zagreus’ health to an immense level, making him a tank on the battlefield, even if it means losing some offensive power. Centaur Hearts are the main way to do this, increasing Zagreus’ overall health.
However, the Old Spiked Collar is another great way to extend the time you get to dash around the Underworld. For each level you raise the spiked collar, you’ll get more health, which is kind of sweet to think about — the idea that Cerberus wants to be sure that you make it to him at the Temple of Styx and don’t face a premature return to the House of Hades.
Only 50 extra max health can make Old Spiked Collar feel a little underwhelming as a Keepsake in some circumstances, but that extra bit makes all the difference between not spending a valuable Death Defiance before facing Hades’ final boss.
