Every character's first Nectar hands you a free keepsake, which makes gifting the fastest run-shaping progression in the game.
The first Nectar you hand any character in Hades 2 comes straight back to you as a keepsake, no strings attached.
That single rule makes gifting the highest-value early progression in the game. Spreading your first few Nectars widely unlocks a rack of run-shaping keepsakes faster than any other system.
Past that first gift, Nectar and its higher-tier cousin Ambrosia raise your affinity with each character, opening dialogue, story beats, and eventually romance for those who allow it.
This guide explains what each gift does, how to farm both Nectar and Ambrosia, who to gift first for the best keepsakes, and how the gifting chain leads all the way to a Forged Bond.
a first gift returns a keepsake; more Nectar raises affinity.
Hecate and 
Odysseus for the two best early keepsakes.Gifts raise your affinity with a character, and the first Nectar each one receives is returned as a keepsake you can equip.
There are two gift items. Nectar is the common one and does the early work; Ambrosia is the deeper gift that comes later. The wiki notes that a character receiving their first Nectar returns the favor with a keepsake, which is why the opening hours of a save are best spent handing Nectar to everyone you meet.
Not every character fits the pattern. The wiki specifies that some, like Hypnos, accept Nectar but give no keepsake because they have no affinity bond, while others like Hades only begin their bond after story progression. So gift widely, but do not expect a keepsake back from every single face at the Crossroads.
Prioritize breadth over depth early. One Nectar to ten characters gives you ten keepsakes; ten Nectar to one character gives you one keepsake and some dialogue. Unlock the whole keepsake rack first, then circle back to deepen the bonds that matter.
Nectar is the workhorse gift, used for keepsakes, affinity, several incantations, and even Crossroads decorations.
Gifting all characters to their Nectar cap takes 192 Nectar in total, so a steady supply matters. It comes from a wide spread of sources rather than one farm, and the most reliable repeatable is the Wretched Broker once you have the right incantation running.
| Source | Details |
|---|---|
| Chamber and region rewards | Drops from cleared rooms, an Ephyra sub-room, and a Fields of Mourning option reward. |
| Charon's shop | Sometimes stocked for 75 Gold. |
| Wretched Broker | One per night for 30 Bones, after the Kinship Fortune incantation. |
| Prophecies | The Fated List pays out 11 Nectar across prophecies like Home in the Crossroads. |
| Sweet Nectar alchemy | Brew 6 Nectar in the Cauldron from Star Dust, a Golden Apple, and Whiles. |
| Odysseus | A one-time gift of 2 Nectar early on. |
Beyond gifting, Nectar feeds Cauldron incantations and unlocks decorations from Dora for the Crossroads, so it is worth banking a small reserve rather than spending every drop on gifts the moment you get it.
Ambrosia is the second-tier gift, and it only becomes useful once you restore the Taverna at the Crossroads.
According to the wiki you unlock it by brewing the Rite of Social Solidarity incantation with 2 Nectar and 2 Garlic, which reopens the Taverna. From there you can invite characters for a drink, and once you have given a character enough Nectar they will accept Ambrosia as a gift. Handing over Ambrosia even fast-forwards in-game time by the equivalent of traversing 20 Whiles.
Ambrosia is rarer and pricier, costing 450 Bones from the Wretched Broker, and it also unlocks Music Maker tracks and Familiar forms. Because a character will only accept it after a run of Nectar gifts, Ambrosia is the gate between casual affinity and the deepest bonds, including romance.
Since the first Nectar is free value, gift the characters whose keepsakes shape a run before anyone else.
All keepsakes are useful, but a few are run-defining and worth prioritizing while your Nectar supply is thin. These four give the keepsakes that most players build around from the first hour.
| Gift to | Keepsake | Why it is worth it |
|---|---|---|
| Hecate | Silver Wheel | Big bonus Magick that persists after you unequip it; the best opener keepsake. |
| Odysseus | Knuckle Bones | Cuts the next Guardian's health and the damage it deals; the boss-killer keepsake. |
 Moros | Engraved Pin | A second-chance revive that turns a lethal hit into a survivable Doomed state. |
 Selene | Moon Beam | Front-loads Path of Stars upgrades for a fast Hex build. |
After those, spread your remaining Nectar to unlock the rest of the rack, including the Olympian keepsakes that let you force a specific god to appear.
Gifting is also the road to romance, since a Forged Bond sits at the top of the same affinity track keepsakes start.
Five characters can be romanced: 
Nemesis, Moros, 
Eris, 
Icarus, and 
Narcissus. The full romance path runs from Nectar to raise affinity, then Ambrosia and Taverna visits, and finally a Forged Bond once affinity is maxed.
Even non-romance bonds pay off. Filling Dora's affinity unlocks Crossroads decorations, and maxing others opens quests, extra dialogue, and keepsake ranks. Gifting is never wasted, but only these five lead to an actual relationship.
Gifts raise your affinity with a character. The first Nectar you give anyone with an affinity bond is returned as a keepsake you can equip. Further Nectar and the higher-tier Ambrosia raise affinity to unlock dialogue, quests, keepsake ranks, and eventually romance for the five characters who allow it.
Gift Hecate and Odysseus first for the two best early keepsakes, Silver Wheel and Knuckle Bones. Moros and Selene are strong follow-ups for the Engraved Pin revive and the Moon Beam Hex boost. Since the first Nectar is free value, spread it wide to collect keepsakes before deepening any bond.
Nectar drops from cleared chambers and region rewards, sometimes stocks in Charon's shop for 75 Gold, and can be bought from the Wretched Broker for 30 Bones once the Kinship Fortune incantation is active. You also earn it from prophecies and can brew 6 at a time with the Sweet Nectar alchemy in the Cauldron.
Ambrosia is the second-tier gift that pushes affinity deeper than Nectar can, and it is central to romance. It also unlocks Music Maker tracks and Familiar forms. A character only accepts Ambrosia after you have given them enough Nectar, and doing so fast-forwards in-game time by about 20 Whiles.
You brew the Rite of Social Solidarity incantation with 2 Nectar and 2 Garlic, which restores the Taverna at the Crossroads. Once the Taverna is open you can invite characters for a drink, and any character you have given enough Nectar will begin accepting Ambrosia.
You can, but he gives nothing back. The wiki specifies Hypnos accepts Nectar but has no affinity bond, so he does not return a keepsake. He is one of the exceptions to the first-gift-returns-a-keepsake rule, so do not spend gifts on him expecting a reward.
Gifting every character to their Nectar cap takes 192 Nectar in total as of patch v1.0, plus a further 70 Ambrosia to max the deeper bonds. That is a long-term goal, not something to rush, so bank Nectar steadily rather than trying to max one character at a time.
Yes, for five characters. Nemesis, Moros, Eris, Icarus, and Narcissus can be romanced through the same affinity track that gifting builds. The path runs from Nectar to Ambrosia and Taverna visits, then a Forged Bond once affinity is maxed. Other characters give quests and keepsakes but no romance.
Keep building out your Hades 2 knowledge with these next stops.
Game data and character art adapted from hades.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Supergiant Games.