Five characters can be romanced in Hades 2, and the path to each runs through Nectar, the Hot Springs, and a final Forged Bond.
Hades 2 lets you romance five characters, and which ones might surprise you, since two of them spend the early game trying to kill you.
Romance is a slow burn built on the affinity system. You raise a bond by gifting Nectar and later Bath Salts, and the deepest relationships end in a Forged Bond scene unique to each character.
The five romance options as of patch v1.0 are Nemesis, Moros, Eris, Icarus, and Narcissus. Everyone else can be befriended, but only these five have a romantic arc the game actually pays off.
This guide lists every romance option, explains how affinity and the Hot Springs work, and walks through what each bond needs to reach its Forged Bond.
Nemesis, 
Moros, 
Eris, 
Icarus, and 
Narcissus.Romance is the top of the affinity ladder: you raise a bond with gifts until the character is willing to open up, and only the five romance options carry that all the way to a Forged Bond.
It starts with Nectar. Gifting a character their first Nectar returns a keepsake and begins their affinity bond, tracked on the Book of Shadows. As affinity rises, the wiki notes you can invite certain characters to the Hot Springs using Bath Salts, unlocked through the Rite of Vapor-Cleansing incantation.
The Hot Springs bonding events are shared by a wider group, the wiki lists Dora 
, Eris, Hecate, Moros, Nemesis, Odysseus 
, and Icarus, but only the five romance options turn that closeness into a romantic Forged Bond. Ambrosia deepens the final hearts of any bond.
The affinity meter tells you when to act. When a character is ready for the next step, the Melinoe 
Book of Shadows flags it, so you are never guessing whether a gift will land. Romance is gated by progress, not luck.
The five romance options span allies, rivals, and outright enemies, which is what makes the romance writing in Hades 2 stand out.
| Character | Relationship | Arc |
|---|---|---|
| Nemesis | Ally and rival | Trained alongside Melinoe under Hecate; starts antagonistic, warms into a fierce rival you can invite to the Hot Springs. |
| Moros | Friend and ally | The gentle god of Doom who greets Melinoe after her death; bonds over Fate and the Moirai, eventually bathing with her. |
| Eris | Frenemy | Strife incarnate, who blesses you with curses and fights you at the Rift; Melinoe is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. |
| Icarus | Old friend | Once lived at the Crossroads; Melinoe was close enough to try to revive his Shade, losing an arm. His Forged Bond is Soaring. |
| Narcissus | The vain shade | The beautiful flower in Oceanus; his Forged Bond is described as Unbelievably Attractive, fitting his self-regard. |
Two of the five, Eris and Narcissus, are characters you first meet as obstacles, an enemy Guardian and a self-absorbed shade. The other three, Nemesis, Moros, and Icarus, are allies or old acquaintances whose bonds grow more naturally over a campaign.
Every romance ends in a Forged Bond, a unique capstone scene, but the affinity path to each one differs in tone and timing.
Nemesis and Moros are the simplest, since both are allies who appear early and accept Hot Springs invitations once their affinity is high. In practice, they are the two most players romance first. Nemesis softens from insults to respect; Moros opens up after eras of isolation. Keep gifting Nectar, then Bath Salts, and finish with Ambrosia.
Eris is the slow burn, since her bond competes with her habit of cursing and fighting you. Icarus and Narcissus each tie their romance to a personal quest, Icarus to his history at the Crossroads and Narcissus to purifying his reflection. All five require steady affinity gifts rather than a single grand gesture.
Stock up on Bath Salts before you start chasing a romance. The Hot Springs event advances the in-game clock by 12 Whiles each time, so a steady supply lets you push a bond through its middle hearts quickly rather than waiting on run rewards.
Most of the cast can be befriended but not romanced, including the Olympians, who are nearly all related to Melinoe.
The Olympian gods are family, paternal cousins, uncles, and grandaunts, so 
Aphrodite and the rest are off the table by design. Mentors like Hecate and family like Odysseus and Dora can reach deep, affectionate bonds, but the game stops short of romance for them.
This is why the romance list is short and specific. Affinity with non-romance characters still pays off with story scenes, keepsake upgrades, and post-game content, so gifting them is never wasted even if it does not end in a Forged Bond.
There are five romance options in Hades 2: Nemesis, Moros, Eris, Icarus, and Narcissus. Each has a unique relationship arc that ends in a Forged Bond. Other characters can be befriended but not romanced.
Raise affinity by gifting Nectar, then Bath Salts to invite them to the Hot Springs, then Ambrosia to deepen the bond. The Book of Shadows affinity meter shows when a character is ready for the next step, and the romance ends in a Forged Bond scene.
Yes. Nemesis is one of the five romance options. She and Melinoe trained together under Hecate and start as antagonistic rivals, but the bond grows into mutual respect and can be deepened at the Hot Springs.
Yes. Eris is a romance option despite being a boss who curses and fights you at the Rift of Thessaly. Melinoe describes herself as drawn to Eris like a moth to a flame, and the bond is a slow burn.
No. The Olympian gods are nearly all related to Melinoe as cousins, uncles, or grandaunts, so they can only be befriended. The five romance options are Nemesis, Moros, Eris, Icarus, and Narcissus.
The Hot Springs are a bonding event at the Crossroads, unlocked with the Rite of Vapor-Cleansing incantation. Gifting Bath Salts invites a character to bathe and raises affinity. Dora, Eris, Hecate, Moros, Nemesis, Odysseus, and Icarus can all take part.
A Forged Bond is the capstone scene of a maxed relationship. Each romance option has a unique one, for example Icarus's is described as Soaring and Narcissus's as Unbelievably Attractive. Reaching it requires steady affinity gifts.
Romance unlocks unique story scenes and dialogue, and the affinity gifts that build toward it also grant keepsakes and other rewards along the way. Even non-romance bonds pay off, so gifting characters is always useful.
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.