Keepsakes are the small gifts that the characters in Hades hand you in return for Nectar, and you can wear one of them on every escape attempt. With 25 of them on the rack, it is not always obvious which one to put on. The right choice is also going to change as you make your way from Tartarus to the final fight against your father.

The god keepsakes are the strongest ones early in a run, because they decide which god your whole build will revolve around. Later on, the Evergreen Acorn and the Lucky Tooth take over, and you will switch to them at the keepsake rack between two regions.

Everything here is about the original Hades from 2020. Hades II has its own set of keepsakes, so this list does not apply to the sequel. All keepsake values in this post match Hades v1.38 as of October 2026.

Keepsake Tier List

The tiers are judged by when in a run each keepsake helps you the most, and they assume normal escape runs at low to moderate Heat. That is why all eight god keepsakes sit in S tier even though you will almost never wear one in Styx. If you are looking for the weapons instead, our Hades weapon tier list ranks the aspects from S to D.

How Keepsakes Work

You will get almost every keepsake the first time you give its owner a bottle of Nectar. The exception is Sigil of the Dead, which is Hades’ second gift after the story ending. Pom Blossom unlocks once Persephone is back in the House after the credits, which roll after your 10th escape. Sigil of the Dead takes a little longer, since Hades needs a first bottle of Nectar from you and his second gift only opens up a couple of runs after the ending.

Each keepsake has three levels. A keepsake will reach level 2 after 25 encounters with it equipped and level 3 after 50 more (75 in total). Only finished combat encounters count. Bosses, minibosses, Erebus gates, Thanatos’ encounters and the small side chambers in Styx are all included, while shops, fountains and story rooms are not. Only the keepsake you are wearing at the end of a fight gets the credit.

Picking a keepsake in the House before a run is free. In order to switch keepsakes during a run, you are going to need the “Keepsake Collection, Regional” from the House Contractor. It costs 10 Gemstones and puts a keepsake rack in the room after each boss, the same room that holds the fountain and a Well of Charon. Once you start swapping, a few rules apply:

• Once you swap a keepsake away at a rack, it is locked (“Expired”) for the rest of that escape.
• You get one swap per rack room.
• Pierced Butterfly and Lambent Plume lose every stack you built when you swap them away, and there is no way to get those stacks back that run.
• Gold from the Chthonic Coin Purse and boon levels from Pom Blossom will stay with you after a swap.

Damage keepsakes add to your other damage bonuses rather than multiplying them, so they will feel a little bit weaker once your boons already give you plenty of extra damage.

Keepsake Effects

Here are all 25 keepsakes with their giver and their effect at each level, followed by what each one does beyond its tooltip.

S Tier

God keepsakes

Every Olympian except Hermes gives you a keepsake that works the same way. A god keepsake will turn your next boon door into that god, and it is used up once that god’s boon appears as a reward. If two boon doors are offered at once, only one of them will switch. Should you pick the other door, the keepsake stays armed and simply tries again at the next boon door. Hermes, Chaos and hammer rewards do not use it up, and neither do boons you buy in Charon’s shop.

The tooltip leaves out part of what these keepsakes do. On top of the Rare bonus of 10/15/20%, every god keepsake quietly adds +10% Epic and +10% Legendary chance to that god’s boons, and the Legendary roll is also what offers duo boons. Mind that the rarity bonus only works while the god keepsake is equipped. Swap it off and that god’s odds go back to normal.

Normally a run settles on four Olympians (Hermes does not count), but a god keepsake can still bring in a fifth. A third god keepsake in Elysium is also an option when a duo or Legendary boon is still missing.

Which one you take depends on your build. In general, fast weapons with many hits want flat damage, and slow weapons with heavy hits want a percentage bonus:

• Thunder Signet (Zeus) and Overflowing Cup (Dionysus) for fast, multi-hit weapons.
• Eternal Rose (Aphrodite) and Adamant Arrowhead (Artemis) for slow, heavy hits and Cast builds.
• Owl Pendant (Athena) if you want an early shot at Divine Dash.
• Blood-filled Vial (Ares) for Merciful End, with Athena as the second god.
• Conch Shell (Poseidon) for the Aspect of Beowulf and the Aspect of Arthur.
• Frostbitten Horn (Demeter) if you want a Demeter Special on the bow.

I would say a god keepsake is the best thing you can wear in Tartarus and Asphodel on almost every weapon, since those two regions are where your build takes shape and where a guaranteed boon from the right god will do the most for you. By Styx, that part is done. This is the point where you are going to swap to something defensive.

Evergreen Acorn

The Acorn from Eurydice blocks the first 3 hits in a boss fight at level 1, 4 at level 2 and 5 at level 3. A few details decide how much it is really worth:

• It only works in the four region boss fights (Fury, Lernie, Theseus and Asterius, Hades). It does nothing against minibosses, Charon or the mid-Elysium Asterius fight.
• The blocks are shared across the whole fight. Hades’ second phase does not refill them, and Theseus and Asterius share one set.
• Hits from the boss’s summoned enemies will use up Acorn blocks too. Trap damage is neither blocked nor counted.

Every hit the Acorn blocks is health you keep until the fight ends, and in a long fight like the one against Hades that adds up, which is why it is the default pick for Styx. It is also a fairly solid choice for Elysium if Theseus and Asterius give you trouble.

A Tier

Lucky Tooth

Skelly’s Lucky Tooth gives you one more extra life per escape. When it fires, it will bring you back with a flat 50 health at level 1, 75 at level 2 and 100 at level 3, no matter how high your max health is. Your Mirror Death Defiances are always used first, so the Tooth is your very last extra life.

• With Stubborn Defiance, Lucky Tooth only fires if you die a second time in the same chamber, after Stubborn Defiance is already spent there.
• Deathless Stand and Blood Frenzy also trigger when Lucky Tooth revives you, but Athena’s Last Stand does not raise the Tooth’s heal.
• Swapping Lucky Tooth out at a rack before it fires also takes away its extra life.

For newer players, the Tooth is the easiest keepsake to recommend. Later on, it becomes the Styx pick for runs where your Death Defiances are already gone.

Bone Hourglass

Charon’s Bone Hourglass is one of the more underrated keepsakes, mostly because it looks boring on paper. It extends the timed Well of Charon items (Cyclops Jerky, Braid of Atlas, Ignited Ichor, Touch of Styx, HydraLite and the rest) by 4/6/8 encounters. One-time items like Light of Ixion, Yarn of Ariadne or Kiss of Styx are not affected, and it will not lengthen Patroclus’ gifts either.

What makes it strong is that items you buy while the Hourglass is on keep the extra duration even after you swap to another keepsake. Make sure to buy before you swap, since items bought after the swap will not get the bonus. It is at its best in Cast builds. That being said, it needs gold and a good Well to shine, and the Convenience Fee Heat condition will make it worse.

Pom Blossom

Persephone’s Pom Blossom is probably the most argued-about keepsake in the game. Every 6 combat encounters, it will level up one random Olympian boon, and at level 3 that goes down to every 4. It counts bosses, minibosses, Erebus gates and the small Styx side chambers, and its count carries over between regions as long as you keep it on. If you swap it out, the levels it already gave stay on your boons, but the partial count toward the next level is lost.

You have no say in which boon gets the level. It never picks Hermes or Chaos boons, and it can land on your Call or your dash instead of your Attack. Sweet Nectar does not help either, since Pom Blossom always gives exactly +1. Personally, I would call it a great pick at low Heat. The more you care about one specific build, though, the less you will like it, because by Elysium you will usually carry a few filler boons that soak up the levels. It will make a good run better, but it will not rescue a run where the boons are bad.

Chthonic Coin Purse

Hypnos’ Coin Purse pays 100 obols at level 1, 125 at level 2 and 150 at level 3. It pays out the moment you equip it, whether you start the run with it or pick it up at a rack later, but only once per escape. The gold stays after you swap it off.

The usual way to use it is in Tartarus, so that you can afford a boon or a hammer at the first Charon shop. It also works well with the Golden Touch talent in the Mirror of Night.

B Tier

Lambent Plume

Hermes’ keepsake adds 1% dodge chance and 1% move speed for each encounter you clear inside its time limit, or 1.2% each at level 3. The tooltip does not tell you that limit. It is 25 seconds for a normal fight in Tartarus, 40 in Asphodel, 45 in Elysium and 50 in Styx. Boss fights get more time (150 seconds against Hades), and the small Styx side chambers do not count. The bonus keeps stacking for as long as you wear it.

Its natural home is the Aspect of Zagreus on the Twin Fists. Dodge chance from Lambent Plume, Greater Evasion and the Aspect of Zagreus fists is simply added together, which makes for a very slippery build by the time you reach Styx.

The Plume has a second use as well. Wearing Lambent Plume unlocks Hermes’ Rush Delivery without its usual prerequisite boons, and the same goes for Greater Recall or Bad News (whichever one your Mirror’s Infernal Soul or Stygian Soul allows). Plume’s move speed also counts for Rush Delivery’s damage bonus. Hermes boons you picked up thanks to Plume will stay even after you swap Plume off.

Pierced Butterfly

Thanatos’ Butterfly is the skill check of the list. It adds 1% damage for each encounter you clear without getting hit (2% at level 3), bosses and minibosses included. One hit in an encounter is enough to miss out on that stack. Like the Plume, it does not count the small Styx side chambers.

Compared to Pom Blossom, neither one wins in every run. The Butterfly needs hitless clears while Pom does not, so it will reward a safe, ranged playstyle on the bow or the rail.

Old Spiked Collar

Cerberus gives you +25 max health at level 1, 38 at level 2 and 50 at level 3. Equipping the Collar mid-run raises your current health by the same amount as your max. Swapping it off later will take that health away again. It cannot kill you, though.

There is a small trick to it. The room after each boss has both the fountain and the keepsake rack, so put on the Collar before you drink. You get the Collar’s health immediately, and the fountain heals a percentage of your new, higher max. In Styx, the Collar is a fair alternative to the Acorn when your Death Defiances are still full and the Heat is low.

Broken Spearpoint

Patroclus’ Spearpoint makes you invulnerable for 1 second after you take damage (1.5 seconds at level 3), then needs 7 seconds to recharge. That stops a single mistake from turning into several hits in a row, which helps a lot against poison, the rats in the Styx tunnels and Hades’ beam attacks. It is a common alternative to the Acorn in Styx.

Skull Earring

Megaera’s Earring gives +20/30/40% damage while you are at 35% health or lower. It works best with the Stubborn Defiance talent from the Mirror, which brings you back at low health. On a normal run, you probably do not want to hang around at low health just to make a keepsake work.

Sigil of the Dead

Hades gives you his Sigil as his second gift. It turns your Call into Hades’ Aid, which makes you invisible for 2 seconds. The hit that breaks invisibility and the next 1.5 seconds deal bonus damage (+50% at level 1, +100% at level 3). Additionally, Sigil of the Dead starts your God Gauge 10/20/30% full at the start of every fight.

The Sigil only makes sense with an empty Call slot:

• If you already picked up a god’s Call, the rack will not let you equip Sigil of the Dead that run.
• With Sigil on, you will not be offered any god’s Call. Boons that boost your God Gauge, like Clouded Judgment, can still appear, but Quick Favor and Smoldering Air are blocked while you have Hades’ Aid.
• Swapping Sigil off later removes Hades’ Aid.

It fits a run that reaches Styx without any Call.

C Tier

Shattered Shackle from Sisyphus gives +50/75/100% damage to each of your Attack, Special and Cast that has no god boon on it. Older guides list lower values, but the current game uses these. The moment you take an Attack, Special or Cast boon, that slot loses the bonus. As such, the Shackle is really a keepsake for boonless challenge runs, the Aspect of Hestia on the rail or the first few chambers of Tartarus.

Distant Memory from Orpheus adds 10/20/30% damage to foes that are far away. That makes it mostly a keepsake for the bow and the rail, plus the spear with a hammer that extends its jab.

Cosmic Egg from Chaos makes Chaos Gates free to enter, but it does not make them appear any more often. With the Egg on, Chaos blessings are also much more likely to be Rare or Epic, and the Epic chance goes from 5% to 20%. It is a fun keepsake for Darkness farming, but it does little to help you win.

Harpy Feather Duster from Dusa splits opinions. Each urn you break has a 3% chance (4.5% at level 2, 6% at level 3) to drop a small 10-health heal. That is a small extra source of healing for newer players who break every urn on the way, but it will rarely decide a run.

D Tier

Both D tier keepsakes depend at least partly on angles. That is hard to control in a fast fight.

Achilles’ Myrmidon Bracer cuts damage from the front by 20/25/30% over a wide 200-degree arc, but you take 10% more from behind, trap damage included. A face-tank build can make use of it, but in most runs you will be dashing around and taking hits from all sides.

Nyx’s Black Shawl gives +10/15/20% damage to undamaged foes and to foes you hit from behind. The first part will help you clear Tartarus a little bit faster, and the second can pay off against Theseus if you work your way behind him. Outside of those cases, you are better off with almost anything else on the rack.

Keepsakes by Region

Since you can swap after every boss, the better question is which keepsake to wear in each region. This plan works for most builds:

In about 130 routes players posted on Reddit and Steam, a god keepsake was the first pick in Tartarus for 61% of them and in Asphodel for 55%. Styx went to the Evergreen Acorn (32%) and the Lucky Tooth (21%), while Elysium was split between Pom Blossom (32%) and the Acorn (19%).

God, God, Acorn, Acorn

This is the most common route among veterans. Start with the god keepsake of your main damage god, then take a second god keepsake in Asphodel for the duo boon you want. In the room after Lernie, you will switch to the Evergreen Acorn and simply leave it on until the end. The Acorn only kicks in during boss fights, though, so in Elysium it will only help you against Theseus and Asterius.

Coin Purse opener

The other way to start is with the Chthonic Coin Purse. The extra obols are meant to buy you a boon or a hammer at the first Charon shop, and you will swap to a god keepsake for Asphodel. This route often ends with the Lucky Tooth in Styx.

Hourglass in Elysium

The Bone Hourglass trick takes two rack rooms. In the room after Lernie, put the Hourglass on first and then buy from the Well of Charon. In the room after Theseus and Asterius, buy again at the Well before you swap to the Acorn or the Tooth.

Styx and Hades

The Acorn is the default for the last region. The Lucky Tooth is the better pick once your Death Defiances are used up, though, since it will also cover you outside the boss fight. The Collar (full Death Defiances, low Heat) and the Spearpoint (poison and rats) are two other options.

You can also skip swapping and wear one keepsake all run. That works best with the Lambent Plume on the Zagreus fists, Pom Blossom or Pierced Butterfly.

Best Keepsake to Get First

Give your first bottles of Nectar to Cerberus for the Old Spiked Collar and to Skelly for the Lucky Tooth. After that, Hypnos (Chthonic Coin Purse) or Sisyphus (Shattered Shackle) are good third picks. All four will help you in runs where you do not plan your boons yet.

Once your runs get more stable, move on to the Olympians, starting with the gods that suit your main weapon. Athena makes a good early exception if you always want Divine Dash. Give Eurydice Nectar as soon as you can reach her, because her Evergreen Acorn is the keepsake you will wear at the end of most runs later on.

The Lucky Tooth heals a flat amount. A common claim says it restores a percentage of your health, but the game gives you exactly 50, 75 or 100 health depending on its level. For more early-game help, our Hades beginner guide has quick references for your first runs.

Best Keepsake per Weapon

On most weapons, the best keepsake is the god keepsake for the god your aspect wants. For full boon setups, see our Hades best builds guide.

• On the Twin Fists, the Aspect of Zagreus breaks the rule. Wear the Lambent Plume all run and stack it with the aspect’s dodge and Greater Evasion. Most other fist aspects want the Thunder Signet, and Demeter fists do well with the Blood-filled Vial or the Owl Pendant for Merciful End.
• On the Eternal Spear, the Aspect of Achilles goes with Zeus or Artemis, or with Ares or Dionysus for a Cast build. The Aspect of Hades does well with the Adamant Arrowhead or the Eternal Rose, since Artemis and Aphrodite together unlock Heart Rend, and Guan Yu wants the Eternal Rose or the Adamant Arrowhead for its Special.
• On the Shield of Chaos, the Aspect of Zeus simply wants the Thunder Signet. For Beowulf, take the Conch Shell first and the Adamant Arrowhead second to set up the Mirage Shot duo boon.
• On the Heart-Seeking Bow, Chiron likes the Overflowing Cup followed by the Eternal Rose. Hera wants Aphrodite or Dionysus, and Rama Aphrodite or Zeus. Since the bow keeps you at range, it also suits the Pierced Butterfly and Distant Memory.
• For the sword and the rail, Nemesis goes with Artemis, Aphrodite or Athena, Arthur with Poseidon, Eris with Zeus, and Hestia with Artemis, Aphrodite or the Shattered Shackle.

Companions

Companions are the six Legendary keepsakes. You will get each one from the 7th gift to its owner, which costs Ambrosia instead of Nectar: Battie from Megaera, Mort from Thanatos, Fidi from Dusa, Rib from Skelly, Shady from Sisyphus and Antos from Achilles.

Companions do not level by fighting. You rank them up at the keepsake rack with Ambrosia (1, 2, 3 and then 4 Ambrosia, 10 in total), from 1 use per escape at rank 1 up to 5 at rank 5. They sit in their own slot next to your keepsake, so you can wear both. Each companion can be called once per chamber and cannot be changed mid-run once you have one equipped. A Night Spindle from the Well will give you one extra use.

Beware that a few fights block them. Battie cannot be summoned against the Furies, Mort will not work during Thanatos’ challenge, and most companions will not work against Hades until a later story conversation with him. In three community polls, Battie, Mort and Shady came out as the favourites. Shady is also the one to take when you are farming, since it drops gold and Darkness along with some health.

Keepsake FAQ

What is the best keepsake in Hades?

There is no single best one for the whole run. A god keepsake is the strongest pick for Tartarus and Asphodel, and the Evergreen Acorn is the best keepsake for Styx and the fight against Hades.

Can you use the same keepsake twice in a run?

No. Once you swap a keepsake away at a rack, it is locked for the rest of that escape, and the rack will show it as “Expired” until your next run.

How do you level keepsakes fast?

Wear it through as many combat encounters as you can. It needs 25 for level 2 and 50 more for level 3. Minibosses, Erebus gates and the Styx side chambers all count, but only for the keepsake you are wearing when the fight ends.

Who gives the final keepsake?

Two keepsakes come last, since they only become available after the credits. Persephone gives you Pom Blossom once she is back in the House, and Hades gives you Sigil of the Dead as his second gift, which opens up a couple of runs after the ending.

Does this apply to Hades II?

No. Everything in this guide is for the first Hades, and the tiers do not carry over to Hades II.

Conclusion

The rule of thumb is fairly simple. Wear god keepsakes while your build is still taking shape, and switch to the Evergreen Acorn or the Lucky Tooth once you are heading for Hades. Whatever you do, make sure to buy the Keepsake Collection from the House Contractor early. Without it, you are stuck with one keepsake for the whole escape.