Gifting Nectar and then Ambrosia deepens Zagreus's relationships — some into friendships, some into romance, and many into side-stories that are central to the game's real ending. Companion gifts even reward you with summons you can call in a set number of times per run.
How bonds progress
Nectar first
Give each character Nectar for their Keepsake and to open the relationship.
Then Ambrosia
Once a bond is high enough, gifting switches to Ambrosia, which deepens friendships and unlocks companions.
Follow their quest
Higher bonds trigger conversations and tasks — reuniting couples, resolving old grudges, earning trust.
Earn the payoff
Completing an arc can grant a companion summon, a title, or a step toward the true ending.
Romance & companions
- Romance options are Megaera and Thanatos — you can pursue either, or both; Dusa's arc can be followed too, but it ends in friendship.
- Each fully-bonded ally gives a Companion: a powerful summon equipped for your run, usable once per run at first and up to five times once ranked up with Ambrosia (e.g. Battie from Megaera).
- Some arcs need characters you only meet in the biomes — carry Nectar to Sisyphus, Eurydice and Patroclus.
- Maxed relationships and their stories are a large slice of full completion and the Fated List.
Key relationship arcs
🎵 Orpheus & Eurydice
Carry Nectar to each across runs to reunite the musician and the nymph — a beloved side-story.
⚔️ Achilles & Patroclus
Help your mentor reach Patroclus in Elysium; one of the game's most affecting arcs.
🌺 Persephone
The central arc — reaching and bonding with your mother drives the true ending.
💞 The romances
Megaera, Thanatos and Dusa each have their own arc you can pursue with Ambrosia — the first two can end in romance, Dusa's in friendship.
Sources
Cross-checked on 1 October 2026 against the guides of Vandal, TheGamer and PowerPyx. What is still unverified is the only thing reading cannot settle — nobody here has played it.
The order the game expects
Gifting is a chain, not a slider, and doing it out of order wastes Ambrosia. Each step unlocks the
next.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| First Nectar | They give you their Keepsake. This alone is a reason to hand one to everybody early |
| Around 5–6 Nectar | Their trust is high enough that they offer you a Favor — a quest |
| Complete the Favor | Unlocks the rest of their hearts, which were locked until now |
| Ambrosia | Fills those remaining hearts. This is the only stage Ambrosia is useful for |
| Maxed | Some — the ones closest to Zagreus — give a Companion: a one-use summon |
Four characters do not take Nectar at all: Alecto, Tisiphone, Theseus and Asterius.
Do not save gifts for them.
If they gave you a Keepsake, you can max them out. That is the quickest test for
whether a character has a full bond track behind them. And not everyone has a Companion at the end — only the
ones close to Zagreus — so a maxed bond without a summon is not a bug.
Still to verify
Cross-checked on 5 September 2026 against the Hades Wiki and TheGamer, which corrected this page: it said three characters refuse Nectar and there are four — Asterius was missing. The gifting chain and the keepsake rule of thumb matched what both sources describe. What is still unverified is the only thing reading cannot settle — nobody here has played it.