Making friends in Hades is actually extremely important. All of the Gods — both in and out of your father’s castle — are almost all able to grow a rapport with Zagreus. However, just chatting with friends and family isn’t going to do much for your relationship long-term. If you want those all-so-precious hearts, you’re going to need to give gifts of Nectar and Ambrosia to the members of Hades.
These two materials are only used for improving your relationship with others in the household. But, how do you collect these succulent beverages? And should you prioritize collecting them, or not? Let’s share some drinks with the denizens of the Underworld!
How to Get Nectar in Hades
There are several ways to collect Nectar in Hades. While climbing through basic dungeon rooms, some doors will have a bottle symbol on the top of it. This means that the room will award you with a Nectar for completing it. You’ll only get a single droplet here, making it a bit of a long grind.
However, that’s not the only way. Nectar can also be acquired by trading with the Wretched Broker in the kitchen. These trades aren’t usually worth it, since you’ll need to give up five Chthonic Keys for each drink. But, if you’re really wanting to cap off someone’s relationship, you’d be remiss to not take the deal. And, eventually, you won’t need keys for anything else.
You can also get some extra doses from Boons. Poseidon’s Sunken Treasure Boon grants a small number of resources and a chance to get the draught. Dionysus’s Premium Vintage Boon will give you a single one right away, and a small amount of health.
Finally, you’ll get a few over the course of your plays. Some fish, when caught with the Rod of Fishing, can grant a handful of the circular brew. Also, while you go through your runs, you’ll eventually get three from the Fated List of Minor Prophecies once you’ve met each of the gods.
How to Get Ambrosia in Hades
Ambrosia, represented by a much larger bottle of orange liquid, is a significantly more rare drop in Hades. You don’t need as much of it, and thankfully, you’ll only need it when you reach the later parts of the game.
Your primary source of Ambrosia will be from the Fated List of Minor Prophecies. Giving Nectar to Nyx, Sisyphus, Achilles, Patroclus, and Poseidon will reward you with a bottle. Handing out one Nectar to most of the cast will earn you more. Progressing Orpheus’ music storyline will net you a few more.
However, the big drops come from a few particular sources. You’ll get 12 Ambrosia for revealing all of the hidden aspects in the game. You’ll get another 15 for trying out every Duo Boon currently available. Finally, you’ll get 20 by completing the main storyline of Hades with ‘The Queen’s Plan.’
In addition, you can also get Ambrosia from completing runs on different Heats. By defeating Theseus and the Minotaur in Elysium with each weapon, you’ll gain six of the good drink. Then, by clearing higher heats with each weapon, you’ll get one Ambrosia per run that clears Elysium. Don’t push yourself, but given time, you’ll eventually be swimming in the stuff just by playing the game.
Keep in mind that both of these paths take a lot of time, and a whole lot of runs. If you find yourself needing Ambrosia earlier, you can trade two Diamonds for a single draft. We don’t recommend this trade; however, Diamonds tend to be more cosmetic. So, if you really want to unlock a Chthonic Companion from a character as soon as possible, losing two Diamonds is not the end of the world.
How to Use Nectar and Ambrosia
Nectar and Ambrosia are both primarily used to improve relationships with your fellow gods and denizens of Hades. Improving your relationship is very, very important; Nectar will get you Keepsakes, which are little items that give you passive bonuses throughout your run. Ambrosia can be used to unlock Chthonic Companions, which are consumable items that can tip the scale of a fight in your favor. Ambrosia is also needed to upgrade these Companions, giving them additional uses throughout a run.
To use a Nectar, walk up to the character in the Palace — or walk up to the boon bubble — and hit the Gift button, which is Right Trigger or G. You’ll need 149 total Nectar to clear up relationships and obtain Keepsakes. Then, you can use Nectar to buy some cosmetics at the House Contractor, or raise your endgame Resource Director rank. You can also infinitely spend Nectar to gain Heart of Stone boons from Bouldy. Those aren’t too useful, but once you don’t have anything else to spend the drink on… Why not? You could also trade your leftover Nectar at the Broker for Diamonds, if you don’t want to feed them to Bouldy.
Ambrosia is used after you reach a certain point in a relationship with NPCs. Once nectar no longer works, you’ll need the rectangular cylinder! You can give it to NPCs just like you give Nectar. You’ll need 56 to max out your relationships with each god and NPC. Then, you’ll need 60 to fully upgrade your Chthonic Companions, which can be done directly from the keepsake cabinet. You can also purchase a few cosmetics with another 35.
Finally, you can trade leftover Ambrosia for Titan Blood. This is a pretty fantastic trade, especially if you like trying out all of the weapons that the game has to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Should You Give Nectar To in Hades?
Once you’ve given one Nectar to each god and NPC, you should prioritize giving it to NPCs. Megaera, Thanatos, Skelly, Sisyphus, Dusa, and Achilles each will give a Chthonic Companion once you give them Ambrosia. These companions are both very fun to play with and can save your life during difficult rooms. Sisyphus in particular is not guaranteed to spawn in a run, so making sure he gets his drink can be a good priority.
Should I Give Nectar to Chaos?
Chaos also has a lovely storyline with Nyx. Giving Nectar to both of them will show this story, while also granting you a few benefits via the Fated List of Minor Prophecies.