Nemesis is My Favorite Hades 2 Character, But I Prioritize Getting this Keepsake Above All Else

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This article contains MINOR SPOILERS for Hades 2.

Besides being one of the first good roguelite games I played, Hades really sparked my interest in Greek mythology. While older titles like God of War showed the conflict between the gods and the Titans, Hades delved into the more obscure parts of the ancient Greek world, letting me discover characters like Zagreus, Megaera, and Patroclus. Hades 2 returns to this rich world of Greek mythology, and it arguably explores it even more thoroughly than the original game.

Centered on Zagreus’ sister, Melinoe, Hades 2 lets players journey through the darkest parts of Tartarus and the towering heights of Mount Olympus, encountering many characters both old and new along the way. Nemesis is one of these figures from mythology. Although Nemesis is my most beloved character in Hades 2 because of her strong bond with Melinoe, her memorable appearance, and her ties to the characters in Hades 1, she wasn’t the first character I chose when I began a new Hades 2 game last week.

Before Anyone Else, You Should Cozy Up To Hades 2’s Odysseus First

Hades 2’s Keepsakes Explained

I’ve been regularly playing Hades 2 ever since it became available in early access in May 2024. Over the past 16 months, I’ve gotten to know the game really well, and that includes figuring out which of Hades 2’s Keepsakes are helpful to use, and which ones you’re better off leaving behind at the Crossroads.

If you’re just starting with Hades, Keepsakes are special items that give you helpful advantages during a playthrough. For example, they might make it more likely to get Boons from a certain Olympian god, or give you more Magick to choose from. You earn new Keepsakes by becoming friends with characters – you do this by giving them Nectar as gifts.

Hades 2‘s Keepsakes can be swapped between Regions after casting the Kindred Keepsakes Incantation.

Odysseus’ Keepsake Is One of Hades 2’s Best

After the 1.0 release date for Hades 2 was announced during the Nintendo Direct a few weeks ago, I made up my mind to start a new game on launch day. Even though my progress from early access would transfer over, I wanted to replay Hades 2 from the very beginning. This time, however, I’d be going in with a much better understanding of the game – knowing what to expect and where to find everything.

When I began a new Hades 2 game and earned my first bottle of Nectar, I immediately went to find Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca. Besides being a personal favorite hero from Greek mythology – largely because of EPIC: The Musical – Odysseus offers players one of the most useful Keepsakes in Hades 2, called the Knuckle Bones:

  • Knuckle Bones — The next Guardian (boss) loses 5/10/15/25% of its health, and you take -10% damage from the Guardian

Hades 2 features tough boss battles, but Odysseus’ Knuckle Bones Keepsake can make them a little easier. It works by lowering boss health and the damage they inflict on you. At first, it reduces a Guardian’s health by 5%, but using the Keepsake in more fights will increase that to 15%. If you also earn the Cherished Heirloom boon from both Hera and Demeter, the health reduction jumps to a significant 25%.

However, one downside to the Hades 2 Knuckle Bones Keepsake is its limited duration – it only lasts for a single region. Because of this, players should use it right before a particularly challenging boss fight. For example, I prefer to save the Knuckle Bones until I get to Mount Olympus, because I still find the region boss’s AoE attacks difficult to handle.

The Other Best Keepsakes in Hades 2

Hades 2 features 33 Keepsakes to collect, and while Odysseus’ is particularly helpful, many others are also worth pursuing. Here are some of the best Keepsakes in Hades 2:

  • Luckier Tooth (Schelemeus) — After you fall to 0 health, automatically restore 51/76/101/151 health
  • Engraved Pin (Moros) — When you fall to 0 health, enter a ‘Doomed’ state where you need to defeat all enemies in 10 seconds. Clearing all enemies will revive you with 30/45/60/90 health
  • Aromatic Phial (Narcissus) — Fountains restore 20% of health, and the next encountered fountain upgrades a random Common Boon to Rare/Epic/Heroic
  • Concave Stone (Echo) — Once per night, after choosing a Boon, get a 25/50/75/100% chance to take one more
  • Crystal Figurine (Circe) — After the next Guardian, gain two inactive Arcana Cards
  • Transcendent Embryo (Chaos) — Gain a random Common/Rare/Epic/Heroic Chaos blessing that’s replaced every eight encounters

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2025-09-30 13:04