Unlocking the Underworld: How to Deepen Your Relationship and Max Out Bonds in Hades

Escaping the fiery depths of the Underworld in Supergiant Games’ acclaimed action rogue-like Hades is a monumental achievement, but it is only half the experience. The true soul of the game lives within the House of Hades and the sprawling pantheon of Olympian gods. As you gift Nectar, converse after grueling runs, and hit narrative milestones, you will inevitably run into a frustrating yet intriguing wall: the dreaded locked heart and the prompt stating that you need to deepen your relationship.

Mastering this system unlocks some of the most emotionally resonant storylines, powerful keepsakes, and rewarding secrets the game has to offer.

The Foundation: Nectar, Ambrosia, and Keepsakes

Building a rapport with the residents of the Underworld and the gods of Olympus starts with simple hospitality.

• Nectar: Your primary tool for breaking the ice. Gifting Nectar to a character earns you your first batch of hearts and rewards you with a unique Keepsake—a powerful passive item that alters or aids your future escape attempts.
• Ambrosia: Once you fill a character’s initial hearts, you will notice a padlock icon blocking further progress. This is where Ambrosia comes in. Reserved for your closest confidants, Ambrosia is required to max out relationships and unlock legendary Companions (summonable allies like Dusa, Thanatos, or Achilles).

However, simply throwing rare items at characters won’t clear those locks. The game demands something more valuable: narrative progress.

The Secret Ingredient: Conversation and Favors

If you are stuck staring at a locked heart, it means you have hit a narrative bottleneck. Supergiant Games intricately ties relationship progression to the overall flow of the story. To push past these barriers, keep these core strategies in mind:

• Keep Talking: Dialogue in Hades is vast. Characters react dynamically to your deaths, your weapon choices, your victories, and even your failures. Exhaust their dialogue options between every single run.
• Fulfill Personal Favors: Many characters (and gods) require you to complete specific tasks or Fated List prophecies before they open up completely. For instance, reuniting Achilles and Patroclus or helping Orpheus and Eurydice requires meticulous dialogue management and prophecy fulfillment.
• Progress the Main Plot: Certain high-profile characters—most notably your father, Hades himself—have their relationship progress strictly gated behind completing the base game’s main narrative arc (reaching the epilogue).

Why Deepening Relationships Changes the Game

Taking the time to look past surface-level gift-giving transforms Hades from a fast-paced combat challenge into a deeply immersive character study.

• Unlocking Powerful Companions: Maxing out bonds with select characters grants you combat companions that can turn the tide of a difficult boss fight, summoning characters like Skeely, Meg, or Achilles to deal massive damage or draw aggro.
• Expanding the Codex: Every conversation and gift updates Achilles’ Codex, revealing rich mythological lore, hidden character motivations, and interconnected relationships between the Olympians and chthonic gods.
• Emotional Payoffs: The ultimate reward for deepening your relationships isn’t mechanical—it is narrative closure. Seeing broken families reconcile, lonely souls find peace, and the House of Hades transform over time provides an unmatched sense of fulfillment.

Practical Tips for Your Journey

• Prioritize the Broker: If you are running low on Nectar or Ambrosia, keep an eye on the House Contractor’s Wretched Broker, who frequently trades lesser gems or darkness for rare gifting items.
• Don’t Rush: Hades is designed to be played over dozens (if not hundreds) of runs. Let the relationships unfold naturally rather than trying to grind every single heart out all at once.

Ultimately, deepening your relationship in Hades mirrors the journey of escape itself: it requires patience, resilience, and a willingness to learn from every encounter. Embrace the journey, keep the Nectar flowing, and watch the Underworld open its heart to you.