Hades II Keepsakes Guide: Which Keepsake to Equip First (2026)

TL;DR — equip one and commit

• Dying early: Luckier Tooth (Schelemeus) — brings you back at 51 Life the first time you hit 0 each night.
• Free sustain: Ghost Onion (Dora) — refills your Life on every room exit, up to 50 healing a night.
• Spell-heavy arms: Silver Wheel (Hecate) — plus 50 Magick for the whole night.
• Economy opener: Gold Purse (Charon) — plus 100 Gold Crowns to spend from the first shop.
• Revenge plan: Evil Eye (Nemesis) — plus 20% damage against whatever killed you last run.

Starter keepsakes compared (Reported: wiki-verified 2026-09-27, 1-star values)

KeepsakeFrom1-star effectTake it when Luckier ToothSchelemeusRevive at 51 Life once a nightYou die before the first Guardian Ghost OnionDoraFull heal on exit, up to 50 a nightYou finish rooms scratched, not dead Silver WheelHecate+50 MagickYour arm lives on omega moves Gold PurseCharon+100 Gold CrownsYou want shops working from room one Evil EyeNemesis+20% vs your last killerOne boss keeps ending your runs Lion FangHeracles+30% damage, fading 5% a roomYou clear fast and boss early Knuckle BonesOdysseusNext Guardian −5% Health, −10% Guardian damage takenA Guardian is the wall

1. Luckier Tooth first — the extra life that teaches

Gift Nectar to Schelemeus and the Tooth revives you at 51 Life the first time you drop to 0 each night (76 at 2-star, 101 at 3-star, 151 at the 4-star cap). It does not make you stronger — it buys one more Guardian attempt per night, which is exactly what an early account needs. Swap it out once you reach the final region regularly.

2. Ghost Onion for runs that bleed slowly

Dora's Onion tops your Life back up every time you leave a location, up to 50 healing a night at 1-star (75, then 100, then 150). If you usually arrive at Guardians hurt but alive, the Onion outperforms the Tooth: it converts clean rooms into free healing instead of paying out once at zero.

3. Silver Wheel when Magick is the bottleneck

Hecate's Wheel adds 50 Magick for the night at 1-star (75, 100, 150 up the ranks). Omega-heavy arms spend Magick faster than rooms refund it — the Wheel is the difference between casting on cooldown and casting on budget. Take it the moment your casts, not your Life bar, end runs.

4. Gold Purse to turn shops into a plan

Charon's Purse hands you 100 extra Gold Crowns at 1-star (125, 150, 200 up the ranks). Early shops sell the boon or tool that snowballs a run — the Purse means buying on the first shop instead of window-shopping until the third. Economy keepsakes look boring and win quietly.

5. Evil Eye, Lion Fang and Knuckle Bones for target problems

Nemesis's Eye adds 20% damage (25, 30, 40 up the ranks) against the exact foe that killed you last — equip it, walk back in, delete the wall. Heracles's Lion Fang starts at plus 30% damage but sheds 5% of the bonus every encounter, so it rewards fast boss rushes, not slow clears. Odysseus's Knuckle Bones shaves 5% off the next Guardian's Health at 1-star (10, 15, 25 up the ranks) and softens Guardian hits by 10% — the honest answer when a Guardian, not the rooms, gates you.

Curated picks (inline, verified 2026-09-27)

1. Keepsakes Wiki — Fextralife (wiki)

The full keepsake catalogue this guide is built from: every keepsake's NPC source, rank effects and upgrade path in one table, last edited 2026-09-10. Open it before committing Nectar to anyone. Open the wiki.

2. HADES II — Supergiant Games (official)

The developer's own page: use it to settle edition and release facts when guides disagree. Open the official page.

3. Steam Community Guides (player guides)

Player-written keepsake and build routes versioned against patches — the fastest way to see which loadouts still work right now. Confirm the guide's stated patch matches yours before trusting it. Browse Steam guides.

4. Quick tips for new Hades 2 players — Reddit (community)

One thread that serves both audiences: brand-new players get the vocabulary, veterans get exactly what changed since Hades 1. The comments correct outdated Early Access advice — read them, not just the post. Read the thread.

FAQ

How do keepsakes level up?

Every keepsake starts at 1 star. Equip it for 25 encounters to reach 2 stars, 50 more for 3 stars. A 4-star cap exists only for some keepsakes and only while the Cherished Heirloom duo boon is active — treat 3 stars as the real max when planning.

Can I swap keepsakes mid-run?

One per run by default. After the Kindred Keepsakes incantation, the case at the Crossroads training grounds lets you switch once per region — and a keepsake you already used stays locked for the rest of the night, so plan the swap before the Guardian, not after.

Where does Nectar come from?

Rooms showing the Nectar door icon, one bottle a night from the Wretched Broker (after the Summoning of Mercantile Fortune incantation), or the Sweet Nectar cauldron recipe. Hand the first bottle to a new NPC and their keepsake unlocks in the training-grounds case.

Which keepsake should a first-week player max first?

The one you already equip every run — ranks grow only while equipped, so 25 encounters on the Tooth beats five keepsakes at 1 star. Max the Tooth or the Onion first, then branch into the Wheel or the Purse once deaths stop gating you.

Where are the official facts?

Check Supergiant's official HADES II page and the Steam store page first. We will refresh the numbers when a patch moves them.

Playnesta Verdict

Start Luckier Tooth, graduate to Ghost Onion when rooms stop killing you, then feed one keepsake 25 encounters before touching a second — and keep the Evil Eye loaded for whatever killed you yesterday. A keepsake is one solved problem worn every run, not seven trinkets rotated for luck.