You can spend hundreds of hours uncovering the backstories of your favorite Hades characters, but to dig into who they are and what makes the game’s story really tick, you’ll need a rare consumable called Ambrosia. You’ll use the drink of the gods to form close bonds with your most treasured friends and discover their deepest secrets.
Ambrosia has more practical uses, as well. It’s tradeable at the Wretched Broker. If you have an excess of Ambrosia, you can always trade it for Titan Blood or some other rare material if it’s on the daily special.
No matter what you use it for, this guide will tell you where to get Ambrosia and where to use it.
Defeat the Bosses of Elysium
Early on, the only reliable way to acquire Ambrosia is by defeating the bosses of Elysium. You’ll have access to six bottles by the time you complete the main campaign, provided you get through Elysium with all six weapons before beating the final boss.
Visit the Wretched Broker
As mentioned, you can also purchase Ambrosia through the Wretched Broker by trading them two Diamonds. You could, in turn, trade 10 bottles of Nectar for a Diamond, then trade an additional 50 keys for another 10 bottles, and then gemstones, and around and around.
Not economical or efficient, but if you have a surplus of materials, the Wretched Broker will provide the means to get Ambrosia.
Fulfill Prophecies
Like with Titan Blood, completing the objectives in the Fated List of Minor Prophecies can reward you with Ambrosia.
As of writing, I’ve come across seven, though there are likely double that number. They come in a few varieties, the last of which will get their section below.
Reach the Surface with Hidden Aspects
Each of the Infernal Arms has a hidden Aspect you’ll unlock as you play. There is a prophecy for each of them, worth two bottles of Ambrosia. The nice thing is, you don’t have to complete a run to fulfill it: just make it to the final boss arena.
Doing so is more difficult than it sounds, as each hidden Aspect changes how the weapon works in some key way, and you’ll need to relearn how to use the weapon if you want to make it all the way.
Complete Hidden Story Objectives
Throughout the game, you’ll meet many NPCs to whom you can give bottles of Nectar. After a while, you won’t be able to provide any more, and your progress with that NPC will be locked behind a hidden objective.
Accomplishing these greater deeds will take you multiple runs and several special actions. Short of going over each of them in detail, be sure to talk to anyone and everyone who could or does interact with the NPCs and give those characters Nectar. You’ll also see new work orders at the House Contractor that might seem out of place.
Go out of your way to buy these and interact with whatever it asks you to buy. The “Gift of Song” prophecy, for instance, has you learning to play the lyre, and you’ll need to make Zagreus practice in his room. Once he gets good at it, you’ll be rewarded with a single bottle of Ambrosia.
Other Objectives
Several additional objectives don’t require significant effort beyond a hefty time investment. The two I’ve found so far are “Close at Heart” and “Divine Pairings.”
Close at Heart
“Close at Heart” asks you to equip each of the Keepsakes from your allies. All you need to do is have them equipped for a single floor of the Underworld, then switch to another Keepsake. Do that enough times, as there are more than 20 Keepsakes, and you’ll receive two Ambrosia bottles.
Divine Pairings
“Divine Pairings” has you finding and equipping every single Duo Boon the Olympian gods can offer. You’ll receive 15 bottles of Ambrosia for doing so.
Duos are a special type of Boon that combines the powers of two gods. Ares/Demeter, for instance, adds the Chill effect to your Blade Rift Cast.
Achieving a Duo Boon requires you to have specific standard Boons already equipped. You can technically do a lot of runs and have this happen naturally, but you can also somewhat curate your selection.
Open the Codex and head to the section on Olympian gods. There is a prompt in the lower right-hand corner of the screen that will take you to a page listing all of the available Boons for any of the gods.
Their Legendary and Duo options, as well as the requirements for each, are at the bottom. Combine this knowledge with one of the god’s Keepsakes, and you increase your chances at efficient Duo farming.
How to Use Ambrosia
Beyond trading Ambrosia for other materials, its primary use is deepening Zagreus’ bond with his allies. You’ll also use it to get items called Companions.
Deepen Character Bonds
Once you completely exhaust an NPC’s desire for Nectar, and after you complete a hidden objective to advance their relationship, you can continue growing your relationship through Ambrosia.
Each hidden objective requires time and significant effort. Unlocking Ambrosia use for Megaera, for instance, has you using the Pact of Punishment modifier called Extreme Measures at Level 1. Then you’ll need to talk with Meg herself at the House of Hades, and you should be able to give them Ambrosia.
Get Companion Items
You’ll also receive an item from certain allies called a Companion. These are the locked doors at the bottom of your Keepsakes screen. With a Companion, you can summon that NPC to help you in a fight, and each has a powerful effect that can and will get you out of a bind.
That’s about everything you need to know about Ambrosia in Hades, from how to get it to how to use it. For more on this very good roguelike for PC and Nintendo Switch, check out our other tips guides!
Published: Sep 28, 2020 10:08 pm