An extremely important part of every run through the Underworld in Hades is finding the right Artifacts. Some of them are powerful objects that power up Zagreus' arsenal and vanish when he dies, while others come back with him to the House of Hades and power him up permanently.
Many Artifacts are found in chambers, shown on the door as the chamber preview. Others are won from bosses, and some have special means to obtain. Here are all of the Artifacts, how to find them, and their various uses.
14 Chthonic Keys
The first Artifact that new players should seek out is one of the easiest to find: Chthonic Keys. These strange keys are crucial to the beginning bits of the game, as they'll be used for the first few upgrades and unlocks.
These Keys are typically found in chambers as the encounter reward, but they can also be purchased from Charon's shop at times, purchased from the Wretched Broker, exchanged for certain fish, or found as a reward for certain quests in the Fated List of Minor Prophecies.
Chthonic Keys are used to unlock the various Infernal Arms, as well as unlocking new upgrade tiers on the Mirror of Night. Eventually, they diminish in usefulness but can be upgraded via the Mirror of Night to also award +1 Fated Authority or +1 Fated Persuasion when collected. The Chthonic UI theme can also be purchased for a whopping 200 Keys.
13 Centaur Hearts
Centaur Hearts are very straightforward items: they add +25 max health to Zagreus' HP for the run in which they are collected. They'll disappear upon death, though. Some Centaur Hearts are rarer, granting Zagreus +50 HP, including those found in elite wings of the Temple of Styx or won in an Erebus challenge.
The standard Centaur Hearts are won as encounter rewards, purchased from Charon's shop for 125 Obols, or given to the player by Thanatos when he is beaten in a challenge where he appears by defeating more foes than him.
12 Charon's Obols
In an escape attempt, the standard currency is Charon's Obols, small yellow coins that can be used at Charon's shop or the Well of Charon. These also disappear upon death.
There are several ways to earn Obols: as a room clear reward, a reward for clearing an Infernal Trove challenge, from some boons (Sunken Treasure or Ocean's Bounty, both from Poseidon, or Hermes' Side Hustle), as one of the choices offered by Sisyphus, and from selling boons at a Pool of Purging. There are some House Contractor upgrades that can grant more Obols too: Urns of Value, which causes some broken urns to drop Obols, and the Brilliant Gemstones upgrade, which causes collected Gemstone room rewards to drop 20 Obols.
The Mirror of Night also has some Obols-increasing upgrades: Golden Touch, which gives Zagreus 15% of his current Obols as a reward when he enters Stairway Chambers, and Deep Pockets, which starts Zagreus with 100 Obols at the beginning of every run.
The Chthonic Coin Purse Keepsake from Hypnos also starts Zagreus with some Obols when chosen. Finally, Chaos' Affluence blessing will increase the number of Obols earned from certain methods if selected during a run.
11 Darkness
Darkness is basically the game's version of experience points — mainly used to level up Zagreus' various abilities at the Mirror of Night. It is permanent upon death, and is supposedly created by Nyx.
It's obtained in a variety of ways: as a room clear reward, from bosses whose bounty has already been collected, from Poseidon's boons (Ocean's Bounty and Sunken Treasure), and from certain fish. The Well of Charon also sells an item called the Tinge of Erebus which grants a bit of Darkness when purchased, the Fates List of Minor Prophecies has some Darkness rewards, and the Wretched Broker may sell it from time to time.
Companion Shady drops a small amount when summoned. Finally, choosing a weapon with the Darker Thirst will increase Darkness rewards by 20% for that run.
Darkness is mostly used for Mirror of Night upgrades, but is also used to upgrade your rank at the Resource Director (cosmetic and optional), in limited-time offers at the Wretched Broker, and to complete Nyx's favor, which requires exactly 3,142 Darkness.
Lastly, the Infinite UI theme can also be purchased for 25,000 Darkness.
10 Daedalus Hammers
A Daedalus Hammer is sort of like the Olympian God boons, but for your weapon. It'll add a single upgrade to your Infernal Arms just for that run.
They're found as room clear runs, or often as the first room bonus. They can also be purchased from Charon's shop for 200 Obols. Only two of them can be equipped per run.
9 The Anvil of Fates
The Anvil of Fates is similar to the Daedalus Hammer. It'll appear in Charon's stock in the Temple of Styx if the player already has two Daedalus Hammer upgrades on their weapon. When purchased (for 275 Obols at standard rates) it will remove one Daedalus upgrade and replace it with two others at random.
8 Diamonds
Diamonds are an extremely valuable currency that is used in the House of Hades for a variety of purposes.
They're obtained typically from the Lerneaen Bone Hydra upon defeat. Completing some prophecies can award some Diamonds, and they can also be exchanged for at the Wretched Broker's shop. Once in a while, Charon will sell one in his Styx shop for 1,000 Obols (800 with a Loyalty Card). Supposedly, Sunken Treasure, the boon from Poseidon, has an extremely rare chance to drop a Diamond as well.
Diamonds are used at the House Contractor to purchase certain upgrades or unlock certain work orders. They'll also be required for certain ranks at the Resource Director. Lastly, the Infernal UI theme requires 10 Diamonds.
7 Gemstones
Gemstones are a currency that stays with Zagreus upon death. They're earned as room clear rewards, for completing an Infernal Trove challenge, as a reward from the Fated List, or from the Wretched Broker. Some fish are also exchanged for Gemstones. They're used entirely to upgrade various things at the House Contractor. The Deathly UI theme can be purchased with an insane 5,000 Gemstones, too.
6 Nectar
Nectar is one of the most important Artifacts in the game. It's obtained as a room clear reward, in rare instances from an Infernal Trove challenge, from the Wretched Broker, or from the Fated List. Fishing, Dionysus' Premium Vintage boon, and Poseidon's Sunken Treasure boon can also reward Nectar.
Nectar can be given to various characters to level up friendship with them. The first time they are given Nectar (with the exception of Hades), they will give Zagreus a Keepsake. There are also some Resource Director ranks that require Nectar. If you have 100 extra Nectar somehow, you can purchase the Woodland UI theme, too.
5 Ambrosia
Ambrosia is like the upgraded version of Nectar. It's won from Theseus and Asterius' boss battle in Elysium, traded for with the Wretched Broker, won from the Fated List, or exchanged for very rare fish.
After certain levels of friendship are reached, characters will have a favor. Once completed, Zagreus can give them Ambrosia to form a much tighter bond, or in some cases, start a romantic companionship.
Ambrosia is also used to earn Companions from some characters and then level up those Companions. Ten bottles of Ambrosia are used in various ranks at the Resource Director, too. Additionally, ten Ambrosia can be used for the Sonorous UI theme, while 15 Ambrosia can be used to purchase the Lovely UI theme.
4 Poms of Power/Pom Slices
Poms of Power are one of the run-specific items that will disappear upon death. They're used to upgrade the levels of Zagreus' boons from the Gods.
Typically, a Pom will increase a boon's level by one. These standard Poms are found as room clear rewards or purchased from Charon. Stronger Poms can be purchased from Charon in Styx for triple the money, won from an Erebus challenge, or found in an elite wing of Styx. These Poms increase a boon's level by two.
There also exists a Pom Slice, which can be purchased from Charon. These are cheaper and upgrade a random boon, rather than letting you choose. It's important to note that upgrading the same boon becomes less and less effective each time.
3 Titan Blood
Arguably one of the most important Artifacts in the game is Titan Blood. Won from both the Furies and the final boss, Titan Blood is used to reveal and upgrade the various Aspects of the Infernal Arms. The Stygian UI theme requires 10 Titan Blood.
While the two bosses rewarding Titan Blood is the main source, some can also be obtained from the Fated List and traded for at the Wretched Broker. Some very rare fish will be worth a batch of Titan Blood, and Charon will sometimes sell some for a hefty price at his Styx shop.
2 Red Onions
This Artifact is the only one you don't want to find. A Red Onion is the booby prize for failing an Erebus challenge. These challenges task Zagreus with defeating all the enemies without taking any damage. If he takes even one tiny hit, he will lose the challenge and be rewarded a Red Onion instead of the previewed reward.
Red Onions heal a single hitpoint and don't do anything else. They are, obviously, run-specific and consumed upon use.
1 Loyalty Cards
The last item on this list is also one of the simplest to describe, but hardest to obtain. The Loyalty Card will reduce the price of all the items in Charon's shops and the Well of Charon by 20% (yes, even the Diamonds and Titan Blood in his Styx shop).
However, it can only be obtained by defeating Charon in battle, which is no easy feat. Sometimes, a small coin purse will appear behind him in the shop, and if Zagreus "takes" it, he'll have to fight Charon in a boss battle. Loyalty Cards, unfortunately, disappear upon death.