Nyx was one of the first characters that Supergiant Games created when they were in the process of making the roguelike, action-based RPG Hades. Her design went through a few iterations, but what we ended up with was a gorgeous character whose appearance easily placed her as a figure of authority without being the same height as Hades.
When talking with her, it’s easy to quickly become as fond of Nyx as she is of Zagreus, and with her support, one can easily run through escape attempt after escape attempt.
She’s based on the greek mythology of Nyx, but, as with all characters in Hades, she has a unique flair that easily makes her one of the favorite characters in the fanbase.
She seems to know more than the other members of the House and is willing to defy the ultimate authority in the House of Hades, Lord Hades himself, if she believes that the outcome of the proceeding events will end up being the most favorable. Her wisdom is boundless, and her love, as discreet as it may be, even more so.
Games Like Hades
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Warning: This Nyx Hades guide contains spoilers for Hades.
A Guiding Star
Often referred to by Mother Nyx, she lives in the House of Hades and works in tandem with Hades to keep the Underworld and the House functioning. She is the personification of night and is the mother of Charon, the Fates, Thanatos, Hypnos, and many others.
Nyx is also the foster mother of Zagreus. She offers counsel to the Chthonic Gods and oversees their work and the work of the House Staff.
She is one of the most well-connected characters in the game, having some sort of a relationship with most of the members of the House of Hades and with two Olympians.
She is the daughter of the primordial deity Chaos, and to complete her storyline, Zagreus must reunite Nyx with her parent. It takes six Nectar to unlock her favor, and after completion, you can gift her Ambrosia, though you won’t get anything in return.
Written into the Stars
Stars in her Eyes
Nyx is one of the more intricately dressed members of the House of Hades. She wears her hair partially up, with part of it floating up and around her face. The underneath is speckled with stars, reflecting the night sky that the Shades wandering through only have a memory of seeing.
Atop her head is a golden headpiece with a small skull and red gemstone eyes. She wears a circlet made of stars and Darkness, which compliments the Darkness that hangs from her earrings and the large drop of it that hangs from her mantle.
The mantle itself is gold, with an intricate swirling design, almost like the fog that she uses to hide Zagreus and Persephone from the eyes of the gods. On each shoulder, she has two large crescent moons.
In the center of the mantle is a skull with the same red gemstone eyes that holds the drop of Darkness. Two skulls help to hold her cloak to her chiton. Both her cloak and chiton are purple, with accents of black and gold.
Floating around Nyx is a purple ribbon, only enhancing the sense of elegance and refinement in her appearance. On one arm, she wears three gold bands, and on the other, a single band that is complimented with a long, fingerless glove. On the wrapped gloved hand, she also sports several rings.
Her nails are a light purple, and her lipstick is a dark purple, the same color as the Darkness that she wears as an accessory.
She Shines so Bright
Nyx is a very shrewd person, able to discern things very quickly and make good judgments. She is able to help Zagreus in his mission to find Persephone, believing that it will be for the best if he meets, and eventually is able to convince Persephone to return to the House of Hades, even when Hades is at odds with her.
Although she can be kind and comforting, Nyx believes that duty to the House should come first and that her children should have some sort of independence from her, which can lead her to misjudge some situations when dealing with her family – notably when she is attempting to push Hypnos into becoming independent of her.
Night Always Remains
Nyx helps to run the House alongside Hades, working as the personification of night. She gives counsel and advice to the members of the House, including Zagreus.
She oversees the work of the Chthonic Gods and the House Staff and generally keeps the House running, while Hades deals with governing the Underworld through tedious tasks such as census taking and administering rules.
Nyx seemed more than happy to offload those abilities onto him so she could focus on shaping Darkness and keeping the Underworld, and the House, together.
The Center of the Realm
Nyx can be found in the corner by the entrance to Prince Zagreus’s room. During one of your conversations with Nyx, Zagreus has the chance to ask her why she is always in that spot, at which Nyx tells her foster child that she prefers this spot because it is the closest to the center of the House and, thus, the closest to the center of the domain.
The only times she moves from her spot is to speak with Persephone or to Hades or when she is away taking care of business.
Some Light in the Dark
Nyx offers two gifts to Zagreus – a Keepsake and the Mirror of Night. However, you don’t have to do anything for the Mirror of Night to be automatically available.
Keepsakes
Similar to many other characters in the game, Nyx only gifts one object to Zagreus upon gifts of Nectar and Ambrosia – her Keepsake, her Black Shawl. Although I doubted Nyx’s keepsake when I first played the game, it actually helped me to achieve a surprisingly quick escape attempt for the early game.
The Black Shawl, at the first star, allows you to deal 10% damage to undamaged foes when striking them from behind. At two stars, your damage increases to 15% for undamaged foes and when striking behind. At three stars, your damage increases to 20% for the same conditions.
The Mirror of Night
Nyx, determined to help Zagreus escape, offers him the use of the Mirror of Night to empower himself for each of his escape attempts. This is possibly one of the most, if not the most, useful tools in the entirety of Hades.
You can use Darkness collected throughout each of your escape attempts or exchanged for through the Wretched Broker to empower yourself. In a way, the Mirror of Night functions almost like Nyx’s version of a boon.
When the Stars Shined the Brightest
After Zagreus discovers that Nyx is actually his foster mother, while his birth mother lives on the surface (thanks to the Narrator divulging that information), Nyx does all she can to try and help Zagreus escape the Underworld.
Although, it is unknown to her until after your first successful escape attempt that Zagreus could not survive for long periods on the surface, thus confirming that he suffers the same binding to the Underworld as Hades.
Shrouding Zagreus
Nyx helps Zagreus continuously throughout the game, even after the main body of the story has been finished. Throughout his runs, and even on the surface, Nyx conceals Zagreus in a darkness similar to that which hides his mother, Persephone.
Chaos comments on it once when during one of your early visits to them, saying, “You move in Darkness, practically unseen, Son of Hades. It is difficult even for me to sense your presence at times. The Olympians catch their glimpses now and then. But you are always in a shroud. Thus is the influence of Nyx.”
Night and Darkness
If just loving Nyx as a character and wanting to see her storyline through wasn’t enough, Zagreus’s favor to her and Master Chaos also scratches off a prophecy from the Fated List of Minor Prophecies. Titled Night and Darkness, this prophecy requires Zagreus, and by extension, the player, to reunite Nyx and Chaos.
To start this prophecy, you need to give six Nectar to Nyx. Upon its reveal, you can buy the Eldest Sigil Restoration work order from the House Contractor, though it comes at a heavy price. At 3,142 darkness, you’ll be making quite a few escape attempts and probably visiting the Wretched Broker a few times.
Brightening the Night
If you want to liven up the House and, in the process, bring some light to the life of the personification of night, you can buy some flowers to surround Nyx with in her chosen area.
Eventually, Nyx will comment on the flowers that surround her, saying that, even though she wouldn’t have admitted it in the past, she deeply enjoys their presence in her life now. It only costs fifteen Gemstones to get her the lilacs from the House Contractor and twenty Gemstones to get the roses – so I don’t see why someone wouldn’t do it for her.
It’s hardly as if Gemstones are in short supply in the Underworld, so just… go ahead and buy her some nice flowers because she deserves them.
Together Like Constellations
By far, almost more than Hades himself, Nyx has the most expansive network of those she could call friends, family, or acquaintances. To build your personal relationship with Nyx, you will need to give her six Nectar and complete her favor. You can gift her Ambrosia, but she won’t give you a companion like a few other characters in the game will.
Chthonic Gods
Thanatos
Nyx maintains a friendly relationship with her son and respects him, encouraging him to continue doing his best work. When Thanatos offers to help maintain the House, she simply tells him to continue helping in his own way, which he agrees to do.
Hypnos
Hypnos and Nyx’s relationship is more complicated than her relationship with her other children – likely because Nyx is still much more involved in his life. She attempts to set boundaries for him to help him develop into an independent person capable of caring for their own responsibilities, though the way she goes about it may not be the best.
She requests that he doesn’t speak to her during work hours and that he stops referring to her as “mom.” It becomes clear throughout the game, as well, that Hypnos is not often commended and complimented by his mother, which leads him to assume that someone else is commending his efforts in his work when she offers her compliments.
Even still, Nyx clearly believes that she is doing her best to help Hypnos become independent and responsible and takes pride in him when he improves.
Chaos
Nyx does seem to regret growing distant from Chaos, and Chaos regrets the massive expectations they gave her in terms of maintaining the realm. The two have not talked to each other since the beginning of creation, meaning that their reuniting is something that has been a long time coming.
Hades
Nyx and Hades seem to have a strained relationship at times, though the realm’s dependency on them keeps the two from doing anything to take measures to stop the other’s actions.
Even if Nyx claims that she is, as ever, in Hades’ debt, the truth remains that Hades can make no serious moves to prevent her from helping Zagreus without jeopardizing the integrity of the Underworld.
The two do respect each other, and although Hades has punished and maintains the punishment of the Titans and primordial gods, Nyx has escaped this punishment – likely because of her usefulness in maintaining the realm.
Persephone
When Persephone was first in the Underworld, she and Nyx had a friendly relationship, one that Nyx looked back fondly on. Nyx supported and offered company to Persephone during her first stay in the Underworld, helping her to grow used to the Chthonic environment.
When Persephone returned, she said that Nyx and Cerberus were some of those she missed most of all during her time on the surface, and every night, she thought of her times with Nyx.
Zagreus
Nyx is Zagreus’s foster mother after she pulled some strings with the fates to bring him back from death as an infant. Under oath, she kept this secret from him until Zagreus himself discovered what had happened.
Upon his discovery, Nyx did everything in her power to help him reconnect with Persephone, encouraging him despite the repeated anger of Hades that she was aiding him in his efforts. Regardless, Nyx continued to do as she pleased, knowing full well that Hades could do little to stop her in her efforts.
She is fond of Zagreus and still refers to him as “my child.” Zagreus remains fond of his foster mother as well and is continuously grateful for her help in reconnecting with and bringing Persephone back to the House. Nyx often offers him comfort, though does not sugarcoat the difficulties he will face in his efforts.
Megaera
Although the two mostly maintain a professional relationship, Nyx does offer words of comfort and counsel to Megaera from time to time. There is a randomly triggered conversation in which Zagreus states that Nyx raised Megaera like one of her own, which makes it clear that Megaera is also one of Nyx’s foster children.
Dusa
Nyx is not fond of how Dusa frequently overworks herself and how she freely consorts with Zagreus. Eventually, Nyx removes her from the House without warning, though upon Zagreus’s intervention, she reinstates her position with “certain stipulations.” Likely meaning that Dusa is no longer allowed to overwork herself for the sake of the House.
Olympian Gods
Although most Olympian Gods seem to look down on Chthonic Gods, Zagreus aside (kind of), there are a few that seem to bear some semblance of respect for Nyx, and in the case of one, even begin to form a sort of pen-pal like relationship with her.
Ares
Ares seems to hold a reverence for Nyx that the other Olympic Gods do not. Even if she isn’t liked by the others on Olympus, he desires to meet her and feels gratitude for how her position has played a heavy hand in his own work as the god of war. Ares will start a pen-pal-like relationship with Nyx after you have had enough interactions with both of them.
Athena
Athena likes Nyx well enough and considers her to be a very sharp-minded and observant person. She is the first Olympian who responds to Nyx’s request for aid in helping Zagreus. In a randomly triggered conversation, Athena will admit minor jealousy at times for the relationship that Nyx and Zagreus share, desiring to have had a mother as well.
The Cold of Night can be Kind
Unlike others in the House of Hades, Nyx doesn’t make many humorous comments. Regardless, she does have a few lines which have always stood out to me, speaking to both her character and her intentions.
“Pride has been the failing of so many mortals, child, and has brought low many members of your family as well. And yet… I am so very proud of you, for what you have achieved. I wanted you to be aware of that.”
“My reason for helping you is simpler than that. It is because I love you. You may not be born of me, but I raised you like one of my own. And I have cared for you as I am capable.”
After dying to Hades on the surface, Nyx has a chance to make this comment: “You know his weaknesses better than anyone. Better than even he. It pains me to know that the conflict between you could not be settled in some other way. But if this is how it has to be… destroy him for me, next time you fight up there. However long it takes. Would you do that?”
FAQs
Question: Who are Nyx’s Children?
Answer: In the first game, we only meet a few of Nyx’s biological children – Hypnos, Thanatos, and Charon. However, we know that she is the mother of the Fates, Eris, and Nemesis. In the new game coming out, we will get to meet her daughter, Nemesis, and we will likely meet another one of her children – Moros.
Question: How is Nyx Related to Hades?
Answer:Â Nyx is related to Hades in the way that their family tree consists of four or five generations, and that’s basically it. She is one of the remaining primordial deities and the sister of Gaia, who is the mother of Rhea, who is Hades’ mother. This would make Nyx Hades’s grandaunt.
Question: Is Meg Nyx’s Daughter?
Answer: Yes and no. Technically Megaeara is Nyx’s foster daughter, as she did not birth her or any of the fury sisters.
As Night Becomes Day
Nyx has a lot of responsibility, but it’s clear that she still does what she can to try and offer comfort and guidance to her biological and foster children.
While she is painted as a mother figure for Zagreus, Nyx is also painted as someone who is very independent and stays in the House both out of a sense of duty and out of the love she has for those who are there and who may return. In both appearance and personality, she is one of the fan favorites and definitively falls into my favorite character category.
When almost everyone in the House has scorned Zagreus, Nyx remains ever-present and ever-supporting of Zagreus and his efforts to escape. She cares so deeply, more than her elegant and refined, almost intimidating appearance lets on.
Games Like Hades
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4.6
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4.1
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4.2
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