💎 Artifact Guide
Artifact Guide
Artifacts provide permanent passive benefits that significantly shape the direction of a run. Choosing the right artifact at the right time is directly linked to consistent clears at high Covenant.
1. Artifact Basics
How to Obtain
- Herzal's Hoard (HH map node): Choose 1 from a random 3-card selection
- Merchant of Trinkets (MoT map node): Purchase with gold or by removing a card
- Event rewards: Certain branch events grant artifacts
Core Selection Philosophy
Always judge artifacts by whether your current deck can use them. Sometimes seeing the artifact offer before choosing your Champion opens up stronger options — especially with direction-setting artifacts.
2. Best Universal Artifacts
Top-tier artifacts worth considering in any deck.
Martyr's Signet
Effect: After each combat, the front unit on each floor permanently gains +6 HP
One of the strongest universal artifacts. It creates a positive feedback loop — more HP → survive longer → gain more HP. Its value scales with Covenant rank.
| Synergizes With | Reason |
|---|---|
| Spike Reflect (Awoken) | More HP = more Spike bounce damage |
| Equipment Stack (Lazarus) | Units survive longer to stack equipment |
| Any sustain build | HP gain = direct survivability |
Artificial Pyrestone
Effect: +3 Ember during the deploy phase
Effectively +3 Ember every turn. Deploy an extra 3-cost unit or afford high-cost spells with ease. Universally strong from beginner to expert.
Shaleshell
Effect: All units gain +3 Armor whenever a Cooldown ability triggers
Explosive in clans with many Cooldown units. Particularly synergistic with Railforged and Hellhorned, making all units tougher every turn.
Bone Dog's Pendant
Effect: When a unit dies, Champion permanently gains +2 Attack
Staple in death-trigger and Burnout decks. Excellent with Melting Remnant's vanishing units and Underlegion's Funguys. Take it Ring 1 and your Champion could reach +30 Attack by the final boss.
Large Mystery Box
Effect: Celestial Alcove exclusive — choose any option freely
No catch, no downside. One of the highest-value event outcomes in the game.
3. Clan Synergy Artifacts
Awoken
| Artifact | Effect | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Petrified Crucible | Attacks against units return 2× Spike damage | Core Spike Wall piece — Velvet Queen self-destructs |
| Thornwood Wand | All units gain +1 Spike at start of each turn | Passive Spike growth on every unit |
Hellhorned
| Artifact | Effect | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Rage Heirloom | Champion gains +1 Rage after each combat | Burnout engine fuel — early pickup = snowball |
| Spiked Collar | All units start with +2 Rage | Raises early-game damage floor |
Stygian Guard
| Artifact | Effect | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Mana Surge Crystal | Gain +1 Magic whenever you cast a spell | Explosive acceleration for magic-scaling builds |
| Ink Tome | Draw 1 spell for free each turn | Doubles combo consistency |
Lazarus League
| Artifact | Effect | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Volatile Injector | Gain +4 Attack (permanent) when Reanimate triggers | Infinite attack growth with reanimate loops |
| Splicing Tools | +1 equipment slot | Core piece for equipment-stacking builds |
Underlegion
| Artifact | Effect | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Bolete's Harvest | Summon 1 Funguy when any unit dies | Absolute core for Funguy spam builds |
| Spore Lantern | All units gain +1/+1 when a Funguy is summoned | The more you spam, the stronger everything becomes |
4. Selection Priority Framework
Tier S — Always Take
Directly amplifies your deck axis or has extremely high universal value.
Tier A — Take If Available
Moderate synergy with your deck or significantly raises stability.
Tier B — Situational
Only strong on specific axes. Take only when your deck is on that axis.
Tier C — Generally Skip
Doesn't synergize with your current deck. Not worth gold to purchase.
5. Timing Considerations
Early Game (Rings 1–3)
Best window for: snowball artifacts (Bone Dog's Pendant, Rage Heirloom), Ember aids (Artificial Pyrestone), direction-setting artifacts (Cuttlebeard → commits you to Frost)
Snowball artifacts compound exponentially — the earlier you get them, the more impact.
Mid Game (Rings 4–6)
Best window for: weakness patches (AoE support, healing), scaling ceiling raisers (Martyr's Signet)
Late Game (Rings 7–8)
Best window for: immediate impact (flat attack buffs, HP boosts) Snowball artifacts lose most of their value here — deprioritize them.
6. Artifact vs. Champion Upgrade Decision
Ring 1 Herzal's Hoard often presents the dilemma of artifact vs. Champion upgrade.
Core rule:
- Artifact is S–A tier → Take the artifact. Upgrade Champion at the next shop
- Artifact is B tier or lower → Buy the Champion upgrade
- Direction-setting artifact (Cuttlebeard etc.) → Take it first, then choose your Champion accordingly
Artifacts that influence your Champion choice — like Cuttlebeard (Frostbite stacking) or Mana Surge Crystal (Magic stacking) — should always be evaluated before finalizing the Champion pick.
7. Common Artifact Mistakes
| Mistake | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Taking weak artifacts out of habit | "I must take something" mindset | Skip B-tier offers and save gold for HP |
| Taking snowball artifacts late | Drawn in by impressive text | Snowball value collapses after Ring 6 |
| Clan-specific relic with no synergy | "Maybe someday" thinking | If your deck can't use it now, skip it |
Summary
- Aggressively pick universal S–A artifacts (Martyr's Signet, Artificial Pyrestone)
- Clan-specific artifacts only if they match your current axis
- Snowball artifacts — the earlier the better
- Direction-setting artifacts — pick before choosing Champion
- Artifacts that don't synergize → skip and save the gold
Optimizing artifact selection alone — without changing clans or cards — can dramatically raise win rates across all Covenant levels.