Risk of Rain 2 is a third-person roguelike known for its unique gameplay and massive amount of items, gear, and modifiers, meaning two runs are rarely the same, and Risk of Rain 2 artifacts certainly play a role in this. These little wildcards have the power to make drastic changes to your run and the way you play the game – either swaying the battle in your favor, making it more challenging for you and your friends, or doing a bit of both.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the purpose of artifacts, how to unlock them, and all the different ones currently available in the game. For some extra help surviving in that big, scary world, check out our Risk of Rain 2 Characters and Risk of Rain 2 Moon Items guides. We’ve also got a list of the best Switch roguelikes if you’re looking for new experiences in this gripping genre.
What are Risk of Rain 2 Artifacts?
Risk of Rain 2 artifacts are unlockable in-game modifiers that can have a major impact on your gameplay. Once you unlock an artifact, you can enable it at the start of a run. In multiplayer, all the artifacts that you and your teammates have unlocked are merged together and you can enable whichever you want at your own discretion.
How do I unlock Risk of Rain 2 artifacts?
To unlock a Risk of Rain 2 Artifact, you must enter an Artifact Code at the Sky Meadow via the Compound Generator displayed below the map. Then you need to communicate with the laptop. After this, a portal spawns that takes you to the specific trial of the artifact in Bulwark’s Ambry. The Compound Generator toggles between square, circle, triangle, and diamond inputs.
When you take the trial, the artifact you want to unlock will activate, along with any artifacts you enabled at the start of the run. An artifact key spawns on an elevated block that you must pick up and use to interact with the artifact reliquary, activating monsters – and it’s time to fight.
As monsters die, some drop more artifact keys. Using these artifact keys removes them from all players’ inventory, preventing anyone from hoarding keys.
Once you’ve killed all the bad guys and destroyed the artifact reliquary, you can claim the artifact you were fighting for and jump through a portal back to the first stage.
What are all the risks of Rain 2 artifacts?
artifact
Description
Artifact of Chaos Friendly fire is possible for everyone – both survivors and monsters Artifact of Command You can choose your items Artifact of death If one player dies, everyone dies – the true test of both teamwork and individual skills Artifact of Dissonance Monsters can now appear outside their usual environments Artifact of Enigma You spawn with a random piece of equipment that changes each time you activate it Artifact of Evolution Monsters now gain items between stages Artifact of Frailty Fall damage is doubled and deadly Artifact of Glass All allies share an additional 500% damage, but only 10% health Artifact of Honor All enemies spawn as elites Artifact of Kin Only one type of monster spawns per level Artifact of Metamorphosis Players always spawn as any survivor Artifact of Sacrifice Monsters always drop an item on death, but chests no longer spawn Artifact of Soul Wisps come n you out of defeated monsters Artifact of Spite Enemies drop multiple explosions a strong bond when they die Artifact of Swarms Double the number of monsters that spawn, but their health is halved Artifact of Vengeance Your relentless double invades every ten minutes
That’s all you need to know about Risk of Rain 2 artifacts. If you need a break from all this scrambling and survival, check out our lists of the best Switch games and the best mobile games across a wider range of genres.