Artifact

Artifacts are items that can be found on the Adventure Map, obtained from objects on the map, defeated enemy heroes, from previously fired, retreated, defeated in battles with neutrals or disappeared after losing the last town heroes in a tavern, gifted by an allied hero, bought from the artifact merchants or got as a starting bonus. Special artifacts, such as Spell book, War machines and Grail have their ways to be obtained. When a hero picks up an artifact, it disappears from the map and takes its place in an appropriate slot. If the slot is not free, the artifact is stored in the hero's backpack. The backpack can hold up to 64 unequipped artifacts and when it is full, no more artifacts can be picked up even if its slot is empty. Artifacts from creature banks taken with a full backpack will fill all the free slots, but it not always works properly with artifacts from defeated enemy hero. If a hero without free slots in a backpack is trying to dig, he's getting "Searching for the Grail is fruitless. Your hero could not carry it..." message without losing movement points.

Equipped artifacts usually enhance a hero's abilities, either by increasing primary skills, movement, morale or luck, enhancing secondary skills, or providing immunity against a particular spell. However, equipped artifacts may also provide extra income for the kingdom or increase the productivity of creature dwellings in towns.

An artifact placed on the Adventure Map can also be guarded even though it has no apparent creatures guarding it (this mechanics is not used in mainstream PvP templates). When a hero attempts to pick up a guarded artifact, text appears asking whether or not the hero wants to attack the guardians. If the hero manages to defeat the guardians, he will receive the artifact. If he is forced to retreat from the battle or dies during it, the defeated guardians will not regenerate. It should be noted, that if the map maker has set guards for the artifact without a text, then no question is asked and the guards attack immediately.

Slots

Equipped artifacts are placed on squares on hero menu called slots as seen on the picture below. Slots represent different parts of the hero's body, and every slot can hold one artifact at the time.

	Slot 1 – Right hand (offensive): Typically gives bonus to attack skill.
	Slot 2 – Helmet: Typically gives bonus to knowledge skill.
	Slot 3 – Necklace: Varies, but commonly gives spell immunities.
	Slot 4 – Torso: Typically gives bonus to spell power.
	Slot 5 – Ring (left and right hand): Varies.
	Slot 6 – Left hand (defensive): Typically gives bonus to defense skill.
	Slot 7 – Cape: Varies.
	Slot 8 – Feet: Typically gives benefits to hero's movement.
	Slot 9 – Miscellaneous: Varies greatly. Note: In Shadow of Death and Heroes Chronicles there are five misc slots.
	Slot A: Reserved only for ballista.
	Slot B: Reserved only for ammo cart.
	Slot C: Reserved only for first aid tent.
	Slot D: Reserved only for catapult.
	Slot E: Reserved only for spell book.
	Slot F: Your backpack. Where you can store up to 64 unused artifacts.

Cost

See:

• Altar of sacrifice
• Artifact merchants
• Black market

Class

Artifacts are split into 4 categories roughly rating their power and usefulness. The Class rating is not listed on the item in the game, but it afflicts the chances to get an artifact in creature banks and the strength of guarding units on adventure map. The map editor allows placing of a random artifact by the certain class, allowing for creating a variation in that map from one play through to the next.

The 4 classes are Treasure, Minor, Major, and Relic. Their AI values are 2000, 5000, 10000 and 20000 respectively. Only Treasure class artifacts are used for quests by Seers at random generated maps, but the map maker can choose an artifact of any class for this.

Spell scrolls have no class and their AI value is 500 for the 1st lvl spell scroll and 2000/3000/4000/5000 for 2nd/3rd/4th/5th levels.

 Note: in Horn of the Abyss the values of 4th and 5th level spell scrolls were rised to 8000 and 10000. Town portal, Water walk, Fly and Dimension door scrolls' AI value was raised to 20000.

See also

• List of artifacts
• List of artifacts (HotA)
• Artifact Events