Risk of Rain 2's Artifact system allows you to set self-imposed cheats and rules that can drastically alter a run. With Artifacts, you can customize the way you play the game, making it harder or easier depending on which ones you choose to activate

Before you can use these Artifacts, you'll need to unlock each of them in the Hidden Realm, Bulwark's Ambry. Once you know what to do, though, this process is fairly easy. Below, we'll take a look at where to go to unlock every Artifact and what each of them does.

Updated January 11, 2024: With the recent Risk of Rain renaissance in Risk of Rain Returns and the release of the Survivors of the Void DLC for consoles, the franchise is more popular than ever. We've updated this guide to better help you unlock every Artifact in Risk of Rain 2.

How To Unlock Artifacts

Artifacts can be unlocked by first reaching the fifth stage, Sky Meadow. On this stage, find one of the circular openings that leads to an area below the map. Here, you'll find the Compound Generator, where you can input various codes that open a portal to Bulwark's Ambry.

To input a code, interact with each of the symbols to swap them between various shapes until they are in the orientation you want. Then, interact with the computer to open a portal to the Bulwark's Ambry. Depending on which code you input, you'll have to undertake a different challenge in the Ambry to unlock the associated Artifact.

The rules for each Artifact challenge depend on the Artifact itself, but what remains consistent is that you'll need to gather four Artifact Keys to complete the challenge and unlock the Artifact.

Artifact Keys drop randomly from enemies.

When you get an Artifact Key, bring it to the Artifact Reliquary in the center of the stage to reduce its health by one-fourth. Do this three more times, and the challenge will be complete. This will permanently unlock the Artifact for use in further runs.

Artifact of Chaos

This Artifact will allow teammates to damage and kill each other, and monsters will do the same. If you're playing solo, only monsters will hurt each other, but you will be damaged by your own explosive items like Sticky Bomb and Brilliant Behemoth. If you avoid using these items, this Artifact can actually greatly benefit you, as long as you aren't playing with friends.

Artifact of Command

The Artifact of Command allows you to choose which item you acquire when you open a chest. Instead of an actual item dropping, it will instead be replaced by a Command Essence of the same rarity. Interacting with this will open a selection menu, letting you choose any item of the given rarity tier.

This Artifact lets you create your own build of favored items rather than relying on RNG.

Artifact of Death

This Artifact essentially gives your team one shared life, with no chance to revive your teammates by advancing to the next stage.

If a player has Dio's Best Friend or Pluripotent Larva, they will still be able to respawn, and their teammates won't be killed.

Artifact of Dissonance

This Artifact will allow monsters to appear in a stage they don't normally appear in. For example, Imps don't normally appear in Distant Roost, but they will if this Artifact is enabled.

Artifact of Enigma

This Artifact gives you an Equipment from the start of a run, but it changes every time you use it. The Artifact of Enigma is great for getting a small head start at the beginning of a run, but with no way to predict what equipment you will get next, there is a chance it will not be very useful.

Artifact of Evolution

This Artifact will give monsters a random item every time you advance to the next stage. The further you go, the higher the rarity of the item they receive. These items are also permanent, meaning by the fourth stage all monsters will have four items. This can make enemies extremely dangerous very quickly, so we only recommend using this Artifact if you're looking for a challenge.

Artifact of Frailty

This Artifact makes falling off the stage much more dangerous. Usually, falling off the stage will take away a small percentage of your remaining health, but will not kill you. With the Artifact of Frailty, ledges will pose a much greater threat than normal.

Loader is not affected by this Artifact, due to her passive ability of being immune to fall damage.

Artifact of Glass

This Artifact will turn you into a glass cannon; able to deal tons of damage but always being at risk of dying to a stray Wisp attack. The Artifact of Glass will also make certain items like Infusion less effective.

Artifact of Honor

The Artifact of Honor upgrades all monsters to elites, making them much harder to kill. However, this also opens up the opportunity for items like Old Guillotine and Brainstalks to be much more effective.

Artifact of Kin

With the Artifact of Kin, only a single type of enemy will spawn on each stage. When used with Artifact of Dissonance, any single type of enemy can spawn. The Artifact has a bit of high-risk randomness involved that can lead to something like only Stone Golems spawning on stage one.

Artifact of Metamorphosis

The Artifact of Metamorphosis will change you into a random survivor at the beginning of each stage, regardless of which survivor you pick at the start of the run. We don't recommend using this Artifact if you are not familiar with all the survivors.

This can also make building items for a specific survivor more difficult.

Artifact of Sacrifice

This Artifact will make monsters drop items when you kill them, at the cost of chests no longer appearing. The Artifact of Sacrifice is useful for staying in one stage and grinding items, but also makes money almost entirely useless.

When combined with the Artifact of Command, you can essentially craft an entire build to your liking as early as the first stage.

Artifact of Soul

This Artifact makes Wisps spawn when you kill a monster. These spawned Wisps do not give money, experience, or item drops when used with Artifact of Sacrifice. Essentially, they just provide an extra challenge.

Artifact of Spite

This Artifact will have monsters drop exploding bombs when they die, making it a bad idea to stay near them. While this can be avoided, it makes melee survivors like Mercenary more vulnerable at close range.

Artifact of Swarms

This Artifact splits the health of monsters in half but spawns twice as many. It can be useful when combined with Artifact of Sacrifice to get more items, but keep in mind it will also spawn twice as many bosses, including Mithrix and doppelgangers spawned from Artifact of Vengeance.

Artifact of Vengeance

This Artifact will spawn a clone of your survivor every 10 minutes. The clone will have the exact same items as you, and will also drop an item that you already have when defeated.