Credits to Seraph (Official Loong Staff Member)
Guide to Artifacts in 2.4
What are Artifacts?
Artifacts are a new item in 2.4 that fit into the face slot on the character interface. There are 3 different types of Artifacts and 5 different sub types of each artifact. Support which works well for Healers & Zithers because of the energy bonuses mainly but also the HP & MP Bonuses, and also for Tanks because of the HP & MP bonuses. There is also a Defense artifact, which is great for any class due to the defense & hp bonuses. Last, but not least, there is an Attack artifact which is great for internal and external DPS classes due to the internal and external attack bonuses, i.e for Bow, Sword, Yang & Yin. As well as the 3 main types, there are 5 sub types, Earth, Fire, Gold, Water and Wood.
How do I get an Artifact?
You can obtain your first one at level 30 from a quest from Nu Yu, Phoenix Village Leader. Choosing your first one will be very important as it will last you throughout your time in Loong. You can also get 2 artifacts from Loong Trials once you have changed the slot bonuses once you have completed the Loong Trial for it . The first, is a “Deputy Artifact” which is Orange Quality and can be used to change the slot bonuses if you do not like the current slot bonuses. The second is a “Deputy Artifact” which is Blue quality and can again be used to change the slots on your artifact if you do not like the current slot bonuses. Then you can also obtain artifacts from instances as drops from level 30 upwards. They range from Green up to Orange quality in drops and depend on the area you are hunting in.
What are the benefits of having an Artifact?
First off, it is best to list the different starting attributes for the Orange Quality Artifacts you get from Nu Yu at level 30*.
Attack Artifact:
+246 External Attack.
+246 Internal Attack.
+792 Maximum HP.
Defense Artifact:
+119 External Defense.
+126 Internal Defense.
+495 Maximum HP.
Support Artifact:
+664 Maximum MP.
+212 Energy.
+666 Maximum HP.
Below are some different types of artifact available in game. The first is one from the level 30 quest from Nu Yu. The others are drops available from level 30 Instances and above.
- Note these are random stats and can vary much like other stats on items. The one thing that is certain is that you will get the stats stated, i.e. Mp, Hp and Energy on a Support Artifact although the amount the stat gives varies.
How do I raise the level of an Artifact and place beads in sockets?
Along with the first Artifact you get from Nu Yu, you also get a Soulgrip Stone Package. You can use this once each level from level 30-49, and you get a set amount of Soulgrip Stones each time, by the time you are Level 49 you would have been given 70 Soulgrip Stone 1’s which gets your Artifact to Rank 1 Level 10 (Equipment level 48).
You can also get Soulgrip stones from drops in instances from level 30+, so Fortune Mountain is the first place you can get them. As you level, the quality of the Soulgrip stones increases. There are 5 different types, ranging from 1-5. Soulgrip Stone 1 gives +10 to Artifact Practice. Soulgrip Stone 2 gives +30 to Artifact Practice. Soulgrip Stone 3 gives +70 to Artifact Practice. Soulgrip Stone 4 gives +130 to Artifact Practice and finally Soulgrip Stone 5 gives +210 to Artifact Practice.
Now lets move on to how you actually use these on your artifact. Press C and go to your character screen. At the top you will see a tab labelled Artifact, click that. Now at the bottom you will see a button for Artifact Practice, click that.
You will get a box pop up showing your artifact, its current Rank and Level, and the Artifact Practice Points it currently has. Now right click your Soulgrip stones in your inventory to move them to the Artifact Practice window.
Select how many you want to use, then click the button on the bottom left to confirm, at this point you may get a pop up if you have tried to go beyond the practice available for your artifact at your current level.
Click accept and it will change the amount of stones to use for the maximum rank and level you can achieve at your current level. Now click confirm and your artifact Rank and Level will change, along with the stats on the item and the level requirement for the Artifact. By this point you may have unlocked your first Bead Slot. Go back to your artifact tab on the character screen and see if you have any slots that aren’t “Greyed Out”. If you do, click “Embed Spiritual Pearl” and another window will pop up.
Now to move on and explain the different types of beads and how they work.
There are various beads available for different ranks and levels of your artifact. You can change these as you level if you wish so your artifact is appropriate for your level. The 5 main types of beads, will match the slots available on artifacts. They are: Earth, Fire, Gold, Water & Wood. As already stated, there are many different types of all these beads starting at Stage 1 Level 1 and going up to Stage 6 Level 10 currently. You also get 2 quests from Nu Yu, at level 35 and level 45, which give you a choice of beads. The best advice I could give, is to choose the one which matches the first slot on your artifact as this will give you your first “Slot Bonus”. Once you have your first bead, again open up the Artifact Window and click “Embed Spiritual Pearl”. Now open your inventory, find your first bead, and click on it to place it into the window. Now click the button on the left to place your bead into the first slot.
If you chose the right type of bead for your first slot bonus you will now see this shown when you select your artifact on the character screen.
This may not benefit you for your class, but do not worry about that too much as I will go on to explain how to change the slot bonuses for your artifact.
How do I change the slots and bonuses on my Artifact?
There is a feature in 2.4 to change the Slots and Slot bonuses for your artifact. To do this you need either a “Deputy Artifact” or another normal artifact. You can get these from drops from level 30+ instances. If you have a Deputy Artifact or another Normal Artifact and want to change the slot bonuses, its worthwhile checking the slots and bonuses on the second artifact you have as it effectively changes the slots and bonuses on your artifact to that of the deputy artifact. You can unlock this feature once your artifact is Rank 5 Level 1 which is level 80 for your character.
To change these slots, go back to the artifact tab on your character interface and click on the Five Elements Incarnation button.
Now right click your deputy artifact in your bag to place it in the “Vice Artifact” slot on the left hand side.
You will see from this image, that this window gives 2 options. The Option on the left is to change your slots. The option on the right is for “Multi Slot bonding” which is for changing the slot bonuses. Ignore that for now and click the button on the left to confirm the Slot change. Now that is done you will see that your slots have changed to the ones you had on your deputy artifact.
Now, for multi slot bonding, which changes the slot bonuses, choose another deputy artifact if you have one, and drag it from your bag & place it into the window on the right. Now click the button on the right to confirm the change and you will see the Slot Bonuses of the vice artifact are now on your main artifact.