Artifact

For the item quality, see Artifact (quality).

Customizing the  [Ashbringer] at the paladin Class Hall.

Artifacts are a special type of weapon introduced in Legion. They were only weapons players would wield over the course of the expansion.

Players are tasked to pursue an artifact soon after reaching Dalaran, obtaining them after completing a unique questline. Players can also obtain relics and use these to upgrade the artifact itself. Artifacts also come with an extensive range of visual customization options, unlocked through various different requirements. The weapons were once improved by collecting Artifact Power and spending them on new traits, but this ability became defunct when draining the Sword of Sargeras of its corruption.

There is an artifact for each class specialization, 36 in total, plus an additional one for  Fishing.

Storyline

Artifact instability animation.

Following the Broken Shore experience, players set about acquiring the artifact for their character's current specialization. The artifacts represented a greater power than the heroes of Azeroth had ever wielded before, a power which was needed in order to defeat the Burning Legion.

The process of acquiring an artifact is determined by the character's class and spec. A catch-up mechanism was added to reduce the time taken to earn artifact power for secondary specializations and alts.

Patch 7.3.5 added the send-off for artifact weapons and as such ended the Legion storyline, with the weapons having to be used in order to neutralize the sword Sargeras used to impale the world in Silithus. Some visual effects represented the instability that resulted from the send-off, with for example Artifact Power varying wildly.

With the release of patch 8.0.1, the artifact weapons can continue to be used as normal weapons, but all traits added to the weapon were "burned away", and disabled. The main artifact ability was also no longer usable, however, some were introduced as talents to the class (such as [Wake of Ashes]). Any relics added to the weapon would continue to increase the weapon's item level, but no longer offered any traits. Netherlight Crucible augments also ceased to benefit the weapon. All artifact traits were disabled as the final result of the artifact instability.

As of patch 9.0.1, the ability to transmogrify any artifact appearance for any Specialization was made available. Previously players were only able to transmog an artifact while in its corresponding specialization.

List of artifacts

Class	Spec	Weapon(s)	Book	Acquisition
Death Knight	Blood	[Maw of the Damned]	Libram of the Dead	Travel to the Legion world of Niskara to slay Gorelix and steal the axe from him.
	Frost	Blades of the Fallen Prince  [Frostreaper] and  [Icebringer]		Seek out the shards of Frostmourne in Icecrown Citadel where they lay after the defeat of the Lich King, and reforge them into a pair of runeblades.
	Unholy	[Apocalypse]		Delve into the catacombs beneath Karazhan and retake the blade from the Dark Riders.
Demon hunter	Havoc	Twinblades of the Deceiver  [Verus] and  [Muramas]	Tome of Fel Secrets	Storm the Broken Shore to take out the traitor Varedis Felsoul.
	Vengeance	Aldrachi Warblades  [Aldrachi Warblades] and  [Aldrachi Warblades]		Return to the Broken Shore and take the warblades from Caria Felsoul.
Druid	Balance	[Scythe of Elune]	Tome of the Ancients	Delve into the catacombs beneath Karazhan and retake the scythe from the Dark Riders.
	Feral	Fangs of Ashamane  [Fangs of Ashamane] and  [Fangs of Ashamane]		Travel to Ashamane's Fall, then chase after Verstok Darkbough in Falanaar.
	Guardian	Claws of Ursoc  [Claws of Ursoc] and  [Claws of Ursoc]		Prove your worth to Ursol to obtain the claws in Grizzly Hills.
	Restoration	[G'Hanir, the Mother Tree]		Retrieve the branch from the dream and cleanse it at the Well of Eternity.
Hunter	Beast Mastery	[Titanstrike]	Tales of the Hunt	Delve into an ancient Vrykul tomb and retrieve the ancient gun.
	Marksmanship	[Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners]		Travel with Vereesa Windrunner to the Legion world of Niskara to find Alleria Windrunner.
	Survival	[Talonclaw]		Track down the beast that killed its last wielder and retrieve it from the beast's cave.
Mage	Arcane	[Aluneth]	Archive of the Tirisgarde	Travel to the Nexus to retake the staff from the Ethereum.
	Fire	[Felo'melorn] and  [Heart of the Phoenix]		Team up with Archmage Aethas Sunreaver to obtain the blade from Icecrown Citadel.
	Frost	[Ebonchill]		Hunt down Balaadur and take the staff back from him.
Monk	Brewmaster	[Fu Zan, the Wanderer's Companion]	The Chronicle of Ages	Make a drink for the Monkey King, then defend the Temple of the Jade Serpent from a Legion invasion to retrieve the staff.
	Mistweaver	[Sheilun, Staff of the Mists]		Retrieve the Staff from the Terrace of Endless Spring, where it has been kept since the Last Emperor passed on.
	Windwalker	Fists of the Heavens  [Al'burq] and  [Alra'ed]		Follow the old tale's path to Uldum, and make then retrieve the Fists from Skywall.
Paladin	Holy	[The Silver Hand]	Libram of Ancient Kings	Retrieve the legendary hammer from Tyr's tomb in Tirisfal.
	Protection	[Truthguard] and  [Oathseeker]		Enter the shrine of Tyr where the shield is held on an island in Stormheim.
	Retribution	[Ashbringer]		Search the Broken Shore, where the Ashbringer fell in battle and was lost.
Priest	Discipline	[Light's Wrath]	Word of the Conclave	Travel to the Nexus to retake the staff from the Ethereum.
	Holy	[T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru]		Travel to the Legion world of Niskara to retrieve and purify T'uure.
	Shadow	[Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire] and  [Secrets of the Void]		Hunt the Twilight's Hammer in Tirisfal Glades to stop them from releasing the Faceless general Zakajz hidden below.
Rogue	Assassination	The Kingslayers  [Anguish] and  [Sorrow]	Blood Ledger	Aid Garona in taking out cultists in Stormwind.
	Outlaw	The Dreadblades  [Fate] and  [Fortune]		Hunt down the Dread Admiral Eliza and her undead crew and take them from her grasp.
	Subtlety	Fangs of the Devourer  [Gorefang] and  [Akaari's Will]		Invade the Shadowgore Citadel and take the fangs from Akaari Shadowgore.
Shaman	Elemental	[The Fist of Ra-den] and  [The Highkeeper's Ward]	Words of Wind and Earth	Partake in a tournament held by Xuen to earn the right to wield the fist.
	Enhancement	[Doomhammer] and  [Fury of the Stonemother]		Doomhammer fell into the Maelstrom. Travel to Deepholm to recover it.
	Restoration	[Sharas'dal, Scepter of Tides] and  [Shield of the Sea Queen]		Travel to the Throne of Tides to retrieve the scepter from Azshara's servants.
Warlock	Affliction	[Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester]	Tome of Blighted Implements	Delve into the catacombs beneath Karazhan and retake the staff from the Dark Riders.
	Demonology	[Skull of the Man'ari] and  [Spine of Thal'kiel]		Storm Felsoul Keep to steal the skull from Mephistroth.
	Destruction	[Scepter of Sargeras]		Steal the scepter from Gul'dan at the Tomb of Sargeras.
Warrior	Arms	[Strom'kar, the Warbreaker]	Saga of the Valarjar	Travel to Tirisfal Glades and retrieve the sword from the hidden tomb where the faceless general Zakajz lays.
	Fury	Warswords of the Valarjar  [Odyn's Fury] and  [Helya's Wrath]		Invade the shores of Helheim and steal back the warswords.
	Protection	[Scale of the Earth-Warder] and  [Scaleshard]		Delve into the sealed and curse-laden tomb of an ancient vrykul king who was buried with a sword and shield made from the scales of Neltharion.
Profession	Fishing	[Underlight Angler]		Fish up rare catches around the Broken Isles and join Nat Pagle for a fishing trip to Gloaming Reef.

Customization

The path of customization options for  [Ashbringer].

Artifacts can be customized at order halls, and could be enhanced with artifact power, earned from adventuring, completing quests, beating dungeon bosses, winning PvP objectives, and so forth. Artifact power was used to unlock traits which increased the power of the weapon and the character.

Each artifact has a unique and now-defunct "trait tree", a grid overlaid upon the outline of the weapon itself, with nodes resembling talent trees. Players could spend artifact power to activate additional traits, moving along the tree; once a trait was activated, all connecting traits were unlocked. Many traits had multiple ranks. Majorly impactful traits were colloquially called "golden traits".

Artifacts also have Relic slots. Relics are artifact-only objects that were a major impact on the overall power of the artifact, such as its basic damage and item level. The relic system acted as a substitute for the upgrading of weapons seen in previous expansions; rather than switching to a new and more powerful weapon, the player slotted a new and more powerful relic into their artifact.

Visual

The path of customization options for Blades of the Fallen Prince.

Several different looks are available for each artifact. These can be unlocked through various activities. One look for each artifact is only available through PvP. Each look has unique flavor text, and accompanying lore. Players are also able to unlock three additional color variants of the different looks. In the case of Feral and Guardian druids, changing the look of the weapon also changes the look of the form to match. In addition, there are hard to obtain items for every specialization that unlocks an additional "hidden" appearance.

With the introduction of the Mage Tower on the Broken Shore, it was possible to complete a questline leading to a special solo encounter that would grant another "Mage Tower" appearance and the achievement  [A Challenging Look]. This became unavailable in Battle for Azeroth. With the introduction of Legion Timewalking event, the Mage Tower's encounters came back with different rewards.

Hidden appearance items

Class	Spec	Item	Source
Death knight	Blood	[Twisting Anima of Souls]	Randomly found in a chest in The Withered Army Scenario.
	Frost	[Runes of the Darkening]	Looted from The Soultakers in Stormheim.
	Unholy	[The Bonereaper's Hook]	Looted from Stitchwork in Icecrown Citadel
Demon hunter	Havoc	[Guise of the Deathwalker]	Drop from Downfall
	Vengeance	[Bulwark of the Iron Warden]	Drop from mobs in Twisting Nether, accessed via Class Hall
Druid	Balance	[The Sunbloom]	Fusing together  [Seed of Solar Fire] and  [Pure Drop of Shaladrassil's Sap]
	Feral	[Feather of the Moonspirit]	Received from Ela'lothen.
	Guardian	[Mark of the Glade Guardian]	Drop from Ursoc in The Emerald Nightmare.
	Restoration	[Acorn of the Endless]	Looted from Evergreen Plots in the Dreamgrove.
Hunter	Beast Mastery	[Designs of the Grand Architect]	Vendor in Dalaran
	Marksmanship	[Syriel Crescentfall's Notes: Ravenguard]	Sold by Veridis Fallon in Azsuna when you reach Revered with Court of Farondis.
	Survival	[Last Breath of the Forest]	Drop from Ursoc in The Emerald Nightmare.
Mage	Arcane	[The Woolomancer's Charge]	Help Cote "Shepherd" Metcalf with his sheep problem.
	Fire	[The Stars' Design]	Random drop from Nightborne and Fal'dorei
	Frost	[Everburning Crystal]	Class Hall portal to phased Frostfire Ridge
Monk	Brewmaster	[Legend of the Monkey King]	Looted from the brew kegs in the Temple of Five Dawns.
	Mistweaver	[Breath of the Undying Serpent]	Drop from the Dragons of Nightmare in the Emerald Nightmare.
	Windwalker	[The Stormfist]	Randomly found in a chest in The Withered Army Scenario.
Paladin	Holy	[Lost Edicts of the Watcher]	Random drop from demons in Faronaar in Azsuna.
	Protection	[Spark of the Fallen Exarch]	Randomly found in a chest in The Withered Army Scenario.
	Retribution	[Heart of Corruption]	[45] Walking in Shadows.
Priest	Discipline	[Writings of the End]	Collect 12 tomes from around Azeroth and combine them.
	Holy	[Staff of the Lightborn]	Fusing together  [Crest of the Lightborn] and  [Rod of the Ascended]
	Shadow	[Claw of N'Zoth]	Drops from Il'gynoth in The Emerald Nightmare.
Rogue	Assassination	[The Cypher of Broken Bone]	Drops from rare mobs in the Underbelly
	Outlaw	[Emanation of the Winds]	[45] Audience with the Windlord
	Subtlety	[Tome of Otherworldly Venoms]	Found in the chests at the end of Troves of the Thunder King.
Shaman	Elemental	[Lost Codex of the Amani]	Drops from rare mobs in the Underbelly.
	Enhancement	[The Warmace of Shirvallah]	Drops from Flotsam in Highmountain, Levantus in Azsuna, and Helya in Trial of Valor.
	Restoration	[Coil of the Drowned Queen]	Drops from mobs and bosses in the Eye of Azshara.
Warlock	Affliction	[Essence of the Executioner]	Drops from Sataiel.
	Demonology	[Visage of the First Wakener]	Drop from eredar on Broken Isles.
	Destruction	[The Burning Jewel of Sargeras]	Drop from mobs summoned by the Ritual of Doom, accessed via Class Hall.
Warrior	Arms	[The Arcanite Bladebreaker]	[10-45] Secrets of the Axes has a region-wide daily chance of spawning on Master Smith Helgar.
	Fury	[The Dragonslayers]	Fusing together  [Haft of the God-King],  [Skull of Shar'thos] and  [Skull of Nithogg].
	Protection	[Burning Plate of the Worldbreaker]	Found in a pile of treasure in Neltharion's Vault.

Video

• Legion Artifact Introduction
• Legion Artifact Systems Preview

Gallery

Official art

• 

   [Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester]
  - Base skin

• 

   [Strom'kar, the Warbreaker]
  - Vengeance of the Fallen and Wrath's Edge skins

• 

   [Scale of the Earth-Warder]-
  Base skin

• 

   [Sharas'dal, Scepter of Tides]
  - Titanborn skin

• 

   [The Silver Hand]
  - Fist of the Fallen Watcher skin

• 

   [The Silver Hand]
  - Justice's Flame skin

• 

   [Apocalypse]
  - Faminebearer skin

• 

  Blades of the Fallen Prince
  - Base skin

• 

   [G'Hanir, the Mother Tree]
  - Deadwood Keeper skin

• 

   [G'Hanir, the Mother Tree]
  - Base skin

• 

  Twinblades of the Deceiver
  - Base skin

• 

  Aldrachi Warblades
  - Base skin

• 

  The Dreadblades
  - Base skin

• 

   [Fu Zan, the Wanderer's Companion]-
  Dragonfire's Grasp skin

• 

   [Fu Zan, the Wanderer's Companion]-
  Dragonfire's Grasp skin

• 

   [Light's Wrath]
  -Crest of the Redeemed skin

• 

   [Light's Wrath]
  - Ascended Watch skin

• 

   [Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners]
  - Base skin

• 

   [Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners]
  - Base skin

• 

   [Aluneth]
  - Base skin

• 

   [Aluneth]
  - Base skin

Notes

• Allari the Souleater states that her weapon, the Scythe of Souls, is an artifact like the ones adventurers use. Maximillian of Northshire believes that his sword  [Excaliberto] is an artifact, even though it's actually just a normal sword.
•  [Felo'melorn],  [Doomhammer],  [Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners] and  [Talonclaw] are family heirlooms.
  • Felo'melorn and the Doomhammer do not have any rightful hereditary claimants, as the royal Sunstrider dynasty of Quel'Thalas and the Doomhammer line of the Blackrock clan are extinct.
  • Talonclaw of the Highmountain Tribe was accepted by the tribe and the spirit of its last owner as rightfully belonging to the hunter player, as they successfully retrieved it.
  • Ownership of Thas'dorah is up in the air, as the Windrunner family and its former owner, Alleria Windrunner, are still alive. Vereesa Windrunner gave her blessing for the hunter player to use it until it can be returned to Alleria. Sylvanas Windrunner proclaims to the Horde player in Undercity that such a skilled marksman is worthy of the bow. After meeting up with her and the Army of the Light, Alleria herself states she may reclaim it one day should she have need of it, but for now, she has a different path and that the player has proven themselves worthy of wielding it.
• The Axe of Cenarius was considered by Blizzard for the artifact for Arms warriors, but the developers thought that a wooden, nature-themed axe didn't fit the class. Ultimately,  [Strom'kar, the Warbreaker] was used instead.

Patch changes

• Hotfix (2017-08-30): Artifact weapons with a challenge artifact appearance selected should no longer revert to their base appearance if the player is logged out while in a different specialization.
  
• Patch 7.2.0 (2017-03-28): Empowered traits and Challenge appearances added.
  
• Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Artifact system added.
  

References

es:Artefacto fr:Arme prodigieuse