Artifact Power

Artifact Power is used by the player to access traits from an artifact. Artifact Power is earned through engaging in most types of play and can spend this to unlock a unique tree of traits traced upon the form of their Artifacts, enhancing their abilities. The rate at which a player gains Artifact Power was increased with Artifact Knowledge that could have been improved with items like  [Artifact Research Notes].

Since patch 8.0.1, the only artifacts using the Artifact Power resource are the  [Underlight Angler] and the  [Heart of Azeroth], with the latter automatically consuming the [Azerite] once obtained instead of having to manually right-click each item to obtain the Artifact Power.

Artifact power gains

Main article: :Category:Artifact power items

There are over 500 items obtainable throughout the Broken Isles and Argus that provided Artifact Power for the artifacts.

Underlight Angler

The  [Underlight Angler] gains Artifact Power from caught rare fish around the Broken Isles while under special conditions, providing 50 Artifact Power each.

•  [Ancient Black Barracuda]
•  [Ancient Highmountain Salmon]
•  [Ancient Mossgill]
•  [Axefish]
•  [Coldriver Carp]
•  [Ghostly Queenfish]
•  [Graybelly Lobster]
•  [Leyshimmer Blenny]
•  [Magic-Eater Frog]
•  [Mountain Puffer]
•  [Nar'thalas Hermit]
•  [Oodelfjisk]
•  [Seabottom Squid]
•  [Seerspine Puffer]
•  [Tainted Runescale Koi]
•  [Terrorfin]
•  [Thorned Flounder]
•  [Thundering Stormray]

Azerite

Main article: :Category:Azerite items

[Azerite] provides a dynamic amount (rather than a static amount) and are automatically consumed once obtained.

•  [Tiny Azerite Splinter]
•  [Small Azerite Fragment]
•  [Small Azerite Shard]
•  [Small Azerite Cluster]
•  [Glowing Azerite]
•  [Glowing Azerite Crystal]
•  [Glowing Azerite Geode]
•  [Radiant Azerite Fragment]
•  [Radiant Azerite Core]
•  [Radiant Azerite Matrix]
•  [Humming Azerite Heart]

Artifact power cap

• The Legion artifacts total Artifact Power cap was based on the total amount of AP, not on number of ranks purchased. Once you have enough AP to buy your 54th rank, you'll no longer be able to add additional AP, regardless of whether you actually buy that final rank or not. There was no daily cap.
• The  [Heart of Azeroth] rather had a level cap instead of a Artifact Power cap. Patch 8.3.0 made the level cap infinite.

Artifact Power 7.2 transition

Maxed out weapon on AP, what to do with AP? | 2017-01-26 17:41 |  Aerythlea

As many of you have noted, Patch 7.2 will be introducing several new traits to Artifact Weapons. We'd like to clarify how these traits will unlock so that you can best prepare for them.

After Patch 7.2 is available, players who have an Artifact Weapon of at least rank 35 will be able to further empower that Artifact through a short quest chain. Completing this quest chain will consume any ranks beyond 35, increase the overall power of your Artifact Weapon (to ensure that losing ranks 35+ isn’t a downgrade), and unlock access to the new 7.2 traits. Any Artifact Power spent on traits beyond 35 will be refunded and you’ll immediately be able to spend that refunded Artifact Power on the new traits.

Note that any Artifact Power tokens acquired before Patch 7.2 will not be usable on an Artifact Weapon that has had its new traits unlocked. If you’ve already reached Rank 54, feel free to use any tokens you earn between now and then on alternate specs; there is no need to stockpile those tokens for Patch 7.2. We’re also planning to apply a hotfix in the near future that will allow the current Artifact Power tokens to be sold to vendors.

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Patch changes

• Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17): Artifact Power for the Heart of Azeroth is automatically earned. Items awarding Artifact Power for Legion artifacts have been deprecated.
  
• Hotfix (2018-06-26): Artifact Power items now have a sell price.
  

Re-added due to completion of  [110] The Power in Our Hands rendering characters unable to use AP items.

• Patch 7.3.0 (2017-08-29): Artifact Power items no longer have a sale price, as they should always be useable.
  
• Hotfix (2017-03-31): Artifact Power rewards will now correctly scale for Mythic Keystone levels 11 through 14.
  
• Patch 7.2.0 (2017-03-28): Artifact Power items that were affected by the Patch 7.1 change can no longer be used while moving.
  
• Hotfix (2017-01-26): Artifact Power items now have a sell price.
  

This change went live the day before.

• Patch 7.1.0 (2016-10-25): Many Artifact Power items with a cast time can now be used while moving.
  
• Patch 7.0.3 (2016-07-19): Added.