Difference between revisions of "Artifacts"

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Generally speaking, an artifact is an item with a name other than the kind of item it is.  For example, there is an artifact [[katana]] called the [[Blade of Insanity]], an artifact [[radiant scimitar]] called the [[Soul Seeker]], and an artifact [[spellbook]] called the [[Tome of Lost Knowledge]].
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'''Artifacts''' are special items with unique names that can be obtained by various means: using the [[Stealing]] skill to pilfer them from disparate locales, through specific monster drop systems, during events associated with game-wide fiction, or by crafting them using rare ingredients.
  
Artifacts can come from many places in the game.  The first artifacts spawned in the backpacks of randomly selected players who had achieved looting rights on various boss monsters in the Dungeon [[Doom]].
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Named items obtained from the old [[Seer]] Quests were not considered '''Artifacts''' when they were being given to players, largely because the term had not yet been invented. The term and concept have not been "retro-fitted" to apply to these older items.
  
Artifacts vary greatly in power.  Some, called "minor" artifacts and detailed below, generally are just really good normal items with a name.  ("Really good" in this context generally means an item with several properties that are nearly maximum, and perhaps 1 or 2 properties that are a little over maximum.)
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The items considered to be the first '''Artifacts''' were introduced in the [[Ultima Online: Age of Shadows|Age of Shadows]] expansion, in the dungeon [[Doom]], using two methods.
  
By contrast, "major" artifacts (again, see below) often have properties that far exceed those normally available on items of that type. For example, the Ornament of the Magician has FC 2 FCR 3 (the normal limit is 1/3), along with a superb amount of [[Lower Mana Cost]] and [[Lower Reagent Cost]].
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First, various items spawned throughout the dungeon that could only be picked up by using the [[Stealing]] skill. This was a move by the development team to vindicate the concept of collecting [[Rares]] and as a throwback to the way that [[Rares]] had originally been created. That is, as items unobtainable to players, that had been used to decorate the environment, but which had been accidentally left unlocked and could be picked up and carried away. The newly stealable items in [[Doom]] spawned with the new property [[Artifact Rarity]], which denoted the frequency with which they spawned.
  
Some artifacts no longer spawn, some are available through use of the [[Stealing]] skill in certian dungeons, some are available from certain monsters and "spawn" in a character's backpack, some spawn as normal loot, some are craftable, some are available as rewards for contributing to the [[Vesper Museum Collection|Vesper Museum]], the [[Moonglow Royal Zoo Collection|Moonglow Royal Zoo]] or the [[Britain Library Collection]]s.
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The second method by which original '''Artifacts''' entered the game was as a group of items that could be obtained in the [[Doom#Gauntlet|Doom Gauntlet]], as rare drops that went directly into a character's [[backpack]]. These too, possessed the [[Artifact Rarity]] property, but since these '''Artifacts''' spawned in relation to monster slaying, the [[Artifact Rarity]] did not always directly correlate to spawn frequency. Many of these type of '''Artifacts''' have entered the game, making the [[Artifact Rarity]] misleading.
  
Some artifacts spawned as the result of specific events, such as the Ophidian invasions and the demon invasion of the City of [[Magincia]].
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When the [[Paragon]] system was introduced in 2004, people began calling the named items that dropped "Minor Artifacts" due to the system's similarity to the [[Doom#Gauntlet|Gauntlet]] and the unique names that the items possessed, even though these items did not possess the [[Artifact Rarity]] property. This custom was repeated for the [[Treasures of Tokuno]] events and later for  craftable '''Artifact''' quality items introduced with [[Ultima Online: Mondain's Legacy|Mondain's Legacy]].
  
Though most, and the most famous and sought after, artifacts are of a practical nature (weapons, armor, etc.), some are strictly for decoration.  Examples include the [[Ruined Painting]] and [[Thorvald's Medallion]].
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'''Artifact''' quality items were eventually introduced through various in-game events, such as [[Halloween 2006]] and the [[Ophidian Invasion]]. Quests also introduced new '''Artifact''' quality items, such as the [[Truth and Redemption]] quest, which granted [[The Redeemer]] as a reward. For UO's 10th anniversary in 2007, a drop system similar to the [[Paragon]] system was introduced in the [[Anti-Virtue Dungeons]], which brought with it a new set of [[Virtue]] themed artifacts that did possess the [[Artifact Rarity]] property.
  
Some artifacts spawn with a property called Artifact Rarity, a number that varies from 1 to 12.  In theory, the higher the number, the less common the item.  However, the relationship between the number and the item's presence in the game is at most casual.  The [[Blade of the Righteous]] for example, Rarity rating of 10 and stealable, is less common than some of the Doom artifacts obtainable from the Doom Gauntlet, which are mostly rarity 11.  Also, the decorative [[Ruined Painting]] is a rarity 12, and so is the [[Berserker's Scythe]] (an artifact from the demon invasions of [[Magincia]]), yet the Scythes are far more common. (The ruined painting spawns only a few times per calendar year.)
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Recent artifacts, like the [[Artifacts (Stygian Abyss)|Stygian Abyss Artifacts]] and the [[Artifacts (High Seas)|High Seas Artifacts]] have reverted to not having the [[Artifact Rarity]] property. This is also true for the new '''Artifact''' quality dungeon loot system in [[Artifacts (Covetous)|Covetous]], [[Artifacts (Despise)|Despise]], and select other dungeons.
  
There are several kinds of artifacts.
 
  
 
==Standard Artifacts==
 
==Standard Artifacts==
 
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Items which possess the [[Artifact Rarity]] item property can be classified into several categories.
Artifacts that adhere to the policy of possessing the [[Rarity]] item property can be classified into several categories.
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* [[Artifacts (Doom)| Doom Artifacts]] - Artifacts that can be found in [[Doom]]. These fall into two categories:
 
* [[Artifacts (Doom)| Doom Artifacts]] - Artifacts that can be found in [[Doom]]. These fall into two categories:
** Items that can be [[Artifacts (Doom)#Stealables|stolen in Doom]].
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** Items that can be [[Doom stealables|stolen in Doom]].
 
** Items that [[Artifacts (Doom)#The_Gauntlet|drop in the Gauntlet]].
 
** Items that [[Artifacts (Doom)#The_Gauntlet|drop in the Gauntlet]].
* [[Artifacts (Tokuno)|Tokuno Island Stealables]] - Artifacts that can be stolen in the [[Tokuno Islands]].
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* [[Tokuno stealables]] - Artifacts that can be stolen in the [[Tokuno Islands]].
* [[Virtue Artifacts]] were obtainable as part of UO's [[10th Anniversary]].
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* [[Artifacts (Virtue)|Virtue Artifacts]] - Artifacts that spawn in the eight original [[Anti-Virtue Dungeons]]. These were originally introduced as part of the [[10th Anniversary]] festivities and are now a permanent drop system.
* [[Artifacts (Other)|Other Artifacts]] - There are also several other artifacts, such as [[The Redeemer]], which can be acquired through quests and by other means.
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* [[Stygian Abyss stealables]] - Artifacts that can be stolen in the [[Underworld]] and the [[Stygian Abyss Dungeon]].
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* [[Wrong stealables]] - Artifacts that can be stolen in the dungeon [[Wrong]].
  
==Other Artifacts==
 
  
It is also common parlance to call several other types of items Artifacts, even though they do not possess the [[Item Property]] [[Artifact Rarity]].
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==Artifact Quality Items==
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Artifact quality named items which do not posses the [[Artifact Rarity]] property.
  
* [[Artifacts (Paragon)|Ilshenar Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop as part of the [[Paragon]] system in [[Ilshenar]].
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* [[Artifacts (Ararat)|Ararat Artifacts]] - Artifacts that drop from the [[Shadowlords]] inside the hold of the [[Ararat]].
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* [[Ararat Stealables]] - Artifacts that can be stolen next to the [[Ararat]].
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* [[Champion Spawn Artifacts|Champion Spawn Artifacts]] - Replicas of items copied from [[Event Moderator]] events.
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* [[Artifacts (Covetous)|Covetous Artifacts]] - Items that drop from [[Cora the Sorceress]] and her minions.
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* [[Craftable_Artifact|Craftable Artifacts]] - Craftable items that, due to their high end properties, are considered artifacts.  Rare ingredients available only from [[Peerless]] monsters are required to craft them.
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* [[Artifacts (Despise)|Despise Artifacts]] - Items that drop from the brothers [[Adrian the Glorious Lord]] and [[Andros the Dread Lord]].
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* [[Artifacts (High Seas)|High Seas Artifacts]] - Items that drop from [[High Seas]] bosses.
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* [[Artifacts (Paragon)|Ilshenar Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop as part of the [[Paragon]] system in [[Ilshenar]], several of which are exclusive to this system.
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* [[Artifacts (Leviathan)|Leviathan Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop from the [[Leviathan]], a sea monster that is spawned through use of a certain fishing net. These items include those that drop as part of the [[Paragon]] system, as well as some which are exlusive to the [[Leviathan]].
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* [[Artifacts (ML)|Mondain's Legacy Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop in the same style as those associated with the Paragon system, but only in [[Mondain's Legacy Dungeons]] or from [[Peerless]] bosses.
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* [[Artifacts (Other)|Other Artifacts]] - Items, such as [[The Redeemer]], of '''Artifact''' quality and which could be acquired as anniversary gifts or by participating in story arcs and other in-game events.
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* [[Artifacts (Peerless)|Peerless Artifacts]] - Items that spawn only on the corpses of [[Peerless]] bosses.  Each [[Peerless]] boss spawns specific artifacts.
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* [[Artifacts (Shadowguard)|Shadowguard Artifacts]] - This feature requires the [[Time of Legends]] expansion entitlement. This entitlement will be applied for free to all accounts active during August, September, or October 2015. New artifacts can be found in the [[Valley of Eodon]].  These artifacts are available as rewards from completing [[Shadowguard]].
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* [[Artifacts (Stygian Abyss)|Stygian Abyss Artifacts]] - Items that drop in [[Stygian Abyss Dungeon]], [[Tomb of Kings]] and [[Underworld]] and from [[Stygian Abyss]] bosses or [[Mini-Champs|Mini-Champ Mini Bosses]].
 
* [[Artifacts (Treasure Map)|Treasure Map Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop from [[Treasure Map]]s. These items include those that drop as part of the Paragon system, as well as some which are exclusive to Treasure Maps.
 
* [[Artifacts (Treasure Map)|Treasure Map Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop from [[Treasure Map]]s. These items include those that drop as part of the Paragon system, as well as some which are exclusive to Treasure Maps.
* [[Artifacts (Leviathan)|Leviathan Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop from the Leviathan, a sea monster that is spawned through use of a certain fishing net. These items include those that drop as part of the [[Paragon]] system, as well as some which are exlusive to the [[Leviathan]].
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* [[Artifacts (ToT)|Treasures of Tokuno Artifacts]] - Items that dropped or that could be claimed as part of the the [[Treasures of Tokuno]] events. At present, the [[Treasures of Tokuno]] event is not active. Thus the Artifacts no longer drop as reward. However, Greater Artifacts can still be redeemed by turning in 10 of the Lesser Artifacts to [[Ihara Soko the Imperial Minister of Trade]] in the city of [[Zento]]. Many Lesser Artifacts are available for sale on most [[Shards]].  
* [[Artifacts (ToT)|Treasures of Tokuno Artifacts]] - Items that dropped and could be claimed as part of the the [[Treasures of Tokuno]] events. These items no longer spawn, though there are many of them available for sale on most [[shards]]. They fall into two categories:
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** [[Artifacts (ToT)#Major_Artifacts|Greater Artifacts]] - These artifacts are claimed through a turn in system.
** [[Artifacts (ToT)#Major_Artifacts|Major Artifacts]] - These artifacts are claimed through a turn in system.
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** [[Artifacts (ToT)#Minor_Artifacts|Lesser Artifacts]] - These artifacts dropped in a way similar to those that drop in the Paragon system, and could be turned in for the Greater Artifacts.
** [[Artifacts (ToT)#Minor_Artifacts|Minor Artifacts]] - These artifacts dropped in a way similar to those that drop in the Paragon system, and could be turned in for the major artifacts.
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* [[Artifacts (Mondain's Legacy)|Mondain's Legacy Minor Artifacts]] - Items that drop in the same style as those associated with the Paragon system, but only in [[Mondain's Legacy Dungeons]].
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==See also==
* [[Artifacts (Craftable)|Craftable Artifacts]] - Craftable items that, due to their high end properties and their having a specific name rather than just named for the type of item they are, are considered artifacts.  Ingredients available from the [[Peerless]] monsters are needed to craft them.
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* [[Items]]
* [[Artifacts (Peerless)|Peerless Artifacts]] - Items that drop from Peerless bosses.  Each peerless boss drops specific artifacts.  They also drop the Mondain's legacy "minor" artifacts.  Artifacts from Peerlesses spawn on the creature's corpse.
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* [[Artifacts (Virtue)|Virtue Artifacts]] - These items spawn in the old dungeons, the ones named after the 8 Sins or [[Anti-Virtue Dungeons|Anti-Virtue]].  They appeared for UO's [[10th Anniversary]], but are likely to continue to spawn ''en perpetuity'' according to statements made by the dev team.   
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[[Category:Game Terms]]
 
[[Category:Items]]
 
[[Category:Items]]

Revision as of 12:51, 25 October 2015

Artifacts are special items with unique names that can be obtained by various means: using the Stealing skill to pilfer them from disparate locales, through specific monster drop systems, during events associated with game-wide fiction, or by crafting them using rare ingredients.

Named items obtained from the old Seer Quests were not considered Artifacts when they were being given to players, largely because the term had not yet been invented. The term and concept have not been "retro-fitted" to apply to these older items.

The items considered to be the first Artifacts were introduced in the Age of Shadows expansion, in the dungeon Doom, using two methods.

First, various items spawned throughout the dungeon that could only be picked up by using the Stealing skill. This was a move by the development team to vindicate the concept of collecting Rares and as a throwback to the way that Rares had originally been created. That is, as items unobtainable to players, that had been used to decorate the environment, but which had been accidentally left unlocked and could be picked up and carried away. The newly stealable items in Doom spawned with the new property Artifact Rarity, which denoted the frequency with which they spawned.

The second method by which original Artifacts entered the game was as a group of items that could be obtained in the Doom Gauntlet, as rare drops that went directly into a character's backpack. These too, possessed the Artifact Rarity property, but since these Artifacts spawned in relation to monster slaying, the Artifact Rarity did not always directly correlate to spawn frequency. Many of these type of Artifacts have entered the game, making the Artifact Rarity misleading.

When the Paragon system was introduced in 2004, people began calling the named items that dropped "Minor Artifacts" due to the system's similarity to the Gauntlet and the unique names that the items possessed, even though these items did not possess the Artifact Rarity property. This custom was repeated for the Treasures of Tokuno events and later for craftable Artifact quality items introduced with Mondain's Legacy.

Artifact quality items were eventually introduced through various in-game events, such as Halloween 2006 and the Ophidian Invasion. Quests also introduced new Artifact quality items, such as the Truth and Redemption quest, which granted The Redeemer as a reward. For UO's 10th anniversary in 2007, a drop system similar to the Paragon system was introduced in the Anti-Virtue Dungeons, which brought with it a new set of Virtue themed artifacts that did possess the Artifact Rarity property.

Recent artifacts, like the Stygian Abyss Artifacts and the High Seas Artifacts have reverted to not having the Artifact Rarity property. This is also true for the new Artifact quality dungeon loot system in Covetous, Despise, and select other dungeons.


Standard Artifacts

Items which possess the Artifact Rarity item property can be classified into several categories.


Artifact Quality Items

Artifact quality named items which do not posses the Artifact Rarity property.

See also