What is your favorite artifact to use? Visually what is is your favorite artifact (stats/value aside)?

[Hazzmat]

im trying to tweak artifact builds and im trying to figure out what the some of the best combos. please specify though if you are using leadlined containers. I'm a bit disappointed at how underwhelming the compass is in this iteration. i love it but its not living up to the legend. My fave so far use wise is living rock and thunderberry. ive also been using the weird ball all play through.

any tips for low end artifact hunting? im on stalker difficulty and i keep getting the most powerful artifacts, which is great for money but annoying for hunting achievements as common/ uncommon artifacts are rarer for me than rare/legendary artifacts. also i really wish there was a "artifact dex" in the PDA so you know what you found and what you havent.

[Zebedee]

I like having Thunderberry in one of the leaded containers too. I do a lot of traversing of the map so no encumbrance + good endurance = getting places quickly.

Visually, whirlwind is quite nice to look at and so is petal.

[ImHelping]

The fanbase loves carry capacity, but I'm a sucker for the endurance+physical protection stuff (with proper rad resist). Max rad resist and a stone flower or whatever (strong rad, medium armor/endurance) and stamina meter feels almost like an average videogame when at green load.


Acid anomaly are the only ones with a chance for radiation absorb artifacts. I was lucky enough to get a weak rad absorb as my first non scripted result, and then soon after a max rad absorb. If the internet is right acid anomaly have the shortest list of possible artifacts, probably to increase the odds of getting a rad resist.

Gravity is the only one with a chance for physical protection (bulletproofing) buffs.
Gravity also has combo endurance+physical protection, and the biggest carry capacity buffs (I still have not found any this run anyways).

So acid and gravity are very "farm THIS one" for the biggest results. You need rad absorb artifacts (or overpriced lead pockets) to use buff artifact safe. Gravity is often mostly easier to navigate on your terms and has the best overall buff items or combo items.


Electric has the best endurance+ artifacts if you are lucky, but can also get light bleed protection. Getting hit by lightning is a mother ♥♥♥♥♥♥ though and sometimes lightning visuals can be fussy rendering (one of the worst for enemies to spawn in and start shooting while you are in the middle of one).


Fire is often the biggest mother ♥♥♥♥♥♥ for 'yeah you are gonna take damage if you want the artifact' with ambient or cross coverage seeking lava.
It has the best bleed resist artifacts on the list, and a chance for lesser carry capacity. I stopped diving into them until I had a better detector to cut down on the guess work chasing mobile artifacts.

Also, nothing in game tells you this Artifacts move while invisible

One of my recent grabs it was so absurd that when I stood still waiting to see if it came to me again, it spawned hurtling at 200 miles an hour flying past me, then despawned when it flew out of spawn trigger range. With me holding still the whole time. Stood still longer and it eventually came back.

When you have the default proximity detector, good ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ luck realizing this is a problem. Even the 2nd one with a range meter can be obscuring this issue if it is essentially circling around you and you wonder "Why isn't it getting closer than 5m?"

[Hazzmat]

Originally posted by ImHelping:

The fanbase loves carry capacity, but I'm a sucker for the endurance+physical protection stuff (with proper rad resist). Max rad resist and a stone flower or whatever (strong rad, medium armor/endurance) and stamina meter feels almost like an average videogame when at green load.


Acid anomaly are the only ones with a chance for radiation absorb artifacts. I was lucky enough to get a weak rad absorb as my first non scripted result, and then soon after a max rad absorb. If the internet is right acid anomaly have the shortest list of possible artifacts, probably to increase the odds of getting a rad resist.

Gravity is the only one with a chance for physical protection (bulletproofing) buffs.
Gravity also has combo endurance+physical protection, and the biggest carry capacity buffs (I still have not found any this run anyways).

So acid and gravity are very "farm THIS one" for the biggest results. You need rad absorb artifacts (or overpriced lead pockets) to use buff artifact safe. Gravity is often mostly easier to navigate on your terms and has the best overall buff items or combo items.


Electric has the best endurance+ artifacts if you are lucky, but can also get light bleed protection. Getting hit by lightning is a mother ♥♥♥♥♥♥ though and sometimes lightning visuals can be fussy rendering (one of the worst for enemies to spawn in and start shooting while you are in the middle of one).


Fire is often the biggest mother ♥♥♥♥♥♥ for 'yeah you are gonna take damage if you want the artifact' with ambient or cross coverage seeking lava.
It has the best bleed resist artifacts on the list, and a chance for lesser carry capacity. I stopped diving into them until I had a better detector to cut down on the guess work chasing mobile artifacts.

Also, nothing in game tells you this Artifacts move while invisible

One of my recent grabs it was so absurd that when I stood still waiting to see if it came to me again, it spawned hurtling at 200 miles an hour flying past me, then despawned when it flew out of spawn trigger range. With me holding still the whole time. Stood still longer and it eventually came back.

When you have the default proximity detector, good ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ luck realizing this is a problem. Even the 2nd one with a range meter can be obscuring this issue if it is essentially circling around you and you wonder "Why isn't it getting closer than 5m?"

oh on god have you tried to artifact hunt in the stone village? i dont know whats worse dealing with a flashbang anomaly while over encumbered or trying to artifact hunt in the Psi fields the produce countless fake illusory artifacts. it took me forever to realize the tesla anomaly is avoidable by unequipping all artifacts

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Hazzmat:

it took me forever to realize the tesla anomaly is avoidable by unequipping all artifacts

Lots of stalker 2 does feel like a bad tabletop GM throwing a tantrum over their players dealing with their puzzles last campaign, yeah.

"You idiot, you should have been smart enough to take off your artifacts!"
"You are seriously calling me stupid for equipping a lightning resistance artifact in the lightning zone? Why even have them then?"
"Just for that, the ghosts you can kill with a silenced pistol before they have a chance to fight back are now minibosses."

[Hazzmat]

Originally posted by ImHelping:

Originally posted by Hazzmat:

it took me forever to realize the tesla anomaly is avoidable by unequipping all artifacts

Lots of stalker 2 does feel like a bad tabletop GM throwing a tantrum over their players dealing with their puzzles last campaign, yeah.

"You idiot, you should have been smart enough to take off your artifacts!"
"You are seriously calling me stupid for equipping a lightning resistance artifact in the lightning zone? Why even have them then?"
"Just for that, the ghosts you can kill with a silenced pistol before they have a chance to fight back are now minibosses."

yeah worst death i hever had was my vintar "merc' completely modded out got picked up by a burrer and he proceeded to express mail me straight to god in 0.5 flat

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Hazzmat:

Originally posted by ImHelping:

Lots of stalker 2 does feel like a bad tabletop GM throwing a tantrum over their players dealing with their puzzles last campaign, yeah.

"You idiot, you should have been smart enough to take off your artifacts!"
"You are seriously calling me stupid for equipping a lightning resistance artifact in the lightning zone? Why even have them then?"
"Just for that, the ghosts you can kill with a silenced pistol before they have a chance to fight back are now minibosses."

yeah worst death i hever had was my vintar "merc' completely modded out got picked up by a burrer and he proceeded to express mail me straight to god in 0.5 flat

Don't worry, even though they were less ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ in CoP I still have a far more embarrassing burer death back in the day.

Firing an RPG into a room I knew more than one was in, "hey is the rocket stopping-OH NO"
(not sure if I missed an inside walls poltergeist or something, but yeah)

[Luppie]

Weird water for loot.

[Hazzmat]

Originally posted by Firefly:

I carry 7 artifacts. 3 standard ones: weird water, petal, hypercube. Outdoors: 2 thunderberries. Indoors/heavy combat: 2 magic cubes

holy crap i need a magic cube, max rad pro + physical pro is WAY better than max rad pro + max chem pro

[Hazzmat]

Originally posted by Firefly:

I carry 7 artifacts. 3 standard ones: weird water, petal, hypercube. Outdoors: 2 thunderberries. Indoors/heavy combat: 2 magic cubes

so what does weird water actually do? the descriptions dont exactly tell you exact stats besides the weird ball

[Kaszak]

Originally posted by Hazzmat:

Originally posted by Firefly:

I carry 7 artifacts. 3 standard ones: weird water, petal, hypercube. Outdoors: 2 thunderberries. Indoors/heavy combat: 2 magic cubes

so what does weird water actually do? the descriptions dont exactly tell you exact stats besides the weird ball

Weird water is just far too good, it outclasses other artifacts while also synergizing with them. Gives you +40 weight limit and practical immunity to radiation (meaning you can wear as many thunderberries and hypercubes as your armor allows, liquid rock wishes it was this good), for the low price of being tipsy.

[Hazzmat]

Originally posted by Kaszak:

Originally posted by Hazzmat:

so what does weird water actually do? the descriptions dont exactly tell you exact stats besides the weird ball

Weird water is just far too good, it outclasses other artifacts while also synergizing with them. Gives you +40 weight limit and practical immunity to radiation (meaning you can wear as many thunderberries and hypercubes as your armor allows, liquid rock wishes it was this good), for the low price of being tipsy.

holy sh1t. does it also count for the in the bingo and keeping youre hands steady achievement

[Kaszak]

Originally posted by Hazzmat:

Originally posted by Kaszak:

Weird water is just far too good, it outclasses other artifacts while also synergizing with them. Gives you +40 weight limit and practical immunity to radiation (meaning you can wear as many thunderberries and hypercubes as your armor allows, liquid rock wishes it was this good), for the low price of being tipsy.

holy sh1t. does it also count for the in the bingo and keeping youre hands steady achievement

Works for "Keeping your hands steady", that's how i got it. Dunno for bingo, but probably yes.