Risk of Rain Returns all Artifact Locations

You can acquire artifacts in Risk of Rain Returns, which majorly change how the game works. For example, one makes you a damage powerhouse but cuts your health by 90%, and another causes items to drop from monsters instead of chests. However, finding the locations for all these artifacts takes a lot of work. Fortunately, I get every artifacts, I will show you where to find them and what each does below.

Risk of Rain Returns Artifacts locations and effects

Cognation

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Cognation		Enemies create a temporary clone on death

To access the Cognation Artifact, locate a hidden spot in one of the six distinct versions of the Desolate Forest (Number 4 in book). Identify this specific area in the east side of the map provided screenshot and go there via the vine close to the ground to reach an underground chamber.



Upon entering the hidden zone, engage both wall switches. It's advisable to initiate with the upper switche, as it proves more challenging to hit.



Upon successfully activating both switches, a golem will spawn, just kill him and collect the Artifact of Cognation.

Command

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Command		Items are no longer random

You can find the Artifact of Command in the Hive Cluster. Head to the map’s east side and look for ropes that cross over a gap.



Use the ropes to bridge the chasm, and you’ll find the artifact.

Distorsion

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Distorsion		Lock a random skill every minutes, But skills have decreased cooldowns

When you reach the Damp Caverns, head to the upper-east side of the map. You’ll find three platforns with strange contraptions on them when you get there.



The catch here is that you have to increased your character’s jumping ability to reach them. When you make it up there, use an ability on the box, and the Artifact of Distortion will appear.

Enigma

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Enigma		Spawn with a random equipment that changes every time it's activated

You’ll need to make it to the Sunken Tomb for this one. Go to the southeastern corner of the map and look for a pit. Jump down it, and it’ll bounce you back up toward an area where you can find this artifact.

Glass

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Glass		Increases damage to 500% but lowers health to 10%

Slide to the Frozen Tundra and climb the mountain’s west or east side. You’ll eventually come upon an entrance that leads to a cave.



Once you get there, you’ll have to find 5 buttons to hit.



Once you activate the last one, the Glass Artifact will spawn.

Honor

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Honor		Enemies will always spawn as elites

Proceed to the Desolate Forest and look in the western part of the map for a narrow tunnel. You can head through this and make your way south, then west, and you’ll find a stairlike formation you can climb to get this artifact. if you have difficulty to get there use the Hopoo’s Feather (x2) to gain two jump.

Kin

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Kin		Only one enemy type will spawn per map

Go to the Dried Lake map on the east side and look for a partially broken piece of wall. You can destroy it by hitting it with your weapon, which will reveal a hidden area.



Hit the three buttons inside, and the Artifact of Kin will spawn.

Sacrifice

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Sacrifice		Chests no longer appear. Instead, monsters will drop items on death

When you reach the Magma Barracks, you’ll need to start looking for three buttons. These aren’t too hard to find.



You need to have attacks that can pierce the wall surrounding them like HAN-D hammer, Huntress Cluster bomb etc... Once you activate all three, you can find the Artifact of Sacrifice at the southern part of the map.

Spirit

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Spirit		Your character runs faster at lower health

Head to the Temple Ruins and head to the east side of the map. Once you’re there, jump off the side and land on the hidden platforms. Once you land, keep heading east and jumping across platforms and you’ll find it.

Spite

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Spite		Enemies will explode when they die

Once you make it to the Sky Meadow map, look for a small hole that’ll lead you all the way to the bottom of the map. Then, just follow the platforms until you reach the artifact.

Tempus

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Tempus		Items are worth multiple stacks. All items are temporary.

To unlock the Tempus Artifact, simply reach the Temple of the Elders and collect the artifact in less than 16 minutes. Be careful, you must collect the artifact before 16:00. otherwise it seems to disappear.

So far, every time I've seen the artifact, it's been in one of the tall vertical sections of the tower, in front of what appears to be a hole in the wall.

Dissonance

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Dissonance		Monsters can appear outside their usual environments

The first shard to unlock the artifact can be found in the bottom left corner of Suken Tombs, just hop over the ledge and hug the wall and slip right in to grab it.



The next shard can be found in the Ancient Valley on the top of the mountain nearby there is a rope that goes down into a hidden area, climb down and grab the shard.


The third shard can be found in Hive Cluster on the top row near center you'll see it inside a rock climb to the top of the rock and then jump into the top right corner to get behind the wall.



The last shard can be found in Magma Barracks (Not in all variant) once against at the top of the stage jump into the pathway and then jump across to claim the shard.

Prestige

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Prestige		At least one Shrine of the Mountain spawns every stage. Shrine of the mountain effect are permanents

Get a gold rank on at least 15 Providence Trials.

Origin

Artifact	Picture	Effect
Origin		Imps invades the map every 10 minutes

You must activate all artifacts from the original game and there is 9 of them:

• Honor
  
• Kin
  
• Distortion
  
• Spite
  
• Glass
  
• Enigma
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Command
  
• Spirit

In a playthrough before attempting to find the Artifact of Origin. Once you’ve accomplished that, play through the game until you defeat the final boss.

Guide Changelog

Originally posted by author:

15/11/23 Pictures Added for the Glass Artifact and changed the description for the Origin Artifact

[awaduniversal]

cool

[BaHnaNerZZ]

I read on the wiki artifact on Sky Meadow only spawns on Version 1, 2 or 3. Just FYI

[broomus]

@Denisse-G because it is a fun artifact, just like the rest.

[Denisse-G]

To be honest why would you want origin?

[Yonsim]

ok so for some reason the code isnt working for ablity but its working just fine for skin unlocks and im not certian why this is the case if being honest here but i would be glad to use it so i can unlock the laser turret

[Boatman]

In the very first part of the guide, for the Cognation artifact screen-shot points at the incorrect vine.

[Bornatkfc]

The Spirit artifact seems to speed up enemies proportionally to their missing health despite saying "characters"

[itssirtou]

For the Sacrifice Artifact, the Cremator salvos can also trigger them.

[JIN]

Np ! You can jump and shoot at the same time with a good timing this is pretty easy

[Funkyplasma]

thank you for the great guide it was very helpful and i didnt even notice those buttons

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3088502220 this is the me climbing down the correct vine for Cognation now i just have to figure out how to hit both buttons