In addition to melee weapons, armor, and ranged weapons, players also have access to three artifacts at any given time. What artifacts they find is completely random, but which ones they keep and use is entirely up to them. Because artifacts in Minecraft Dungeons scale rather slowly with item level, it is even viable to use lower level artifacts which are more preferred. This is in contrast to weapons and armor, as eventually players will be forced to switch out once their damage output or defenses simply aren’t holding up. With artifacts, the difference between a level one Boots of Swiftness and a level 25 Boots of Swiftness may just be one or two additional seconds of duration.
RELATED: How to Unlock Minecraft Dungeons’ Secret Level
Boots of Swiftness - Secret Hunter
On that note, the first must have artifact in Minecraft Dungeons is the Boots of Swiftness. These boots greatly increase movement speed for a short time and only have a five second cooldown. There is near endless use for these, as they make traversing levels, avoiding projectiles, closing distance, escaping aggressive enemies, and more all much easier. It is also worth noting that players can equip more than one of these on their artifact bar. With three of them, the player will be able to move at a higher speed constantly, making exploring cleared out area to look for secrets much quicker. Higher artifact levels increases the duration slightly.
Totem of Shielding, Totem of Regeneration, - Party Support
The Totem of Shielding provides so much utility to players and works even better in multiplayer. Essentially, using this artifact creates a bubble through which projectiles cannot enter. Of note, however, is that players can still shoot out of the bubble, making it perfect for dealing with groups of ranged enemies. Furthermore, some bosses such as the Redstone Monstrosity or the Nameless One have ranged attacks that are both difficult to dodge and incredibly high damaging, and the Totem of Shielding will nullify those moves. Unfortunately, it does have a rather long cooldown at 20 seconds. Likewise, the Totem of Regeneration allows players to heal their allies.
Deathcap Mushroom - Maximum DPS
Players that prefer to get up close and personal with their foes cannot pass up the Deathcap Mushroom. Though this artifact can only be used once every 30 seconds, it greatly increases attack and movement speed for a several seconds. At higher levels, this artifact can allow players to burn down Redstone Golem HP quickly, sometimes resulting in only one set of mines being laid. The added movement speed helps players reach new targets quickly should the initial one fall before the effect ends.
Corrupted Beacon, Soul Healer, Harvester - Soul Monger
The Corrupted Beacon is an incredibly powerful artifact that can help every wizard build their dream character in Minecraft Dungeons. Using this artifact requires souls, which players will need to attain by killing enemies with certain items equipped, but once activated it devastates all foes in a line, dealing over a hundred damage per second even at low levels. When paired with armors that grant increased artifact damage such as the Soul Robe, this can be a truly deadly attack for dealing with huge groups of enemies or burning through boss HP. The Soul Healer and Harvester provide yet more soul gathering and other ways to spend souls.
RELATED: How to Beat the Arch Illager in Minecraft Dungeons
Fireworks Arrow, Flaming Quiver, and Torment Quiver - Arcane Archer
For those players that prefer to rain hell from above on their enemies, the numerous ranged weapon augmenting artifacts are perfect. The Fireworks Arrow is one that all players should be familiar with, as it is the first artifact that players get during the tutorial. The Flaming Quiver and Torment Quiver alter the properties of arrows fired by the player, giving them extra damage, damage over time, or piercing qualities. When used in conjunction with the Infinity enchantment, the effects are extended, meaning players can deal some heavy damage in bursts from afar. This build works great when playing Minecraft Dungeons with friends.
Tasty Bone and Wonderful Wheat - Beast Master
The Tasty Bone artifact is another obtained early on and summons a wolf to aid the player. At high levels, this wolf can be rather deadly and is a safe option for dealing with powerful enemies. Acquiring multiple Tasty Bones or using them in conjunction with the Wonderful Wheat (summons a llama) item can let the player have a pack of animals aiding them on their quest. There are bound to be more summoning artifacts that players simply haven’t found yet as well, so this could get even crazier.
Iron Hide Amulet, Soul Healer, Totem of Regeneration - Ultimate Tank
The classic RPG role of a tank can be created in Minecraft Dungeons as well with the use of these three useful artifacts. The Iron Hide Amulet grants a massive boost to the user’s defense, even allowing them to tank Redstone Golems for some time. The Soul Healer is a large healing burst but requires souls to use, and in cases when souls are running short, the Totem of Regeneration provides healing over time free of cost. Taking down a player with this set up and some defensive armor like the Mercenary armor or Scale Mail will be tough.
There are no doubt other great builds and play styles which can be crafted from Minecraft Dungeons’ numerous artifacts, and this isn’t even taking into account the way enchantments can interact with these effects. One of the great things about Minecraft Dungeons is that it encourages experimentation by providing a risk free environment to try things out. With that in mind, players should see what kind of cool things they can come up with, or give one of these ideas a try.
Minecraft Dungeons is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
MORE: How to Find Every Chest in Minecraft Dungeons
