Arena:Artifacts

Artifacts are sixteen legendary items of great cultural significance renowned throughout Tamriel that you may obtain during Arena. Each is imbued with unique and powerful enchantments, and may be acquired only by embarking on their respective artifact quests. These quests involve hearing a rumor from an NPC about a particular artifact, finding the tavern in the settlement mentioned in the rumor, paying (or bartering) for the information at the tavern, and then traveling across Tamriel in a quest to find two dungeons in two different provinces: an initial four-level dungeon which contains a map leading to the artifact, and a second four-level dungeon containing the artifact itself. The chests containing both the map and the artifact will always be found in a room within the lowest level of their respective dungeons.

The relevant rumors to start each artifact's quest can be found in all but one province - the province in which the dungeon containing the map to the artifact will be found. This province is listed for each artifact below as its "map dungeon province" and is always the same. As a side effect of this, since the Imperial Province contains no minor dungeons, and thus no artifacts will have their maps located there, the Imperial City is the only place where all artifact rumors are available. The map leading to an artifact will then direct you to any of the other seven possible provinces to find the second dungeon which actually houses the artifact, with the same exceptions of the map dungeon's province and the Imperial Province. An artifact will never be found the in the same province where its map is found. Each province apart from the Imperial Province is home to the maps for two artifacts - even if you start a quest to find an artifact again after having found it before, the map dungeon will still always be located in this same province.

With the exception of Volendrung, all artifacts' enchantments must be manually activated by using each artifact from the Use Item menu, like other magical items and potions. Apart from the bonus to armor rating passively granted by simply equipping some artifacts, almost no artifacts will have their enchantments activated just by wearing it, or physically swinging it or shooting with it like a normal weapon. As noted previously, the sole exception to this rule is Volendrung, which does have a touch-based enchantment that activates each time an enemy is struck by it.

Some artifacts are restricted by class according to the standard item restrictions for each class - if a class is not listed for a particular artifact below, that class cannot equip and use the artifact. It is still possible to obtain a rumor for any artifact and embark on a quest to find and acquire the artifact as any class. However, the artifact will be listed as unusable in your inventory if its item type is restricted by your class, and since artifacts are not able to be sold, your only option will be to drop the artifact if you wish to acquire another.

Artifacts will disappear from your inventory, but never randomly as their descriptions might imply; they disappear when they wear out from use, either by using their enchantment enough times or simply through physical use to the point where the artifact "breaks." However, you can have equipment stores repair them, so you can keep them indefinitely if you wish. You may not have more than one artifact at a time (although there is an exploit that allows you to do so). If you have an artifact in your inventory, you will not get another artifact quest until the one you have disappears. When an artifact disappears from your inventory, the artifact goes back into the pool of available artifact rumors as long as you aren't currently located in the province where its map dungeon is located. Therefore, it is possible to obtain every artifact any number times throughout a single playthrough, and it is possible to reembark on a quest to reacquire an artifact you just lost if you want to find it again.

Unlike future installments of The Elder Scrolls series, artifacts lack a unique appearance, and instead share the image of the normal version of their corresponding armor or weapon type and material. For example, Chrysamere is identical in appearance to any other adamantium claymore. Jewelry artifacts and the three unequippable artifacts do not have images at all, only appearing in the inventory list. Right-clicking on an artifact in the inventory will display its lore and history as part of its description (the same description found in the Codex Scientia), in addition to the standard information regarding its damage range and/or armor rating, weight, and condition. This last piece of information is important to monitor while using an artifact, as like other items its condition will alert you to when the artifact is running low on energy and about to disappear.

Armor ArtifactsEdit

Auriel's ShieldEdit

Artifact: Auriel's Shield (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Ebony Kite Shield
Statistics
Rating	-3 AC
Weight	8 kg
Enchantment
Resist Fire: 80% chance, +1% per level, 3 rounds per level Spell Reflection: 80% chance, +1% per level, 3 rounds per level Create Shield: 50 HP shield, +35 points per level
Map Dungeon Province
High Rock
Can be used by the following classes
Barbarian, Bard, Knight, Ranger, Rogue, Spellsword, Warrior

Auriel's Shield

"Auriel's Shield, an Ebony shield said to have once belonged to the quasi-mythical Elvish deity Auriel, can make its wielder nigh invulnerable. In its resistance to fire and magick, Auriel's Shield is unsurpassed. To defend its wielder from any attacks it cannot absorb, the Shield lends him or her health. Like many artifacts of Tamriel, the Shield has life and personality of its own, and does not feel bound to its user. A popular fable tells the tale of it abandoning one wielder in her greatest hour of need, but this is perhaps apocryphal."
— Codex Scientia

Auriel's Shield is an ebony kite shield artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

Auriel's Shield boasts the strongest shielding enchantment of any artifact in the game, reaching 750 points of shielding by level 20. The shield's fire resistance and spell reflection enchantments are somewhat weaker than other artifacts with similar effects, especially at low levels. However, by level 20, Auriel's Shield has a spell reflection effect equal in magnitude and duration to the Warlock's Ring and of equal magnitude to and greater duration than Chrysamere, and a fire resistance effect equal in magnitude to the Ebony Mail (but with less duration) and Chrysamere (and with greater duration). Combined with the scaling nature of its shielding enchantment, this makes Auriel's Shield a valuable artifact at higher levels. Despite the wording in its description, Auriel's Shield does not heal its wielder when used.

Ebony MailEdit

Artifact: Ebony Mail (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Ebony Cuirass
Statistics
Rating	-9 AC
Weight	16 kg
Enchantment
Spell Resistance: 100% chance, 5 rounds per level Resist Fire: 100% chance, 5 rounds per level Create Shield: 80 HP shield, +1 point per level
Map Dungeon Province
Black Marsh
Can be used by the following classes
Knight, Ranger, Warrior

Ebony Mail

"The Ebony Mail is an artifact created before recorded history, according to legend, by the Dark Elven goddess Boethiah. It is she who determines who should possess the Mail and for how long a time. If judged worthy, its power grants the wearer invulnerability to all common magical attacks that drain talents and health. It is Boethiah alone who determines when a person is ineligible to bear the Ebony Mail any longer, and the goddess can be very capricious..."
— Codex Scientia

The Ebony Mail is an ebony cuirass artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Ebony Mail possesses the most effective spell resistance and fire resistance enchantments of any artifact in the game, with 100% protection against fire and magic even at level 1 and with a significantly longer duration for both effects than similar enchantments other artifacts possess, each lasting 100 rounds by level 20. On the other hand, the shielding component of its enchantment is rather lackluster; it is already 4 points weaker than the shielding enchantment Auriel's Shield carries at level 1, and it is vastly outstripped at higher levels - the Ebony Mail's shielding effect only reaches 100 points by level 20. However, even this modest Shield can still find its uses in the right circumstances, and the long-lasting duration of its other powerful enchantments allows for extended periods of exploration without having to worry about fire damage or other magical attacks. Though its description specifically highlights its resistance to draining spells, the Ebony Mail's spell resistance is a universally protective effect against magic-based attacks.

Lord's MailEdit

Artifact: Lord's Mail (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Adamantium Cuirass
Statistics
Rating	-9 AC
Weight	16 kg
Enchantment
Regenerate Health: 25 points every 5 rounds, 60 rounds per level Cure Poison: 100% chance for equal level to caster Spell Resistance: 100% chance, 1 round per level
Map Dungeon Province
Skyrim
Can be used by the following classes
Knight, Ranger, Warrior

Lord's Mail

"The Lord's Mail, sometimes called the Armor of Morihaus, the Gift of Kynareth, is an ancient cuirass of unsurpassable quality. It grants the wearer the power to regenerate lost health, resist the effects of spells, and cure oneself of poison when used. It is said that whenever Kynareth deigns the wearer unworthy, the Lord's Mail will be taken away and hidden for the next chosen one."
— Codex Scientia

The Lord's Mail is an adamantium cuirass artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Lord's Mail is enchanted with the most potent health regeneration effect out of any artifact in the game, healing for a total of 300 points at level 1 and a whopping 6,000 points by level 20 if allowed to fully run its course. It is also the only artifact that has the ability to cure the player of poisoning. Though its 100% spell resistance effect is not as long lasting as the Ebony Mail's, it is as effective as the Ring of Phynaster's enchantment and is useful to have even momentarily active against magic-wielding enemies while the health regeneration effect begins its work. The Lord's Mail is thus well-suited to extended dungeon exploration, at its best over a long period of time rather than during intense high-damage encounters.

Spell BreakerEdit

Artifact: Spell Breaker (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Dwarven Tower Shield
Statistics
Rating	-4 AC
Weight	10 kg
Enchantment
Spell Reflection: 100% chance, 2 rounds per level Cure Paralysis: 100% chance level equal to caster
Map Dungeon Province
Hammerfell
Can be used by the following classes
Barbarian, Knight, Warrior

Spell Breaker

"Spell Breaker, superficially a Dwarven tower shield, is one of the most prized ancient relics of Tamriel. Aside from its historic importance dating from the Battle of Rourken-Shalidor, the Spell Breaker protects its wielder almost completely from any spellcaster, either by dispelling magicks or silencing any mage about to cast a spell. It is said that the Spell Breaker still searches for its original owner, and will not remain the property of any one else for long. For most, possessing Spell Breaker for any time is power enough."
— Codex Scientia

Spell Breaker is a Dwarven tower shield artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

Spell Breaker's primary use is in its spell reflection enchantment, already at 100% effectiveness at level 1, which lasts twice as long as Chrysamere's, though both the Warlock's Ring and Auriel's Shield have spell reflection effects that last half again as long as Spell Breaker's, and the spell reflection of the Warlock's Ring is just as effective as early as level 1. Spell Breaker's nature as a tower shield also limits its use, with only three classes able to wield it. However, Spell Breaker also possesses the ability to cure its bearer of paralysis when used, the only artifact able to do so, and is thus particularly useful in the early-to-mid game when spiders and other paralysis-inducing enemies are in abundance. Spell Breaker's enchantment does not include a Silencing effect, despite its description stating the contrary.

Weapon ArtifactsEdit

Auriel's BowEdit

Artifact: Auriel's Bow (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Elven Longbow
Statistics
Damage	2-12
Damage	2-12		{{{health}}}
Rating	-3 AC
Weight	1 kg
Enchantment
Damage Health: 50 points, +1 point per level Damage Fatigue: 50 points, +1 point per level Damage Spell Points: 50 points, +1 point per level
Map Dungeon Province
Valenwood
Can be used by the following classes
Archer, Assassin, Barbarian, Battlemage, Knight, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword, Warrior

Auriel's Bow

"Auriel's Bow appears as a modest Elven Longbow, but it one [sic] of the mightiest weapons ever to exist in Tamriel's history. Allegedly created and used, like its sister Auriel's Shield, by the great Elvish demi-god, the Bow can turn any arrow into a missile of death and any wielder invulnerable to any lesser attacks. Without Auriel's power behind it, however, the bow uses its own store of energy for its power. Once exhausted of this energy, the bow will vanish and reappear where ever chance puts it. Its most recent appearances have been subject of gossip for hundreds of years."
— Codex Scientia

Auriel's Bow is an elven long bow artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

Auriel's Bow is enchanted with a ranged single-target effect which simultaneously damages an enemy's health, fatigue, and spell points, making it a useful artifact against nearly all enemy types in the game. The scaling of its component enchantments is not terribly high, with each effect only gaining an additional 1 point each level for a total of 70 points each by level 20, but combined with firing actual arrows it can still be highly useful in ranged combat. Note that the enchantment is not cast with every arrow shot, as its description might imply, and must be used like other enchanted items as a ranged spell. As with any other bow in the game, the higher your character's Speed stat, the more effective you will be when actually using Auriel's Bow as a physical weapon.

Uniquely among the weapon artifacts, Auriel's Bow also comes with a small bonus to armor rating of -3 AC when equipped. This may not seem like much particularly later in the game, but early on and especially for classes unable to equip higher-quality armor (or none at all if you are a Monk), every little bonus helps.

ChrysamereEdit

Artifact: Chrysamere (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Adamantium Claymore
Statistics
Damage	2-18
Damage	2-18		{{{health}}}
Weight	14 kg
Enchantment
Heal Health: 100 points, +100 additional points per level Spell Reflection: 100% chance, 1 round per level Resist Fire: 100% chance, 1 round per level
Map Dungeon Province
Elsweyr
Can be used by the following classes
Archer, Assassin, Barbarian, Battlemage, Knight, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword, Warrior

Chrysamere

"Chrysamere, the Paladin's Blade and Sword of Heroes, is an ancient claymore with offensive capabilities only surpassed by its defenses. It lends the wielder health, protects him or her from fire, and reflects any deletory spells cast against the wielder back to the caster. Seldom has Chrysamere been wielded by any bladesman for any length of time, for it chooses not to favor one champion."
— Codex Scientia

Chrysamere is an adamantium claymore artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

Chrysamere is unique in that unlike most of the other weapon artifacts in the game, its enchantments are wholly defensive in nature. It is most notable for its incredibly powerful healing enchantment: already at level 1, Chrysamere is capable of instantly healing its wielder for 200 points of health when used, and by level 20 this reaches an impressive 2,100 points. While it doesn't heal for as many health points total as some artifacts with health regeneration enchantments, such as the Staff of Magnus and particularly the Lord's Mail, those enchantments take a significant amount of time to be fully effective, and the scaling amount of healing Chrysamere is capable of means it can instantly heal any player to full health regardless of class or level. Even a very high level Barbarian with the maximum amount of health possible will still not have nearly as many health points as Chrysamere can heal. Combined with its spell reflection and fire resistance enchantments, which while 100% effective even at level 1 are somewhat shorter in duration than other artifacts with similar effects, this makes Chrysamere an ideal artifact for highly dangerous encounters requiring massive immediate healing and magical protection at any stage of the game.

Perhaps because of its potent healing ability, the casting cost of Chrysamere's enchantment is relatively high (though not nearly as high as the Ebony Blade's), about on par with that of Auriel's Bow. As such, its enchantment should ideally be used relatively sparingly and when it is most needed. Keep in mind that physically using it as a claymore will gradually wear out the artifact and slowly contribute to decreasing its condition as well.

Ebony BladeEdit

Artifact: Ebony Blade (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Ebony Katana
Statistics
Damage	3-16
Damage	3-16		{{{health}}}
Weight	6 kg
Enchantment
Transfer Health: 100 points from target to caster for 10 rounds per level, release 1 point per round Transfer Fatigue: 100 points from target to caster for 10 rounds per level, release 1 point per round Silence: 100% chance for 1 round per level
Map Dungeon Province
Morrowind
Can be used by the following classes
Archer, Assassin, Barbarian, Battlemage, Knight, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword, Warrior

Ebony Blade

"The Ebony Blade, sometimes called the Vampire or the Leech, resembles an ebony katana, but its power is very dark indeed. Every time the Ebony Blade strikes an opponent, part of the damage inflicted flows into the wielder as raw power. The Blade itself may not be any more evil than those who have used it, but at some point in its long existence, a charm was cast on it so it would not remain with one bladesman. The wizard who cast this charm sought to save the souls of any too infatuated by the Blade, and perhaps he was right..."
— Codex Scientia

The Ebony Blade is an ebony katana artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Ebony Blade's potent single-target ranged enchantment is capable of restoring a hefty chunk of both your own health and fatigue while also dealing significant damage to its victim, and with a bonus of momentarily silencing them as well if they are capable of spellcasting. While the silencing effect only scales minimally in duration with level, the duration of the two Transfer components of the enchantment do scale well and provide higher level characters with some bonuses to using this artifact. That being said, the actual magnitudes of the health transfer and fatigue transfer effects do not scale with level. Despite what its description states, the Ebony Blade's enchantment is a targeted ranged spell that must be cast - it is not a touch-based enchantment that activates whenever physically striking an enemy with the blade.

The Ebony Blade is also notable for the extremely high casting cost of its enchantment, far higher than even other weapon artifacts, and even at higher levels its enchantment can only be used a handful of times before the artifact is exhausted. If you intend to use and keep this artifact, you will need to be judicious in your use of its enchantment and monitor its condition in your inventory - lest you find it disappearing on you halfway through a dungeon - and be mindful of keeping up with repairing it whenever you reach a settlement.

Staff of MagnusEdit

Artifact: Staff of Magnus (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Ebony Staff
Statistics
Damage	1-8
Damage	1-8		{{{health}}}
Weight	3 kg
Enchantment
Regenerate Health: 10 points every 5 rounds, 60 rounds per level Spell Absorption: 100% chance, 18 rounds per level
Map Dungeon Province
Elsweyr
Can be used by the following classes
Archer, Assassin, Barbarian, Battlemage, Healer, Knight, Mage, Monk, Nightblade, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword, Warrior

Staff of Magnus

"The Staff of Magnus, one of the elder artifacts of Tamriel, was a metaphysical battery of sorts for its creator, the Arch-Mage Magnus. When used, it regenerates both a mage's health and mystical energy at remarkable rates. In time, the Staff will abandon the mage who wields it before he or she becomes too powerful and upsets the mystical balance it is sworn to protect."
— Codex Scientia

The Staff of Magnus is an ebony staff artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

As stated in its description, the Staff of Magnus is enchanted with a decent health regeneration effect. While it is not as powerful as the health regeneration enchantment of the Lord's Mail, it still regenerates for 120 health points total at level 1, and reaches a respectable 2,400 points by level 20. More impressive, however, is its spell absorption effect, which is 100% effective even at level 1 and with a much greater duration than the enchantment the Necromancer's Amulet carries, particularly as the player progresses to higher levels. The Staff of Magnus' physical damage is not particularly impressive, dealing the same amount of damage as any basic staff, but its enchantments more than make up for this deficiency. This is particularly true for the three classes that can't use any other weapon artifacts - Healers, Mages, and Nightblades - and Mages and Mage subclasses in general can take full advantage of the artifact's potent spell absorption enchantment to fuel their own spellcasting for long periods of time. Along with its health regeneration effect, this makes the Staff of Magnus another artifact well-suited to long periods of dungeon exploration.

The Staff of Magnus does not directly regenerate its wielder's spell points like its description suggests; this appears to be referencing the spell absorption effect.

VolendrungEdit

Artifact: Volendrung (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	Dwarven Warhammer
Statistics
Damage	3-18
Damage	3-18		{{{health}}}
Weight	16 kg
Enchantment
Cause Paralysis: 100% chance on touch Damage Health: 30 points, +1 point per level Drain Strength: 25 points for 15 rounds per level, target recovers at 1 point per round
Map Dungeon Province
Hammerfell
Can be used by the following classes
Archer, Assassin, Barbarian, Battlemage, Knight, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spellsword, Warrior

Volendrung

"The Hammer of Might, Volendrung is said to have been created by the Dwarves of the now abandoned clan of Rourken, hundreds of years before they disappeared from the world of Tamriel. It has the ability to grant health to its wielder, but it is best known for the paralyzing and strength leeching effects it has when cast at an enemy. Like the Dwarves who created it, Volendrung is prone to disappearing suddenly, resurfacing sometimes in days, sometimes in eons."
— Codex Scientia

Volendrung is a Dwarven war hammer artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

Unlike all the other artifacts in the game, Volendrung's enchantment is not manually activated by using it from the Use Item menu. Instead, its enchantment is triggered every time Volendrung strikes an enemy. Most weaker enemies will crumble under the combined might of the hammer's physical damage and the additional health damaging component of its enchantment, and enemies that do not will be paralyzed and unable to attack for some time (unless they successfully save vs. magic). Volendrung does not actually confer any healing to the wielder as its description suggests.

Since Volendrung's enchantment is activated on touch every time it hits an enemy, however, this means that although it has a relatively low casting cost and thus theoretically a higher number of uses compared to other artifacts, it is extremely easy to eat up available charges with every swing of the artifact, and unlike other weapon artifacts Volendrung cannot be used in any capacity without also triggering its enchantment. Similarly to the Ebony Blade, therefore, Volendrung's condition must be carefully monitored in the inventory while using it if you don't want it to disappear in the middle of a fight.

Jewelry ArtifactsEdit

Necromancer's AmuletEdit

Artifact: Necromancer's Amulet (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Rating	-9 AC
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
Spell Absorption: 100% chance, 3 rounds per level Fortify Intelligence: +50 points for 5 rounds per level, loss at 1 point per round Regenerate Health: 1 health point every 5 rounds, 30 rounds per level
Map Dungeon Province
High Rock
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"The legendary Necromancer's Amulet, the last surviving relic of the mad sorcerer Mannimarco, grants any spellcaster who wears it the ability to absorb magical energy and regenerate from injury. The Amulet is mystically fortified to give the person wearing it an armor rating equivalent to plate armor, without the weight and restriction of movement. This makes the artifact popular amongst thieves and mages alike. It is the one flaw of the Amulet that it is unstable in this world - forever doomed to fade in and out of existence, reappearing at locations distant from that of its disappearance."
— Codex Scientia

The Necromancer's Amulet is an amulet artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Necromancer's Amulet can be used by any class, and as such one of its greatest assets is its inherent -9 AC bonus to armor rating when equipped. As stated in its description, this is equivalent to having basic plate armor equipped in every armor slot, and so this artifact can be especially useful for classes who are unable to wear higher-quality armor types, or no armor at all. Even the few classes capable of wearing plate armor can make use of the sizable armor rating bonus this artifact provides in addition to their own equipped plate armor.

When its enchantment is used, the Necromancer's Amulet grants a 50 point fortification to Intelligence, indirectly granting an increase in total spell points as well for classes able to use magic. This spell point increase will not actually refill a character's spell points when first used, but combined with the 100% spell absorption effect part of the enchantment, this allows for the replenishment of these new extra spell points when faced with magic-wielding enemies (or these spell points can simply be replenished with potions of Restore Power). The Necromancer's Amulet is thus also useful for Mages and Mage subclasses who need a temporary spell point boost to cast more expensive spells.

The amulet's enchantment also provides a modest health regeneration effect. Neither this nor the spell absorption enchantment are as effective as similar enchantments possessed by other artifacts - the health regeneration in particular starts out at a measly 6 health points total at level 1 and only reaches 120 points total by level 20 - but they can still be useful in managing your resources.

Ring of KhajiitEdit

Artifact: Ring of Khajiit (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Rating	-6 AC
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
Designate as Non-Target: 100% chance, 3 rounds per level Invisibility: 1 round, 3 rounds per level Fortify Speed: +100 points for 5 rounds per level, loss at 1 point per 2 rounds
Map Dungeon Province
Black Marsh
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"The Ring of the Khajiiti is an ancient relic, hundreds of years older than Rajhin, the thief who made the Ring famous. It was Rajhin who used the Ring's powers to make himself as invisible, silent, and quick as a breath of wind. Using the Ring he became the most successful burglar in Elsweyr's history. Rajhin's eventual fate is a mystery, but according to legend, the Ring rebelled against such constant use and disappeared, leaving Rajhin helpless before his enemies..."
— Codex Scientia

The Ring of Khajiit is a ring artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Ring of Khajiit is a highly useful artifact for any class, providing an armor rating bonus of -6 AC to all armor slots when equipped and carrying a unique enchantment, including two effects which no other artifact possesses. The combination of both invisibility and being designated as a non-target with a 100% chance of effectiveness means you can avoid the attention of enemies that would normally see through invisibility alone, and you are able to cast other spells while the Ring of Khajiit is active without breaking the enchantment. However, bear in mind that, as is the case with other Sanctuary-type spell effects in the game, enemies can still cast spells at you even if they haven't detected you and can't actually see you, and the Ring of Khajiit does not offer any defenses against magic. The Speed bonus naturally maxes out any character's Speed attribute, and can be a welcome bonus in navigating a dungeon (or escaping from enemies) and has a respectable duration.

The Ring of Khajiit does have a relatively high casting cost, higher than the other jewelry and armor artifacts and on par with the more costly weapon artifacts, requiring its user to be more judicious with its enchantment than other similar artifacts.

Ring of PhynasterEdit

Artifact: Ring of Phynaster (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Rating	-6 AC
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
Resist Poison: 100% chance for 1 round per level Resist Electricity: 100% chance for 1 round per level Spell Resistance: 100% chance for 1 round per level
Map Dungeon Province
Summurset Isle
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"The Ring of Phynaster was made hundreds of years ago by a person who needed good defenses to survive his adventurous life. Thanks to the Ring, Phynaster lived for hundreds of years, and since then it has passed from person to person. The ring improves its wearer's overall resistance to damage and grants total immunity to poison, spells, and electricity. Still, Phynaster was cunning and said to have cursed the Ring. It eventually disappears from its holder's possessions and returns to another resting place, uncontent to stay anywhere but with Phynaster himself."
— Codex Scientia

The Ring of Phynaster is a ring artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Ring of Phynaster serves as a useful protective artifact for any class. In addition to the -6 AC bonus to armor rating for all armor slots when equipped, its enchantment provides total resistance to electricity and poison, the former of which can be highly useful against enemies such as Homonculi and Liches, and no other artifacts offer these resistances as part of their enchantments (though the Lord's Mail can cure poisoning, it does not resist it). Some other artifacts do offer spell resistance effects, and usually of greater duration, but in combination with its other resistances the Ring of Phynaster can act as a reliable tool for general protection against most types of magical attack while exploring dungeons, even in the late stages of the game. However, the duration of its enchantment is rather short and does not scale particularly well with increased levels, requiring more frequent uses to keep up.

Of note, resistance to poison also acts as a resistance to paralysis.

The Ring of Phynaster's casting cost is relatively low, and the lowest of the four jewelry artifacts, which somewhat helps to offset its enchantment's short duration and need for repeated casts if you want to keep its resistances active for extended periods of time.

Warlock's RingEdit

Artifact: Warlock's Ring (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
Fortify Speed: +100 points for 5 rounds per level, loss of 1 point per round Heal Health: 50 points, +1 point per level Spell Reflection: 100% chance, 3 rounds per level
Map Dungeon Province
Morrowind
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"The Warlock's Ring of the Arch-Mage Syrabane is one of the most popular relics of myth and fable. In Tamriel's ancient history, Syrabane saved all of the continent by judicious use of his Ring, and ever since, it has helped adventurers with less lofty goals. It is best known for its ability to reflect spells cast at its wearer and to improve his or her speed and health, though it may have additional powers. No adventurer can wear the Warlock's Ring for long, for it is said the Ring is Syrabane's alone to command."
— Codex Scientia

The Warlock's Ring is a ring artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Warlock's Ring is a useful artifact for any class, particularly in the later stages of the game when spellcasting enemies become increasingly numerous. Its strongest asset is its spell reflection enchantment, which is 100% effective even at level 1, and with a duration that scales identically to that of Auriel's Shield, technically making it the most effective spell reflection enchantment that any artifact in the game possesses (at least until it becomes tied with Auriel's Shield starting at level 20). The Speed bonus will max out any character's Speed attribute like the Ring of Khajiit and lasts for an identical amount of time as well, though it deprecates twice as fast as the Ring of Khajiit's effect once the enchantment wears off. While its healing component is not particularly impressive, especially compared to other artifacts like Chrysamere, it is still roughly equivalent to the Heal True circinate spell and can be useful for characters with a lower amount of total hit points.

Notably, the Warlock's Ring is the only jewelry artifact that does not confer a passive bonus to armor rating when equipped.

Despite the artifact's description implying it has additional effects besides those it mentions, the Warlock's Ring only has the three listed components as part of its enchantment.

Other ArtifactsEdit

King Orgnum's CofferEdit

Artifact: King Orgnum's Coffer (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
1-100 gold once per day, up to a maximum of 10,000 gold total.
Map Dungeon Province
Summurset Isle
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"King Orghum's [sic] Coffer is a small-sized chest, ordinary in appearance. It is remarkably light, almost weightless, which offers a clue to its true magic. Once a day, the Coffer will create gold from naught. When King Orghum [sic] himself possessed the Coffer, the supply within was limitless. Those who have found it since report that the Coffer eventually disappears after having dispersed enough gold to shame even the wealthiest of merchants. Where and why it vanishes is still a mystery. King Orgnum lost his Coffer eighty or more years ago, during one of the marine battles with the Emperor of Tamriel, who was then Antiochus Septim. After the loss, Orgnum's island kingdom of Pyandonea ceased to be a world power - probably because the King could no longer afford as great a fleet as before."
— Codex Scientia

King Orgnum's Coffer is an artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

Out of all the artifacts in the game, King Orgnum's Coffer is unfortunately rather useless. The artifact will passively generate 1-100 gold for you once per day, up to a maximum of 10,000 gold total according to the Codex Scientia, by using it from the Use Item list like other magical items. However, when compared to other sources of gold in the game, this is a very small amount, even for low level characters with limited options early on in the game. You will likely make more gold by finding and selling equipment and treasure you come across during the quest to obtain this artifact compared to what gold the artifact itself will actually produce.

In addition, the Coffer is unable to be put in for repairs to recharge it even after it has been used, unlike other artifacts, meaning your only method of clearing your inventory to acquire another artifact (if you wish) is to drop the Coffer, or use it until it is exhausted and disappears.

Oghma InfiniumEdit

Artifact: Oghma Infinium (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
50 bonus points to permanently assign to attributes.
Map Dungeon Province
Skyrim
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"The Oghma Infinium is a tome of knowledge written by the Ageless One, the wizard-sage Xarses. All who read the Infinium are filled with the energy of the artifact which can be manipulated to raise one's abilities to near demi-god proportions. Once used, legend has it, the Infinium will disappear from its wielder."
— Codex Scientia

The Oghma Infinium is an artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Oghma Infinium immediately opens up the window for assigning its additional 50 points to your character's attributes upon discovering it, and you must distribute all of these points before leaving the window. The Oghma Infinium is thus not "used" like other artifacts in the game, and in fact does not even truly appear in the inventory because of this, as it disappears the moment you finish distributing the points and leave the attribute window.

Like all artifacts, the quest for the Oghma Infinium can be performed repeatedly, giving the player character another extra 50 points for their attributes each time you obtain the Infinium. However, it is possible that the game will softlock if your character acquires the Infinium and the newly acquired attribute points can't be fully distributed due to having maxed out all attributes at 100 each.

Skeleton's KeyEdit

Artifact: Skeleton's Key (lore page)
Shares Appearance With	N/A
Statistics
Weight	0 kg
Enchantment
Open one lock of lock level 25 or lower, once per day
Map Dungeon Province
Valenwood
Can be used by the following classes
All classes

"The power of the Skeleton's Key is very simple, indeed. With it, any non-magically locked door or chest is instantly accessible to even the clumsiest of lockpickers. A particularly skillful lockpicker may even open some magically barred doors with the Key. The two limitations placed on the Key by wizards who sought to protect their storehouses were that the Key could only be used once a day and it would never be the property of one thief for too long. Some of those who have possessed the Key have made themselves rich before it disappeared, others have broken into places they never should have entered."
— Codex Scientia

The Skeleton's Key is an artifact that can be obtained by taking part in its artifact quest.

The Skeleton's Key can be used by all classes, but can be particularly useful to player characters who aren't Thieves or one of the Thief subclasses who aren't as effective at lockpicking, or those with lower Intelligence, Agility, or Luck attributes and thus have particular difficulties with lockpicking. That being said, its limit to being used once per day means you should still bring other back-up methods of opening doors and chests into dungeons, particularly those with numerous locked doors or many locked chests.

Though theoretically the Skeleton's Key cannot open the higher levels of magically-held locks, which are locks designated level 20 or higher, the eventuality of this happening and actually coming across one of these locks is rare.

NotesEdit

• Artifact materials are not implemented as one might expect in terms of their physical damage output or armor rating, although they do act as advertised according to their material's expected properties. For example, the Ebony Blade does indeed do damage akin to a basic katana and not like an ebony katana (i.e., 3-16 points of damage per hit instead of 8-21 points), but on the other hand it does still harm monsters that ebony affects and which a basic or steel katana cannot (e.g. golems).
• It can be expensive to try to have artifacts repaired normally, costing 10,000 gold for a repair time of 10 days. It is possible to make use of an exploit to greatly reduce both the cost and time.
• Some dungeons that contain maps or artifacts may have a raised platform that might suggest at first glance the chest is supposed to be there, but the chest may be located in any room on the dungeon's lowest level, and these elevated platforms are merely part of the design of the particular dungeon block.