Difference between revisions of "Artifact weapon"

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An '''[[artifact]] weapon''' is a rare unique [[weapon]], often with special properties. It may be acquired by [[sacrifice]], by finding in a [[bones file]], by finding in the dungeon, by [[wish]]ing for one, or at the end of a [[quest]]. [[Excalibur]] may be acquired by dipping an ordinary long sword, provided you are lawful and level 5 and it hasn't already been generated. Excalibur, [[Vorpal Blade]] and [[Stormbringer]] may be acquired by [[pray]]ing with very good [[Luck]]; this is known as [[crowning]].
+
In ''[[NetHack]]'', an '''artifact weapon''' is an [[artifact]] whose [[base item]] is a rare [[weapon]] with special properties, and is often unique. It may be acquired by [[sacrifice]], by finding in a [[bones file]], by finding in the dungeon, by [[wish]]ing for one, or at the end of a [[quest]]. [[Excalibur]] may be acquired by dipping an ordinary long sword, provided you are lawful and level 5 and it hasn't already been generated. Excalibur, [[Vorpal Blade]] and [[Stormbringer]] may be acquired by [[pray]]ing with very good [[Luck]]; this is known as [[crowning]].
  
 
An artifact weapon resists being wielded as a second weapon when #[[twoweapon]]ing.{{refsrc|src/wield.c|615|version=NetHack 3.6.1}}
 
An artifact weapon resists being wielded as a second weapon when #[[twoweapon]]ing.{{refsrc|src/wield.c|615|version=NetHack 3.6.1}}
  
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Any artifact weapon given to you by your [[god]] will be noncursed and erodeproof, and you will be unrestricted{{refsrc|src/weapon.c|1154|version=NetHack 3.6.1}} in the appropriate weapon skill if necessary.  
+
Any artifact weapon given to you by your [[god]] will be noncursed and erodeproof, and you will be unrestricted{{refsrc|src/weapon.c|1154|version=NetHack 3.6.1}} in the appropriate weapon skill if necessary. Certain roles are guaranteed to receive a particular weapon as their first gift<ref>[[artilist.h#line43]] and following</ref>: [[Valkyrie]]s receive [[Mjollnir]], [[Barbarian]]s receive [[Cleaver]], [[Wizard]]s receive [[Magicbane]], and [[Samurai]] receive [[Snickersnee]].
  
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[[Sunsword]] and [[Demonbane]] might be created in the possession of a [[Angelic being|humanoid angelic creature]]; [[Archon]]s are sure to be generated with one. [[Sting]] and [[Orcrist]] may be created by #name'ing an ordinary [[elven dagger]] or [[elven broadsword]].
+
[[Sunsword]] and [[Demonbane]] may be created in the possession of a [[Angelic being|humanoid angelic creature]]; [[Archon]]s are sure to be generated with one. [[Sting]] and [[Orcrist]] may be created by [[Name|naming]] an ordinary [[elven dagger]] or [[elven broadsword]].
  
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You may wish for an artifact weapon, but you are not always guaranteed to succeed. See "Guaranteed Artifacts" below, also See [[Wish#Artifact wishing]] for more details.
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You can wish for an artifact weapon, but success is not always guaranteed. See [[Wish#Artifact wishing|Artifact wishing]] for more details.
  
 
== List of artifact weapons ==
 
== List of artifact weapons ==
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| No
 
| No
 
|
 
|
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| +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to major [[demon]]s.  Prevents [[demon gating]].
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| +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to [[major demon]]s.  Prevents [[demon gating]].
 
|
 
|
 
| 23 (11.5)
 
| 23 (11.5)
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| [[lawful]]
 
| [[lawful]]
 
| Yes
 
| Yes
−
| [[Magic resistance]]
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|
−
| +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to cross-aligned monsters.
+
| +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to cross-aligned monsters.  [[Magic resistance]].
 
| [[Conflict]].
 
| [[Conflict]].
 
| 23 (11.5)
 
| 23 (11.5)
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|}
 
|}
  
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==Artifact Damage==
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==Strategy==
 +
It is useful to obtain an artifact weapon that provides a bonus against most or all enemies, such as [[Excalibur]], early in the game. However, [[wish]]ing for one may not succeed if artifacts have been generated already (perhaps without your knowledge), and uses a valuable wish which normally could be used to considerably improve your defenses.
 +
===Selection===
 +
Because of the way that the odds of getting an artifact from a [[sacrifice]] reduce as more artifacts are generated, if you aren't going to risk [[wish]]ing for a specific artifact, artifact selection tends to be about finding something that's good enough, not reviewing the entire list and making a selection in advance.
  
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Artifacts can be placed into three general categories for damage purposes:
+
Some artifact weapons, such as [[Giantslayer]], only give a bonus against a small subset of monsters. These are nigh-useless; in practice by the time you see large numbers of giants, you'll have a better option. Receiving one as a sacrifice gift does unrestrict the relevant [[skill]], which can be useful if you have a better artifact of the same type. Many variants try to improve artifacts of this type.
  
−
Artifacts that deal additional damage to all targets, artifacts that affect most targets, and artifacts that only affect a very narrow group of targets.  
+
A two-handed weapon means that you cannot use a [[shield]], and in the late game it can become cursed, requiring you to #tip an uncursing item out of your bag to regain use of your hands.
  
−
When selecting an artifact a player will want to have a weapon that deals extra damage the most amount of monsters as possible.
+
An [[Intelligent_artifact|intelligent]] cross-aligned quest artifact is unusable; an intelligent [[cross-aligned]] non-quest artifact (Excalibur or Stormbringer) is quite [[Alignment#Artifact_alignment|annoying]] and dangerous to use, while an unintelligent cross-aligned artifact is generally usable, albeit still potentially dangerous.
  
−
Artifacts that deal extra damage and affects all targets are as follows: Cleaver, Excalibur, Magicbane, Vorpal Blade, Snickersnee, Greyswandir, The Tsurugi of Murumasa.  
+
[[Cleaver]] and [[Stormbringer]] are both dangerous to use around pets and peacefuls you don't want to anger.
  
−
Artifacts that deal extra damage to most targets are as follows: Firebrand, Frostbrand, Mjollnir, The Sceptre of Might, The Staff of Aesculapis, Stormbringer.
+
[[Mjollnir]], [[Fire Brand]], and [[Frost Brand]] can destroy items that monsters are carrying. All things being equal, you would rather have those items for yourself, but all three of these weapons are also powerful.
  
−
Artifacts that only affect a narrow range of monsters are as follows: Demonbane, Dragonbane, Giantslayer, Grimtooth, Ogresmasher, Orcrist, Sting, Sunsword, Trollsbane, Werebane.
+
Some artifact weapons provide a useful resistance or other ability. For example, [[Stormbringer]]'s level drain resistance means that you might wield it to clear the [[Valley of the Dead]] - it does no bonus damage to undead, but it essentially eliminates any threat they pose. [[Sunsword]] only deals bonus damage to undead, but can be useful as a light source.
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
==Weapon Drawbacks==
 
−
 
 
−
Some Artifact Weapons have additional drawbacks. Some destroy items carried by monsters (such as Mjollnir, Frostbrand, and Firebrand). These weapons also can be disadvantageous in specific levels (Firebrand on the plane of fire) or against certain dangerous monsters (Stormbringer against a Lich). However, resistant monsters are rare. 90% of monsters cannot resist fire/cold/shock. Monsters that can resist level drain are slightly more common (Undead and Demons). Very few monsters have resistances in the early game. However, in the late game the riders, the wizard, a quest nemesis, demons and many Elementals in the planes have resistances. For this reason, acquiring a second artifact weapon, or a normal weapon with which the player has expert skill and is enchanted to +7 that can be switched in is desirable.
 
−
 
 
−
==Guaranteed Artifacts==
 
−
Several artifacts are guaranteed in Nethack provided certain conditions are met.
 
−
Certain roles are guaranteed to receive a particular weapon as their first gift<ref>[[artilist.h#line43]] and following</ref>: [[Valkyrie]]s receive [[Mjollnir]], [[Barbarian]]s receive [[Cleaver]], [[Wizard]]s receive [[Magicbane]], and [[Samurai]] receive [[Snickersnee]].
 
−
 
−
For Lawfuls, they are guaranteed Excalibur so long as they are level 5 and can dip a longsword in a fountain (1/5 chance, but guaranteed as long as you have enough fountains). Note that this does not unrestrict the longsword skill (as crowning and sacrificing does) Excalibur is also the crowning gift for Lawfuls.
 
−
 
 
−
For Neutrals, Vorpal Blade is the crowning gift and though it can behead creatures and affects all monsters which have a head, it's damage bonus is only +1.
 
  
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Chaotics have Stormbringer as a guaranteed sacrifice gift.
+
Some artifact weapons give a significant bonus against most or all targets. This is obviously useful; it is generally possible in the former case to obtain a backup weapon to be swapped to against resistant targets. Especially noteworthy is Grayswandir, with double damage against everything and additional damage to targets harmed by silver.
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Elves can guarantee Stormbringer as their first sacrifice gift if they name Sting and Orcrist First. Elven Rangers start out with an Elven dagger (which they can name) making this even easier for them.
 
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Note that of these guaranteed artifacts, all except Sting and Orcrist (which are guaranteed so long as you can find and name an Elven dagger or Elven broadsword) are in the top two damage categories, meaning that these guaranteed artifact weapons (excepting Orcrist and Sting) are worthy weapons possibly usable all the way to ascension.
 
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Wishing for artifacts is only guaranteed if one artifact or less already exists in the current Nethack game. Obviously when wishing for an artifact weapon, a player will want to wish for one from the top two damage categories. Wishing early in the game for an artifact so as to guarantee that the player will get it, may be a poor use of resources if they already have a good artifact weapon guaranteed by their first sacrifice or crowning gift.
 
−
 
 
−
===Selection===
 
−
It is useful to obtain an artifact weapon that provides a bonus against most or all enemies, such as [[Excalibur]], early in the game. However, [[wish]]ing for one may not succeed if artifacts have been generated already (perhaps without your knowledge), and uses a valuable wish which normally could be used to considerably improve your defenses.
 
−
 
 
−
A two-handed weapon means that you cannot use a [[shield]], and in the late game it can become cursed, requiring you to #tip an uncursing item out of your bag to regain use of your hands.
 
−
 
 
−
An intelligent [[cross-aligned]] artifact is unusable; an unintelligent [[cross-aligned]] artifact is annoying (and potentially dangerous) to use.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Cleaver]] and [[Stormbringer]] are both dangerous to use around pets or neutral monsters you don't want to anger.
 
−
 
 
−
Some artifact weapons provide a useful resistance or other ability. For example, [[Stormbringer]]'s level drain resistance means that you might wield it to clear the [[Valley of the Dead]] - it does no bonus damage to undead, but it essentially eliminates any threat they pose. [[Sunsword]] only deals bonus damage to undead, but can be useful as a light source.
 
  
 +
[[Fire Brand]], [[Frost Brand]], [[Mjollnir]], [[Stormbringer]], [[Vorpal Blade]], the [[Sceptre of Might]], and the [[Staff of Aesculapius]] give a bonus against most targets; the latter two are quest artifacts. [[Cleaver]], [[Excalibur]], [[Magicbane]], [[Snickersnee]], [[Grayswandir]], and one quest artifact, the [[Tsurugi of Muramasa]], give a bonus against all targets.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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*[[Artifact]]
 
*[[Artifact]]
 
*[[SLASH'EM Artifact weapons]]
 
*[[SLASH'EM Artifact weapons]]
 +
*[[UnNetHack#Artifacts|UnNetHack Artifacts]]
 +
 
{{nethack-361}}
 
{{nethack-361}}

Latest revision as of 13:03, 13 February 2024

In NetHack, an artifact weapon is an artifact whose base item is a rare weapon with special properties, and is often unique. It may be acquired by sacrifice, by finding in a bones file, by finding in the dungeon, by wishing for one, or at the end of a quest. Excalibur may be acquired by dipping an ordinary long sword, provided you are lawful and level 5 and it hasn't already been generated. Excalibur, Vorpal Blade and Stormbringer may be acquired by praying with very good Luck; this is known as crowning.

An artifact weapon resists being wielded as a second weapon when #twoweaponing.[1]

Any artifact weapon given to you by your god will be noncursed and erodeproof, and you will be unrestricted[2] in the appropriate weapon skill if necessary. Certain roles are guaranteed to receive a particular weapon as their first gift[3]: Valkyries receive Mjollnir, Barbarians receive Cleaver, Wizards receive Magicbane, and Samurai receive Snickersnee.

Sunsword and Demonbane may be created in the possession of a humanoid angelic creature; Archons are sure to be generated with one. Sting and Orcrist may be created by naming an ordinary elven dagger or elven broadsword.

You can wish for an artifact weapon, but success is not always guaranteed. See Artifact wishing for more details.

List of artifact weapons

See Source:artilist.h, Source:artifact.c or the article for each artifact for more details.

Mean damage is calculated before any strength, skill, and blessed bonuses. Silver damage is indicated in italics. Assumes weapon enchanted to +7. Assumes monster is susceptible to special bonuses and includes them (i.e. double damage, +damage bonuses, and extra damage from a level draining attack) with the damage to resistant monsters in parentheses, if applicable.

Artifact name Base item type Alignment[4] Intelligent Special properties Mean damage at +7 Obtaining
Carried Wielded Invoked vs. Small vs. Large
Cleaver battle-axe (two-headed axe) neutral No +d3 to-hit & +d6 damage. Attacks in an arc. 17.5 19 First sacrifice gift for Barbarians.
Demonbane long sword lawful No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to major demons. Prevents demon gating. 23 (11.5) 27 (13.5) May be given to a new angelic being.
Dragonbane broadsword unaligned No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to dragons. Reflection. 24 (12) 23 (11.5)
Excalibur long sword lawful Yes +d5 to-hit & +d10 damage. Drain resistance. Searching. Hostile demon princes. Monster tracking. 17 19 May be produced for lawful adventurers at fountains. Lawful crowning gift.
Fire Brand long sword unaligned No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to non-fire-resistant monsters. Fire resistance. 23 (11.5) 27 (13.5)
Frost Brand long sword unaligned No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to non-cold-resistant monsters. Cold resistance. 23 (11.5) 27 (13.5)
Giantslayer long sword neutral No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to giants. 23 (11.5) 27 (13.5)
Grayswandir silver saber lawful No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage. Protection against hallucination. 23+10.5 23+10.5
Grimtooth orcish dagger (crude dagger) chaotic No +d2 to-hit & +d6 damage. Warning of elves. 12.5 12.5
The Longbow of Diana bow chaotic Yes Telepathy. +d5 to-hit. Reflection. Creates arrows. arrow damage arrow damage Quest artifact of Rangers.
Magicbane athame neutral No +d3 to-hit. Special damage. Magic resistance. Protects against cursing. 13.40 (10.5)[5] 12.90 (10)[5] First sacrifice gift for Wizards.
Mjollnir war hammer neutral No +d5 to-hit & +d24 damage to non-shock-resistant monsters. Can return when thrown. 23 (10.5) 22 (9.5) First sacrifice gift for Valkyries.
Ogresmasher war hammer unaligned No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to ogres. Increases constitution to 25. 21 (10.5) 19 (9.5)
Orcrist elven broadsword (runed broadsword) chaotic No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to orcs. Warning of orcs. 26 (13) 23 (11.5) May be produced by naming an ordinary elven broadsword Orcrist.
The Sceptre of Might mace lawful Yes +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to cross-aligned monsters. Magic resistance. Conflict. 23 (11.5) 21 (10.5) Quest artifact of Cavepeople.
Snickersnee katana (samurai sword) lawful No +d8 damage. 17 18 First sacrifice gift for Samurai.
The Staff of Aesculapius quarterstaff (staff) neutral Yes x2 damage & level drain to non-drain-resistant monsters (the draining itself causes an addition 1d8 damage to both current and max hp, and restores half that to your current hp, but this damage is NOT doubled.) Hungerless regeneration. Drain resistance. Healing, cures sickness, blindness, & sliming. 25.5 (10.5) 25.5 (10.5) Quest artifact of Healers.
Sting elven dagger (runed dagger) chaotic No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to orcs. Warning of orcs. Cuts through webs. 20 (10) 18 (9) May be produced by naming an ordinary elven dagger Sting.
Stormbringer runesword chaotic Yes +d5 to-hit, +d2 damage & level drain to non-drain-resistant monsters (the draining itself causes an addition 1d8 damage to both current and max hp, and restores half that to your current hp.) Drain resistance. Bloodthirsty. 18 (12) 17.5 (11.5) Chaotic crowning gift.
Sunsword long sword lawful No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to undead. Light. Protection from light-based blinding. 23 (11.5) 27 (13.5) May be given to a new angelic being.
Trollsbane morning star unaligned No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to trolls. Prevents trolls from reviving. 24 (12) 23 (11.5)
The Tsurugi of Muramasa tsurugi (long samurai sword) lawful Yes Luck +d8 damage. 5% chance of double damage or instakill via bisection, depending on the size. instakill (20) [6] 38.85 (19.425) Quest artifact for Samurai.
Vorpal Blade long sword neutral No +d5 to-hit & +1 damage. 5% chance of beheading monsters with heads. Instantly kills jabberwocks. instakill(12.5)[6] instakill(14.5)[6] Neutral crowning gift.
Werebane silver saber unaligned No +d5 to-hit & x2 damage to werecreatures. Protects against lycanthropy attack. 23+10.5 (11.5+10.5) 23+10.5 (11.5+10.5)

Strategy

It is useful to obtain an artifact weapon that provides a bonus against most or all enemies, such as Excalibur, early in the game. However, wishing for one may not succeed if artifacts have been generated already (perhaps without your knowledge), and uses a valuable wish which normally could be used to considerably improve your defenses.

Selection

Because of the way that the odds of getting an artifact from a sacrifice reduce as more artifacts are generated, if you aren't going to risk wishing for a specific artifact, artifact selection tends to be about finding something that's good enough, not reviewing the entire list and making a selection in advance.

Some artifact weapons, such as Giantslayer, only give a bonus against a small subset of monsters. These are nigh-useless; in practice by the time you see large numbers of giants, you'll have a better option. Receiving one as a sacrifice gift does unrestrict the relevant skill, which can be useful if you have a better artifact of the same type. Many variants try to improve artifacts of this type.

A two-handed weapon means that you cannot use a shield, and in the late game it can become cursed, requiring you to #tip an uncursing item out of your bag to regain use of your hands.

An intelligent cross-aligned quest artifact is unusable; an intelligent cross-aligned non-quest artifact (Excalibur or Stormbringer) is quite annoying and dangerous to use, while an unintelligent cross-aligned artifact is generally usable, albeit still potentially dangerous.

Cleaver and Stormbringer are both dangerous to use around pets and peacefuls you don't want to anger.

Mjollnir, Fire Brand, and Frost Brand can destroy items that monsters are carrying. All things being equal, you would rather have those items for yourself, but all three of these weapons are also powerful.

Some artifact weapons provide a useful resistance or other ability. For example, Stormbringer's level drain resistance means that you might wield it to clear the Valley of the Dead - it does no bonus damage to undead, but it essentially eliminates any threat they pose. Sunsword only deals bonus damage to undead, but can be useful as a light source.

Some artifact weapons give a significant bonus against most or all targets. This is obviously useful; it is generally possible in the former case to obtain a backup weapon to be swapped to against resistant targets. Especially noteworthy is Grayswandir, with double damage against everything and additional damage to targets harmed by silver.

Fire Brand, Frost Brand, Mjollnir, Stormbringer, Vorpal Blade, the Sceptre of Might, and the Staff of Aesculapius give a bonus against most targets; the latter two are quest artifacts. Cleaver, Excalibur, Magicbane, Snickersnee, Grayswandir, and one quest artifact, the Tsurugi of Muramasa, give a bonus against all targets.

References

  1. ↑ src/wield.c in NetHack 3.6.1, line 615
  2. ↑ src/weapon.c in NetHack 3.6.1, line 1154
  3. ↑ artilist.h#line43 and following
  4. ↑ The hero's quest artifact and any guaranteed sacrifice gifts are adjusted to the hero's starting alignment. For example, for a wizard who starts chaotic, Magicbane and The Eye of the Aethiopica are generated chaotic. See Source:Artifact.c#line54.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 For +2 Magicbane, mean 9.48 (6.57) vs. small and 8.98 (6.07) vs. large
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Plus 5% chance of an instakill.

See also


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