User:Magicbymccauley/Better artifact

General

Artifact weapons are unique, with to-hit and damage bonuses and abilities. One may be acquired by sacrifice, bones file, dipping, as randomly generated treasue, naming, wishing, by quest, or in the hands of a monster. Finding one that complement's one's alignment, role, skills, and play style is a key goal in Nethack.

An artifact weapon resists being wielded as a second weapon when #twoweaponing. Artifacts that do not match the player's alignment or role may blast you or evade your grasp. (see Artifact Blast).

Sacrificing is the most common way of acquiring an artifact weapon; crowning a secondary method. Any artifact weapon given to you by your god will be noncursed and erodeproof, and you will be unrestricted in the appropriate weapon skill if necessary. You will be given a weapon from a randomized list, unless your role has a guaranteed artifact. (see sacrifice, see crowning).

Artifact Weapons which are guaranteed, provided certain conditions

Sting and Orcrist form by #name'ing an Elven dagger or Elven broadsword. (see naming).

Guaranteed first sacrifice gift: Valkyries Mjollnir, Barbarians Cleaver, Wizards Magicbane, Samurai Snickersnee. (see Sacrifice) Elves can name Sting and Orcrist guaranteeing Stormbringer as first gift. Elven Rangers can name their starting Elven dagger Sting.

The quest gives Cavemen the Scepter of Might, Healers the Staff of Aesculapius, Rangers the Longbow of Diana. (See quest)

If Lawful, dipping a longsword at level 5+ will have a 1/5 chance of creating Excalibur, but doesn't unrestrict the longsword skill, and watch out for bad effects (see fountain). Crowning guarantees artifact weapons depending on alignment. Lawfuls receive Excalibur, Neutrals Vorpal Blade, Chaotics Stormbringer. (See Crowning)

Wishing only guarantees creation if one artifact or less already exists. (See Wishing). Early wishes for an artifact (if it is available by other means) squanders resources.

Types of Artifact Weapon Damage

Artifacts may deal additional damage to all targets, most targets, or only a few monsters.

Those dealing to all targets are as follows: Cleaver, Excalibur, Magicbane, Snickersnee, Greyswandir, The Tsurugi of Murumasa.

To most: Firebrand, Frostbrand, Mjollnir, The Sceptre of Might, The Staff of Aesculapis, Stormbringer.

To only a few: Demonbane, Dragonbane, Giantslayer, Grimtooth, Ogresmasher, Orcrist, Sting, Sunsword, Trollsbane, Werebane.

Vorpal Blade is +1d5 to hit against all targets, but only does +1 damage. It behads with cumulative chance to most targets. The Longbow of Diana has no damage bonus, it provides +1d5 to hit. Factors that enchance damage (base damage str, etc) for normal weapons also counts for artifact weapons.

Drawbacks

Some destroy items carried by monsters (Mjollnir, Frostbrand, and Firebrand). Some have disadvantages in specific levels (planes or the quest) or against certain resistant monsters. Resistant monsters are rare. As an estimate, about 90% of monsters cannot resist fire/cold/shock/level drain. While very few monsters have resistances in the early game, many do in the late game: The riders, a quest nemesis etc. (see Monster Resistances)

Excalibur makes demon princes generated hostile, Stormbringer attacks peacefuls. Cleaver may hit pets. (See each specific artifact's wiki page to assess specific drawbacks.) Hitting certain peaceful monsters has consequences (See alignment, aligned priest, pet). Cursed Two Handed weapons have dire consequences (see below).

These minor drawbacks do not prevent people from regularly ascending with these weapons. Much of the endgame involves evasion, not melee. However, there are certain dangerous rare situations (like wielding mjollnir inside an energy vortex). For this reason, acquiring a second artifact weapon, or a normal weapon fully enchanted on expert is an option. Given limited resources and diminishing probabilities this is not always possible.(see wishing see sacrifice) Remember that a weapon's base damage and additional damage from other sources (blessing, silver, strength etc) still apply to hitting resistant monsters.

Strategy

General

Players should first check what guaranteed artifact weapons their role/alignment gets. If they have a guaranteed route to a "most" or "all" weapon, they should pursue that as soon as possible, but you cannot get a sacrifice gift before XP level 3. The advantages of a typical "most targets" or "all targets" weapon is even more powerful earlier in the game."Most" weapons usually double damage output over time as well as the fact that most provide a +1d5 to hit bonus which will likely save the player from the common Nethack killers: bees, ants, centaurs, leucrotta, mumaks, groups of elves, groups of soldiers etc.

If you create a "few" weapon from a sacrifice, keep sacrificing for a better one by gift or crowning. Sacrificing or "Altar Camping" (waiting near an altar) requires food, but not necessarily a trip to Sokobon. The altar in minetown can be converted by killing the priest inside or trapping him with boulders using scrolls of Earth from Sokobon, note that this will remove protection and possibly the only priest that can grant protection. There are other guaranteed Altars on certain quests levels (see Altar see quest).

Alternatives to Artifact Weapons

If an altar can't be found, rustproofed, skill expert and fully enchanted weapons are perfectly serviceable for ascension despite dealing less damage. They also at least damage all targets. Stacks of missile weapons fully enchanted, Silver weapons (+1d20 to silver haters), attack spells and wands can come close to the damage output of Artifact Weapons.

For Monks, they might want to wish for Gauntlets of Power, or they can find rings with the "silver" descriptor against silver haters.

Physically weaker roles can match expert weapon skills with scrolls of enchant weapon for very good damage as well as skill prep for guaranteed or possible artifacts later. Arcs heavy mattock or silver saber, healers quarterstaff or unicorn horn, tourists can get expert in unicorn horns, rogues, rangers, and wizards can enchant daggers, cavemen and priests can enchant Maces. Chaotics can enchant Elven broadswords in preparation for Stormbringer. Fighter type roles with skill in longsword can enchant them as this is the most common sacrifice gift weapon type, or for Neutrals and Lawfuls in preparation for their crowning gift.

Special Properties

Certain Artifact Weapons have special properties and might be used as a strategy, even though their damage is poor. Sunsword only deals extra damage narrowly to undead, but is an excellent light source. Dragonsbane only deals extra damage to dragons but is a source of reflection. Note whether the artifact weapon needs to be carried or wielded for this.

Alignment Change

Changing your alignment with helm of opposite alignment (or through sacrifice of a unicorn on an unaligned altar) changes which artifacts you can grasp, can prevent artifact blast, and changes the artifact weapons available through sacrifice and crowning. (See sacrifice and helm of opposite alignment). Keep in mind changing alignment before the quest may make the game unwinnable. (see quest).

Monsters with Artifact Weapons

Sunsword and Demonbane might be created in the possession of a humanoid angelic creature; Archons are sure to be generated with one. Humanoid Monsters can pick up artifact weapons which can be very dangerous (a monster with Vorpal Blade can kill you in one hit!). Artifact generation is more likely in areas of high concentration of items and enemies (Ft. Ludios, the Castle and most notably on Astral). Strategically, artifact weapons can be secured away from monsters in a locked box with a scroll of scare monster on top, or can be placed in a pit which is filled with a boulder.

Two Handed Artifact Weapons

Two handed artifact weapons are extremely powerful early, but diminish as the player acquires an enchanted shield, or Shield of Reflection, or develops two weapon skill.

Two Handed weapons can be cursed by the Wizard or dangerous monsters, leaving no hands free to perform any actions.

This can be mitigated with the #tip command, carrying a separate sack with scrolls of remove curse and holy water , or carrying #named vials of holy water or #named scrolls of remove curse in main inventory. (naming items prevents a whole stack from being cursed at once. (see "naming"). Cleaver and the Staff of Aesculapius fully enchanted on expert do massive damage and might be used anyway along with uncursing tactics.

Player Favorites

Artifacts most common in ascension kits: Greyswandir does the most damage fully enchanted and on top of that does silver damage. Magicbane: debilitating status effects, Elbereth engraving, magic resistance. Mjollnir has the biggest damage output of any unenchanted artifact. Excalibur damages all targets, doesn't damage monster items, provides searching and is easy to get for Lawfuls. Frostbrand/Firebrand is unaligned, anyone can get by sacrificing and there are very few cold/fire resistant monsters. Stormbringer's damage to others heals your hp, it does high base damage as a broadsword and is the only Chaotic aligned artifact weapon that damages "most" targets, it is also guaranteed to Chaotics by crowning.