Returnal: 15 BEST Artifacts [Hands-On Experience]

Returnal is difficult, but Artifacts may ease the path. Players will find a variety of artifacts with significant boosts as they explore Atropos’s alien planet. Some endure for a run, while others are single-use. The Astronaut Figurine in the Overgrown Ruins lets players revive in the same position, while the Resinous Shield Artifact absorbs a single damage hit.

Key Takeaways

Returnal has 31 positive Artifacts crucial for battling Atropos’ creatures.

The Resin Enhancer minimizes Resin usage for upgrades.
The Any and All Calibrators Artifact significantly boosts skills across biomes.
Progenitor Egg Artifact restores integrity through parasite attachment/removal.
Repair Circuit is vital for countering Malfunctions when using Malignant items.
Golden Coil boosts damage by 5% for every 200 obolites, maxing at 20%.
Blade Balancer optimizes sword strength for uniform melee damage against shields.
Resinous Shield counters a single hit, preserving player Integrity.
Astronaut Figurine doubles player health, a crucial aid in the game.

Here is a brief look at all of the Best Artifacts in Returnal:

Name	Primary Use	Function	Benefit/Utility
Resin Enhancer Artifact	Resource Optimisation	Enhances natural properties of Resin for efficient use	Integrity Increases only require two Resin slots
Any and All Calibrators	-	Enhances player proficiency by the use of Calibrators in all biomes	Raises player proficiency for better weapons
Progenitor Egg Artifact	Embracing Symbiosis	Attaching or Detaching Parasites repairs Integrity	-
Repair Circuit Artifact	-	Repairs Integrity by gaining or fixing Malfunctions	Rewards player for taking risks with Malignant Items
Music Box Artifact	-	Indicates a secret room with undiscovered items	Discovering secret rooms can lead to money
Golden Coil Artifact	Increasing Damage	Grants 5% extra damage for every 200 obolites held, up to 20%	Allows spending obolites without losing the damage buff
Phantom Limb Artifact	Repairing Death	Recovers a set amount of integrity per enemy killed	Mitigates damage and allows players to recover quickly
Unfed Pod Artifact	Embracing Symbiosis	Grants +20% staggering power per attached parasite	Provides a valuable tool for mini-boss fights
Spaceship Model Artifact	-	-	Increases dash speed, turns dash ability into an attack
Blade Balancer Artifact	Melee Enhancement	Powers up the sword; shatters yellow-orange shields	Opens orange gates with valuable boons
Visceral Knot Artifact	Spreading Death	Causes enemies to explode on death	Powerful tool for clearing out enemies
Wound Seekers Artifact	Increasing Damage	Increases damage dealt to enemies under 30% health	Helps players to quickly end an enemy’s life
Murmuring Cocoon Artifact	Embracing Symbiosis	Increases positive effects of parasites	Outweigh disadvantages of attaching parasite to suit
Resinous Shield Artifact	Damagr Negation	Pick up resin to gain a shield against the next hit	Provides constant supply of shields & blocks all damage
Astronaut Figurine Artifact	-	Revives player to 50% Integrity after fatal damage	Grants player essentially two full health bars

Resin Enhancer

Function	Enhances the natural properties of Resin for more efficient use
Material	Normally, a full Max Integrity upgrade requires three regular Resins, but this artifact lowers the requirement to two.
Benefit	With the Artifact, Integrity Increases only require two Resin slots instead of three.
Worth	This Artifact is always worth picking up as it reduces the requirement to increase max Health and is really good.
Early Advantage	Obtaining the Artifact early in the game provides a stronger advantage as it reduces the required resources.

The versatility and effectiveness of Resin may be substantially increased by using the powerful artifact known as the Resin Enhancer. This item is crucial to optimizing Integrity since it may reduce the quantity of Resin needed for a complete upgrade.

Overall, the Resin Enhancer is a priceless relic that provides a novel perspective on using Resin to improve equipment Integrity. It’s a great pick-up since it lowers the need for resources, which may significantly influence the game’s growth.

Any And All Calibrators

Function	Enhances player proficiency by allowing the use of Calibrators in all biomes.
Availability	Calibrators are available in all biomes.
Purpose	Raises player proficiency for better weapons and runs.
Effectiveness	Worn Calibrators offer slight proficiency increases, while higher levels offer greater benefits.
Caution	Players should skip small Calibrators in areas with disproportionate danger.
Worth Investigate	Pursuing higher-level Calibrators is a worthwhile endeavor.

In-game, the Any and All Calibrators artifact is crucial and may be used to increase one’s skill greatly. All biomes have a caliper that may be used to get a certain level of proficiency. Even if the gain in effectiveness from upgrading Worn Calibrators is negligible, there is still value in doing so.

Caution should be used while searching for Calibrators in places with high risk relative to the reward. If the Calibrator only gives a marginal improvement, it may be best to forego it in such cases.

Progenitor Egg

Artifact Function	Attaching or Detaching Parasites repairs Integrity
Advantage	Can offset forced damage from Malfunctions or Parasite prefixes

Inside Returnal, the Progenitor Egg Artifact’s special capacity to restore integrity by attaching or removing parasites sets it apart. If obtained at the beginning of a run, it may cancel out the harm that malfunctions or parasitic prefixes would otherwise do. Nonetheless, its use is fairly limited since it is sometimes preferable just to avoid harm rather than attempt to recover from it.

Repair Circuit

Effect	Repairs Integrity by gaining or fixing Malfunctions
Benefit	Rewards the player for taking risks with Malignant Items or chests
Usefulness	Worth taking since Malignant chests tend to have better items

Repair Circuit Artifact restores Integrity whenever the player acquires or cures Malfunctions. With it, the player is rewarded for taking chances on Malignant Items or chests, making it an important artifact. It is especially helpful since Malignant chests often have nicer things than other types of chests.

The player may safely experiment with Malignant objects while wearing the Repair Circuit Artifact. This is particularly helpful as the game progresses and the player faces increasingly tough foes and situations.

Music Box

Function	The Music Box indicates a secret room with undiscovered items.
Signal Criteria	Signal is generated if undiscovered items are present in the room.
Effectiveness	The usefulness of the artifact is debatable.
Limitations	The artifact relies on sound and may not be effective for all players.
Benefits	Discovering secret rooms can lead to money, additional artifacts, and consumables.
Utility	The Music Box serves a singular purpose and offers no additional benefits.

The Music Box is an in-game artifact that sounds an alarm if the player enters a room containing an undetected secret nearby. The Music Box is useful since it plays music to reveal the location of a hidden chamber, which may be stocked with currency, supplementary items, and consumables.

The artifact’s efficacy is in question, however, since it depends on sound and hence may not work for players who listen to music while playing, play without loudness, or play without vibration. The Music Box serves just one function and provides no other advantages, severely limiting its usefulness.

Golden Coil

Function	The Golden Coil grants 5% extra damage for every 200 obolites held, up to 20%.
Utility	Allows spending obolites without losing the damage buff.
Flexibility	Provides flexibility in managing wealth and health.
Penalty	Spending obolites to recover health results in the loss of the damage buff.
Advantage	Helps balance wealth and power in Returnal.

Each and every artifact and item a player acquires in Returnal comes with some kind of cost. For the Golden Coil, players must strike a delicate balance between financial security and strategic might. This artifact increases damage by 5% for every 200 obolites in possession, up to a maximum of 20%.

Phantom Limb

Function	The Phantom Limb recovers a set amount of integrity per enemy killed.
Healing Chance	The artifact has a 10% chance of occurrence.
Usage	The Phantom Limb is useful in situations with numerous small enemies that die quickly.
Utility	It mitigates damage and allows players to recover quickly.

In Returnal, players of all skill levels will inevitably suffer damage. Artifacts such as the Phantom Limb are intended to lessen the severity of such injuries or speed up the healing process.

Although the Phantom Limb’s healing effect is minimal and inconsistent, it may be helpful in the tower and places with numerous little opponents who perish rapidly. Using this artifact demands players to defeat many enemies, so they will need a well-thought-out plan and some patience.

Unfed Pod

Function	Unfed Pod grants +20% staggering power per attached parasite.
Acquisition	Contained within Unfed Pod datacube.
Unlocking	Bring datacube to datacube processor in hub area or after beating a boss.
Benefit	Provides a valuable tool for mini-boss fights.
Strategy	Requires players to engage in a parasite-heavy run.

Anyone willing to take parasites will benefit greatly from the Unfed Pod artifact. Twenty percent of the player’s already massive strength is added with each parasite they have attached, making mini-boss battles significantly simpler. Nevertheless, this calls for a run particularly high in parasites, which might have its own challenges.

The Unfed Pod isn’t the most potent artifact in Returnal, but it’s still useful to have on hand in case you ever need to stun an opponent. Because of the game’s focus on clever transactions for power, players can tip the scales in their favor.

Spaceship Model

Artifact Name	Spaceship Model
Effects	Increases dash speed, turns dash ability into an attack, and can be used in combos.
Drawback	Not permanent equipment and doesn’t provide a second life
Obtaining Method	Found in chests, obtained from fabricators, and can be obtained from public/closed locations
Usage Tips	Hold dash button to deal damage, combo dash with melee for great damage, spend ether to obtain

The Spaceship Model in Returnal boosts dash speed and turns the dash into a deadly strike, allowing players to charge at foes for massive damage. Combining it with melee strikes creates a devastating one-shot combo against lesser foes. Unlike other artifacts, it can’t be upgraded or provide an extra life.

To unleash the Spaceship Model’s assault, dash into foes and hold the button until the attack finishes. Obtain it from random chest drops in Atropos’s biomes or fabricators, or purchase it for ether. It’s a crucial artifact for optimizing combat potential, offering flexibility in damage delivery.

Blade Balancer

Availability	Usually found at the same station as the Obolite Repository
Cost	Pricey; exchange ether for obolites
Function	Powers up the sword; shatters yellow-orange shields
Recurring artifact	Purchase for 250 obolites
Benefits	Opens orange gates with valuable boons
Caution	Not permanent; you must find it again if the player dies and restarts the game

The Blade Balancer artifact is essential for overcoming orange obstacles and gaining advantages in new zones. To get it, use fabricators at the Obolite Repository station, trading ether for obolites if needed. Once equipped, the Blade Balancer strengthens your sword, ensuring consistent melee damage against yellow-orange and red shields.

Priced at 250 obolites, it’s a reusable item in the first in-game store. While fair, players can choose greater integrity or different artifacts. Beyond melee damage, the Blade Balancer unlocks orange gates in later levels, offering diverse bonuses, in my opinion.

Visceral Knot

Function	Causes enemies to explode on death
Chance	20% chance of triggering explosion
Bonus damage	Provides a small area of effect damage
Effectiveness	Works best on large groups of enemies
Limitations	Not a permanent artifact; it will be lost upon death and restart
Advantages	Can be a powerful tool for clearing out enemies

The Visceral Spores shine in scenarios when the player must deal with crowd control, according to their effectiveness against big groupings. The Visceral Spores artifact is a great addition to your arsenal in Returnal if you’re trying to increase your damage output and acquire a tactical edge in the fight.

Wound Seekers

Function	Increases damage dealt to enemies under 30% health
Usefulness	Always worth taking
Effectiveness	Highly useful in boss fights and against tougher enemies
Ability	It grants players a 30% buff in damage against low-health targets
Benefits	It helps players quickly end an enemy’s life

The Wound Seekers are most powerful when used in tandem with other damage enhancements. The Wound Seekers are useful in boss battles since they may help reduce the monster’s health bar and end the battle faster. When a boss is down to their final few health bars, they may be risky to take on without the Wound Seekers to speed them through.

In Returnal, artifacts like the Wound Seekers aren’t permanent; if a player dies and starts a new run, they’ll have to find a new way to get their hands on one. Yet, the Wound Seekers are an excellent weapon due to the advantages they provide.

Murmuring Cocoon

Function	Increases positive effects of parasites
Usefulness	Almost always a good artifact to grab
Ideal Parasites	Wiretail and Sagetooth
Collection	Worth collecting all parasites with decent positive characteristics
Advantages	Significantly outweigh the disadvantages of attaching parasite to suit

When you have the Murmuring Cocoon artifact, gathering all parasites with good attributes, such as those that increase the integrity bar, is in your best interest. There are potential drawbacks to affixing a parasite to your suit, but the benefits of amplifying them may sometimes be worth it.

With the correct parasites, though, the Murmuring Cocoon may give you a major edge in the fight and increase your chances of survival. The Murmuring Cocoon artifact is helpful if you want to boost your odds of surviving in Returnal.

Resinous Shield

Function	Pick up resin to gain a shield against the next hit.
Silphium Resin	Found in all areas, grants a point towards max health upgrades.
Importance	Must-have if player wants to keep integrity full.
Benefits	Provides a constant supply of shields and blocks all damage from the next hit.
Combinations	Can be used with other artifacts for improved survivability.

In Returnal, the Resinous Shield Artifact is useful for reducing injury. The player is able to pick up resin, which acts as protection from harm. As Silphium is fully repaired, it turns into resin and provides the player with endless protection. As a result, the artifact is crucial for players who value maintaining their Integrity.

You may find silphium resin everywhere in the game, serving as a currency for purchasing health enhancements. The Resinous Shield artifact elevates resin usage to a new level, rendering a single strike harmless. So, the item is quite useful in prolonging the player’s life.

Astronaut Figurine

Function	Revives player to 50% Integrity after fatal damage
Location	Found in 20th Century House, locked at first
Advantage	Extends life of run, useful for new biomes and boss fights
Benefit	Grants player essentially two full health bars
Usefulness	Especially helpful for novice or intermediate players

Players of Returnal will find the Astronaut Figurine Artifact an indispensable aid. It is essential for exploring new biomes or taking on difficult enemies since it may restore the player to 50% integrity after they have taken fatal damage.

To sum up, the Astronaut Figurine Artifact is a powerful and irreplaceable resource for players of Returnal. Each player who wants to advance in the game and get more out of their runs should have this item since it may restore the player to 50% health and provide them an important edge in boss battles.

This brings us to the end of your Returnal Best Artifacts guide. Do you have any other artifact recommendations that should be in the top 15 list? Let us know about it in the comments section below.

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