The Artifact System in Noob Incremental

# The Artifact System in Noob Incremental: Unlocking and Optimizing

Artifacts are one of the most powerful progression tools in **Noob Incremental**. They provide permanent bonuses that persist across prestiges and ascensions, making them essential for both early-game acceleration and late-game optimization. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about artifacts: how to unlock them, how each type works, how to build synergies, and which artifacts to prioritize for different playstyles.

What Are Artifacts?

Artifacts are special items that grant multiplicative bonuses to various aspects of the game, such as production speed, click damage, prestige multipliers, and resource generation. Unlike upgrades or equipment, artifacts are **permanent** – once acquired, they remain active through all resets, making them a key long-term investment. They can be upgraded using Artifact Essence, a resource earned by defeating bosses and completing certain achievements.

How to Unlock Artifacts

To access the artifact system, you must first reach **Zone 100** in a single run and defeat the **Artifact Guardian** boss. After that, the Artifact Forge becomes available in the main menu. The forge has three tabs: **Discovery**, **Upgrade**, and **Synergy**.

• **Discovery**: Use Artifact Essence to roll for new artifacts. Each roll costs 10 Essence initially, but the cost increases by 5 Essence per artifact already discovered. There are 25 unique artifacts in total.
• **Upgrade**: Spend Essence to increase the level of an artifact, enhancing its bonus. Upgrade cost scales with level.
• **Synergy**: Equip up to 3 artifacts in active slots. Synergies trigger when specific combinations are equipped.

Artifact Types and Their Bonuses

Artifacts fall into five categories:

1. Production Artifacts

These boost your main resource generation (e.g., gold, ore, or energy depending on the stage). Examples:

• **Heart of the Forge**: +10% production per level.
• **Crystal Prism**: +5% production per level, plus a small chance to double output.
• **Eternal Flame**: +8% production, but also increases click damage by 2% per level.

2. Clicking Artifacts

Ideal for active players who click frequently. They amplify click damage and click rewards.

• **Thunderclaw Gauntlet**: +12% click damage per level.
• **Phantom Touch**: +8% click damage and +3% chance to crit per level.
• **Berserker's Horn**: +5% click damage, but also increases production by 3% per level (hybrid).

3. Prestige Artifacts

These multiply the prestige currency (e.g., Prestige Points or Ascension Tokens) you earn upon resetting.

• **Phoenix Feather**: +15% prestige multiplier per level.
• **Time Crystal**: +10% prestige multiplier and -2% ascension cost reduction per level.
• **Void Shard**: +20% prestige multiplier, but reduces production by 5% per level (trade-off).

4. Utility Artifacts

Provide quality-of-life bonuses like faster offline progress, increased crit chance, or reduced upgrade costs.

• **Hourglass of Speed**: +10% offline progress per level.
• **Lucky Coin**: +5% global crit chance per level.
• **Merchant's Ledger**: -3% upgrade costs per level.

5. Special Artifacts

Rare drops that unlock unique mechanics. Only five exist.

• **Artifact of Mastery**: Doubles the effect of all other artifacts when equipped (level 1 gives 2x, level 2 gives 4x, etc.).
• **Orb of Unity**: All synergy effects are increased by 50% per level.
• **Soulstone**: Gain +1 Artifact Essence per minute automatically.

How to Upgrade Artifacts

Upgrading an artifact costs Artifact Essence equal to (current level + 1) × 25. For example, level 1 costs 50 Essence, level 2 costs 75, etc. The bonus per level is additive within the artifact but multiplicative with others. Focus on a few key artifacts rather than spreading your Essence thin.

**Tip**: Save your Essence until you have discovered most artifacts, then upgrade the ones that fit your build.

Synergies and Builds

Synergies activate when you equip a combination of three artifacts in a specific order. Each synergy provides a powerful bonus. Here are the most effective builds:

1. Pure Production Build (Idle)

• **Active Slots**: Heart of the Forge (level 10+), Crystal Prism (level 10+), Eternal Flame (level 10+)
• **Synergy**: "Inferno Core" – All production bonuses are increased by 50% of their total.
• **Best for**: Idle players who check in occasionally.
• **Upgrade priority**: Heart of the Forge > Crystal Prism > Eternal Flame.

2. Clicking Specialist Build (Active)

• **Active Slots**: Thunderclaw Gauntlet (level 15+), Phantom Touch (level 15+), Berserker's Horn (level 10+)
• **Synergy**: "Storm Bringer" – Click damage is multiplied by 3x, and every 10th click deals 10x damage.
• **Best for**: Players who click frequently or use auto-clickers.
• **Upgrade priority**: Phantom Touch > Thunderclaw Gauntlet > Berserker's Horn.

3. Prestige Farming Build

• **Active Slots**: Phoenix Feather (level 20+), Time Crystal (level 15+), Void Shard (level 10+)
• **Synergy**: "Time Weaver" – Prestige multiplier is multiplied by 2x, and ascension costs are reduced by 20%.
• **Best for**: Speedrunners and players aiming to reach high prestiges quickly.
• **Upgrade priority**: Phoenix Feather > Time Crystal > Void Shard.

4. Balanced Hybrid Build

• **Active Slots**: Heart of the Forge (level 10), Phantom Touch (level 10), Lucky Coin (level 10)
• **Synergy**: "Balance" – All stats are increased by 15%.
• **Best for**: General progression when you are not focusing on a specific goal.
• **Upgrade priority**: Heart of the Forge > Lucky Coin > Phantom Touch.

5. Endgame Min-Max Build

• **Active Slots**: Artifact of Mastery (level 5+), Orb of Unity (level 5+), Soulstone (level 5+)
• **Synergy**: "Transcendence” – All other artifact effects are tripled while equipped.
• **Important**: This build requires you to have other artifacts already upgraded to high levels, as it amplifies them.
• **Best for**: Players with hundreds of hours of progress.
• **Upgrade priority**: Artifact of Mastery > Orb of Unity > Soulstone.

How to Farm Artifact Essence Efficiently

Artifact Essence is the bottleneck. Here are the best ways to farm it:

• **Boss Rush**: Use the Boss Rush mode in the Challenges tab. Each boss you defeat rewards 5–20 Essence based on difficulty. Equip Utility artifacts like Soulstone to gain passive Essence.
• **Achievements**: Complete achievements that grant Essence as a reward. Focus on achievements like "Collect 10 artifacts" or "Reach Zone 500".
• **Ascension**: After ascending, you can spend Ascension Tokens on "Essence Amplifier" upgrades that increase Essence drops by up to 500%.
• **Idle Gains**: Equip Soulstone while offline to generate Essence passively. Each level of Soulstone gives 1 Essence per minute, so level 10 gives 10 per minute even offline.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. **Ignoring Utility Artifacts**: Lucky Coin and Merchant's Ledger may seem weak, but their synergy with production builds can save hours. Don't neglect them. 2. **Over-Upgrading Early**: Keep all artifacts at level 1 until you have at least 15 discovered. Then commit to one build. 3. **Forgetting Synergies**: You can change active slots anytime for free. Always check the synergy tab before a major push. 4. **Selling Artifacts**: Never sell an artifact for Essence. The cost to re-discover it is higher than the sell value. 5. **Using Unsuitable Builds**: If you play idle, don't equip clicking artifacts. The synergy loss is not worth the minor boost.

Advanced Tips

• **Respec**: You can reset all artifact levels for 500 Essence. Use this if you want to switch builds completely.
• **Double Discovery**: Sometimes you'll get a duplicate artifact. Duplicates give bonus Essence equal to 10% of the discovery cost. It’s not great, but it's a small consolation.
• **Seasonal Events**: During events like the Winter Festival, special artifact drops are boosted. Farm heavily during these periods.
• **Speedrun Setup**: For speedruns, use the Prestige Farming build with the Time Weaver synergy. Reset as soon as you unlock the next artifact tier.

Artifact Tier List (Prioritization)

| Tier | Artifacts | Why | |------|-----------|-----| | S | Artifact of Mastery, Phoenix Feather, Heart of the Forge | Best long-term value across all builds | | A | Thunderclaw Gauntlet, Time Crystal, Soulstone | Excellent for specific playstyles | | B | Crystal Prism, Phantom Touch, Lucky Coin | Good, but outclassed by S/A tier | | C | Void Shard, Hourglass of Speed, Merchant's Ledger | Niche use only | | D | Eternal Flame, Berserker's Horn, Orb of Unity | Low standalone power; use only in synergies |

Remember, this tier list assumes you have the necessary levels. A level 20 Void Shard can outperform a level 5 Phoenix Feather, so invest in what you have.

Conclusion

The artifact system in Noob Incremental rewards strategic planning and resource management. Start by unlocking all 25 artifacts, then focus on upgrading a core set that aligns with your playstyle. Experiment with synergies to find the combination that gives you the biggest boost. With the right artifacts, you can cut your progression time in half and push into endgame content much faster.

For further reading, check out our guides on [Ascension](/guides/ascension-guide/), [Endgame Content](/guides/endgame-content/), and [Speedrun Strategies](/guides/speedrun-strategies/). Happy artifact hunting!