1. Atom: A small dark blue ball. Objective for the introductory mission "The First Expedition."


Reminder that for this artifact to appear, like most artifacts, you have to have your artifact detector in hand and pull the trigger on it, making it send a light flash which will make the artifact appear with some glowing and a metallic ringing noise.

2. Unknown: A green crystal chunk, like a green version of Regen. The objective for the "Flash in the Dark" mission (gas mask required).

3. Heart: Green cluster of a sort of jungle gym sphere shape. The objective for the main mission "A Farewell Feast."


How to get it: Requires 2 canned beef, 3 canned pineapples, 4 energy drinks, 5 chocolate bars, and 2 grenades placed on the red/white checkered tablecloth in the house of the mission location, the food and grenades will then automatically disappear and the tablecloth will have a pulsing light, scan the tablecloth with your artifact detector and it will appear. Remember canned beef (big can) and canned meat (small can) are two different items, make sure you bring the right cans.

4. Hoop: A sort of dark green halo. Objective for the "Kids Playground" main mission.


How to get it: Shine your pocket flashlight at the train lights in the mission location. Remember that your pocket flashlight can change from red to green by hitting the reload button on the hand holding it, just in case that's required, though I got this to activate on accident just by having my pocket light on and in my pocket as I explored the area during this mission. When you've done it right you'll see a sort of wobbly ghost train out front of the station, climb the nearby mound by the train bed and hit it with your detector light, the artifact will appear and the train will gradually move towards the HQ shortcut.

5. Heavy Helix: A green spherical tangle of tubes. Objective for the "Radius Treasures" side mission. Sometimes requires a gas mask to safely attain. Disappears when the tide comes, as most of these side mission artifacts will.

You can find these without taking the "Radius Treasures" mission, so if you find one, get back to base and see if you can find a "Radius Treasures" side mission available, take it, and you might be able to cash this in immediately without having to go back out (though late-game versions of this mission will require you to find multiple Heavy Helices, usually in different areas).

6. Neon: A small dark green ball. Objective for the "In and Out" side mission. Sometimes will require a gas mask to safely attain.

7. Broken Shard: Resembles the Shard artifact, a blue bar, except in two broken pieces, though the artifact still holds like a singular object. Objective for the "Metastases" side mission, and you can find these without having the mission active, same as the Heavy Helix. Disappears when the tide comes.

These come out of the sort of black mess anomalies that you have to shoot or stab to get them to drop the artifact (the detector doesn't do anything on these anomalies though it does still click and the light turns green to indicate its location). It's possible to find the Broken Shard without having the mission active, so if you find one, get back to base and see if you can find a "Metastases" side mission available, take it, and you'll be able to cash this in immediately without having to go back out, or you'll at least have progress if the mission requires multiple Broken Shards (later in the game missions will want multiples of some artifacts).

8. Crier: Looks like a small green bowl of rings. Objective for the "Banshee Hunt" side mission. Once you pick it up, every 10 seconds it makes a scream sound like when you kill a mimic, but it continues to do it even once you place it in your backpack. Doesn't necessarily seem to attract enemies but maybe it just has a really short range.

9. Grail: Small bowl of rings like the Crier. Objective for the final mission in the castle, picking it up triggers the ending of the game, and upon returning to your home afterwards, using your artifact scanner next to your mission computer will make the Grail appear, where you can either sell it for $10,000 or keep it as a souvenir. I should point out that I was able to get the Shine Bright achievement without getting this artifact, so it might not be required for the total, but that might've just been my experience and your experience may be different. It sells for $10,000 once you respawn in the base, but I just keep it (upside down) on top of my mission computer as a nice decoration. Unlike 1.0, it does not emit any more screams on its own, doesn't seem to attract enemies when in your inventory, and cannot be used or activated.

Most of these come from those dense clusters of distortion or reflector or lightning anomalies that you have to find a safe path and wind your way through. Artifacts in anomaly clusters are always meant to have a clean path you can walk or crawl through and then will drop in a clear area where you shouldn't have to go through any anomalies or take damage to pick them up.

Most of these tend to be bronze in color to indicate they're just for selling. I'm not sure if the price is consistent, but they're always worth picking up because they're extremely valuable.

Shard: A blue bar, so it's one of the only non-bronze ones. Drops from the black mess "rift" anomalies that you have to shoot or stab to get them to drop the artifact.

The rift anomalies will make a constant buzzing noise, and it's a good idea to destroy them as soon as possible because they will respawn enemies very suddenly and with a really loud thunderclap that has frightened explorers across the radius, but even worse is they usually spawn mimics who will start shooting at you, and later they'll spawn armored mimics that require armor piercing ammo just to damage. Fortunately the rift anomalies themselves are not armored, so one good shot or a couple knife stabs will dissipate them and drop a nice soothing blue bar for you.


Helix: Looks like the Heavy Helix but it's bronze and is not used for any mission, just sell it.

Steps: A sort of bronze crystal star and when you hold it in your hand and use it (pull the trigger) it will track your footsteps and make them glow on the ground for a few minutes. Could be useful for temporarily marking a safe path through anomaly clusters. However, as you use it, it drains the durability, which also reduces the selling price.

Regen: A small bronze crystal chunk. When you hold this in your hand and use it (pull the trigger) it will toggle on to regenerate your health, but keep in mind this damages the artifact's durability, and then it will be destroyed when it runs out. Cannot be repaired back at base. Sells for less when it has less durability. Probably best to keep these for gradual reliable heals, only sell if you really don't need any other healing items.

Night Eye: Gives you night vision when used, it's in black and white. One of the cassettes warns in the game that it's not a good idea to use during daylight or back at base, but I don't think this will mess up your eyes, at least not in the game, and probably not in real life either. Seems to have limited durability as you use it. Can also just be sold, usually pretty cheap though.

Blank: A couple of overlapped rings. In-game lore hints that the scientists theorize that other artifact effects could be copied onto a Blank, and that scientists tell people that this artifact has no value so they can buy them for cheaper than usual. But that's just a conspiracy theory. It would explain why it tends to sell for more than some of the other artifacts though.

Flower: Looks kind of flowery, in a glowy bronze sort of way. Good for selling. You could also use this to decorate your home base, but you could technically do that with any artifact.

Stellation: Like a sphere of jutting bronze bars. Sells for a decent amount.

Triangle: A bronze pyramid shape. Seems to only come from Kholkoz large clusters, I found some in the greenhouses and the big gas pit in the "east" of Kholkoz. They sell for $1,000 so these are definitely worthwhile, possibly the best sellable artifact in the game.

Star: Bronze star shape. As usual, just good for selling, and goes for a nice amount.

[DEFUNCT?] Time Bubble: I think this was actually replaced with the Star since it uses the same model. One of the explorer #12 tapes about spawns mentions using time bubbles, but they seem to only exist in 1.0 now. You would be able to throw one of these against the ground and it would create a pocket of slow motion in the area around you for a few seconds, slowing you and enemies down.

In 1.0, when you killed enemies, you could scan the area where you killed them and a core would appear in their place, usually a blue version of one of the normal artifacts (such as the Flower and so on). Here's a description anyway.

Fragment core: Looked like a blue version of the Flower artifact. Sold for $40.

Spawn core: Looked like a blue version of the Helix artifact. Sold for $60.

Mimic core: Looked like a blue version of the Heart artifact. Sold for $100.

Slider core: Looked like a blue version of the Hoop artifact. Sold for $120.

Weather monitor: Monitors weather in the radius in whatever various ways, but the point is that this is a scientific device you have no use for, but the scientists back at base will pay you for. Sells for about $200.

Photo trap: Sort of like a sensor camera that detects movement and takes a picture. This is primarily for selling, and it's important not to mistake this for a camera for the Paparazzi side mission, as that requires a camera that you can only buy from a store, the one that has handles on the side. Sells for $300 which is nice.

Documents: Basically a notebook with Russian text on it which you can pick up, it can be tricky to figure out of this isn't for a quest or not. Quest items can't be sold, so if you put this in the shop bin and it lets you sell it, then sell it for sure. Also that means pick up any document books you find, some are for quests and some are for money, either way it's worthwhile.

Film: You might also find film rolls which are simply for selling, I haven't seen any but if the shop bin lets you sell them then they're a good way for quick cash.

Voice recorder: Similar to one for a mission but this one's just a rare sellable. You can tell one's sellable vs a mission item because you can sell it, it doesn't let you sell mission items.