Low-tier Legendary Artifacts are at their peak right now

It is easy to find players' tips and research results since ‘Game of Thrones: Kingsroad’ launched first on the global server. However, because of the balance adjustments and new systems introduced to the Asia server, past strategies fall out of sync with the current meta. The ‘Artifact’ we will discuss today clearly shows this contrast.

Artifacts, which bring the legendary equipment from the original source material into the game, are core items that form the foundation of each class build. They boast powerful effects to turn the tide of combat, from passives that increase class unique effects to strong active skills that stun enemies. However, with the balance adjustments and new acquisition methods introduced to the Asia server, the Artifact tier list has shifted.

▲ The ‘The Twin’s Axe', once a top-tier item in Global, are being shunned on Asian servers (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Artifact Acquisition Methods: ‘Altar of Memories’

The main acquisition source for Artifacts is the ‘Altar of Memories.’ You must possess a reward voucher to claim rewards. The ‘Novice’s Map’ is charged once every day as a common reward voucher, and the uncommon reward voucher ‘Maester’s Scroll’ can be earned via events and regional token shops. Furthermore, since Artifact acquisition and growth are shared per account, leveling up alternative characters can increase your Artifact progression speed.

▲ Without a reward voucher, you cannot obtain rewards even if you complete the Altar of Memories (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Legendary Artifact Grades Divided into High-Tier and Low-Tier

With the launch of the Asia server, Artifact grades have been adjusted. Compared to the global server, the grades of many Artifacts were upgraded, and within the same Legendary grade, they are currently divided into ‘High-Tier Legendary’ and ‘Low-Tier Legendary’ based on the presence of an item background. This means that what was a standard Legendary Artifact on the Global server has recently been shifted to a High-Tier Legendary Artifact on the Asia server. While ‘Rare’ and ‘Epic’ grades also exist, these are strictly for collection purposes and offer little practical value in terms of actual combat performance.

▲ 23 out of a total of 40 artifacts are of Legendary grade (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Artifact Promotion and Binding

Artifacts can reach a maximum of 7 stars. To promote an Artifact, it must first be raised to Stage 10 at its current Star level. Promotion significantly enhances the Artifact's attributes and skills, making it vital to develop your primary equipment. Duplicate Artifacts are converted into Blueprints, which serve as the required material for this growth.

In addition to promotion, Artifact stats can also be increased through ‘Binding.’ This system allows you to gain bonus stats by binding your owned Artifacts to an equipped one. Initially, only a single Artifact can be bound, but additional binding slots are unlocked each time the equipped Artifact reaches 3, 6, and 7 stars.

▲ Each equipped Artifact accommodates a maximum of 4 Binding Slots (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

▲ Provides additional stats based on the grade and star rating of the bound artifact (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Why Are Low-Tier Legendary Artifacts Currently Recommended?

At the same Star rank, High-Tier Legendary Artifacts naturally boast superior performance. However, at this time when material supplies are limited, an inversion phenomenon occurs where Low-Tier Artifacts outperform the High-Tier ones due to easier progression. While this situation will not last forever, it is expected to persist for some time unless more Artifact acquisition sources are introduced.

The following is an example of an Artifact that boosts the Knight's unique class effects. If both are at 0 stars, the High-Tier Legendary ‘Valyrian Steel Shard’ is better. However, as soon as the Low-Tier Legendary ‘The Smiling Knight's Notched Sword’ hits 1 star, it takes the lead through base stats and bonus Artifact skills. A difference of just 1 star causes a severe power gap, and checking top rankers' profiles at the moment reveals that their Artifact Star levels often differ by 2 to 3 Stars or more. This explains why rankers use Lesser Legendary Artifacts. Then, which Lesser Artifacts should you focus on?

▲ The Smiling Knight’s Notched Sword (0-Star) vs Valyrian Steel Shard (0-Star) vs The Smiling Knight’s Notched Sword (1-Star) (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Active Artifact ‘ Bloody Towel’ The top recommended Artifact is the ‘Bloody Towel.’ Since it is guaranteed as a reward from the early Altar of Memories tutorial, players will find it familiar, and its progression is a step ahead of other Artifacts. The base effect of its Artifact skill increases Attack Power by 10% for 20 seconds and recovers HP by 0.5% of the damage dealt.

The highlight of this Artifact is the effect added at 5 stars. If your HP is at 80% or above, your Attack Power increases by 12.5%, and unlike other Artifacts, there is no ‘upon using an Artifact skill’ condition. In other words, you can enjoy a permanent, passive Attack Power boost. This trait allows it to completely outclass High-Tier Legendary Artifacts in terms of sheer performance.

▲ Bloody Towel (1-Star, 3-Star, and 5-Star) Option Changes (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Active Artifact ‘Warrior’s Son Skull’

The Artifact skill’s basic effect increases Attack Power by 18% instead of reducing Defense by 20% for 20 seconds. At 1-star, a 6% critical hit rate is added, and at 3-stars, 7.5% critical damage is added. However, these effects are only applied for a certain period of time when the Artifact skill is used.

The ‘Warrior’s Son Skull’ is ranked next to the ‘Bloody Towel’ among Low-Tier Legendary Artifacts. This is because other Low-Tier Legendary Artifacts are focused on either increasing ranged damage or increasing Groggy damage.

▲ Warrior’s Son Skull (1-Star, 3-Star, and 5-Star) Option Changes (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Passive Artifact ‘Timeworn Scroll’

For passive Artifacts, players typically use Class-Specific Artifacts. However, if your Class-Specific Artifact is still at a low level, the ‘Timeworn Scroll’ is a highly viable alternative. It generates 1 Rage on every successful hit, allowing for much more frequent skill rotations. Furthermore, depending on its Promotion Stage, it adds extra effects when active skills land, making it an item heavily specialized for skill usage.

▲ Timeworn Scroll (1-Star, 3-Star, and 5-Star) Option Changes (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

▲ Class-Specific Artifacts Recommended If Progression Levels Are Similar (Photo: Gukmin Tree)

Provided by Game Meca