Artifacts

6:23 Artifacts in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 are magic items a hero has to wear to use: each goes in a body slot (head, neck, shoulders, torso, right hand for weapons, left hand for shields, feet, rings and miscellaneous), and a hero can carry any number more in the backpack, where they do nothing (the official strategy guide, p.13 and Appendix A, pp.345-348). They raise primary skills, add secondary skill bonuses, give spells, gold or resources, or change the rules of a battle, such as Angel Wings that let a hero fly or Recanter's Cloak that stops strong spells. The guide notes the change from Heroes 2, where a hero could use any number of swords at once: now "a Hero can only use one shield, one weapon, one cape, etc." The Shadow of Death added Combination Artifacts that merge several pieces into one. The numbers here are those of the 1999 Restoration of Erathia from Prima's official guide unless an expansion is named; the clip is from Ubisoft's gameplay overview of the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake, where heroes "equip increasingly powerful items".

Quick facts

Slots and equipping

An artifact works only while it is equipped, one per slot: the guide's example is a Spiked Shield (+2 Attack, +2 Defense) that "isn't going to do your scout a lot of good, but will help a general", and an Orb of Silt that belongs with a hero who casts Earth Magic. Spread spare artifacts among your other heroes rather than leaving them in a backpack, the guide advises, and hand them over when heroes meet (p.13). A troop transport hero can carry newly found or bought artifacts to the front (p.10).

The guide's appendix sorts every artifact of 1999 by slot: feet, left hand, right hand, head, neck, rings, shoulder, torso and miscellaneous (pp.345-348). The Shadow of Death added a fifth miscellaneous slot, according to Wikipedia's article on the expansion. The guide gives no artifact classes such as treasure, minor, major or relic; it lists a gold value for each instead.

How to get artifacts

• On the map: artifacts lie on the Adventure Map, loose or guarded by monsters; scouts should grab loose ones, since "Once these items are gone, they're gone" (guide p.9). The View Air spell shows where they all are (p.64).
• Battle sites: the Crypt and Dragon Utopia are fought for random artifacts and treasure (guide p.349). Sea Chests, Wagons, Skeletons and Shipwreck Survivors can also hold one, and a Warrior's Tomb gives one at the cost of 3 morale (p.350).
• Buying and selling: Tower and Dungeon can build Artifact Merchants (10,000 gold, after a Marketplace), where you buy and sell artifacts, though "the merchant will buy low and sell high" (guide p.108); the Conflux has its own Artifacts Merchant (AB manual p.13). The Black Market on the map sells artifacts too (p.350).
• Quests: a Seer's Hut gives a quest and a reward when it is done (p.351), and campaign maps use artifacts as goals and passwords: in the Liberation campaign the Badge of Courage, Pendant of Life and Charm of Mana open Border Guards (pp.311-321).
• From heroes: heroes you hire may already carry artifacts, at no extra cost (p.11), and a starting bonus can be a random artifact, though the guide advises taking gold or wood and ore instead (p.5).
• Altar of Sacrifice: the reverse trade; good heroes sacrifice artifacts there for experience (p.350).

4:36 Two cheap-looking map objects can pay off early. Norovo's video on map objects (Nov 15, 2021) explains in this clip that a Warrior's Tomb or a Shipwreck Survivor sometimes gives the first visitor one of the game's strongest artifacts, such as the Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment, Angel Wings or the Tome of Earth Magic, and since they are seldom well guarded that can happen at the very start; the Tomb's price is 3 morale until the next battle, so he visits it with a spare hero.

16:56 Artifact Merchants have rules the guide does not spell out. Norovo's Dungeon guide (Mar 21, 2021) says in this clip that their stock refreshes at the start of each month, that every player's merchants draw from the same pool, so a rival with a Tower, Dungeon or Conflux may buy first, and that prices drop as you build more Marketplaces, which makes them too expensive early on.

Notable artifacts

The guide's appendix (pp.345-348, with gold values where the table can be read) lists, among others:

The six artifacts that give +1 to +6 to all primary skills are the pieces of the Angelic Alliance, and the four Titan and Sentinel pieces make Titan's Thunder, two of The Shadow of Death's combination artifacts.

The guide does not rank artifacts; the gold values are its only measure, and among the slots whose values can be read, the highest are Spellbinder's Hat (30,000 gold), the Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment (24,000), the Sword of Judgment and Angel Wings (20,000 each) and the Lion's Shield of Courage (16,000) (pp.345-346).

Legion pieces

Five miscellaneous artifacts raise creature growth in the town where the hero wearing them stands: Legs of Legion (+5 level 2 creatures a week), Loins of Legion (+4 level 3), Torso of Legion (+3 level 4), Arms of Legion (+2 level 5) and Head of Legion (+1 level 6) (guide pp.347-348). In The Shadow of Death all five combine into the Statue of Legion, which raises production by 50% in every town.

Skill and resource artifacts

Many artifacts add a few points to one skill or a percentage to a secondary skill: Dead Man's Boots (+15% Necromancy), Vampire's Cowl (+10%) and Amulet of the Undertaker (+5%); Angel Feather Arrows (+15% Archery), Bowstring of the Unicorn's Mane (+10%) and Bow of Elven Cherrywood (+5%); the Collar, Ring and Cape of Conjuring (spells last 1, 2 and 3 rounds longer); and the Charm of Mana, Talisman of Mana and Mystic Orb of Mana (1, 2 and 1 extra spell points a day). Others produce resources, such as the Everflowing Crystal Cloak, Everpouring Vial of Mercury, Eversmoking Ring of Sulfur and Ring of Infinite Gems (one a day each) and the Inexhaustible Carts of Ore and Lumber (pp.345-348). Each of those groups is a combination artifact in The Shadow of Death. How skills and spells work is on Secondary Skills and Spells and Magic.

The Grail

The Grail is a special artifact buried on any map that has Obelisks. Each Obelisk a hero visits uncovers part of the Puzzle Map, which shows where the Grail lies: in the 3 x 3 square at the puzzle's center, and it "will never be located within nine tiles of the map's edge" (guide p.103). Dig it up and take it to one of your towns, where it is used up to build that town's Grail structure. Every Grail structure raises the town's creature production by 50% and gives 5,000 gold a day, and only one can exist per scenario (p.111):

The Conflux's Grail structure is not in the readable text of the Armageddon's Blade manual. The Adventure Map image of the Puzzle Map is on Adventure Map.

Armageddon's Blade

Armageddon's Blade, the 1999 expansion, is named after an artifact: the sword Lucifer Kreegan gathers relics to build, "which has the power to set the world on fire". In his letter that opens the manual, Kreegan says he must find the Breastplate of Brimstone, the Sword of Hellfire and the Shield of the Damned, which an old man forges into the Blade (AB manual pp.2-3, 9). The expansion added two artifacts to the game, Armageddon's Blade and the Vial of Dragon Blood (Wikipedia), the vial being the goal of Mutare's Dragon's Blood campaign. The Blade's in-game effect is not in the manual's readable text, so this page does not state it. The story of the sword is on Story.

Which versions have which artifacts

The HD Edition of 2015 is the base game only ("content is based on the original 1999 game: The Restoration of Erathia", says its Steam page), so it has no combination artifacts and no Armageddon's Blade artifacts. The Complete edition, including the 2026 Steam release, has both expansions. The fan-made, unofficial Horn of the Abyss adds "dozens of new artifacts", naming the Horn of the Abyss and the Sleepkeeper on its Steam page (read Oct 21, 2026).

6:54 The Remake changes how artifacts are managed: in its gameplay overview Ubisoft shows a revamped hero page and says "A new inventory system makes managing their stats, equipment, and army smoother than ever." Ubisoft has not listed the Remake's artifacts, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best artifacts in Heroes 3? Heroes of Might and Magic 3 has no official artifact ranking; the official strategy guide gives Spellbinder's Hat (30,000 gold), the Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment (+6 to all primary skills), the Sword of Judgment and Angel Wings some of its highest values.

How many artifact slots are there in Heroes 3? A Heroes of Might and Magic 3 hero wears artifacts in head, neck, shoulders, torso, right hand, left hand, feet, ring and miscellaneous slots, with an unlimited backpack; The Shadow of Death added a fifth miscellaneous slot.

How do you sell artifacts in Heroes 3? In Heroes of Might and Magic 3 you sell artifacts at the Artifact Merchants, a 10,000 gold building in Tower and Dungeon towns (and the Conflux's Artifacts Merchant), though the official guide warns the merchant buys low and sells high.

Where do you find artifacts in Heroes 3? Heroes of Might and Magic 3 artifacts lie on the adventure map, come from battle sites such as the Crypt and Dragon Utopia, from Seer's Hut quests, Sea Chests, Wagons and Warrior's Tombs, and can be bought at Artifact Merchants or the Black Market.

How do you find the Grail in Heroes 3? In Heroes of Might and Magic 3 you visit Obelisks to uncover the Puzzle Map, which shows where the Grail is buried, then dig it up and take it to a town to build a Grail structure worth 5,000 gold a day and +50% creatures.

What does Spellbinder's Hat do in Heroes 3? Spellbinder's Hat lets a Heroes of Might and Magic 3 hero cast all level 5 spells while wearing it, and the official guide values it at 30,000 gold, one of its highest values.

Sources

• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima Publishing, 1999, pp.5, 9-13, 64, 103, 108, 111, 311-321, 345-351
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade manual, The 3DO Company, 1999, pp.2-3, 9, 13
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death User Manual, The 3DO Company, 2000, pp.26-27
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death, Wikipedia, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade, Wikipedia, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition, Steam, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes Of Might And Magic III, Steam, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss, Steam, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake - Gameplay Overview Trailer, Ubisoft, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
• Heroes 3: 20 Tips and Secrets of Adventure Map Objects, Norovo, Nov 15, 2021 (video)
• Heroes 3: DUNGEON Town Overview / Strategy Guide, Norovo, Mar 21, 2021 (video)