Combination Artifacts

The Shadow of Death added 12 combination artifacts to Heroes of Might and Magic 3, from the Angelic Alliance to the Cornucopia, each assembled when one hero has all its pieces equipped. The combined artifact keeps every piece's bonus, adds a power of its own, and can be taken apart again.

The Shadow of Death added 12 combination artifacts to Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (its manual, pp.26-27): sets of two to nine existing artifacts, such as the six pieces of the Angelic Alliance or the five of the Statue of Legion, that merge into one stronger artifact when a single hero has them all equipped. The new artifact keeps every bonus of its pieces and adds a power of its own, from casting Expert Prayer at the start of every battle to a 50% rise in creature production in all your towns. Combination artifacts came with the 2000 expansion The Shadow of Death, so they are in the Complete edition but not in the HD Edition, which holds only the 1999 game. How ordinary Artifacts work is on their own page.

Quick facts

Added in	The Shadow of Death, 2000
Number	12 (SoD manual pp.26-27)
Pieces	2 (Admiral's Hat) to 9 (Power of the Dragon Father)
To assemble	Equip every piece on one hero; the game offers to combine them, or right-click a piece
Bonuses	The pieces' bonuses stay, plus the combination's own power
Slots	The pieces' slots stay taken
Can be split	Yes, by right-clicking it
In the HD Edition	No: the HD Edition is based on the 1999 game only

How combining works

The Shadow of Death manual gives the rules (p.26). When every piece is equipped, the pieces "'vanish' and are replaced by a single artifact representative of all of the combined ones. However, the slots previously held do not become available for new artifacts." The hero keeps "all of the bonuses from the individual artifacts" on top of the new power. Once you hold all the pieces, the game prompts you to build the combination automatically; you can also assemble or take it apart yourself by right-clicking any piece or the combined artifact, but "All artifacts must be equipped to assemble or disassemble." So a combination does not free up slots: the Power of the Dragon Father still fills nine.

Splitting a combination gives the pieces back as separate artifacts.

All 12 combination artifacts

From the SoD manual, pp.26-27; the piece names are the manual's, which sometimes differ from the 1999 guide's (noted below the table).

Combination artifact	Pieces	Effect
Angelic Alliance	Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment, Celestial Necklace of Bliss, Sword of Judgment, Armor of Wonder, Sandals of the Saint, Lion's Shield of Courage	Rampart, Tower, Fortress, Stronghold and Castle creatures mix without a morale penalty; casts Expert Prayer at the start of combat
Cloak of the Undead King	Amulet of the Undertaker, Vampire's Cowl, Dead Man's Boots	30% of the battlefield's dead rise as Skeletons; with Necromancy, the percentages add up and the skill's level raises Zombies (Basic), Wights (Advanced) or Liches (Expert)
Elixir of Life	Ring of Life, Vial of Life Blood, Ring of Vitality	All creatures get 25% more health and regenerate; not undead or non-living creatures
Armor of the Damned	Skull Helmet, Blackshard of the Dead Knight, Rib Cage, Shield of the Yawning Dead	All opponents suffer Slow, Disrupting Ray, Curse, Weakness and Misfortune for fifty turns
Statue of Legion	Legs, Hips, Torso, Arms and Head of Legion	Creature production +50% in all towns, whether or not the hero is there (not flagged map dwellings)
Power of the Dragon Father	Crown of Dragontooth, Necklace of Dragonteeth, Dragon Wing Tabard, Red Dragon Flame Tongue, Dragon Scale Shield, Quiet Eye of the Dragon, Still Eye of the Dragon, Dragonbone Greaves, Dragon Scale Armor	+6 to all primary skills; all troops immune to level 1 to 4 spells
Titan's Thunder	Thunder Helmet, Titan's Gladius, Titan's Cuirass, Sentinel's Shield	Casts Lightning Bolt for 600 damage at no spell point cost; adds a permanent Spell Book
Admiral's Hat	Sea Captain's Hat, Necklace of Ocean Guidance	No penalty for boarding or leaving a ship; movement points convert between land and water
Bow of the Sharpshooter	Bow of Elven Cherrywood, Bowstring of the Unicorn's Mane, Angel Feather Arrows	Shooters can fire while an enemy is adjacent; no penalty for range or obstacles
Wizard's Well	Charm of Mana, Talisman of Mana, Orb of Mana	Regenerates all spell points every day
Ring of the Magi	Collar of Conjuring, Ring of Conjuring, Cloak of Conjuring	Spells last 50 rounds longer
Cornucopia	Everflowing Cloak of Crystal, Everpouring Vial of Mercury, Eversmoking Ring of Sulfur, Ring of Infinite Gems	4 of each precious resource every day

The 1999 guide spells some pieces differently: Loins of Legion for the manual's Hips of Legion, Vial of Lifeblood, Mystic Orb of Mana, Cape of Conjuring and Everflowing Crystal Cloak (guide pp.345-348).

The combinations one by one

Angelic Alliance. The six artifacts that each raise all four primary skills, from the Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment (+6) down to the Armor of Wonder (+1), so a hero wearing it already has +21 to Attack, Defense, Power and Knowledge from the pieces (guide pp.345-347). The combination adds Expert Prayer (+4 Attack, Defense and Speed for every troop) at the start of each battle and lets the creatures of those five towns share an army without the morale loss for mixing (guide pp.13, 93). The Shadow of Death's campaigns revolve around it: Yog's test in Birth of a Barbarian is to disperse its pieces, and in Unholy Alliance four heroes must find them to face Sandro (SoD manual pp.14-15).

Cloak of the Undead King. Built from the three artifacts that add to Necromancy (+5%, +10% and +15%), it raises 30% of the battlefield's dead as Skeletons even for a hero without the skill, and lifts a necromancer's raised troops from Skeletons to Zombies, Wights or Liches. Sandro has gathered its pieces and those of the Armor of the Damned when Rise of the Necromancer begins (SoD manual p.15). The skill is on Secondary Skills, and the town behind it is the Necropolis.

Elixir of Life. Two rings that each give +1 health to all creatures and the Vial of Lifeblood (+2 health) (guide pp.346, 348) become 25% more health for every living creature plus regeneration. Gelu's last Forest Guard test in the Elixir of Life campaign is to assemble it "so the Deyjan lords can't destroy the precious combination artifact" (SoD manual p.13).

Armor of the Damned. Four pieces that each add 2 or 3 points to one primary skill (the Skull Helmet, Blackshard of the Dead Knight, Rib Cage and Shield of the Yawning Dead, guide pp.345-347) curse every enemy troop with Slow, Disrupting Ray, Curse, Weakness and Misfortune for fifty turns at once.

Statue of Legion. The five Legion pieces each add weekly growth to one creature level in the town where their hero stands; together they raise production by 50% in all your towns, and the manual says the bonus applies "regardless of whether the hero carrying the statue is present in the town" (p.27). It takes five miscellaneous slots, the number The Shadow of Death allows.

Power of the Dragon Father. The largest set, nine dragon pieces in nine slots, gives +6 to all primary skills on top of the pieces' own bonuses and makes the hero's troops immune to spells of levels 1 to 4, so only level 5 spells such as Implosion still reach them (Spells and Magic).

Titan's Thunder. The two lopsided weapons and two lopsided armors (Attack +12 and Defense -3, and the reverse; Power +10 and Knowledge -2, and the reverse) net +9 Attack, +9 Defense, +8 Power and +8 Knowledge from the pieces (guide pp.345, 347), and the combination adds a free 600-damage Lightning Bolt and a Spell Book the hero keeps for good.

The smaller sets. Admiral's Hat helps on water maps, the Bow of the Sharpshooter frees shooters from adjacent enemies and range penalties, Wizard's Well and Ring of the Magi serve spellcasters (all spell points back every day; spells lasting 50 rounds longer), and the Cornucopia turns four one-a-day resource artifacts into 4 of each precious resource a day.

Which combination is best

Neither the Shadow of Death manual nor the official guide ranks combination artifacts, and they do different jobs: the Statue of Legion and Cornucopia work for your whole kingdom every week or day, the Angelic Alliance, Power of the Dragon Father and Titan's Thunder strengthen one hero and army, and the Cloak of the Undead King builds on Necromancy. The more pieces a set has, the more of them a map must hold for you to find, buy or win.

Frequently asked questions

How many combination artifacts are in Heroes 3? Heroes of Might and Magic 3: The Shadow of Death added 12 combination artifacts: Angelic Alliance, Cloak of the Undead King, Elixir of Life, Armor of the Damned, Statue of Legion, Power of the Dragon Father, Titan's Thunder, Admiral's Hat, Bow of the Sharpshooter, Wizard's Well, Ring of the Magi and Cornucopia.

How do you combine artifacts in Heroes 3? In Heroes of Might and Magic 3 you equip every piece of a set on one hero; the game then prompts you to build the combination artifact, or you can right-click any piece to assemble it.

Can you split combination artifacts in Heroes 3? Yes: in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 you right-click an equipped combination artifact to take it apart into its pieces, as The Shadow of Death manual describes.

What does the Angelic Alliance do in Heroes 3? The Angelic Alliance in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 casts Expert Prayer at the start of each battle and lets Castle, Rampart, Tower, Fortress and Stronghold creatures mix without a morale penalty, on top of its six pieces' +21 to all primary skills.

What does the Cloak of the Undead King do in Heroes 3? The Cloak of the Undead King raises 30% of the battlefield's dead as Skeletons in Heroes of Might and Magic 3, and with the Necromancy skill it raises Zombies, Wights or Liches instead, at Basic, Advanced or Expert.

Are combination artifacts in the Heroes 3 HD Edition? No: the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD Edition contains only the 1999 Restoration of Erathia, while combination artifacts came with The Shadow of Death, which is in the Complete edition.

What is the best combination artifact in Heroes 3? Heroes of Might and Magic 3 has no official ranking of combination artifacts; the Power of the Dragon Father gives +6 to all primary skills and immunity to level 1 to 4 spells, and the Statue of Legion raises creature production by 50% in every town.