[2020] Artifacts in Rocket Arena

Hello Tour Heroes! We’re Matt W (ryvox), Kyle K (Pravda), and Jake C (Bag of Equines) from the Final Strike Games Design team, and we’re here to tell you all about the Artifact system in Rocket Arena.

What are Artifacts?

Artifacts are gameplay altering objects that players can equip to each of their Heroes. Each Hero can have 3 unique Artifacts equipped at one time, and different Artifacts can be equipped to each Hero. Players can also assign a different set of Artifacts for both Social and Ranked playlists.

We launched with a total of 22 Artifacts, providing tons of opportunities for players to really customize their Heroes to fit their playstyle. More Artifacts will be added in future seasons as well, and we expect to see meta shifts as players learn new ways to integrate the growing list of Artifacts along with the ever increasing Hero roster. Finally, Artifacts are free, and players will never have to pay for them now or in the future!

Goals for Artifacts

Artifacts are an integral piece of what makes Rocket Arena’s gameplay awesome, but it might surprise you to know that this wasn’t always the case. Let’s go on a quick journey through history and discover how Artifacts came to be!

When we first started developing Rocket Arena’s combat, we focused specifically on honing the impulse-based arena knockout mechanics that form the foundation of our game. Once we had that down, we prototyped Hero after Hero to find the right combination of abilities to work with our core mechanics. After a whole lot of playtesting and iterating, we knew that we finally had a game worth playing. Or did we? We eventually realized that, while the base experience we created was fun, it could still use some extra layers of depth and player expression. The kind of mechanics that really let you play the game the way you want to play it. We knew we needed some form of playstyle customization, but we also knew we needed to lay out some clear goals for the system first.

The system needed to:

• Avoid destroying the foundation of the game (obviously)
• Be an extension of our core gameplay mechanics
• Deepen the combat interactions in the game
• Facilitate multiple unique playstyles across a single Hero
• Allow players to customize the gameplay of their favorite Heroes to better fit their specific player type

The solution to all this? More rockets! Just kidding - in this case, it was Artifacts! A system that allows for genuinely interesting gameplay customization at an individual Hero level. We focused on building Artifacts that amplified elements of the game that players already loved, like rocket jumping and using Items. We also seized the opportunity to give players Artifacts that could change the parts of the game they personally might not be so keen on, like getting knocked out or walking too slow on the ground (looking at you, Blastbeard). The Jaaqua Amulet, which gives you a crazy powerful speed boost after returning to the arena, is a perfect example of this methodology at work. Ultimately, we wanted to provide players with a fun, sandbox-style system that allows them to get truly creative with their gameplay customization. We can’t wait to see all the awesome combinations of Artifacts and Heroes the community comes up with!

Ok, now onwards for more Artifact knowledge gaining!

Artifact Lore

Each Artifact is brought to the Tour by a Hero from their home region of Crater. Artifacts enhance a Competitor’s abilities during the Rocket Championship Tour, and they are free to choose Artifacts from any region they desire. Having Artifacts come from all across each Region of Crater helps foster knowledge of each Crater culture!

Color Differences

Each Artifact is assigned a color to give players a general idea of what the Artifact will boost or modify. At launch, there are 4 colors:

Discovering Artifacts

In Social playlists, players will discover (unlock) Artifacts by playing games, eventually discovering them all over time. Once an Artifact is unlocked, it is available for all Heroes to equip. Artifacts have their own progression system independent from Heroes as well, so whether players want to main Jayto or spread the love amongst all the Heroes, they will discover all the Artifacts at the same pace.

In Ranked playlists, all Artifacts are unlocked from the start and do not need to be discovered. However, players will still unlock and level Artifacts in Ranked for use in Social playlists. Our goal is to have players be able to hop between Ranked and Social without feeling like they’re behind. You can switch between Social and Ranked Artifact loadouts per character by selecting the toggle button at the bottom or the Artifact Menu.

Artifact Levels

Each Social Artifact has 3 Levels, with newly discovered Artifacts starting at Level 1. Players can increase an Artifact’s Level by playing games with that Artifact equipped. Like discovering Artifacts, it doesn’t matter which Heroes the Artifact is equipped to, it will still level up at the same pace.

Ranked Artifacts, on the other hand, are locked at a single Ranked Level and cannot be leveled up. This Level is tuned specifically for Ranked play, so the values may or may not match their Social counterpart.

Favorite Hero Artifact Builds

With so many different possible combinations, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. Check out some of our favorite Hero-Artifact builds from the team here to get you started!

Matt’s Favorite Artifact Build

• “Immortal Shield” (Mysteen)
  • Hunter’s Idle - Decreases damage taken and impulse received
  • Rocket Radio - Health regen delay decreased
  • Bastion Bell - KOs decrease the time until health regen starts

Kyle’s Favorite Artifact Build

• “Feeling Lucky” (Plink)
  • Digsite Magnifier - Chance to receive a random item after Arena Returns
  • Coldsnap Locket - Dodge distance increased
  • Prospero’s Sail - Use an Item for a chance to receive another Item

Jake’s Favorite Artifact Build

• “Megablast, Escape, Repeat” (Izell)
  • Jaaqua Amulet - Move faster while in Megablast Danger
  • Rocket Radio - Health regen delay decreased
  • Boom Bit - KOs briefly boost damage

What’s been working for you? Hit us up on Discord and let us know your favorite combinations!

Artifacts in Ranked Play

As Ranked play is all about competition, we do not want to give an unfair advantage to players with more time, so all Artifacts are unlocked in Ranked and are at a fixed ‘Ranked’ level that cannot be progressed. We feel that providing all Artifacts in Ranked from day one and having them at a fixed level is the best way to ensure fair gameplay for everyone. Plus it allows the design team to tune the Ranked experience more carefully without affecting Social play.

Generally, our philosophy is to allow Artifacts in Social to be a little stronger than Ranked Artifacts, as we intend Social to be more over-the-top and focused on fun and crazy moments. It’s also important to us to reward Social players for putting in the work to unlock and level up their Artifacts, and we feel that giving players in Social stronger Artifacts helps achieve this goal.

You can read all about Ranked play in Rocket Arena here.

Artifact 1 Category

• Gemstone Elixir - Ground movement speed increased
• Frozen Bubble - Return Protection cannot be canceled and lasts longer
• Digsite Magnifier - Chance to receive a random item after Arena Returns
• Hunter's Idol - Damage and impulse taken reduced
• Axial Fan - Rocket Jump strength increased
• Blastbird - Deal increased damage
• Jaaqua Amulet - Move faster while in Megablast Danger
• Reef Buoy - Taking damage reduces your active Special Ability cooldown

Artifact 2 Category

• Supercavitator - KOs reduce all active Ability cooldowns
• Berno's Belt - Ground jump height increased
• Coldsnap Locket - Dodge distance increased
• Unstable Canister - Deal more damage the higher your Blast Meter
• Boost Capacitor - Air movement speed increased
• Rocket Radio - Health regen delay decreased
• Powder Keg - Deal more damage while on the ground

Artifact 3 Category

• Frosty Thermometer - Dodge cooldown reduced while in Megablast Danger
• Boom Bit - KOs briefly boost damage
• Zephyr Vest - Move faster after Arena Returns
• Bastion Bell - KOs decrease the time until health regen starts
• Crystal Crown - Using your Special Ability reduces your active Secondary Ability cooldown
• Prospero's Sail - Use an Item for a chance to receive another Item
• Juking Jukebox - Same direction air jump strength increased

And there are plenty more to come, so stay tuned! And join us on social and Discord to let us know what you’re liking, and what you;’d like to see in the future. Rocket Arena is always evolving and that includes the Artifacts, so don’t be shy to to join the conversation!

    -        The FSG Team