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Age of Empires Wiki
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Age of Empires
The Rise of Rome
Definitive Edition
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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
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{{Infobox AoE2 unit |Image = <gallery> returnofrome artifact icon.png|Return La artifact.png|Original </gallery> |Intro = {{1icons|Age of Empires}} |Type = Artifact |HP = 1 |Armor = 100 |PierceArmor = 100 |Speed = 1 |LOS = 2 |Note = In Standard victory conditions, the player wins the game if their team takes and maintains control of all the Artifacts beyond the countdown. }} {{quote|Ancient objects crafted by now-lost cultures. Artifacts can be a victory condition or increase your score.|In-game description in the ''Definitive Edition''}} The '''Artifact''' is a special unit in ''[[Age of Empires]]''. It can be acquired when it appears within the sight of a unit. == Overview == Once an Artifact is captured, the color coating changes corresponding to the color of the player that owns the unit. Once all Artifacts are captured by a team or player, a countdown begins, starting with 2,000 years (five minutes in real time in the original game; 16 minutes 40 seconds in ''[[Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome|Return of Rome]]''). If none of the Artifacts are captured by any opposing team or player within the time frame, the team or player controlling all Artifacts on the map [[Victory|wins the game]]. To capture an already captured Artifact, a unit must stand directly next to it, it is not sufficient to just [[Line of Sight|see]] it. That is different from capturing an unclaimed Artifact and can make a big difference since it is much easier to keep a unit from actually approaching an Artifact than from just getting into its Line of Sight. A standard game may or may not contain Artifacts. If it does, it will always have five Artifacts scattered around the map. In the [[Scenario Editor (Age of Empires)|Scenario Editor]], maps with more or less Artifacts may be created. Controlling Artifacts contributes to the player's score. If an Artifact happens to be inside a sinking transport ship, it will re-appear at the nearest shoreline. == History == {{quote|Artifacts are objects akin to the Ark of the Covenant that were crafted by now-lost cultures and bring prestige to the civilization that possesses them.|''Age of Empires'' manual}} == Trivia == * Its appearance looks like of the [[wikipedia:Ark of the Covenant|Ark of the Covenant]]. * An alternative version of the Artifact called the [[War Chest]] exists in the Scenario Editor. It serves as a Scenario Editor-only object that doesn't trigger the Artifact victory. * Although in-game stats reveal the [[hit points]] to be 1, it is actually indestructible. * ''[[Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition]]'' shows as an Easter-egg an Artifact being buried below the foundation of a [[Monastery (Age of Empires II)|Monastery]] while the building is being built. * In ''[[Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals]]'', the Home City of the [[Ethiopians (Age of Empires III)|Ethiopians]] features an Artifact as one of the options for decorating the Monastery. == Gallery == <gallery> Artifact Definitive Edition.jpg|Artifacts in the ''[[Age of Empires: Definitive Edition|Definitive Edition]]''. Artifact.jpg|A group of Artifacts in the original game. Artifact under monastery.gif|An Artifact being buried under a Monastery's foundation in ''Age of Empires II: Definitive Editon''. Ethiopian relic1.png|Icon of the decor option for the Ethiopian Home City in ''Age of Empires III'' </gallery> == See also == * [[Relic]] - counterpart in other games of the series {{Units List (Age of Empires)}} [[Category:Nature]] [[Category:Units]]
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