Saros comes out swinging with randomly generated worlds, haunting creatures, and many of the same things we loved from Returnal, including various weapons and upgrades (Artifacts) to pick from while journeying across Carcosa. When deciding on Artifacts in Saros, it’s important to take note of what worked best in the runs you attempted and look for those Artifacts again. However, options are limited during the early hours of the game, so I recommend you pick up these Artifacts any time you see them.
Artifact: Damage Counter 1
Artifact: Damage Counter 1 damages enemies around you when you get hit. This can be incredibly beneficial when a large group of enemies surrounds you, potentially causing you to take a lot of damage. It may provide just enough extra damage to finish off enemies for you in the heat of battle.
Artifact: Corruption Protection 1
Artifact: Corruption Protection 1 is unique in that, if Arjun is corrupted, incoming damage is reduced. This can be a very high-risk/high-reward Artifact, so weigh the pros and cons of obtaining this, as it will only be beneficial when you take a lot of Corruption damage that lowers your maximum health.
Corrupted Artifact: Slowing Hits 2
Corrupted Artifact: Slowing Hits 2 slows hostiles down when you hit them. This is incredibly useful when there is an abundance of faster-paced enemies in your run. Keep in mind that since this Artifact is corrupted, it also has a negative effect applied, so you’ll need to decide if that’s worth it for you.
Corrupted Artifact: Emergency Regeneration 2
Corrupted Artifact: Emergency Regeneration 2 regenerates health when Arjun is at low Integrity. As with the Artifact above, this is a corrupted Artifact, there is the idea of risk/reward to consider here. You will need to take significant damage for this to come into effect — but if you’re like me and tend to be a clutz, then this shouldn't be a problem. For those of the clumsier persuasion, you will find this very useful since there’s also +4 Resilience. Higher Resilience allows you to take more damage from enemies and your environment.
Artifact: Kill Power 1
Artifact: Kill Power 1 generates power from melee kills. Making the most of this Artifact requires dipping in and out of close quarters, but being able to generate power by landing devastating melee hits is a huge boon in battle. Still, I recommend having equal parts of utilizing your gun and fists for maximum effect.
Depending on what approach you take in Saros, there are so many ways to play this game, from the artifact you choose to the weapons you wield. Let us know what artifacts you’re rocking in Saros.
