- Dicevaders artifacts power your board by repeating attacks, granting shields, and multiplying damage
- Shield builds are the most beginner-friendly synergy: every shield gained boosts overall strength
- Mini dice scale damage fast once you stack Brood Mothers and level-up triggers
- Chapter 2 locks artifact slots: score triples in a column to unlock them
- Skip shops early to raise shop rarity and get stronger artifact and unit offers
How Artifacts Work in Dicevaders
Artifacts are the engine of any Dicevaders run. Unlike units, which sit on your board and attack based on where dice land, artifacts sit in dedicated artifact slots and fire passive effects: triggering attacks, granting shields, multiplying damage, or spawning mini dice. The strongest runs happen when your artifacts, units, and captain ability all pull in the same direction.
A typical artifact text reads like "Repeat attack for each dice power scored" or "When a shield breaks, gain a mini dice." Individually these are small effects, but once two or three artifacts feed each other, damage starts climbing exponentially — a well-set board can jump from thousands to millions of damage in a single launch.
Video Highlights:
- Full Chapter 1 run showing a shield-based artifact build snowballing out of control
- Demonstrates nudging dice down rows to trigger an entire line of units at once
- Covers Chapter 2's locked artifact slots and how triples unlock them
- Shows shop skipping to raise rarity and find better artifact options
Before you take any artifact, check whether it synergizes with what you already run. A shield artifact is dead weight in an energy build, and energy-spend artifacts do nothing without energy generators.
Top Artifact Synergies & Builds
There are four main build directions artifacts can push your run toward. Pick one early and commit — hybrid boards that split focus tend to stall in the mid-game.
| Build | Core Artifacts | Key Units | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield | Gain strength per shield, shield-on-turn-start, repeat on shield break | Bottom-row units, shield buffers | ★★★★★ |
| Mini Dice | Mini dice per shield break / level-up, multi per mini die | Brood Mother | ★★★★☆ |
| Swarm | Swarmers gain strength per other swarmer | Swarmer spam | ★★★☆☆ |
| Energy | Spin/effects per energy spent | Energy generators | ★★★☆☆ |
Shield Build
- Bottom-row strength scaling: shields trigger row-wide buffs
- Breaks feed back into mini dice
- Easiest to assemble from early shops
Mini Dice Build
- Brood Mother generates mini dice every recharge
- Each mini die adds dice power and multi
- Snowballs hardest in late maps
Swarm Build
- Swarmers buff each other as you stack them
- Cheap to fill a board with
- Falls off against shielded bosses
Energy Build
- Rewards every energy spent with spins and multi
- Needs multiple energy generators first
- Best assembled mid-run, not from the start
Energy artifacts picked up during a shield run do nothing until you add energy sources. If your current run lacks a resource, leave artifacts that depend on it on the shelf.
Step-by-Step Artifact Setup
Read Your Captain
Each captain grants a passive (badges, mini dice, or base dice). The Blob captain's mini-dice passive makes mini-dice and shield artifacts the natural first pick.
Lock a Direction by Map 1's First Boss
Before the first boss fight, commit to one synergy. Grab a scaling artifact such as repeat-per-dice-power or strength-per-shield, then only buy things that reinforce it.
Skip Shops for Rarity
You earn 3 money per round. Skipping unused shops raises shop priority and rarity, so late Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 offer better artifacts. Buy only what your build needs.
Position Units Next to Artifact Columns
Artifacts trigger by column and row. Place scaling units on the bottom row and nudge dice down so one launch triggers a full row plus the artifact column chain.
Level and Stack Duplicates
Artifacts gain XP each turn. Level-up triggers like "+1 mini die on artifact level-up" compound — stack two or three copies of your best artifact when rerolls allow.
Against most enemies you can nudge dice one space before launching. Save nudges for moves that trigger an entire row — one well-placed nudge can activate every unit and artifact in that line at once.
Chapter 2 Locked Artifact Slots
Chapter 2 introduces locked artifact slots: you start with two slots disabled. The unlock condition is scoring a triple in the corresponding column, which requires controlling where your dice land.
| Slot | Unlock Condition | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Slot 3 | Score a triple in the target column | Moderate |
| Slot 4 | Score a triple in the far column | Hard without nudge/reroll stock |
Practical tips for unlocking slots quickly:
- Stockpile rerolls and nudges before attempting a triple — booby-trapped dice (Chapter 2 boss Kaiya) will punish careless rolls.
- Mini dice that land in the first column can form pairs and triples there naturally, making mini-dice builds the fastest route to unlocking.
- Survive with shields while you fish for triples; a stalled run with locked slots usually fails from lack of scaling, not raw defense.
Some bosses disable nudging entirely. Plan your board so a plain launch still triggers your strongest columns without manual adjustments.
Artifact Evaluation Cheat Sheet
When comparing artifact offers, weigh them against this priority list for a scaling run:
| Priority | Artifact Effect | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| High | Repeat attack per dice power | Scales with everything else you own |
| High | Strength per shield gained | Turns defense into permanent damage |
| High | Mini die on shield break / level-up | Compounds across the whole run |
| Mid | Column trigger on base dice | Reliable if positioned well |
| Mid | Multi per energy spent | Only in dedicated energy builds |
| Low | Effects on losing a heart | Reactive, offers no scaling |
Run Milestones:
- Commit to one build before the first boss
- Own at least one scaling artifact by end of Chapter 1
- Place scaling units on the bottom row
- Unlock both locked artifact slots in Chapter 2
- Stack a duplicate of your best artifact before the final boss
Money left unspent at run's end is wasted value. If nothing fits your build, buy rerolls or board tiles instead of letting money sit idle.
FAQ
Q: What are artifacts in Dicevaders?
Artifacts are passive items in dedicated slots that trigger effects during your turn — repeating attacks, granting shields, spawning mini dice, or adding multipliers. They are the main source of long-run damage scaling.
Q: How do I unlock artifact slots in Chapter 2?
Chapter 2 starts with two artifact slots locked. Score a triple in the corresponding column to unlock each one. Stockpile rerolls and nudges, and use mini dice builds to form triples more easily.
Q: What is the strongest artifact synergy for beginners?
Shield builds. Artifacts that grant strength per shield and give shields at turn start are common in early shops, and the bottom row gets stronger every round with almost no micro-management.
Q: Should I skip the shop in Dicevaders?
Skipping an unused shop raises shop priority and rarity, improving future offers. Skip when nothing fits your build; buy when an artifact or unit directly reinforces your chosen synergy.