You're standing at the bottom of Sky Meadow. The music is swelling, those annoying Jellyfish are hovering just out of reach, and you’re staring at a 3x3 grid of stone laptops. This is the Compound Generator. If you don't have the right risk of rain 2 artifacts codes memorized, you’re basically just punching buttons in the dark.
Honestly, the Artifact system is what keeps Risk of Rain 2 from getting stale after the hundredth hour. It’s the ultimate "fine, I'll do it myself" menu for difficulty and chaos. Some of these codes make you an unkillable god. Others make the game so brutally hard you'll want to uninstall within five minutes. But first, you have to find them. Or, if you're like most of us, you just look them up because hunting for hidden tablets in the environment while a Wandering Vagrant tries to nuke you is a special kind of stress.
Getting to the Surface: How the Codes Work
The game doesn't just give you these. You have to go to the fifth stage, Sky Meadow, and head underneath the main floating island. There’s a giant machine there. You input a sequence of shapes—squares, circles, triangles, and diamonds—and then step through a portal to a hidden realm called Bulwark's Ambry.
Once you're in the Ambry, you don't just "get" the artifact. You have to fight for it. You’ll be tasked with collecting Artifact Keys from enemies to damage a central monolith. The twist? The artifact you’re trying to unlock is active during the fight. If you’re trying to unlock the Artifact of Glass, you’ll be doing 500% damage, but you’ll also have 10% health while trying to survive the encounter. It’s a trial by fire.
The Most Important Risk of Rain 2 Artifacts Codes for Your Sanity
Let’s talk about the heavy hitters. If you ask any veteran player which code they use the most, it’s Command.
Artifact of Command (The Build Maker)
This is the one. It replaces all random item drops with a "Command Essence." When you open a chest, you pick exactly what you want. Want to stack 20 Soldier's Syringes on Commando? Go for it. Want to see how many Bungus items an Engineer can carry before the game crashes? This is how.
The Code: Square, Square, Square
Square, Square, Square
Triangle, Triangle, Triangle
It sounds easy, right? It is, but it also kind of ruins the "roguelike" feel for some people. It turns the game into a power fantasy simulator. If you're hunting for specific achievements or just want to see the "long game" without getting screwed by RNG, Command is your best friend.
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Artifact of Sacrifice (No More Chests)
Some people hate chests. They’re expensive, they’re hidden, and they take time to open. Sacrifice makes enemies drop items instead.
The Code:
Triangle, Triangle, Triangle
Triangle, Triangle, Triangle
Triangle, Triangle, Triangle
(Yes, it’s just nine triangles. Hopoo Games wasn't feeling particularly cryptic that day.)
Pairing Sacrifice with Command is the "meta" for long runs. You just sit in one spot, kill everything, and watch the items pile up. It’s lazy. It’s efficient. It’s glorious.
Artifact of Swarms (Double the Fun)
Swarms doubles the enemy count but halves their health. It sounds scary, but it actually makes the game easier if you have any kind of "on-kill" items like Gasoline or Will-o'-the-wisp.
The Code:
Circle, Circle, Triangle
Triangle, Diamond, Triangle
Triangle, Circle, Circle
The Ones That Will Actually Kill Your Run
Not every code is a blessing. Some are designed by people who clearly enjoy watching players suffer. Artifact of Glass is the prime example. You deal 500% damage. That’s massive. But you have 10% of your health. In Risk of Rain 2, 10% health means a stray wisp shot or a fall off a cliff can end a 40-minute run instantly.
Then there’s Evolution. This one gives enemies items between stages. Imagine a group of Lemurians showing up with Tougher Times (bears) and Paul’s Goat Hoof. They’ll be faster than you, they’ll block your shots, and they’ll probably taunt you while they do it. It’s a nightmare.
Why the Hidden Locations Matter
You can find these codes etched into the environment throughout the game. They aren't just random. Hopoo Games hid them in some truly devious spots.
- Titanic Knurl: Look on the edges of the map, sometimes on the undersides of the stone arches.
- Wetland Aspect: There’s one hidden behind a secret wall in the "altar" area.
- Abandoned Aqueduct: Check the tops of the massive ribcage structures.
- Distant Roost: One is often hidden on a tiny ledge far below the main platform.
Looking for these yourself is a cool way to experience the lore, but let’s be real: most players just want to unlock the stuff. The community-driven wiki and various Reddit threads have mapped these out since the early access days, and honestly, the sheer effort players put into finding the "Vengeance" code (which spawns a doppelganger of yourself every 10 minutes) is impressive.
Advanced Tactics: Combining Codes
The real magic happens when you stack them. If you’re a completionist trying to hit the 20-stage "Long Road" achievement, you shouldn't go in raw.
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Use Command, Sacrifice, and Swarms together. This is the "God Mode Lite" setup. Because Swarms doubles the enemies, and Sacrifice makes enemies drop items, you’re effectively doubling your item drop rate. By stage 10, your screen will be a chaotic mess of proc chains and explosions, and you’ll likely be moving so fast that you'll fly off the map if you tap the "W" key too hard.
Common Misconceptions About Artifacts
I’ve heard people say that using artifacts disables achievements. That’s mostly false. You can still unlock most characters and skins with artifacts active. However, it does make some of the "pure" challenges feel a bit cheap. If you unlock the Mastery skin for Mercenary by using Command to give yourself 50 Hardlight Afterburners, did you really "master" the character? Probably not. But hey, the skin looks cool regardless.
Another thing: Artifact of Vengeance. People think the clone is just a mirror of your stats. It’s actually more dangerous. The clone has your items, but it also has AI aiming. If you have a Royal Capacitor, the clone will snip you from across the map the second it spawns. Be careful.
The Complete Logic of the Ambry
When you're inside the Bulwark's Ambry, the environment changes based on the artifact you're unlocking. The visual cues are subtle but brilliant. The trial for the Artifact of Soul (where enemies spawn wisps on death) is filled with purple, ethereal energy. It’s a level of detail that shows the developers really cared about the world-building, even for a game that is essentially a giant math equation about damage scaling.
If you die in the Ambry, your run is over. It’s not a "bonus" stage where you’re safe. You need to go in prepared. If you're trying to unlock something late-game (like stage 10+), the Ambry scaling can be terrifying. It's usually better to loop once and hit Sky Meadow on the second pass when your build is actually online.
Your Next Steps for a Perfect Run
- Load up a run as Loader or Artificer. Their mobility makes finding the machine in Sky Meadow much easier.
- Prioritize the Command code first. It’s the gateway to everything else.
- Head to the lower level of Sky Meadow. Look for the giant "ribs" of the machine sticking out of the bottom of the island.
- Input the code for Sacrifice. Triangle, Triangle, Triangle / Triangle, Triangle, Triangle / Triangle, Triangle, Triangle.
- Survive the trial. Keep moving. Don't stop to look at the scenery.
- Experiment. Once you have 3 or 4 artifacts, start mixing them to see how the game’s logic breaks.
The beauty of these codes isn't just the power they give you. It’s how they let you curate your own experience. Whether you want a relaxing 30-minute slaughter or a stressful, one-hit-and-you're-dead challenge, the artifacts provide the levers. Just remember to write down the patterns—or keep this page open—because there is nothing worse than getting to the machine and forgetting if it was a square or a diamond.