On Wonder of the World gameworlds, the artefact release is a turning point. Artefacts shape the endgame and give powerful bonuses to their owners. If you’re new to artefacts, start with the overview of artefact effects and the step-by-step guide to capturing artefacts.
What to prepare (before release day)
Coordinate with your alliance. Even though a solo capture is possible, alliances typically organize artefact runs. Your leaders may ask you to set up a level-20 Treasury in a specific village or to have 55 catapults ready nearby to quickly strike the target Treasury.
Pick the right hero loadout. If you’re clearing Natars, equipping the Natar Horn (left-hand item) adds 20–30% attack against Natars depending on tier.
Choose a capture village. You’ll need an empty Treasury at the correct level: 10 for small artefacts, 20 for large and unique.
Plan your timing. The most valuable artefacts are often captured within minutes. Be online when the artefacts appear.
A common 3-wave plan (you can also combine these)
Cleaner wave: Send a fast clearing army with your hero (Natar Horn recommended). Natars do not have a wall when villages spawn, and in artefact villages they can only build up to wall level 1, so rams aren’t required.
Catapult wave (Treasury snipe): Send enough catapults to destroy a level-20 Treasury (55 non-upgraded catas with one target set to “Treasury” are sufficient).
Hero capture: Launch from the village that has the empty Treasury at the required level to pick up the artefact.
Tip: One player can execute all three functions; splitting them across players just optimizes travel times and reliability.
Where artefacts usually spawn
Unique artefacts: within or near the gray area (approx. coordinates 0–25).
Large (and some small): spread in a wide spiral after the uniques (approx. 20–60).
Small: further out, roughly 40–110.
These are approximate and scale with the gameworld’s population: the more stretched the world, the more stretched the spirals.
What defenses to expect (and how to scout)
Defense formula: Base Natar defense × gameworld speed × a random world multiplier.
Scouts are present in artefact villages (unlike independent Natar villages). Send at least 200–400 scouts if you want reliable reports.
Same-tier parity: All artefacts of the same tier (small/large/unique) share the same defense and consistent ratios between tiers.
Small → Large: small × 1.5384
Large → Unique: large × 1.5
Reverse (Unique → Large): unique ÷ 1.5
Reverse (Large → Small): large ÷ 1.5384
Scout the closest artefact of a tier, then use the ratios to estimate the others. For examples of typical defense compositions, review past reports in your alliance channels and use the in-game combat simulator to verify your clearing power.
Quick troubleshooting
My catapults didn’t drop the Treasury: Check that you targeted only Treasury, sent enough catapults (55 non-upgraded for level 20), and that siege engines weren’t intercepted.
My hero didn’t capture: Ensure the Treasury level in the sending village met the requirement (10 small / 20 large & unique) and that the artefact was still present when your hero arrived.
We can’t find artefacts where we expected: Re-check coordinates near the gray zone and along the spiral ranges listed above; density varies by world population.
Learn more
Read the full reference on artefact effects.
Follow the detailed instructions for capturing artefacts.
After the artefacts, prepare for the next milestones with: How to get ready for Construction Plan release and Building a World Wonder.