Sandustry Artifacts: Augment Forge, Recall Shards & Puzzles
Artifacts are optional underground alien collectibles hidden behind environmental puzzle chambers. Each one grants permanent character upgrades at the Augment Forge — including Swift speed boosts, Phase Dash teleportation, and the 5/5 Triple Shot mining beam. They also unlock Recall Shard crafting to instantly return to base.
What Are Artifacts in Sandustry?
Artifacts in Sandustry are underground relics hidden behind environmental puzzles. Unlike Stardew Valley artifacts (which are donated to a museum for farming rewards), Sandustry artifacts grant permanent gameplay upgrades — movement speed, weapon modifiers, and progress at the Augment Forge.
They tie directly into factory-building progression: faster movement speeds up underground trips between factory modules; weapon augments make artifact hunting easier; and the Forge's Triple Shot unlock (5 artifacts required) makes combat and bulk excavation trivial.
The Artifact Locator (Void Juice Radar)
The Artifact Locator is a radar device that pings nearby artifact chambers through solid rock. It runs on Void Juice as fuel — each ping consumes a small amount.
To power the Locator, you need the full Tier-6 refining chain:
For the full recipe and automation setup, see our complete Voidjuice & Prismite guide.
The Three Puzzle Patterns
Instead of memorizing fixed coordinates (which change every save), learn to recognize the three repeatable room patterns. Every artifact room in Sandustry is built around one of these.
Frostbed Above Water
A body of Water blocks the route to the Artifact. Directly above the water sits a layer of Frostbed — that is the puzzle's answer, not an obstacle.
- 1.Break the Frostbed (Shovel, Gun, or any tool that affects it).
- 2.Snow falls from the broken Frostbed into the Water below.
- 3.Water freezes into Ice on contact with Snow.
- 4.Walk across the new Ice bridge to claim the Artifact.
If Frostbed sits above Water that blocks your route, break the Frostbed before digging around the room.
Dark Maze
A maze of corridors with very low visibility. No obvious material conversion — the problem is navigation, not destruction.
- 1.Equip the Flashlight before entering.
- 2.Move one corridor branch at a time.
- 3.If a branch continues, follow it. If it dead-ends, backtrack to the previous split.
- 4.Do not mine through walls — the maze structure is the puzzle boundary.
- 5.Keep testing branches until you reach the Artifact.
Bring the Flashlight. Treat darkness as the problem; treat the walls as the boundary.
Sealed Entrance
A deliberate obstruction blocks an obvious chamber. The material sealing the entrance is the clue — ask: Can the Shovel affect it? Can it burn? Can the Gun destroy it?
- 1.Inspect the blocking material (not the chamber walls).
- 2.Apply the tool that interacts with that specific material (Flamethrower for burnables, Shovel for loose, Gun for brittle).
- 3.The obstruction clears and exposes the Artifact area.
- 4.If no current tool works, leave and return after the next tool unlock.
If something specific blocks the room, test the tool that affects that material before searching for another entrance.
Augment Forge Upgrade Matrix
The Augment Forge is an ancient alien terminal found in subterranean ruins. Bringing discovered Artifacts to the Forge permanently binds enhancements to your character suit and mining weaponry:
| Augment | Cost / Tier | Exact Effect | Factory & Survival Role |
|---|---|---|---|
👟Swift I | 1 ArtifactTier 1 | +15% Base Movement Speed | Essential early-game exploration sprint. |
🧲Ore Magnet | 2 ArtifactsTier 1 | 4-tile pickup aura for loose ore & nuggets | Prevents gold flakes from getting lost in rubble. |
⚡Swift II | 3 ArtifactsTier 2 | +30% Base Movement Speed | Replaces Swift I; doubles transit speed underground. |
🛡️Thermal Shield | 3 ArtifactsTier 2 | 3.0s total immunity to Lava & heat damage | Survive accidental drops into geothermal basins. |
🌀Phase Dash | 4 ArtifactsTier 3 | Blink 2.5 tiles through hazards with i-frames | Bypass falling sand walls, crushers, and lava pits. |
👁️Void Vision | 4 ArtifactsTier 3 | Reveals chambers & density lines through rock (20t) | Spot hidden artifact vaults without blind digging. |
💥Triple Shot | 5 ArtifactsTier 4 (Forge 5/5) | Mining laser fires 3 spread beams in 30° cone | Triples excavation throughput; clears mineral walls. |
🚀Swift III | 5 ArtifactsTier 4 | +45% Base Movement Speed | Maximum player movement velocity in Early Access. |
⏱️Overclock Core | 6 ArtifactsTier 5 (Apex) | +50% tool extraction rate for 8s (15s CD) | Rapidly strip high-hardness veins like Prismite. |
Recall Shards: Refining Chain & Subterranean Farming Routes
Recall Shards are consumable alien key items that allow instant teleportation from the deepest subterranean caverns back to your surface factory terminal. They are also required in significant quantities to unlock late-game Tier 5/6 Research nodes (such as Dimensional Transceivers and Vacuum Cargo Lifts).
Method 1: Subterranean Vault Clears
Every solved Ancient Civilization puzzle room contains 1–2 guaranteed Recall Shards in the central vault pedestal. The densest cluster of rooms spawns along the Sandstone horizon (-30m to -45m), spaced roughly 70 tiles apart horizontally.
Method 2: Forge Transmutation (Endgame)
Once the Augment Forge is advanced to Tier 4, you can transmute infinite Recall Shards:1x Void Crystal + 4x Quartz Crystals → 1x Recall ShardQuartz is crushed from Sandstone in a Kinetic Press, making Sandstone automated farming essential for infinite teleportation fuel.
🌀 Phase Dash Traversal & Hazard Bypass
Unlocking Phase Dash (4 Artifacts at the Forge) fundamentally alters underground spelunking. By pressing the Dash hotkey (or double-tapping a direction), your suit dematerializes for 0.2 seconds and blinks 2.5 tiles forward:
- ✓Falling Sand Immunity: Pass cleanly through high-speed falling Sand and Sandstone shafts without being crushed or pinned against terrain.
- ✓Lava Moat Crossing: Dash across 2-tile wide surface Lava streams without triggering thermal burn damage.
- ✓Portcullis Bypass: Skip pressure plate triggers in Sealed Entrance puzzle rooms by phasing through narrow barred gaps.
When to Walk Away from an Artifact Room
Not every artifact needs to be solved on first encounter. Artifact hunting works best beside normal progression, not instead of it.
- • Room is already on your route
- • You recognize the puzzle pattern
- • You have the right tool
- • You are 1-2 interactions from finishing
- • None of your tools affect the obvious obstacle
- • You are making huge mining detours
- • You are burning resources without learning
- • Your factory has a clearer problem waiting
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Artifacts in Sandustry?
Artifacts are underground alien collectibles hidden inside environmental puzzle vaults. They unlock permanent player upgrades — Swift movement speed (I/II/III), weapon modifiers (Triple Shot), mobility perks (Phase Dash), and allow crafting Recall Shards at the Augment Forge.
What is the Augment Forge in Sandustry?
The Augment Forge is an ancient station located in underground civilization hubs. Spending excavated Artifacts at the Forge unlocks permanent character modifiers including Swift movement, Phase Dash teleportation, Ore Magnet, and the 5/5 Triple Shot mining laser.
How do you get Recall Shards in Sandustry?
Recall Shards are obtained from ancient puzzle vault chests between -30m and -60m depth, or synthesized at the Augment Forge by combining 1x Void Crystal with 4x Quartz Crystals once Tier 4 research is unlocked.
How does Phase Dash work in Sandustry?
Phase Dash is a Forge mobility augment (costs 4 Artifacts). Double-tapping a movement key instantly blinks your character 2.5 tiles forward with brief invulnerability, bypassing falling sand hazards, closed portcullises, and lava moats.
What does the Artifact Locator do?
The Artifact Locator is a radar device fueled by distilled Void Juice. Each pulse scans the surrounding subterranean terrain and reveals the precise coordinates of buried artifact chambers and ancient ruins.
How many Artifacts are required to unlock Triple Shot?
Triple Shot requires advancing the Augment Forge to 5/5 (5 total Artifacts collected). It modifies your mining gun to fire 3 spread beams, dramatically speeding up mineral excavation.
Are Sandustry Artifacts the same as Stardew Valley artifacts?
No. Sandustry artifacts are tied to factory automation progression and underground puzzle rooms, while Stardew Valley artifacts are donated to the museum for farming-related rewards. They are mechanically unrelated.
Related Sandustry Guides
Sandustry Void Juice: Exact Recipe, Prismite & Setup
Mine Prismite, distill Void Juice, and power the Artifact Locator radar.
Sandustry Settling Order: Full Density Table
Interactive density table for all 58 materials and anti-clog physics.
Sandustry Research Tree: All 46 Techs & Costs
All 46 research nodes with Gold and Recall Shard costs.
Sandustry Machines & Automation Encyclopedia
All 12 buildings: inputs, outputs, temperatures and setups.
Sandustry Blueprint Library: Top Community Setups
Decoded blueprint strings for infinite loops, smelters, and sorters.
Sandustry Water Guide: 4 Ways to Get Infinite Water
Condenser, Ice, Snowmaker and the infinite Lumling water loop.
Sandustry Lava Guide: Infinite Lava, Heat & Power Loops
Learn Scoria ignition, geothermal steam elevators, and slag roasting.
Sandustry Lumling Guide: Food, Breeding & Pen Setup
Complete breeding guide, pen containment, and slime husbandry.