The Artifact of Prestige guarantees at least one Shrine of the Mountain on every normal stage, with effects that are permanent across stages. Each shrine stacks more difficulty and more item rewards at every teleporter event for the rest of the run. It requires the Alloyed Collective DLC and is the only artifact with a unique trial mechanic - progressively harder boss waves for each key use.
Reach Iron Alluvium (Stage 3, Alloyed Collective DLC required). Find the code slab near an elevated drill structure. Note the code: ▲●● ■●▲ ●●■.
Reach Sky Meadow (Stage 5) or Helminth Hatchery. Drop to the Compound Generator below the island. Enter the code using the 9 switches and submit at the laptop.
Enter the Artifact Portal (red portal). You arrive in Bulwark's Ambry with the Trial of Prestige active.
Pick up the Artifact Key in front of the Reliquary. Use it on the Reliquary - a boss spawns. Defeat it. A new key appears where the first spawned.
Do not stack keys. Use one at a time. Each key use spawns another boss, with each subsequent boss equal to one extra Shrine of the Mountain stack. Kill, collect key, use it, repeat.
Destroy the Reliquary to grab the Artifact of Prestige. A portal back to Stage 1 opens. The artifact is permanently unlocked.
The code tablet for the Artifact of Prestige is on Iron Alluvium, the Stage 3 Alloyed Collective desert environment. Look near the elevated drill structure for a stone slab with the pattern engraved on it. You need the AC DLC enabled to reach this stage.
Every artifact trial uses the same Bulwark's Ambry structure - but Trial of Prestige is different. Each Artifact Key use spawns a boss wave that scales harder with every use, simulating Shrine of the Mountain stacks.
| Key Use | Difficulty | What Spawns |
|---|---|---|
| Key 1 | Base | Normal Ambry boss wave |
| Key 2 | + 1 Shrine of Mountain | Harder boss wave, more elites possible |
| Key 3 | + 2 Shrines of Mountain | Significantly more dangerous |
| Key 4 | Penultimate = 2 Shrines | Toughest wave before final key |
| Key Final | Reliquary destroyed | Artifact drops, portal opens |
Pick up one Artifact Key, use it on the Reliquary, defeat the boss, then pick up the next key. Hoarding keys wastes them - using a key removes all keys in your inventory simultaneously. One at a time, every time.
At least one Shrine of the Mountain spawns on every normal stage with a teleporter. It does NOT spawn on Commencement or other final stages.
Each Shrine of the Mountain activated carries its effect to all future stages. By Stage 5 you could have 5 shrines worth of difficulty and reward stacked.
Each shrine activated = more/stronger bosses at teleporter. But also +1 item per player per teleporter event. The trade-off scales exponentially late.
Already strong solo. Guaranteed extra item every teleporter event from Stage 1 onward. Item advantage compounds rapidly.
Choose every item that the extra shrine drops generate. Full control over a rapidly expanding inventory.
All enemies are already elites. Shrine of Mountain makes teleporter events spawn even more of them. Extreme challenge with elite item drops.
Monsters gain items between stages AND teleporter bosses scale with Prestige. Very high difficulty, matching item reward.
Running Eclipse with Prestige is the highest difficulty setting possible without mods. For challenge runners only.
Double spawns on already-boosted teleporter events. Item volume is enormous but survival becomes very difficult late.
Trial of Prestige is the challenge to unlock the Artifact of Prestige, added in the Alloyed Collective DLC. You enter the Compound Generator code (▲●● ■●▲ ●●■) at Sky Meadow or Helminth Hatchery, then complete a modified Bulwark's Ambry trial where each Artifact Key use spawns a progressively harder boss wave instead of a standard enemy wave.
The Artifact of Prestige code is ▲●● ■●▲ ●●■. The code tablet is found on Iron Alluvium, an Alloyed Collective Stage 3 environment, near an elevated drill structure. Enter it at the Compound Generator on Sky Meadow or Helminth Hatchery.
In every other artifact trial, using an Artifact Key damages the Reliquary and enemies spawn continuously. In the Trial of Prestige, each key use specifically spawns a boss wave simulating a Shrine of the Mountain stack. Each subsequent boss wave is harder than the last. On the penultimate key, it equals 2 Shrines of the Mountain worth of difficulty.
The Artifact of Prestige guarantees at least one Shrine of the Mountain spawns on every normal stage with a teleporter. Shrine of the Mountain effects are permanent between stages - each activation stacks throughout the run. By late stages you have multiple shrines worth of harder teleporter events but also significantly more item drops per event.
No. Shrines of the Mountain only spawn on normal stages with a teleporter. Commencement (the final stage with Mithrix) does not have a normal teleporter setup and will not spawn a shrine from Prestige.
Yes. The Artifact of Prestige is exclusive to the Alloyed Collective DLC. Both the code (found on Iron Alluvium) and the artifact itself require the DLC to be enabled.