Lost City of Omu Artifact Equipment Guide: Which Pieces Are Worth Going For?

In this guide I’d like to quickly go over the Artifact Equipment additions in Neverwinter’s Lost City of Omu and discuss which pieces are worth going for. Please note that this guide will not list the best equipment for all classes and builds, nor give advise on your options from other modules. For the latter you might want to check out our basic guides for Artifact Gear and Weapons, which cover all currently available gear and where to get it.

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Weapon Sets

Let’s start with the weapons sets of Omu. The module introduced five overall that have the same stats but differ in their set bonuses. The weapons can go as high as item level 520.

Pioneer Weapons

The Pioneer Weapons are easy to obtain for campaign currency of the Omu campaign and a very viable weapon for alts. Thanks to it’s set bonus it’s also a budget alternative for all those support builds that share power. In case you aren’t able or can’t afford Stronghold Weapons as Devoted Cleric and Oathbound Paladin, this could be an interesting choice. Even though these weapons are clearly not on the same level as others in the mod, they are still endgame viable. You do not need a stronger set to master any content.

Pilgrim Weapons

I’m not a huge fan of the Pilgrim Weapons personally. The most of it is purely cost/benefit. For new players they are likely too expensive and veterans have access to better alternatives. The only character that I’m currently using the Pilgrims on is a Guardian Fighter’s DPS loudout, which I mainly use to solo (he’s a Tactitian). So yeah, for solo purposes or if you really just want any set as soon as possible, there you go. Otherwise: Stay away! Pioneer Weapons are the much better budget alternative and Primal + Stronghold “bis”.

Primal Weapons

This set is what most DPS players are using nowadays, and for good reason. Its set bonus procs off overhealing, and possibly even Life Steal, and hence is up almost at any time. There is some confusion on how the Tyrant bonus works and whether or not that set could technically outperform Primal in longer fights, but if you’re wielding this one you certainly aren’t doing wrong on a DPS. Since it’s available for Seal of the Brave it’s at least that much more accessible than the pain-in-the-ass-to-farm Tyrant Weapons.

Tyrant Weapons

Like mentioned above there is a bit of a confusion how effective Tyrant Weapons are. A patch recently changed their stack interval from 15 to 5 seconds, which should you get to the maximum buff faster. The set is still comparably hard to obtain while in the end giving a slightly worse buff in terms of uptime than Primal. Some players suggested that the buff can stack up to 20%, but we are getting conflicted reports on this to say the least. In case you’re really thinking about farming this one, I highly recommend going on preview and do some fact checking on the set bonus first. As of right now, I don’t see too many players running around with this. Even if technically “bis” it wouldn’t beat Primal for DPS in my book because those are so easy to obtain.

Stronghold Weapons

If you’re a support type player, then chances are that Stronghold Weapons are “bis”. The main issue with these is the price tag. Power sharers have a very viable alternative in Pioneer Weapons and all other support toons can also get the cheaper Mod 11 versions from Masterwork II Recipes. They feature the same buff for the party and since stats won’t likely matter, who cares. This makes Stronghold Weapons a true case of wanting to max in every possible area. For most players they are out of reach anyway. And even those that could afford them should take a hard look at alternatives and decide whether or not it’s really worth it.

Artifact Gear

The Lost City of Omu features seven brand-new sets of Artifact Gear that feature item level 500 on legendary ranks. They feature significantly more stats than earlier sets and come with unique bonuses.

Masterwork Sets

Masterwork sets come in four different variants and most builds and classes should find something they can utilize. The attribute stats make sense, but I can see why Hunter Rangers and Scourge Warlocks might feel a little left out here. It’s easy to min/max around the sets, so you should always be able to incorporate them and adjust your gear accordingly. The one main downside is the set bonus, which probably is only great for support toons and maybe Control Wizards. Older bonuses are sometimes superior, like the “Demon Lords” one on certain DPS builds (GF/HR etc.), or “Valhalla” on tanks. The Masterwork sets really make most sense in cases where you can’t utilize any other set bonus.

Obviously the price tage also is an issue with these, but I feel like it’s much less of a burden than with the weapons. Going for them where it makes sense means you’re getting a significant upgrade that’s most likely worth the investment.

Set of the Soulmonger

This set is so weird. With Wisdon and Charisma as attributes it’s probably best used on support type builds, which obviously can also use the set bonus to gain a little more Temp HP and survivability in the process. I can’t even say it doesn’t make sense in the context of such a build, but it’s also so meaningless. The same probably also applies to PVP where the Temp HP hardly matter. On PC the set sells for pennies. Go figure. The fact that this drops from the M13 capstone content makes it just as much more puzzling. Why would you gate a subpar set behind your most challenging dungeon?

One star for a bit PVP viability and because it’s cheap, but I really can’t go higher here.

Set of the Serpent

This one is weird as well, although for different reasons. Charm of the Serpent is a nice debuffing artifact and the set bonus seems to be useful, although a little hard to keep up. But both the Skin of the Serpent and the Wrap of the Serpent then feature defensive stats all across the board. I mean, what is this? A set for tanks that want to add extra damage? Or a set for DPS that want to be a little more tanky? Whatever it is, it makes no sense in the current meta. At least you can turn a bit of the defensive stats into Power with the Assassin’s Covenant Insignia Bonus, but that hardly makes it worthwhile.

For whatever reason players feared this one would be the next overpowered piece of gear before Mod 13. But let’s just say it hasn’t really turned out that way. Both the Skin and the Wrap however are viable min/maxing pieces for defensive minded and support toons.

Set of the Skull Lord

With Wisdom and Charisma on the Skull Lord Sash I could see this on some Pallys. But the set? Again: Who needs Temp HP, much less on killing an enemy? It doesn’t help that the Skull Lord Staff features Gold Gain as tertiary stat. Maybe I’m not getting specific niches with these sets, but I personally haven’t even remotely considered giving them to any of my toons. With Soulmonger I at least get the intentions, but Skull Lord completely lacks a purpose in my book.

Conclusion

While you should be able to find something within the Artifact Weapons choices, it’s not so easy for the Artifact Gear. The “bis” min/max Masterwork pieces cost a lot of AD and the cheaper sets that drop from the world in most cases aren’t a clear upgrade over older sets. I guess you will be able to find a combination that suits you in case you really want to sport the latest item levels, but if you’ve been using a set bonus like “Demon Lords”, chance is that this one will still be “bis” for you.

So if you’d like to max out at any time, by all means go for it, but I wouldn’t blame you for waiting out the module and see whether something better rolls around in the future.


What’s your opinion on the Artifact Equipment of Module 13. Do you use anything or did you stick with the stuff you already had? Share your thoughts in the comments below, on our social channels, or the corresponding thread on our message board!

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j0Shi

j0Shi plays the Neverwinter MMORPG since the open BETA in 2013 and is a regular contributor to the blog and the whole UN:Project. Originally a Guardian Fighter, he has built up ALTs of all classes and plays on BIS/near-BIS level.

3 thoughts on “Lost City of Omu Artifact Equipment Guide: Which Pieces Are Worth Going For?

  • May 14, 2018 at 8:00 am
    Permalink

    Primal weapon bonus do not proc from lifesteal.

  • May 14, 2018 at 12:08 pm
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    Are ANY of the weapon sets BtA?

    WIS and CHA would be OK for an AC DC. But many use a Belt of WIS +4 with a Company Cloak for +6 WIS or +4 WIS, +2 CHA, or Belt of WIS and a neck piece with APG, Power, Recovery and whatever for the 3rd stat.

  • May 22, 2018 at 4:49 am
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    So we sum up: Fail.

    And… surprise, surprise… next fail icomming!

    Ravenloft will bring:
    – New weapons -> No one will use them
    – New sets -> No one will use it
    – New artifact -> Even the best buff is crap compared to the Wheel so it will be ignored like 20 other artifacts
    – New armour -> DPS will use the +% dmg from Oum so the power creep/progression is not working. Fail.
    – New hunt items and day/night equip -> Mod specific -> Not cool -> Not nescessary, annoying. Skip it.

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