Systems / 9 min read
Cards and Artifacts: Sets and Slots
Cards and artifacts are two of the systems SpiritVale uses to shape a character, and the official notes now describe both in more detail than the store page does. The store listing says the game includes more than 220 cards and 33 artifact sets; the 0.31.0 patch lists the class cards and master cards by name, and 0.32.0 introduced advanced artifacts across eight sets. This guide tracks what those notes document and how the two systems connect, so a setup decision can be traced to a version rather than to a tier list.
How cards and artifacts differ in practice
The two systems solve different problems and the official notes treat them separately. Cards are the socketed layer: 0.31.0 documents card entries per equipment slot, such as an accessory card, a weapon card, a leg-slot card, a chest card and a shield card, which means a card choice is also a slot choice. Artifacts are the set layer: 0.32.0 describes 32 advanced artifacts across eight sets, and this site's community-sourced overview of the base system describes four coordinated slots — Relic, Gem, Scroll and Rune — where pieces sharing a set name complete a set regardless of which of the four piece types they are. The practical difference is that a card is evaluated one item at a time, while an artifact decision is usually a decision about a set and therefore about four slots at once.
The class card accessories 0.31.0 published
0.31.0 lists eight class card accessories with flat values. Knight Card gives +10% threat per refine. Scout Card gives +5 atk and +5% hit. Mage Card gives +5 matk and +5% mdef pierce. Acolyte Card gives +5% healing and +5% buff duration. Rogue Card gives +5% atkspd and +5% flee. Summoner Card gives +5 summon all stats. Warrior Card gives +5% crit dmg and +5% def pierce. Those are the developer's own numbers and none of them is a ranking: the list tells you which attribute each class card touches, not which one is strongest for a given activity. Note also that the Knight Card is stated per refine while its neighbours are flat, so read each entry's wording before comparing two of them.
Master cards are refine-scaled trades
The same patch lists head-slot master cards. Weaver Master Card grants a set of effects conditioned on base attributes: +1 AA Chain at Str 99 or above, +1 Aspd Limit at Agi 99+, no Knockback at Vit 99+, -10% Mp Cost at Int 99+, no Cast Interrupt at Dex 99+, and +50% Stun Resist at Luk 99+. Gunslinger Master Card grants +3% perfect hit, +1% ranged damage per refine and +1 range. Wizard Master Card grants +1% magic damage per refine and +2 cast range. Priest Master Card grants +2% healing and -2% mp cost per refine. Shinobi Master Card grants +1% Cooldown Recovery and +2% mp cost per refine. Necro Master Card grants +2% mdef pierce per refine. Berserker Master Card grants +2% def pierce per refine. Three of those are explicitly two-sided trades rather than pure upgrades, and the Weaver entry is conditional on attribute thresholds the patch states exactly.
Weaver Card Combos link two cards together
Several 0.31.0 entries describe a Weaver Card Combo, which is a separate bonus that applies when the relevant pairing is present: +10% Non-Neutral Resist with the Paladin Card shield, +10% Debuff Duration for the Wizard Card, +5% Perfect Dodge and Move Speed for the Shinobi Card, +1 Atk per 10 Perfect Hit for the Gunslinger Card feet, +1 Skill Splash per 100% Healing for the Priest Card chest, and +1 Bond Targets with the Necromancer Card weapon. That structure is worth noting because it means a card is not always an isolated purchase: some of the documented value only appears when a second card is present, and the patch publishes no list of which combinations it considers intended beyond these named ones.
Advanced artifacts, introduced in 0.32.0
0.32.0 added an Advanced Artifact Box and states its contents and sources precisely: a random artifact out of 32 across eight sets, at a 0.1% drop rate from A-rank and S-rank maps, and also obtainable for 25 Umbral Fragments. Dismantling an advanced artifact yields a Masterwork Core, and advanced refinement requires a Masterwork Core alongside the existing materials, consumed on success. The 0.32.1 update then states that advanced boxes were added to Starfall. Two details in that chain change how a farm should be planned. The first is that the box drops from ranked maps specifically, so map rank is part of the acquisition route rather than a separate progression system. The second is that the core is consumed on success, which makes an advanced refinement attempt a recurring material cost rather than a one-off unlock.
Advanced Grimoires and the 0.33.0 cost change
The same 0.32.0 update introduced Advanced Grimoires and states that they are crafted at class masters using the matching artifact set, 25 Masterwork Cores and one corrupted core, and that the result is account bound. 0.33.0 then reduced the Grimoire crafting cost from 25 Masterwork Cores to 20. Together those two entries describe a route in which an artifact set is an input to a Grimoire rather than only a wearable: the set you complete can be spent, and the core that a dismantled advanced artifact produces is the currency that gates the craft. Because the cost changed once already, treat the number as versioned, and check the current value in your own client before stockpiling materials against it.
Where the materials actually come from
The 0.33.0 notes publish the drop rates for Boxes of Mastery and for essences, and both are tiered by map rank. Boxes of Mastery drop from level 100 maps at 0.3% on S-tier maps including Dark Fortress and Dark Manor, 0.25% on A-tier (Night Garden, Warcamp, Forge, Nexus), 0.2% on Abyss, and 0.15% on C-tier maps such as Maw, Sunken and Starfall. Essence drop rates were multiplied by tier: x3 on S, x2.5 on A, x2 on B and x1.5 on C, with worked examples including Dark Fortress and Dark Manor moving from 0.1% to 0.3%, Abyss from 0.075% to 0.15%, Goblin Cave from 0.03% to 0.045%, and Sunny Meadows unchanged at 0.01%. The stated intent in the same section is to shift value toward field farming. These are the developer's own figures for one patch, not a permanent rate table.
Evaluating a setup without a tier list
A card or artifact choice only makes sense alongside the class, the equipment slot, the intended content and the current patch. Write down four things before committing: the patch version, whether the target is PvE or PvP, the refine level of any per-refine entry involved, and the activity the setup solves. Two further cautions come straight from the notes. First, the 0.31.0 patch states that Lockdown's stacking bonus was fixed to reach ten stacks while the stat sheet still does not update past one, so a displayed number is not always the full value — a documented display limitation rather than a hidden stat. Second, 0.34.0 states that Perfect gear crafts now carry over Refines and Cards, which means a craft decision and a socketing decision are no longer independent. Keep a dated note for each change and re-check only the entries a new patch actually mentions.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get advanced artifacts in SpiritVale?
The 0.32.0 notes state that advanced artifacts come out of the Advanced Artifact Box — a random artifact out of 32 across eight sets — at a 0.1% drop rate from A-rank and S-rank maps, or for 25 Umbral Fragments.
What happens when you dismantle an advanced artifact?
The 0.32.0 notes say dismantling an advanced artifact yields a Masterwork Core, and that advanced refinement requires a Masterwork Core plus existing materials, consumed on success.
How many Masterwork Cores does an advanced Grimoire cost?
0.32.0 stated 25 Masterwork Cores plus one corrupted core and the matching artifact set, and 0.33.0 then reduced the Grimoire crafting cost from 25 Masterwork Cores to 20.
Do SpiritVale class cards give the same kind of bonus?
No. The 0.31.0 list shows different attributes per class card, and the wording differs too — the Knight Card is stated per refine while the Scout, Mage, Acolyte, Rogue, Summoner and Warrior accessories are stated as flat values.