Artifice is the moon that pressures you everywhere at once. Most moons have a dangerous zone and a manageable one. Artifice does not.
What spawns here
| Entity | Base spawn chance | Threat |
|---|---|---|
| Manticoils | 46.88% | None |
| Old Bird | 45% | Severe |
| Roaming Locusts | 34.9% | None |
| Butler | 7.22% | Real |
| Masked | 7.06% | Severe |
| Baboon Hawks | 7% | Real |
| Tulip Snakes | 2.6% | Minor |
Two numbers define this moon. Old Bird at 45% is the second-highest rate for that entity in the tables. Masked at 7.06% is the highest Masked rate of any moon.
That combination is what makes Artifice expensive. You cannot relax outside, and you cannot relax inside.
The surface problem
Old Bird at 45% means you should assume one is active and plan around it rather than hope it is not there.
The counter is not combat. An Old Bird only lands on players who are standing, so the answer to a spotlight finding you is to crouch and wait it out.
It also gives you two free warnings if you know to look for them:
- Screen shake. When it is roaming nearby, your screen vibrates slightly with each of its steps. That is your cue to stop moving and crouch before it sees you upright.
- Black smoke. When it flies, the flames it emits leave smoke behind. You can read the trail and tell where it is going to land.
Both warnings are the difference between an Artifice run and an Artifact funeral. Learn them on a cheaper moon first.
Baboon Hawks at 7% are low but not zero, so keep the group together on the walk. The outnumber rule applies, and a scattered crew on a moon with 45% Old Bird is asking for two problems at once.
The facility problem
Masked at 7.06% is the highest figure for that entity anywhere. On Artifice you should assume at least one is present.
It mimics crewmates, cannot be scanned, and shows as a normal blue employee icon on the radar. There is no gear answer. The counter is social: call names, wait for answers, never travel alone.
Butler at 7.22% reinforces the same rule. It draws its knife on isolated players, and killing it releases a Mask Hornet swarm. Stay in pairs and walk past it.
How to run it
Agree two rules before you land, and say them out loud: nobody goes in alone, and we call names when we meet.
Set the turnaround early and let the ship operator enforce it. Artifice is a moon where the surface and the facility both punish lateness, and the two penalties compound.
Keep the group tight outside. Crouch on spotlight contact. Do not stop to sort inventory on the surface.
Inside, move as pairs in the same room. Do not kill Butlers. If someone reports a Ghost Girl, walk out with them rather than checking.
What to carry here
A flashlight each. Non-negotiable here. Artifice pressures you in both zones and the light is the one thing that helps in the facility.
One shovel. For the hornet swarm that follows a killed Butler, and for nothing else. It does not help with Old Bird or Masked.
A Walkie-Talkie each, 12 credits. At 7.06% Masked, name verification is the core mechanic of this moon, and it needs audio.
A Radar Booster. It will not reveal a Masked. It will tell you where your own people are, which on Artifice matters because the surface is contested and regrouping costs time you do not have.
Leave the Zap Gun and the Jetpack at the store. Both are expensive answers to problems Artifice does not have.
When to skip it
Skip Artifice unless a cheaper moon genuinely cannot clear the quota. This is a deliberate, geared, late-cycle destination.
Skip it with fewer than four people, or with any crew that has not yet internalised name verification. At 7.06% Masked, a crew that does not verify will lose someone.
Related guides
- How to beat Old Bird — the crouch counter and both warning signs.
- How to beat Masked — the highest-rate threat inside Artifice.
- Moons tier list — how Artifice compares to Embrion and Adamance.