How to Unlock Tempus Artifact in Risk of Rain Returns

The Artifact of Tempus is a brand-new artifact in RoRR that changes how item pick-ups work. Here’s how to unlock the Tempus Artifact in Risk of Rain Returns.

Risk of Rain Returns: How to Unlock the Tempus Artifact

What Does the RoRR Artifact of Tempus Do?

The Tempus Artifact makes it so that items you pick up are temporary. However, they’ll always be worth multiple stacks. So while items will be stronger, their effects will expire eventually. As a fair warning, unlocking it will require speed running the game.

How and Where to Unlock Tempus

The Artifact of Tempus is found in the Temple of the Elders which is the fifth and penultimate level of the game. The trick is that you have to reach it before minute 16, so it’ll require more of a speedrunning playstyle. It’s located in the middle of one of the vertical towers or temple structures as shown in the picture. You’ll probably have to climb a few levels but it should be in the center of one of the vertical structures in the area. Once you snag it, it’ll be available in your next run.

I recommend avoiding enemies, rushing for the teleporter in each level, and picking up items that you can along the way. Note that there are four bosses before the fifth level which means you’ll lose a minimum of six minutes waiting for four 90-second teleporter events. This leaves you with around eight to ten minutes to operate between each one and pick up items.

Lastly, I had great success in combining the Drifter with the Artifact of Tempus active due to their ability to spawn 4 random items. These will get boosted and there’s no downside since they’re already temporary.

Now you know how to unlock the Tempus Artifact in RoRR. This challenge can be a great gateway into speedrun strategies for the game. You can also find more of our Risk of Rain Returns guides right here.