Minecraft Dungeons 2 Artifacts Not Working? Fix

If a Minecraft Dungeons II (Minecraft Dungeons 2) artifact refuses to fire even though your soul gauge is full and the cooldown is over, unequip the artifact and equip it again, or move it to a different artifact slot. Players in several launch-day threads say that brings it back until the bug recurs. The cause is unknown, and this is a workaround from player reports, not an official fix.

What players see

• The artifact flashes the red “not enough souls” glow while the gauge is full.
• It works the first time after equipping and then stops responding.
• It can hit artifact slots 1 to 3. One player said four different artifacts they tried behaved this way.
• A player also reported the soul-restoring armor enchantment failing intermittently (single review, unconfirmed).

Suspected triggers (unconfirmed)

Players guess different causes, and none is verified:

• Still there after the Oct 2 update. A new thread says artifacts still stop working “since the last update” with full souls and a red glow, and fixes by unequipping and re-equipping. The update notes mention no artifact fix.
• Claw weapons (now the strongest lead). In two more threads (about a dozen posters across all threads), players say the bug appears only while using claw weapons such as the unique Skulker Claws, and goes away with another weapon type. One reply says it only works while you are not attacking, so the artifact animation may be blocked. Buff artifacts (mushrooms, bracelets) are named most. Mojang has not confirmed this.
• Skulker Claws (earlier report). A later thread’s poster tested weapons and found that both of their Mushroom artifacts bugged out with the unique Skulker’s Claws (from a repeat boss quest) but worked fine with a Scythe; the War Drums were unaffected. Earlier posters had the same idea. Still unconfirmed by Mojang.
• Skulker Claws, earlier reports. One poster named the claws’ invisibility effect, a second said they also used claws, and a third said the bug went away after they stopped using them.
• After death. A Steam thread (Oct 4) says the Thrifty Talisman stops working once the hero dies and only comes back after unequipping and re-equipping it — the same workaround as the main bug. Single thread so far.
• Couch co-op. A Steam bug report (Oct 4) says the Y artifact slot became unselectable in couch co-op around level 11 — neither mouse nor controller could pick it — and returning to town did not help. The other slots still worked. Single report; it is unclear whether re-equipping was possible at all.
• A “bovin ruade” enchantment. Named as a possible trigger by the first poster.
• Elemental attacks on melee weapons. A reply in another thread says they had the same issue with elemental attacks added to melee weapons; one poster there lists the Death Cap Mushroom and Tempo Truffle.
• Spamming self-buff artifacts. A reply in another thread says using a self-effect artifact several times in a row makes it stop working until re-equipped.
• Animation cancelling. One reply thinks cancelling an artifact’s animation can disable it.
• Specific artifacts. One player noticed it most with the Death Cap Mushroom.

Possible workaround: don’t chain artifacts too fast

One poster says they found a temporary fix: let the first artifact’s animation partly finish before casting the next, because casting two artifacts too quickly can lock one out until you unequip and re-equip it. Another poster named the Fighting Fungus not casting after boss fights. Single report, consistent with the earlier animation-cancelling suspicion.

What to do

0. Two players say the re-equipped artifact then works only two or three more times before failing again, and buff artifacts (attack speed or damage) are the ones named. Expect to repeat the fix in long fights.
1. Open the gear menu, unequip the artifact and equip it again. Swapping slots also worked for a Spanish-language poster.
2. If it keeps happening, test whether it goes away without the claws or the enchantment above, and note what you tested.
3. Avoid cancelling an artifact’s animation with a roll until we know more.
4. Report it with the artifact names, your weapons and enchantments, and whether you were online, in the Steam discussion or Mojang’s feedback channels.

For what artifacts do and their listed effects, see the artifacts database. For related gear questions, see beginner tips.

Update: 1.1.3.0 hotfix

Mojang’s 1.1.3.0 hotfix (Steam announcement, Oct 22, 2026) says it fixed artifact slots becoming unusable after rapid, repeated use (MCD2-135). Update the game and test again; Mojang’s note does not say it covers every case reported above, and the claw-weapon reports remain unconfirmed. See patch notes.

What we could not verify

The real trigger, whether it is server-side, and whether a patch is planned. We will update this page after an official response or patch.