Artifex: The Art of Combat
by AquTheSeal
Artifex: The Art of Combat changes how melee and ranged fights work in Forge, with over 120 weapons spread across 23 weapon types.
What it does
Each weapon in the mod carries its own stats, including attack speed and reach, and several weapon specialties come with special mechanics that define a particular combat style. The available types cover blades such as the Katana, Rapier, Scimitar and Odachi, polearms such as the Glaive, Halberd, Spear and Javelin, heavy weapons such as the Battleaxe, Flanged Mace and Greatsword, and ranged options including the Bow, Longbow, Crossbow and Arbalest. Shields like the Buckler and Shield appear alongside the Knuckles, Dagger, Sickle, Scythe and War Door.
The mod is built for Forge and works on Minecraft 1.20.1 only. Servers that run it need every player to install it too. Artifex is open source under the MIT License, and its source code is public. The author recommends pairing it with Better Combat, and the page notes that compatibility addons exist for other mods.
Key features
Large weapon arsenal
Over 120 weapons spread across 23 distinct weapon types give players a wide choice of combat tools.
Per-weapon stats
Each weapon has its own attack speed and reach distance, so fights differ depending on what a player holds.
Weapon specialties
Specialties add special mechanics that shape a combat style, letting players build around one weapon family.
Mixed melee and ranged types
Blades, polearms, heavy weapons, bows, crossbows and shields are all part of one system.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Melee-focused playthroughs
Players who want a different sword or axe for every fight can pick from the blade and heavy weapon types.
Ranged combat
The bow, longbow, crossbow and arbalest types give players several options for attacking from a distance.
Who it’s for: Players who want more weapon variety in Minecraft 1.20.1 with Forge, and server owners who run a combat-focused world. Players who pair it with Better Combat get the author's recommended setup.
Questions
Does Artifex need to be installed on the server?
Which Minecraft version does Artifex support?
Does Artifex work well with Better Combat?
More from AquTheSeal
What the author says
Artifex expands Minecraft's combat system with a wide arsenal of 120+ weapons spanning 23 distinct weapon types. Every weapon features unique stats, attack speeds, reach distances, and powerful Weapon Specialties with special mechanics that define your combat style. Available weapon types include the Knuckles…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/artifex
- Owner
- AquTheSeal
- Published
- 2026-04-16
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-04-29
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15