Updated September 18, 2026
Relic Raiders Quick Answer
Relic Raiders is an optional Act 1 quest in Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom that sends Garek and Anya into the Arcane Sanctuary in the Capital City Ruins.
The difficult part is the Sanctuary's series of portals, energy mechanisms and hidden routes. The first apparent Artifact is an illusion, so finding it does not complete the quest.
To complete Relic Raiders:
- Find the Arcane Sanctuary entrance.
- Use the key to open the locked entrance.
- Activate the inactive portal with the Portal Orb.
- Defeat the Berserk Elemental.
- Solve the blue-beam portal puzzle.
- Continue through the Sanctuary instead of stopping at the false Artifact.
- Find the Key to the Chamber of Mysteries.
- Use the key to open the secret route.
- Pick up The Artifact.
- Return to Lexington Mortaim.
- Complete the quest to receive 1 Talent Point.
Important: The Artifact is a Quest Item, not a weapon or accessory with combat stats. The confirmed gameplay reward for completing Relic Raiders is 1 Talent Point.
📋 Table of Contents
- How to Start Relic Raiders
- Relic Raiders Objectives
- How to Enter the Arcane Sanctuary
- Arcane Sanctuary Puzzle Walkthrough
- Activate the Inactive Portal
- Defeat the Berserk Elemental
- Solve the Blue Beam Puzzle
- The First Artifact Is an Illusion
- Find the Chamber of Mysteries
- Where to Find the Real Artifact
- How to Finish Relic Raiders
- Relic Raiders Reward
- Arcane Sanctuary Bug Warning
- Relic Raiders FAQ
- Final Thoughts
How to Start Relic Raiders
Relic Raiders takes place during Act 1 of Forsaken Kingdom and leads into an optional exploration area inside the Capital City Ruins.
The quest is associated with Lexington Mortaim, who wants you to investigate the Arcane Sanctuary and recover an artifact.
The quest objectives are:
- Find an entrance to the Arcane Sanctuary in the Capital City Ruins
- Retrieve the Artifact
- Return the Artifact to Lexington Mortaim
The Sanctuary is one of the more puzzle-focused optional areas in Act 1, making it different from straightforward combat objectives.
If you're working through the campaign for the first time, the Sanctuary is worth doing because the quest provides a Talent Point in addition to the exploration and loot found inside.
For a broader look at the game's RPG systems, see our Warcraft III Reforged Equipment & Inventory Guide.
Relic Raiders Objectives
The quest looks simple in the objective tracker, but the second step is where most of the work happens.
The Sanctuary uses multiple portals, power sources, keys and environmental mechanisms. You also encounter a false Artifact before reaching the real quest item.
How to Enter the Arcane Sanctuary
Once you locate the Sanctuary entrance, you will encounter a locked door.
Use the required key to open it.
After progressing through the entrance, you will eventually encounter an inactive portal. Interacting with it reveals the next problem: the portal needs to be powered before you can continue.
This is where the Sanctuary's puzzle sequence properly begins.
Watch Your Progression
The Arcane Sanctuary is not simply a combat dungeon.
If you reach an obstacle that appears impossible to fight through, look for:
- Portals
- Energy mechanisms
- Orbs
- Keys
- Environmental obstacles
- Pressure or activation points
- Alternate routes
The solution is generally about activating the correct route, rather than simply defeating every enemy in the area.
Arcane Sanctuary Puzzle Walkthrough
The Arcane Sanctuary's main challenge comes from its interconnected portal and activation puzzles.
You will move between different sections of the area, activate mechanisms, and use one route to make another route accessible.
The important thing is to avoid treating every portal as an independent entrance. Some parts of the puzzle require you to use your heroes, objects and activation points together.
Activate the Inactive Portal
The first major progression item you need is the Portal Orb.
Its description explains its purpose:
Can power up an inactive portal.
Use the Portal Orb on the inactive portal to activate the route.
Once the portal is powered, the Sanctuary introduces another obstacle: a Berserk Elemental.
Defeat it and continue through the newly available route.
If the Portal Is Still Inactive
If you have reached the portal but cannot use it, don't repeatedly click the portal itself.
Look around the current section for the required activation item or mechanism.
The Sanctuary's progression is based on powering routes rather than simply walking through every portal you find.
Defeat the Berserk Elemental
The Berserk Elemental is part of the Sanctuary's progression.
After activating the portal, be prepared for the encounter before moving deeper into the dungeon.
Once the elemental is defeated, continue exploring the newly opened area.
Don't assume that defeating the elemental completes the puzzle. The Sanctuary still has several progression steps ahead.
Solve the Blue Beam Puzzle
One of the Sanctuary's more unusual mechanics involves a blue energy beam.
The beam can activate another portal, but the route has to be cleared so the energy can reach its destination.
The basic approach is:
- Locate the blue energy beam.
- Identify the obstruction preventing it from reaching the activation point.
- Clear the obstruction.
- Allow the beam to reach the next activation point.
- Use the newly powered portal.
- Continue deeper into the Sanctuary.
The important point is that the beam is part of the progression system. If the next portal appears inactive, look for what is preventing the energy from reaching it rather than assuming you need another quest item.
Use Both Heroes When the Puzzle Requires It
Some Sanctuary mechanisms require you to position your characters around the puzzle rather than simply sending one hero through the next portal.
If one character can activate a route but another character is needed on the opposite side, use the available portal connections to reposition them.
This becomes particularly important when working through the Sanctuary's later mechanisms.
The First Artifact Is an Illusion
This is one of the most important things to know before entering the Sanctuary.
At one point, you can encounter what appears to be the Artifact you came to retrieve.
It is not the real Artifact.
After interacting with it, Anya identifies what happened:
"It was an illusion! The real artifact must be elsewhere in the vault."
So if you reach an apparent Artifact and the Relic Raiders quest does not finish, you have not missed a turn-in.
You need to continue exploring the Sanctuary.
This is also why simply following the most obvious route can leave you wondering why the quest is still active.
Find the Chamber of Mysteries
As you continue through the Sanctuary, you eventually obtain the Key to the Chamber of Mysteries.
The item description is:
Used to open a very specific door.
That door is the next important progression point.
When you find the corresponding locked route, use the key to open it.
This reveals the hidden section needed to reach the real Artifact.
Don't Leave After Getting the Key
If you have the Chamber of Mysteries key but haven't found the Artifact yet, keep exploring.
The key is not the quest reward. It is a progression item that opens the route to the final objective.
Watch the Portal Routes
The Sanctuary contains more than one portal route, and not every accessible route is required to finish the quest.
If you have activated a portal or generator, make sure you understand where it leads before moving on.
The mandatory route to the Artifact is more important than optional exploration, especially if you are trying to finish the quest without risking a progression problem.
Where to Find the Real Artifact
Once you open the secret route, continue into the newly accessible section.
You will eventually find the actual quest item:
The Artifact
Item Type: Quest Item
Description: An artifact of great power...
Unlike normal equipment in Forsaken Kingdom, The Artifact has no weapon, armor or ability statistics.
It exists specifically for the Relic Raiders quest.
When you reach it, Garek recognizes that this is the real item, while Anya confirms that it is finally time to take it back to Lexington.
Pick it up to advance the quest.
The Artifact Is Not Equipment
Don't look for The Artifact in your normal weapon, armor or accessory slots.
It is a quest item, meaning its purpose is to advance Relic Raiders.
The permanent progression reward comes when you return it to Lexington.
How to Finish Relic Raiders
After obtaining The Artifact, the remaining objective is straightforward:
Return to Lexington Mortaim.
Take the Artifact back to Lexington and interact with him.
He recognizes the recovered item and thanks you for retrieving it.
The quest then displays:
OPTIONAL QUEST COMPLETED: Relic Raiders
You will also receive the completion reward.
If you're working through the other optional content in Act 1, this quest fits naturally alongside objectives such as Keep an Eye Out, The Plague Must Flow, and Intelligent Behavior.
Relic Raiders Reward
You Get 1 Talent Point
The confirmed gameplay reward for completing Relic Raiders is:
1 Talent Point
This is the important distinction between the quest objective and the quest reward.
So don't expect The Artifact to appear as a new weapon, trinket or accessory in your equipment screen.
The reward that matters for character progression is the Talent Point.
If you're looking at how the various gear, inventory and talent systems work together, our Warcraft III Reforged Equipment & Inventory Guide covers those systems in more detail.
Arcane Sanctuary Bug Warning
Some players have reported progression problems inside the Arcane Sanctuary, so it is worth taking a little care before leaving the area.
One reported issue involves the Energy Generator. Players have reported that activating the generator and then leaving the Arcane Sanctuary before completing the puzzle can cause the generator to become non-interactive when they return, potentially leaving the portal closed and the puzzle stuck.
Another player reported becoming stuck after using a red portal and then losing access to the route needed to continue.
How to Avoid the Reported Problems
As a precaution:
- Don't leave the Arcane Sanctuary halfway through its puzzle sequence.
- If you activate an Energy Generator, continue the puzzle before leaving the area.
- Keep a manual save before entering or progressing through the Sanctuary when possible.
- If a portal suddenly becomes inaccessible after using another route, consider reloading an earlier save rather than continuing for a long time.
- Pay attention to which portals are required for progression before using optional routes.
These are player-reported problems rather than guaranteed issues for every player, but the Sanctuary is important enough that losing progress can be particularly frustrating.
Relic Raiders FAQ
Is Relic Raiders an optional quest?
Yes. Relic Raiders is an optional Act 1 quest involving the Arcane Sanctuary in the Capital City Ruins.
Where is the Arcane Sanctuary?
The Arcane Sanctuary is located in the Capital City Ruins during Act 1.
How do you activate the inactive portal?
Use the Portal Orb on the inactive portal.
Is the first Artifact real?
No. The apparent first Artifact is an illusion. You need to continue through the Sanctuary to find the real one.
What is the real Artifact called?
The quest item is simply called The Artifact.
It is classified as a Quest Item and does not have normal equipment stats.
What do you get for completing Relic Raiders?
You receive 1 Talent Point as the confirmed gameplay reward.
Do I need to equip The Artifact?
No. The Artifact is a quest item. Return it to Lexington Mortaim to complete Relic Raiders.
Can you leave the Arcane Sanctuary during the puzzle?
You should avoid leaving partway through the puzzle. Players have reported Energy Generator and portal progression problems after leaving the area during the sequence.
Final Thoughts
Relic Raiders is much easier once you know what the Sanctuary is actually asking you to do.
The biggest traps are assuming the first Artifact is real and treating every portal as a simple entrance. Instead, look for the Portal Orb, energy mechanisms, blue-beam route and Chamber of Mysteries key as you work through the dungeon.
The final sequence is:
Arcane Sanctuary → solve the portal puzzles → ignore the false Artifact → find the Chamber of Mysteries → obtain The Artifact → return to Lexington → receive 1 Talent Point.
The quest is also a good example of how Forsaken Kingdom expands Warcraft III beyond traditional RTS objectives with exploration, gear, inventory and talent progression.
For more campaign help, continue with our Warcraft III Reforged Forsaken Kingdom Beginner Guide.
You can also follow the individual campaign walkthroughs for Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 as you progress through the story.
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