Which combinations of Artifacts unlock which bonuses?

In the Rising Tide expansion, I can acquire Artifacts by performing Expeditions, pillaging Alien Nests, and finding them in resource pods. If I research three artifacts at once, they provide a bonus effect in addition to the normal production/science/culture yield. This bonus effect is either a civilization-wide effect, or a new building.

However, when I swap different types of artifacts to research, the bonus I unlock doesn't seem to change. How is it affected by the types or quality of the artifacts I research?

civilization-beyond-earth civ-beyond-earth-rising-tide

Best Answer

The Rising Tide Artifact System entry on the wiki has a detailed writeup of this new, complex system.

A summary of conclusions from there:

Artifact slot positioning matters.

All artifacts have a hidden preferred reward.

Mixing artifacts allows one to tap into special rewards.

With enough Explorers scouring the map, it is possible to receive every reward in a single game sitting.

I believe the "quality" modifier only effects the bonus energy/culture/research, not the final award. The wiki also claims that artifact positioning in slot DOES affect the produced bonus effect, i.e. ABC may yield a different outcome than BCA. I have not noticed this in my own handful for anecdotal games.

I like this new system, but seems to be quite a challenge to "catch them all"