Archaeology rewards

When solved, archaeology fragments form artifacts (also called "archaeology finds" to distinguish them from -quality items). When you solve an artifact you gain an actual item, as well as an entry in your "Completed Artifacts" archaeology tab.

Common artifacts are (with one notable exception) quality items, indicating that there is no in-game use for them. These give you a little bit of lore or flavor text and an item you can sell for a small profit (presumably to a museum!). The profit increases as the value of the artifact increases. You can estimate this by the number of fragments needed to finish the artifact. You will only find cheaper artifacts at dig sites requiring little skill, but as the skill required to survey at the dig site increases, so does the general value of the common artifacts. You will not generally find a second copy of a common object until you have found all the common artifacts of that race, but exceptions abound. If you get stuck at a certain skill level of archaeology or character level, you may find an artifact more than once until you reach the next tier.

Some artifacts are rare. These always make a or  item. Many of these have no in-game power and are toys or for flavor. Some, however, are actual weapons and armor. These latter items are all bound to account. They are not heirlooms in that they do not scale, but you can pass them to your other characters, so that if, for instance, you create Queen Azshara's Dressing Gown on your level 80 death knight, you can send it to your level 62 mage and later still to your level 60 warlock.


 * Note: in addition to the tooltip text all artifacts display on the solved artifacts tab, rare artifacts have additional text that can be displayed by clicking on the artifact.

Sometimes you will find keystones of a race, which count as 12 fragments each in certain projects that have "sockets" for them. In the below tables, "100 + 3 socket" means that the project can be built of 100 fragments, but also of 88 fragments and one keystone, 76 fragments and two keystones, or 64 fragments and three keystones.

The skill requirements are the skill levels for the lowest skill at which the artifact is known to be available, rounded down to the nearest increment of 75 (75, 150, 225 etc.)

Dwarf artifacts
''The dwarves of Ironforge were originally composed of three clans: the Bronzebeards, the Wildhammers and the Dark Irons. As the result of a civil war, the Bronzebeards were left in control of the city of Ironforge while the Wildhammers eventually retreated to the Hinterlands and Twilight Highlands. The Dark Iron dwarves came to dwell in between the Redridge Mountains and the Burning Steppes, in the shadow of Blackrock Mountain.''

Fossils
''Fossils are the preserved remains of animals or plants from the ancient past. Typically the living tissues are replaced with minerals that preserve the form of the original organism.''

Night elf artifacts
''The kaldorei are one of the most ancient races of Azeroth. One of the darkest moments in their history occurred when the quel'dorei, or Highborne - the highest caste of elven nobility - unleashed dangerous magic that brought the Burning Legion into the world and resulted in countless deaths.''

Troll artifacts
''The earliest known trolls belonged to the Zandalar tribe, from which all other trolls are descended. The Zandalari were regarded as an overwatching priest caste for all trolls and worked tirelessly to record and preserve troll society and traditions. Of the many tribes that split off from the Zandalari, the two most dominant were the Gurubashi and Amani.''

Draenei artifacts
''The draenei were originally eredar who fled from the Burning Legion and settled on the world of Draenor, where they came into contact with the orcs. When the blood elves arrived, many draenei fled again, this time coming to Azeroth, where they joined the Alliance.''

Orc artifacts
''The orcs of Azeroth originally inhabited the world of Draenor, the source of most of these ancient orcish artifacts. At first, orcs were a largely peaceful people, but they turned to outright barbarity under the influence of the Burning Legion. The orcs arrived in Azeroth through the Dark Portal and fought against the Alliance in two wars. Another may be on the horizon.''

Vrykul artifacts
''The vrykul are a race of giant warriors native to the Howling Fjord in Northrend. They have a close affinity with the sea and with native proto-drakes. Many vrykul were absorbed into the vast armies of the Lich King.''

Nerubian artifacts
''The nerubians are descended from an ancient race known as the aqir, roughly half of which migrated far to the north after continual warfare with the trolls. There they founded a gigantic city-state below Northrend, the legendary Azjol-Nerub. The arrival of the Lich King was brutally hard on the wicked nerubian race, with many of the spiderlike creatures converted to the Scourge and others driven deep into hiding.''

Tol'vir artifacts
''The tol'vir were originally stone constructs created by the titans to safeguard the secrets of Uldum. They possess feline lower bodies and heads as well as human torsos. Like many other titan creations, the tol'vir succumbed to the curse of flesh. Three tribes exist in the present day: Ramkahen, Orsis (nearly wiped out) and Neferset. The latter tribe has allied with Deathwing in order to regain the tol'vir's stone form.''

Pandaren artifacts
''The Pandaren are an enigmatic race native to the long-hidden continent of Pandaria. Honorable and filled with a love of good company and food, the Pandaren have been content to live in seclusion, allowing their culture to flourish and thrive away from the influence of the outside world. While the Pandaren are predominantly a peace-loving race, their history is marked with turmoil and strife.''

Mogu artifacts
''The life-giving waters of the valley enabled a race of brutes to grow to enormous size, strength, and intelligence. These creatures were called the "Mogu". Their culture was built on strength: warrior despots ruling via iron fist. Their monuments of stone, built to last, still stand to this day.''

Mantid artifacts
''The mantid empire predates the arrival of the Titans. This ancient civilization of highly intelligent insectoids is ruled by the mantid Empress, and is organized by caste. Mantid society revolves around kypari trees and the amber produced from their sap.

Achievements
Note: The Diggerest achievements progression only counts common artifacts when they are solved for the first time.