Using Artifact weapon in wrong spec

[Narshe]

Leveling an alt I ran a dungeon and had a 101 Priest healer who had the Shadow artifact equipped. Things went poorly as expected, but it made me wonder: with the wrong artifact equipped, do you get the stats from the weapon or do you basically not have a weapon equipped at all?

EDIT: The Priest was level 101, 2nd artifact doesnt unlock until level 102. If you switch specs without a 2nd artifact unlocked, you keep your current artifact equipped.

[Pachycrocuta]

As far as I know, you can't have the weapon from another spec equipped unless you are in that spec. I know I can't equip Ashbringer unless I am in Ret spec. It says "requires Retribution".

[Tural]

As far as I know, you can't have the weapon from another spec equipped unless you are in that spec. I know I can't equip Ashbringer unless I am in Ret spec. It says "requires Retribution".

Yep. Switching specs will dump the item into your bag, unless you have the appropriate Artifact from the spec you're switching to, in which case it will equip that spec's Artifact.

[Damonharp]

what you're describing couldn't have happened. You need to be in the spec to equip the spec's item

[Deleted]

Yep. Switching specs will dump the item into your bag, unless you have the appropriate Artifact from the spec you're switching to, in which case it will equip that spec's Artifact.

If you don't yet possess the offspec artifact, it might still glitch and seem that it remains equipped. Of course it won't count.

[procyan]

Yes, it's possible to be in another spec with a wrong artifact equipped. When you first start the quest for a new artifact, it changes you to that spec but you still have the old artifact equipped.

[Duumaa]

Unless that person was in the process of unlocking their second / third artifact wep. When I was boomkin, I did my second artifact quest for resto. I remember that It kept my boomkin weapon equipped while in resto, because I didn't have the resto wep yet.

[SammyCat203]

I'm pretty sure it counts as a broken weapon and thus gives no stats. when you try to use a spell it will say stuff like "Must have a mele weapon equipped" This happens to me a lot when doing the dragon fight in ICC bacause i switch to a healer spec but dont have the healer artifact.

[S7orm]

It happened to me today, switched my hunter from BM to MM but the game forgot to switch weapons. Unluckily I equipped the correct weapon without checking before if the stats were altered

[Lolsteak]

what you're describing couldn't have happened. You need to be in the spec to equip the spec's item

It can happen actually, Sometimes weapons don't get swapped when changing spec, Happened to me earlier.

[Deleted]

If you bank your artifact and swap specc it won't unequip the old spec artifact, at least that has been the case with resto / balance , happened to me by accident. I don't think that the stats are ignored but you don't get the artifact traits of course.

[jettzypher]

For the OP, it's possible that the priest was simply not in shadow form and for some stupid reason decided to try and toss out heals with their one spell.

[Irian]

It does the same thing that, for example, the fury warrior's OH does when you change to Arms. The item is still equipped but is useless and provides nothing for your character. I can confirm that it works this way because currently my 100 priest alt is Holy using Light's Wrath, and gains zero benefit from it whatsoever.

For the OP, it's possible that the priest was simply not in shadow form and for some stupid reason decided to try and toss out heals with their one spell.

Unless it was on the PTR, that's not possible. Shadowform is not currently a spell and the entire effect of shadowform can't be removed and priests have no holy spells to remove it.

[Squigglyo]

Its a known bug ive seen abused. Not sure how to replicate it, but it requires a class that has different roles dps/healer/tank.

Something about the way you queue and what spec your in causes you to be able to use the wrong weapon and get stats from both or something like that.

[Narshe]

My question still remains, do you get the stats from your currently selected artifact, or does the game ignore the weapon and act as though you dont have a weapon equipped.

[Kinjin]

My question still remains, do you get the stats from your currently selected artifact, or does the game ignore the weapon and act as though you dont have a weapon equipped.

This happens frequently when I switch between Demonology and Affliction. The spec changes but the weapon doesn't. When it happens the weapon is in red and you get no stats or benefit from it. It's like you don't have a weapon equipped. At least that's how it is for Warlocks.

[Archibalde]

My question still remains, do you get the stats from your currently selected artifact, or does the game ignore the weapon and act as though you dont have a weapon equipped.

Fairly certain it ignores it. I decided to get my Resto artifact on my Shaman at 110 but I thought I'd stay Enhancement to do it. After taking a major beating, I switched to Resto. Doomhammer stayed in my weapon slot, but the icon was red and my item level went down considerably. It was essentially as if I was doing it without any weapon equipped.

[TickTickTick]

It might be why your order hall vendor offers green weapons - to have anything while doing quest for offspec artifact.

[Spiffums]

I've noticed if you don't have the right artifact you get the red weapon icon where the durability thingy is. So you dont get anything from it.

[Triginhil]

Some classes cant use the weapon if they switch specs, for example as a warrior, when I was doing my Arms spec questline, i did it as fury spec, the end requires me to loot the sword and slay a faceless one with it, but since I was fury spec i could not equip it which meant i could not finish the quest. I had the weapon, but couldn't complete it since it couldnt be destroyed neither.

In the priests case, they may have not had any other spec weapon unlocked so when they swapped specs it couldnt switch over, but cuz of that, the weapon should have turned red and act as if the player had no weapon equipped