Artifacts in Heroes III.

I was playing online once. I chose Necropolis, and my opponent chose Haven. We agreed to explore the entire map together and then decide the outcome with a single battle using our strongest heroes. And that's where I made a mistake! We exchanged items. I gave him armor for the Haven faction, and he gave me something for the archers and cursed armor. We each gathered our artifacts and prepared for battle. My stats were better, and I had a larger army. BUT! That darn prayer completely ruined me! I didn't even know how powerful it was. In the end, I was completely defeated! That's what happened. The King of Artifacts, using the Angel Alliance!

Added 6 minutes later
As for the shackles, I disagree. They are useful, but only in very specific situations! They are secondary, and not even the best among them. For example, the golden bow is much more useful. Realistically, shackles are only needed to steal artifacts. And it's not a guarantee that they will be useful to you and not to your opponent. A player with good artifacts will always have a good army.