Runescape Masterwork Armour – Everything You Possibly Need To Know

About the masterwork armour

Ever heard of what is branded as one of the top tier armour in Runescape? Here it is – the Masterwork armour, a tier 90 equipment in Runescape. It is stronger than Torva equipment with its insane tier 90 bonus that grants the player a far better attack and defence stats.

However, it’s not all a bed of roses. The more you use the masterwork armour, the more it degrades over time – and you’d have to constantly repair it. But there’s a way to slow down its degradation, which is to turn it into an augmented masterwork armour. We’ll cover this in greater detail later.

Equipment degradation of the masterwork armour: 100,000 charges of combat

What does 100,000 charges of combat mean?

Each piece of masterwork armour has 100,000 charges of combat.

It loses one charge for:

• Every hit taken from a monster
• Every ability or special attack used
• Every auto-attack used

The usage of the armour before it degrades is usually given as a time duration. In most combat situations, you can generally expect to lose 30-60 charges per minute.

Here are some the common time values before the Masterwork Armour degrades fully:

• Average combat: 30 charges lost per minute
• Intense combat: 60 charges lost per minute
• Minimum time: maximum rate of 100 charges lost per minute (1 charge lost per tick)

In all, a Masterwork Armour can last approximately 55 hours in average combat and around 27 hours for intense combat.

Repairing the Masterwork Armour

There are 2 ways in which you can get the Masterwork Armour repaired:

1. Repair it yourself in your player-owned house at a reduced price (based off your current smithing level).
2. Approach any of these NPCs to repair it for you, for a fee.
   • Bob the axe seller in Lumbridge
   • Tindel Marchant the weapon and armour repair man at Port Khazard
   • Squire in the workshop area of Void Knight’s Outpost
   • Dunstan the Smith in Burthorpe

Slowing down the Masterwork Armour degradation

To retard the degradation of the Masterwork Armour on use, you can proceed to augment it. Once the Masterwork Armour has been augmented, it does not degrade, but instead, uses the divine charge drain system.

It is much cheaper to maintain your Masterwork Armour via the divine charge drain system instead of repairing it from degradation.

The Masterwork Armour Augmentation Process

Every piece of the Masterwork Armour can be augmented by adding an augmentor. This is a device that is used in the Invention skill, to create augmented items. It unlocks at level 2 Invention.

To augment your Masterwork Armour, you need to be at an inventor’s workbench with the undamaged Masterwork armour parts, along with an augmentor and divine charges.

The Augmentation Mechanics: Divine Charges

Augmented Masterwork uses charges stored in the universal charge pack instead of armour degradation charges. These divine charges act as a power source for the Augmented Masterwork Armour.

It also maintains the armour’s status, gizmo effects and gaining of equipment EXP.

In combat, the universal charge pack loses charges similarly to how normal equipment degradation works. The only difference is 6 ticks (3.6 seconds) of charges are drained, followed by a 6-tick cooldown before more can be consumed. You can find information on the drain rate by inspecting the augmented item.

The drain rate can be further reduced based on the following:

• Tier Level
• Charge Drain Reduction
• Equipment Level
• Efficient/Enhance Efficient
• Invention Cape(trimmed) perk

Upon death, any unprotected augmented pieces will lose 2 hours worth of charges. For instance, if an unprotected augmented masterwork drains 3.75 charges/seconds, it will lose 27000 charges on recovery.

Creating Divine Charges

Each Divine Charge provides an additional 3000 charges to the charge pack. Alternatively, you can purchase each unit of charges at the Grand Exchange for a median price of 23.72 coins. 

There are two ways to create the Divine Charges: 

• Divine Energy:

You can combine the different types of divine energy listed below and 20 simple parts to create the Divine Charge. You are required to have an invention level 4 and Divination level 80.

• Divine-O-Matic:

Divine-O-Matic Vacuum is an item discovered at Invention level 101. You will need to add the empty divine charges to the Vacuum. It will then fill up the empty divine charge during divination. For instance, 300 ancestral energy earned during divination can fill up 3 Divine Charges. The Divine-O-Matic Vacuum can only store a maximum of 100 Divine Charges, regardless of it being filled or empty.

Charge Pack

The amount of charges stored in the charge pack is determined by the research set and can only be unlocked when a certain invention level is met.

Pros & Cons of Augmenting the Masterwork Armour

Masterwork Armour Components Effect

Equipping the full set – Masterwork helm, Masterwork platebody, Masterwork platelegs, Masterwork gloves and the Masterwork boots will grant your character a total of 1633.4 defence points.

On top of that, you also get 11 prayer points bonus, and a 116 melee bonus. Pretty good bonuses for 58 million gold pieces.

Making the Masterwork Armour

The steps to creating your very own Masterwork Armour is straightforward, though the collection of materials may prove to be challenging.

Step 1: Unlocking the Masterwork Armour

You can only smith the Masterwork Armour after completing the achievement – ‘It Should Have Been Called Aetherium’. This achievement requires you to first make a full set of elder rune armour, and then successfully upgrading it to +5.

To achieve this from scratch, you need a total of 384 elder rune bars, and then smithing the full set of elder rune armour +5 from the start.

Step 2: Get ready the materials required for smithing the Masterwork Armour

You need 12 Glorious bars to smith the full Masterwork Armour set. And if you intend to smith this from scratch, you’ll need a grand total of: 600 Tin, 600 Copper, 1812 Iron, 1212 Coal, 600 Mithril, 600 Adamantite, 1800 Luminite, 1200 Runite, 600 Orichalcite, 600 Drakolith, 600 Necrite, 600 Phasmatite, 1200 Banite, 600 Light animica and 600 Dark animica.

Alternatively, the faster way would be to purchase 12 Glorious bars off the Grand exchange and begin smithing directly from there.

Step 3: Begin smithing the Lined Masterwork Armour pieces

Each glorious bar needs to undergo 5 long smithing processes to eventually form a Lined masterwork armour piece. A total of 31,000 steps are required per piece, to finally create 1 Lined masterwork armour piece.

To speed things up, you should aim to smith it at 100% heat, which grants 20 steps per hammer strike. At 66%, 33% and 0%, each hammer strike adds a reduced amount, of 16, 13 and 0 per strike.

Step 4: Creating the Unfinished Masterwork Armour components

With the Lined Masterwork armour pieces, you can kickstart the process of creating the Unfinished Masterwork Armour.

Step 5: Finishing the Masterwork Armour with steel rivets

For every Unfinished Masterwork Armour piece that is created, you’ll then need masterwork rivets to secure them. These are made from steel bars, and you need a total of 120 rivets for a full Masterwork armour set.

All the ways possible to boost your Masterwork Armour

Augmented Masterwork Armour

As discussed earlier, the Augmented Masterwork Armour uses charges stored in the universal charge pack instead of armour degradation charges. This lets you save a lot of money in the long run as the armour does not degrade, does not need repair, and can used infinitely.

The next benefit of augmenting your Masterwork Armour is the addition of gizmos. These gizmos act to enhance the armour’s abilities through perks. Depending on the type of gizmo, a variety of perks can be unlocked. Such examples include ‘Deal 7% additional damage to undead’ and even whacky effects such as ‘Causes you to see strange things…’.

Lastly, augmenting the Masterwork Armour allows you to level it up every time you use it in combat. Levelling it increases the materials received when you disassemble it. The maximum level it can go is level 20.

Trimmed Masterwork Armour

You can further upgrade your Masterwork Armour (augmented or not) by trimming it. This pushes it into a tier 92 power armour, granting your character 1715.1 defence points, 11 prayer points and 121 attack bonus.

To do so, you need to create Masterwork trim, an item used in the creation of the Trimmed Masterwork Armour. The Masterwork trim is made using an elder rune bar, malevolent essence and praesulic essence (melee) at any anvil.

A Malevolent essence is obtained when you break down a piece of malevolent armour on a Dragonkin anvil at the Dragonkin forge. Similarly, to obtain a Praesulic essence, a Torva equipment has to be broken down on a Dragonkin anvil at the Dragonkin forge. Both processes requiring level 99 Smithing to complete.

You’ll need a total of 12 Masterwork trim to fully trim the entire Masterwork Armour set.

Augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour

You can upgrade your Trimmed Masterwork Armour through augmentation – but it does not bring all 3 benefits. The biggest difference here is that the Augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour still degrades, and does not use the invention charge drain system.

The Augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour excels at damage reduction, especially for bosses. If all 5 components of the set are worn, 50% of the damage received is dealt slowly. Every 1.2 seconds later, 20% of this stored damaged is received as typeless damage. This allows you to survive big hits from bosses.

In addition to spreading out the damage your character takes, the Augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour allows you to level it up. And as you level it up to a max of level 20, it grants you extra items and benefits when disassembling it.

Custom-fit Trimmed Masterwork Armour

Take your Augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour one step further, by custom-fitting it. You can custom-fit your Trimmed Masterwork Armour with or without augmentation.

Elof in the Artisans’ Workshop will do the custom-fitting for your character. Simply talk to him while wearing the complete Trimmed Masterwork Armour set.

By custom-fitting the armour, you are also making it untradeable. However, the major advantage of doing so is that your Trimmed Masterwork Armour does not lose a charge when you’re fighting monsters of these categories:

1. From your Slayer task
2. From your Reaper task
3. Resides in the Elite dungeon

And if you attack any other target outside these 3 broad categories, the armour degrades at 50% its usual speed. This essentially doubles its total charge to 200,000.

When the armour becomes broken, you can repair it by using the same part’s Masterwork armour (unused and untrimmed) with it, on an anvil. The Masterwork armour part is then consumed, and your custom-fit Trimmed Masterwork armour becomes fully repaired.

Custom-fit Trimmed Spiked Masterwork Armour

The final enhancement is a cosmetic one. You can add on cosmetic spikes to your custom-fit Trimmed Masterwork Armour that makes it look pretty cool.

All you need, is to bring a glorious bar to Elof in your custom-fit Trimmed Masterwork Armour, and he’ll work his magic. He can also revert the armour back to its unspiked version anytime.

Dying while equipping the Masterwork Armour

Normal Masterwork Armour

Upon death, you will lose all your items except the 3 most valuable ones on you. These items can be managed in the ‘items kept on Death” menu. You can further save an additional 2 more items (for a total of 5), by using the protect items prayer and a portent or sign of item protection.

You can choose to retrieve the parts of your Masterwork Armour from your gravestone (the last location where you died) within 15 minutes of dying. Or if you missed this window, you can reclaim your lost items from Death’s office at any major respawn point for a cost.

Do also note that your unprotected Masterwork Armour, on death, loses 20% of its charge should you choose to collect it from your gravestone. To circumvent this loss, you should claim it from Death’s office at a 5% reclamation fee instead.

Trimmed Masterwork Armour

When you die in the wilderness with your Trimmed Masterwork Armour, it will be dropped with the same amount of charges to the other player.

Augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour

If you, however, are equipped with an augmented Trimmed Masterwork Armour, a broken version of the armour will be dropped instead.

Custom-fit (Augmented) Trimmed Masterwork Armour

For custom-fitted versions of the Trimmed Masterwork Armour, no armour parts will be dropped. Instead, 15.1 million coins will be dropped to the other player.

Untrimmed Masterwork Armour VS Trimmed Masterwork Armour

A commonly asked question is, should I be getting the Masterwork Armour or should I spend the extra money and resources to get it trimmed.

The Untrimmed Masterwork Armour excels at daily usage

It ultimately depends on how you intend to use the armour. If you intend to use it for treasure trails, daily tasks and low to mid level bossing, the normal Masterwork Armour will do the job just fine.

Bossing benefits with the Trimmed Masterwork Armour

If you do intend to use your Masterwork Armour for higher level bossing, such as the Reaper, Slayer or Elite dungeons, then you may wish to invest in a Trimmed Masterwork Armour instead.

Saving alot of money with the Untrimmed Masterwork Armour

Overall, the untrimmed Masterwork Armour will save you money in upkeep. And if you use it long enough, you will profit alot more from it, going beyond just breaking even.

To repair the Trimmed Masterwork Armour, you will require a new set of untrimmed Masterwork Armour. This will set you back around 58.2 million gold pieces. Even if you proceed to augment your Trimmed Masterwork Armour, it still uses the conventional equipment degradation mechanics – the same mechanics before augmentation.

The Trimmed Masterwork Armour degrades normally

This means that the Trimmed Masterwork Armour will continue to have 100,000 charges. The armour can continue to gain EXP and Siphoned as long as it still has charges. The Gizmos effect continues to work even if it runs out of charges. However, this will only apply to armour below equipment level 10. After which, the armour will need to be recharged to continue using.