Ornament kits are generally expensive in OSRS and this is because, besides the cosmetic enhancement, they help you directly save GP every single time you die. If you’re like me and can’t play the game without dying a lot, you should really consider saving in the long run by adding ornament kits to the equipment you use whenever you have the option to.
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Functional Advantages
The primary allure of ornament kits in Old School RuneScape lies in their practical utility. When applied to an item, these kits not only enhance its appearance but also alter its trade status, making the item untradeable. This change is crucial in the game’s death mechanics. In OSRS, you typically keep your three most valuable items upon death in non-PvP areas. However, untradeable items have a special rule: they are always retained after a non-PvP death. This means that instead of keeping only three items, or four with the Protect item prayer on, you will also keep the ornated ones. This means that you will pay the death fee for fewer items, and thus save GP, and maximize your profit. Ornament kits thus serve a dual purpose: cosmetic and making the item untradeable and kept on death.
Rarity and Economic Impact
The rarity of ornament kits contributes significantly to their value. Many are obtained through challenging gameplay or as rare rewards, making them both prestigious and coveted. The demand for these rare and useful items naturally drives up their market price. Players often view ornament kits as investments, speculating on their value increase over time, which further influences their pricing. So is the case of the new Leagues ornament kits. Other ornament kits are not tradeable and if you really want them you will have to obtain them through specific content.
Death mechanics
In order to understand when ornament kits are a go to there are a few simple death mechanics you need to consider. Whenever you die, you will have to pay based on the value of the items in your grave. The cost is halved for ironman accounts and you will never pay more than 500k regardless of the value of the items in the grave.
- 0 if the items cost less than 100k
- 1k for items that cost 100k to 1m
- 10k for items that cost 1m and 10m
- 100k for items that cost 10m
This means that if besides your three or four most valuable items, the others are not worth over 100k individually, you will not pay any fees to recover them. However, the more you upgrade your gear and get more valuable items or more slots the more you will start paying for each death, so this is when ornament kits come in handy.
When to not use ornament kits
Ornament kits won’t save you money if you don’t collect your gear from a grave, but from an item retrieval service. There are currently 13 such services in game, so if you’re focus is one of these activities then you should reconsider buying ornament kits. They have various fees that are related to both the popularity of the boss and to how much you can profit from it ranging from 25k GP to 500k GP:
- Volcanic Mine – 150 numulite (approximately 5k on the GE)
- Hollowed sepulchre – 25k
- Hespori – 25k
- Grotesque Guardians – 50k
- The nightmare – 60k
- Phosani’s nightmare – 60k
- The Mimic – 90k
- Vorkath – 100k
- Theatre of Blood – 100k
- Alchemical Hydra – 100k
- Nex – 100k
- Zulrah – 100k
- Tombs of Amascut – up to 500k
Tradeable ornament kits
While you can find a full list of the available ornament kits in OSRS here, there are a few that standout due to being very useful for most accounts. For the most up to date prices check the official Grand Exchange page, and if you’re curious about more OSRS tools feel free to check this post.
Godsword ornament kit
- Cost: 200k-7mil
- Profit after: 2 to 70 deaths
If you own any of the Godswords you should consider adding a Godsword ornament kit to it to make it untradeable. This is extremely handy since most of the Godswords costs between 10 to 30 mil and that’s a hundred thousand GP for any death where your Godsword is not one of the three of four protected items. And since you’ll use Godswords for many boss fights, it is one of the most useful kits. They come as separate kits such as Bandos Godsword ornament kit or Armadyl Godsword ornament kit and can be obtain as rare drops from master clue scrolls. You will start saving GP after 2 to 70 deaths depending on the sword you are using.
Fury ornament kit
- Cost: 450k
- Profit after: 40-50 deaths
This one will compensate for its price within 50 deaths at the current GE prices so if you’re using a fury it’s best to ornate it without a second thought. You can obtain it as a reward from elite clues.
Occult ornament kit
- Cost: 6 mil
- Profit after: 600 deaths
This kit is more expensive and you’ll start saving after many deaths. It is however a very in demand item because it is attached to the best in slot magic neck piece. It will accompany you whenever you’re bursting and during hard boss fights where you need Magic such as the Whisperer. It can only be obtained from master clue scrolls and this adds to its rarity and spiced up price.
Tormented Ornament kit
- Cost: 4 mil
- Profit after: 40 deaths
The tormented ornament kit is another must buy for your magic gear. You can apply this kit to your best in slot tormented bracelets and add another item to those you keep whenever you die while using magic. The kit costs around 4 mil on the GE, so you will start saving after your first 40 deaths or so.
Anguish Ornament kit
- Cost: 10 mil
- Profit after: 100 deaths
Moving on to range gear, for the BIS neck piece you should consider getting the Anguish ornament kit. Because it is really expensive you will only start saving after around 100 deaths.
Odium Ward ornament kit
- Cost: 800k
- Profit after: 80 deaths
Still on Range equipment, if the Odium ward is your BIS range shield, then absolutely apply an ornament kit. You’ll start profiting each death from reduced grave costs after around 80 deaths.
Trailblazer reloaded blowpipe kit
- Cost: 1-2 mil
- Profit after: 100-200 deaths
The Trailblazer Reloaded Blowpipe Kit is one of the newest ornament kits and you can apply to one of the most popular ranging weapons, the Blowpipe, to make it untradeable even in its uncharged form.
Torture ornament kit
- Cost: 4 mil
- Profit after: about 40 deaths
Going back to melee gear, for the best in slot melee neck piece you can use the torture ornament kit. The investment will become worth and will start saving you GP on the death cost after 40 deaths
Abyssal whip
For the super popular abyssal whip, you have three options to choose from when it comes to making it untradeable and changing its looks.
Shattered relics variety ornament kit
- Cost: under 1 mil
- Profit after: around 100 deaths
You can get it either from the GE or from the Leagues reward shop for leagues points and you can use it to ornate more than the Whip.
Volcanic mix
If you choose to apply this to your whip, then you’ll get the special benefit or another Wintertodt warm clothing on top of the nice looks and the untradeable status. You can only get it via the GE or from LMS.
- Cost: under 1 mil
- Profit after: around 100 deaths
Frozen mix
- Cost: under 1 mil
- Profit after: around 100 deaths
This will give a frozen glow to your whip and it can also be obtained either from LMS or the GE.
Untradeable ornament kits
Untradeable ornament kits, as challenging as they are to obtain, only serve a decorative function and will not help you save GP. The ornated items behave the same way as their non-ornated counterparts and this means that you will only get the prestige of wearing these super rare items and no financial benefit. You can always check what items you will keep in the items kept on death menu which you can access from the worn items interface.
Conclusion
Ornament kits in Old School RuneScape stand out for their unique blend of functional utility and aesthetic appeal. Their ability to safeguard valuable items upon death, combined with their rarity and status as a symbol of achievement, positions them as highly desirable items in the game’s economy. The practical benefits they offer, particularly in preserving items after non-PvP deaths, elevate their importance beyond mere decoration, reflecting the complex dynamics of in-game economies and player strategies.
