Published by Misstical Gaming
Updated for the Forerunner Patch – May 2025

The May 2025 Forerunner patch introduced one of the most significant endgame systems yet in Watcher of Realms — Artifact Augmentation. This new feature adds powerful new stat boosts and long-term gear investment options for all high-end players.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know:

How to unlock Artifact Augmentation
The three types of augmentation
Required materials and where to get them
Trove and keystone farming
Tips for efficient use of resources

🔓 How to Unlock Artifact Augmentation

Artifact Augmentation is available to any artifact — this applies to Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Exclusive artifact rarities.

Unlike enhancement, augmentation focuses on stat boosts and adding new stat lines, making it ideal for fine-tuning top-tier gear.

🧬 Types of Augmentation

There are three augmentation paths:

1. 🟢 Common Augmentation

Increases either HP or ATK by a small amount.
Requires:
- 1x Common Augmentation Gem
- 25,000 Gold
Target stat is randomly chosen

2. 🟠 Advanced Augmentation

Significantly increases HP or ATK
Requires:
- 1x Advanced Augmentation Gem
- 50,000 Gold
Stat selection is still random

3. 🔴 Runic Augmentation

Adds a new, third stat line to the artifact
Stat is pulled randomly from a pool that includes:
- ATK Bonus %, HP Bonus %, DEF Bonus %
- Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK Speed
- Healing Effect, Rage Regen
Requires:
- 1x Runic Augmentation Gem
- 100,000 Gold
Rerolling this stat is possible with additional Runic Gems

💎 Gem Sources & Keystone Requirements

Each augmentation type uses its own gem, which must be acquired from Empyrean Troves: These troves are the drops from the trials within the Halls of illusion.

Gem Type	Source Trove	Trove Unlock Item
Common Gem	Legendary Empyrean Trove Lv.1	Level 1 Rare Keystone
Advanced Gem	Mythic Empyrean Trove Lv.2	Level 2 Keystone
Runic Gem	[To be determined / pending community confirmation]

🗝️ Where to Get Keystones (Tentative)

Keystones drop from Gear Raids 1, 2, and 3.

Stage 19-20 can drop Keystones for Level 1 and Level 2 trials.

Stage 21–23 can drop Keystones for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 trials.

Stage 24 can drop Keystones for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 trials

Level 5 trails are in the filter within the Halls of Illusion; however at the time of writing there is no information over where these Keystones drop.
🔍 Note: This data is based on current observations and may change with more testing. Official confirmation pending.

⚔️ Tips for Efficient Augmentation

Focus on your best gear first — particularly Mythic or Exclusive artifacts on your top damage dealers or healers.
Don’t rush rerolls on Runic stats. Save Runic Gems for when the artifact is already well-optimized.
Consider stopping at Advanced Augmentation if your HP/ATK rolls are already near-perfect.
For F2P players, prioritize Runic on only a few key pieces initially.

📌 Final Thoughts

Artifact Augmentation adds real weight to the gear system in Watcher of Realms. It introduces meaningful choices, real investment decisions, and a path for players to push beyond raw enhancement. With proper planning, you can transform a great artifact into an elite one.