Metal weapons receive bonuses based upon the metal used for construction. Essences will raise the level requirement by 1-8 levels based on the quality of the item and essence. As a general rule, lower level items (bronze) will be more affected than higher level items (Damask). See Weapon guide for details.
Metal armours receive bonuses based upon the metal used for construction. Each piece of an armour set grants a specific damage immunity: Slashing for body armor, Bludgeoning for helmets, and Piercing for shields. Due to the base cost of items, applying a resistance essence may increase the level requirement by 1-2 levels. Again, lower level items will be more affected by essences than higher level items.
Type
Bonus
Min. Level
Bronze
Damage 5% Immunity
1
Iron
Damage 10% Immunity
5
Steel
Damage 10% Immunity
8
AC Bonus +1
Mithral
Damage 10% Immunity
10
AC Bonus +2
Weight Reduction: 80%
Adamantine
Damage 10% Immunity
11 (Full Plate: 12)
AC Bonus +3
Greensteel
Arcane Spell Failure set to 0%. Only medium armors and banded mail can be forged with Greensteel
13 for chain shirt/scale mail. 15 for breast plate/chain mail. 16 for scale mail/banded armour.