Ranged



Ranged is the skill that determines how good a player is in the ranged combat style, which allows players to shoot enemies from a distance with projectiles. Players who practice the ranged combat style are called rangers.

Overview
Since ranged allows players to shoot enemies from afar, it is recommended that players hide behind something so that they can avoid damage, though still deal damage to an opponent.

Just like the other combat classes, ranged also has its own attack styles. They are accurate, rapid, and long-range. A formula is also used that decides how much experience a player obtains when ranging.

When a player is ranging accurately or rapidly, the amount of Ranged experience received is equal to the damage dealt multiplied by 4. Hitpoints can also be raised through Ranged, whatever damage they deal is multiplied by 1.33 and given to the player's Hitpoints. For example, if a player does 1 damage, the player will receive 4 Ranged experience and 1.33 Hitpoints experience. If a player is ranging with the long-range attack style, they will receive 2 ranged experience, 2 Defence experience, and 1.33 Hitpoints experience.

Most players prefer ranging rapidly as this attack style allows players to shoot rapidly while dealing a fair amount of damage. This is the recommended attack style for rangers, especially when training, as ranging rapidly is the Ranged attack style which yields the most experience quickest. However, it increases the probability that the arrows fired will break.

Ranging bonus determines how accurately one ranger hits, while the Ranged level and arrows used by the ranger determines how hard can the ranger hit. With Ranged, the highest possible damage a player can hit in free-to-play, with adamant arrows, the Eagle Eye prayer activated, and level 99 Ranged, is 18 damage.

Range bonus


To the right of the inventory menu is the equipment menu. Here, players can see their stat bonuses. These bonuses give players advantages and disadvantages in combat.

Ranging armour has one of the the highest defences against magic attacks, along with giving a range attack bonus and range defence bonus. The higher the magic defence bonus is, the better defence a player has against mages.

Players can also use ranged prayer spells to give themselves an extra boost while ranging.

Bows
Ranged has many weapons, and the most popular of these are bows. Players can wield bows as a weapon. However, they will need arrows as ammunition. Bows are the recommended weapons players use while ranging. All bows only give a range attack bonus.

Some bows can only use certain arrows. For example, shortbows made of the lowest level wood can only use bronze or iron arrows. Non-members cannot use all the bows available in the game and can only use arrows up to adamant.

Players also have a choice as to what kind of bow they want. There are two kinds of bows: shortbows and longbows. Longbows are the more accurate and fire arrows further, though they can't shoot as fast. It is recommended that players use a shortbow when ranging, especially when training, to deal more damage over time.

Player's fighting in the Wilderness might like to take a longbow and shortbow with them. Up close the shortbows firing rate will shine through and if a player's opponent tries to run a longbow will give extra range.

With the addition of Lumbridge Tutors, there is now a new bow avaliable, the Training Bow. It's a bow for Rangers fresh off Tutorial island. Claiming from the Ranged Tutor near the Lumbridge Guide will give you a training bow and 25 training arrows. You may get 25 more training arrows every 30 minutes, however the Magic Tutor and the Ranged Tutor work on the same 30 minute time block, so you can only have either Arrows or Runes every 30 minutes, not both.

Both tutors can be found at Lumbridge, near the Lumbridge Guide, South of the General Store (marked by an empty flour pot on the mini-map.)

Because of the time limit of 30 minutes, when your Ranged level gets higher, it is wasting your time waiting for the 30 minutes to be up, so you can get more Training Arrows. At around Level 5 Ranged it would pay to switch to the Shortbow with Iron arrows.

Arrows
Arrows are used for ammunition with bows. The better the arrow, the higher damage a player can deal. However, players require certain bows to use certain arrows. Non-members can only use bronze to adamant arrows. All arrows except the training arrows can be fletched by members.

Brutal arrows
Brutal arrows are only available to members. They can be fletched after completing the Zogre Flesh Eaters quest.

These arrows are currently the only effective weapon against the undead ogres. All brutal arrows can only be used with an ogre bow or composite ogre bow.

Crossbows
Main article: Crossbows

Crossbows are different than bows in that they are horizontal and can be held with one hand, allowing a player to carry a shield with the other. Non-members are recommended to stay with bows as the crossbows available to them are weak, though ammunition is often available due to this, while members have very strong crossbows. Also, crossbows do not require arrows, though instead require bolts as ammunition.

All crossbows only give a range attack bonus. Also, members can make crossbows if they have the required Fletching, Smithing, Cooking, and Crafting levels.



Bolts
Bolts are the ammunition for crossbows. Members can create them with the smithing and fletching skills. Silver bolts, however, are crafted rather than smithed. Bolts that do not have gem tips can be poisoned, while gem tipped bolts can be enchanted. These options are only available to members.



Enchanted bolts
If a member has gem tipped bolts, then they have the option of enchanting them. Each type of gem has a different magic in it, making some bolts better than others. To enchant bolts, players have to click on the spell book and use the level 4 spell Enchant Crossbow Bolt. Doing so will make a menu pop up that will ask what kind of gem tipped bolts they want enchanted.

Each spell require runes as well as a certain magic level. Players can only enchant 10 bolts per spell. Both enchanted and non-enchanted bolts can now be traded.

Mithril grapple
Members can use a mithril grapple as a tool for scaling high obstacles, such as walls. Rangers can create mithril grapples and attach them to mithril bolts provided with the required smithing level. To use the grapple, players use a rope with the grapple and then use it on the shortcut. Players will need to have a crossbow equipped to use the grapple.

Each time a player uses their grapple, there is a chance that it can break. It cannot be repaired, meaning if a player's grapple does break, they will need to make a new one. Shortcuts that require grapples also require ranged, Strength, and agility levels.

Pouches
Although not a weapon, members have access to a bolt pouch, allowing them to carry a variety of bolts without occupying too much of their bank or inventory space. They can be purchased from the crossbow sales dwarf in Keldagrim. Each player are also restricted to only one bolt pouch at anyone time. Destroying it or losing it upon death will result in having all the bolts in the pouch to be dropped onto the floor.

Bolt pouches can only hold 4 different kinds of bolts. To store bolts in a pouch, players have to use them with the pouch. Left-clicking on the pouch will open a menu showing players what bolts are currently in the pouch. Each of the four slots can hold up to 255 bolts. Bolts can be removed from the pouch or equipped by right-clicking on them. Grapples, however, cannot be stored in pouches. Bolt pouches are also untradable.

Throwing weapons
Members have a wide arrange of throwable weapons at their disposable. Though not as popular as bows or crossbows, some players prefer them over other ranged weapons as they can be thrown very fast, creating faster ranged experience.

Darts
Darts can be made after completing the Tourist Trap quest. Players can smith 10 dart tips per bar and can then attach feathers to create a completed dart. Darts are stackable, just like arrows and bolts. They can be wielded as a weapon, allowing players to also carry a shield or prayer book.

Javelins
Javelins can only be bought from the Ranging Guild, Void Knights Outposts Archery Shoppe, or obtained from monster drops. They can be wielded as a weapon, allowing players to also wield a shield or prayer book.

Javelins are slow to throw, but they can hit hard and far. Because of the attacking speed, players hardly train their ranging with it.

Throwing axes
Throwing axes can only be purchased from the Ranging Guild. They can be wielded as a single-handed weapon, allowing players to also wield a shield or prayer book.

Throwing axes are slow to attack with, similar like javelins, but at a shorter range and power. However, throwing axes are cheaper compared to javelins.

Rune throwing axes are currently the only single-handed ranging weapon to have a special attack, It can hit multiple targets at moderate power, making them a unique weapon in the minigame Castle Wars.

Throwing knives
(For members only) Throwing knives are similar to darts. They are very fast and can be smithed, as well as poisoned.

They can be wielded as a single-handed weapon, allowing players to wield a shield or prayer book at the same time.

Players receives 5 throwing knives from each bar they smith. Throwing knives are stackable, however, they cannot be thrown as far as a player with a bow. The setback is minor, given its decent striking power, speed and availability. Thus, making it a popular training weapon in the ranging arsenal.

Chinchompas
Chinchompas are a unique, stackable, one-time use ranged explosion weapon. They have three attack styles: short, medium, and long, which determine the length of fuse and its effectiveness. Selecting short makes it more effective at short distance. A longer fuse enables the Chincompa weapon to be used for longer distance attacks, but also decreases throwing rate. In a multi-combat area a Chinchompa explosion damages all targets within a three by three area. Chinchompas are obtained by box trapping.

Red Chinchompa's allow some of the fastest ranged training in the game. A popular fast experience training method is to use red chinchompa's to attack Skeletons in the multi attack area of the Ape Atoll dungeon. As there is no safe spot, a ranger needs to bring prayer potions to be able to use protection prayers.

Toktz-Xil-Ul
Toktz-Xil-Ul is the TzHaar name for obsidian throwing rings.

Obsidian throwing rings can only be obtained by buying from the TzHaar combat store. They cost around 350 Tokkul per throwing ring. Due to their expense, they are almost never used for training, however they are sometimes used in Range stakes due to their speed between attacks (similar to throwing knives) and they hit a max comparable to rune arrows. They also give 69+ Range bonus (the same as a magic bow) and cost around 5,000 Coins each. This weapon cannot be made using the Smithing skill.

Popular armour
Rangers have their own sets of armour made out of various materials. Ranger armour is good against magic, though weak against melee. Also, all armour designed for ranging give no Strength or prayer bonuses, and most give no stab, slash, or crush attack bonuses.

Leather armour
Leather armour is good for beginning rangers. They are very cheap and can also be crafted. Leather armour can often be found in Al-kharid's general store, as many crafters often sell leather items there.

Snakeskin armour
Snakeskin armour is only available to members. Snakeskin armour can be made through the Crafting skill from snakeskin, which can be obtained by killing snakes that appear in the Tai Bwo Wannai Cleanup, Temple Trekking minigames or by killing level 35 snakes at Mos'le Harmless Island.

The whole snakeskin set is hardly worn by rangers due to the huge amount of snakeskin hides needed. However, the Snakeskin boots and bandana offer most rangers a much cheaper alternative to the highly priced Ranger boots and Robin Hood hat.

Spined armour
Spined armour is Fremennik armour armour for rangers, and the spined helm, body, and chaps give a slight range bonus. Spined armour cannot be bought from stores and instead has to be earned from drops by the Dagannoths under Waterbirth Island.

Dragonhide armour
Dragonhide armour is the most popular and the recommended armour players wear when ranging. Free players can only wield green dragonhide armour, and must complete the Dragon Slayer quest to wield the green dragonhide body. Blue, red, and black dragonhide is only available to members. Members can also craft dragonhide armour.

Karil the Tainted
Members can obtain a set of ranged barrows equipment, Karil the Tainted's, as a reward from the Barrows minigame. When a player is ranging with the complete set, including Karil's crossbow, some ranged attacks have a chance of reducing the opponent's agility. This helps if your opponent tries to run away from you, as they can't run far with this special attack.

Other armour
Members also have access to different kinds of armour. Ranger boots and robin hood hats are rare rewards from treasure trails, Archers' ring can be obtained by killing Dagannoth Supreme under Waterbirth Island, and archer helms can be bought from Rellekka after completing The Fremennik Trials quest.



Other weapons
Members also have access to different kinds of weapons. They are:


 * Dwarf cannon
 * Holy water
 * Crystal bow
 * Ogre bow and ogre arrows
 * Ogre Composite Bow and brutal arrows
 * Seercull
 * Experimental Crossbow
 * Salamanders

Training
It is advised to use Battle Tactics for each of these strategies in order to conserve health.

Members training
The Dungeon of Tolna can be an excellent area to level Ranged for players who have finished Animal Magnetism and have Ava's accumulator or Ava's attractor. Creatures can be ranged from the central lobby without retaliating; as the device will collect arrows as they are fired, Ranged can be trained without fear of damage or having to pick up arrows.

A good way to make money whilst training range is to kill chromatic dragons for their hides and bones. Blue dragonhides can fetch up to 2k coins each and red and black 4-4.5k. Black hides are not recommended for collecting to be sold though as the black dragons high defence as well as the hide price in comparison to red's makes it impractical.

If going to a dragon location for the first time it is recommended to take an anti-fire shield and a one handed ranged weapon (javelins, crossbow etc) to check a safe spot works. 'Pures' need to take extra care as they are at higher risk to dragonfire.

Temporary boosts

 * Ranging potion - Boosts ranged level by 3 levels plus an additional 10%, up to a maximum range boost of 12.
 * Sharp Eye. Ranged Prayer - Increases ranging by 5%
 * Hawk Eye. Ranged Prayer - Increases ranging by 10%
 * Eagle Eye. Ranged Prayer - Increases ranging by 15%
 * Wild pie - Boosts ranged by 5

The maximum boost can be achieved using a fully charged Crystal bow, Armadyl armour, ranger boots, archer ring, Ava's Accumulator, Barrows gloves, Ranging potion and Eagle Eye prayer.

Arrow droppers

 * Al-Kharid Warriors
 * Guards
 * Hill Giants (iron:3 and steel:10)
 * Moss Giants (iron and steel)
 * Ice Giants (adamant:12)
 * Minotaur (bronze and iron)
 * Zombie (steel)
 * White Knights (mithril and adamant)
 * Ankous (adamant) in the Stronghold of Security
 * Fire Giants (Rune:12)
 * Dust Devils (Rune:12)
 * Red Dragons (Rune:4)

Trivia

 * In RuneScape, the character uses swords and throws with the right hand, making him or her predominantly right handed. However, he or she will use bows in a left handed fashion, which could mean the characters are ambidextrous.
 * A player's maximum ranged bonus is +226.