Maximum melee hit

Maximum melee hit is the maximum damage a player can deal in a melee combat. It is affected by player's strength, equipment and other bonuses such as prayer or potions.

Calculating your maximum melee hit
Note:

The trunc (truncate) function is used throughout the formula - this simply means ignore any decimal places of the number being truncated.

The floor function is also used throughout the formulas - this means to, basically, round down.

Step one: Calculate the effective strength
$$Effective\ Strength=trunc((Strength\ Level+PotionBonus)\times Prayer\ Bonus\times Other\ Bonus)+Style\ Bonus$$

See the following table for the various bonuses values:

Remember that if you use the Dragon battleaxe special attack you cannot use another special attack right after unless the recover special attack potion is used or a person casts share energy upon you.

If you're not currently using any of the prayers listed above, your Prayer Bonus is 1.

If you're not using any of the equipment shown above at the moment, you Other Bonus is 1.

Step two: Calculate the base damage
The following Strength Bonus refers to the total of strength bonuses from weapons and equipment.

$$Base\ Damage = 13 + Effective\ Strength + \frac{Strength\ Bonus}{8} + \frac{Effective\ Strength \times Strength\ Bonus}{64}$$

If you are not using a special attack or effect:

$$Max\ Hit=trunc(Base\ Damage)$$

Otherwise, continue to step three.

Step three: Calculate the bonus damage
$$Max\ Hit=floor(Base\ Damage\times Special\ Bonus)$$

The following special attack/effect bonuses apply:

The Keris's maximum hits (against kalphites or scarabites) is as follows:
 * Special cases

$$Max\ Hit_{Keris,\ normal}=floor(Base\ Damage\times 1.25)$$

$$Max\ Hit_{Keris,\ critical}=floor(Base\ Damage)\times 3$$

This results in the maximum documented hit (outside of certain parts of quests) of 1,350 using a Keris, a player with 99 strength can hit up to 1,320 on assigned Kalphites, using the best strength equipment, the Piety prayer, a black mask or a slayer helmet, and drinking a extreme strength potion.

Also note that Balmung, In theory, it is able to hit up to 1,700 when used with extreme potions, the Turmoil Curse and slayer helm with Dagannoths as a task. As of 12/20/09, the highest hit seen with Balmung is 1,060 (taking into account Constitution's effect).

The Saradomin sword's special attack hit up to an extra 160 magic-based damage:

$$Max\ Hit_{Saradomin\ sword}=floor(Base\ Damage)+16$$

During quests/activities
In the Dungeon of Tolna during A Soul's Bane quest, players could hit up to 2,000 on monsters in the rage room, however that damage is simply a player's normal damage times twenty, and doesn't give any experience.

When touching the Stone of Jas, all the combat stats excluding prayer will be boosted to 255. In this case, the max hit is currently unknown. Theoretically it is 2,300+ using the Dharoks special, however, since touching the stone also makes your life points always stay at 2,550, it would not work.

In the barbarian assault activity you can hit a possible of your max hit +500 if your attacker level is 5 on the penance rangers and fighters.

During the 2009 Thanksgiving event, you can hit up to 1990 life points with anything on the turkeys. Because this was before the Constitution update, it's now impossible to see if it would be possible to hit 1,990 on the turkeys.

The highest possible hit against another player is in the safe activity Castle Wars. Using the prayer Turmoil, and the potions Extreme attack and Extreme strength. With the equipment: Vesta's chainbody, Vesta's plateskirt, Dragon Boots, Amulet of strength, Berserker ring (i), Castlewar brace and an Armadyl Godsword, the special attack can hit 1040 (impossible unless the player is using one of various boosts to increase their maximum Life Points) on a player holding a flag.