Combat pure

A Combat pure is an account which is created primarily for the purpose of efficient combat. Combat pures often train specific combat skills, while deliberately keeping other combat skills at a minimum in order to excel in certain aspects of combat at a comparatively low combat level. The term "pure" standing alone most commonly refers to this kind of combat pure. These accounts fall into three main categories, depending on the variation of skill levels: Pures, PKers, Tanks, and Products.
 * Pures limit both their offensive (usually keeping Attack on a certain level) and defensive capabilities in order to maximize damage at a lower level.
 * PKers choose to increase some levels in defence in order to acquire offensive boosts (e.g. getting 40 Defence for Vengeance)
 * Tanks reduce their offensive capabilities to further their defense (for example, staying Ranged/Magic based to have higher defence against meleers)
 * Products choose to use methods such as Soul Wars, Pest Control, Dwarf Cannons to increase their stats while keeping their Constitution level low. This allows a much higher damage output, however far more vulnerability to players who use Special Attacks at the start of a fight. These accounts are similar to Wined Pures, a type of pure in RuneScape Classic.

Overview
Combat pures focus on training certain skills that they hold most relevant for successful combat and are usually made for kill (PKing). The purpose of keeping an account "pure", i.e. refraining from training combat skills which are considered less effective or irrelevant for the concept of the account, is to keep the combat level as low as possible in order to excel against players of a similar combat level in PvP. Some combat pures tend to generally neglect non-combat skills, although many will train a money making skill such as Woodcutting or Hunter to be able to buy equipment or to meet quest requirements for a combat-related reward such as Ancient Magicks, or the bonuses offered by certain Skill Capes (Prayer Bonus, i.e.). Agility can also be a very vital skill while fighting in the Wilderness (however, the equipment of pures is often very light). Pures who decide not to train noncombat skills are often at a huge disadvantage against other pures.

Combat pures are most commonly offence-oriented with high values in one or two offensive skills (Attack, Strength, Ranged and Magic), while having only minimal values in defensive skills, such as Defence, Prayer and/or Constitution. Such pures rely on a fast damage rate and/or a high max hit for quick kills, often catching their opponents off guard. However, there are also defence-orientated pures and pures that combine certain offensive and defensive aspects while neglecting others. There are a variety of combat skill combinations which may be considered favourable for different tasks and different types of opponents.

Due to a certain renown associated with combat pures within the RuneScape community, another motive to create a combat pure may be the prestige and/or the self-imposed challenge. Pures with unusual combat skill combinations may also be players experimenting with new combat concepts.

Commonly Suppressed Skills
The most frequently suppressed skills combat pures keep as low as possible as not to affect their combat level are Defence, Prayer, Constitution and Summoning. The debates on whether it is wise to forgo the benefits of each and all of these skills are as old as the concept of pures itself (or as old as the skills, if they are newer). Ultimately, it is a matter of preference for each player, keeping in mind that the "purer" they are in this offensive sense, the faster PvP combat will become and the higher the chance is, that fights will end with a kill rather than flight (for good or for bad). Here are a few considerations along those lines. It is worth mentioning that only the most radical pures insist on keeping all of the above skills at their extreme minimum once above a certain level, and will gain Constitution experience while fighting other players.

Defence
Defence is by far the most commonly suppressed skill. While like all skills it has its pros and cons, most pures generally agree that the cons outweigh the pros. Some pures choose certain levels, including 13, 20, 40, 42, or 45 Defence to have immense power compared to main accounts of the same level. The Rune Pure, for example, has nearly the same strength bonus as a maxed account with 99 Defence, while the 20 Defence pure has Corrupt Ancient Warriors' Equipment, which is stronger than Barrows equipment (70 Defence).

Pros of having high Defence

 * If your Defence level is high, you will not have to buy as much food in both PvP and PvM situations. There is also a better chance of surviving if you are attacked by multiple players in a Multicombat zone.
 * The higher the skill, the higher the chance of not getting hit—due to the skill itself, the higher effect of the armour you are wearing and the capability to wear better armour (with better Defence bonuses).
 * The accumulated Defence bonus of good armour is by far greater than equipment bonuses for offensive skills. To profit from this given fact one must have a substantial Defence. Ironically, Defence has a much lower level gain (1/4 for every level) than Attack, which gains 1/3 for every level. This is the main reason many pures decide to keep a low Attack level and use Ranged to attack mains.
 * The capability to wear armour with better other statistic bonuses. However, 40 Defence pures have a Strength bonus of only four less than a 99 Defence account (from Dragon Boots and the Dragonfire Shield, however many agree that Rune defenders and Rune/rock climbing boots are far more logical to use in unsafe PvP).

Cons of having high Defence

 * Defence raises combat level quickly which decreases power in comparison with those of a lower Defence level and usually is avoided by Combat Pures.
 * Pures get hit and take damage continuously, which makes watching their Life Points and eating part of their routine. Heavily armoured players will often receive series of hits and misses, the misses often luring them into a false sense of security, which may let them become distracted from their current Life Points, making a series of 3 or 4 hits potentially fatal. In addition, if the pure is a Rune Pure or Berserker Pure, massive damage can be inflicted on the player with high defence through use of Vengeance or Rings of recoil.
 * Trading offensive abilities for a good Defence will slow down combat considerably, thus making kills more seldom and successful fights more common. Many regard defensive fighting less fun as it is dragged out and may not offer the same amount of thrill. Fewer kills also mean fewer drops. Oftentimes, in fights with players that both have high defence, the player who runs out of food will simply run away, wasting the food of the player who stays. With high enough offence, a pure can destroy that opponent before he or she flees. Some players find fighting on a pure more exciting than fighting with defence, as it makes the game less luck-based, and effectively removes the combat triangle (however, fighting with overhead protection prayers is common).
 * Freezing spells can keep players using melee in place, thus damage can be dealt without needing to take any.

Controversy

 * Many Players believe that offensive pures with minimal Defence have a factual advantage over balanced players of the same combat level due to game mechanics (i.e. the formulas that determine who gets hit how often and how hard, etc.). The general success of such pures in low and mid level PvP seems to endorse this theory. However, the precise game mechanics regarding Attack and Defence are unknown. Some players believe that the success of offensive pures is solely due to the factors mentioned above and have little to do with combat Attack/Defence mechanics, arguing that the fact that armour generally gives a good deal more Defence bonus than weapons of the same material give Attack bonuses suggests that balanced players should have a slight edge, profiting from the larger bonus. Some even believe than their success merely ostensible, hyped by the fact that most players are more quickly impressed by an unusually high hit than by someone blocking five attacks in a row.

In order to avoid training Defence, be sure not to fight in the defensive or controlled styles, use longrange when arching, or defensive casting when using magic (this is not on the combat menu, look for a shield icon in the spellbook menu.) Note that it may help to use weapons with similar styles. Also, Shared Experience during Dungeoneering should be turned off, spears should NEVER be used, and when using a rapier's slash attack style then going to a new floor, you will be on the defensive attack style. Using the second (top right) attack style is recommended, unless you are a pure using an Abyssal Whip.

Prayer
The problem pures have with Prayer is similar to the one they have with Defence: at low levels the skill does not seem much good because the prayers are fairly ineffective and the prayer points run out too fast, and at higher levels it affects the combat level too much for their liking. Prayer is also prone to being drained by hostile spells and effects in P2P. Despite these issues, it may be worth considering to raise Prayer up to certain levels even for pures. Prayer contributes to the combat level at a lower rate than Defence or Constitution, and it has a few advantages. It generally can be said that the Prayer skill becomes more effective the faster combat becomes, which is quite accommodating for offence pures. As defensive armour is fairly ineffective at Defence level 1, many pures wear cheap, although effective Prayer boosting equipment such as Monk's robes. Remember that Mystic Might does NOT increase Magic damage, and only increase magical accuracy and some magical defence.

Note: Odd Prayer levels do not increase your level in combat any more than even prayer levels do.

Low-Level Prayer

 * At level 11, Warriors can use Burst of Strength, Mystic Will, and Sharp Eye. This is the minimum prayer level gained for a player to be allowed access to the Ancients Magicks.
 * At level 13, Warriors can pray Superhuman Strength, which adds 10% to Strength. Although not as strong as Ultimate Strength, it has only half the drain rate, draining 1 Prayer point every 6 seconds. Raising Prayer to level 13 adds 1-2 combat levels, the prayer lasts for 78 seconds at level 13 with no further Prayer bonuses or potions. This is a common choice for Pay-to-play pures, as they believe that Ancient Magicks and the strength boost are worth the extra prayer levels.
 * At level 31, players have the benefits of accessing the Monastery. Also at this level, Warriors can pray Ultimate Strength. Although the +15% Strength prayers has a fairly high drain rate (1 Prayer point every 3 seconds), it is often useful for the kill at end-phase combat, and it can effectively turn Prayer potions into stackable Strength potions. Raising Prayer to level 31 adds 3-4 combat levels, the prayer lasts for 93 seconds at level 31 with no further Prayer bonuses or potions. This prayer provides the highest damage boost for pures lower than Level 28 Defence, and has become more popular with the greater number of 1 Defence pures in PvP.
 * At levels 37, 40 and 43 players gain the Protect from Magic, Protect from Missiles and Protect from Melee prayers, respectively. The Protection prayers are the most commonly used prayers, both inside and outside of PvP. They prevent 40% of the damage of the given type when dealt from other players (100% when dealt from monsters). Training Prayer to level 43 to use these prayers is a popular choice amongst pures to compensate for lack of Defence. Protection prayers are often frowned upon because player killers tend to think it drags out the fun; many will run if confronted with this. Protection Prayers can be countered by using multiple different attack styles.
 * At level 45, Archers can utilize Eagle Eye, which adds 15% to Ranged (including Ranged Strength). Similar considerations apply to this prayer as to Ultimate Strength. Raising Prayer to level 45 (see notes below) adds 5-6 combat levels, the prayer lasts for 135 seconds at level 45 with no further Prayer bonuses or potions. Mystic Might can also be used.

High-Level Prayer

 * At level 52, players can use Smite, which takes away 1/4 of the damage you deal from the opponent's Prayer. Although protect item is no longer in dangerous PvP, Smite is still often used by Hybrids, as it often causes panic in the player under attack. It can also be deadly to players with low prayer levels,


 * At level 65, players can use Rapid Renewal, a very useful prayer for pures. Combined with a Regen Bracelet (the best hand item for people with lower than 13 Defence), Rapid Renewal will restore 100 Life Points per minute, very useful for survival. Some pures who accidentally got prayer experience from exorcising spirits during Dungeoneering may choose this level.
 * At level 77, players can use Augury, the strongest Magic boost prayer. It increases Magic accuracy by 20% and Magical Defence by 25%. This is the highest level prayer that Pures with level 1 Defence can use. Some pures who accidently/intentionally got prayer experience from exorcising spirits during Dungeoneering will choose this level.
 * At level 95, players can use Turmoil, which provides bonuses greater than that of Piety. This requires a defence level of 28 (gained entirely from quest experience rewards), however.

The formerly popular level thresholds 25 (for Protect Item) and 52 (for Smite) are no longer of much relevance since Protect Item can no longer be prayed on PvP worlds (having been replaced by +1 Item Bounty Worlds).

Constitution
Constitution influences combat level at the same rate Defence does. It is probably the most controversial skill amongst combat pures. Some believe it should be kept as low as possible (preferably level 10), lured by the extreme cleavages that are possible between combat level and offensive abilities. Others believe it should be raised as high as possible (preferably level 99), arguing that Constitution is the only defensive skill that an offence pure really needs. Others again believe it should be about average for the given combat level, arguing that higher levels are of little gain, because you usually carry well over 2500 Life Points' worth of food with you, but also arguing that having less Constitution makes no sense: there is no point in having a high max hit that will reduce your opponent's Life Points by a large percentage if his/her average max hit will reduce your low Life Points by the same percentage. If the pure's constitution is too low (e.g. 20 or less) a decent hit from another player could possibly kill the pure without giving him/her the chance even to eat. Others again believe it is best somewhere above the average for the given combat level, which is where it usually ends out, anyway. They argue that it is the comparatively low Constitution level of "balanced" players (see below) that make pures so effective against them in the first place. Such players often consider their own max hit as a guidelines, reflecting on what level of Constitution would be best against themselves.

In any case, trying to control where your constitution level ends out can make combat training extremely tedious. Due to the fact that you gain 4 Constitution experience every 30 points of damage you deal, no matter which combat style you are using, when training Attack, Strength, Defence or Ranged by normal means, your Constitution will automatically be at most twelve (more often eleven) levels behind the highest of those skills (e.g. if you train your Strength to level 80, your Constitution will be at least 68—probably more, because you will probably want to train Attack as well). Therefore, pures that have a particularly high level in one of the above combat skills usually have over-average Constitution levels, because of the exponential experience curve (e.g. training one of the above skills to level 80 gains over 26 times more constitution experience than training two of the above to level 40).

However, there are methods to gain experience in the above skills without training Constitution, although at higher levels this becomes highly impractical, especially in F2P. Members can play Soul Wars and trade Zeal points for xp. Note that fighting during the mini-game will gain Constitution xp. Members can also play Penguin Hide and Seek and trade Penguin points for xp, and Pest Control, although this requires combat level 40. To avoid as much Constitution gain as possible in Pest Control, you can rebuild smashed barricades and doors, and try to avoid fighting the Pests. Certain quests reward experience, although one may have to be careful not to do quests that reward experience of unwanted skills. For both F2P and P2P warriors, the Vampire Slayer Quest rewards 4825 Attack experience. You can also gain genie lamps from random events. After completing any quests that reward experience, this is the only way for F2P players to raise Attack, Strength, Defence or Ranged without raising Constitution. It would take over 15,000 genie lamps to level a skill from level 1 to 99. Training Magic with combat spells also raises Constitution. This can be avoided by training with Alchemy, Teleportation, Curses and other non-combat spells.

Melee Pures and PKers
These pures will mostly focus on having high strength, medium melee and low defence. This way, their combat level will remain low.

Magic Pures
These pures will mostly focus on having high Magic, and low other combat stats. This way, their combat level will remain low.

Ranged Pures
These pures will mostly focus on having high Ranged, and low other combat stats. This way, their combat level will remain low.

Defence Pure or Tank


These pures will mostly focus on having high Defence, and low other combat stats. This way, their combat level will remain low.

Summoning Tank
These pures will mostly focus on having high Summoning, and low other combat stats. This way, their combat level will remain low.(Members only)

Hybrid
These pures will mostly focus on having 2 or 3 high combat skills, and low other combat skills. This way, their combat level will remain low, and they will be able to change style and keep hittimg quite high.

Combat Triangle
The combat triangle means that Magic hits high on Melee, melee hits high on ranged and ranged hits high on magic. Also, it works the other way for most cases, as ranged has high magic defence, melee has high ranged defence, but only magic doesn't have high melee defence, but is able to bind/freeze melee, and the melee won't be able to attack the mage.

Variations of hybrids
There are multiple variations of hybrids. These are listed here.

Maxed Account Types
Please note that these are only selected account types and stats, as there are many other different accounts that have different stats.

Twinning
Two or more similar pures that have similar names are sometimes called twins. Twins may player-kill with each other. Similar named accounts may cause confusion for another group of pkers that these twins are attacking, while the twins can synchronise their efforts on one target at a time. A very useful way to kill while twinning was for each twin to get a Dragon dagger and both attack and use the special attack on a player at a time. This requires 60 attack. Sometimes twins will both wield Dark bows. They require 60 Range to use. When both twins are attacking something at the same time, they can kill it within the first few seconds of combat.

Skillers
A skiller is a player who does not train combat stats, but does work on other skills. Common skillers may be woodcutters, miners, fishers, etc. Skillers can also train Slayer and still not get combat levels. They normally do this with Rings of Recoil, experience lamps and books. They can also train Slayer with penguin points or Soul Wars.

Classic Pures
These were pures at the time of Runescape Classic.

Criticism
Some players argue that because pures only work on few skills, they are weak in different aspects of the game. Although, pures were simply designed for combat.

Many pures, due to the extremely competitive nature of player killing, may insult others, for example by calling them noobs. Sometimes they do it so much, it almost becomes a personality trait and is carried out of the wilderness and into the rest of their gaming life. This is where people often get the idea that pures are mean, disrespectful, and selfish.

For anyone who uses a more balanced character to make and give things to their pure fighter, attention must be drawn to Rule 8 of the rules section on RuneScape.com.
 * Rule 8.
 * You may create more than one RuneScape account, but if you do, you may not log in more than one account at any time, and they must not interact with each other in any way. This includes 'drop trading' or any other method of item transfer.