Weapon/Ranged weapons

Ranged weapons are a set of combat items which are used to fire projectiles at enemies. When equipped these items provide experience in the Ranged skill. Ranged weapons are most effective against magic armour and least effective against melee armour.

Ranged weapons can be divided into three categories by the type of ammunition they use, which each have monsters that are weak to them. They are: arrows, bolts and thrown.

Currently the highest hitting and the most accurate ranged weapons are the Ascension crossbow and the Noxious longbow, excluding weapons found in Daemonheim and the Dominion Crossbow.

Bows (arrows)
Bows are ranged weapons which require arrows as ammunition. All bows are two handed weapons. They can be separated into two categories: shortbows, and shieldbows.

Shortbows have better offensive stats, while shieldbows offer armour and life bonuses and allow the use of abilities that require shields being equipped. Shortbows have a range of 7 squares, and shieldbows have a range of 8 squares.

Shortbo​ws
Shortbows require two hands to wield and arrows as ammunition. Unlike shieldbows, shortbows offer no armour or life bonuses. However, they do have higher base damage and faster rate of fire (3 seconds between shots). Range: 7 squares.

Shield​bows
Shieldbows require two hands to wield and arrows as ammunition. They have lower base damage than shortbows and speed (3.6 seconds between shots) than shortbows. However, they offer armour and life bonuses, as well as the option to use defensive abilities requiring a shield be equipped. Range: 8 squares.

Arrows
Arrows are used for ammunition with bows. They do not affect accuracy, but do add damage bonuses. A higher level arrow adds more damage but can make ranged combat very expensive. The type of bow wielded may limit the amount of damage that arrows add. For example, if a tier 50 bow is used with tier 60 arrows, the damage added by the arrows will not be tier 60 but rather tier 50 (i.e. the level of the bow). Non-members cannot use Saradomin, Guthix, Zamorak, Dragon, Dark or Araxyte arrows. All arrows except for the God arrows and Araxyte arrows can be fletched by members.

Ogre and brutal arrows
Ogre and brutal arrows are only available to members and can only be used with ogre bows. Ogre arrows can be fletched during and after the Big Chompy Bird Hunting quest and can be used with either an ogre bow or a composite ogre bow.

Brutal arrows can be fletched after completing the Zogre Flesh Eaters quest and can only be used with a composite ogre bow. They are currently the only effective weapon against Zogres and Skogres.

Crossbows (bolts)
Crossbows are ranged weapons which require bolts as ammunition. They can be separated into two categories: crossbows and two-handed crossbows.

Crossbows have a faster rate of fire (2.4 seconds) than two-handed crossbows (3.6 seconds). Crossbows leave the shield slot open which can be filled by off-handed crossbows to further increase rate of fire. Two-handed crossbows offer a base damage bonus in addition to the damage bonus from the bolts used, while crossbows rely only on the bolt to deal damage. Both types have the same accuracy

Two-handed crossbows
All two-handed crossbows are members items.

Bolts
Bolts are used for ammunition with crossbows. They do not affect accuracy, but do add damage bonuses. A higher level bolt adds more damage but can make ranged combat very expensive. The type of crossbow wielded may limit the amount of damage that bolts add. For example, if a tier 70 crossbow is used with tier 80 bolts, the damage added by the bolts will not be tier 80 but rather tier 70 (i.e. the level of the crossbow). Gem tipped bolts can be enchanted using the Enchant Crossbow Bolt spell.

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.

Salamanders
Salamanders function as two-handed crossbows.

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. They can be wielded as a weapon, allowing players to also carry a shield or off-hand weapon. Note that black darts are only available as drops from elite dark rangers. Darts 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.

Javelins
Javelins can be bought from the Grand Exchange, 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 off-hand weapon. They are the only thrown weapons available for free players, with the exception of the Sagaie and Morrigan's javelin.

Javelins are much slower than other thrown weapons, but they do more damage per hit.

Throwing axes
Throwing axes can be created by players, purchased from the Ranging Guild, or bought from other players. They can be wielded as a single-handed weapon, allowing players to also wield a shield or off-hand weapon. Note that Morrigan's axe can only be obtained as a drop from Revenants.

Throwing axes are slightly slower than throwing knives and darts, but do more damage per hit.

Throwing knives
Throwing knives are similar to darts. They are one of the fastest weapon types in the game and can be smithed. They can be wielded as a single-handed weapon, allowing players to wield a shield or off-hand weapon.

Players receive 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 Chinchompa weapon to be used for longer distance attacks, but also decreases throwing rate. A Chinchompa explosion damages all targets within a three by three area. Chinchompas are obtained by box trapping.

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

Obsidian throwing rings can be obtained by buying from the TzHaar combat store, as a drop from the creatures in TzHaar, or by buying it from another player. They cost around 350 Tokkul per throwing ring. This weapon cannot be made using the Smithing skill.

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

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 is restricted to one bolt pouch at a time. Destroying it or losing it upon death will cause all the bolts in the pouch to be dropped on the ground.

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 untradeable.