Combat triangle

OS

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In this image, each fighter is attacking the one weaker than it and being attacked with its own weakness

The Combat triangle is a chart of the strengths and weaknesses of each combat class against the other classes. In general, when players are fighting opponents with skills close to their own skills:

• Warriors are strong against rangers. Rangers' projectiles can't penetrate metal armour very well, but warriors' blades can cut through leather with ease.
• Rangers are strong against mages. Their leather and dragonhide armours absorb the magic spells used by mages. Their arrows easily pierce the soft cloth of mage robes.
• Mages are strong against warriors. The metal armour of warriors conducts spells so that the effect of the spells is more potent. Also, freeze/bind spells put warriors at a disadvantage because frozen warriors can't attack mages from a distance.

However, this does not guarantee that one class will always beat its weaker class. For example, a warrior can still defeat a lower levelled or worse-equipped mage, or a ranger can easily defeat a meleer who is stuck behind a fence.

Bending the triangle

The Dwarves' "blueprint" of the Combat Triangle.

The triangle tends to focus mostly on the effectiveness of armour.

Warriors

• Against Rangers. The warrior's armour is most effective against ranged projectiles, though the ranger has an advantage as long as they can remain out of direct contact.
• Against Mages. The warrior's armour makes the mage's spells more potent. But, having a high magic level will help defend you against the enemies spell.

Rangers

• Against Mages. The ranger's armour is most effective against magic, and holding tactics cannot prevent the ranger from hitting the mage. Therefore, this is a side of the triangle that is almost impossible to collapse.
• Against Warriors. The ranger can counter the warrior by evasion, or increase defence by switching to a chainbody or a helm.

Mages

• Against Warriors. While the mage's attack hits easily through metal, warriors can still deal damage in close combat. Members have access to the Ancient Magicks spellbook, which allows the use of ice spells to bind opponents.
• Against Rangers. The ranger's armour is most effective against magic, and holding tactics cannot prevent the ranger from hitting the mage. Therefore, this side of the triangle is almost impossible to collapse.

Hybrids are capable of standing at more than one point on the triangle, though at some cost and compromise to their equipment and inventory load.

See also

• Weakness

Trivia

• In the top right corner, among the Dwarven script, there are three equations that are used in game to calculate a player's combat level based on whichever combination of statistics results in the highest combat level.
• In the background of the Dwarf "blueprint", a hexagram can be seen.
• The Dwarven "blueprint" is a possible reference to Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.
• Dragonfire is another form of attack, and is not part of the combat triangle. It defies the combat triangle and cannot be blocked with any protection prayer. Using Protect from Magic will only partially help the user.
• Although summoning familiars usually attack from a corner of the combat triangle the prayer protect from summoning will protect you from their attacks even if multiple familiars are attacking you from multiple sides of the combat triangle.