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Melee the basics
Melee icon

Melee is one of the three combat styles in RuneScape. It involves using swords, daggers, and other weapons to damage opponents, as well as wearing heavy armour made from various metals. Players who specialize in this type of combat are known as warriors.

The Combat Triangle dictates that Warriors are strong against Rangers but weak against Mages.

Melee's inability to attack from a large distance means that a player may have a hard time fighting a Ranger or Mage, as they can make use of safespots. However, Melee has a high resistance to Ranged, giving warriors a defensive advantage over rangers.

Popularity of melee combat[]

Melee was more than twice as popular than magic and ranged combat combined, generating 59% of users votes in January 2007, but since the Evolution of Combat was released, magic, ranged and melee have more equal popularity. This is likely because each monster has gained their own weaknesses which can make melee ineffective against certain monsters. For example, using melee slashing attacks instead of ranged bolt attacks on Black demons will deal less damage per second due to reduced accuracy.

Melee attack[]

To the right of the Inventory button is the Equipment menu. From here, players can view their combat stats. Melee weapons increase in accuracy as the tier increases; the tier defined by the minimum Attack level required to wield the weapon. The general trend is that Melee weapons of the same tier have the same accuracy value. Most melee armour does not hinder the accuracy of Melee weapons, nor does it improve Melee accuracy directly as a direct increase to damage or accuracy statistics. Wearing power armour, jewellery, and other accessories will increase the player's style bonus for melee, which carries a damage bonus. However, wearing a piece of Ranged or Magic armour will reduce this style bonus, making melee combat less effective.

Players can also use Melee prayers such as Piety to improve Melee combat.

Melee skills[]

  • Attack Attack determines the accuracy of a player's melee attacks and the types of weapons a player may wield. The higher the Attack level, the fewer misses a player will incur during melee combat. As Attack is a vital skill in melee combat, increasing one's Attack level will increase one's combat level associated with melee.
  • Strength Strength is a melee combat skill which increases the amount of damage a player can inflict in melee combat by one point per level. Additionally, Strength may be required to wield certain weapons and armour, access some Agility shortcuts, and complete several quests.
  • Defence Defence is one of the primary combat skills that grants players protection in all forms of combat. The higher the Defence level, the fewer successful blows an opponent will land against the player. Defence is thus a vital skill for enduring attacks for long periods of time. A player's Defence level also determines which equipment they are able to wear, as most pieces of armour or other equipment have a Defence level requirement. Defence increases the ability to block attacks. The higher the Defence level the less damage received against monsters and players.

Attack types[]

Melee combat has three attack types:

  • Crush weakness icon Crush weapons are weapons that deal crush damage. These weapons will deal extra damage to monsters with a specific weakness to crush attacks, and slightly less damage to any monster with any melee weakness. They deal average damage against monsters with a weakness to magic, and poor damage to monsters weak to ranged. Crush has the fewest weapon types devoted to it.
  • Stab weakness icon Stab weapons are weapons that deal stab damage. These weapons will do extra damage to those monsters with a specific weakness to stab attacks, and slightly less damage to those monsters with any melee weakness. They deal average damage against monsters with a weakness to magic, and poor damage to monsters weak to ranged.
  • Slash weakness icon Slash weapons are weapons that deal slash damage. These weapons will do extra damage to those monsters with a specific weakness to slash attacks, and slightly less damage to those monsters with any melee weakness. They deal poor damage against monsters with a weakness to magic, and strong damage to monsters weak to ranged.

Melee weapons[]

Melee weapons fit into many general categories. No type is superior to others, as they vary in attack style, speed and damage. In general, weapons of the same tier have the same damage per second ratio, with two handed weapons dealing approximately 50% more per second.

Most melee weapons can be fit into categories by their attack speed. Many melee weapons also have an off-hand equivalent which can be equipped to allow the use of dual-wield abilities and will bring up the player's DPS to match that of two-handed weapons.

Stabbing[]

Fastest[]

  • Daggers are a fastest one-handed stabbing weapons and are typically the cheapest of all melee weapons compared to weapons of the same metal.

Fast[]

  • Swords are fast one-handed stabbing weapons and are stronger (but also slower) than daggers.
  • Rapiers are fast one-handed stabbing weapons that are very similar to swords. They are an uncommon weapon type outside of Dungeoneering.
  • Hastae are fast one-handed stabbing weapon similar to their two-handed version spears.
    • Hastae are rarely used because of the difficulty of obtaining them, as well as being nearly identical to swords, which are much easier to obtain.

Average[]

  • Spears are two-handed, members-only weapons and slower than their one handed counterpart hasta.

Slashing[]

Fastest[]

  • Claws are slash-type melee weapons. When combined with their off-hand equivalents, the rune claw and the dragon claw are capable of performing a special attack.

Fast[]

  • Scimitars are slash-type melee weapons and are generally the most popular overall compared to other melee weapons of their speed.
  • Whips are generally higher-level weapons and are equivalent to scimitars. The abyssal whip is a very popular weapon for its affordability and effectiveness.

Average[]

  • Longswords are a fairly popular slash-type melee weapon.
  • Halberds, an unique type of weapon that can hit opponents two squares away, as opposed to the one square away most melee weapons can hit.

Crushing[]

Fastest[]

  • Maces are a crush-type melee weapon and does not share the popularity of the dagger or the scimitar although they carry a Prayer bonus on their main hand version.

Average[]

  • Warhammers are crush-type melee weapons. They are rather uncommon and are relatively unpopular.
  • Mauls are two-handed weapons, members-only with the exception of the golden hammer, used in a manner similar to warhammers.

Defenders[]

Defenders are off-hand melee equipment that are wielded in the off-hand slot and allow the use of both dual-wielding and shield abilities. They are the melee equivalent of reprisers and rebounders.

Hatchets/Pickaxes[]

Intended for Woodcutting/Mining. It is not recommended to use either Hatchets or Pickaxes as weapons, as their damage-per-second is halved relative to other weapons of their level.

Melee armour[]

Warriors have their own sets of armour made out of various metals. Melee armour is resistant to ranged but weak against magic. A list of armour types is in the table below. Visit melee armour for more specific information.

Set totals include full helmet, platebody, platelegs/plateskirt, and kiteshield whenever possible.

Defence level Other
levels
Icon Armour Members only? Defence Constitution Prayer Attack-icon Degrades
1 Bronze helm Bronze armour 127 0 0 0 No
10 Iron helm Iron armour 170 0 0 0 No
20 Steel helm Steel armour 267 0 0 0 No
30 Mithril helm Mithril armour 383 0 0 0 No
40 Adamant helm Adamant armour 532 0 0 0 No
50 Rune helm Rune armour 722 0 0 0 No
50 Rock-shell helm Rock-shell armour Yes 547 0 0 59 No
55 55 Strength Granite helm Granite armour Yes 834 0 0 0 No
60 Corrupt dragon helm Corrupt dragon armour 915 0 0 0 30 minutes worn then degrades to dust
60 Dragon helm Dragon armour Yes 961 0 0 0 No
65 Third-age full helmet Third-age warrior armour Yes 1101 0 0 0 No
70 Torag's helm Barrows armour Yes 964 0 0 0 15 Hours in Combat
70 Bandos helmet Bandos armour Yes 1267 35 7 87 No
78 Vesta's chainbody Vesta's equipment Yes 865 0 0 55 1 hour worn then degrades to dust
78 Statius's full helm Statius's equipment Yes 1249 0 0 75 1 hour worn then degrades to dust
80 80 Constitution Torva full helm Torva armour Yes 1267 495 11 99 10 hours in Combat
80 Anima Core helm of Zaros Anima Core of Zaros Yes 1099 0 0 75 No
85 Refined Anima Core helm of Zaros Refined Anima Core of Zaros Yes 1249 0 0 80 Degrades back to the unrefined version after 100,000 charges of combat
85 85 Constitution Tetsu helm Tetsu armour Yes 1347 1260 0 0 10 hours then degrades to dust
85 85 Constitution Superior tetsu helm Superior Tetsu armour Yes 1414 1440 7 0 12 hours in combat (repairable)
85 85 Strength & Magic Battle-mage helm Battle-mage armour Yes 1802 1300 0 0 No
85 85 Strength & Ranged Vanguard helm Vanguard armour Yes 1630 1440 0 0 No
90 Malevolent helm Malevolent armour Yes 1414 0 7 86 100,000 hits then degrades to dust

Shields[]

A shield is a protective item wielded in the off-hand slot. A shield adds substantial bonuses to armour and to life points when wielded, and unlocks the use of some Defence abilities. The information below (and more) can be found on the shields page.

Each type of metal in RuneScape, from bronze to dragon, has a square shield and a kiteshield, respectively give slightly lower armour bonuses than kiteshields, though with the same life point bonuses. Square shields also tend to be slightly less expensive than kiteshields. Square shields and kiteshields, with the exception of the dragon sq shield and dragon kiteshield, can be made through the Smithing skill. In the interest of brevity, only a few kiteshields are listed below.

Shield P2P? Skill
requirements
Defence Constitution Notes
Bronze kiteshield Bronze kiteshield F2P icon 1 Defence 30 0
Anti-dragon shield Anti-dragon shield F2P icon 1 Defence 30 0 Provides strong protection versus dragonfire attacks.
Iron kiteshield Iron kiteshield F2P icon 10 Defence 40 0
Steel kiteshield Steel kiteshield F2P icon 20 Defence 63 0
Black kiteshield Black kiteshield F2P icon 25 Defence 76 0
White kiteshield White kiteshield P2P icon 25 Defence 76 0 +1 Prayer bonus. Requires completion of Wanted! in order to wield.
Mithril kiteshield Mithril kiteshield F2P icon 30 Defence 90 0
Adamant kiteshield Adamant kiteshield F2P icon 40 Defence 125 0
Spirit shield Spirit shield P2P icon 40 Defence
55 Prayer
125 0 +1 prayer bonus. Requires completion of Summer's End.
Rune kiteshield Rune kiteshield F2P icon 50 Defence 170 0
Granite shield Granite shield P2P icon 55 Defence
55 Strength
196 0
Dragon kiteshield Dragon kiteshield P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0
Toktz-ket-xil Toktz-ket-xil P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0
Crystal shield Crystal shield P2P icon 70 Defence
50 Agility
297 35 Requires completion of Roving Elves. Degrades.
Bandos warshield Bandos warshield P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 +1 prayer bonus.
Blessed spirit shield Blessed spirit shield P2P icon 70 Defence
60 Prayer
297 35 +3 prayer bonus. Requires completion of Summer's End.
Dragonfire shield Dragonfire shield P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 Provides protection from dragonfire as an anti-dragon shield. Must first be charged with dragonfire attacks in order to reach its highest armour bonus.
Divine spirit shield Divine spirit shield P2P icon 75 Defence
75 Prayer
338 0 Absorbs 30% of incoming damage in exchange for draining 6% of the original hit in prayer points. Requires completion of Summer's End. This is currently the strongest non-degrading melee shield available.
Chaotic kiteshield Chaotic kiteshield P2P icon 80 Defence
80 Dungeoneering
384 385 Obtained from the rewards trader at Daemonheim. Degrades.
Attuned crystal shield Attuned crystal shield P2P icon 80 Defence
50 Agility
384 385 Requires 90 Smithing to make with Crystal Singing. Requires completion of Plague's End. Degrades.
Linza's shield Linza's shield P2P icon 80 Defence 384 385
Malevolent kiteshield Malevolent kiteshield P2P icon 90 Defence 491 735 This is currently the highest tier Melee shield available. Degrades.

Attack boosting[]


Herblore[]

Item Members Level increase Level to make Notes
Attack potion (4) Attack potion F2P icon 1 + 8% 1 Herblore
Attack mix (2) Attack mix P2P icon 4 Herblore Heals 300 Life points.
Combat potion (4) Combat potion P2P icon 1 + 8% 36 Herblore
Combat mix (2) Combat mix P2P icon 40 Herblore Heals 300 Life points.
Super attack (4) Super attack P2P icon 2 + 12% 45 Herblore
Super attack mix (2) Super attack mix P2P icon 47 Herblore Heals 600 Life points.
Zamorak brew (4) Zamorak brew P2P icon 1 + 8% 78 Herblore Also boosts Strength.
Zamorak mix (2) Zamorak mix P2P icon 85 Herblore Also boosts Strength, heals 600 Life points and drains 12% of current life points.
Extreme attack (4) Extreme attack P2P icon 3 + 15% 88 Herblore Non-tradeable
Overload (4) Overload P2P icon 96 Herblore Non-tradeable. Also boosts Strength, Ranged, Magic and Defence, lasting 6 minutes.
Supreme overload potion (6) Supreme overload potion P2P icon 4 + 16% 98 Herblore Non-tradeable. Also boosts Strength, Ranged, Magic and Defence, lasting 6 minutes. Requires Plague's End.

Prayer[]

Prayer Members Boost Level to use Notes
Clarity of Thought Clarity of Thought F2P icon +2 7 Prayer Standard prayer book.
Improved Reflexes Improved Reflexes F2P icon +4 16 Prayer Standard prayer book.
Incredible Reflexes Incredible Reflexes F2P icon +6 16 Prayer Standard prayer book.
Chivalry Chivalry P2P icon +7 60 Prayer Standard prayer book, also boosts Strength and Defence. Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
Piety Piety P2P icon +8 70 Prayer Standard prayer book, also boosts Strength and Defence. Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
Sap Warrior Sap Warrior P2P icon -2 to -6 50 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, only decreases enemy accuracy levels over time. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
Leech Attack Leech Attack P2P icon +2 to +5 74 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, decreases enemy accuracy levels over time by -4 to -8, while boosting yours. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
Turmoil Turmoil P2P icon +10 95 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, decreases enemy accuracy levels over time by -6 to -10, while boosting yours. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
Malevolence Malevolence P2P icon +12 99 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, decreases enemy accuracy levels over time, while boosting yours. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten and unlocking by using a praesul codex.

Other[]

Item Members Level increase Level to make Notes
Cup of tea Cup of tea F2P icon +3 20 Cooking Heals up to 375 Life points, clears the effect of Aggression potion and can drain adrenaline.
Spicy stew Spicy stew P2P icon -5 to +5 25 Cooking Non-tradeable. After Evil Dave's Big Day Out it grants a +2 minimum boost.
Cavefish Cavefish P2P icon +2 88 Cooking Heals up to 2200 Life points, may randomly boosts other combat skills besides Attack.
Ruby harvest Ruby harvest P2P icon 20% 15 Hunter Boost only affects the other player it is used on.
Salve amulet Salve amulet P2P icon 15% accuracy and damage 35 Crafting Non-tradeable. Boost only applies when fighting undead monsters. Requires partial completion of Haunted Mine.
Salve amulet (e) Salve amulet (e) P2P icon 20% accuracy and damage 40 Slayer Non-tradeable. Boost only applies when fighting undead monsters. Requires completion of The Lair of Tarn Razorlor and the Salve amulet.
Black mask Black mask P2P icon 12.5% accuracy and damage 58 Slayer Boost only applies when fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master.
Dragon slayer gloves Dragon slayer gloves P2P icon 10% 70 Slayer Non-tradeable. Boost only applies when fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master. Boost stacks with Black Mask.
Attack cape Attack cape P2P icon +1 99 Attack Non-tradeable. Requires Skill mastery to equip.
Dominion marker (stage 4) Dominion marker P2P icon Varies 110 combat level Non-tradeable. Boosts depends on marker stage, also boosts Strength, Ranged, Magic and Defence.

Strength boosting[]


Potions[]

Item Members Level increase Level to make Notes
Strength potion (4) Strength potion F2P icon 1 + 8% 7 Herblore Can also be bought at Apothecary at cost of Limpwurt root and a Red spiders' eggs.
Strength mix (2) Strength mix P2P icon 9 Herblore Heals 300 Life points.
Combat potion (4) Combat potion P2P icon 1 + 8% 36 Herblore Also boosts Attack.
Combat mix (2) Combat mix P2P icon 40 Herblore Heals 300 Life points. Also boosts Attack.
Super strength (4) Super strength P2P icon 2 + 12% 55 Herblore
Super strength mix (2) Super strength mix P2P icon 59 Herblore Heals 600 Life points.
Zamorak brew (4) Zamorak brew P2P icon 1 + 8% 78 Herblore Also boosts Attack and drains 12% of current life points.
Zamorak mix (2) Zamorak mix P2P icon 85 Herblore Also boosts Attack, heals 600 Life points and drains 12% of current life points.
Extreme strength (4) Extreme strength P2P icon 3 + 15% 88 Herblore Non-tradeable
Overload (4) Overload P2P icon 96 Herblore Non-tradeable. Also boosts Attack, Ranged, Magic and Defence, lasting 6 minutes.
Supreme overload potion (6) Supreme overload potion P2P icon 4 + 16% 98 Herblore Non-tradeable. Also boosts Attack, Ranged, Magic and Defence, lasting 6 minutes. Requires Plague's End.

Cooking[]

Item Members Level increase Level to make Notes
Wizard Blizzard Wizard Blizzard P2P icon +5 18 Cooking Heals up to 360 Life points, also lowers Attack by -4. Premade version works.
Short Green Guy Short Green Guy P2P icon +4 20 Cooking Heals up to 400 Life points, also lowers Attack by -3. Premade version works.
Asgarnian ale Asgarnian ale P2P icon +2 24 Cooking Heals up to 240 Life points, also lowers Attack by -4.
Spicy stew Spicy stew P2P icon -5 to +5 25 Cooking Non-tradeable. After Evil Dave's Big Day Out it grants a +2 minimum boost.
Drunk Dragon Drunk Dragon P2P icon +5 32 Cooking Heals up to 640 Life points, also lowers Attack by -4. Premade version works.
Blurberry Special Blurberry Special P2P icon +7 37 Cooking Heals up to 740 Life points, also lowers Attack by -5. Premade version works.
Dragon bitter Dragon bitter P2P icon +2 39 Cooking Heals up to 390 Life points, also lowers Attack by -4.
Cavefish Cavefish P2P icon +2 88 Cooking Heals up to 2200 Life points, may randomly boosts other combat skills besides Strength.

Prayer[]

Prayer Members Boost Level to use Notes
Burst of Strength Burst of Strength F2P icon +2% 4 Prayer Standard prayer book.
Superhuman Strength Superhuman Strength F2P icon +4% 13 Prayer Standard prayer book.
Ultimate Strength Ultimate Strength F2P icon +6% 31 Prayer Standard prayer book.
Chivalry Chivalry P2P icon +7% 60 Prayer Standard prayer book, also boosts Attack and Defence. Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
Piety Piety P2P icon +8% 70 Prayer Standard prayer book, also boosts Attack and Defence. Requires completion of the Camelot training room.
Sap Warrior Sap Warrior P2P icon -2% to -6% 50 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, only decreases enemy damage levels over time. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
Leech Strength Leech Strength P2P icon +2% to +8% 82 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, decreases enemy damage levels over time, while boosting yours. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
Turmoil Turmoil P2P icon +10% 95 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, decreases enemy damage levels over time, while boosting yours. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten.
Malevolence Malevolence P2P icon +12% 99 Prayer Ancient Curses prayer book, decreases enemy damage levels over time, while boosting yours. Requires completion of The Temple at Senntisten and unlocked by using a praesul codex.

Other[]

Item Members Level increase Level to obtain Notes
Beer Beer F2P icon +2 None Heals 100 Life points and lowers Attack by up to -7%.
Beer (tankard) Beer (tankard) P2P icon +4 None Heals 200 Life points and lowers Attack by -9.
Keg of beer Keg of beer P2P icon +10 None Heals up to 250 Life points and lowers Attack by up to -50%.
Grog Grog P2P icon +3 None Heals up to 100 Life points and lowers Attack by -6.
Braindeath 'rum' Braindeath 'rum' P2P icon +3 None Heals up to 990 Life points, boosts +3 Mining, but lowers Attack, Defence, Ranged, Magic, Agility, Herblore by -5%.
Black warlock Black warlock P2P icon 20% 45 Hunter Boost only affects the other player it is used on.
Black mask Black mask P2P icon 12.5% accuracy and damage 58 Slayer Boost only applies when fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master.
Dragon slayer gloves Dragon slayer gloves P2P icon 10% 70 Slayer Non-tradeable.Boost only applies when fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master. Boost stacks with Black Mask.
Volcanic strength scroll Obsidian golem P2P icon +9 73 Summoning Special attack of the obsidian golem.
Strength cape Strength cape P2P icon +1 99 Strength Non-tradeable.Requires Skill mastery to equip.
Dominion marker (stage 4) Dominion marker P2P icon Varies 110 Combat Non-tradeable.Boosts depends on marker stage, also boosts Attack, Ranged, Magic and Defence.
Dharok's armour set equipped

Wretched Strength

P2P icon Varies conform Life points 70 Strength
70 Attack

70 Defence

Full set must be worn for special effect to take place.

Melee capes of accomplishment[]

See also[]

Trivia[]

  • Magical melee, were distinguished by a unique set of characteristics. It was removed in the Evolution of Combat update since most monsters have one main attack style.
  • Prior to the Evolution of Combat, daggers, hasta and spears were able to be poisoned.
  • Hastae are one-handed spears that are equivalent to swords except for the fact that they lack off-hand equivalents.

References[]

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