Pking (fully known as “Player Killing”) in Old School RuneScape can almost be described as an art form. Over the years, the PvP community has evolved, coming up with thousands of different ways to kill opponents through account builds, weapon combinations, movement tactics, and many other advanced techniques.
As more weapons, prayers, effects, and discoveries are brought into Old School RuneScape, PvP will continue to change on a daily basis.
Recommended Read: How to Get to Karamja in OSRS
But what does the meta look like now for PvP? And what kind of tactics and gear setups are often used by players to keep up with the ever-growing community?
Pking in OSRS ultimately comes down to managing your supplies while dealing as much DPS to your target as possible. Be sure to pick an optimal setup for the kind of Pking you want to do, and stay alert during your fights for any habits from your opponent that you may pick up on to help you win the fight.
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How to PK in OSRS
Getting into PvP in Old School RuneScape can be an intimidating task. Much like other MMORPGs, PvP tends to have a bit of a steep learning curve compared to other available content in OSRS.
Realistically, it all boils down to the style of combat you want to go for, how much gp you are willing to lose, and where you want to do PvP.
On top of this, there are ways to manipulate game mechanics and incorporate tactics to give you the best advantage possible.
Where To Do PvP
Starting with choosing a location will help determine what kind of gear setup you will build for yourself. There are multiple different places that people Pk, ranging through all skill levels.
Minigames (Castle Wars, Clan Wars, Soul Wars, PvP Arena, Last Man Standing)
If you want to get comfortable with how PvP works and just want to have a bit of mindless fun, going to safe minigames like Castle Wars or Soul Wars is the perfect way to do it.
Without worrying about losing items, you can toy around with different items and weapons while getting comfortable switching between your combat and prayer tabs, equipping and unequipping “spec” weapons, gear switches, etc.
Each of these minigames has its own official worlds that you can go to play in full lobbies. Furthermore, minigames like Castle Wars and Clan Wars are available for F2P players, so you can test out F2P mechanics as well.
“Last Man Standing” specifically is a fantastic minigame to get started into Pking. It is a battle-royale-style minigame where you fight one-on-one battles against other players, looting chests until you are the last person left.
Located in the Ferox Enclave, your stats are maximized, giving everybody an equal chance to win, and you can earn valuable rewards while fighting in a competitive setting.
PvP Worlds
Rotating periodically, PvP worlds allow players to fight each other around Gielinor, anywhere aside from within a bank space. Kind in mind that PvP worlds are considered dangerous, so you WILL lose items if you die.
Aside from PvP worlds, there are also High-Risk PvP worlds where you cannot use the “Protect Item” prayer, and you will lose everything, regardless of whether you are skulled or not.
Be sure to check out our guide on how to remove skull in between fights.
It is highly recommended to fight on a PvP world that is hosted on servers within your region. Otherwise, you may be affected by lag and tic ping, which will give you a drastic disadvantage.
The Wilderness
The most common place that OSRS players PK is in the Wilderness.
The Wilderness is the vast charred area north of Edgeville and Varrock where players are able to attack other players (so long as they are within a specific level range).
Within the Wilderness, there are many hotspots that Pkers will linger at to either look for a fight or kill other players attempting to do other forms of content (Clue Scrolls, PvM, Slayer, Bossing, etc.):
- Just north of Edgeville across the Wilderness ditch (Mostly on specific Wilderness PvP Worlds)
- Revenant Caves
- Chaos Altar
- Each of the Wilderness Bosses (More commonly Callisto, Venenatis, and the Chaos Fanatic)
- Outside Mage Arena Building
Gear Setups
The type of gear you are bringing for PvP typically balances between how much you’re willing to risk if you die and what kind of Pking you would like to do.
Setups can vary between having a simple two-way switch two having a full tribrid setup that costs hundreds of millions. While you can mix and match most items, most types of PKing include the following:
Strength Pures
Mostly reserved for accounts with only 60 Strength, these kinds of Pkers will only equip an Obsidian Maul with Monk’s Robes and attack other low-level accounts.
Because they only have 60 Strength, their combat level is so low that they can attack (and nearly one-hit) other accounts around their combat level.
Similar to this, you may see other players equipped with a Fighter Torso and other mid-tier Strength-boosting armour such as Rune Platelegs and a Berserker Helm, along with a Saradomin Sword or Dragon Scimitar. This works through the same concept of going for pure DPS without having to risk a whole lot of gp.
Dharok Pking
For this setup, you would equip full Dharok’s, along with a different main weapon and special attack weapon (i.e. an Abyssal Whip and Armadyl Godsword).
While Pking with this setup, you would fight normally with your main weapon, using your special attack weapon when your opponent’s HP gets low.
Furthermore, you will still have your Dharok’s Greataxe in your inventory, equipping it when your own hitpoints get low.
While wearing full Dharok’s, your maximum hit will go up greatly, giving you the opportunity to one-hit your opponent.
Dharok’s Pking is a nice middle ground between getting started with Pking while risking enough to earn decent gp for each kill, especially if going Pking outside the border of the Grand Exchange on the PvP world.
Void Pking
Utilizing Void means you can quickly switch combat styles by switching your helm and weapon. However, you will be limited in terms of defense, but it will be made up by having extraordinary DPS.
While wearing Void equipment, players will often bring a weapon of every combat style (i.e., Toxic Staff of the Dead for freezing with Magic, Heavy Ballista for Ranged, Armadyl Godsword for Melee special attacks).
NH Pking
NH Pking, otherwise known as “No Honor PvP,” is doing anything you can to kill your opponent regardless of stipulations.
These are the Pkers that will appear to bring a low-level setup to give their opponent a false sense of security while spec-ing them out with a Voidwaker the second they get.
Pjers (Player Jumpers), snaring skillers in the Chinchompa Hunting Grounds in the Wilderness, using a Dragon Spear to push a person into multi-combat while your clan dog piles onto them.
NH pking is using whatever you have on you to get the better end of your opponent.
High-Risk Pking
This type of Pking is self-explanatory: bringing the best gear you have for the best offensive and defensive stats to give yourself the greatest advantage.
This Pking is usually reserved for those highly experienced in PvP and know advanced mechanics and tactics.
Whether fighting just outside a bank or in the deep Wilderness, sometimes the key to victory is bringing full Torva and a Voidwaker. A very high-risk way of PvP, but it makes up for itself by being a truck of an opponent to fight against.
Breaking Down PvP
The true end goal to succeed in PvP is to make sure your opponent’s hitpoints drop to zero before your own.
Whether by DPSing your opponent or getting them trapped in Level 44 Wilderness, PvP is making sure you are attacking your target while efficiently eating and maintaining your own supplies.
Depending on your setup, aside from your chosen weapons and equipment, you will want to have at least a Super Restore Potion, an Antipoison, a Super Combat Potion/Ranging Potion, and a Saradomin Brew.
You will also want a one-click emergency teleport (a Royal Seed Pod from the “Monkey Madness II” quest is a perfect item as it can teleport you all the way from Level 30 Wilderness), and high-healing food.
Specifically for food, consider bringing a combination of Sharks, Manta Rays, or Anglerfish alongside Karambwans.
Karambwans have a unique property where they can be eaten on the same tick as another food (which will be discussed further in a later section of this guide).
Regardless of what kind of Pking you are doing, PvP can be broken down into three distinct phases of combat:
Starting The Fight
Before your fight begins (or maybe right when someone attacks you without warning), make sure you are potted up by taking a sip of each of your potions to boost your stats and make sure you are using the correct Prayers.
During the first few moments of the fight, do what you can to pick up any habits your opponent has.
Do they eat when they are only half health? What kind of special weapon do they have? What’s their estimated maximum hit? Answering tiny details early on can help determine how you go about the rest of the fight.
During The Fight
Apart from eating food whenever your hitpoints get too low, start to think about ways to get the better hand on your target.
Keep an eye on how much energy your special attack bar has (if you used it already), and look for an opportunity to switch to your spec-weapon.
It takes a bit of judgment, but whenever you think your opponent’s hitpoints are low enough, switch to your spec-weapon and use your special attack.
If you are using Dharok’s for Pking, equip your Dharok’s Greataxe when you have low hitpoints to attempt to activate the set’s ability, increasing your max hit to possibly kill them early.
Try not to eat too often, as you may end up spending more time eating than doing damage, but don’t risk your hitpoints too low.
Ending The Fight
Akin to the previous phase, use your spec-weapon whenever you see an opportunity. Furthermore, keep an eye on your supplies to see how much longer you have in the fight.
In the end, the fight will be over in a few ways: your target dies, you die, or someone runs/teleports away (the latter happening more often than you think). If you find yourself low on supplies and don’t see any more chances to win the fight, feel free to teleport away, restock on supplies, and find a different fight.
PvP Tips & Tricks
While Pking, there are a couple of different techniques you can do to give yourself a better chance at survival.
- Be careful about which player you are clicking on (even in the middle of fights) to be mindful of if you will skull when attacking. This can be nullified by checking your “Skull Prevention” setting in your Account Settings tab.
- You can click on a Karambwan and a different food/potion to eat them both in the same tick, ultimately giving you more DPS.
- Some Pkers utilize “freeze and step” tactics where they will freeze an opponent, step under them, then repeatedly attack and click back underneath them so they can get free hits without their target being able to fight back. You can also counter this by using Mithril Seeds to plant flowers and force you away from them, allowing you to fight them.
- While using Protection Prayers is a great way to better your defense, using the “Smite” prayer can allow you to drain your target’s prayer points, drastically reducing their Prayer Potions/Super Restore Potions and possibly shutting off their stat-boosting prayers.
- Some special weapons attack nearly instantaneously, the Granite Maul famously being one of them. When you attach the Ornate Handle to it, the Granite Maul’s special attack will only use up 50% of the special attack bar, allowing you to get up to four different hits in a second when done correctly.
- If you find yourself attacking a frozen target from a distance and they aren’t hitting you back, be on the lookout for other players attacking you to steal the fight. This can put you in a dangerous situation because they may be fresh on supplies and boosted stats, while yours may be limited.
That’s how to PK in Old School RuneScape!
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