Arguably the most devastating combat style in Old School RuneScape, the Ranged skill has provided players with the option to shoot enemies from afar with high-hitting bows, crossbows, and other ranged weaponry.
From the humble beginnings of only having the option of a bow or short bow upon RuneScape Classic’s release, the Ranged skill has come a long way over hundreds of updates, expanding its weaponry to the dozens and changing the core mechanics of Ranged combat itself.
Recommended Read: Old School RuneScape – Level 1-99 Thieving Guide
The road to 99 Ranged can be an arduous one, as you will spend nearly all of it in combat to earn your skillcape. In this guide, I am going to discuss available training methods to reach 99 Ranged, as well as weapon and gear upgrades that you should strive for along the way.
Fletch your arrows and grab your bows. Here is how you can reach 99 Ranged in Old School RuneScape!
The more reliable methods to training the Ranged Skill in OSRS include doing AFK-training on the various crabs across RuneScape, AFK-training at the Nightmare Zone, using a Dwarf Multicannon when killing certain monsters, and using Chinchompas against Skeletal/Maniacal Monkeys.
Table of Contents
- Best Way to Reach Level 99 Ranged in OSRS
- Ranged Gear Progression Tables
- Obtaining the Ranged Skillcape
Best Way to Reach Level 99 Ranged in OSRS
Unlike most skilling guides, this one will be formatted a bit differently.
Although your methods of training may vary depending on your Ranged level, there is no concrete way to train Ranged all the way to level 99.
Instead, the first half will discuss different training methods that will be available, as well as the recommended level at which you should utilize them.
The second half will lay out all of your gear options, as well as upgrades that you should strive for to increase account progression.
By the end of this, you’ll be a master archer in no time!
Killing Low-Level NPCs (Levels 1-30)
Everyone has humble beginnings, and the Ranged skill is no exception. Starting off of Tutorial Island, you should already have learned a bit about the Ranged skill, as well as have a bow and bronze arrows to start with.
You can also go to the Ranged Tutor just outside of Lumbridge Castle to get a Training Bow and arrows to use.
At early levels, your best bet is to start killing low-level enemies. In and around Lumbridge, there are various monsters for you to kill to get started, including:
- Goblins (Level-2/5) – West of Lumbridge Castle and next to the Cow Fields across the bridge.
- Giant Spiders (Level-2) – West of Lumbridge Castle.
- Cows (Level-2) – Cow Pen East of Lumbridge across the bridge.
- Chickens (Level-1) – Chicken Coop East of Lumbridge across the bridge.
Note: Both Cows and Chickens can be safe-spotted by attacking them from the other side of the fence.
Although you can use the regular bow you get off of Tutorial Island, the best weapons to use (specifically against the Cows and Chickens) are knives and darts.
Both of them can be bought for cheap on the Grand Exchange and, due to their rapid-fire rate, really speeds up your experience rates.
As you level your Ranged skill, be sure to upgrade your gear and weapons as you go along.
By around 30 Ranged, you should already have moved onto using Frog-Leather armour and at least Steel Knives/Darts (which can already be used at 5 Ranged).
Killing Crabs (Levels 30-70)
When you reach 30 Ranged (as well as at least 30 Defence), you should move on to killing crabs.
There are different crabs around Gielinor to choose from, all of which have their own requirements and stats.
- Rock Crabs (Level-13) – Located on the Northside of Rellekka. They have no requirements to access.
- Sand Crabs (Level-15) – Located on the Southside of Hosidius and Crabclaw Isle. They have no requirements to access.
- Swamp Crabs (Level-55) – Located South of Port Phasmatys. Must have completed the “Priest in Peril” quest to access Morytania.
- Ammonite Crabs (Level-25) – Located on the Northside of Fossil Island. Must have completed the “Bone Voyage” quest to access Fossil Island.
The key thing to killing crabs for Ranged training is that they become aggressive while you stand next to them.
It is common for players to have a rapid-fire Ranged weapon (I.e. Knives or Darts) and stand next to their spawn points for easy AFK experience.
Regardless of which location you choose to use, you should upgrade your gear to dragonhide, starting with Green d’hide at 40 Ranged (and after completion of the “Dragon Slayer I” quest) and capping at Black d’hide at 70 Ranged.
As for your weapon, Mithril or Adamant knives/darts will be your best option depending on how much you wish to invest.
Since most of the crabs are relatively low-level, you should not have to worry too much about health. However, bringing an inventory full of healing food is still recommended.
Cannoning Slayer Tasks (Levels 50-85)
After completion of the “Dwarf Cannon” quest, you will be able to purchase and use a Dwarf Multicannon.
Although you can complete this quest at 1 Ranged, it is best to wait until you are at least 50 Ranged for full effectiveness.
This method is also a bit pricey, as the Dwarf Multicannon itself typically goes for around 750k on the Grand Exchange, with Cannonballs going for around 200gp each.
That being said, using a Dwarf Multicannon at certain locations can offer some of the fastest Ranged experience rates in the game.
Other than using them at Crabs, the Dwarf Multicannon can be brought to certain Slayer task locations for around 100k-150k Ranged exp per hour.
The best monsters to cannon are as follows:
- Rock Crabs (Level-13)
- Dagganoths (Level-74/92)
- Trolls (Level-60)
- Kalphites (Level-28/85)
- Suqah (Level-111)
- Ogres (Level-53/58/63)
- Ice Trolls (Level-72/82/100)
It is worth mentioning that you do not need to be on a Slayer task to cannon these monsters, but having the added bonus from an Imbued Slayer Helm/Black Mask will increase your experience rates.
Aside from using the Dwarf Multicannon from slayer tasks, you can bring it to one low-level monster, such as Dagannoths or Rock Crabs, to camp at for quick experience rates.
By this point, your armour should have increased to Black d’hide, the Ranged Void Knight set, or Karil’s armour.
Other than your cannon for Slayer Tasks, you should be using either a Rune Crossbow (or better if you can afford it) or an Imbued Magic Shortbow with Rune Arrows.
If you can, complete the “Animal Magnetism” quest to unlock the Ava’s Accumulator, which not only gives some Ranged bonuses but has a chance of retrieving the ammunition you fire, thus saving you a great amount of gp in the long run.
Note that if you do not have 50 Ranged, you will only be able to equip the Ava’s Attractor, which has the same effect but at a lower rate.
The Nightmare Zone (Levels 70+)
Once you have completed enough quest to unlock most of the quest bosses, you should consider attempting AFK Ranged training at the Nightmare Zone.
This minigame involves you fighting off wave after wave of quest bosses that you have defeated before for decent experience rates and points.
If you are starting with zero points, equip your best Ranged DPS gear (Ranged Void Knight set is a great low-budget option), your fastest Ranged DPS weapon (I.e. Imbued Magic Shortbow, Toxic Blowpipe, Rune Knives), and have a full inventory of Prayer-restoration potions.
After selecting bosses that ONLY attack with Melee damage, you can enter the Nightmare Zone, activate your Protect from Melee prayer, and attack the bosses that spawn.
In this method, you will only need to keep an eye on your Prayer points, as well as how much ammunition you have.
Once you have accumulated a decent amount of points, you can purchase Absorption potions, which act as a “buffer” to your hitpoints; any enemies that damage you will hit through the amount of absorption points you have before damaging your actual health.
Due to game mechanics, monsters will only be able to maximum hit you to the number of hitpoints you have.
Therefore, you can use a self-inflicting item like a rock cake to bring yourself down to 1 hitpoint, drink your absorption potions up to the maximum amount, and drastically prolong the time you will be able to spend in a session.
This AFK method can earn a player around 120k-130k Ranged exp per hour, and even more, if you upgrade your gear to Armadyl, Masoari, or a Venator bow.
But if you are looking to save on cost and are only focused on keeping this method as AFK as possible, you don’t need to worry too much about gear upgrades and just focus on keeping your absorption/prayer points up.
Using Chinchompas at Skeletal/Maniacal Monkeys (Levels 80+)
For players that want a high-cost, high-experience method to reach 99 Ranged, this method is for you.
After completion of the “Monkey Madness I”/“Monkey Madness II” quests, you will be able to access Skeletal/Maniacal Monkeys, respectively.
These creatures are high-hitting, so having 43 Prayer is a hard requirement when doing this training method.
As for gear, you will want to have the Ranged Void Knight set unlocked, as well as a Salve Amulet (ie) that will increase your damage against undead creatures.
By this point, you should also consider investing in an Archer’s ring, Blessed d’hide boots/Pegasian boots, and either Barrows Gloves/Zaryte Vambraces to maximize your Ranged attack and defense bonuses.
Your inventory will consist of about 4 Divine Ranging Potions, your Monkey Greegree (to reach each area safely), an emergency one-click teleport, a few Stamina potions, and about 8 Prayer potions.
If you have it, a Holy Wrench can be brought to help prolong the use of each Prayer dose.
Maniacal Monkeys also have a chance to drop a Prayer potion dose, which will be used to lengthen the duration of your trips.
Red Chinchompas (although pricey) can be thrown at an enemy to produce a 3×3 area damaging effect.
Therefore, you can stack multiple enemies on top of each other and hit them all at the same time for massive experience rates.
After you make your way to one of the locations (there are different recommended spots to attack each of the monkeys), you can activate your Protect from Melee prayer and equip your Red Chinchompas.
Once all of the monkeys become aggressive toward you, you can “kite” them against a wall to have them stacked on top of each other and attack them.
This method is extremely expensive, but the experience rewards are worth it at such a high level.
Here, you can expect experience rates between 200k-400k (Skeletal Monkeys) or 400k-500k (Maniacal Monkeys) Ranged exp per hour if done correctly!
Ranged Gear Progression Tables
While you progress through your Ranged training, keep looking through the different gear you can equip and make upgrades when required.
Not only will they be used to reach 99 Ranged, but it will most likely be gear that you will use to complete other combat tasks, such as obtaining your Fire/Infernal cape, killing bosses, or even going PKing!
Ranged Weapons
| Ranged Weapon | Level Requirements | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Knives (Bronze-Rune) | 1-40 Ranged | Low-cost AFK Ranged Training |
| Darts (Bronze-Rune) | 1-40 Ranged | Low-cost AFK Ranged Training |
| Shortbow (Regular-Magic) | 1-50 Ranged | Low-Moderate Ranged Combat |
| Magic Shortbow (I) | 50 Ranged | Moderate Ranged Combat |
| Dorgeshuun Crossbow | 28 Ranged | Low-cost Low Ranged Combat |
| Rune Crossbow | 61 Ranged | Moderate-High Ranged Combat/Slayer |
| Dragon Crossbow | 64 Ranged | High Ranged Combat/Slayer |
| Armadyl Crossbow | 70 Ranged | Boss Killing |
| Zaryte Crossbow | 80 Ranged | Boss Killing |
| Toxic Blowpipe | 75 Ranged | Moderate-High Ranged Combat/Slayer |
| Crystal Bow | 70 Ranged & 50 Agility | Moderate Ranged Combat/Slayer |
| Bow of Faerdhinen | 80 Ranged & 70 Agility | High Ranged Combat/Slayer |
| Craw’s Bow | 60 Ranged | Wilderness Ranged Combat |
| Dragon Hunter Crossbow | 70 Ranged | Killing Draconic Creatures |
| Light/Heavy Ballista | 65/75 Ranged | PvP Ranged Combat |
| Twisted Bow | 85 Ranged | Extremely High Ranged Combat |
Ranged Armour
| Ranged Armour | Level Requirements | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Leather Armour | 1-20 | Low-Level Ranged Training |
| Frog Leather Armour | 25 | Low-Level Ranged Training |
| Snakeskin Armour | 30 | Low-Level Ranged Training |
| D’hide Armour (Green to Black) | 40-70 | Moderate-High Ranged Combat |
| Void Knight Armour | 42 | Moderate-High Combat/Slayer |
| Crystal Armour | 60 | High Ranged Combat |
| Karil’s Armour | 70 | Moderate/High Ranged Combat |
| Armadyl Armour | 70 | High Ranged Combat/Boss Killing |
| Masori Armour | 80 | High Ranged Combat/Boss Killing |
Ranged Miscellaneous Gear
| Ranged Gear | Requirements | Item Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ava’s Attractor/Accumulator/Assembler | 30/50/70 Ranged. Completion of “Animal Magnetism” quest (plus “Dragon Slayer II” for Assembler) | Provides some Ranged bonus and has a chance to retrieve fired ammunition. |
| God Books (Unholy/Law) | Completion of “Horror from the Deep” quest. | Provides a +8 Ranged/+10 Ranged Attack bonus. |
| Barrows Gloves | Completion of “Recipe for Disaster” quest. | Provides +12 Offensive and Defensive bonuses to all combat styles. |
| Archer’s Ring/Archer’s Ring (I) | 1 Ranged. 650k Nightmare Zone/260 Zeal Tokens to Imbue. | Provides a +4/+8 Ranged Attack and Defense bonus. |
| Venator Ring | Completion of “Desert Treasure II – The Fallen Empire” quest. | Provides a +10 Ranged Attack and Defense bonus. |
| Ranged Boots/Pegasian Boots | 40/75 Ranged. | Provides a +8/+12 Ranged Attack bonus. |
| Odium Ward | 1 Ranged and 60 Defence. | Provides a +12 Ranged Attack bonus. |
| Twisted Buckler | 75 Ranged and 75 Defence. | Provides a +18 Ranged Attack bonus. |
| Dragonfire Ward | 70 Ranged, 75 Defence, and Completion of the “Dragon Slayer I” quest. | Provides a +15 Ranged Attack bonus and provides a level of Dragonfire protection. |
| Necklace of Anguish | 75 Hitpoints. | Provides a +15 Ranged Attack and 5% Ranged Strength bonus. |
| Zaryte Vambraces | 80 Ranged and 45 Defense. | Provides a +18 Ranged Attack and 2% Ranged Strength bonus. |
| Rigour” Prayer | 74 Prayer and 70 Defence | Provides a +20% Ranged Attack, +23% Ranged Strength and +25% Defence bonus. |
Obtaining the Ranged Skillcape
Once you reach 99 Ranged, congratulations! You can purchase the Ranged Skillcape from the Armour Salesman in the Ranging Guild for 99k.
This cape will act the same as an Ava’s Device.
As this cape (Especially the trimmed version) has better defensive stats than the regular devices, it is highly recommended that you use it whenever you are gearing up for Ranged combat!
That is how you can train Ranged levels 1-99 in Old School RuneScape!
Do you have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
