Being the most commonly used combat style in Old School RuneScape, Melee involves getting up close and personal with whatever you’re killing, often while serving in a DPS or tank role.
Arguably being the cheapest form of combat, you don’t have to worry about wasting ammunition or runes, instead focusing on keeping your health and Prayer Points up while taking the brunt of enemy attacks.
Recommended Read: Old School RuneScape – Ranged Gear Progression
Whether starting against Level-2 Cows or going against the bosses of the God Wars Dungeon, you will want to have the best gear possible to have efficient kills. However, the gear you will end up using will often change based on your levels and the type of combat you will be doing.
Melee gear progression in OSRS involves investing in either DPS-based or Tank-based gear. Players typically start with the standard metal armour, before breaking off into Void equipment, Barrows Gear, and Bandos at mid-levels, then finally obtaining Torva or Justiciar equipment when they reach the endgame. This doesn’t include earning a Fire/Infernal Cape, investing in the Fremennik/Ancient Rings, earning Primordial or Guardian boots, and getting a Dragon/Avernic Defender.
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Melee Gear Progression in OSRS
When you first complete Tutorial Island and look around at the different gear that people are wearing, the different amounts of gear setups and combinations can be intimidating. However, you will eventually get used to seeing the same types of armour and equipment in the same areas.
The important thing to note about using Melee gear is that they often fall under one of two categories: DPS and tank.
For most PvM and PvP scenarios, players wear DPS-based gear so they can deal as much damage as possible. This can range from completing Slayer Tasks to casual combat training to fighting other players in the Wilderness.
In cases where you are expected to be attacked by multiple enemies/ different attack types, wearing Tank-based gear is recommended.
This can include wearing gear like Justiciar against General Graardor, using Guthan’s to heal against high-level Slayer monsters repeatedly, or even using tank gear to defend against Pkers while training Prayer at the Chaos Altar in the Wilderness.
With that out of the way, we can start to discuss the gear available at different levels and where it could be applied.
Note: When referring to each level bracket, this refers to the average combat level bracket. However this can also be interpreted as a player’s Defence level, as that is the primary designator for what gear you can wear.
Levels 3-40: Fighter’s Torso, Standard Plate, Proselyte Armour
When beginning your combat journey, it is normal to start by going through the standard metal armour available in Old School RuneScape. From levels 1-40 Defence, you can start with Bronze armour, eventually capping out at Rune armour.
Note: The Rune Platebody can only be worn after completing the “Dragon Slayer” quest. However, the Rune Chainbody is still available.
Other than the standard metal armour, you can also wear Proselyte Armour, available after completing the “Slug Menace” quest.
Despite having relatively low requirements, Proselyte Armor is still used in high-level situations where players wish to increase their Prayer bonus as much as possible (often in Slayer Tasks when using Protection Prayers is a near necessity).
However, what is most notable at 40 Defence is the Fighter’s Torso, the third-best body slot item in terms of Strength bonus. While having decent defensive stats, it comes with a +4 Strength bonus, making it fantastic for DPS scenarios.
Note: While it is possible to wear Inquisitor’s armour with 30 Defence, you will also need 70 Strength to equip it, so it is not normally used until you reach a higher combat level.
In this combat bracket, weapons and other equipment slots are limited to regular Scimitars and kiteshields, but that quickly changes as you level up.
Levels 40-70: Void Equipment, Obsidian, Fremennik Helms, Slayer Weapons
From combat levels 40-70, you soon unlock a few gear items that will continue to be used at higher levels.
Arguably, the most versatile at this bracket is Void Equipment, which greatly boosts accuracy and damage across all three combat styles. There is also a way to get Elite Void Equipment, increasing your DPS even further.
Starting at 60 Defence, you will also be able to wear both Obsidian and Dragon armour.
While some Dragon armour is considered useful (specifically the Boots, Platelegs/Plateskirt, Dragon Med Helm), Obsidian gear boosts your Strength skill, making it popular amongst Pure accounts.
More specifically, when you wear the Obsidian Helm, Platebody, and Legs, you have an increased 10% accuracy and damage when using Obsidian Weapons.
Once you reach 45 Defence and have completed the “Fremennik Trials” quest, you can wear the Fremennik Helms. For melee, the Warrior and Berserker Helm give additional bonuses to Attack and Strength.
This improves at 55 Defence when you unlock the Helm of Neitiznot after completing the “Fremennik Isles” quest.
For weapons, players around this bracket will start using the Dragon Scimitar (after finishing “Monkey Madness I”), the Abyssal Whip (with 70 Attack), and the different Slayer Weapons available at 55 Slayer.
With 65 Attack, you can also use the Viggora’s Chainmace, which is a popular item for players doing intense PvM activities in the Wilderness.
Levels 70-100: Barrows, Bandos, Fire Cape, Cerberus Boots
The combat level bracket of 70-100 is somewhat considered the “mid-game” of Old School RuneScape. At this time, you are getting more familiar with higher-level PvM activities.
You likely have base 70 or 80 combat stats and might even be close to earning your Quest Cape.
This is also the bracket where many better money-making methods become available, often through killing certain Slayer Monsters/Bosses or having non-combat skills become a high enough level to complete other skilling activities.
Therefore, it is safe to assume that most of the gear you wore during the previous brackets can be sold/upgraded to better your Melee progression.
If you haven’t done so, now is a good time to get a Fire Cape by completing the Fight Cave in TzHaar City.
While the Fire Cape doesn’t have any requirements to wear, fighting through 63 waves of powerful monsters, not including Jad at the very end, will require some combat experience and a decent gear setup.
The Fire Cape is the second-best Melee-based cape in Old School RuneScape. It provides excellent defensive stats and a +4 Strength bonus.
Once you reach 70 Defence, you can wear Barrows equipment. Originating from the six Barrows Brothers (and their associated minigame), each set has their own defensive bonuses and quirks that are worth using.
More specifically, Dharok’s and Torag’s armour is considered very tanky, while Verac’s armour provides decent defensive stats but an increase in Prayer bonus. Guthan’s armour is often used for its healing-set effect against targets that require you to heal often.
Even though they are considered mid-tier armour, Barrows gear is still used in plenty of high-level PvM activities, including at the God Wars Dungeon, the Corporeal Beast, and for Raids.
There is also a way to earn the armour yourself if you don’t want to buy from the Grand Exchange directly, or if you are an Ironman account.
The Bandos Chestplate is a major step up from the Fighter’s Torso. The BCP, along with the Bandos Tassets, is some of the best Melee armour in Old School RuneScape, and it is available to equip at 65 Defence.
Dropped from General Graardor and his minions in the God Wars Dungeon, the Bandos Chestplate and Bandos Tassets often sell for around 30m a piece.
However, they provide a significant increase in defensive bonuses, giving a base +160 all-around melee defensive and +6 Strength when worn together.
While you can still use Dragon/ Bandos Boots at this bracket, you can also consider getting Primordial Boots or Guardian Boots, which each provide the best-in-slot Melee Strength and Prayer bonus in the entire game, respectively.
Primordial Boots require 75 Strength and Defence to equip and can sell for around 34m on the Grand Exchange. Guardian Boots only require 75 Defence to wear and usually sell for around 5m.
As for your helm slot, you may consider upgrading to a Neitiznot Faceguard or even investing in a Serpentine Helm.
The Neitiznot Faceguard requires 70 Defence and completion of the “Fremennik Exiles” quest. However, it provides the highest Melee Strength bonus of any helmet in the game, at +6.
The Serpentine Helm, requiring 75 Defence to wear, is unique in that it comes with several additional properties.
When charged with Zulrah Scales, it will not only make you immune to poison and venom effects but also have a chance of inflicting venom on your opponent.
This makes it useful for situations where you are fighting multiple enemies at once or if you are going against venom-based bosses like Zulrah or Vorkath.
To upgrade your weapon and off-hand slot in this bracket, you should work to unlock the Dragon Defender and invest in a strong accuracy-based weapon like a Ghrazi Rapier or Zamorakian Spear/Hasta.
The Dragon Defender is relatively easy to obtain and is one of the best off-hand items you can use when fighting in a DPS role. Excelling in providing additional Strength bonuses, it can be used in nearly every combat scenario.
While using a weapon like an Abyssal Whip is still viable in this bracket, you can save to obtain a Ghrazi Rapier or Zamorakian Spear/Hasta if you want to take things further.
The Ghrazi Rapier requires 80 Attack to wield, but it is one of the most accurate weapons in the game, allowing you to take on most enemies by yourself.
As for the Zamorakian Spear/Hasta, while it is often used in more niche scenarios, it can be handy when fighting against opponents who are vulnerable to the Stab attack style (the latter is also a lot cheaper than the former, going for around 15m on the Grand Exchange as opposed to 55m).
Levels 100-126: Torva, Justiciar, Avernic, Inferno Cape
Once you reach the endgame of Old School RuneScape, you will find yourself taking on the toughest bosses in the game and possibly doing intense PvP activities where having the best gear is essential.
By this point, you may have earned the Quest Cape, you are well experienced with most bossing/Raiding activities, and you are starting to finalize your bank with all the essential gear you desire.
The best melee armour in Old School RuneScape is Torva armour, earned as a drop from Nex in the God Wars Dungeon.
Requiring 80 Defence to wear, Torva armour provides the strongest Strength bonuses in the entire game, providing a minimum +250 defensive bonus to all combat styles (besides Magic) and +18 Strength.
Also the most expensive armour in Old School RuneScape, the complete set (Helm, Platebody, Platelegs) can cost over 1b (yes, 1 billion) on the Grand Exchange.
Aside from Torva, Justiciar armour is also well-suited for players taking on PvM content. Requiring 75 Defence to equip, it even surpasses Torva armour in terms of defensive bonuses, giving a minimum of +270 to all defensive stats.
Justiciar is also popular due to its incredible Prayer bonus, which provides a total of +10 Prayer when worn together.
Justiciar armour also comes with a set effect that helps negate damage taken when the full set is worn completely, making it the perfect tank-based set in Old School RuneScape.
Both Torva and Justiciar are considered the best armour sets in OSRS and are always considered when playing endgame content.
The Dragon Defender can also be upgraded to the Avernic Defender by using an Avernic Defender Hilt.
Earned as a drop from the Theatre of Blood or bought from the Grand Exchange for around 65m, this is the best off-hand item for melee DPS, as it provides an additional +8 Strength bonus.
Other than using a defender, for a more tanky approach to melee gear progression, you can invest in a Dragonfire Shield or even an Elysian Spirit Shield.
Each provides some of the best Melee and Ranged defensive bonuses in OSRS. Both shields require 75 Defence to equip, but they are well worth it when trying to fight bosses that are known to hit well through high-defensive gear (e.g., the Corporeal Beast, the GWD bosses).
The best Melee cape is the Infernal Cape, earned by completing the Inferno, the toughest PvM challenge in the game.
After fighting through 69 waves of enemies, including defeating Zuk at the end, you will have a cape that provides base +12 defensive bonuses to all combat styles, including a +8 Strength and +2 Prayer bonus.
Other Items to Consider
While most Melee gear progression involves upgrading your armour/weapon/shield slots, there are other items that you can consider to make the most of your combat gear.
Two Fremennik rings, the Berserker and Warrior Ring, give additional boosts to melee combat. Each is earned as a drop from the Dagannoth Kings on Waterbirth Island.
Giving additional bonuses to Strength and Attack, respectively, they can also be imbued through the Nightmare Zone, LMS, or Soul Wars to double their bonuses to +8 Strength and +8 Attack.
Stepping up from those rings are the Ultor and Bellator Rings, two of the Ancient Rings created with materials from the “Desert Treasure II” bosses.
The Ultor Ring and Bellator Ring are the best-in-slot melee rings in Old School RuneScape. The Ultor Ring provides a +12 Strength bonus, while the Bellator Ring gives a +6 Strength and +20 Slash bonus.
However, they each sell for around 180m and 45m on the Grand Exchange and require completion of the “Desert Treasure II” quest to wear.
When considering which gloves to use for melee combat, Barrows Gloves are an easy choice.
Earned as a reward for completing the “Recipe for Disaster” quest, they provide base +12 defensive bonuses to all combat styles (Magic is +6) and +12 Strength.
Barrows Gloves can also be upgraded into Ferocious Gloves by using a price of Hydra Leather on them. These gloves require 80 Attack and Defence to wear and completion of the “Dragon Slayer II” quest to create.
Instead, they provide +16 offensive melee bonuses and +14 Strength, making them best-in-slot for melee DPS.
For your necklace slot, the Amulet of Fury and Amulet of Torture are the best necklaces for melee combat.
The Amulet of Fury provides all combat styles a +10 offensive bonus and a +15 defensive bonus. It also gives a +8 Strength and +5 Prayer bonus, making it a fantastic item to wear for all-around combat.
The Amulet of Torture, on the other hand, is DPS-based, providing a +15 offensive bonus to melee stats, +10 Strength, and +2 Prayer bonus, making it the best-in-slot necklace for Melee combat.
This is how to progress your Melee gear in Old School RuneScape!
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