Ranged is the strongest combat style in Old School RuneScape. With the ability to kill monsters tiles away and not take any damage, it is often used by many players.
On top of being the strongest combat style in the game, ranged is also the fastest combat skill when it comes to training, which is loved by some players but a burden to others due to the amount of content for the ranged skill.
Recommended Read: Old School RuneScape – Magic Gear Progression Guide
This guide goes over how to progress your ranged gear the right way and the benefit of each build.
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Ranged Gear Progression in Old School RuneScape
In terms of combat, ranged is often regarded as the strongest skill in the game, allowing players to kill monsters tiles away.
When done properly, you might even get out of a fight without taking any damage. Compared to magic or melee, ranged is the fastest skill to level up.
Due to how fast it is to level up in range, players often get confused about which items give the best bonuses. Today we will be discussing those items and which other combat items they’re best paired up with.
Before We Begin
Before we begin this guide, there are a few things I’d like to emphasize.
First of all, this guide begins at level 40; this is where the melee progression starts branching out and can be considered the true beginning of OSRS.
Second of all, this guide is made for regular players. Hardcore iron men can still benefit from this guide, but some of the items won’t be applicable to you.
This guide also assumes that you’re already a member since all the items below are members only.
Early Game
Starting at level 40 defense, hit points, and ranged, you’re going to want to wear green d’hide armour along with snakeskin bandana and boots, an amulet of glory, and green d’hide vambraces.
The green d’hide armour with vambraces altogether will cost you around 7,000 GP at the Grand Exchange. Players must also complete the “Dragon Slayer I” quest in order to be able to wear it.
Once you reach level 50 in ranged, you should look into getting Ava’s accumulator, which can be obtained after completing the “Animal Magnetism” quest. The item is not tradable and will grant you +4 ranged attack bonus and a +4 magic defense bonus.
Now you should upgrade your green d’hide armour to blue d’hide amour, which will cost you around 8,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
At this time, you should also get a magic short bow and rune arrows. Rune arrows could become quite expensive (averaging at 100 GP per arrow), but with Ava’s accumulator you’ll be able to pick up ranged ammunition automatically, thus allowing you to reuse the same rune arrows.
At 45 defense, once you complete “The Fremennik Trials” quest, you’ll be able to wear the archer helmet. The archer helmet can be bought for 40,000 GP from the Grand Exchange.
If you’re an iron man player, then the archer helmet can be bought for 78,000 GP from the Skulgrimen’s Battle Gear shop.
Once you reach 60 ranged, upgrade your blue d’hide armour to red d’hide armour. A full red d’hide set will cost you around 11,000 GP at the grand exchange.
At 61 ranged, you’ll be able to equip the rune crossbow. This is where your damage per second (DPS) is going to start improving quite a lot.
Upgrade your magic short bow to a rune crossbow. This will cost you around 9,500 GP at the Grand Exchange. The rune crossbow is a one-handed item, meaning that now you’ll be able to equip a shield alongside with it.
Broad bolts go well with the rune crossbow. They’re super cheap and yield good DPS.
At this point, you should also try to obtain the book of law. The book of law goes into your shield slot and can only be obtained after completing the “Horror from the Deep” quest.
After completing the quest, the book can be obtained by purchasing it from Jossik (located at the Rellekka lighthouse) for 5,000 GP.
The book of law offers a +10 attack bonus for range, so it’s generally a good item to have with you if you’re looking for higher DPS.
This is where upgrading is going to start getting expensive.
Mid Game
Once you reach level 64 ranged, upgrade your rune crossbow to a dragon crossbow. The dragon crossbow can be purchased from the Grand Exchange for 1,550,000 GP but can also be crafted with level 78 fletching.
At 70 ranged, you should obtain the following items: black d’hide armour, an archers ring, an amulet of fury, blessed boots of any god, and barrows gloves.
Black d’hide armour is fairly cheap and can be bought for 15,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
An archers ring can be bought for 4,800,000 GP at the Grand Exchange and provides +4 attack and defense bonuses for ranged.
The archer’s ring is also dropped by the Dagannoth Supreme boss located at the Waterbirth Island Dungeon.
The amulet of fury is a tradable item that can be bought for 1,800,000 GP at the Grand Exchange, or it can be made by enchanting an onyx amulet using the “Level-6 Enchant” spell.
Players must complete the “Recipe for Disaster” quest first before they’re able to wear barrows gloves.
Barrows gloves are not tradable but can be purchased for 130,000 coins from the Culinaromancer’s Chest, which is located in Lumbridge Castle’s cellar.
Once you reach level 70 defense, upgrade your current helmet to Karil’s coif. Karil’s coif is a tradable item that can be bought for 62,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
Once you reach 75 ranged, you should attempt to obtain a toxic blowpipe. The toxic blowpipe is a non-tradable item that can be made by using a chisel on a tanzanite fang.
The tanzanite fang averages at 2,250,000 GP at the Grand Exchange but can be obtained by killing the Zulrah boss. The toxic blowpipe gives you a +30 attack bonus for ranged attacks.
Since the toxic blowpipe is a two-handed item, you’re going to want to drop whatever is in your shield slot. At this time, you should also get a god blessing of your choice and put it in your ammo slot.
End Game
Once you’re at 75 hit points, get the following items: a necklace of anguish, Ava’s assembler, and armadyl armour.
The necklace of anguish gives you +15 ranged attack bonus and is a tradable item that can be bought for 11,000,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
Players may create a necklace of anguish by enchanting a zenyte necklace using a “Level-7 Enchant” spell.
Ava’s assembler is an upgrade of Ava’s accumulator; it gives you a +8 ranged attack bonus, and a +2 ranged defense bonus.
Players may upgrade Ava’s accumulator by bringing Vorkath’s head and 75 mithril arrows to Ava. In order to get Vorkath’s head, players must first defeat Vorkath during the “Dragon Slayer II” quest.
Your last armour upgrade will be the armadyl armour. Armadyl armour is an armour set that’ll cost you around 62,700,000 GP at the Grand Exchange. It can also be dropped by General Kree’arra and his crew during the God Wars Dungeon.
At this point, you should also imbue your archer’s ring. Imbuing the archer’s ring will double its stats, totaling at +8 defense and attack bonus for range.
Finally, once you reach level 75 defense, you’re going to want to get pegasian boots. Pegasian boots are a tradable item that can be bought for 37,500,000 GP at the grand exchange.
They offer a +12 ranged attack bonus and a +5 ranged defense bonus. They can also be created by using ranger boots on a pegasian crystal.
At this point, you should start saving up for a twisted bow. Now, the twisted bow is an end-game item, it gives a +70 ranged attack bonus, but it’s also a very expensive item.
The twisted bow alone will cost you 1,400,000,000 at the Grand Exchange. Players may obtain the item as a reward from the Chambers or Xeric raid.
Players must have 85 ranged in order to wield the bow, and it takes dragon arrows, which is the strongest arrow type in the game.
That’s the best range gear progression in Old School RuneScape!
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