Armour/Melee armour (2024)

For a full list of items and their stats worn in the body slot, see this table.

Melee armour, used in the Attack, Strength, and Defence skills, is generally made out of some kind of metal. There is a "default" (regular) series of armour, consisting of bronze, iron, steel, black/white, mithril, adamant, rune, and dragon (in ascending order of the quality of the armour). For each piece of armour, there is a counterpart made for each other type of metal. Most of these can be made from the Smithing skill, with the exception of black and white armours. The majority of dragon equipment cannot be smithed, with a few exceptions listed below.

All armour items not made from those metal types can be considered "special" and generally cannot be made from the Smithing skill, but rather sold by an NPC or obtained as a monster drop. Some players may consider these more desirable, as they often provide higher bonuses than other forms of armour.

Melee armour sets[edit | edit source]

A set generally comprises a full helm, platebody, platelegs/skirt, and a kiteshield where applicable. It's very typical among the metal armours.

Here is an overview of the differences in defence across the sets as you level up:

level	Armour	Defence Bonus						Other
							Total	GE Price
1	Bronze armour	32	33	24	-12	31	108	357	27.214
1	Iron armour	46	47	36	-12	45	162	665	27.214
5	Steel armour	71	72	60	-12	70	261	2,938	27.214
10	Black armour	91	92	77	-12	90	338	7,025	27.214
20	Mithril armour	101	102	89	-12	99	379	6,123	23.131
30	Adamant armour	144	146	129	-12	142	549	18,656	30.842
40	Rune armour	207	209	192	-12	205	801	129,597	27.214
60	Dragon armour	278	281	259	-12	275	1,081	168,708,642	29.213

Note that the plateskirt version will weigh about 1kg less and defence numbers will vary if you go for a different head piece, chest piece, or shield. The total defence column is just meant as a general measure of improvement; defence does not add up in this way when fighting. This table also does not show the attack debuffs with this setup but they will always be -65 to Magic and -32 to Ranged.

Low-level armour pieces can be bought at the following NPC stores:

• Helmet Shop in Barbarian Village
• Horvik's Armour Shop in East Varrock
• Louie's Armoured Legs Bazaar or Ranael's Super Skirt Store in Al Kharid
• Cassie's Shield Shop in Falador

level	Armour	Additional requirements
1	Bronze armour	None
1	Iron armour	None
5	Steel armour	None
10	Black armour	None
10	White armour	Wanted!
20	Mithril armour	None
20	Initiate armour	10 and Recruitment Drive
20	Shayzien armour	Received as a drop from Shayzien Soldiers
30	Adamant armour	None
35	Samurai armour	None
30	Proselyte armour	20 and Slug Menace
30	Inquisitor's armour	70 Strength
40	Rune armour	Dragon Slayer I (for platebody)
40	Rock-shell armour	The Fremennik Trials
42	Void Knight equipment	850 Pest Control points plus the following: 42 , , , , , , and 22
50	Granite armour	50
60	Obsidian armour	None
60	Dragon armour	Legends' Quest for sq shield, Dragon Slayer I for platebody
65	3rd age melee equipment	None
65	Bandos armour	None
70	Barrows armour	None
75	Justiciar armour	None
80	Torva armour	None

Other armour pieces[edit | edit source]

level	Item	Additional
1	Warrior ring	650,000 Nightmare Zone points only to imbue
1	Berserker ring	650,000 Nightmare Zone points only to imbue
1	Bellator ring	Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire
1	Ultor ring	Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire
41 [1]	Culinaromancer's gloves	Recipe for Disaster
1	Fire cape	Completion of the TzHaar Fight Cave
1	Infernal cape	Completion of the Inferno
10	Slayer helmet	55 and 400 Slayer reward points
20	Yak-hide armour	None
25	Neitiznot shield	None
30	Fremennik shield	The Fremennik Trials
30	Fremennik helm	The Fremennik Trials
40	Fighter torso	Barbarian Assault: 375 honour points in all four roles and killed the Penance Queen
45	Spirit shield	55
45	Warrior helm	The Fremennik Trials
45	Berserker helm	The Fremennik Trials
55	Helm of neitiznot	The Fremennik Isles
70	Neitiznot faceguard	The Fremennik Exiles
70	Crystal shield	50 and Roving Elves; fully degrades after taking 2500 hits that deal damage
70	Blessed spirit shield	60
75	Elysian spirit shield	75
75	Guardian boots	None
75	Serpentine helm
75	Dragonfire shield	Dragon Slayer I must be started in order to equip
75	Primordial boots	75
80	Ferocious gloves	80 and Dragon Slayer II

Set items[edit | edit source]

Medium helmets[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

Medium helmets offer little protection compared to full helms (shown below) from most combat forms, but also do little to inhibit using any combat style. This makes them a good choice for players who favour Melee, but want the opportunity to use Magic and Ranged. But if you prefer Melee-fighting, the full helm is a better choice.

Full helmets[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

Full helmets encase the whole of the players head and provide better Ranged and Melee Defence than other helmets. It does, however, impose larger negative modifiers to Magic and Ranged attacks, but many rangers prefer them for their Defence bonuses and accept the negative attack modifiers, which are significantly smaller than their magical attack penalty.

Chainbodies[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

Chainbodies are made up of small rings linked together. They are particularly useful for deflecting slashing weapons and absorbing the impact of crush attacks. Chainmail is weak against stabbing weapons as small pointed blades can pierce the rings, as can arrows, therefore it is less effective at defending against Ranged attacks. Chainmail is quite flexible and so does not penalise a ranger's Attack bonus, though its metal construction does impede a mage's accuracy somewhat. However, they offer a lesser Magic Defence penalty than platebodies.

Platebodies[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

Platebodies are much heavier and stronger than chainbodies, providing the higher slash, stab, and Ranged Defence bonuses. Platebodies are weakest against crushing and Magic attacks, as they conduct Magic and cannot absorb the impact of a crush attack as well as dragonhide or chain armour. Rangers and mages are at a great disadvantage trying to aim their Ranged and distance magical attacks in this restrictive and heavy metal armour. The Dragon Slayer I quest is required to wear the rune platebody as well as the dragon platebody.

Platelegs and plateskirts[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

Platelegs and plateskirts are a vital part of a warrior's armour, and provide the second best defensive bonuses after the platebody. As with most of dragon equipment, the dragon platelegs/plateskirt cannot be made via the Smithing skill.

Square shields[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

The square shield has adequate Melee and Ranged Defence bonuses, and does not penalise Ranged or Magic attacks as much as the kiteshield. In melee combat, a square shield is weakest against crush attacks, but stronger towards stab. Square shields are not often used, as most players prefer the kiteshield for its higher Defence bonuses. Similarly to medium helmets, square shields provide smaller Ranged and Magic attack penalties and may be preferred by those who aren't using Melee.

Kiteshields[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon

Kiteshields offer better Defence than a square shield, although like most heavier armour it is awkward to use in combination with Magic and Ranged. Kiteshields are marginally weaker against stabbing attacks.

Metal gloves[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon, Barrows

The Culinaromancer's metal gloves can be bought from the Culinaromancer's chest after completing varying numbers of Recipe for Disaster subquests, the exception being White gloves, which are purchased from Sir Vyvin. White gloves are also the only tradeable metal gloves.

Metal gloves provide good protection against all attack styles. These gloves also do not degrade.

Defenders[edit | edit source]

Bronze, iron, steel, black, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon, Avernic

Metal defenders are small dagger-like items worn in the shield slot. Defenders make a trade off whereby they sacrifice much of a shields defensive capabilities to further boost offensive stats and are as such desirable for warriors who favour stronger and more accurate attacks over survivability. They cannot be made nor bought, only received as a drop from cyclopes on the top floor of the Warriors' Guild. Once the first - bronze - defender is received, it must be shown to Kamfreena outside the room before an iron one may be received, which must then be shown before a steel one may be received, etc. Entrance to the cyclops' room is temporary and the Guild's tokens are required for access. The owned amount slowly decreases as one is in the room.

Bronze armour[edit | edit source]

Bronze armour is the weakest of all Melee armours, requiring no levels whatsoever and costing little. Bronze is a copper and tin alloy and as such may be smelted using copper and tin ore. It can be made on an anvil with requirements starting from level 1 Smithing.

Iron armour[edit | edit source]

Iron armour is slightly better than bronze, and requires level 1 Defence. It is made from iron bars.

Steel armour[edit | edit source]

Steel armour is slightly better than iron. Steel armour and weapons require level 5 Defence and Attack respectively to equip and may also be smithed from steel bars, which are the result of smelting iron ore with coal.

Black armour[edit | edit source]

Black armour, as worn by the Kinshra, has an evil and dangerous look, but is not any better than white armour. It is, in fact, worse, not offering any Prayer bonuses. Black armour, like white, cannot be smithed, only received as a drop or bought from several shops. A number of different versions exist, all received from Treasure Trails. There is gold-trimmed black armour, white-trimmed black armour and five different sets of heraldic armour. It requires 10 Defence to wear, as does white armour.

White armour[edit | edit source]

White armour does not offer great defensive bonuses, although better than steel, but does offer decent Prayer bonuses. Aside from the Prayer bonus, white armour is the same as black armour requiring 10 Defence; however, it also requires the completion of Wanted to equip. White armour may be bought from Sir Vyvin on the 2^ndfloor^[UK]3^rdfloor^[US] of Falador Castle with sufficient White Knight rank, which is received from killing Black Knights. White armour is worn by White Knights of Falador, and a number of varieties exist, them being initiate, proselyte, acolyte, and partisan armour as worn by the Temple Knights.

Initiate armour[edit | edit source]

Initiate armour is worn by Temple Knight recruits, which the player becomes after completion of Recruitment Drive. It offers relatively low Defence bonuses but this is compensated by decent Prayer bonuses. The set consists of a sallet, hauberk, and the choice of a cuisse or tassets. The set may be bought from Sir Tiffy Cashien in Falador Park, requiring no Black Knight kills but requiring 20 Defence and 10 Prayer to wear. It appears to be yellow-trimmed white armour with the stats of mithril armour plus Prayer bonus.

Proselyte armour[edit | edit source]

Proselyte armour is worn by Temple Knight proselytes who have advanced in rank and requires 30 Defence and 20 Prayer. Players may buy the armour off Sir Tiffy Cashien after completing The Slug Menace. Basically being an upgrade of initiate armour, it offers both higher Defence and Prayer bonuses. It looks like gold/orange-trimmed white armour possessing adamant armour stats with Prayer.

Mithril armour[edit | edit source]

Mithril armour is the third highest smithable armour and blue in colour. It requires 20 Defence to equip all pieces of the armour. Mithril bars are smelted from mithril ore and coal in a 1:4 ratio. Mithril armour offers decent bonuses for players who can just equip it. It is generally not used by higher levelled players. A set of mithril armour may be placed in one's skill hall in a POH, providing that the player has 68 Smithing.

Adamant armour[edit | edit source]

Adamant armour is the second highest smithable armour and green in colour. It offers decent bonuses and is quite cheap and as such often used by player killers who do not want to risk losing their own armour. Adamant is extracted from adamantite ore. It requires level 30 Defence to wield. Like black armour, Treasure Trails offer variations to this armour, including gold-trimmed, white-trimmed and five sets of heraldic armour.

Rune armour[edit | edit source]

Rune armour is the best armour for free-to-play that does not degrade and requires level 40 Defence to wear. Rune armour is the last core armour that can be fully smithed (with the exceptions of gloves and boots) and requires very high Smithing levels, starting at 88 for the rune med helm and up to 99 for the platebodies, platelegs and plateskirts. It is often worn in PvP situations as it provides good bonuses and is easily replaced if lost. Equipping the rune platebody requires completion of the Dragon Slayer I quest. As with adamant and black armour, rune armour has Treasure Trail variants: gold-trimmed, white-trimmed, gilded, five sets of heraldic armour, and six different sets of god armour, with the colours of Saradomin, Guthix, Zamorak, Armadyl, Zaros, and Bandos.

Granite armour[edit | edit source]

Helmet, body, legs, shield

Granite armour is a tough, resilient armour requiring a level of 50 Defence and Strength to wear. The granite body and helm have slightly better bonuses than their rune counterparts and all the pieces have high ranged Defence. Granite armour is mainly obtained from monster drops, or trading with another player. The granite body is obtained by playing Barbarian Assault and purchasing one from Commander Connad.

Obsidian armour[edit | edit source]

Helmet, body, legs, shield, cape

Obsidian armour requires level 60 Defence to wear. It has moderate defensive capabilities but makes up for it with its offensive stats with the entire set giving +12 in strength bonus. When the body, legs, and helmet are worn in conjunction with each other, all obsidian weaponry receives a +10% bonus in melee strength and melee accuracy and this bonus does stack with the 20% damage increase whilst wearing a berserker necklace. These armour pieces can all be purchased from TzHaar-Hur-Tel's Equipment Store in Mor Ul Rek with Tokkul, or by fighting various Tzhaar-kets around the city, although only the level-221 Kets drop the platebody, legs, and helmet.

The helmet grants the same bonus as the helm of neitiznot, and the platebody is surpassed by the fighter torso. The platelegs are only seen in use outside of melee training as a cheap (but weaker) alternative to either blood moon tassets or bandos tassets.

Dragon armour[edit | edit source]

Dragon armour is the last standard metal armour after rune, requiring a level of 60 Defence to wear. It is usually considered as the step-up from rune or granite equipment solely for its better defensive bonuses, as it gives no strength bonus. Dragon equipment is only available for members and most of it cannot be smithed with the exceptions of dragon platebodies, dragon square shields and dragon kiteshields. The weaponry may be received as a rare drop from a very limited amount of monsters or bought from several shops (often requiring quests to be completed), while the armour is limited to the former. For example, the dragon full helm can be dropped by level-304 mithril dragons. The origins of dragon armour are unknown, but it is widely believed the Dragonkin created it and brought orikalkum to Gielinor. Dragon armour requires level 60 Defence to be worn.

By the time one can access this tier of armour, other gear setups which revolve around prayer bonus or melee strength are much more optimal/useful. As a result, dragon armour is generally not particularly useful to have.

Fremennik armour[edit | edit source]

Yak-hide, rockshell, helm, shield, warrior helm, berserker helm, helm of Neitiznot
Rockshell: Helmet, plate, legs, gloves, boots
Yak-hide: Top, legs, roundshield

Fremennik helmets[edit | edit source]

Out of the ten Fremennik helmets, five are suitable for warriors. All Fremennik helms require completion of The Fremennik Trials to wear them, but the helm of Neitiznot requires The Fremennik Isles, and the Neitiznot faceguard requires The Fremennik Exiles.

Fremennik helm[edit | edit source]

The Fremennik helm is the most basic helm that the Fremennik have in store and is received as a drop from Fremennik warriors and Waterbirth dagannoths. Due to its low bonuses, it is generally not used by players.

Warrior helm[edit | edit source]

The warrior helm is a much better helmet when compared to the Fremennik helm, as it gives decent Defence bonuses and a slash attack bonus. This helmet may be bought off Skulgrimen or received as a drop from dagannoths.

Berserker helm[edit | edit source]

The berserker helm offers slightly worse Defence bonuses than the warrior helm, however has a small strength bonus. Due to the warrior helm's lack of strength bonus, the berserker helm is the more popular choice. This helmet can be bought from Skulgrimen, as well as dropped by dagannoths.

Helm of Neitiznot[edit | edit source]

The helm of Neitiznot is by far the most popular Fremennik helm. Not only does it yields higher bonuses than the other helms, it also has an additional Prayer bonus and strength bonus. It is received from Mawnis Burowgar, the burgher of Neitiznot, after completion of The Fremennik Isles and may be re-obtained from him if lost.

Neitiznot faceguard[edit | edit source]

The Neitiznot faceguard is the second best melee helmet as it gives a strength bonus of +6, but its also commonly used for ranging or maging due to its general tankiness without any negative accuracy bonuses. It is created by using a basilisk jaw, a rare drop from basilisk knights, on the helm of Neitiznot. This requires completion of The Fremennik Exiles.

Yak-hide armour[edit | edit source]

Yak-hide armour and the Fremennik round shield are relatively weak, and contrary to in-game statements, the armour provides no damage reduction against ice trolls, the shield however lowers the maximum ranged hit of the ice troll females. They are made during The Fremennik Isles from yak-hide and split arctic pine logs. It has poor bonuses, meaning it is not used very often.

Rock-shell armour[edit | edit source]

Rock-shell armour is very similar to rune armour. It is made from hides and rocks dropped by dagannoths and giant rock crabs, respectively. It's not very widely used due to the difficulty to obtain and the existence of better armour.

Void Knight equipment[edit | edit source]

Void melee helm, Void Knight top, Void Knight robe, Void Knight gloves

Void Knight robes require 42 Attack, Strength, Defence, Ranged, Hitpoints and Magic, as well as requiring 22 Prayer to equip. Void Knight armour is only obtainable through the Pest Control minigame, costing 850 points in total. If the player is wearing the rest of the Void Knight equipment (Void Knight top, robe and gloves), the Melee helm boosts their effective attack level and effective strength level by 10%, making the use of strength-boosting potions and prayers even more effective.

Void Knight equipment offers weak defensive bonuses compared to other full sets of armour. It has similar stats as mithril equipment, but with a better, positive magic defence bonus. However, similar to obsidian armour, players may prefer using Void Knight equipment over other better defensive sets of armour solely because of the damage and accuracy boosts.

Additionally, it classes as a hybrid set (besides the helmet), and as such gives equal Magic, Ranged, and Melee Defence, thus making it an alternative choice in minigames where hybridding is common. Note that the armour is only Melee-based if you are wearing the Melee helm; if you are, your Melee damage and accuracy is increased.

Elite Void Knight equipment[edit | edit source]

Elite Void top, Elite Void robe

After finishing the Hard Western Provinces Diary, players can opt to upgrade their Void Knight top and robe into Elite versions. It has the same defensive bonuses as the regular armour, but with a +3 Prayer bonus.

It does not boost melee damage and accuracy any further than the regular version when paired with the Melee helm and gloves.

3rd age melee armour[edit | edit source]

Helmet, platebody, platelegs or plateskirt, kiteshield

Armour from the 3rd age is incredibly rare. Both justiciar armour and Barrows armour have higher defensive bonuses and Bandos armour is generally favoured for its strength bonuses despite the lower defensive bonuses. 3rd age armour can only be obtained through Treasure Trails, or by buying from another player.

Bandos armour[edit | edit source]

Chestplate, tassets, boots

Bandos armour is one of the best armours in the game, providing excellent defensive bonuses. It is dropped by General Graardor (who wears the armour himself) and his sergeants in Bandos's Stronghold in the God Wars Dungeon. Entering Bandos's Stronghold requires having level 70 Strength and killing forty Bandosians in the dungeon.

The chestplate's strength bonus is equal to that of the fighter torso, with only a marginal defensive stat increase and marginal prayer bonus increase. With some practice and decent understanding of the Barbarian Assault minigame along with the willingness to play with other people, the torso is obtainable in just under 2 hours. As a result, purchasing the chestplate is only "worth it" if you make more than 14,397,680.35 per hour.

Torva armour[edit | edit source]

Full helm, platebody, platelegs

Torva armour is currently the best melee armour available to players for its very high defence and strength bonuses. It requires a level of 80 Defence to wear. Both the platebody and platelegs surpass the Bandos platebody and platelegs respectively by a +2 strength bonus each. The helm also provides the best strength bonus for any helm, surpassing the Neitiznot faceguard by +2.

It is exclusively received as a drop from Nex, and can also be traded between players.

Barrows armour[edit | edit source]

Guthan's, Dharok's, Torag's, Verac's
Helmet, platebody/brassard, platelegs/plateskirt/chainskirt, (weapon: greataxe/warspear/hammers/flail)

Barrows armour is very strong and popular. It is obtained from the Barrows minigame, or from trading with another player. If the player is lucky enough to receive all the items from one of the brothers' armour sets (including the weapon), they'll be rewarded with a set effect. Barrows armour needs to be repaired every 15 hours of combat for a price. This can be done on an armour stand (with discounts based on one's Smithing level) or by speaking to Bob in Lumbridge.

Guthan's armour[edit | edit source]

Guthan the Infested's equipment has a very desirable bonus effect, as it has a chance of healing the wearer when they deal damage. The weapon of the set is a long warspear.

Dharok's armour[edit | edit source]

Dharok the Wretched's equipment set effect has a useful, but dangerous set effect. The lower the wearer's health, the higher their maximum hit is.

Torag's armour[edit | edit source]

Torag the Corrupted's equipment set effect is the chance to drain run energy from the target with each hit.

Verac's armour[edit | edit source]

Verac the Defiled's equipment is useful when fighting another player or the Kalphite Queen, as it hits through Prayer and armour once in a while.

Justiciar armour[edit | edit source]

Faceguard, chestguard, legguards

Justiciar armour possesses the best defensive bonuses in the game for melee and ranged. The armour requires level 75 in Defence to wear, and possesses a set effect that reduces damage taken when the player wears the full set. Justiciar armour can only be obtained through completing the Theatre of Blood, or by buying from another player.

The set pieces count as Saradomian items for the God Wars Dungeon.

Inquisitor's armour[edit | edit source]

Great helm, hauberk, plateskirt

Inquisitor's armour has comparable defensive stats to adamant armour, but shares the same strength bonuses as bandos armour and only requires level 30 in Defence and level 70 in Strength to wear, and possesses a set effect in which each piece of the set boosts damage and accuracy by 0.5% when using the crush attack style. If all three pieces are worn, an additional 1.0% bonus is added for a total of 2.5% accuracy and damage bonus. Inquisitor's armour can only be obtained through completing the Nightmare boss, the Phosani's Nightmare, or by buying from another player.

The set pieces count as Zamorakian items for the God Wars Dungeon.

Toktz-ket-xil[edit | edit source]

Buy one from TzHaar-Hur-Tel's Equipment Store in Mor Ul Rek, trade with another player, or obtain one as a rare monster drop from a TzHaar-Ket. This Toktz-ket-xil is extremely popular amongst mid-level warriors who are unable to afford a better-suited shield for their level, and because it also possesses a strength bonus, it is often used by those who cannot currently gain access to the Warriors' Guild but have the Defence level requirement of 60 to use it.

Crystal shield[edit | edit source]

The crystal shield is a high-level piece of armour which, similar to barrows equipment, will degrade after use and must be recharged. Boasting a very high ranged defence bonus, it requires completion of Roving Elves, 70 Defence, and 50 Agility to wield.

Dragonfire shield[edit | edit source]

The dragonfire shield is a high-level piece of armour. It provides protection not only from dragonfire but also the icy breath of the skeletal wyvern. It functions differently by absorbing the aforementioned, acquiring charges and thereby increasing in defensive bonuses while protecting the player. It can then be discharged to release a vicious burning attack.

Spirit shields[edit | edit source]

Plain, blessed, arcane, elysian, spectralSpirit shields are a range of shields available to members after the Corporeal Beast update. The shields are all derived from the "basic" one. Some holy elixir, dropped by the Corporeal Beast, must be poured onto it to bless it, increasing its stats and value. The spirit sigils are items which can be added to a blessed spirit shield to modify its abilities even further. These sigils are arcane, elysian, and spectral. The elysian spirit shield has a special effect that reduces the amount of damage taken.

The basic spirit shield requires level 45 Defence and level 55 Prayer to hold, the blessed one requires 70 Defence and level 60 Prayer, arcane and spectral spirit shield 75 Defence, 70 Prayer and 65 Magic, and elysian requires 75 Defence and 75 Prayer.

Best F2P melee armour setup[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

• The only reason the rune god armour sets are objectively better than regular rune armour is because of the +1 Prayer bonus on each set piece, resulting in a total Prayer bonus of +4.
• When crush defence is favoured above all other stats and a Prayer bonus, a rune chainbody is preferred.
• If less weight is favoured above a higher Prayer bonus: a rune plateskirt is lighter than rune platelegs.
• When fighting enemies with high Defence, an amulet of power is preferred. In other cases an amulet of strength is better. In purely defensive situations, an amulet of defence is the way to go.
• Decorative boots (gold) (equivalent to adamant boots) provide the highest melee defensive bonuses on free-to-play worlds, along with being the only item in this slot that provides a Strength bonus. If you don't want to spend the time required to get those boots, you can spend less time and obtain either the decorative boots (white) or decorative boots (red) (equivalent to mithril boots and steel boots respectively). If you don't want to spend time getting any of those boots, the fancy boots or fighting boots (both equivalent to bronze boots) will do.
• The gilded d'hide vambraces are the best item in the hands slot, but are relatively expensive and not available to Ironman Mode players. Cheaper alternatives are leather vambraces for the highest stab defence, green d'hide vambraces for the highest crush defence, and either of those for the highest slash defence.
• Regular coloured capes (black, blue, green, orange, purple, red, yellow), team capes, the cabbage cape, the ornate cape and the Saradomin and Zamorak Castlewars cloaks all have the same stats.
• The rune scimitar is considered the overall best one-handed melee weapon (see the rune scimitar page as well as the page about longswords), thus offensive item. If the goal is to obtain the highest melee defensive bonuses, all standard staves as well as the skull sceptre offer the best stab and slash defence, whereas the best crush defence is offered by various swords (blurite sword, decorative swords and Silverlight) and all longswords.
• Currently, there are no rings nor ammunition slot items in F2P that give any stat increases.

Best Members melee strength setup[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

• The amulet of torture has better offensive stats than the amulet of fury yielding; +15 across all attack bonuses, however, has no defensive bonuses. Where the amulet of fury has +15 in all defensive stats and +10 in all offensive stats, it has a +2 difference in Strength bonus.
• The Slayer helmet or black mask will give a higher Strength bonus if on task.

Historical melee strength setups[edit | edit source]

2004[edit | edit source]

The following equipment gave the best Strength bonus in 2004:

• The berserker helm, unlocked after obtaining 45 Defence and the completion of The Fremennik Trials, giving a +3 Strength bonus.
• The amulet of strength, giving a +10 Strength bonus.
• The dragon longsword, unlocked after obtaining 60 Attack and the completion of Lost City, giving a +71 Strength bonus.
• The cooking gauntlets, unlocked after completing Family Crest and purchasing them from Caleb once bringing him steel gauntlets, giving a +2 Strength bonus.
• The climbing boots, unlocked after the completion of Death Plateau, giving a +2 Strength bonus.

Melee Strength bonus: +88

Slash Attack bonus: +71

2005[edit | edit source]

The following lists the changes in best gear since 2004:

• The fire cape is added to the game, giving a +4 Strength bonus.
• The amulet of fury replaces the amulet of strength even with its -2 difference in Strength bonus, due to its +10 Slash bonus.
• The abyssal whip replaces the dragon longsword, having a +11 difference in Strength bonus.
• Rune boots are now considered better than climbing boots due to their higher Defence bonuses. (+2 Strength bonus was added to rune boots 27 September 2006.)
• The toktz-ket-xil is added to the game, giving a +5 Strength bonus.
• The berserker ring is added to the game, giving a +4 Strength bonus.

Melee Strength bonus: +110 if player use climbing boots or +108 if player use rune boots.

Slash Attack bonus: +95

2006[edit | edit source]

The following lists the changes in best gear since 2005:

• The rune defender replaces the toktz-ket-xil due to its higher Attack bonuses.
• Barrows gloves now replace cooking gauntlets, having a +10 difference in Strength bonus.

Melee Strength bonus: +120

Slash Attack bonus: +124

2007[edit | edit source]

The following lists the changes in best gear since 2006:

• The helm of Neitiznot replaces the berserker helm due to its better Attack bonuses and Defence bonuses.
• The fighter torso is added to the game, giving a +4 Strength bonus.

Melee Strength bonus: +124

Slash Attack bonus: +124