Pay-to-play Melee training

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This article provides information about effective ways to train Attack, Strength, Defence, and Hitpoints through melee combat.

This guide is organised into sections based on skill levels. For example, if the section header is Levels 20 to 30, you should begin training at the area with an Attack and Strength level of at least 20. Defence is also preferred to be at that level but is not always required. The solution to lower Defence is to bring more food or use food that heals more.

General training notes

Since experience rates are largely influenced by Strength level and strength bonus, it is optimal to maintain balanced melee stats until reaching the minimum requirements for the best-in-slot weapon and equipment. After this, prioritizing Strength until 99, followed by Attack and finally Defence, will result in the fastest route to max melee stats. For example, when training in the Nightmare Zone with Obsidian Armour, a Berserker Necklace, and the Toktz-Xil-Ak, Attack and Defence should remain at 60 until reaching 99 Strength for optimal experience gains.

At high levels, direct melee training is not the fastest way to train Defence. Using Ancient Magicks on defensive or chinchompas on Long fuse against Maniacal monkeys gives more Defense experience per hour than using melee.

Early Questing

To start off, it's strongly recommended to complete quests that give a lot of melee experience. This allows players to skip over the much slower early levels of training. Many of these quests are quick, have little to no requirements, and have bosses that can be trivialized by safespotting with any magic spell (such as Fire Strike).

The recommended quests for early melee experience are listed in the table below. Completing all of them would give the player a total 61,775 Attack, 20,375 Strength, and 15,300 Defence experience. This will level a player to level 45 Attack, level 34 Strength, and level 31 Defence without any direct training.

Completing the Witch's House quest first is recommended, as it gives a Hitpoints safety margin for the subsequent quests (especially Waterfall Quest).

Quest	XP rewards	Requirements	Enemies to defeat	Notes
Witch's House	6,325	None	Witch's experiment (level 19, 30, 42, and 53)	The last two forms of the Witch's experiment can be safespotted with Magic. It's recommended to complete this quest first for a Hitpoints safety margin.
Waterfall Quest	13,750 and 13,750	None	None	Players need to withstand and evade attacks from level 86 Fire Giants and level 84 Moss Guardian. Level 17 is recommended so that the player cannot die in one hit from full hitpoints.
Death Plateau	3,000	None	None	Unlocks climbing boots, an early-game boot with strength bonus.
Fight Arena	12,175	None	Khazard scorpion (level 44), Khazard ogre (level 63), Bouncer (level 137)	The bosses can be safespotted with Magic.
Tree Gnome Village	11,450	None	Khazard Warlord (level 112)	The Khazard Warlord can be safespotted, or flinched by walking in and out of his attack radius, with Magic.
Vampyre Slayer	4,825	None	Count Draynor (level 34)	Count Draynor is trivial to defeat with some combat stats.
The Grand Tree	18,400	25	Black Demon (level 172)	Completion of Tree Gnome Village first is recommended, for access to spirit trees. The Black Demon can be safespotted with Magic.
Holy Grail	15,300	20 , completion of Merlin's Crystal	Black Knight Titan (level 120)	The Black Knight Titan can be flinched by stepping in and out of his melee range, or killed with any halberd.
Scorpion Catcher	6,625	31 , completion of Alfred Grimhand's Barcrawl	None	Requires being able to run past level 172 black demons and level 64 poison spiders.
XP rewards total		61,775 , 20,375 and 15,300

Additional quests

There are additional intermediate quests that give significant combat experience, though they have higher requirements or less trivial bosses to defeat.

Quest	XP rewards	Requirements	Enemies to defeat	Notes
Mountain Daughter	1,000	20	The Kendal (level 70)	The Kendal can be safespotted.
Horror from the Deep	4,662.5	35 , completion of Alfred Grimhand's Barcrawl	Dagannoth (level 100) and Dagannoth Mother (level 100)	Unlocks dagannoth as a Slayer task. Having 40 is strongly recommended for Protect from Missiles against the Dagannoth Mother's Ranged attacks. This quest is a prerequisite for the final fights of Recipe for Disaster.
Dragon Slayer I	18,650 and 18,650	32	Elvarg (level 83) and various other monsters	Unlocks all dragon tasks for Slayer. This quest is a prerequisite for Heroes' Quest.
The Fremennik Trials	2,812 , 2,812 , 2,812	25 , 40 , 40 if crafting your own lyre	Draugen (level 69) and Koschei the deathless	Prerequisite for wearing Fremennik helmets.
The Fremennik Isles	Two lots of 10,000 Combat experience (choose between Strength, Attack, Defence or Hitpoints).	40 , 20 , completion of The Fremennik Trials	Ice Troll King (level 122)	Awards the helm of neitiznot and the ability to wield it.
Olaf's Quest	12,000	40 , 50 , completion of The Fremennik Trials	Ulfric (level 100)	Unlocks brine rats as a Slayer task.
Haunted Mine	22,000	35 , completion of Priest in Peril	Treus Dayth (level 95)	Prerequisite for obtaining the Salve amulet, which provides combat bonuses against undead creatures.

Fastest Experience

Levels 1–35: Questing

As discussed in the above early questing section, completing quests is the fastest method to skip through the early levels. These quests will level a player to level 45 Attack, level 34 Strength, and level 31 Defence without any direct training.

Levels 30–55: Gemstone Crab

See Gemstone Crab/Strategies for more information.

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements
Gemstone Crab	Tlati Rainforest	160	Infinite	Children of the Sun
Advantages			Disadvantages
Has infinite health with low Defence and Attack, requiring no food. Only burrows once every 10 minutes and can be reengaged with two clicks. Can be mined for gems by the 16 players who dealt the most damage.			Gives slightly less experience per hit compared to normal monsters (87.5% of the normal amount), but this is offset by no auto-retaliate downtime and no lost damage on overkill.

Levels 55–75: Sulphur Naguas

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements	Recommendations
Sulphur Nagua	Neypotzli	98	100	Partial completion of Perilous Moons (includes 48 Slayer) 55 Attack for glacial temotli (or the cheaper sulphur blades) 43 Prayer for Protect from Melee	70 Attack and 75 Strength for Dual Macuahuitl High Herblore 70 Prayer for Piety Full Blood Moon set
Advantages			Disadvantages
Very fast experience, with the Sulphur Nagua's negative flat armour combined with double hit weapons. Expect 75k xp/hr at 60 strength. With a full blood moon armour set and Piety prayer, expect up to 130k xp/hr at 75 strength. Prayer restoration and combat stat boosts can be provided by Moonlight potion, which can be made within Neypotzli with no external supplies. Decent profit from noted ores and runes Passive low amounts of Runecrafting experience from turning in dropped Sulphur Essence, and prayer experience if carrying an ectoplasmator.			Dual macuahuitl are required for the best rates. Though the glacial temotli and sulphur blades only perform marginally worse, roughly 10% less xp per hour. For ironman, the ideal weapons (glacial temotli and sulphur blades) are dropped from the same creatures they're ideal against. Though, thanks to their flat negative armour, they are reasonable training even with a suboptimal weapon.

Levels 75–99: Maniacal monkeys with Hallowfell

See Maniacal monkey/Strategies for more information.

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements	Recommendations
Maniacal monkey	North-west section of Ape Atoll.	140	65	75 attack to wield Hallowfell. Monkey Madness II	Crystal halberd (requires the western provinces hard diary) or dragon halberd (requires Regicide)
Advantages			Disadvantages
Highest experience. Expect 200k xp/hr or more with good stacking, targetting and crystal halberd specials. Can be low intensity (simply auto-retaliate) and still outperform other methods. Prayer potion drops sustain Piety and Protect from Melee prayers.			Requires the (partial) completion of the grandmaster quest Monkey Madness II.

Other methods

It is not recommended to train melee for profit at low levels. It is usually better to train with crabs, Slayer, or the Nightmare Zone and do something else to make money for overall more efficient play. For example, killing Hobgoblins for two hours will give both less money and less experience than spinning flax for one hour and training on crabs for one hour. Low-level players looking to make money for early gear should check out the Money-making guide.

Levels 30–99: Gemstone Crab

See Gemstone Crab/Strategies for more information.

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements
Gemstone Crab	Tlati Rainforest	160	Infinite	Children of the Sun
Advantages			Disadvantages
Remains useful as a very low intensity method. The crab burrows once every 10 minutes and can be reengaged with two clicks. Has infinite health with low Defence and Attack, requiring no food.			Gives slightly less experience per hit compared to normal monsters (87.5% of the normal amount), but this is offset by no auto-retaliate downtime and no lost damage on overkill.

Levels 55–75: Scurrius

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements	Recommendations
Scurrius	Varrock Sewers	200 (Solo) 250 (Group)	500 (Solo) 1,500 (Group)	40 Prayer	Bone mace Combat level 60-90
Advantages			Disadvantages
Faster experience than Gemstone Crab at lower levels (base 70 combat stats offer 100k+ exp/hr, when soloing the Group variant with a bone mace) Teaches mechanics useful in higher-level PvM encounters, such as prayer switching and dodging attacks.			Takes effort and focus to kill. Drops will not yield a profit (though will cover the cost of supplies). Best experience rates come from the bone mace, which is created from an untradeable item (Scurrius' spine) that Scurrius itself drops at 1/33. The first few dozen kills will likely be suboptimal.

Levels 60–99: Nightmare Zone

See the Nightmare Zone page for more information.

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements
Nightmare Zone	North of Yanille, north-west of the bank	Varies	Varies	At least 5 quests that Nightmare Zone requires
Advantages			Disadvantages
Offers the most AFK training method in the game, via the normal rumble with absorption potions. This allows for 20 minute breaks between clicks, and only requires a single click to reset the timer. Alternatively, hard mode is a reasonable place to use Dharok the Wretched's equipment and offers substantially more points. NMZ points provide overload and absorption potions for the game, reducing the outside need for super combat and prayer potions. Points can be used for imbues that upgrade equipment.			Requires a coin fee to start and some quests to utilise Players may need super combat and prayer potions for the first few games as they have no points No drops outside of points

Level 80–99: Gargoyles

Monster name	Location(s)	Combat level	Hitpoints	Requirements	Recommendations
Gargoyle	Slayer tower	111	105	75 Slayer, Rock hammer, Priest in Peril	Guthan the Infested's equipment. A Kharyrll teleport portal, access to fairy rings or a Slayer ring. High level alchemy runes. Gargoyle smasher Slayer perk
Advantages			Disadvantages
Profitable, upwards of 700k gp per hour. Below-average offensive capabilities for their level. Players with high defence can sustain their health with Guthan's equipment or a Saradomin godsword. Most of its drops are noted or are alchable, meaning the player can potentially stay indefinitely without needing to bank.			Substantially less experience per hour than other options. Requires more effort than Gemstone Crab or Nightmare Zone. 75 Slayer requirement. Far from a bank (without slayer rings and 61/81 Agility to use the Slayer Tower shortcuts). They can deal unsustainable damage to lower-level players.

Equipment choice

Items will be listed in order of how much they increase general melee damage per second. In nearly all cases, optimising for offensive stats is more effective than optimising for defensive or balanced stats, especially when fighting the low-offence, high-hp monsters on this list. In addition, optimising for Strength is usually better than optimising for accuracy except against high-Defence monsters.

Items in order of effectiveness by slot

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Torva full helm	0	0	0	-5	-5	+59	+60	+62	-2	+57	+8	0	0%	+1
	Oathplate helm	0	+10	0	-2	-7	+50	+72	+45	0	+50	+6	0	0%	0
	Neitiznot faceguard	0	0	0	0	0	+36	+34	+38	+3	+34	+6	0	0%	+3
	Serpentine helm	0	0	0	-5	-5	+52	+55	+58	0	+50	+5	0	0%	0
	Blood moon helm	0	0	0	-6	-2	+20	+31	+34	+7	+29	+4	0	0%	0
	Inquisitor's great helm	-2	-2	+8	-5	-5	+19	+10	+21	0	+12	+4	0	0%	+1
	Helm of neitiznot	0	0	0	0	0	+31	+29	+34	+3	+30	+3	0	0%	+3
	Berserker helm	0	0	0	-5	-5	+31	+29	+33	0	+30	+3	0	0%	0
	Obsidian helmet	0	0	0	0	0	+25	+23	+26	0	+24	+3	0	0%	0
	Zombie helmet	0	0	+8	-4	-2	+30	+32	+38	0	+30	+2	0	0%	0

Torva or Oathplate may be more effective depending on the NPC's defensive stats and attack style used.
Three of these items provide the same Strength bonus of +3, so choose between them based on their other stats such as their Defence or availability. Note that these Strength-boosting helmets are almost always better than helmets that only provide accuracy, such as the warrior helm, for general training.
When training Slayer, a Slayer helm (or black mask) will always provide the greatest damage increase over any of these.

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Infernal cape	+4	+4	+4	+1	+1	+12	+12	+12	+12	+12	+8	0	0%	+2
	Fire cape	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1	+11	+11	+11	+11	+11	+4	0	0%	+2
	Mythical cape	0	0	+6	0	0	+8	+8	+8	+8	+8	+1	0	0%	+1
	Mixed hide cape	0	0	0	-15	+5	+2	+2	+2	+5	+1	+1	0	0%	0

If the player does not have access to any of these, an obsidian cape or a Cape of Accomplishment can be used instead due to their moderate Defence bonuses, however, they will not increase damage. The Ardougne cloak also provides a stab accuracy bonus and a moderate Prayer bonus.

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Amulet of rancour	+25	+25	+25	-6	-8	0	0	0	0	0	+12	0	0%	+2
	Amulet of torture	+15	+15	+15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+10	0	0%	+2
	Amulet of fury	+10	+10	+10	+10	+10	+15	+15	+15	+15	+15	+8	0	0%	+5
	Amulet of glory	+10	+10	+10	+10	+10	+3	+3	+3	+3	+3	+6	0	0%	+3
	Amulet of power	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	+6	0	0%	+1
	Amulet of strength	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+10	0	0%	0

Depending on your stats, for monsters with low Defence, an amulet of Strength can be better than an amulet of power, amulet of glory, or even an amulet of fury.
When fighting undead monsters and not using a Slayer helmet, the salve amulet and its upgraded version the salve amulet (e) are the best neck-slot items.

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Torva platebody	0	0	0	-18	-14	+117	+111	+117	-11	+142	+6	0	0%	+1
	Oathplate chest	0	+16	0	-16	-18	+105	+128	+100	-5	+112	+4	0	0%	0
	Bandos chestplate	0	0	0	-15	-10	+98	+93	+105	-6	+133	+4	0	0%	+1
	Blood moon chestplate	0	0	0	-15	-10	+60	+80	+80	+40	+79	+4	0	0%	0
	Inquisitor's hauberk	-3	-3	+12	-11	-10	+67	+55	+71	0	+35	+4	0	0%	+2
	Fighter torso	0	0	0	-40	0	+62	+85	+62	-10	+67	+4	0	0%	0
	Obsidian platebody	0	0	0	0	0	+55	+78	+56	-15	+60	+3	0	0%	0
	Mixed hide top	+4	-2	-3	-15	+27	+33	+39	+43	+30	+32	+2	0	0%	0

Torva or Oathplate may be more effective depending on the NPC's defensive stats and attack style used.
Five of these items provide the same Strength bonus, but the Oathplate chest and Bandos chestplate have much better defence.

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Avernic defender	+30	+29	+28	-5	-4	+30	+29	+28	-5	-4	+8	0	0%	0
	Dragon defender	+25	+24	+23	-3	-2	+25	+24	+23	-3	-2	+6	0	0%	0
	Rune defender	+20	+19	+18	-3	-2	+20	+19	+18	-3	-2	+5	0	0%	0
	Antler guard	+15	+15	+15	+9	+9	-15	-15	-15	-15	-15	+5	+2	0%	+5
	Adamant defender	+13	+12	+11	-3	-2	+13	+12	+11	-3	-2	+4	0	0%	0
	Dragonfire shield	0	0	0	-10	-5	+70	+75	+72	+10	+72	+7	0	0%	0
	Toktz-ket-xil	0	0	0	-12	-8	+40	+42	+38	0	+65	+5	0	0%	0
	Mooleta	5	7	7	-1	-1	4	8	8	-2	-1	+1	0	0%	0
	Book of war	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+2	0	0%	+5

When fighting dragons, a Dragonfire shield is the best melee offhand item due to its ability to block dragonfire while having high Strength and Defence bonuses. IMPORTANT: The "Uncharged" Dragonfire shield has about 1/3 the defensive characteristics of the charged shield. If the dragonfire protection and high Defence are not needed, defenders are better due to their accuracy bonuses.

As defenders require access to the Warriors' Guild and thus a combined Attack and Strength level of 130 (for example, level 65 in both), the Toktz-ket-xil or dragonfire shield should be used until that requirement is met. If the required Defence levels for those items (60 and 75 respectively) aren't met, a book of war can be used.

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Torva platelegs	0	0	0	-24	-11	+87	+78	+79	-9	+102	+4	0	0%	+1
	Oathplate legs	0	+12	0	-12	-14	+75	+100	+73	-3	+81	+2	0	0%	0
	Bandos tassets	0	0	0	-21	-7	+71	+63	+66	-4	+93	+2	0	0%	+1
	Blood moon tassets	0	0	0	-21	-7	+30	+50	+49	+32	+46	+2	0	0%	0
	Inquisitor's plateskirt	-3	-3	+12	-9	-5	+42	+30	+49	0	+22	+2	0	0%	+2
	Obsidian platelegs	0	0	0	0	0	+46	+43	+41	-10	+40	+1	0	0%	0
	Fremennik kilt	0	0	0	-21	-7	+11	+10	+10	-4	+10	+1	0	0%	0
	Torag's platelegs	0	0	0	-21	-7	+85	+82	+83	-4	+92	0	0	0%	0
	Verac's plateskirt	0	0	0	-21	-7	+85	+82	+83	0	+84	0	0	0%	+4
	Dragon platelegs/skirt	0	0	0	-21	-7	+68	+66	+63	-4	+65	0	0	0%	0
	Rock-shell legs	0	0	0	-21	-7	+51	+49	+47	-4	+49	0	0	0%	0
	Rune platelegs	0	0	0	-21	-11	+51	+49	+47	-4	+49	0	0	0%	0
	Mixed hide legs	+3	-1	-2	-10	+14	+20	+23	+22	+16	+20	0	0	0%	0

Torva or Oathplate may be more effective depending on the NPC's defensive stats and attack style used.
Items shown without strength bonus are included to show defensive stats and give less expensive options.

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Ferocious gloves	+16	+16	+16	-16	-16	0	0	0	0	0	+14	0	0%	0
	Barrows gloves	+12	+12	+12	+6	+12	+12	+12	+12	+6	+12	+12	0	0%	0
	Dragon gloves	+9	+9	+9	+5	+9	+9	+9	+9	+5	+9	+9	0	0%	0
	Rune gloves	+8	+8	+8	+4	+8	+8	+8	+8	+4	+8	+8	0	0%	0
	Regen bracelet	+8	+8	+8	+3	+7	+6	+6	+6	+3	+6	+7	0	0%	0
	Adamant gloves	+7	+7	+7	+4	+7	+7	+7	+7	+4	+7	+7	0	0%	0
	Granite gloves	+5	+5	+9	-3	-1	+8	+8	+8	-3	+5	+7	0	0%	0
	Combat bracelet	+7	+7	+7	+3	+7	+5	+5	+5	+3	+5	+6	0	0%	0
	Mithril gloves	+6	+6	+6	+3	+6	+6	+6	+6	+3	+6	+6	0	0%	0

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Avernic treads (max)	+5	+5	+5	+11	+15	+21	+25	+25	+10	+10	+6	+3	+2%	0
	Primordial boots	+2	+2	+2	-4	-1	+22	+22	+22	0	0	+5	0	0%	0
	Dragon boots	0	0	0	-3	-1	+16	+17	+18	0	0	+4	0	0%	0
	Aranea boots	0	0	0	+5	+6	0	0	0	0	0	+4	0	0%	+1
	Spiked manacles	0	0	0	-3	-1	0	0	0	-4	0	+4	0	0%	0
	Guardian boots	0	0	0	-3	-1	+32	+32	+32	-3	+24	+3	0	0%	+2
	Granite boots	0	0	0	-3	-1	+15	+16	+17	-0	+8	+3	0	0%	0
	Rune boots	0	0	0	-3	-1	+12	+13	+14	0	0	+2	0	0%	0
	Mixed hide boots	0	0	0	-10	+5	+4	+5	+6	+3	+3	+2	0	0%	0
	Climbing boots	0	0	0	0	0	0	+2	+2	0	0	+2	0	0%	0
	Adamant boots	0	0	0	-3	-1	+10	+11	+12	0	0	+1	0	0%	0

Item		Attack bonuses					Defence bonuses					Other
Item
	Ultor ring	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+12	0	0%	0
	Berserker ring (i)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+8	0	0	+8	0	0%	0
	Bellator ring	0	+20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+6	0	0%	0
	Brimstone ring	+4	+4	+4	+6	+4	+4	+4	+4	+6	+4	+4	0	0%	0
	Berserker ring	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+4	0	0	+4	0	0%	0
	Ring of shadows	+4	+4	+4	+5	+4	0	0	0	+5	0	+2	0	0%	+2
	Warrior ring (i)	0	+8	0	0	0	0	+8	0	0	0	0	0	0%	0
	Tyrannical ring (i)	0	0	+8	0	0	0	0	+8	0	0	0	0	0%	0
	Treasonous ring (i)	+8	0	0	0	0	+8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0%	0

Rings should be imbued as soon as possible. Also note that the Warrior, Tyrannical, and Treasonous rings only benefit one attacking style each, while the Brimstone ring benefits all melee combat. If the player cannot afford any of these rings, a ring of wealth is a decent alternative to help improve rare drop table rolls and pick up coins, but it does not increase damage. Low level players can benefit from a ring of recoil, as 10% + 1 of the damage received by the player (rounded down) is dealt to the attacker, and always recoils at least 1 damage when the player is hit.

Weapon choice

Choosing a weapon

In most cases, choosing a weapon with an attack speed of 2.4 seconds (4 ticks) will be the best choice for dealing the highest damage per second. Slower weapons almost always give less experience overall against low-defence monsters, even if they do more damage per hit.
Monster vulnerability may cause certain weapons to perform better than their stats suggest. For example, most dragons are weak to Stab, making the usually weaker zamorakian hasta a better choice than the abyssal whip against them.
Note: One-handed weapons are displayed as if they were paired with a defender appropriate for its Attack level requirement — dragon for level 60+, and avernic for level 70+ — to more usefully compare to two-handed weapons. Weapons requiring Attack level 60 or lower will not include these bonuses.


Weapon Name	Requirements	Primary Attack Style	Primarily Used to Train	Attack & Strength Bonus (With Avernic defender as applicable)	Price	Notes
Soulreaper axe	80 Attack 80 Strength	Slash	All Stats	+134 Slash +125 Strength	439,427,197	Utilizing the weapon's "Soul stack" effect is required to achieve maximum experience rates. Each Soul Stack gives the player a +6% boost to their Strength level. Maintaining 5 soul stacks at all times, and not using the "Behead" special attack is optimal while training. It does not degrade and it primarily uses the Slash attack style.
Osmumten's fang	82 Attack	Stab	All Stats	+135 Stab +111 Strength	16,775,852	This weapon will be better than the ghrazi rapier on monsters that have very high Defence bonuses due to its passive effects.
Noxious halberd	80 Attack	Slash	Strength, Defence All Stats on Controlled	+80 Stab +132 Slash +142 Strength	41,040,872	Two-handed weapon with a slightly slower attack speed of 3 seconds instead of 2.4 like most other weapons listed. Despite this, it is better than the other 80 Attack weapons when used with lower Strength bonus gear.
Ghrazi rapier	80 Attack	Stab	All Stats	+130 Stab +101 Strength	24,873,078	This is one of the best melee training weapons. Its Strength bonus is tied with the inquisitor's mace and the blade of Saeldor. It does not degrade and it primarily uses the Stab attack style. It is worth mentioning the player can attack with the Ghrazi Rapier every 2.4 seconds as opposed to the slightly slower attack rate of Osmumten's fang (every 3.0 seconds).
Inquisitor's mace	80 Attack	Crush	All Stats	+130 Crush +104 Strength	338,132,506	This is one of the best melee training weapons. Its Strength bonus is tied with the ghrazi rapier and the blade of Saeldor. It does not degrade and it primarily uses the Crush attack style. When combined with the inquisitor's armour, the weapon's enhanced Strength bonus and significantly improved accuracy become devastating against enemies with high Defence. The four-tick weapon speed and the capability to train all melee stats render it one of the best melee weapons available.
				Wearing Inquisitor's Armour
				+168 Crush +116 Strength
Blade of saeldor	80 Attack	Slash	All Stats	+129 Slash +101 Strength	112,159,250	This is one of the best melee training weapons. Its Strength bonus is tied with the ghrazi rapier and the inquisitor's mace. However, it must be charged with crystal shards, which can be obtained from either doing various activities around Prifddinas or from exchanging certain crystal seeds with Amrod. This effectively makes the sword require Song of the Elves to use. Each shard grants 100 charges; the weapon can store up to 20,000 charges and loses one charge with each hit (regardless of whether the hit is successful or not). One can bring it and 1,000 crystal shards to a singing bowl to make blade of Saeldor (c), which is non-degradable and non-tradeable (requires level 82 Crafting and Smithing).
Voidwaker	75 Attack	Slash	All stats	+109 Slash +88 Strength	38,890,015	This is the best non-degradable weapon for training Strength at level 75. The special attack of the Voidwaker is a magic attack and grants Magic and Hitpoints skill experience.
Abyssal tentacle	75 Attack	Slash	Attack, Defence All Stats on Controlled	+119 Slash +94 Strength	1,048,331	While it is the fourth strongest one handed four tick weapon in the game, the tentacle's cost per attack, of 84.27, makes training far more expensive, but provides a boost of +8 Slash and +4 Strength. The costs adds up to 126,397.65 coins per hour, completely degrading after 10,000 hits. Not specifically for sale in the Grand Exchange. Created by combining an abyssal whip with a kraken tentacle.
Abyssal whip	70 Attack	Slash	Attack, Defence All Stats on Controlled	+111 Slash +90 Strength	842,651	This is the most common training weapon, especially considering that it is affordable and does not degrade. The whip is the second-strongest non-degradable Attack and Defence training weapon in the game. Using this weapon on Controlled is an easy, but slower way to reach 99 Attack, Strength, and Defence since all the experience is spread across these three skills. One disadvantage of the abyssal whip is that it cannot train Strength without training Attack and Defence at the same time, so pures should avoid using it to train.
Saradomin's blessed sword	75 Attack	Slash	Strength	+100 Slash +88 Strength	4,714,571	Similar to the abyssal tentacle, this weapon degrades. Each hit costs 11.90, costing 17,847.60 per hour of constant use. This is the third-best Strength training weapon in the game. After 10,000 hits, the sword crumbles to dust, and you get the Tear back. Not specifically for sale in the Grand Exchange. Created by combining a Saradomin sword with a Saradomin's tear.
Dual macuahuitl	70 Attack 75 Strength	Crush	All stats	+121 Crush +81 Strength	4,362,322	This is one of the best training weapons against low-defence monsters due to the set effect of the blood moon armour set, which has a 33% chance upon a successful hit to attack one tick earlier than usual (or a 56% chance if both hits are successful). While the dual macuahuitl is non-degradable, the blood moon armour set does degrade. It is recommended to combine the weapon with the armour set if possible due to how powerful its set effect is.
Abyssal bludgeon	70 Attack 70 Strength	Crush	Strength	+102 Crush +85 Strength	17,121,620	This is the second-best non-degradable Strength training weapon. It is very useful when fighting a monster with a vulnerability to Crush weapons, such as Revenants and Vet'ion. However, the fairly high cost and being only a slight upgrade over more affordable weapons make it a less popular choice for strength training. If you can afford to combine this weapon with the inquisitor's armour set, the significantly improved accuracy and slightly improved damage make this weapon even more powerful.
				Wearing Inquisitor's Armour
				+135 Crush +95 Strength
Zamorakian hasta	70 Attack Barbarian Training	Stab	Defence All stats on Controlled	+115 Stab +83 Strength	1,443,203	This weapon is not generally chosen for everyday training due to only being able to train on controlled or defensive. It is both weaker and more expensive than the abyssal whip. It is primarily used against monsters with a weakness to Stab, such as all types of dragons. It also has a decent Crush bonus, so it can be used as an alternative to the Abyssal bludgeon for fighting Crush-weak enemies like Kalphites and Vet'ion.
Abyssal dagger	70 Attack	Stab	Strength	+105 Stab +83 Strength	1,204,135	The fourth-best one-handed Strength training weapon. It should not be used for Attack training unless a Stab weapon is needed.
Staff of the dead	75 Attack 75 Magic	Slash	Strength	+99 Slash +80 Strength	5,339,567	The fifth-best one-handed Strength training weapon. It is more accurate with a defender than the next-best Strength training weapon, the Saradomin sword, but has lower Strength. This makes the staff better against high-defence monsters, but it is much less affordable. Also, it is strictly worse than the abyssal dagger, which should usually be used instead unless a slash weapon is needed.
Saradomin sword	70 Attack	Slash	Strength	+82 Slash +82 Strength	118,984	The Saradomin sword is a much more affordable Strength training weapon than anything above it on this list. Against lower-defence monsters such as Yaks, the Saradomin sword will on average do higher damage per second than the staff of the dead due to its higher Strength. However, this sword's lack of a shield and the staff's magic capabilities and melee accuracy make the staff usually more desirable if you can afford it.


Weapon Name	Requirements	Primary Attack Style	Primarily Used to Train	Attack & Strength Bonus (With Dragon defender, if applicable)	Price	Notes
Zombie axe	65 Attack	Slash	All Stats	+129 Slash +113 Strength	1,707,375	The zombie axe has a 5-tick weapon speed and does slightly less DPS than the abyssal whip against enemies with low Defence; however, it has a higher potential DPS against enemies with high Defence or that are weak to Crush. The inquisitor's armour set makes the Crush style attack of the zombie axe slightly more powerful and extremely accurate.
				Wearing Inquisitor's Armour
				+145 Crush +123 Strength
Sarachnis cudgel	65 Attack	Crush	Strength	+93 Crush +76 Strength	104,342	The Sarachnis cudgel is generally not favoured for training due to its marginal advantages over the dragon scimitar and its requirement of 5 additional Attack levels to wield. Compared to higher-tier weapons requiring 70+ Attack, like the Saradomin sword and staff of the dead, it falls short in melee Strength. Nonetheless, the cudgel may have the upper hand in rare situations where the target is susceptible to Crush attacks. The inquisitor's armour set enhances the Crush Style attacks of the Sarachnis cudgel, increasing both power and accuracy.
				Wearing Inquisitor's Armour
				+125 Crush +86 Strength
Viggora's chainmace	60 Attack	Crush	Strength	+91 Crush +72 Strength	4,909,004	This weapon is on par with the dragon scimitar as the best training weapon for all attack styles at level 60 Attack, requiring no charging or quest completion. When charged with revenant ether, it grants a 50% boost in melee accuracy and damage against NPCs in the Wilderness, often surpassing other weapons in training speed if used there. However, it is notably more expensive than the dragon scimitar and carries the risk of losing money through charges if the user is killed in the Wilderness. Moreover, when used with any of the defenders, the mace's accuracy is slightly inferior to that of the dragon scimitar, as defenders tend to offer greater offensive bonuses for Stab/Slash than for Crush. The inquisitor's armour set significantly enhances the accuracy and damage of Viggora's chainmace by providing a buff to its base Crush and Strength bonus. This amplifies the chainmace's passive 50% boost in accuracy and damage against Wilderness NPCs, particularly when combined with either the salve amulet or the Slayer helmet. This is not advised though as this would be a significant risk.
				Wearing Inquisitor's Armour
				+122 Crush +82 Strength
Dragon scimitar	60 Attack Monkey Madness I	Slash	All Stats	+91 Slash +72 Strength	59,408	This is tied for the best training weapon for all attack styles at level 60 with the Viggora's chainmace. In addition, the dragon scimitar is a much cheaper alternative to all of the weapons listed above, making it very popular even among some high level players. For Attack and Defence training, it should be replaced with the abyssal whip as soon as one can afford and equip it.
Dragon sword	60 Attack	Stab	All Stats	+90 Stab +69 Strength	101,078	This is comparable to the dragon scimitar in stats, but without the quest requirement of Monkey Madness I.
Leaf-bladed battleaxe	65 Attack 55 Slayer	Crush	Strength	+96 Slash +95 Crush +98 Strength	78,868	This 5-tick weapon holds the third-highest Strength bonus for single-handed weapons. It is particularly effective against creatures susceptible to Crush damage and is only outperformed by the zombie axe within its level category. The inquisitor's armour set enhances the Crush style attack of the leaf-bladed battleaxe, increasing its power and accuracy significantly.
				Wearing Inquisitor's Armour
				+127 Crush +108 Strength
Dragon longsword	60 Attack Lost City	Slash	All Stats	+93 Slash +77 Strength	59,058	A viable alternate training weapon before being able to use the dragon scimitar since Monkey Madness I is a much longer and harder quest than Lost City. It should be noted that the dragon longsword attacks 1 game tick slower than the dragon scimitar, making it less damage per second than the dragon scimitar for training.


Weapon Name	Requirements	Primary Attack Style	Primarily Used to Train	Attack & Strength Bonus (No Defender)	Price	Notes
Sulphur blades	55 Attack	Slash	All Stats	+72 Slash +64 Strength	78,800	This is the best melee training weapon at 55 Attack, providing the highest Strength bonus before 60 Attack while being fairly cheap.
Glacial temotli	55 Attack	Crush	All Stats	+72 Crush +64 Strength	62,330	Crush version of the sulphur blades. Has a +2 Prayer bonus, which the blades lack, but is otherwise identical in performance.
Earthbound tecpatl	55 Attack	Stab	All Stats	+72 Stab +64 Strength	76,122	Stab version of the sulphur blades. Has a +2 Prayer bonus, which the blades lack, but is otherwise identical in performance.
Leaf-bladed sword	50 Attack 55 Slayer	Stab	All Stats	+67 Stab +50 Strength	40,190	This weapon is the second best option at 50 Attack, behind the granite hammer.
Granite hammer	50 Attack 50 Strength	Crush	All Stats	+57 Crush +56 Strength	8,452,147	This is the best melee training weapon at 50 Attack and Strength.
Brine sabre	40 Attack	Slash	All Stats	+47 Slash +46 Strength	357,887	A more expensive alternative to the rune scimitar, the brine sabre boasts 2 additional slash and Strength bonuses, while also possessing a special attack. This makes it a popular training weapon for those who have the money.
Rune scimitar	40 Attack	Slash	All Stats	+45 Slash +44 Strength	15,029	The prototypical RuneScape weapon. This is your best bet for a cheap and effective training weapon at this level.
Granite longsword	50 Attack 50 Strength	Slash	All Stats	+65 Slash +62 Strength	20,095	This weapon attacks slower than the granite hammer, leaf-bladed sword, and rune scimitar, making it usually worse overall.
Bryophyta's staff	30 Attack 30 Magic	Crush	All Stats	+40 Crush +50 Strength	4,154,270	Equivalent to a rune longsword, it is the best choice at 30 Attack.
Other Scimitars	< 40 Attack	Slash	All Stats	Varies	Varies	It is recommended to train with the highest level scimitar available at your Attack level, before reaching 40 Attack, unless you can wield Bryophyta's staff.

Other equipment options

Obsidian equipment + Berserker necklace

Wearing the obsidian platebody, obsidian platelegs, and the obsidian helmet gives a 10% damage and accuracy bonus to melee obsidian weapons. Wearing the berserker necklace also gives another 20% damage bonus to Obsidian weapons. Combining all four of these items with the Toktz-xil-ak (Obsidian sword) can give faster experience rates than anything in the table above against low-defence monsters, such as those in the Nightmare Zone. However, the set has below-average Defence and does not allow the use of a Slayer helmet. If the player cannot use all five items, they should not be using the Toktz-xil-ak.

Void knight equipment

Wearing the Void melee helm with the full Void Knight equipment set gives a 10% melee damage and accuracy bonus. This bonus accuracy makes it good against certain high-defence monsters like the Corporeal Beast. It is a good alternative for players with 42 combat stats who do not have access to high-Strength gear. However, this set gives less Strength than other melee equipment and has significantly lower melee and ranged Defence, making it usually worse for training than high-strength gear.

Dharok the Wretched's equipment

Wearing a full set of Dharok the Wretched's equipment gives the set effect of increasing the player's damage the lower their remaining Hitpoints are. Using a dwarven rock cake or locator orb the player can intentionally keep their health at 1 hp while using protection prayers to block all forms of damage. If the player has a source of Prayer or damage block, such as by using Prayer potions, absorptions (Nightmare Zone only), or an altar, the player can safely use the set's effect to deal very high amounts of damage and gain fast experience. However, the set degrades after 15 hours of use and must be repaired to keep its stats.

Guthan the Infested's equipment

Wearing a full set of Guthan the Infested's equipment gives the set effect of a 25% chance to heal the player by the damage dealt. This set deals less damage than some of the best options on the list, but it allows players to train for long periods without banking to heal. Players can bring the four pieces in their inventory, train on their normal high-strength equipment, and switch to the Guthan's equipment only when their health gets low. Popular monsters for this tactic are gargoyles, nechryael, and bandits. However, the set degrades after 15 hours of use and must be repaired to keep its stats.

v t e Skill training guides
Free-to-play guides	Melee Ranged Magic Defence Prayer Hitpoints Crafting Mining Smithing Fishing Cooking Firemaking Woodcutting Runecraft
Members' guides	Melee Ranged Magic Defence Prayer Hitpoints Crafting Mining Smithing Fishing Cooking Firemaking Woodcutting Runecraft Agility Herblore Thieving Fletching Slayer Farming Construction Hunter Sailing
Ironman guides	Money making Melee Ranged Magic Defence Prayer Hitpoints Crafting Mining Smithing Fishing Cooking Firemaking Woodcutting Runecraft Agility Herblore Thieving Fletching Slayer Farming Construction Hunter Sailing
Ultimate Ironman guides	Item management Equipment Quests Minigames Money making Melee Ranged Magic Defence Prayer Hitpoints Crafting Mining Smithing Fishing Cooking Firemaking Woodcutting Runecraft Agility Herblore Thieving Fletching Slayer Farming Construction Hunter Sailing
General guidelines	Efficiency

Source site	Old School RuneScape Wiki
Canonical source	Pay-to-play Melee training
Content license	CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
License status	declared
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