This is Old School RuneScape: Combat

Combat! Ah, the glorious art of bashing monsters and hunting demons is part of any good high-fantasy world, and Old School is no different. We think it's high time to take a deeper look at the various Combat arts you can master and see how they fit in to your adventures across the world of Gielinor.

[h2]Master of Many[/h2]

There’s three primary styles of Combat to get to grips with in Old School – Melee, Ranged and Magic. Each has associated skills to level which increase your power through new spells, grant access to higher level gear and plenty more besides.

There are no classes in Old School, so you can be a master of any Combat style you like at any time... and you’ll need to be! As you venture across Gielinor, there’s a vast array of creatures, dragons, demons and even humans that all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so being versatile with your Combat is often key to success.

But fret not - equipment helps make your raw capabilities even more lethal. As you level up key skills (like Attack for Melee, or Defence for Armor) you’ll be able to equip better protection and weapons that will even the odds against the increasingly gruesome foes.

[h2]Battle With Purpose[/h2]

While there's nothing quite like some mindless Slaying, we know there's plenty of you out there who crave purpose beyond the simple joy of monster-bashing. So good news - there’s plenty of reasons!

For those who desire lore and story, you’ll need to enhance your powers to take on some of the toughest quests in the game and successfully overcome climactic battles that will test your Combat skillset.

For the less quest-orientated, the aptly named Slayer skill tasks you with travelling the land to hunt down various types of monsters. Kill enough to complete your task and you'll gain access to even more rewarding and lucrative beasties!

And then there's the pinnacle PvM content to tackle, from epic solo bosses through to a whole menagerie of challenging group encounters. You name it, we have it! If you are someone who yearns for glory and the best rewards the game has to offer, this is for you - whether you use those drops to make money or to arm yourself to the teeth.

There's also a multitude of exciting minigames offering fantastic rewards, ranging from vast riches to dazzling equipment upgrades. Conquering the battlefields of Pest Control, for instance, will give you access to Void armours, whilst besting the Fight Caves will reward you with the iconic Fire Cape.

And finally, for the brave and the bold, there’s PvP in the legendary Wilderness. Those brave enough to venture into the depths of this special PvP enabled area can face off against other players, but be warned - almost everything you are holding or have equipped is on the line. You can reap massive rewards in the Wildy, but you can also lose it all...

[h2]Skilling Matters[/h2]

On top of power-boosting gear, other skills in your repertoire will also feed into your Combat lethality!

The Prayer skill offers the most direct assistance, allowing you to channel godly blessings that enhance your abilities and offer protection from your many foes.

As with the general philosophy of skilling in Old School, many of the other abilities will also give you a helping hand in your quest for Combat prowess. And that goes far beyond simply crafting your own armour and weapons. Take Herblore - your knowledge of potions can translate to success in battle, allowing you to craft concoctions that can both protect you or boost your capabilities.

[h2]Fighting Factors[/h2]

While skills are an important aspect of Combat, damage done and received is mostly determined by external traits. There are a lot of other factors which contribute to the outcomes of your fights.

Armour and Weapons: Generally, armour boosts a person's defensive capabilities by reducing the accuracy of incoming attacks, and weaponry boosts a player's offensive capabilities. However, armour may also provide offensive bonuses, and weapons usually provide minor defensive bonuses. For maximum effectiveness, players should use the best equipment available to them, since bonuses provided by equipment are at least as important as levels in combat skills.
Special Attacks: Some weapons have unique special attacks. These consume a type of energy resource known as the special attack bar, unleashing an effect specific to the weapon. This may include extra damage, additional hits, stat drains and much more.
Speed of Attack: All weapons in Old School have a specific speed determining the interval between successive hits. Attack speed is arguably the single most important factor in damage per second, though fast weapons tend to not be as accurate or powerful as their counterparts. Fast, inaccurate weapons are ideal against enemies with low Defence. In contrast, slower and more accurate weapons fare better against tougher enemies with high Defence.
Damage Absorption: Some rare armours can offer unique absorption effects to help you survive specific brutalities. Certain shields can protect you from the fire of a dragon's breath, for example, whilst Yak-hide armour will mitigate a lot of the damage you'll face when facing off against Ice Trolls.

[h2]Test Your Mettle[/h2]

Fortune favours the bold. Get stuck in (as in, stick your weapons into) to the challenges that Old School has to offer!

Until next time, future adventurer!

The Old School Team