Melee gear progression, rune to Torva

This melee gear progression lists what to wear at each stage, from a rune scimitar in free-to-play to Torva and the scythe. Each tier only shows the pieces that change, with today's price for everything tradeable (untradeables you earn rather than buy show no price). Start with the tier that matches your Attack level, then work through it weapon first.

Free-to-play start (1 to 40 Attack)

Tier total 145K

Item	Slot	Price	Why it is here
Rune scimitar	Weapon	14,950	40 Attack. Fast slash weapon and the best all-round F2P pick.
Rune full helm	Head	20,505	40 Defence. Solid melee defence for free-to-play.
Amulet of power	Neck	2,059	Accuracy, strength and defence in one; use strength amulet for pure training.
Rune platebody	Body	38,310	40 Defence and Dragon Slayer I to wear.
Rune kiteshield	Shield	31,886	Best F2P shield until you can get defenders in members.
Rune platelegs	Legs	37,729	40 Defence. Pairs with the platebody.

Early members (40 to 60 Attack)

Tier total 112K

Item	Slot	Price	Why it is here
Berserker helm	Head	39,971	45 Defence. Cheap strength bonus helm.
Amulet of glory	Neck	10,981	Good bonuses plus teleports. Upgrade to fury later.
Dragon scimitar	Weapon	60,123	60 Attack and Monkey Madness I. The standard training weapon until the whip.
Fighter torso	Body	Untradeable	Barbarian Assault reward. +4 strength, matching the best mid-game bodies, for free.
Rune defender	Shield	Untradeable	Warriors' Guild cyclopes. Grab it on the way to the dragon defender.
Barrows gloves	Hands	Untradeable	Recipe for Disaster reward. Big accuracy and strength for the slot.
Climbing boots	Feet	571	Cheap strength boots until dragon boots.

Mid game (60 to 75 Attack)

Tier total 6.25M

Item	Slot	Price	Why it is here
Helm of Neitiznot	Head	36,700	The Fremennik Isles. Strength and Prayer bonus.
Fire cape	Cape	Untradeable	TzHaar Fight Caves. Strength and defence, no upkeep.
Amulet of fury	Neck	2.17M	Strong all-rounder until torture.
Abyssal whip	Weapon	756K	70 Attack. Abyssal demon drop and the default slash weapon for Slayer.
Dragon defender	Shield	Untradeable	60 Attack and Defence. Warriors' Guild basement.
Torag's platelegs	Legs	257K	Barrows legs with high defence that sell cheaply.
Dragon boots	Feet	150K	60 Defence. Spiritual mage drop, +4 strength.
Berserker ring	Ring	2.87M	Imbue it with Nightmare Zone or Soul Wars points to double the strength bonus.

Late game (75 to 90 Attack)

Tier total 344M

Item	Slot	Price	Why it is here
Serpentine helm (uncharged)	Head	2.77M	Venom immunity. Charged with scales bought on the GE.
Amulet of torture	Neck	15.6M	Best accuracy and strength amulet below rancour.
Kraken tentacle	Weapon	190K	Use on a whip to make the abyssal tentacle, the best budget slash weapon.
Ghrazi rapier	Weapon	16.2M	80 Attack. Fast stab weapon from Theatre of Blood for stab-weak bosses.
Inquisitor's hauberk	Body	133M	70 Strength, 30 Defence. +4 strength plus crush accuracy; keep the torso for slash.
Inquisitor's plateskirt	Legs	130M	70 Strength, 30 Defence. +2 strength legs with crush accuracy.
Ferocious gloves	Hands	Untradeable	80 Attack and Defence. Made from Alchemical Hydra leather.
Primordial boots	Feet	17.9M	75 Strength and Defence. +5 strength over dragon boots' +4.
Avernic defender hilt	Shield	28.6M	Theatre of Blood drop. Combine with a dragon defender for the avernic defender.

End game (90+ Attack and Strength)

Tier total 2.08B

Item	Slot	Price	Why it is here
Torva full helm	Head	170M	90+ end game armour. Highest strength bonus head slot.
Torva platebody	Body	152M	Highest strength body. Best for long fights where you keep your melee boost up.
Torva platelegs	Legs	92.4M	Completes the strongest strength set.
Infernal cape	Cape	Untradeable	The Inferno. Doubles the fire cape's strength bonus.
Amulet of rancour	Neck	42.2M	Upgraded torture. Top melee accuracy and strength amulet.
Scythe of Vitur (uncharged)	Weapon	1.15B	Hits up to three times on large monsters. Theatre of Blood.
Soulreaper axe	Weapon	368M	Builds strength stacks as you hit. Strong on slash and crush-weak bosses.
Avernic treads (pr)	Feet	Untradeable	Avernic treads with primordial boots added. Best melee boots.
Ultor ring	Ring	93.7M	+12 strength. Vardorvis vestige.
Bellator ring	Ring	14M	Best slash accuracy ring. Whisperer vestige.

Tier totals add up the current Grand Exchange mid price of every tradeable item in the tier. Untradeable items count as zero.

How to use these tiers

Each tier keeps everything from the one before it unless an item in that slot is listed. Untradeable items, such as the fire cape, fighter torso and Barrows gloves, show no price because you earn them through quests, minigames or bosses. They are some of the best value upgrades in the game for that reason. A good rule is to pick up every free untradeable in a tier before spending gold on tradeables in the same slot.

Upgrade order that adds the most damage

The weapon almost always matters most. Moving from a dragon scimitar to an abyssal whip adds more damage per hour than any single armour piece at that level, and the same is true of tentacle to Soulreaper axe or scythe later on. After the weapon, the order is roughly: strength-boosting slots that are cheap or free (gloves, cape, defender, boots), then the necklace, then body and legs.

Budget step	Biggest single upgrade	Why
First 1M	Dragon scimitar, then Barrows gloves	Faster kills from 60 Attack; gloves are a quest, not gold
Under 5M	Abyssal whip, fire cape, dragon defender	Whip and two free untradeables carry you to 80
5M to 50M	Tentacle, torture, Inquisitor's, primordials	Accuracy and strength in every slot
50M+	Soulreaper axe, noxious halberd or a raids weapon	Weapon first, then armour

Pick the attack style that fits your targets

Late game melee splits three ways. Slash is the default for Slayer and most bosses: whip, tentacle, Blade of Saeldor or the Soulreaper axe. Stab wins against monsters with weak stab defence, which is where the Ghrazi rapier and the dragon hunter lance earn their place. Crush is the answer to armoured targets: the Inquisitor's mace with the Inquisitor's set, or the elder maul. The DPS calculator will tell you which of your weapons is best against a given boss.

Strength bonus and max hit

Every item in these tiers was picked mainly for strength bonus and accuracy. Max hit only rises at certain breakpoints, so two pieces that look different on paper can give the same max hit at your level. Before buying a small strength upgrade, put your stats into the max hit calculator to see whether it actually moves you to the next hit.

Combat boosts and special attacks

Gear only goes so far without your best melee boost switched on. The level 70 melee boost needs 70 Prayer and 70 Defence after King's Ransom, and it is worth more than most armour upgrades at that point. The level 60 boost is the step before it, at 60 Prayer and 65 Defence.

A special attack weapon is the other big addition once your main setup is in place. Dragon claws, burning claws and the voidwaker deal burst damage, while the dragon warhammer and elder maul lower a boss's Defence so the rest of your hits land more often.

Defence or damage

For most PvM, offence wins: kill faster and you take fewer hits. Inquisitor's or obsidian over the fighter torso, or Justiciar over Torva, is for fights where you tank damage for a long time. If you are building a full kit across all three styles, the best in slot gear page lists the top item for every slot, and our Strength training guide covers where to level while you save up.

Questions players ask

What is the best melee weapon for each level?

Rune scimitar at 40 Attack, dragon scimitar at 60, abyssal whip at 70 and the abyssal tentacle at 75. From there it depends on budget and target: the Ghrazi rapier for stab, Soulreaper axe or Blade of Saeldor for slash, Inquisitor's mace for crush, and the Scythe of Vitur at the very top.

What should I buy after the abyssal whip?

Get the free untradeables first: fire cape, dragon defender and Barrows gloves if you are missing any. Then turn the whip into an abyssal tentacle with a kraken tentacle, followed by an amulet of torture, Inquisitor's armour and primordial boots.

Is the fighter torso better than an obsidian platebody?

For damage, yes: the fighter torso gives +4 strength against the obsidian platebody's +3, and it costs no gold. Obsidian has more defence and a set bonus with obsidian weapons. If you are not tanking hits, the free torso from Barbarian Assault does the job for almost every melee setup.

What is the best in slot melee setup in OSRS?

Torva armour, an infernal cape, amulet of rancour, avernic defender, ferocious gloves, Avernic treads with primordial boots and an Ultor ring. The weapon depends on the target: Scythe of Vitur for large bosses, the Ghrazi rapier or a lance for stab-weak ones, and the Soulreaper axe for most others.

Do I need 70 Prayer before buying better gear?

Not before, but the level 70 melee boost is one of the biggest upgrades you can get once you have 70 Prayer and 70 Defence. It raises Attack by 20%, Strength by 23% and Defence by 25% while active, which outweighs most single armour pieces.

By OSRS Math Team · 23 Oct 2026