OSRS Ranged Guide Level 1 to 99
01.06.2024 - 16:27:22
Game Guides , Runescape
One of the best things about OSRS is that it gives you more than one way to deal with your foes. If you love dealing damage up close, level up your Strength and Attack Skill. If you want to be a spell-slinging pro, then you need to level up your Magic skill. But if you want to be a powerful archer who snipes out enemies from afar, then you should start training your Ranged Skill.
As one of the core combat skills in OSRS, Ranged is a vital Skill for dealing with certain enemies or if you simply want to kill enemies while staying out of harm's way. While easy to learn, mastering the Range skill to level 99 is not as easy as it sounds.
What Is OSRS Ranged?
In OSRS, the Ranged Skill determines the damage you can deal when using bows, crossbows, and thrown weapons. It also affects the Ranged armor you can equip. Players that have a high Ranged level and rely on this specifically are called as rangers or archers.
Based on the game's combat mechanics, rangers are strong against foes dealing Magic damage. However, they are weak against foes that deal melee damage. Despite this disadvantage, trusting in your Ranged Skill is still worth it as it allows you to safespot melee monsters.
In OSRS, safe spotting refers to attacking enemies from behind cover or a huge gap that prevents them from getting close to you to deal damage. Safespotting results in a lot of easy ways to deal with adversaries and in some cases, lets you safely farm for Range XP as well.
Of course, keep in mind that some Ranged monsters have high defense against Ranged Damage too so keep that in mind whenever you're going up against a mob. While powerful from a distance, Rangers can be very vulnerable once the gap is closed between them and their enemies.
Attack Styles of Ranged Skill
The method of using Ranged attacks is pretty straightforward enough. However, there are three different attack styles to choose from which will help you further diversify your experience as a ranger. Some enemies are actually better off faced using certain attack styles. For a better understanding of how these work, check out this section below.
- Accurate - While using this attack style, you're automatically granted a +3 boost to your Ranged level, while increasing your max damage by 1. In some cases, using Accurate also makes you more accurate depending on which arrow your using and your current Ranged level. Although it has slower attack speed, the accurate attack style does increase your power the most out of the three choices.
- Rapid - As the name suggests, this style makes you faster. More specifically, your attack speed is increased by 1 tick. Attacks will come out around 0.6 seconds faster, thus making it great when fighting dense groups of enemies with low HP.
- Longrange - This attack style gives you an invisible +3 to Defense level boost. It also increases your attack range by 2 squares for a maximum of 10. Ranged XP that would be gained is then split into Ranged and Defence. Not really a good attack style to choose when training Ranged but it's great for safespotting and farming materials.
Although Ranged is a Skill available to all players of OSRS, there are certainly a few significant advantages to using it on a paid account. First up, let's talk about how you can level this Skill on a free-to-play account.
OSRS Ranged Free-To-Play Guide From Level 1 to 99
Getting to level 99 Ranged on a F2P OSRS account is slow but very possible. It's also fun too as it exposes you to many enemies from the world of OSRS. Before anything else, here are a few reminders regarding the attack styles.
- From levels 1-30, your goal is to increase your max hit as much as possible so start building up your damage. In that regard, make sure to always use the Accurate attack style for maximum training efficiency.
- From levels 30 and above, you're going to want to use the Rapid attack style. At this point in the game, you're likely to have better gear now. Using this attack style can result in better damage overall.
Using the Longrange attack style isn't a good choice if you want to train your Ranged Skill on its own. Keep in mind that your XP will be split with Defence as you're using this. It's likely that you can increase your Defence skill while training your other combat skills so avoid using Longrange.
For this part of the guide, we'll walk you through the types of enemies you'll have to face for each phase of your journey to level 99.
| Ranged Level | Monsters | Notes |
| 1-20 | Seagulls, cows, goblins, and chickens | These are the best enemies to fight early in the game. They have a Defence level of 1 and are relatively easy to farm compared to other enemies. Of these enemies, you can get the most experience out of seagulls because they have a larger pool of Hitpoints and a very low Ranged Defence. To make it even better, they do very little to no damage to you at all. You can find them at Port Sarim and Corsair Cove. The other monsters on this list can be located in the eastern and northern areas of Lumbridge Castle. However, since their XP yields are a lot less, you might want to skip them and just focus on seagulls. Goblins in particular, are aggressive as well so they're more dangerous. |
| Monks | You can find monks inside Edgevill Monastery. Like seagulls, they have low Defence and a high amount of Hitpoints for their level. They also do little damage to you. These are a good alternative to seagulls as you can get free heals from them simply by talking. Due to the efficiency of fighting monks, they are commonly used as training methods even at higher levels. Just make sure to move to a non-crowded world when farming them as they are a fan-favorite inside the community. | |
| 20-25 | Barbarians | You're specifically going to want to fight the level 10 barbarians at the Barbarian Village. They still have low defence and low hitpoints, making them the perfect targets for Ranged training. They offer better XP gain than monks but there's also more risks to fighting them too. We highly suggest improving your gear before moving on to barbarians. If you're having issues with the fight against them, you can try to safespot them. Head to the western exit of the village and stand between the rocks and torch. With a bow that has a long range, you can easily kill barbarians. If you head to the northern part of the village, you can start fighting level 15 and 17 barbarians. They're slightly more powerful but they shouldn't be dangerous enough to make training hard. If you're running out of items, you can head to the fishing spot around the village. You can catch salmon and trout here and cook them for healing. |
| 26-56 | Giant Frogs | Next, head to Lumbridge Swamp and then move to the southern area of the castle. You can find giant frogs where. With high health and low defence, they're the best training method for you at this point in the game. To make things better, they can also reward you with big bones that you can use for Prayer training. |
| Wizards | Wizards can play a huge role from your Ranged journey starting at level 20 and above. Once you hit a few levels above 20, head to Draynor Village and look for the dark wizards between the willow trees. You can spot them near the bank if you're having trouble. Wear a studded armor so that you can negate most of their attacks. These wizards are excellent training partners. Alternatively, you can head to the Wizard's Tower nearby. There are lots of level 9 wizards here who provide excellent Ranged XP, as well as good loot. Just make sure to be careful so that you avoid fighting more than one wizard at a time. Once you reach level 30 Range, you can move on to the wizards at Delrith's circle which is just south of Varrock. Again, these wizards provide good Ranged XP but on top of that, they also drop more runes. You can also get beginner clue scrolls from them which you can use to get the Ranger set. If you're going to train your Magic skill later, you might as well start saving up the runes instead of selling them. You can sell the other items you get from Wizards but try to keep the runes as much as possible. When fighting against the Wizards, make sure to have decent gear, as well as a ton of food. The Wizards might have low hitpoints and defences but they can hit relatively harder than other enemies at this level. Training against Wizards is good for Rangers because they don't move as much as other enemies. They even tend to stay where they are as long as you're within their attack reach. This will help you collect your arrows more easily as they'll be in a single spot instead of spread out. | |
| Minotaurs | These monsters are found within the Stronghold of Security. They're a good alternative to giant frogs because they have a high defence level on top of having lower hitpoints. One good reason to start fighting minotaurs is that drop iron arrows as loot. If you're saving up money for gear, then it's best to rely on the iron arrows here. | |
| Flesh Crawlers | If you want an AFK training method without having to put yourself at huge risk, go fight the flesh crawlers in the Stronghold of Security. These have similar XP rates as giant frogs. What makes them AFK is that they're automatically aggressive. They remain this way for 10 minutes at a time. When the fresh crawlers are no longer aggressive to you, you can simply move a few tiles away and then comeback to get them to attack. | |
| 57-99 | Moss giants | The best and most efficient way to get to level 99 Ranged on an F2P account is by fighting moss giants. You can find them within the Varrock Sewers, Crandor, and in the Wilderness areas. In our opinion, the base moss giants to fight are those within the deeper sections of the Varrock Sewers. You can find two groups of them. While difficult to fight in tight spaces, the moss giants here are easy to safespot. The ones in Crandor are also great to train against because there's more of them and you don't have to make a long trek to get to them. If you want moss giants that can be safespotted, go for the ones which are located on the southern part of the island. The Crandor and Varrock moss giants are both good options so just pick one that you find easier to do. We don't suggest going to the Wilderness area for moss giants because of the dangers inside it. However, it's a good place to start farming for mossy keys. Moss giants have high defence and high health so they're perfect for Range training. We recommend fighting them at level 57 Range because, at this point, it's very unlikely that you'll miss when attacking them so your XP gain will be much better. |
| Giant Spiders | A good AFK alternative to moss giants are giant spiders located inside the Stronghold of Security. The XP rates are slower because they have a smaller amount of health though. Make sure to bring decent food as the spiders can hit a lot harder than other monsters that you've fought at this point. That said, make sure that your Defence level is at least level 8 or higher. |
Alternatives To Get To Level 99
While moss giant hunting is the best and most efficient way of getting to level 99, there are still a few other monsters you should try hunting. There are a few benefits to switching things up as well.
Hill Giants
Hill giants, boasting defenses comparable to moss giants. On the other hand, they have lower Hitpoints, making them at least faster to kill. Hill giants compensate for this drawback with their superior drops.
They generously release big bones, along with additional goodies such as limpwurt roots, nature runes, and body talismans. A true gem is their unique drop: the giant key, the exclusive gateway to confront Obor, a thrilling prospect for intrepid explorers.
You'll find hill giants within the depths of the Edgeville Dungeon, conveniently close to the Grand Exchange, where a safespot strategy can be employed for strategic combat. Alternatively, venture to the Giant's Plateau near Al Kharid, though be mindful, as there are no safespots here, requiring a more direct approach.
Lesser Demons
When your Ranged reaches level 65 and beyond, lesser demons in Karamja and Crandor present a viable alternative to moss giants. However, be prepared for a slower-paced experience due to their elevated Defence, rendering them more resilient targets.
Their drops aren't as enticing, featuring primarily rune med helms and fire runes. A consistent consolation is their guaranteed vile ashes drop, valuable for both Prayer training and profitable resale on the Grand Exchange.
To access and safespot lesser demons in Karamja volcano, any level of combat skill is sufficient, provided you can endure a brief sprint past them to reach a safespot. Load up your inventory with cost-effective food to sustain you during the initial dash to the safespot, and to recover any damage sustained during the first 10 minutes while collecting drops. After this initial period, training remains secure at the same safespot, as the lesser demons become tolerant, allowing you to retrieve drops without incurring damage.
Given their substantial hitpoints (around 80) and robust defense, lesser demons transform into a popular choice for semi-afk Ranged training.
Best F2P Setup For Ranged Training
Having the right gear also helps when it comes to ranged training. Below is a list of what you should at least aim to have, listed from most to least preferred.
Head
- Coif (20 Ranged)
- Leather cowl
- Rune med helm (40 Defence)
- Adamant med helm (30 Defence)
- Mithril med helm (20 Defence)
Neck
- Amulet of power
- Amulet of accuracy
- Amulet of defence or Holy symbol
Cape
- Any cape with stats (Black cape, Cabbage cape, Team-1 cape, etc.)
Body
- Green d'hide body / Gilded d'hide body (40 Ranged, 40 Defence, Dragon Slayer I)
- Studded body (20 Ranged, 20 Defence)
- Hardleather body (10 Defence)
- Leather body
- Rune chainbody (40 Defence)
Legs
- Green d'hide chaps / Gilded d'hide chaps (40 Ranged)
- Studded chaps (20 Ranged)
- Leather chaps
Weapon
- Maple shortbow (30 Ranged)
- Willow shortbow (20 Ranged)
- Oak shortbow (5 Ranged)
- Shortbow
Ammo/Spell
- Adamant arrow (Maple shortbow only)
- Mithril arrow (Willow shortbow or higher)
- Steel arrow (Oak shortbow or higher)
- Iron arrow
- Bronze arrow
Hands
- Green d'hide vambraces / Gilded d'hide vambraces (40 Ranged)
- Leather vambraces
- Leather gloves
Boots
- Leather boots
- Decorative boots (gold) (30 Defence)
- Decorative boots (white) (20 Defence)
- Decorative boots (red) (5 Defence)
- Fancy boots / Fighting boots
OSRS Ranged Pay-To-Play Guide From Level 1 to 99
There are certainly more leveling options to choose from on a paid account. While there are more options, the process remains the same - slay monsters until you become a powerful ranger. The journey for P2P Ranged leveling is different though as you can do quests to get a huge jump in leveling.
Level 1-32
For the start of your P2P OSRS Ranged training, you're going to want to do a few quests first. While you can still opt to fight monsters to get to level 32, questing is still a great alternative especially if you're hoping to get the Quest Point cape. Of course, questing is far less boring compared to monster slaying. Here are the quests that you need to do.
- Shadow of the Storm
- Death to the Dorgeshuun
- Horror from the Deep
Level 32-45
Once you reach level 45 Ranged, you'll then have to use the dwarf multicannon for training next. To get this, you'll need to finish the Dwarf Cannon quest first. You can begin the quest by talking to Captain Lawgof near the Fishing Guild. The quest itself is pretty short but the rewards are great.
The dwarf multicannon has great damage despite being a low-requirement weapon. To make it better, the cannon automatically attacks enemies once it's set up. On the other hand, it's rather costly to use as you'll need cannonballs as ammo. You also can't use the cannon on all places in the game.
A budget-friendly way to start dwarf multi cannon training is by using it on ice trolls. This method is slower but it isn't going to burn a hole through your bank. Another excellent spot to train in is the area south of the coal rocks in the Fremennik Isles. There's a safespot here where you can easily reload your cannon while attacking ice trolls safely.
You can net around 60,000-100,000 Ranged XP per hour on this. To profit, or at least break even with the cost of the cannonballs, make sure to pick up all of the drops from the ice trolls. If you don't want to put yourself at risk while getting the drops, you can use telegrab abilities.
Level 45-99
Chinning, or using chinchompas, is loved as the best Ranged training technique by players. To put it simply, this sees you throwing chinchompas at maniacal monkeys. You can find these enemies inside Kruk's Dungeon. However, you'll first need to at least start Monkey Madness II to access the area.
If you want to maximize the efficiency of chinning, make sure to increase your damage and Prayer bonuses as much as possible. It's also recommended to wear Void Knight equipment because it can help increase your damage significantly. The enemies can drop prayer potions as well so you can use Protect from Melee as much as you want.
The downside to this is that the method is risky because chinchompas get lost the moment you die. As such, make sure to only keep a manageable amount with you. A 6-hour chinning trip should require at least 12,000 chinchompas. Here's a table showcasing XP rates for this method.
| Ranged level | Chinchompa XP/h | Red Chinchompa XP/h | Black Chinchompa XP/h |
| 45 | 290,000 | N/A | N/A |
| 55 | 360,000 | 430,000 | N/A |
| 65 | 470,000 | 540,000 | 690,000 |
| 75 | 570,000 | 670,000 | 830,000 |
| 85 | 640,000 | 740,000 | 930,000 |
| 95 | 710,000 | 810,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 99 | 740,000 | 840,000 | 1,030,000 |
Alternative To Get To Level 99 Ranged
If you don't have access to maniacal monkeys just yet, you can choose to go for skeletal monkeys instead. These are located inside Ape Atoll Dungeon. To get to where they are, you need to partially complete Monkey Madness I.
When doing this method, make sure to use salve amulet (ei) as you can get a significant boost against these monsters. At first, this might not seem worth it as only your main target is going to be affected by the boost. However, chinchompas can still damage others via splashing.
This method is far less efficient compared to chinning maniacal monkeys for a few reasons. First off, there are far fewer skeletal monkeys. They're also significantly weaker so you're going to get a smaller amount of Ranged XP. Still, this is the best alternative if you don't have access to Kruk's Dungeon yet. Since you don't need to finish Monkey Madness II to get access to it, we suggest focusing on doing that first.
Level 70-99 In The Nightmare Zone
The Nightmare Zone is another excellent way to start training your Ranged Skill but only with a specific setup. This activity is one of the best to use to train any combat skill.
To do this, you'll need to use the rumble setup. This allows you to do at least 20 minutes of AFK Ranged training. What's good is that you can easily reset the aggro of the enemies once their 20 minute aggression period runs out. To reset them, you simple need to interact with the game.
While easy, it's best to have a specific setup for this method as the NIghtmare Zone is still challenging. Make sure to have a venator bow, as well as super ranging potions. You can get up to 140,000 to 150,000 Ranged XP per hour. If you don't have the venator bow, you can use an imbued magic shortbow as an alternative.
Level 75-99 With Slayer
If you're looking to level up your Slayer skill as well, you can use train it alongside Ranged. To begin with, make sure you have the toxic blowpipe or the venator bow. These aren't exactly the best options for maximum XP gain but they're still pretty good at this point in the game.
While doing the tasks, you can use Slayer Helment (i) which grants a 15% boost to your accuracy and damage. This means you're going to get more XP with each successful hit.
What's good about this is that you can get a significant amount of Slayer XP while doing this. Chinning and even the Nightmare Zone still yields better Ranged training however.
Ranged Equipment
Of course, getting to level 99 with your Ranged Skill isn't enough. You'll have access to a ton of weapons and gear in the game. Since your XP gain is highly reliant on your damage, it's best to have good gear with you at all times.
Best Equipment Choices
The best way to increase your XP gain is by making sure that you're dealing as much damage as possible. Of course, that means increasing your range bonus as well. Below is a list of the best equipment choices per slot. Keep in mind that this list isn't considering set bonuses much like how the Crystal Bow becomes more powerful with the Crystal Set.
Head-slot
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Masori mask (f) | +12 | +2 |
 | Masori mask | +12 | +2 |
 | Armadyl helmet | +10 | 0 |
 | Crystal helm | +9 | 0 |
 | 3rd age range coif | +9 | 0 |
 | Eclipse moon helm | +8 | 0 |
 | Robin hood hat | +8 | 0 |
 | Karil's coif | +7 | 0 |
 | Blessed coif | +7 | 0 |
 | Ranger hat | +6 | 0 |
 | Archer helm | +6 | 0 |
 | Spined helm | +6 | 0 |
 | Shayzien helm (5) | +4 | 0 |
 | Snakeskin bandana | +4 | 0 |
 | Slayer helmet (i) | +3 | 0 |
 | Coif | +2 | 0 |
 | Leather cowl | +1 | 0 |
Cape Slot
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Dizana's quiver | +18 | +3 |
 | Ava's assembler | +8 | +2 |
| Mixed hide cape | +5 | 0 | |
 | Ava's accumulator | +4 | 0 |
 | Ava's attractor | +2 | 0 |
 | Infernal cape | +1 | 0 |
 | Fire cape | +1 | 0 |
Neck-slot
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Necklace of anguish | +15 | +5 |
 | Amulet of fury | +10 | 0 |
 | Bonecrusher necklace/Dragonbone necklace | +10 | 0 |
 | Amulet of glory | +10 | 0 |
 | Amulet of power | +6 | 0 |
 | Amulet of accuracy | +4 | 0 |
 | Unholy symbol | +2 | 0 |
Body Slot
Item | Ranged Bonu | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Masori body (f) | +43 | +4 |
 | Masori body | +43 | +4 |
 | Armadyl chestplate | +33 | 0 |
 | Crystal body | +31 | 0 |
 | Eclipse moon chestplate | +31 | 0 |
 | 3rd age range top | +30 | 0 |
 | Blessed body | +30 | 0 |
 | Karil's leathertop | +30 | 0 |
 | Black d'hide body | +30 | 0 |
 | Mixed hide top | +27 | 0 |
 | Red d'hide body | +25 | 0 |
 | Blue d'hide body | +20 | 0 |
 | Green d'hide body | +15 | 0 |
 | Ranger's tunic | +15 | 0 |
 | Snakeskin body | +12 | 0 |
 | Frog-leather body | +10 | 0 |
 | Studded body | +8 | 0 |
 | Hardleather body | +8 | 0 |
 | Leather body | +2 | 0 |
Shield Slot
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Twisted buckler | +18 | 10 |
 | Dragonfire ward | +15 | 8 |
 | Odium ward | +12 | 4 |
 | Book of law | +10 | 0 |
 | Unholy book | +8 | 0 |
 | Blessed shield | +7 | 0 |
 | Black d'hide shield | +7 | 0 |
 | Red d'hide shield | +6 | 0 |
 | Blue d'hide shield | +5 | 0 |
 | Green d'hide shield | +4 | 0 |
 | Book of balance | +4 | 0 |
 | Snakeskin shield | +3 | 0 |
 | Hard leather shield | +2 | 0 |
Legs Slot
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Masori chaps (f) | +27 | +2 |
 | Masori chaps | +27 | +2 |
 | Armadyl chainskirt | +20 | 0 |
 | Crystal legs | +18 | 0 |
 | 3rd age range legs | +17 | 0 |
 | Blessed chaps | +17 | 0 |
 | Karil's leatherskirt | +17 | 0 |
 | Black d'hide chaps | +17 | 0 |
 | Eclipse moon tassets | +17 | 0 |
 | Penance skirt | +15 | 0 |
 | Ranger's tights | +15 | 0 |
 | Mixed hide legs | +14 | 0 |
 | Red d'hide chaps | +14 | 0 |
 | Blue d'hide chaps | +11 | 0 |
 | Yak-hide armour (legs) | +10 | 0 |
 | Green d'hide chaps | +8 | 0 |
 | Studded chaps | +6 | 0 |
 | Snakeskin chaps | +6 | 0 |
 | Leather chaps | +4 | 0 |
Hands Slot
Item | Ranged Bonu | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Zaryte vambraces | +18 | 2 |
 | Barrows gloves | +120 | |
 | 3rd age vambraces | +11 | 0 |
 | Blessed vambraces | +11 | 0 |
 | Black d'hide vambraces | +11 | 0 |
 | Ranger gloves | +11 | 0 |
 | Red d'hide vambraces | +10 | 0 |
 | Dragon gloves | +9 | 0 |
 | Blue d'hide vambraces | +9 | 0 |
 | Rune gloves | +8 | 0 |
 | Green d'hide vambraces | +8 | 0 |
 | Adamant gloves | +7 | 0 |
 | Regen bracelet | +7 | 0 |
 | Combat bracelet | +7 | 0 |
 | Mithril gloves | +6 | 0 |
 | Shayzien gloves (5) | +6 | 0 |
Feet Slot
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Pegasian boots | +12 | 0 |
 | Ranger boots | +8 | 0 |
 | Blessed boots | +7 | 0 |
 | Boots of brimstone | +5 | 0 |
 | Mixed hide boots | +5 | 0 |
 | Shayzien boots (5) | +4 | 0 |
 | Snakeskin boots | +3 | 0 |
 | Frog-leather boots | +2 | 0 |
Ring-slot items
Item | Ranged Bonus | Ranged Damage Bonus | |
 | Venator ring | +10 | +2 |
 | Archers ring (i) | +8 | 0 |
 | Brimstone ring | +4 | 0 |
 | Ring of shadows | +4 | 0 |
 | Archers ring | +4 | 0 |
OSRS Ranged Weapons
There are quite a few weapons in the game that you can use. The most recent one added is the Eclipse atlatl but more on that later. Here's a look at all of the gear in the game.
| Weapon | Information |
Shortbows Longbows | There are two primary types of ranged weapons in OSRS. First are short bows. These have a shorter range but typically have a faster rate of fire. It's perfect for Ranged training because the bows have higher damage. Longbows have longer ranges but have a slower rate of fire. On the upside, longbows are best used in many other instances other than training because it put you at a safer position when fighting. |
Darts Throwing knives Throwing axes | These types of ranged weapons typically have the best rates of fire. To balance things out, these weapons have weaker damage compared to other weapons as well. Of the three, throwing axes have the most damage and accuracy. However, their attack speed is significantly lower as well. |
| Toktz-xil-ul | This weapon is also referred to as the throwing rings. In terms of overall damage output, these are pretty much equal with the magic shortbow. |
| Chinchompas | Chinchompas aren't the best ranged weapon in OSRS. However, they're the best weapon to use when it comes to training. Even if they can hit multiple targets at once, it's still better to use other ranged weapons in the game. |
| Composite bows | Composite bows have excellent attack speed and accuracy. These are some of the best bows in the game but getting them isn't easy as they can only be acquired through Treasure Trails. You can also get them by trading with other players. |
| Crossbows | Crossbows have a slower fire rate compared to most long range weapons. However, they have superb accuracy and damage as well. However, the best thing about crossbows is that you can wield them with one hand. This means you can equip a shield or a god book at the same time as this. |
| Dorgeshuun crossbow | This is the only crossbow in the game that can use bone bolts. It has a high attack speed compared to other crossbows. It also has a special attack that can weaken your target's Defence level. It's perfect when used against durable enemies and bosses. Even other players. |
| Karil's crossbow | This bow from one of the Barrows brothers is unique in a sense that it has features similar to a shortbow. It has a good attack speed, requires two hands to use, and it has a long range as well. The only downside to this is that the crossbow isn't compatible with many bolts. |
Ogre bow Comp ogre bow | The ogre bow is best used with ogre arrows. It's very slow and is mainly used for chompy bird hunting only. It has nearly the same speed as crossbows. Both bows have limited compatibility when it comes to arrows and bolts so they can be costly to use. |
| Dark bow | The dark bow has the slowest attack speed in all of the ranged weapon arsenal in OSRS. It's not completely bad though as it has a dual-arrow strike, meaning it can hit twice in a single shot. The dark bow is particularly best used with dragon arrows as it does more damage with it. |
| Toxic blowpipe | This is one of the most popular ranged weapons in the game, mainly due to the fact that it can inflict poison to enemies rather quickly. You can use a variety of darts, as well as Zulrahs scales with the blowpipe so compatibility isnt an issue. It has a good attack speed but the overall damage is lacking, and is only really worth it if you trigger the poison effects. |
| Dwarf multicannon | The dwarf multicannon is very popular because of the fact that it can be used as a means to easily farm gold and loot in the game. Not all areas allow for the use of the dwarf multicannon but wherever it can be used, you can expect this to deal major damage. |
| Twisted bow | This bow is widely regarded as one of the best ranged weapons in OSRS. Aide from having one of the best damage and accuracy, the Twisted bow's attack can also inflict additional damage depending on the target's Magic level. It's the main weapon of most of the end-game builds in OSRS. |
| Crystal bow | The crystal bow isn't an amazing weapon but is only really powerful when paired with the Crystal Armor. The complete set grants bonus Range damage and accuracy, making it good in some fights. |
| Craw's bow | Craw&'s bow is powerful when using inside the Wilderness as it deals 50% more damage there. Outside of that, this weapon isn't highly regarded as a good one to use considering that you need to constantly charge it with Revenant Ether. |
| Ballista | The light ballista and heavy ballista use javelins as ammo. They can deal excellent damage but at a slower rate compared to other ranged weapons. |
| Bow of faerdhinen | This is the best composite bow in the game. It has superb Ranged accuracy and damage and you can boost that even more by wearing the Crystal Armor set. |
| Eclipse Atlatl | This is a new ranged weapon that you can get by beating the Eclipse moon in the Moons of Peril activity. The weapon has a relatively short range but it can inflict burn damage on enemies. |
OSRS Ranged Crossbow Bolts
With a high enough Magic Skill, you can also enchant crossbolts to give them added effects. These bonuses help maximize the damage and utility of the crossbow, making them essential for any Ranged practitioner.
| Bolt type | Ranged Level | Magic Level | Effect | |
| Opal bolts (e) | 11 | 4 | Lucky Lightning | Extra damage. |
| Sapphire bolts (e) | 56 | 7 | Clear Mind | Prayer siphon. |
| Jade bolts (e) | 26 | 14 | Earth's Fury | Opponent knockdown. |
| Pearl bolts (e) | 41 | 24 | Sea Curse | Extra (water-based) damage - effective against monsters specialising in the fire element, such as Obsidian creatures. |
| Emerald bolts (e) | 58 | 27 | Magical Poison | Greater chance of poison. |
| Topaz bolts (e) | 48 | 29 | Down to Earth | Lowers target's Magic (other players only). |
| Ruby bolts (e) | 63 | 49 | Blood Forfeit | -10% Hitpoints from self, -20% Hitpoints from target. |
| Diamond bolts (e) | 65 | 57 | Armour Piercing | Ignore much of target's Ranged Defence. |
| Dragonstone bolts (e) | 71 | 68 | Dragon's Breath | Dragonfire damage - Magical attack, effective against opponents with low Magic Defence. Antifire potions will decrease the hit. |
| Onyx bolts (e) | 73 | 87 | Life Leech | Extra damage, Hitpoints siphon by 1/4 of hit, but not versus undead. |
Beneficial Items For Ranged Players
Last but not least, we have some beneficial items for all Ranged fighters. These give you special bonuses and stat boosts, to make fighting or Skilling a lot easier.
| Boost | Level increase | Visibility | Notes |
| Ranging cape | 1 | Visible | When the ranging cape is equipped, it grants players the ammo-saving effects of Ava's accumulator. |
| Wild pie | 4 | Visible | This item gives you 11 Hitpoints per bite but it needs 5 Slayer to use. |
| Lizardkicker | 4 | Visible | Gives a Strength bonus depending on your current level |
Spicy stew (red spice) | +0-5 | Visible | Any skill, except hitpoints, can randomly be increased or decreased by 0 to 5 levels based on the type of stew. Additionally, it heals a set value of 11 Hitpoints. |
| Ranging potion | 4-13 | Visible | Provides a Ranged bonus depending on your current level. |
| Ranging mix | 4-13 | Visible | You must complete Barbarian training to access this. It gives an attack-level bonus and as well 6 hitpoints per dose. |
| Divine ranging potion | 4-13 | Visible | For 5 minutes, your Ranged level won't drain and will stay fully boosted. After 5 minutes, your Ranged level will go back to normal. |
| Bastion potion | 4-13 | Visible | This works like a ranging and super defense potion in one dose as it provides Ranged and Defence bonuses depending on your current level. |
| Divine bastion potion | 4-13 | Visible | For 5 minutes, your Ranged and Defense levels won't drain and will stay fully boosted. After 5 minutes, these levels will return to normal. The same as above but the bonus values are much larger. |
| Bandages (Theatre of Blood) | 4-13 | Visible | This item is exclusive to the Theatre of Blood Raid. You can get 4 and above bonuses on Attack, Defence, Strength, Magic, and Ranged depending on what level you're on. You can also get 20 Hitpoints upon use. |
| Twisted | 4-13 | Visible | You can only use it within the Chambers of Xeric and it provides a decent Ranged boost. |
| Overload | 4-13 | Visible | This acts as an elder, twisted, and kodai potion in one dose. It will also grant you 50 health upon use. After the overload has ended, the lost health is restored, and the boost is reapplied every 15 seconds for 5 minutes. This is exclusive to the use of the Chambers of Xeric. All bonuses are reliant on your current level. This is a very effective potion inside the Chambers of Xeric. |
| Super ranging | 5-19 | Visible | You can only use this in the Nightmare Zone. It gives a Range bonus depending on your current level. |
| Overload (Nightmare Zone) | 5-19 | Visible | This potion combines the effects of super combat, super ranging, and super magic potions into one dose. The benefits of the potion last for five minutes, and during that time, they are restored every 15 seconds. Upon the potion's wear-off, any health lost will be restored. But this potion can only be used in the Nightmare Zone. |
| Smelling salts (2) | 11-26 | Visible | To use this, your Attack, Defense, Strength, Ranged, and Magic levels need to be at least 11. For 8 minutes, the boost is updated every 15 seconds. But keep in mind that it can only be used inside the Amascut Tombs. |
Dangerous From A Distance
Rangers in OSRS are feared in their capacity to take out foes without closing in the distance. If you want to safespot enemies for their precious materials, then increasing your Ranged Skill to level 99 is undoubtedly one of the best ways to do it. With this guide, it will only be a matter of time before you reach the upper echelons of Gielinor’s master snipers.
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