Knock Them Out with An OSRS Attack Guide

One of the biggest misunderstandings for new players to the OSRS world is the function of the Attack skill. It seems straightforward at first glance – there’s clearly a sword in the skill graphic, so it must increase the damage I do with swords or melee weapons, right? The answer is: sort of. Fortunately for you, we’re here to clear things up with our OSRS Attack Guide and provide you the most effective F20 and Members-only methods to train your attack skill.

First off, let’s clarify what exactly the Attack skill does. Most players are aware that in order to use certain weapons, a certain minimum attack level must be achieved. For example, black or steel weapons can be used at level 10, mithril can be used at level 20, and so on. Higher level weapons are one factor in determining the amount of damage you do when fighting opponents by increasing your max hit damage as well as your average hit damage. However, the Attack skill itself doesn’t boost your maximum hit damage – rather, it boosts your attack accuracy which can improve your overall average damage. How does this work?

Well, if you’ve spent any time battling enemies, you’ve hit an opponent before and it’s resulted in a blue “splash” and 0 damage done. This happens when the opponent’s Defense skill negates your attack and causes it to “miss.” Your attack accuracy is what can improve your chances of doing damage rather than “splashing” like this. This means that the higher your attack skill is, the higher your attack accuracy will be, and therefore the more damage you will do on average when fighting opponents, as you are more likely to do damage instead of splashing a 0 for each hit. Now that we understand the function of Attack, let’s break down the skill guide.

Getting Started

First, always make sure you are using the accurate attacking style, as this is what improves your attack experience. You can level attack with any melee weapon you’d like, but there are well-established best practices for gear sets and power leveling:

• Always use the highest-level scimitar you can. Scimitars do more damage than normal swords, are much faster, and provide a better attack bonus than daggers.
• Wear an Amulet of Power
• Bring plenty of food!

Levels 1 to 20

Killing Cows or Goblins in Lumbridge is the most common training method at low levels. They both have a low defense and are easily accessible from your Home Teleport so anyone can get there. However, if these areas are too crowded, or you’re interested in taking a short walk for a more effective training method, try killing the Monks west of Edgeville. The monks can heal themselves and are as weak as Goblins or Cows, plus you can effectively train here until level 20, unlike Cows and Goblins with which you’ll see diminishing returns after level 10. If you stuck around Lumbridge for training, head south to the swamp and kill Giant rats until level 20.

Levels 20 to 40

We recommend two options for training levels 20 to 30. If you’re still around Lumbridge or feel like heading that way, kill Giant Frogs in the swamp where you find the Giant rats. They do very little damage and are easy to hit. However, you will probably have to run a bit to fight them as they’re pretty spread out, and you may also want to do some world hoping to find a sparsely populated one with little competition. Your second option is Barbarians in Barbarian village, west of Varrock. While you’re here, you might want to complete the Stronghold of Security if you have not already, to get your 10,000 GP and Combat Boots. Barbarians are multi-combat opponents, meaning you can attack the same enemy as other players, which is preferred by some players. You’ll also have access to the Bank in Varrock and the power fishers just east of the village, where you should be able to score some free food if you need it.

Levels 40 to 60

The go-to method Hill Giants, found in the Edgeville Dungeon. These are a favorite of many players for their low defense levels and good loot drops, but they are also formidable opponents and will attack any player below Combat level 57 – which can be good for afk training but is problematic if you’re constantly running out of food. If your Strength and Defense aren’t quite up to par, you may have better luck with Zombies and Flesh Crawlers in the 2^nd level of the Stronghold of Security, which is both great afk training options and will require less food for lower-level players.

Level 60+

You’ll have several options from level 60 onward to train, depending on your play style, goals, and skill levels. If you’re looking for some great loot and have the Defense skill to boot, look no further than Ogress Warriors in the Corsair Cove Dungeon south of Yanille. These monsters drop a variety of awesome gear, like Mithril med and full helms, Toadflax and Ranarr seeds, and all types of gems, not to mention big bones. You can either trade to a second account via another game client, bank them yourself (though this is much slower), or use high alchemy to continue training at the expense of a slight hit to your GP per hour. However you decide to monetize the items, this is one of the best moneymaking methods for training your combat skills.

If GP is no concern for you, you’d rather train with as little effort as possible, and you have a Prayer level of at least 43, you’ll probably prefer the Greater demon training in the Demonic Ruins of the Wilderness. Wear monk robes, an amulet of strength or power, and a rune scimitar, then stand near a demon spawn and let him attack you. Be on the lookout for PKers and make sure you’re paying at least minimal attention so you can leave and return if the Demon stops attacking you.

If you’d like to maximize your exp/hour, the Giant spiders of the Stronghold of Security are for you. You’ll need a significant defense to make this worthwhile, or a combination of prayer and potions, but you won’t find better exp/hour than this method.

For more RuneScape, check this out: Train with a Complete RuneScape Cooking Guide