Last updated: Apr 17 2025

OSRS Melee Gear Armour Progression Guide

OSRS Melee Gear Armour Progression Guide

Melee armours are designed to provide high melee attack and defence bonuses. They are typically made from metal like bronze, iron, Steel, Black/white, Mithril, Adamant, Rune, and Dragon. Most of these can be made using smithing skills. In this guide, we have listed the best melee armours, progressing from those with the lowest melee defence bonuses to the highest.

 

OSRS Melee Armour Progression by Level

 

Defence level

Armour

Additional requirements

1

Iron armour

iron armour

None

5

Steel armour

steel armour

None

10

Black armour

black armour

None

10

White armour

white armour

Wanted!

20

Mithril armour

mithril armour

None

20

Initiate armour

initiate armour

10 prayer and Recruitment drive

20

Shayzien armour

shayzien armour

Can only be received as a drop from Shayzien Soldiers

30

Adamant armour

adamant armour

None

35

Samurai armour

samurai armour

None

30

Proselyte armour

proselyte armour

20 prayer and Slug Menace

30

Inquisitor's armour

inquisitor armour

70 strength

40

Rune armour

rune armour

Dragon Slayer I

40

Rock-shell armour

rock shell armour

The Fremennik Trials

42

Void Knight equipment

void knight equipment

850 pest control points with atleast 42 attack, strength, defence, hitpoints, ranged, magic and 22 prayer

50

Granite armour

granite armour

50 strength

50

Blood moon armour

blood moon armour

75 strength

60

Obsidian armour

obsidian armour

None

60

Dragon armour

dragon armour

Legend’s Quest for sq shield, Dragon Slayer I for platebody

65

3rd age melee equipment

3rd age melee equipment

None

65

Bandos armour

bandos armour

None

70

Guthan the infested’s equipment

guthan the infested's equipment

70 defence

70 

Verac the Defiled’s equipment

Verac the defiled's equipment

70 defence

70

Dharok the Wretched’s equipment

dharok the wretched's equipment

70 defence

70

Torag the Corrupted’s equipment

torag the corrupted's equipment

70 defence

75

Justiciar armour

justiciar armour

None

80

Torva armour

torva armour

None

 

OSRS Melee rings progression

Ring

Bonus

Information

ultor ringUltor ring

+12 strength bonus

It gives the highest strength bonus of any other ring in OSRS. It requires players to have killed Vardrvis at least once to wear. Only players with atleast 90 magic and 80 crafting can create it. 

bellator ringBellator ring

+20 slash attack bonus and +6 strength bonus

This ring gives the highest slash attack bonus of any ring. Players must have killed the Whisperer at least once to wear. It also requires 90 magic and 80 crafting to create.

berserker ring imbuedBerserker ring (i)

+8 strength bonus

It is the upgraded version of the regular berserker ring which can be done by with 650,000 nightmare points, 260 soul wars zeal tokens or a scroll of imbuing purchased for 200 Emir’s Arna reward points.

berserker ringBerserker ring

+4 strength bonus

This ring is mainly used to increase the player’s maximum hit and also makes a big difference when facing monsters with low defence.

warrior ringWarrior ring

+4 slash attack and + 4 slash defence bonuses

It is one of the four Fremennik rings and is dropped by Dagannoth Rex.

 

OSRS Melee capes progression

Cape

Bonus

Requirements

Information

obsidian capeObsidian Cape

+11 defence bonus in all attack styles.

None

It is a piece of Obsidian armour and lacks any requirements

fire capeFire cape

+11 defence bonus in all attack styles. +1 attack bonus in all attack style. It gives an additional +4 strength bonus

Completed the TzHaar Fight Cave

It is a reward for completing the TzHaar Fight Cave. Follow our guide here to learn to quickly obtain this item.

infernal capeInfernal cape

+12 defence bonus in all attack styles. +4 attack bonus in all melee attack styles and +1 attack bonus in ranged and magic. It gives an additional +8 strength bonus

Defeated TzKal-Zuk in the Inferno

This is the most powerful melee cape in terms of overall bonuses and it is awarded for defeating TzKal-Zuk in the inferno.

 

OSRS Melee amulets progression

 

Neck slot items

Bonus

Information

amulet of rancourAmulet of rancour

+25 attack bonus in melee attack styles. It also gives a +12 strength and a +2 prayer bonuses.

It is the upgraded version of the amulet of torture and requires 90 hitpoints to wear.

amulet of tortureAmulet of torture

+15 attack bonus in all melee attack styles. It gives a +10 strength and +2 prayer bonus

It is an enchanted zenyte amulet, requiring 75 hitpoints to equip. 

amulet of furyAmulet of fury

+10 attack bonus in all attack styles and +15 defence bonus in all attack styles

It is generally regarded as the most versatile amulet of the best all-arond bonuses.

amulet of gloryAmulet of glory

+10 attack bonus in all attack styles and +3 defence bonus in all attack styles. It gives +6 strength and +3 prayer bonus

This is a dragonstone amulet enchanted by magic spell lvl-5 enchant.

 

OSRS Melee boots progression

Boot

Bonus

Requirements

Information

arenea bootsAranea boots

+6 ranged attack, +4 strength, and +1 prayer bonus.

 

They have no requirements to wear and are the best in slot boots for one defence pures and zerkers. 

dragon bootsDragon boots

+16 stab defence bonus, +17 slash defence bonus, and +18 crush defence bonus. It gives a +4 strength bonus 

60 defence

They require 60 defence to wear and offer the second-highest strength bonus of any boot

primordial bootsPrimordial boots

+2 attack bonus in all melee attack styles. +22 defence bonus in all melee attack styles. It gives an additional +5 strength bonus.

75 strength and defence

These boots require 75 strength and defence to wear. It can be created by using a primordial crystal with a pair of dragon boots.

 

OSRS Melee gloves progression

Gloves

Bonus

Requirements

Information

regen braceletRegen bracelet

+8 attack bonus in all melee attack styles. It gives +6 in melee defence styles. It gives an additional +7 strength bonus

 

When worn, it doubles the player’s natural hitpoints regeneration amount, healing 2 hitpoints per minute instead of the standard 1 hitpoint per minute.

dragon glovesDragon gloves

+9 attack bonus in all melee attack styles. It also gives the same bonus defensively. It gives an additional +9 strength bonus

Completion of eight subquests of the Recipe for Disaster quest

Dragon gloves can be purchased from the Culinaromancer’s chest after completion of all eight Recipe for Disaster subquest.

barrow glovesBarrows gloves

+12 attack bonus in all melee attack styles. It also gives the same bonus defensively. It gives an additional +12 strength bonus

Completion of the entire Recipe for Disaster quest

Barrows gloves can be purchased for 130,000 coins after the completion of entire recipe for disaster quest. Check our OSRS barrow gloves guide to learn how to quickly get this pair of gloves.

ferocious glovesFerocious gloves

+16 attack bonus in all melee attack styles. It gives an additional +14 strength bonus

80 attack and defence

It is the best-in-slot of gloves for melee as it provides the highest bonuses in all melee attack styles

 

OSRS Offensive Melee shields progression

Shield slot item

Bonus

Requirements

Information

unholy bookUnholy book (filled with Zamorakian pages)

+7 stab attack bonus, +9 slash attack bonus, +8 crush attack bonus, +8 ranged defence bonus, and +5 prayer bonus.

Horror from the Deep

This is the God book aligned with Zamorak. It provides the best all-around bonus of all 3 types.

rune defenderRune defender

+20 stab attack bonus, +19 slash attack bonus,s, and +18 crush attack bonus. It also gives the same bonus defensively. It gives an additional +5 strength attack.

40 attack and defence

It is dropped by cyclopes on the top floor of the Warriors’ Guild after showing adamant defender or better.

dragon defenderDragon defender

+25 stab attack bonus, +25 slash attack bonus, and +23 crush attack bonus. It also gives the same bonus defensively. It gives additional +6 strength attack.

60 defence

It requires 60 defence to equip and can be obtained from the level 106 Cyclopes found exclusively in the Warrrior Guild’s basement.

avernic defenderAvernic defender

+30 stab attack bonus, +29 slash attack bonus and +28 crush attack bonus. It also gives the same bonus defensively. It gives an additional +8 strength attack.

70 attack and defence

It is obtained by combining a dragon defender with an Avernic defender hilt, requiring 70 attack defence to wield.

OSRS Defensive Melee shields progression

rune kiteshieldRune Kiteshield

+44 stab attack bonus, +48 slash defence bonus, +46 crush defence bonus, and +46 ranged defence.

40 defence

The Rune kiteshield is the second best smithable kiteshield. It is often used as a tank shield by low-risk and void rangers since it is cheaper and provides decent melee defence bonus

granite shieldGranite shield

+40 stab defence bonus, +42 slash defence bonus, +38 crush defence, and +65 ranged defence bonus

50 attack and 50 strength

It is popular for its superior ranged defence bonus compared to other shields at this combat level.

toktz-ket-xilToktz-ket-xil

+40 stab attack bonus, +42 slash defence bonus, +38 crush defence bonus, +65 ranged defence, and +5 ranged strength bonus.

60 defence

Although this shield has lower melee defence bonuses than the rune kiteshield, it has higher ranged defence. 

dragon sq shieldDragon SQ shield

+50 stab attack bonus, +52 slash defence bonus, +48 crush defence bonus, and +50 ranged defence.

60 defence and completion of Legend’s quest

This shield does not provide protection against dragonfire but has great defensive bonuses, one of the best for mid-level players.

dragon fire shieldDragon fireshield

+20 stab attack bonus, +25 slash defence bonus, +22 crush defence bonus, and +7 strength bonus.

75 defence and having started Dragon slayer I

It is one of the best shields in the game, behind Elysian spirit shield and Dinh’s Bulwark. It has dragonfire protection and partial protection against the Icy breath of Wyverns.

dinh's bulwarkDinh’s Bulwark

+106 stab attack bonus, +109 slash defence bonus, +109 crush defence bonus, and +38 strength bonus.

75 attack and defence

Due to its high defensive bonuses, the Dinh’s bulwark is the strongest shield in the game. However, it is a two-handed shield so no other weapon can equipped with it

elysian spirit shieldElysian Spirit shield

+63 stab attack bonus, +65 slash defence bonus, +75 crush defence bonus, and +57 ranged defence.

75 defence and 75 prayer

This shield has the highest crush defence in the shield slot and can be considered one of the most powerful shields when it comes to reducing damage from different attacks.

 
About Author

Petecleff13

Petecleff13 is a passionate writer who has authored hundreds of articles in many areas throughout the years. He has also played OSRS with several account builds for over 5 years. He uses his passion for playing OSRS and writing to provide informative guides for both novice and experienced OSRS players. He is originally from South Africa and joined LuckyCharmGold as an Author in 2020.

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