OSRS Ranged Guide: Level 1-99 - The Ultimate Training Manual

What’s going on everyone! My name is Theoatrix, and welcome to the ultimate Level 1-99 Ranged Guide for Old School RuneScape (OSRS). This guide is perfectly suited for Ironmen and Pures alike, providing comprehensive pathways to mastering the Ranged skill.

If you’d prefer a visual guide, numerous video versions are available online. Otherwise, continue reading for the in-depth written guide to 99 Ranged in OSRS.

Why Train Ranged?

Why dedicate time to leveling your Ranged skill in OSRS? Let’s explore the compelling reasons.

Ranged is Incredibly Fast to Level: Reaching level 99 Ranged is one of the quickest achievements in OSRS. At higher levels and with optimal methods, you can achieve experience rates of up to 1 million XP per hour.

Reach 99 Ranged in Under a Day: Following the Fastest Pathway outlined in this guide, you can obtain 99 Ranged in approximately 22 hours of gameplay.

AFK Ranged Training Available: For players preferring a more relaxed approach, Ranged can be trained AFK (Away From Keyboard). The AFK Pathway allows you to reach 99 Ranged in about 105 hours, with AFK intervals of up to 20 minutes.

Essential for PvM and PvP: Ranged is a crucial combat style for both Player vs Monster (PvM) and Player vs Player (PvP) scenarios in OSRS.

Many powerful bosses, such as Zulrah and Phantom Muspah, are vulnerable to Ranged attacks. Furthermore, all three Raids in OSRS heavily utilize Ranged combat. It is generally recommended to reach at least 80 Ranged before engaging in serious Bossing or Raiding content.

Ideal for Pure Accounts: Ranged is the dominant attack style for Pure accounts due to its fast attack speed and high accuracy, allowing for effective combat while maintaining specific combat stats.

Quest and Achievement Requirements: A significant number of quests in OSRS, eight in total, have Ranged level requirements. Many of these are crucial for account progression, unlocking new areas, and accessing further quests.

Achieving the Quest Cape requires level 60 Ranged, and the Achievement Diary Cape demands level 70 Ranged, making it essential for completionists.

How Ranged Works

Understanding the mechanics of Ranged combat in OSRS is key to efficient training. Let’s break down the core elements.

Ranged Level: Increasing your Ranged level directly enhances both your Ranged Accuracy and Maximum Hit.

For example, at level 1 Ranged, using a regular Shortbow and Bronze arrows, your maximum hit is 1, and your accuracy against a typical low-level enemy is approximately 50.5%. At 99 Ranged with the same basic gear, your maximum hit increases to 12, and your accuracy climbs to around 95.8%.

Ranged Attack Bonus: This bonus, derived from weapons and armour, directly boosts your Ranged Accuracy. A higher Ranged attack bonus translates to a greater chance of hitting your target.

The Bow of Faerdhinen (Bowfa) stands out, providing the highest ranged attack bonus of any weapon at +128.

Similarly, every piece of Ranged Armour contributes to the ranged attack bonus, with Masori armour offering the highest bonuses in the game.

Ranged Strength Bonus: Primarily derived from ammunition, and to a lesser extent from certain weapons and armour, the ranged strength bonus solely increases your ranged maximum hit.

Increasing your ranged strength bonus will directly translate to hitting harder, but it does not influence your accuracy.

The highest ranged strength bonus achievable comes from wielding a Heavy Ballista with Dragon Javelins, maximizing your damage output.

The Necklace of Anguish is a notable accessory that provides a significant ranged strength bonus, further increasing your potential damage.

The Masori armour set also offers a small ranged strength bonus, contributing to overall damage enhancement.

Combat Styles: Most ranged weapons in OSRS offer three distinct Combat Styles, each with unique benefits.

Accurate: Provides a +3 invisible boost to your effective Ranged level, improving accuracy at the cost of attack speed.
Rapid: Increases the attack speed by one tick, allowing for faster damage output and experience gain, but slightly reduces accuracy.
Longrange: Extends your attack distance, enabling you to engage enemies from further away, but at a slower attack speed.

For optimal experience and Damage Per Second (DPS), it is generally recommended to use the Rapid combat style during training.

Chinchompas: These unique ranged weapons function differently. They offer Short, Medium, and Long fuse options, which are analogous to Accurate, Rapid, and Longrange styles, but with variations in accuracy calculation.

Chinchompa accuracy depends on the distance to the target. For cost efficiency, Short fuse is preferable. However, Medium fuse offers the best XP per hour due to its faster attack speed.

Useful Unlocks

Several unlocks in OSRS significantly enhance Ranged training efficiency and overall gameplay.

Ava’s Devices (Animal Magnetism Quest): Completing the Animal Magnetism quest rewards you with Ava’s devices, cape slot items that automatically pick up ammunition as you fire.

This is an absolute must-have for ranged training, saving you millions of gold in ammunition costs on your journey to 99 Ranged.

Ava’s Assembler (Dragon Slayer 2 Quest): By completing Dragon Slayer 2, you can upgrade to the Ava’s assembler, which provides even greater ranged bonuses and improved ammunition retrieval.

Chinning Training Locations (Monkey Madness 1 & 2 Quests): Starting Monkey Madness 1 and Monkey Madness 2 unlocks access to chinchompa training locations. For the fastest experience rates, aim for Monkey Madness 2, as Maniacal Monkeys offer superior XP per hour compared to Skeletal Monkeys in the Monkey Madness 1 tunnels.

Dwarf Multicannon (Dwarf Cannon Quest): Completing the Dwarf Cannon quest enables the use of the Dwarf Multicannon, providing exceptionally fast XP rates at lower levels. The cannon is also valuable for Slayer training, another significant source of ranged experience.

Book of Law (Horror from the Deep Quest): From the Horror from the Deep quest, you can obtain the Book of Law, which grants a +10 ranged attack bonus. This is particularly useful for pure accounts as it has no equip requirements.

Imbued Archer’s Ring: It is highly recommended to use an imbued Archer’s ring. Imbuing can be done at Soul Wars, the Nightmare Zone, and the PvP Arena. Nightmare Zone (NMZ) is recommended for its AFK nature, while Soul Wars offers a quicker imbuing method.

Rigour Prayer (77 Prayer): The ultimate unlock for ranged training is Rigour, a prayer unlocked at 77 Prayer by reading a Dexterous Prayer Scroll. While scrolls are expensive, currently around 30 million gold on the Grand Exchange, Rigour significantly boosts both accuracy and damage, making it invaluable for high-level training and bossing.

Ranged Weapons

Selecting the right weapon is crucial for efficient ranged training. Here’s a breakdown of recommended weapons for different level brackets.

Low Level (1-20):

Dwarf Multicannon: Fastest XP at very low levels.
Iron Knives: Affordable and decent XP.
Shortbows (with Bronze to Iron Arrows): Basic but effective for early levels.
Willow Shortbow (Level 20): Upgrade from basic shortbows.
Mithril Darts (Level 20): Affordable and more effective than knives at this level.

Mid Level (40-70):

Chinchompas (Grey/Red): Best XP rates in multi-combat areas.
Rune Crossbow (with Broad Bolts): Cost-effective and powerful.
Magic Shortbow (with Rune Arrows): Comparable to Rune Crossbow but Rune Arrows are expensive; consider Broad Bolts as a cheaper alternative if accuracy is sufficient.
Toxic Blowpipe (Level 70): Starts becoming viable at higher mid-levels, especially for single targets.
Karil’s Crossbow (Level 70): Decent option, especially if Karil’s armour is used for the set effect.

High Level (70-99):

Black Chinchompas: Highest XP rates, especially in Maniacal Monkeys area.
Corrupted Bow of Faerdhinen (c): Best overall weapon for general high-level training.
Toxic Blowpipe: Excellent for single-target DPS and training.
Venator Bow (Level 80): Effective in multi-combat areas for AFK training and Slayer.
Armadyl Crossbow (Level 70): Strong crossbow option, especially for bossing scenarios.

Ranged Armour

Choosing the right armour significantly impacts your Ranged accuracy and survivability. Here’s a guide to the best armour sets at different levels.

Low Level (1-50):

Leather Armour: Basic starting armour.
Hardleather Armour: Upgrade from leather armour.
Studded Leather Armour: Further upgrade, offering better defense.
Green Dragonhide Armour (Level 40 Defence & Dragon Slayer I): Significant upgrade in ranged bonus and defence; body requires Dragon Slayer 1.
Snakeskin Armour (Level 30): Decent mid-level option, but pure accounts cannot wear snakeskin bodies or chaps.

Mid to High Level (50+):

Black Dragonhide Armour (Level 40 Defence): Cost-effective and excellent ranged bonuses.
Blessed Dragonhide Armour (Level 40 Defence): Same ranged bonus as black d’hide but includes a prayer bonus.
Armadyl Armour (Level 70 Defence): Premium armour set, offering high ranged attack bonus.
Masori Armour (Level 80 Defence): Best-in-slot ranged armour, providing the highest ranged attack and strength bonuses.

Specialized Armour Sets: Two armour sets offer unique advantages in specific situations.

Void Armour: Particularly effective against monsters with high defence levels, making it excellent for bossing. Elite Void provides an additional ranged damage boost.
Crystal Armour (Song of the Elves Quest): Worn after completing Song of the Elves, Crystal Armour is exceptionally effective when paired with Crystal weaponry, especially the Bow of Faerdhinen. In this combination, it surpasses Masori armour in performance.

Other Ranged Gear Slots: Beyond body and leg armour, optimizing other slots enhances your ranged setup.

Head Slot:

Masori Mask: Best-in-slot.
Armadyl Helmet: Excellent alternative to Masori.
Blessed Coif: Affordable and decent ranged bonus.
Karil’s Coif: Part of Karil’s set, good if using the full set.
Robin Hood Hat (Pure Accounts): Best-in-slot for pure accounts.

Boot Slot:

Pegasian Boots: Best-in-slot, very expensive.
Ranger Boots: Second best, also costly.
Dragonhide Boots: Affordable if you meet the defence requirement.
Snakeskin Boots: Budget option if defence level is a limiting factor.

Glove Slot:

Zaryte Vambraces: Best-in-slot.
Barrows Gloves: Excellent all-around option, better than dragonhide vambraces.
Black Dragonhide Vambraces: Good mid-level option.
Best Dragonhide Vambraces Available (at lower levels): Upgrade as you level up.

Necklace Slot:

Necklace of Anguish: Best-in-slot for ranged strength bonus.
Amulet of Fury: Excellent alternative, offering good all-around stats.
Amulet of Glory: Budget option, still provides a +10 ranged attack bonus.

Shield Slot:

Twisted Buckler: Best-in-slot for offensive ranged stats.
Odium Ward: Good defensive and offensive stats, more affordable than Twisted Buckler.
Book of Law: Budget option, provides a +10 ranged attack bonus.

Pathways to 99

Now, let’s delve into the most effective training pathways to achieve 99 Ranged in OSRS.

We’ll begin with low-level training methods, followed by two primary pathways: the Fastest Experience route and the AFK Pathway.

Pathway Overview: The Fastest XP pathway can take as little as 22 hours to reach level 99, costing approximately 112 million gold if using Black Chinchompas. Using Grey or Red Chinchompas reduces the cost by more than half, but at a slower XP rate. The AFK Pathway takes around 105 hours and costs a minimal 4 million gold. It’s recommended to potentially combine elements of both pathways, switching methods based on your desired level of activity and budget.

Low Level Training

Leveling Ranged at low levels through conventional combat can be slow. Questing is highly recommended to accelerate your initial progress.

Early Questing:

Temple of Ikov Quest: Completing this quest can boost you from level 1 directly to level 27 Ranged, providing a massive early boost.

Although the quest log indicates a 40 Ranged requirement, you can bypass this by using Darts or Knives with Ice Arrows equipped.

Horror from the Deep Quest: This quest grants 4,600 Ranged XP and requires 35 Agility and a decent Magic level to defeat the Dagannoth Mother. Completing Temple of Ikov first will get you to approximately level 31 Ranged before starting Horror from the Deep.
Death to the Dorgeshuun Quest: Another quest offering Ranged XP with low requirements. It requires 23 Thieving and Agility, as well as completion of The Lost Tribe quest. After completing the previous two quests, you should reach around level 32 Ranged.

Alternative Low-Level Training Methods: For those who prefer traditional training over questing early on, Crabs and Cannoning are effective methods.

Crab Training: Old School RuneScape offers four types of crabs, each with similar high HP and low defence, ideal for training combat skills. Swamp Crabs stand out due to their negative ranged defence bonus, making them the most effective for low-level ranged training.

Swamp Crabs are located in Morytania. Several spots contain multiple crabs; locations with at least two crabs are marked on the map.

Sand Crabs are another excellent option, especially for newer accounts, with numerous locations available across OSRS. Some popular Sand Crab locations are shown on the map.

Cannoning: Using the Dwarf Multicannon offers extremely rapid XP gains even at level 1 Ranged, exceeding 100k XP per hour. Several effective cannoning spots exist.

Ogres Near Castle Wars: Easily accessible and effective.
Caged Ogres (Biohazard Quest): Requires Biohazard quest completion.
Rock Crabs: Another popular and readily available location.
Dagannoths in the Lighthouse: One of the fastest cannoning spots, offering rapid XP.

Cost-Effective Cannoning: For those looking to minimize cannonball costs, consider these locations:

Ice Trolls: Drop valuable Rune items and Granite Shields, potentially making cannoning break-even due to loot.
Scabarites (Contact Quest): After completing the Contact quest, Scabarites drop alchables, herbs, and seeds, offsetting cannonball expenses.

Fastest Pathway

Let’s explore the fastest route to achieving 99 Ranged, maximizing your experience gains per hour.

This pathway focuses on maximizing XP rates, aiming for 99 Ranged in approximately 22 hours at a cost of around 112 million gold using Black Chinchompas. Starting with cannoning at low levels, the majority of training involves chinchompa training for rapid experience gains. Consider Grey or Red Chinchompas for slower but significantly cheaper training.

Level 1-45: Cannoning: Begin by completing the Dwarf Cannon quest, which has no prerequisites. Acquire a Dwarf Multicannon and cannonballs from the Grand Exchange.

To reach level 45 Ranged, you will need approximately 2,000 cannonballs. Utilize cannoning locations mentioned earlier in the low-level training section of this guide.

Keep in mind that cannon accuracy is influenced by your currently equipped attack style’s attack bonus. Therefore, wear your best available gear and weapon while cannoning to maximize hit chance.

Level 45-99: Chinning: At level 45 Ranged, you can begin using Grey Chinchompas, which are the fastest method until Red and Black Chinchompas become available.

Two primary locations are recommended for chinchompa training: the Monkey Madness 1 tunnels with Skeletal Monkeys and the Monkey Madness 2 tunnels with Maniacal Monkeys. Accessing these locations requires near completion of the respective Monkey Madness quests.

Chinchompa XP Rates: Expect to see XP rates starting around 250k per hour with Grey Chinchompas at lower levels.

At higher Ranged levels and using Black Chinchompas, you can achieve over 1 million XP per hour. Maniacal Monkeys in Monkey Madness 2 tunnels offer faster XP rates due to higher monster density. If training at Skeletal Monkeys in Monkey Madness 1 tunnels, you may require slightly more chinchompas to reach 99.

Chinchompa Cost: Grey Chinchompas are the most cost-effective but provide the slowest XP. Red Chinchompas offer a balance between cost and XP. Black Chinchompas are the fastest but most expensive.

Progressing from Grey to Red to Black Chinchompas will cost approximately 112 million gold for levels 45 to 99, taking around 21 hours of training.

Chinning Gear Setup: Prioritize ranged strength bonus and prayer bonus in your armour setup. High ranged attack bonus also improves accuracy. Elite Void is generally the best setup, followed by Masori and Armadyl. At lower levels, use the best Dragonhide armour available and consider Monk Robes or God Vestment Robes for prayer bonus.

Chinning Inventory: Your inventory setup varies slightly depending on whether you are training in Monkey Madness 1 or 2 tunnels. In Monkey Madness 2, bring fewer Prayer Potions as monkeys drop them and you can use a Bonecrusher for passive prayer restoration. Avoid using Bonecrusher in Monkey Madness 1 tunnels as Skeletal Monkeys spawn from bones left on the ground. Include Divine Ranging potions for maximum XP rates and a light source for Monkey Madness 2 tunnels.

Monkey Madness 1 Tunnels Navigation: Use the Ape Atoll Teleport spell or tablet to teleport directly inside the tunnels near the Skeletal Monkey area.

From the teleport location, follow the tunnels for about a minute until you reach an opening with Skeletal Monkeys. Aggro the monkeys by walking around, avoiding spike traps on the floor.

Once aggressive, stand on the designated safe tile to avoid damage from falling rocks. Stack monkeys by running between the two marked tiles.

Reset aggression by running back and returning to the area when monkeys become passive.

Monkey Madness 2 Tunnels Navigation: Teleport using a Royal Seed Pod, then ascend to the gnome glider on the top floor.

Take the glider to Ape Atoll (Ookookolly Undri).

Head south and enter the trapdoor in the grass.

Proceed south, then east, following the Monkey Madness 2 quest path until you reach the marked green circle.

Enter the cave and run east to the open area with Maniacal Monkeys.

Stack monkeys by running to a corner and back and forth around it. Once stacked, commence chinchompa training.

Reset aggression by running back towards the cave entrance and returning when monkeys become passive.

AFK Pathway

For a more relaxed training experience, the AFK pathway offers efficient Ranged training with minimal attention required.

This pathway involves training at crabs initially, transitioning to the Nightmare Zone at higher levels, and finally utilizing the Venator Bow from level 80 onwards for the most AFK experience.

Level 1-70 (or 1-99 for Pures): Crab Training: Crabs offer the best AFK training for lower levels and are ideal for pure accounts up to level 99.

You can AFK at all types of crabs for up to 10 minutes before needing to re-aggro them. Refer back to the low-level training section for crab locations.

For less crowded crab spots, complete the Depths of Despair quest to access crabs in the Crabclaw Caves.

Alternatively, pay 10k gold to travel to Crabclaw Isle, which is typically less populated.

Reaching level 70 Ranged through crab training will take approximately 25 hours.

Using Ava’s device is highly recommended when AFKing at crabs, allowing you to use better ammunition without significant financial loss.

Level 70-80: Nightmare Zone (NMZ): From level 70 Ranged, transition to the Nightmare Zone for improved XP rates and longer AFK intervals.

Starting at 1 Hitpoint and using Absorption Potions allows you to AFK for up to 20 minutes before needing to re-engage.

When training Ranged in NMZ, select Normal Mode monsters, not Hard Mode, as hard mode monsters have higher ranged defence.

Choose at least 5 of the recommended quests and corresponding bosses for ranged training in NMZ to start a dream.

For the most AFK experience, use a Rock Cake or Locator Orb (obtained from Mountain Dwarf and Dragon Slayer 2 quests) to maintain 1 Hitpoint.

Stock up on Absorption Potions and Super Ranging Potions, obtainable as NMZ rewards.

If it’s your first time in NMZ and you lack reward points, select bosses that primarily use melee attacks and utilize Protect from Melee prayer until you accumulate enough points for Absorption Potions.

Level 80-99: Venator Bow AFK Training: At level 80 Ranged, switch to the Venator Bow. Currently priced around 44 million gold on the Grand Exchange, it is charged with Ancient Essence, costing only 66 coins each.

When charged, the Venator Bow attacks up to three monsters simultaneously. In densely populated multi-combat areas, this allows for AFK intervals of up to 20 minutes.

Notable Venator Bow Training Locations:

Catacombs of Kourend: Contains numerous monsters in a multi-combat area, including Bloodvelds, Abyssal Demons, and Dust Devils, all suitable for AFK training.
Nightmare Zone: Offers the highest XP rates with the Venator Bow due to the ability to use Super Ranging Potions and maintain consistent monster aggression.

Ranged Slayer

Slayer is an alternative method to train Ranged, combining combat training with profitable and engaging tasks.

The Venator Bow is effective for AFK Slayer training in locations like the Catacombs of Kourend, where many Slayer tasks are assigned.

However, for optimal Slayer training, Melee is generally recommended as the primary attack style. If you train Slayer from level 1 to 99, cannoning tasks whenever possible and using melee as the main combat style, you will likely reach approximately level 90 Ranged incidentally.

If your goal is 99 Slayer, train Slayer before focusing heavily on Ranged to avoid accumulating excessive Ranged XP prematurely.

Bossing With Ranged

Ranged is a vital combat style for tackling many bosses in OSRS, known for its accuracy and damage output.

With a minimum of 61 Ranged for the Rune Crossbow, consider challenging Jad in the Fight Caves to earn the Fire Cape, a prestigious early bossing achievement.

The Rune Crossbow is also sufficient for defeating the King Black Dragon (KBD), which can drop valuable items like the Dragon Pickaxe, Visage, and the coveted KBD pet.

With a recommended Ranged level of 85 or higher, you can effectively farm profitable bosses such as Zulrah, Vorkath, and Phantom Muspah, all known for their consistent drops and pet chances.

At even higher Ranged levels and with better gear, you can participate in Raids, which are among the most profitable activities in OSRS, often requiring high Ranged levels and specialized setups.

F2P Methods

For Free-to-Play (F2P) players, Ranged training options are more limited but still achievable.

Progress through bows as you level up, aiming for the Maple Shortbow as your best F2P weapon.

Best F2P Weapon and Ammunition: The Maple Shortbow paired with Adamant arrows represents the peak ranged setup in F2P.

While Adamant arrows are costly for F2P, Iron arrows offer a cheaper alternative, especially since Ava’s devices are unavailable in F2P to recover ammunition.

Low Level F2P Training: Cows and chickens around Lumbridge are low-defence targets suitable for starting ranged training.

Mid to High Level F2P Training: Safe spotting monsters becomes a viable strategy. Ogress Warriors in the Corsair Cove Dungeon are profitable to safe spot; accessing them requires starting the Corsair Curse quest.

Moss Giants can also be safe spotted in Varrock Sewers. While not highly profitable in F2P, they allow you to fight Bryophyta for Bryophyta’s Essence.

AFK F2P Training: For AFK training in F2P, spiders on the 3rd floor of the Stronghold of Security are recommended.

You can AFK here for up to 10 minutes before needing to reset aggression. Be aware that these spiders can hit reasonably hard, requiring some defence levels.

Wearing Full Rune armour with your Maple Shortbow is advisable for AFK training here, enhancing survivability for longer AFK periods.

OSRS Ranged Guide Conclusion

Thank you for reading this comprehensive 1-99 OSRS Ranged Guide. I hope this guide has provided valuable insights and strategies to help you master the Ranged skill. If you have any questions or wish to connect, join the Theoatrix friend chat in-game. As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day in Gielinor!

OSRS Ranged Guide: Level 1-99 – The Ultimate Training Manual