The rune full helm is a head-slot helmet that needs only 40 Defence to equip and is usable in free-to-play. The wiki calls it the best full helmet available to F2P players — excluding the Rune god armour full helmets, which add +1 Prayer. It posts pure defence — +30 stab, +32 slash, +27 crush and +30 ranged defence — with no Strength or Prayer bonus. You can buy it on the Grand Exchange cheaply, or smith it at 92 Smithing from two runite bars.
Equipment bonuses
The rune full helm is a defence-only helmet. It gives +30 stab, +32 slash and +27 crush defence, plus +30 ranged defence and a small -1 magic defence, with minor penalties to magic and ranged attack (-6 magic, -3 ranged). It carries no Strength, Prayer or melee-attack bonus.
Attack bonuses
Defence bonuses
Other bonuses
Equipping it needs just 40 Defence, making it the go-to full helmet for free-to-play and low-level melee. Its defences edge out the rune med helm, and within F2P it is only beaten by the Rune god armour full helmets, which add +1 Prayer on top of the same defensive stats.
Grand Exchange price history
How to get the rune full helm
The rune full helm is a common free-to-play item with several sources. The cheapest route for most players is simply to buy one on the Grand Exchange, where it trades for a few thousand coins. It is also dropped by a range of monsters and stocked in some armour shops.
If you would rather make your own, the rune full helm can be smithed at 92 Smithing using two runite bars on an anvil with a hammer, granting 150 Smithing experience. The recipe works in free-to-play. The helm is also used as a worn item in a hard emote clue (the Laugh emote outside Jokul's tent in the Mountain Camp), but that is a usage requirement, not a way to obtain it.
Is the rune full helm worth it?
For a free-to-play or low-level account, the rune full helm is excellent value. At only 40 Defence to wear and a price of a few thousand coins, it gives the strongest full-helmet defence available to F2P, with +32 slash and +30 ranged defence. The only F2P helmets that beat it are the Rune god armour full helmets, which match its defence and add +1 Prayer.
On a members account it is quickly outclassed. Because it has no Strength or Prayer bonus, helms like the slayer helmet, helm of neitiznot or a Serpentine helm are far better for training and bossing. Treat the rune full helm as a budget F2P and early-game defensive piece, not an end-game one. If you want to see what your account should be wearing, check the boss gear finder.
Rune full helm FAQ
What level do you need for the rune full helm?
You need 40 Defence to wear the rune full helm. There are no other skill requirements to equip it.
Is the rune full helm members only?
No. The rune full helm is a free-to-play item — it can be worn, traded and smithed in F2P worlds. It is tradeable on the Grand Exchange.
How do you get the rune full helm?
You can buy it on the Grand Exchange, get it as a monster drop, or buy it from an armour shop. You can also smith it yourself at 92 Smithing using two runite bars for 150 Smithing experience.
Is the rune full helm the best F2P helmet?
It is the best full helmet available to free-to-play players, according to the wiki — but the Rune god armour full helmets (Saradomin, Guthix and Zamorak) match its defence and add +1 Prayer, so they edge it out for prayer users.
Does the rune full helm give a Strength bonus?
No. The rune full helm has 0 Strength bonus and 0 Prayer bonus. It only provides defensive bonuses — +30 stab, +32 slash, +27 crush and +30 ranged defence — with small penalties to magic and ranged attack.
How much is the rune full helm worth?
It is a cheap, common item that usually trades for a few thousand coins on the Grand Exchange — see the live price and history chart above for the exact figure. Its high alchemy value is 21K and its low alch is 14K.
Update history
The full helmet's ranged attack bonus was decreased from -2 to -3 as part of the Fishing Trawler Improvements and Equipment Rebalance: Part One.
The item was graphically updated as part of the Bigger Banks & Treasure Trails update.
Source: OSRS Wiki — Rune full helm (Changes).
