Hunters' sunlight crossbow

“A weapon made of horn and bone.”

The Hunters' sunlight crossbow is the upgraded hunters' crossbow added with Varlamore. It needs 66 Ranged and 50 Hunter to use, and its selling point is speed: a 4-tick attack (3 on rapid) puts it level with a shortbow and ahead of every other crossbow. Paired with sunlight antler bolts it is a cheap, fast ranged weapon for content where enchanted bolt effects are not needed.

Equipment bonuses

The crossbow itself is a pure accuracy stick — +79 ranged attack and nothing else. All of its damage comes from the bolts you load, which is why the antler bolts matter so much to how it performs.

Attack bonuses
0
0
0
0
+79
Defence bonuses
0
0
0
0
0
Other bonuses
+0
+0
+0%
+0
Slot
Weapon

Requires 66 Ranged and 50 Hunter to wield · one-handed crossbow · attack speed 4t / 2.4s (3t on rapid) · attack range 8 · members. Its only worn bonus is the +79 ranged attack shown above.

Grand Exchange price history

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How to get the Hunters' sunlight crossbow

It is an upgrade you craft, or simply buy off the Grand Exchange.

Ways to obtain it
Fletch it — use a sunlight antelope antler on a hunters' crossbow with a chisel in your inventory. Needs 74 Fletching.
Hunt the antler — sunlight antelopes are hunted in the Hunter Guild area in Varlamore, which is also where the antler bolts come from.
Grand Exchange — the crossbow is tradeable, with a buy limit of 70 every 4 hours. For most players this is the quick route.

Remember that the crossbow is only half the setup — you also need a steady supply of sunlight antler bolts, since ordinary crossbow bolts and kebbit bolts will not load into it.

Is the Hunters' sunlight crossbow worth it?

For its price, it is one of the better ranged upgrades in the game. A 4-tick crossbow simply did not exist at this level before Varlamore, and against targets with low ranged defence the extra attacks per minute outweigh a higher accuracy bonus.

Its limits are clear too. It has no ranged strength bonus of its own, so all your damage comes from the bolts, and it cannot fire enchanted bolts — no ruby or diamond effects. For high-defence bosses where enchanted bolt procs carry the damage, a Dragon crossbow, Armadyl crossbow or Zaryte crossbow is still the right call.

Treat it as the budget speed option: excellent for Slayer and mid-level content, not a replacement for the endgame crossbows. Run the numbers for your own setup in the DPS calculator.

Hunters' sunlight crossbow FAQ

What level do you need for the Hunters' sunlight crossbow?
66 Ranged and 50 Hunter to wield it, and 74 Fletching if you want to make it yourself.
How do you make the Hunters' sunlight crossbow?
Use a sunlight antelope antler on a hunters' crossbow with a chisel in your inventory, at 74 Fletching.
What bolts does the Hunters' sunlight crossbow use?
Sunlight antler bolts and moonlight antler bolts. It also works with grapples. Despite being an upgrade of the hunters' crossbow it cannot fire kebbit or long kebbit bolts.
How fast is the Hunters' sunlight crossbow?
It attacks every 4 ticks (2.4 seconds), or 3 ticks on rapid — the same speed as a shortbow and faster than almost every other crossbow in the game.
Is it better than a regular hunters' crossbow?
Yes. It keeps the fast attack speed and adds ranged accuracy, and it unlocks the antler bolts, which carry a much higher ranged strength than kebbit bolts.
Does it count as heavy ranged damage?
Yes — like other crossbows its bolts roll against the target's heavy ranged defence, which ties it with Karil's crossbow and chinchompas as the fastest weapons to do so.
Is the Hunters' sunlight crossbow good for Slayer?
It is a solid budget option. The high attack speed and strong bolts make it effective anywhere a crossbow is wanted but enchanted bolt effects are not, and it costs a fraction of the high-end crossbows.
How does it compare to a Dragon crossbow or Armadyl crossbow?
It trades accuracy for speed. A Dragon crossbow or Armadyl crossbow has a higher ranged attack bonus and can fire enchanted bolts for their special effects; the sunlight crossbow fires faster and is far cheaper, so it wins on raw output against low-defence targets.

Update history

7 Aug 2024The crossbow no longer causes animation stalling.
31 Jul 2024The crossbow and its antler bolts now work correctly with Dizana's quiver.

Source: OSRS Wiki — Hunters' sunlight crossbow (Changes).