OSRS Gear Progression
“Gear progression” is the path from your first real weapon to best-in-slot — the order you upgrade in as your combat level and bank grow. Old School has three combat styles (melee, ranged, magic), each with its own ladder, plus prayer that powers all three. This hub maps the whole climb in one place, then sends you to the detailed, wiki-audited guide for whichever path you’re on.
Two rules sit underneath everything. First, match your style to the target’s weakness — the right style with budget gear usually beats the wrong style with expensive gear. Second, upgrade your weapon before your armour — the weapon is almost always the biggest single DPS jump you can buy.
Use the BiS Gear Calculator to rank any slot, the DPS Calculator to compare two setups against a real boss, and the per-style guides below for the full budget→BiS table in each.
How to read this page. The tiers below are rough combat-level bands, not hard gates — a richer account skips ahead, an Ironman climbs slower. Find your tier, see the signature gear for your style, then click through to that style’s guide for every slot and requirement.
The Four Progression Tiers
Most players move through four broad stages. The combat levels are a guide, not a rule:
- Early game (≈ 40–70 combat) — your first real upgrades. Cheap gear, but the biggest relative jumps you’ll ever make. Dragon weapons, the whip, a rune crossbow, your first powered staff.
- Mid game (≈ 70–90 combat) — the workhorse tier that carries you for ages: whip, blowpipe, tridents, Barrows armour, void. This is where most accounts spend the longest.
- Late game (≈ 90+ combat) — raid and God Wars gear: Bandos, Armadyl, Ancestral, the Dragon Hunter weapons, crystal. You’re now doing the content that drops the best items.
- Endgame / max — the best-in-slot chase: Torva, Masori, Ancestral/Virtus, and the megarares (Scythe, Twisted bow, Shadow). Small percentage upgrades for large sums.
Weapon Progression by Style
The weapon is your main DPS lever. These are the signature picks at each tier — full slot-by-slot tables and exact requirements live in each style’s guide.
| Tier | Melee | Ranged | Magic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | Dragon scimitar → Abyssal whip | Magic shortbow (i) → Rune crossbow | Iban’s staff → Trident of the Seas |
| Mid | Abyssal whip / tentacle | Toxic blowpipe / Armadyl crossbow | Trident of the Swamp |
| Late | Ghrazi Rapier · Blade of Saeldor · Inquisitor’s mace · Dragon Hunter Lance | Zaryte crossbow · Bow of Faerdhinen · Dragon Hunter crossbow | Sanguinesti · Harmonised · Kodai wand |
| Endgame | Scythe of Vitur · Osmumten’s Fang | Twisted bow · Bow of Faerdhinen | Tumeken’s Shadow |
Why no single “best weapon”? The top picks are situational: the Twisted bow rules against high-Magic targets but a Bow of Faerdhinen wins on low-Magic ones; the Scythe shreds big monsters while Osmumten’s Fang is best on high-Defence single targets. That’s exactly what the DPS Calculator settles — it compares two setups against the specific boss you’re fighting. (Exact level requirements for each item are in its style guide; for live prices use the GE price tracker.)
Armour Progression by Style
Armour matters most where it adds offensive bonuses (Strength, Ranged strength, magic damage %), not just Defence. The broad ladder:
| Tier | Melee | Ranged | Magic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | Rune / Obsidian | Green→Black d’hide | Mystic / Dagon’hai |
| Mid | Barrows (Dharok’s / Guthan’s) / Fighter torso | Karil’s / Void / Crystal | Ahrim’s robes |
| Late | Bandos / Justiciar / Inquisitor’s | Armadyl / Crystal / Masori (f) | Ancestral robes |
| Endgame | Torva | Masori (f) | Ancestral / Virtus |
For the full slot-by-slot picks — helm, cape, amulet, ring, gloves, boots and the offensive bonuses on each — open the style guide you’re working through: Melee, Ranged, or Magic.
Don’t Forget Prayer — the Free Multiplier
Prayer boosts every style and costs no gear slot — just Prayer levels and the right unlocks. It’s the upgrade most newer players sleep on:
- Melee: Chivalry at 60 Prayer, then Piety at 70 (+23% Strength).
- Ranged: Rigour at 74 (+23% Ranged damage) — unlocked from Chambers of Xeric.
- Magic: Augury at 77 (+4% magic damage and big accuracy) — also from Chambers of Xeric.
The gear that lets you actually run these prayers (high prayer bonus, so you sip fewer potions) is in the Prayer Gear guide.
Go Deeper — Pick Your Path
This hub is the map; the detailed routes are the per-style guides. Each is hand-curated and wiki-audited, budget to best-in-slot:
- Melee Gear — weapons and armour by attack style, plus an F2P section.
- Ranged Gear — bows, crossbows, ammo and Masori, plus F2P.
- Magic Gear — powered staffs, robes and the magic-damage % stack.
- Prayer Gear — the highest prayer-bonus items for flicking and training.
- Slayer Gear and the 1–99 Slayer guide — the skill that unlocks much of the best gear.
- Boss Gear Guides — the exact setup for a specific boss.
Tools to build and test it all: BiS Calculator · DPS Calculator · Gear Table · Gear Compare.
Gear Progression FAQ
What is gear progression in OSRS?
Gear progression is the order you upgrade your equipment as your combat level and bank grow — from early items like the dragon scimitar and rune crossbow, through mid-game staples like the abyssal whip and toxic blowpipe, to best-in-slot endgame gear such as the Scythe of Vitur, Twisted bow and Tumeken’s Shadow. Each of the three combat styles (melee, ranged, magic) has its own ladder.
What should I upgrade first in OSRS?
Upgrade your weapon before your armour — the weapon is almost always the biggest single DPS increase you can buy. After that, prioritise the offensive bonuses (Strength, Ranged strength, magic damage %) over raw Defence, and don’t skip Prayer unlocks like Piety, Rigour and Augury, which boost every style for no gear slot.
What are the cheapest big upgrades in OSRS?
The best value upgrades are early: the abyssal whip for melee, the rune crossbow with Ruby and Diamond bolts (e) for ranged, and a Trident of the Seas for magic. Void and Barrows armour, and the Dragon Hunter weapons for dragon tasks, are also strong, affordable steps before raid gear.
Is there one best weapon in OSRS?
No — the top weapons are situational. The Twisted bow excels against high-Magic targets but a Bow of Faerdhinen wins on low-Magic ones; the Scythe of Vitur is best on large monsters while Osmumten’s Fang is best on high-Defence single targets. The right pick depends on the boss, which is what a DPS calculator is for.
Build Your Setup
Use the OSRS Best in Slot Gear Calculator to rank every item in a slot by the stats that matter, or the OSRS DPS Calculator to compare two setups against a real target. For boss-specific setups, see our boss gear guides.
Need GP to unlock the top tiers? Probemas sells OSRS gold — skip the grind and gear up.
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