The rune platebody is the strongest body armour available to free-to-play players and the classic F2P melee chest piece. It needs 40 Defence and completion of the quest Dragon Slayer I to wear, and offers strong all-round melee defence at the cost of a heavy penalty to your Ranged and Magic. You can smith one at 99 Smithing from 5 runite bars, buy it off the Grand Exchange for a few thousand coins, or earn it from hard and master Treasure Trail clues. It remains the default F2P body until you buy members and move on to stronger metal and boss armour.
Equipment bonuses
Rune platebody is built for melee defence. It gives +82 stab, +80 slash and +72 crush defence plus +80 ranged defence, the best of any free-to-play body slot.
Attack bonuses
Defence bonuses
Other bonuses
Those defences come with a steep trade-off: -30 Magic attack, -15 Ranged attack and -6 Magic defence, so casters and rangers should not wear it. It needs only 40 Defence in skill terms, but you must also have finished Dragon Slayer I before you can equip it.
Grand Exchange price history
How to get the rune platebody
There are several ways to get a rune platebody:
- Grand Exchange — the easiest route. It is fully tradeable with a buy limit of 70 every 4 hours, and usually costs only a few thousand coins. Check the live price and history chart above before you buy.
- Smithing — with 99 Smithing you can make one by using 5 runite bars on an anvil while holding a hammer, granting 375 Smithing experience.
- Treasure Trails — it appears as a required item on several hard and master emote clue steps, so you may pick one up while doing clue scrolls.
- It is also a monster drop and is stocked by some armour shops.
Remember you still need 40 Defence and Dragon Slayer I complete before you can actually wear it.
Is the rune platebody worth it?
For a free-to-play melee account, yes — it is the best body armour you can equip and a clear upgrade over the rune chainbody, giving better stab and slash defence (it has only slightly lower crush defence). At a few thousand coins it is cheap insurance for any F2P melee setup.
For members it is a stepping stone rather than an endgame piece. Once you are out of F2P you will quickly outgrow it with stronger metal and boss-drop body armour, and the rune platebody's big negative Magic and Ranged bonuses make it a poor fit for hybrid or ranged builds. As a pure melee-defence body for early or free accounts, though, it does its job well.
Rune platebody FAQ
What level do you need to wear a rune platebody?
You need 40 Defence and you must have completed the quest Dragon Slayer I. Without the quest finished you cannot equip it, even at level 40 Defence.
Is rune platebody the best F2P body armour?
Yes. The wiki describes it as the strongest of all free-to-play platebodies, with +82 stab, +80 slash and +72 crush defence. Nothing a free player can equip beats it in the body slot.
How do you make a rune platebody?
With 99 Smithing, use 5 runite bars on an anvil while carrying a hammer. This gives 375 Smithing experience per platebody.
Is rune platebody better than a rune chainbody?
For overall defence, yes. The platebody gives higher stab and slash defence and the same ranged defence; the only area where the chainbody edges ahead is crush defence, where the platebody is slightly lower. Most players use the platebody once they have Dragon Slayer I done.
How much is a rune platebody worth?
It is cheap — typically only a few thousand coins on the Grand Exchange. For the current value and trend, see the live price and history chart above.
Update history
Source: OSRS Wiki — Rune platebody (Changes).
