by Table of Contents
Before we begin, you should be aware that only 15 skills are available for free-to-play players and the other 8 will require you to become a RuneScape member first. Every skill has is maxed at level 99, but can be boosted by using special potions and prayers. You have the option to reach level 100 by getting the Cape of Accomplishment, but most OSRS players wouldn’t advise that since you won’t get any advantage in doing so.
The 23 skills in Old School Runescape are divided into 4 different categories:
- Combat
- Support
- Gathering
- Artisan
In this guide, we will discuss Combat and Support skills and how you should prioritize in training them. For most beginners, training these skills can be too time-consuming and expensive. Because of this, we recommend that you buy OSRS gold online from a trusted RuneScape gold site, so that you have enough money to level up your skills fast.
OSRS Combat Skills
Attack (free)
This skill must be trained first so you can fight monsters and complete quests. It’s one of the three melee skills and training it can increase your accuracy during fights.
Strength (free)
Another melee skill, Strength, is just as important as Attack. But you should prioritize this when training since it gives you a strength bonus that will increase your max hit.
Defence (free)
The third melee skill, Defence, is less important than Attack and Strength when traning. That’s because during combat, having a higher damage and accuracy is much better than having a high defence. Although, training it has its benefits like getting access to better shields and armor.
Hitpoints (free)
This is the only RuneScape skill that begins at level 10 and it simulates your health. The higher level you reach, the higher your health becomes, and the more you can manage the damage being dealt to you by your opponent. This is why it is important to train your Hitpoints alongside your other combat skills.
Ranged (free)
Ranged is one of the three combat skills in the game. A skill that allows you to fight from distance and has the highest DPS (damage per second) combat skill in OSRS. Mastering this skill will allow you to use different ranged weapons and gain access to specific high-tier armor.
You will have the option to choose among 3 different attack styles when you wield a ranged weapon.
The first attack style is the Rapid style. This gives you Ranged experience and increases your attack speed by 1 tick.
The second attack style is the Accurate style. This gives you Ranged experience and increases your accuracy and damage.
The third attack style is the Longrange Style. This gives you Ranged and Defence experience and increases your range by 2 tiles.
Magic (free)
In RuneScape, you have three combat classes you must level up, these are Ranged, Melee, and Magic. Magic is a very important since it can become very powerful combat skill. You have the ability to craft items or enchant them using your Magic skill. Also, it allows you to reach certain places fast by gaining access to exclusive teleportation spots in Gielinor. This allows you to save time without the need to walk or run to the next location you need to be. You also gain the ability to make gold coins through your acquired magic powers.
You will have 2 attack styles in addition to the 3 melee attack styles available when you have a staff with you.
The first attack style is called an auto-cast style with a shield icon and it gives you Magic and Defence experience.
The second attack style is an auto-cast style with a book icon and it gives you Magic experience.
Prayer (free)
Prayer is a vital OSRS combat skill for any type of player. As a beginner, you don’t really have to prioritize this skill over any other combat skill. Prayer helps in boosting yoru combat skills and Hitpoints.
OSRS Support Skills
Agility (member)
RuneScape members are advised to train this skill fast since it’s very important to your run energy and the ability to explore Gielinor quickly. The higher your Agility level, the the more energy you have to run. You also have to consider that each shortcut in the RuneScape map requires a specific Agility level, so the higher Agility level you have, the better off you’ll be.
You can start training this skill by completing Agility courses scattered all throughout RuneScape. By finishing each course, you will gain a certain amount of Agility experience.
Thieving (member)
Thieving is not advisable for beginners to train right away. You can focus on other skills that can bring you better advantage and access to certain quests. However, thieving skill can be useful to make money when you are already at a high level on your other skills.
This OSRS skill allow you to get items and OSRS gold from different NPCs and unlock traps.
To train your Thieving skill, you may start stealing from various NPCs, the higher level they are, the higher experience you gain in the process. There is a chance you get caught and the NPC may start attacking you once they realized your plan.
The good news is the higher your Thieving level, the less you will get caught stealing.
Slayer (member)
Slayer is good skill to master even for OSRS beginners. You should start training your Slayer skill as soon as possible since it helps in unlocking profitable monsters around Gielinor. Killing these said monsters can bring a good amount of OSRS gold to you if you’re successful in doing so.
To start training Slayer, you should start getting tasks from the Slayer Master. Each task will ask you to kill monsters scattered throughout the RuneScape map. Completing each task will give you Slayer experience as well as combat skill experience.
You will also gain Slayer points as a reward for each task you complete. You can use these to buy certain items from any Slayer Master you encounter in your journey. Items like Slayer Ring or Slayer Helmet are examples of what you can buy.
That’s all for now, we hope this guide helped you gain enough knowledge about combat and support skills in Old School RuneScape. As we’ve mentioned before, knowing which skill to prioritize can help you save both your time and money. Don’t worry if you’re not levelling up that fast, some skills really take some time to improve, and it’s important that you remain patient and dedicated to your goals.
