Melee training

Melee training is the act of levelling up the three melee skills: Attack, Strength, and Defense. As these levels increase, so does your Hits level, unless fatigue training. This article is a guide on how to efficiently level up the Attack, Strength, and Defense skills.

Unlike in RuneScape 2, many low level monsters are ideal for training combat skills, because they can give over twice as much Hits experience than they have Hits, while most mid to high level monsters give significantly less Hits experience than they have Hits.

Efficient weapons

Min. attack	Image	Item	WeaponAim	WeaponPower	Notes
1		Iron 2-handed sword	14	14
5		Steel 2-handed sword	22	22
10		Black 2-handed sword	29	23
20		Mithril 2-handed sword	31	31
30		Adamantite 2-handed sword	44	44
40		Rune 2-handed sword	70	70	Cannot be bought from a shop unlike the lower tier 2-handed swords.
60		Dragon sword	71	71	Requires completion of the Lost City quest.
60		Dragon axe	69	75	Requires the completion of Hero's Quest.

Unlike RuneScape 2 where weapons vary in speed, all weapons on RuneScape Classic deal damage at the same speed.

Two-handed swords will give the highest damage per second of any melee weapon in RuneScape Classic besides dragon axes and dragon swords, though you will miss out on some Armour bonus as provided from use of a shield. These are useful for players with an attack level lower than 60 who can not yet equip dragon items.

Battle axes provide less damage per second than two-handed swords and allow use of shield. The dragon axe is the highest hitting weapon in the game, however, the rune 2-handed sword has the same WeaponAim bonus and the dragon sword provides a higher bonus. Battle axes weaker than the dragon axe are only useful when fighting dragons with an anti-dragon shield, however, fighting dragons while being unable to equip dragon weapons is not recommended.

Long swords give WeaponAim exceeding that of a battle axe and are one-handed, however, a large amount of WeaponPower is sacrificed. Long-swords weaker than the dragon sword are very inefficient compared to the above weapons.

Enchanted Battlestaves can be used to efficiently train magic while still multitasking some melee experience. Enchanted battlestaves come in air, water, earth and fire varieties and they give better melee experience per hour than rune long swords. Thus they are recommended for players who can't acquire Rune battle Axe or Rune 2-handed Sword for 40-60 attack.

Most other weapons are seldom used, as they are often considered inferior to the weapons listed above. These include maces (weapons that give only moderate WeaponAim and WeaponPower), daggers (which can be poisoned, but poison does NOT reward experience, and is only effective in PvP situations), scimitars and short swords (which are weaker than long swords).

Levels 1 to 20

Monster	Monster's level	Locations
Rats	2	Draynor Lumbridge Castle cellar Varrock sewers
Level 2 rats drop bones which can also be used to train prayer. They have no other drops.
Chickens	3	Lumbridge South of Falador Champion's Guild East East Ardougne North of East Ardougne
Chickens are not in the Profit-focused section in order to provide a comprehensive guide and visual balance. However, they definitely are profitable. Pros Low defense, resulting in fast kills. Drop feathers which can be sold to other players for much profit. Give approximately 20 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 6 hits experience (only have 3 Hits). Very close to the starting point of the game. Drop raw chicken, which when used on a fire made from logs cut from a tree, serves as portable food. Cons Often crowded. Flee when reduced to 1 hits.
Gnome troops	3	Battle field
Pros Rarely deal damage and have a maximum hit of 1. Give approximately 20 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 6 hits experience (only have 3 Hits). Many spawns - efficient even when crowded. Cons Far away from a bank. No profitable drops. Must pass White Wolf Mountain or go through Musa Point and Brimhaven to reach the Kandarin Kingdom where the Battle Field is located.

Levels 20 to 40

Monster	Monster's level	Location(s)
Goblins	7	Lumbridge West of Port Sarim Goblin Village (recommeded) Cave near the Fishing Guild (recommended)
Pros Moderate defense, easy to kill. Have a maximum hit of 1, so little to no food is required. Give approximately 26 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 8 hits experience (only have 5 Hits). Drop Goblin Armour, which is used during Goblin Diplomacy. Cons No profitable drops. Goblins are often spaced far apart. If your defense level is low or you cannot kill goblins in one hit, a small amount of food is required.
Cows	8	Lumbridge North of East Ardougne Near the Crafting Guild
Pros Drop cow hides, which can be used in crafting or sold to higher leveled players. Only deal damage occasionally if you have decent armour, have a maximum hit of 1. Give proximately 27 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 9 hits experience (only have 8 Hits). Drop raw beef, which you can cook using logs from nearby trees, removing the need for food. Very close to the starting point of the game. Cons May deal some damage. May be crowded. Fairly long distance from a bank.
Men	9	Edgeville
Pros Moderate defense, easy to kill. Have a maximum hit of 1, so little food is required. Give proximately 29 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 9 hits experience (only have 7 Hits). Drop valuable herbs, which are often bought for good prices from high-leveled players. Very close to a bank. Cons If your defense level is low, then you will need some food to train here. You may accidentally "Talk to" a man, and be forced to listen to a boring conversation.
Muggers	10	Asgarnia Ice dungeon
Pros Quiet. Drop some useful items, such as herbs and runes.

Levels 40 to 60

Monster	Monster's level	Location(s)
Monks	13	Monastery
Pros No food is required - they hit a maximum hit of 1, and you can heal yourself by talking to them. Very low defense. Give approximately 35 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 11 hits experience (have 15 hits). Nearby altar, so prayers can be used to boost stats. Cons Low number of spawns. No profitable drops. They retreat from combat.
Dungeon rats	16	Ardougne sewers Observatory dungeon
Pros Quiet. Cons No profitable drops.
Warriors	18	Al-Kharid Palace
Pros Drop valuable herbs, which are often bought for good prices from high-leveled players. Cons May be crowded.

Levels 60 to 80

Monster	Monster's level	Location(s)
Cult members	20	Ardougne sewers
Pros Quiet.
Souless	16, 24	Underground Pass
Pros Quiet. Cons Difficult to reach.
Pirates	27	Asgarnia Ice dungeon Pirates' Hideout
Pros Quiet. Drop many runes. In the Pirates' Hideout, they are always aggressive, and half a meat pies are found on the the table, providing suitable long-term training. However, there is a risk of being PKed. Cons In the Pirates' Hideout, there is a risk of being PKed, and picking a lock using a lockpick and the thieving skill is required.
Guards	27, 28	Various towns Best location - upstairs in Varrock Palace?
Pros Good enough last resort. Useful drops, such as coins and runes. Cons They are common for players to thieve for profit, and they will probably get annoyed by you killing them. Low number of spawns.
Mountain dwarves	28	Under White Wolf Mountain
Pros Quiet. Cons Require completion of Fishing Contest to reach. Mediocre drops.
Yanille Soldiers	28	Western Yanille
Cons No profitable drops. Spawn far apart.
Khazard troops	28	Battle field
Pros Efficient even with many players - there are lots of spawns. Cons No profitable drops.

Levels 80 to 99

Monster	Monster's level	Location(s)
Blessed Spiders	35	Underground Pass
Pros High experience per hour. Often quiet. Nearby salmon spawn for restoring hits. Cons Become non-aggressive to players with a combat level higher than 71. Difficult to reach. No profitable drops. (or even bones!)
Pit Scorpions	35	Legends' Guild
Pros High experience per hour. Cons Become non-aggressive to players with a combat level higher than 72. No profitable drops. (or even bones!) Sometimes crowded.
Animated axes	46	Level 55 Wilderness (east of the Mage Arena)
Pros Always aggressive. Easy to find a place to sleep Cons You may be PKed. No profitable drops. (or even bones!)
UndeadOnes	62	Shilo Village
Pros Aggressive at any combat level Only steps away from a bank Easy to find a place to sleep Not in the wilderness Cons More food used per hour Not the best experience per hour No profitable drops.

Prayer-focused

Prayer-focused locations are often extremely popular and crowded. They may be profitable. The monsters are also usually much stronger, providing less combat experience per hour even if the location is miraculously empty.

Monster	Monster's level	Location(s)
Giants	37	Edgeville dungeon Deep Wilderness dungeon
Pros Little to no food required at 60+ defense Good drops such as nature-runes, law-runes and limpwurt roots, and a very low chance at a half of a key. Useful prayer experience from big bones. In the wilderness, they are always aggressive. Cons In the wilderness, you may be PKed. Far from a bank. Often crowded in Edgeville dungeon.
Baby blue dragons	50	Taverley dungeon
Pros Useful prayer experience from big bones. Cons Far from a bank.
Blue Dragons	105	Heroes' Guild Taverley dungeon
Pros Useful prayer experience from dragon bones. Profitable drops: runes, gems, adamant ore, rune dagger, herbs, half of a key and a rare chance at a left half dragon square shield. Nearby blue dragon scale spawn. The altar in the Heroes' Guild may be used for free prayer recharging. Cons Far from a bank. Requires food or paralyze monster, and also an anti-dragon shield. Comparatively low combat experience per hour. Often crowded.
Fire giants	109	Waterfall dungeon
Pros Excellent drops, especially runes, rune equipment, dragon medium helmet, left half dragon square shield, half of a key. Useful prayer experience from big bones. Cons Very far from a bank. Food required. Low combat experience per hour. Often crowded.

Profit-focused

Profit-focused locations are often extremely popular and crowded. This section mostly contains monsters which provide herblaw ingredients or runes as drops.

Monster	Monster's level	Location(s)
Darkwizards	13	Dark Wizards Tower South of Varrock Low western Wilderness
Pros Fairly weak, have a maximum hit of around 2. Low defense. Give approximately 35 experience in chosen combat style per kill and 11 hits experience (have 12 hits). Drop valuable runes which can be sold to other players for high prices. In the wilderness, they are always aggressive. Cons Low hits compared to other monsters. Some food is required, unless you have a defense level of 20 or more with mithril armour. In the wilderness, there is a chance of getting PKed. Often crowded.
Chaos druids	20	Various dungeons
Pros Extremely profitable herblaw drops. Cons Often crowded. In Edgeville dungeon, there is a chance of getting PKed.
Hobgoblins	32	Near the Crafting Guild
Pros Little to no food required at 60+ defense. Good drops such as nature-runes, law-runes and limpwurt roots. Nearby snape grass spawn. Cons Often crowded.
Chaos druid warriors	44	Yanille Agility Dungeon
Pros Extremely profitable herblaw drops. Cons Often crowded. Require high thieving and agility levels to reach.
Shadow Warriors	64	Legends' Guild
Pros Supposedly good for farming left half dragon square shields. Drop key halves and many runes. Cons Require food. Sometimes crowded. Comparatively less combat experience per hour.

See also

• Bestiary