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Defense
Written By Bboyjyoung
Special Thanks to Joe2142, TitanTyrant, Great Emon, Wiseguy63000, Sir Alex, Mrcsupertrain,
Anubis, Cameron Smart, Damaged500, Fishee, Hawk, DeeKay, Happy Hero, Moneylover,
Itch, Roy, Scooby, tezzamonkey, crazy_frog
Defense is one of RuneScape's most important Combat skills. Unlike popular
belief, Defense does not decrease the amount of damage inflicted upon you. Instead,
it determines how often a foe will hit you, and it allows you to wear better
armor types.
Defense Classes
Your Defense Class can be viewed by clicking on the body icon, which is to
the right of the backpack icon. Once you are viewing the body menu, click the
bottom button labeled “Show Equipment Stats”. A screen will pop up, contain an
enlarged picture of your character, the equipment you are currently wearing,
and your stats.
The different classes are Stab, Slash, Crush, Magic and Ranged. The more you
have in a Defense class, the better your defense against that type of attack
is. The better the armor, the more Defense you will have. Different armors give
different bonuses.
Stab - This protects you from stabbing attacks, such as
daggers, spears.
Slash - This protects you from slashing attacks, such as claws
and swords.
Crush - This protects you from mauling attacks, such as maces
and punches.
Magic - Protects you from Magical attacks and increases chances
of magic and dragon breath missing on you.
Range - Protects from ranged attacks, such as arrows and darts.
Prayer - This determines how slowly your prayer drains.
Armor Classes
There are different kinds of armor for each kind of combat, including Melee,
Ranged and Magic.
Archer or Ranged Armor
Ranger armor is generally lightweight, allowing maximum mobility for Ranged
attacks. It has strong defense against Magic. It is a good all-around type of
armor. This armor drains low stamina while running.
Note: For advanced Ranger armor, although the body armor needs a certain
Defense, the Vambraces and Legs require no specific Defense level. More about
stat bonuses of ranged items can be found in the Ranging
Guide.
Warrior or Melee Armor
Most of the time this armor weighs quite a bit, and therefore it typically
drains a lot of energy while running. It's used for close-range fighting, generally
Melee, and it is weak against Magic. This is the most commonly used type.
Mage (Robes) Armor
Most of the time this is the lightest armor, and allows magical conjurors
to cast spells more effectively. Most have weak defense for Ranged and Melee
attacks, but some types offer the extra protection. This armor drains low or
medium stamina while running. More about magical armor stat bonuses can be found
in the Magic Guide.
Slayer Equipment
Not really used to fight other types of monsters, these protect you from
massive damage that you can take if you are not properly equipped for fighting
certain Slayer monsters. Slayer gear can be found in the Slayer
Guide.
Trimmed Armor
Some may believe that Trimmed armor gives extra Defense bonuses, but they
do not have any differences in any way in matter of defensive stats. This includes
the God armors.
Black Equivalent : Black (T) and (G)
Addy Equivalent : Addy (T) and (G)
Rune Equivalent : God Armors, Rune (T) and (G), Gilded Armor
Armor Types
Each combat class has it's own type of armor that it benefits from the most.
Of course, as long as you meet any requirements for a piece of armor, you can
wear it.
Armor For Everyone
 Basic
Robes
Not really considered armor, this category contains a lot of RuneScape clothing
including Blue Wizard Robes, Priest Gowns, Black Wizard Robes, Zamorak & Monk
Robes, HAM & Fremennik Robes, Dwarven & Gnome clothing, Mime & Shades
Clothing, and more.
 Rogue
Armor
This armor is a weak, all-around armor. It is very light-weighted, but it is
not good for combat. They are untradeable and obtained at the Rogue's
Den.
 Fremennik
Helmets
Not really considered an armor type, the Fremennik Helms offer more Defense than
a Rune Full. There are different types, which specialize in each class of combat.
They're double in price though. You can buy these after Fremennik
Trials Quest.
Armor For Warriors
 Bronze
Bronze is the basic armor for warriors, and most new players use this as it is
cheap and easy to obtain. It doesn't offer much protection.
 Iron
Iron is the armor that comes after Bronze. There are no requirements, offer a
bit more Defense, but are slightly more expensive and harder to obtain.
 Khazard
Armor of the dark army, this armor is a bit different in appearance and shades
compared to normal iron armor, but it is equivalent to iron nonetheless.
 Steel -
Requires 5 Defense
Steel is a quite common armor because it's generally inexpensive and offers more
protection than Iron or Bronze.
 Red
Decorative Armor - Requires 5 Defense
This armor is obtained at a low ticket cost at Castle
Wars, and it is equivalent to Steel. Not very useful, but colorful.
 Black -
Requires 10 Defense
Black armor is considered uncommon, as it cannot be smithed. It is a quite simple
and elegant type of armor, but most people wear it for showing off, not much
for combat as some pieces are difficult to find and sometimes expensive.
 Mithril -
Requires 20 Defense
A partially common armor that isn't too expensive and offers good Defense.
 White
Decorative Armor - Requires 20 Defense
This armor is obtained at a Semi-High ticket cost at Castle
Wars, and it is equivalent to Mithril. Not used much as combat, because it
is hard to obtain, but it is really elegant.
 Temple
Initiate Armor - Requires 20 Defense
Known as the white armor, this armor offers a bit less protection than Mithril,
but offers a considerable prayer bonus. It is obtained after the Recruitment
Drive Quest.
 Adamant -
Requires 30 Defense
"As hard as adamant"
A semi-common armor, used largely by warriors, offers good Defense Not really
used in PVP activities.
 Yellow
Decorative Armor - Requires 30 Defense
This armor is obtained at a very high ticket cost at Castle
Wars, and it is equivalent to Adamant. No one wants to lose this in combat,
as it is extremely hard to obtain. This armor is more for bragging rights.
 Proselyte
Armor - Requires 30 Defense.
While this armor looks similar to Temple Initiate Armor, it adds much more defense
to its wearer. Completion of the Slug Menace
Quest is required before you can buy and wear this armor.
 Rune -
Requires 40 Defense
Common and expensive, and it offers great Defense! It's the armor that nearly
everyone uses in combat, sometimes expensive to replace, but the high Defense
bonuses compensate for that.
 Granite -
Requires 50 Defense and Strength
Not really considered an armor type, the Granite Shield offers slightly less
defense in melee than a Rune Kite, but it has a better magic and ranged defense.
It is also very heavy, and can drain your stamina quite fast. They are dropped
by Trolls.
 Dragon -
Requires 60 Defense
Dragon armor is very expensive and rare, and it offers great Defense, but not
many people would use this in a risky combat situation. Some kinds of Dragon
armor need certain quests to be completed before being able to be worn. This
armor is more for bragging rights.
 Crystal -
Requires 70 Defense and 50 Agility
Obtained after the Roving Elves Quest,
and not really considered a big category of armor type, the Crystal Shield is
a special kind of shield. Obtained after roving elves, this shield offers the
best range Defense at 10/10 Points. However, it degrades itself over uses, and
loses bonuses until it is repaired. This is a very expensive option, however.
 Barrows -
Requires 70 Defense
This type of armor is rare, and it is currently the most powerful armor in the
game, offering bonuses as the sets are collected. They can degrade, but unlike
Crystal, they're not as expensive to fix and do not lose bonuses as they degrade.
 Lunar -
Requires 65 Magic, 40 Defense, and Completion of Lunar
Diplomacy
This set is mainly worn for its looks, and has medium Magic and Defense bonuses.
 Bandos -
65 Defense
Dropped by Bandos and his warriors, the chestplate provides great protection.
A very rare drop, it has lower defense bonuses than Barrows, but provides excellent
bonuses and doesn't degrade, it is also one of the only plates in the game giving strength
bonuses.
 Third
Age Melee - 65 Defense
One of the rarest platebodies in the game, it is an incredibly rare reward from
a level three Treasure Trail. Better than a dragon chainmail, it is a costly
plate. Best for bragging rights and not for training.
Armor For Mages
 Elemental
Not considered an armor type yet, the Elemental Shield has no physical protection
but offers moderate magical protection. You have to do the Elemental
Workshop Quest to make these.
 Splitbark -
Requires 40 Magic and Defense
A Special Mage armor that does actually offer melee protection as well as good
magical bonuses. It is weak against ranging though.
 Mystical
Robes - Requires 40 Magic and 20 Defense
Robes dedicated solely to Magic, which means it offers very good magic bonuses,
but has absolutely no protection against anything physical. They are bought in
the Magic Guild or dropped from Slayer
monsters.
 Ghost
Robes - Requires completion of the Desert
Treasure Quest
After starting the Ghost Robes Mini-Quest,
you'll receive the top of the Ghost Robes outfit. After that, you need to find
each of the other ghosts wandering around RuneScape to get the other pieces.
Once you have the entire set, you'll be transparent! The full set adds a bonus
of 21 to both your Magic Attack and Defense.
 Infinity
A reward from the Mage Training Arena, Infinity equipment is better than mystic
and ghostly. It provides +20 in both attack and defense bonuses. It can cost
much, so it's not intended for training, mystic can take it's place for that.
 Third
Age Mage - 30 Defense 65 Magic
One of the rarest magic equipment in the game, it is an incredibly rare reward
from a level three Treasure Trail. Better than the Infinity top, it provides
+2 more in magic attack and defense bonuses. Rare and not intended for training,
simple mystic or ghostly would replace it.
Armor For Rangers
 Leather
Leather is the weakest armor in the game. It gives a very small Defense bonus.
 Hardened
Leather
Hardened Leather is slightly better than regular Leather, but it is not a recommended
armor.
 Studded
Leather - Requires 20 Ranged and Defense
Leather armored with small Steel Studs added, which can add additional Defense.
This armor is still quite basic though.
 Snakeskin
Armor - Requires 30 Ranging and Defense
This armor is made from the hides of Bush Snakes while chopping away at the Tai
Bwo Wannai Jungle. The hides can be tanned and crafted into Snakeskin Armor,
which is slightly less powerful than Green Dragonhide and also heavier.
 Green
Dragonhide - Requires 40 Ranged and Defense
Green Dragonhide is the basic Dragon hide armor for all rangers. It has much
more Defense than leathers, offers good protection against magic and is quite
lightweight.
 Blue
Dragonhide - Requires 50 Ranged and 40 Defense
Blue Dragonhide is better than its green counterpart. It is Members-Only, but
offers extra bonuses for Ranging as well as more Defense bonuses.
 Red
Dragonhide - Requires 60 Ranged and 40 Defense
Red Dragonhide is much better than its blue counterpart. It is Members-Only,
but offers even more extra bonuses for Ranging as well as more Defense bonuses.
 Black
Dragonhide - Requires 70 Ranged and 40 Defense
A very good Ranger armor, which offers possibly the best magic protection and
Ranging bonuses.
 Third
Age Range - 45 Defense 65 Range
One of the rarest range equipment in the game, crafted from white dragonhide,
it provides better protection than a black d'hide body, but less than an Armadyl
chestplate. Extremely rare, not recommended for training, any d'hide can take
it's place.
 Armadyl -
70 Defense 70 Range
A rare drop from Armadyl's warriors, the chestplate is currently the best range
top in the game. It is costly, but provides great bonuses, doesn't degrade like
Karils and can take any place for any range equipment. Can be used for training,
though any other d'hide can take its' place.
Helmets & Headgear
Anything that you wear on your head is considered a helmet of headgear. These
include regular helmets, hats, masks and other items.
Helmets
 Medium
Helmets
Although they are smaller and offer less bonuses, they don't negate as much
on magic and ranging.
 Full "Large" Helmets
Full Helmets offer better protection than medium helmets, but casting magic or
using a ranged weapon is more difficult when using a full helmet, purely because
the characters vision is obstructed.
Hats & Masks
 Chef's
Hats, Eye Patches & Other Hats
There are a lot of decorative hats around RuneScape that can be bought or found,
but they don't give any bonuses.
 Santa
Hat
A rare Holiday Item which give no defensive bonuses.
Back in RuneScape Classic, it gave a small magical bonus.
 Party
Hats
The most valuable, rare and expensive hats around, giving no defensive bonuses.
 Halloween
Masks
Another expensive Holiday Item that gives no defensive bonuses.
 Bunny
Ears
An untradeable Holiday Item that gives no bonuses but can be re-obtained from
the Varrock Clothing Shop if you happen to lose it.
 Pirate
Hats, Highwayman Masks, Cavaliers, Berets & Headbands
Treasure Trail hats that are only for looks, not for stats.
Chompy Hats
Obtained from Chompy kills, they look like headbands
but give no bonus at all.
 Desert
Disguise
Obtained in the Feud Quest, this
makes you have a fake beard.
 Bearhead
Mithril/Steel Equivalent, obtained after the Mountain
Daughter Quest. It is untradeable, and if lost, you can find it back
at the Chief of the mountain tribe.
Other Headgear
 Goblin
Mining Helmet
Iron quality, this helm can be obtained by goblin miners from the Lost
Tribe Quest. It can be lit with level 65 Firemaking.
 Golden
Helmet
Made for Between a Rock Quest, This
helmet is equivalent to Steel or Mithril
 Spiny
Helmet
This helmet which is equivalent to Steel prevents Wall Beasts from hurting you
too much.
 Tiaras
Made from Silver, they are so small that they give no real Defense, and all they
do is give you an extra inventory space while Runecrafting.
Body Armor
There are 2 main kinds of body armor: Chainmail and Platemail.
 Chainmail is
made up of small rings connected together. It is particularly useful for turning
away slashing weapons and absorbing the impact of a "crushing" attack.
Chain is weak against stabbing weapons as small pointy blades can get through
the rings. Chain is quite flexible, and so does not carry any disadvantages when
using ranged weapons.
Plate
armour is much heavier and stronger than chain, although rangers and mages
find it incredibly difficult to use in conjunction with firing arrows or spells.
Plate armour is weakest against crushing damage as it cannot absorb the impact
as well as it can against slashing or stabbing attacks. Rune Plate armor cannot
be worn until Dragon Slayer Quest has
been completed.
Shields
There are 2 main kinds of shields: Square and Kite. Although they may seem
similar, there are differences between them. There are also various other types
of shields in RuneScape as well!
 The Square shield
is weak against crushing attacks, but it neither penalizes nor bonuses ranging
and maging. Not many know the advantages of this type of shield, so they are
not very common.
 Kite shields
have better overall defense, but they are weak against stabbing attacks and slightly
weaker against magic. Most people use these, and are easily obtainable.
Other Shields
 Wooden
Shield
First shield you get from Tutorial Island, and it is pretty much worthless
and offers no real defense.
 Training
Shield
After you arrive in Lumbridge, pay a visit to the Defense Tutor to obtain a Training
Shield - a slightly better shield than that old Wooden one! This item (along
with the other Training items) cannot be dropped or traded to other players.
 Dragonfire
Shield
Extra-weak in all aspects, but it is the only shield that allows maximum protection
against Dragon Breath. When you're fighting Dragons, bring this unless you want
to be dragon toast! You can obtain these from the Duke of Lumbridge, in the Dragon
Slayer Quest.
Elemental
Shield
Completely useless for protecting against physical damage, but offers considerable
magical protection.
 Mirror
Shield
Used to prevent being frozen by Cockatrices and Basilisks. It doesn't offer great
defense in other aspects.
 FremennikShield
Dropped by Market Guards and Warriors in Rellekka. They are equivalent to Adamant
Kites and are untradeable.
Granite
Shield
Better than a Rune Kiteshield and Square shield. It offers great ranging defense
and more Defense in the other categories. It's very heavy though, and it can
drain energy quickly.
Crystal
Shield
This shield is a special kind of shield. Obtained after roving elves, this shield
offers the best range Defense at 10/10 Points. However, it degrades itself over
uses, and loses bonuses until it is repaired. This is a very expensive option,
however. You must repair it at one of the roving elves.
 Obsidian
Shield
This shield can be bought from the Fight Pit Shop
for 67,500 TokKul. It adds a decent defense bonus, and it is particularly effective
against ranged attacks.
 Third
Age Kiteshield - 65 Defense
This incredibly rare kiteshield, is currently the rarest shield in the game,
it is an extremely rare reward from a level three Treasure Trail. Less bonuses
than a Dragonfire shield (charged), it provides great protection. More for bragging
rights, a dragonfire shield or an obsidian shield can take its' place.
 Dragonfire
Shield - 75 Defense
The dragonfire shield is the best shield in the game when fully charged. A very
rare drop from certain dragons, a dragon visage can be used with an anti-dragonfire
shield to make a dragonfire shield(uncharged). For the shield to be charged it
must be used in combat with a dragon, collected its' dragonfire. Each charge
adds +1 slash, stab, crush and ranged defenses.
Gloves
Gloves offer small Defense, but in some cases you need them to perform certain
actions, such as picking up Nettles or Firebird Feathers. They may not have much
defense, but they look good and are often worth it.
 Leather
Gloves
Regular Leather gloves are easy to obtain. They offer very small Defense and
are considered worthless. You can craft these.
 Colored
Gloves
Some people believe they give better bonuses, but they are just a different color,
for looks. Obtained in various place around runescape, some are tradeable to
free players (The Canifis Gloves). Ham & Fremennik Gloves as well as any
other gloves fall into this category, and cannot be made.
 Splitbark
Gloves
Although not the best gloves for mages, these gloves provide a decent amount
of defense.
 Vambraces
Vambraces are known as archer armbands, which are designed to make the user fire
arrows longer, so it gives more Defense and range bonus than regular gloves.
Dragon Vambraces offer considerable Defense and magical protection.
 Ice
Gloves
Obtained from the ice queen in the Heroes
Quest, these ice cool gloves allow you to touch hot stuff without harm.
They offer a little better defense than regular gloves.
 Mystic
Gloves
Offering no physical protection but a small magic bonus, these gloves are made
for mages. These are bought from the Magic
Guild or dropped from Slayer monsters.
 Klank's
Gauntlets
These hard gloves protect you from Half-Souless bites in the Underground
Pass Quest. They are bought at 5,000gp each, and they are some of the
best gloves in the game.
 Steel
Gauntlets
Offering the same great bonuses like the Klank Gauntlets, these gauntlets can
actually be enchanted to 3 different types of gloves (Cooking, Crafting or Magic),
after the Family Crest Quest. If
you lose them, you can always get them back from the father.
Other Gauntlets
Rewards from the Fists of Guthix minigame, gauntlets give only defense bonuses.
They are the best gloves in F2P, all gauntlets are available to F2P except dragon
gauntlets.
 Armored
Gloves
Armored Gloves are obtained during the Recipe
for Disaster Quest. You can buy them from The Culinaromancers' Chest and
are untradeable. The gloves armour is known by their color, although know as
'Gloves' in-game. They range from Normal, Bronze, Iron, Steel, Black, Mithril,
Addy, Rune, Dragon and finally to Barrows. They are said to be one of the best
gloves in the game.
Boots
Although they give low bonuses, feet are important to protect, and some boots
give special bonuses!
 Leather
Boots
The most basic armor type for the feet. It is the only available feet protection
for free players.
 Colored
Boots
Simple leather boots colored with dyes, obtainable from various clothing shops
in RuneScape (Rellekka, Gnome Stronghold, Canifis, HAM). There are no additional
bonuses for these boots.
 Boots
of Lightness
These have the same stats as leather boots, but their specialty is that they
reduce your overall weight by 4kg. Can be obtained in the basement of the Temple
Of Ikov. These are quite useful for running or Runecrafting.
 Ranger
Boots
The best and only boots that a ranger could ever have! Can be obtained from doing
Treasure Trails, and are quite expensive.
 Wizard
Boots
Slightly better than Mystic Boots. Can be obtained from doing Treasure Trails.
 Splitbark
Boots
Not exactly the best boots for a mage, but its lowered mage stats has made up
for the better protection it provides.
 Climbing
Boots
Useful for climbing up mountains and hills. It is used for quests such as Desert
Treasure, Death Plateau, Troll
Stronghold and Troll Romance.
It provides slightly better protection from leather boots. It also provides a
bit of strength.
 Spiked
Boots
You cannot wear those boots anywhere else than the Ice Plateau in the Desert
Treasure Quest. These stop you from slipping on ice.
 Mime
Boots
Not particularly useful, more for bragging rights as you can only obtain it from
the Mime Stage Random Event.
 Desert
Boots
These can reflect the desert heat, improving your chances of survival in the
Al Kharidian Desert.
 Gardening
Boots
When worn, these boots allow you to plant crops 1 level ahead of your current
level.
 Armored
Boots
There are many armored boots across runescape, mostly bought from other players
or from Slayer monsters. They give a considerable
bonus defense, but are heavier than regular type boots.
 Dragon -
60 Defense
Dragon boots are a rare drop from the Spiritual mage in the god wars dungeon,
requiring a slayer level of 83 to kill. They provide much better bonuses than
rune and have much replaced them with their arrival when the dungeon first came
out.
 Bandos -
65 Defense
Bandos boots are one of the best boots in the game, it provides great bonuses
but it's costs deflect that. A very rare from from General Graardor and his warriors.
They can be substituted with dragon boots.
Other Gear
There are many things that can protect you. Other items can be worn on different
parts of your character than can help you.
 Amulets
Amulets are particularly useful. The Amulet of Defense is quite good, as well
as the amulet of power and glory. However, the Gnome Amulet of Defense, obtained
after the Tree Gnome Village Quest,
offers very good Defense
 Books
Completed Saradomin and Guthix Prayer Books offer
a small defensive bonus when worn, which can be useful in some cases. Remember,
the Saradomin Book gives more defense than a Guthix Book, while a Zamorak Book
does not give any Defense.
 Rings
Although not very defensive, rings can be "Defensive" in some ways:
- The ring of recoil returns 25% Damage to the attack, which helps in that
matter.
- The ring of life protects you from death, which defense is meant to do.
   Capes
All capes offer a small defense bonus, but the best ones are Skill
Capes and Fire Capes, which add Defense, Prayer, Strength and Attack bonuses.
God Capes from the Wilderness Mage Arena, Obsidian
Capes from Tzhaar, and the Legend's Cape from
the Legend's Guild are also good.
 Excalibur
The Excalibur Sword, obtainable from the Merlin's
Crystal Quest, has a Special Attack which
increases your defense temporarily.
 Potions & Prayer
There are also Defense Potions which can be made with your Herblore skill
to increase your defense for a short while. Prayers will also add to your defense.
- Defense
Potion: +3-12 (based on Defense level)
 Super
Defense Potion: +5-19 (based on Defense level) Thick
Skin: +5% Rock
Skin: +10% Steel
Skin: +15% Chivalry:
+20% Piety:
+25% Protect
From Summoning: Reduces damage from opponent's summoning scrolls and ignores
any familiars' special attack. Protect
From Magic: 100% Protection from magical attacks. Protect
From Missiles: 100% Protection from ranged attacks. Protect
From Melee: 100% Protection from melee attacks.
Note: Protect From Magic, Missiles, and Melee have some exceptions
in places such as Clan Wars or bounty Hunter. Please see the Prayer guide
for more information.
 Staffs
A great way to level up your Defense while practicing Magic is to use a staff.
When you equip your staff, you'll have an option to set a spell or an attack
strategy. Most people don't realize it, but even if you choose the Attack or
Strength styles, you won't receive experience, although you'll receive Defense
experience instead! This works whenever casting spells, and you can use this
attack while attacking behind an object or fighting hand-to-hand.
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