Hello everyone, and welcome to my 2025 OSRS Melee Training Guide. Over the last few years, melee training in OSRS has changed dramatically. From new monsters to alternate locations, potions, and gear upgrades, there are now faster and more modern ways to hit level 99 in Attack, Strength, and Defence. Whether you're a brand-new player fresh off Tutorial Island or a returning veteran building your next alt, this updated melee training guide will walk you through the best path to 99 melee stats.

Why Train Melee in OSRS?

Melee combat remains the foundation of most OSRS accounts. Training melee:

· Allows you to kill stronger bosses and monsters

· Unlocks powerful equipment like Barrows and Godswords

· Enables quest and diary progression

· Boosts your overall combat level

· Makes AFK money-making far more viable

Melee combat XP is awarded based on how much damage you deal. Every point of damage gives 4 XP in your chosen combat style (Attack, Strength, or Defence), and 1.33 XP in Hitpoints. This means that to train efficiently, you want to maximize your damage per second (DPS). That's the core principle behind all of the methods in this guide.

Melee Skill Breakdown

· Strength: Increases your max hit. Arguably the most important melee skill early on.

· Attack: Increases your accuracy, allowing you to hit more often.

· Defence: Reduces how often enemies hit you. Less important early on, but essential for tanking later content.

It's generally best to focus on Strength first, followed by Attack, and then Defence. Most players will rotate between them to keep their stats somewhat even, but you can prioritize whichever fits your goals.

Four Key Ways to Boost Melee XP Rates

1. Level Up Your Combat Stats: This is passive—you'll get stronger as you train.

2. Upgrade Your Weapon First: Weapon strength is more important than armor in most training methods.

3. Use Prayer Boosts: Activate Burst of Strength (Lv4), Superhuman Strength (Lv43), or Piety (Lv70) for bonus damage.

4. Use Potions: Super strength and super combat potions significantly boost your DPS and XP/hr.

Early Game: Levels 1–40 (Via Quests)

You could train manually with cows or chickens… but don't. The fastest and most efficient start to melee training is through combat-exp quests. These give thousands of XP with little combat effort and unlock valuable training content later.

Recommended Quests:

· Waterfall Quest — 13,750 Strength & Attack XP

· Fight Arena — 12,175 Attack XP

· Tree Gnome Village — 11,450 Attack XP

· The Grand Tree — 18,400 Attack XP

· Vampire Slayer — 4,825 Attack XP

· Holy Grail — 11,000 Defence XP

· Dragon Slayer I — 18,650 Strength & Defence XP (plus Rune platebody unlock)

Completing just Waterfall, Fight Arena, Tree Gnome Village, and The Grand Tree can get you straight to 30+ Strength and Attack in less than 2 hours.

Levels 40–55: Sand Crabs

Once you've hit the 30s or 40s, it's time for some low-effort, high-efficiency AFK combat training at Sand Crabs.

Best Locations:

· South Zeah (Hosidius Shore) — Classic location, but often crowded.

· Sunset Coast (Varlamore) — Newly added area with many open crab spots. Requires Children of the Sun (a ~5-minute quest).

Strategy:

· Bring the best weapon you can equip (Rune Scimitar or Glacial Tamat)

· Wear Rune armor, Amulet of Glory, and Combat Bracelet

· Stand in a 2–3 crab spawn spot and let them auto-aggro

· Every 10 minutes, reset aggression by running north, then return

Optional: Use Super Strength Potions

· +15% Strength bonus for 3 minutes per sip

· Cheap (~5K per potion)

· Increases XP/hr by up to 20–30%

· Consider Super Combat Potions later when you can afford them

XP Rates: ~20–30k per hour

Stay here until 55 Attack and 55 Strength.

Levels 55–70: Glacial Tamat + Crabs or Hill Giants

At level 55 Attack, you unlock one of the best budget weapons in the game: the Glacial Tamat, a two-handed weapon with high melee strength and slash bonuses.

Continue with Sand Crabs:

· Now with a better weapon, you'll hit harder and faster

· Easily AFK with super potions

· Great if you're multitasking or watching a show

Optional: Switch to Hill Giants

· Located in Edgeville Dungeon

· Drop Big Bones (useful for early Prayer training or selling)

· Slightly more engaging but provides a profit

· Bring food or some Prayer potions

Tip: Prayer Boosts from Protection Quests

If you're using prayers like Superhuman Strength or Piety, you'll want:

· 44 Prayer for Eagle Eye / Superhuman Strength

· 70 Prayer for Piety

Unlock these via Priest in Peril, Restless Ghost, and optionally King's Ransom (Knight Waves).

Levels 70–85: Nightmare Zone (NMZ)

The Nightmare Zone is the king of AFK melee training.

Why NMZ?

· Incredibly AFK — up to 6 minutes of hands-off combat

· Can use absorption potions for infinite HP

· Prayer flicking or overload setups for max XP/hr

· Safe death — no risk of losing gear

Setup Options:

· Absorption + Dharok's: 100–120k XP/hr

· Prayer + Overload + Whip: 90–100k XP/hr

· AFK with Glacial Tamat or Abyssal Whip: 60–90k XP/hr

Requirements:

· Complete 10+ relevant quests (e.g., Vampire Slayer, Lost City, Mountain Daughter)

· 43+ Prayer (if using Piety or Protect prayers)

· Use a rock cake or a locator orb to lower HP to 1 for the Dharok method

Levels 85–99: Controlled Method or Slayer

Here you have two great options depending on your goals.

Option 1: Continue AFK at NMZ or Crabs

· Very chill, especially with Overloads and good gear

· Costs some GP in potions, but ideal for alts or while working/studying

· Use Abyssal Whip + Dragon Defender or Saradomin Sword

Option 2: Slayer Training (Highly Recommended)

· Train all melee stats and Slayer simultaneously

· Unlocks high-level bosses and money-making (e.g., Abyssal Demons, Kraken)

· Less XP/hr but much more profitable and rewarding

· Use Slayer Helm, Whip/Bludgeon, and Cannon when applicable

Best-in-Slot Melee Training Gear (Mid to High Level)

Slot Budget Gear Mid-Tier Gear BIS

Weapon Glacial Tamat / Rune Scim Abyssal Whip Inquisitor Mace / Ghrazi Rapier

Shield N/A / Rune Kite Dragon Defender Avernic Defender

Helmet Helm of Neitiznot Serpentine Helm Torva Full Helm

Amulet Amulet of Glory Amulet of Fury Amulet of Torture

Body Rune Platebody Fighter Torso Torva Platebody

Legs Rune Platelegs Dragon Platelegs Torva Platelegs

Boots Rune Boots Dragon Boots Primordial Boots

Gloves Combat Bracelet Regen Bracelet Barrows Gloves

Cape Obsidian / Ardougne Fire Cape Infernal Cape

Ring Warrior Ring Berserker Ring (i) Lightbearer / Berserker Ring (i)

Final Thoughts

Getting 99 in your melee combat stats is not just about raw XP/hour. It's about balancing your account's needs. Whether you AFK your way to 99 with Sand Crabs, optimize DPS at NMZ, or build a long-term account through Slayer, there's a method for every type of player.

Training Melee in OSRS requires an investment of time, but this investment will pay off handsomely in OSRS gold as you unlock boss fights, raids, journals, and more. Happy learning, and on your way to level 99 Melee in 2025!

RSorder Team