Ranged is one of the more feared combat styles in OSRS, as any player with a high enough Ranged Attack and Strength bonus can take down even the beefiest of foes.
Whether it be through longbows, crossbows, or even throwing axes, there are some ranged weapons that have been marked in PvP history as some of the most overpowered weapons in the game.
Recommended Read: Old School RuneScape – Level 1-99 Smithing Guide
Today, we’re going to discuss some of the best ranged weapons in Old School RuneScape. We’ll be breaking it down by stats, requirements to use, as well as how you can get them naturally for those with Ironman accounts.
The best ranged weapons in Old School RuneScape players are the Twisted Bow, Armadyl Crossbow, Zaryte Crossbow, Toxic Blowpipe, Dark Bow, Heavy Ballista, Bow of Faerdhinen, and the Dragon Hunter Crossbow.
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What Are the Best Ranged Weapons in Old School RuneScape?
When trying to discuss the best ranged weapons in OSRS, it’s best to try and separate all of them into the kind of game content you would use them for.
Someone who is well-versed in PvP will probably have completely different needs than someone who does PvM content.
In this instance, we are going to break it down into three categories: PvM, PvP, and special cases.
Best Ranged Weapons for PvM
These are ranged weapons that you would use for regular combat, slayer, and when going bossing.
1. Twisted Bow
Straight away, the Twisted Bow is by far the most powerful ranged weapon in the game.
With an impressive +70 Ranged Attack and +20 Ranged Strength, it has been known for its high-hitting DPS against even the toughest of bosses. It also requires 85 Range to equip.
A lesser-known fact is that the Twisted Bow has a passive ability where depending on the target’s Magic level, it will increase the bow’s Attack and Strength bonus.
Getting the bow (both from the Grand Exchange or naturally) is no easy task, as it is considered one of the most coveted items in the game, currently going for around 1.4b gp on the Grand Exchange.
Players can also obtain this naturally by getting a purple drop from the Chambers of Xeric (players get a 1% chance for a unique drop for around every 8,500 points obtained in the raid, with the Twisted Bow being dropped at a 1/34.5 chance if the team rolls a unique item).
2. Armadyl Crossbow
The Armadyl Crossbow is commonly used among high-level players when killing bosses. Requiring 70 Range to use, its +100 Range Attack bonus (surpassing even the Twisted Bow) makes it deadly when using the right bolts.
Also, because crossbows are one-handed, players in OSRS can equip a shield for added defense.
The Armadyl Crossbow also comes with a special attack that both doubles your accuracy and doubles the chance to invoke an enchanted bolt’s effect on your next shot.
Much like other strong Ranged weapons in Old School RuneScape, the Armadyl Crossbow is also obtained from a boss, dropping at a 1/508 drop rate from Commander Zilyana.
You can also buy it from the Grand Exchange for around 50m.
3. Zaryte Crossbow
Those who are looking for an upgrade from the Armadyl Crossbow may consider its direct successor: the Zaryte Crossbow.
The Zaryte Crossbow requires 80 Range to wield but gives an insane +110 Range Attack bonus, as well as a little bit of Defense Bonus across all combat styles.
It’s also worth mentioning that both the Armadyl Crossbow and the Zaryte Crossbow give a +1 Prayer bonus, the only Ranged weapon to do so.
The Zaryte Crossbow’s special attack not only gives double accuracy for the player’s next attack but also guarantees that the effect is whichever enchanted bolt is being used activates.
Players can either obtain this naturally by getting a Nihil horn drop from Nex at a 1/258 drop rate, along with 250 Nihil shards, and use it on an Armadyl Crossbow or by buying one from the Grand Exchange for around 410m.
4. Toxic Blowpipe
Players who are looking for a more casual solution for consistent Ranged DPS will often turn to the Toxic Blowpipe.
Requiring 75 Range, it only has a +30 Ranged Attack and +20 Range Strength bonus, but it can be loaded with any kind of dart to allow players to be cost-efficient based on whichever monster they are killing.
The Toxic Blowpipe also has a 25% chance of venoming their opponent. This, combined with its amazing attack speed, makes this great for players wanting to speed up their slayer tasks.
Also, if you are wearing a Serpentine Helm while using the Toxic Blowpipe, your chance of venoming an opponent is 100%.
The Toxic Blowpipe also has a special attack that heals the player half the damage dealt in the next shot, meaning that in some scenarios, players do not have to bring food.
It can be bought from the Grand Exchange currently for around 1.8m, or you can make one by using a chisel on a Tanzanite fang (dropped from Zulrah at a 1/512 drop rate).
Best Ranged Weapons for PvP
These are the ranged weapons that are commonly used in the PvP community.
1. Heavy Ballista
Players who have completed the Monkey Madness II quest will have the ability to use the Heavy Ballista.
Requiring 75 Ranged to use, it has a +125 Ranged Attack and +15 Ranged Strength bonus. Despite its high attack and strength, its attack speed is incredibly slow (about the same as a godsword).
The Heavy Ballista is commonly used in conjunction with the Void Knight Ranged outfit for extra attack and strength, effectively turning the player into a glass cannon.
Its special attack makes it so the player’s next shot attacks with an extra 25% attack and strength bonus.
Instead of taking bolts or arrows, the Heavy Ballista takes javelins as its ammo type, meaning it can give crazy damage when using Dragon or even Rune javelins.
It can either be bought from the Grand Exchange for around 575k or created by combining a Heavy frame, Ballista limbs, and Ballista string with 72 Fletching. All these components are dropped from Demonic gorillas.
2. Dark Bow
A staple in RuneScape history, the Dark Bow is a menacing weapon that also gives one of the coolest special attack animations in the game.
The Dark Bow requires 60 Ranged to use and gives a +95 Ranged Attack bonus. However, what makes this bow so popular for PvP is its special attack.
It will fire two arrows that can deal up to 30% extra damage. However, if a player is using Dragon arrows, it will add 50% more damage per arrow, with its maximum hit at 48 damage per arrow.
Players can buy a Dark Bow from the Grand Exchange for around 840k or get it as a drop from Dark Beasts at a 1/512 drop rate.
Best Ranged Weapons for Special Cases
These are ranged weapons that are the best in their respective field while not being that good at regular content.
1. Bow of Faerdhinen
Commonly referred to as the “Bowfa” (seriously), the Bow of Faerdhinen in OSRS is an incredibly powerful bow from the elven land of Prifddinas.
Requiring 80 Ranged and 70 Agility to wield, it gives a +128 Ranged Attack and +106 Ranged Strength bonus.
What makes this bow so unique is how effective it is when using full Crystal armour, as it will be given an added Attack and Damage bonus for every piece worn, totaling around 30% Range Attack and 15% Range Damage.
It also does not require arrows, as it holds charges that create their own.
Despite the impressive bonuses, because of the fact you need to be wearing Crystal armour to make it so strong, it is still outclassed by other stronger ranged weapons.
However, the bow itself is still strong for those who don’t want to spend hundreds of millions of gp for a single weapon.
You can either buy a Bow of Faerdhinen for around 101m at the Grand Exchange or make one with an Enhanced crystal weapon seed and 100 Crystal shards at a singing bowl in Prifddinas.
Enhanced crystal weapon seeds are given as a reward from The Gauntlet at a 1/2k drop rate (or 1/400 if you are doing the Corrupted version).
There is also a Corrupted version of the bow that makes it so it doesn’t degrade over time, which can be made with an additional 2k Crystal shards at a singing bowl in Prifddinas.
2. Dragon Hunter Crossbow
The Dragon Hunter Crossbow is one of two “dragonbane” weapons that give a player extra accuracy and damage when fighting draconic creatures.
Requiring 70 Ranged to use, it has a +95 Ranged Attack bonus, on top of an additional 30% Ranged Attack and 25% Ranged Damage when fighting dragons, wyverns, etc.
Due to its passive bonus, it is incredibly strong when fighting bosses like Vorkath, the King Black Dragon, or Olm in the Chambers of Xeric, but otherwise is not that strong of a bow compared to the others.
The Dragon Hunter Crossbow can be obtained from the same location that the Twisted Bow is from (the Chambers of Xeric), or it can be bought from the Grand Exchange for around 61m.
Those are the best Ranged Weapons in Old School RuneScape!
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