Ranged is arguably the fiercest combat style in all of Old School RuneScape. Those with a high enough Ranged Attack and Ranged Strength bonus can take down the toughest of opponents from up to 10 tiles away.
Furthermore, the diverse arsenal of weapons and bolts available means you have plenty of options to choose from, whether it’s for Raids, PvM, or PvP.
Recommended Read: How to Start Slayer Training in Old School RuneScape
But which bolts should you use, and which ones should you not be concerned with? In this guide, I’m going to explain the best bolts in Old School RuneScape, breaking down their Ranged Strength bonuses, their effects, and how Ironman accounts can make them on their own!
The best bolts to use in OSRS are Onyx bolts (e), Dragonstone bolts (e), Diamond bolts (e), Ruby Bolts (e), Sapphire bolts (e), Amethyst broad bolts, and Broad bolts.
I will discuss the difference between regular enchanted bolts and their “Dragon” counterparts below.
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What Are the Best Bolts to Use in OSRS?
When it comes to picking which bolts to use, the key is to balance the cost of said bolts with the kind of content you’re gonna be doing.
Although it would be nice to casually run around one-shotting monsters while on a slayer task, it would be impractical to do so, and the costs won’t really be worth it.
There are also situations where investing in the most powerful bolts is absolutely worth it (i.e. Raids and high-level bosses).
“Enchanted Bolts” vs “Enchanted Dragon Bolts”
For each of the enchanted bolts, you will find that there is a dragon counterpart.
Normal enchanted bolts have the Ranged Strength associated with the metal bolt that is used to make them (i.e. Diamond bolts have a +105 Ranged Strength bonus because they use Adamant bolts to make them).
However, you can use any gem-tip on Dragon bolts to make them enchanted, so they all have a Ranged Strength of +122.
Continuing when discussing the enchanted bolts, I will talk about the regular version, as their dragon counterparts are the same (the only difference being what effect they have).
Using A Zaryte Crossbow with Enchanted Bolts
The Zaryte Crossbow has the ability to increase each of the effects for the different enchanted bolts.
Therefore, if you have one, it is highly recommended to pair it with Enchanted bolts for the maximum effect.
| Bolt Type | Normal Effect | Effect While Using Zaryte Crossbow |
|---|---|---|
| Onyx bolts (e) | 20% Increased Damage | 32% Increased Damage |
| Dragonstone bolts (e) | Dragonfire hits for Ranged Lvl times 20% | Dragonfire hits for Ranged Lvl times 22% |
| Diamond bolts (e) | 15% Increased Damage | 26% Increased Damage |
| Ruby bolts (e) | Damage hits for 20% target’s current hitpoints | Damage hits for 22% target’s current hitpoints |
| Sapphire bolts (e) | Drains Prayer | No Change |
Hard Tier Kandarin Achievement Diary Reward
Players who have completed the Hard Tier of the Kandarin Achievement Diary, will be rewarded with a 10% increased chance for enchanted bolts to activate their effect.
This is very beneficial as it works in both PvM and PvP scenarios. You also do not need to have the Kandarin headgear 3 on your person for this to occur.
This effect also stacks with other activating boosts (i.e. Armadyl crossbow and Zaryte crossbow special attack).
Best Enchanted Bolts
Onyx bolts (e)
Requiring 61 Ranged to use, they can only be fired by a Rune, Dragon, Dragon hunter, Armadyl or Zaryte crossbow.
These bolts give a +120 Ranged Strength bonus and have an 11% chance (10% in PvP) to deal 20% extra damage and heal you for 25% damage dealt.
Although one of the strongest bolts in OSRS, they are extremely expensive, averaging around 8.7k per bolt.
However, they can be made by putting Onyx bolt tips on Runite bolts and using the Enchant Crossbow Bolt spell on them (requires 87 Magic and 73 Fletching to do so).
Due to their cost, it is highly unreasonable to use them practically unless you really want an advantage over high-level PvM. However, many Ironman often make them to High Alch for extra gp.
Dragonstone bolts (e)
Requiring 61 Ranged to use, they can only be fired by a Rune, Dragon, Dragon hunter, Armadyl or Zaryte crossbow.
These bolts give a +117 Ranged Strength bonus and have a 6% chance of attacking with dragonfire.
However, if the opponent has dragonfire protection, or is using the Protect from Magic prayer, the effect will not activate.
These bolts are highly used in PvP situations because of how hard they can hit against a regular opponent. They are also relatively cheaper than their Onyx counterparts.
They can also be made with Dragonstone bolt tips on Runite bolts and enchanting them with the Enchant Crossbow Bolt spell (requires 68 Magic and 71 Fletching to do so).
Diamond bolts (e)
Requiring 46 Ranged to use, they can be fired by an Adamant crossbow or higher.
These bolts give a +105 Ranged Strength bonus and have a 10% chance (5% in PvP) to guarantee a hit with 15% extra damage.
These bolts are commonly used when fighting bosses or in PvP because of their strong effect and cost efficiency.
They can also be made by using Diamond bolt tips on Adamant bolts and using the Enchant Crossbow Bolt spell on them (Requiring 57 Magic and 65 Fletching).
Ruby Bolts (e)
Requiring 46 Ranged to use, they can be fired by an Adamant crossbow or higher.
These bolts give a +103 Ranged Strength bonus and have a chance to hit the opponent for 20% of their current Hitpoints (caps at 100).
When this effect is activated, the player is also damaged for 10% of their hitpoints as well.
These bolts are incredibly powerful against high-level bosses and raids, as it is one of the few ways that players can hit for 100 damage naturally.
Also considering that they only go for 59gp per bolt, they are incredibly strong for such a low price.
The common strategy that players use is to pair Ruby bolts (e) with Diamond bolts (e).
They will use the Ruby bolts until the opponent’s health is down halfway, then switch to the Diamond bolts, as the Ruby bolt’s effect won’t be as powerful when half of their health is missing, vice where the Diamond bolt’s effect is ongoing regardless of their current health.
Ruby bolts (e) can also be made by putting Ruby bolt tips on Adamant bolts and casting the Enchant Crossbow bolt spell on them (this requires 49 Magic and 63 Fletching to do so).
Sapphire bolts (e)
Sapphire bolts (e) require 36 Ranged to use and can be fired by a Mithril crossbow or higher.
These bolts give a +83 Ranged Strength bonus and have a chance to drain the opponent’s Prayer points by 5% of the player’s Ranged level. Simultaneously, the player will also gain half of the Prayer points drained from the target.
More recently, Sapphire bolts (e) have been used at the Muspah boss to get through some of the boss’s phases faster.
However, these bolts are a cheaper alternative to the others while still giving passive Prayer gain in combat.
They can be made naturally by adding Sapphire bolt tips to Mithril bolts and casting the Enchant Crossbow Bolt spell on them (this requires 7 Magic and 56 Fletching to do so).
Other Bolts to Use
Broad Bolts
These bolts require 55 Slayer and 61 Ranged to use and can only be fired by a Rune crossbow or higher.
Broad bolts give a +100 Ranged Strength bonus and are commonly used in slayer tasks and general ranged training.
Despite having similar Ranged Strength bonuses as Adamant bolts, they are much cheaper.
Players in OSRS can also purchase these bolts from a Slayer master for 35 Slayer reward points.
Here, they can also unlock the “Broader fletching” unlock for 300 Slayer reward points to be able to make the bolts themselves.
Fletching regular Broad bolts is done by adding feathers on Unfinished broad bolts and requires 55 Fletching to do so.
Amethyst Broad Bolts
On top of broad bolts, players can also add Amethyst bolt tips on them to make Amethyst broad bolts. This requires 76 Fletching to do so.
Amethyst broad bolts require 65 Slayer and 61 Ranged to use and can be fired with a Rune crossbow or higher.
They give a +115 Ranged Strength bonus and are an excellent additive when doing Slayers tasks or general ranged training.
Those are the best bolts to use in Old School RuneScape!
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