When it comes to combat in Old School RuneScape, magic is a skill that often receives mixed reviews. Some players love it, while others despise it. Regardless of your personal preference, there will come a time when you need to train your magic skill for the non-combat benefits it provides. Whether you want to unlock teleportation spells to different cities or make a profit through high-level alchemy, knowing the proper gear progression is essential. This guide will walk you through the different stages of magic gear progression and the benefits each build offers.
Magic Gear Progression in Old School RuneScape
Magic is often considered one of the weaker combat skills in the game if not trained properly. However, with the right gear and armor, it can become a powerful fighting style in terms of damage per second. Before we dive into this guide, there are a few things to note. First, this guide assumes you have reached level 40, as this is where magic gear progression truly begins in OSRS. Second, this guide is aimed at regular players; hardcore ironmen may benefit from it as well, but some items may not be applicable to their playstyle. Lastly, this guide assumes you are a member, as all the items mentioned below are members only.
Early Game
Starting at level 40, there are several items you should aim to obtain:
- Mystic elemental staff
- Broodoo shield
- Amulet of glory
- Combat bracelet
- Blessing of your choice
- Seers ring
- Wizard boots
- Mystic robes
Broodoo shields can be bought for around 6,000 GP at the Grand Exchange or made by using a hammer on a tribal mask. To craft one, you’ll need two snakeskins and eight nails.
Amulets of glory can be bought for 12,000 GP or made by enchanting a dragonstone amulet with a “Lvl-5 Enchant” spell. The same applies to combat bracelets, which can be bought for 12,500 GP or made by enchanting a dragonstone bracelet.
Seers rings are a bit expensive but highly beneficial. They can be bought for 1,350,000 GP at the Grand Exchange or obtained as a drop from the Dagannoth Prime boss at Waterbirth Island Dungeon.
Wizard boots provide a +4 defense and attack bonus and can be obtained from medium treasure trail clue scrolls. If treasure trails are not your thing, you can buy them for 226,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
Mystic robes (hat, top, and bottom) can be dropped by various monsters, particularly slayer monsters. They can also be bought for around 136,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
At level 50 magic, it’s advisable to obtain a book of darkness for your off-hand. This book gives a +10 attack bonus for magic and cannot be traded. It can be bought from Jossik for 5,000 GP after completing the “Horror from the Deep” quest.
Mid Game
Once you reach level 45 defense, it’s time to switch out the mystic hat for a farseer helmet. You can obtain this helmet by completing “The Fremennik Trials” quest or buy it for 41,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
At this stage, you should also aim to complete the “Mage Arena I” miniquest to obtain one of the three god capes: Saradomin cape, Zamorak cape, or Guthix cape. These capes are the second-best mage capes in the game, offering a +10 defense and attack bonus for magic.
Another quest worth tackling is “Desert Treasure I,” which rewards you with an ancient magic spell book and an ancient staff. After obtaining these items, you should strive to get barrows gloves, an amulet of fury, and infinity boots.
Barrows gloves are not tradable and can only be obtained by completing the “Recipe for Disaster” quest. You can purchase them for 130,000 coins from the Culinaromancer’s Chest in Lumbridge Castle’s cellar.
The amulet of fury is a tradable item that can be bought for 1,800,000 GP at the Grand Exchange or created by enchanting an onyx amulet with the “Lvl-6 Enchant” spell.
Infinity boots provide a +5 defense and attack bonus for magic. They can be bought for 393,000 GP at the Grand Exchange or obtained by exchanging pizazz points at the Mage Training Arena minigame.
At 60 magic, it’s recommended to aim for the master wand, which offers a +20 defense and attack bonus for magic. The wand can be bought for 2,950,000 GP at the Grand Exchange or obtained by exchanging pizazz points at the Mage Training Arena minigame.
Once you reach 70 magic and defense, obtaining the occult amulet, Ahrim’s robes, and imbuing your seers ring should be your priority. The occult amulet, giving a +12 attack bonus for magic, can be bought for around 570,000 GP at the Grand Exchange or obtained by killing smoke devils in the Smoke Devil Dungeon.
Ahrim’s robes provide the best magic bonuses in the game and can be bought for approximately 7,481,300 GP at the Grand Exchange or obtained through the Barrows minigame. Additionally, consider imbuing your seers ring to double its bonuses.
At 78 magic, it’s time to acquire a trident of the swamp, which can be bought for 2,300,000 GP at the Grand Exchange. Players can also create this trident by using a magic fang on an uncharged trident of the seas.
Attempting the “Mage Arena II” miniquest at this point is advisable to obtain an imbued god cape. These capes offer an additional +5 attack and defense bonus for magic, making them the best mage capes in the game. All imbued god capes provide the same bonuses.
End Game
Once you reach 75 defense and hit points, aim to obtain the following items:
- Tormented bracelet
- Eternal boots
- Mage’s book
- Kodai wand
The tormented bracelet offers a +10 attack bonus for magic and can be made by enchanting a zenyte bracelet. Alternatively, you can buy it for 11,600,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
Eternal boots provide a +8 attack and defense bonus for magic. They can either be obtained by using an eternal crystal on infinity boots or bought for 2,450,000 GP at the Grand Exchange.
Mage’s book can be bought for 2,200,000 GP at the Grand Exchange and offers +15 defense and attack bonuses for magic.
The kodai wand is the best wand in the game, with an average price of 84,500,000 GP at the Grand Exchange. You can also obtain it by completing the Chambers of Xeric raid with a master wand.
Finally, at level 90 magic, if your main focus is maximizing damage per second, it’s advisable to start saving…