Ranged has proved to be the most devastating combat style in all of Old School RuneScape.
Being able to deal hard-hitting damage from a distance in any scenario has made the Ranged combat style one of the best setups to go for when going for pure DPS.
Some of the best Ranged gear can go for hundreds of millions of gp, but equipment and other Ranged items still go for a hundredth of that price.
While all of them have their own requirements to equip and use, investing in the best Ranged gear will absolutely work out in the long run in Old School RuneScape.
The best Ranged gear in OSRS includes the Masori armour set, the Twisted Bow, the Ava’s devices, the Twisted Buckler, the Zaryte Crossbow, the Venator ring, and many other high-tier Ranged items.
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Best Ranged Weapons
At its core, Ranged gear is all about making your attacks as accurate as possible so you can consistently deal damage over a period of time.
While there are other effects and bonuses that may come with certain items, the Ranged combat style is pure DPS in Old School RuneScape.
Here are the best ranged weapons to use in the game.
Twisted Bow
The Twisted Bow, the most well-known and expensive weapon on this list, has proven to be one of the most powerful weapons in Old School RuneScape. It requires 85 Range to equip.
With its price range varying around 1.4-1.6t (that’s “t” as in “trillion”), the Twisted Bow has incredible bonuses, making it used in high-level PvM scenarios.
Its +70 Ranged Attack and +20 Ranged Strength, combined with the ability to use Dragon Arrows, make it an endgame item that players strive to get.
A lesser-known fact is that the Twisted Bow has a passive effect that increases its Ranged attack and strength based on how high the target’s Magic level is. This makes it incredibly powerful against bosses like TzKal-Zuk, Zulrah, Vorkath, and many more.
Aside from buying it from another player, you can obtain the Twisted Bow as a rare reward from the Chambers of Xeric.
Zaryte Crossbow
Previously discussed in our guide for the best ranged weapons, the Zaryte Crossbow is the strongest crossbow in the game. It requires 80 Ranged and shares traits similar to the Twisted Bow.
The Zaryte Crossbow sells for around 450m on the Grand Exchange but can also be earned using a Nihil Horn on an Armadyl Crossbow.
Both items can be received as drops from bosses (Nex and Commander Zilyana, respectively) in the God Wars Dungeon.
It has a jaw-dropping +110 Ranged Atack bonus, along with minor defensive stats and a +1 Prayer bonus, making this one of the only weapons in OSRS to have a bonus to Prayer.
The Zaryte Crossbow also has a passive effect that increases the effect of enchanted bolts. For example, if you are using Diamond Bolts (e), the cap for the maximum hit for its enchanted effect goes from 115% to 126%.
The Zaryte Crossbow also has a special attack that automatically triggers the effect of the enchanted bolt they are using with it (as long as the next attack hits, which the crossbow doubles its accuracy for).
Dragon Hunter Crossbow
If you prefer to spend your time killing draconic creatures like Vorkath or Chambers of Xeric, the Dragon Hunter Crossbow may be your Ranged weapon of choice.
Requiring 70 Ranged to use, it is considered one of two “dragonbane weapons” that provide additional accuracy and damage when fighting dragons.
Any kind of bolt can be used with it, so you may benefit from both the increased 30% and 25% accuracy and damage, along with enchanted bolt effects when fighting draconic monsters.
The Dragon Hunter Crossbow currently sells for around 65m on the Grand Exchange but can also be obtained as a rare reward from the Chambers of Xeric.
It is worth noting that the Dragon Hunter Crossbow’s ability does stack with other offensive boosting items like the Slayer Helm or Void Knight equipment.
Heavy Ballista
In the PvP community, the Heavy Ballista reigns supreme over every other Ranged weapon.
Requiring completion of the “Monkey Madness II” quest and 75 Ranged to use, it is a powerful two-handed weapon that is known for its high-hitting damage.
The Heavy Ballista has a +125 Ranged Attack bonus and an extra +15 Ranged Strength bonus.
What makes the Heavy Ballista so powerful is that it uses javelins as ammunition as opposed to bolts or arrows, meaning you can add the +150 Ranged Strength bonus from Dragon Javelins to hit incredibly high.
Often paired with the Ranged Void Knight set, the Heavy Ballista is a dangerous weapon to be on the other end of when you are in the Wilderness.
Bow of Faerdhinen
Otherwise known by the OSRS community as the “bowfa,” the Bow of Faerdhinen is a powerful bow requiring 80 Ranged and 70 Agility to use.
What makes it so special is that it generates its own ammunition, so you do not need to worry about arrow costs. It also gives a +128 Ranged Attack and +106 Ranged Strength bonus, the highest in the entire game.
However, there are a couple of downsides to using this bow. For starters, it has a moderately slow attack speed when compared to most crossbows, so it can still be out DPS’d in some scenarios.
The standard version of the bow also degrades over time. However, you can use 2,000 Crystal Shards on the Bowfa with a singing crystal in Prifddinas to make it so it does not degrade anymore.
The Bow of Faerdhinen is also untradable when active, as it is created from using an Enchanted Crystal Weapon Seed and 100 Crystal Shards, so creating one is a bit of an investment.
The Bow of Faerdhinen can also benefit from the bonuses of Crystal Armour, getting an extra +15% Raged Strength and +30% Ranged Attack when wearing the full set.
The main appeal of this bow (and the standard Crystal Bow) is that it has a range distance of up to 10 tiles, which can be incredibly useful for scenarios like the Inferno, where you need to attack from as far as possible.
Best Ranged Armour
These are the best ranged armour pieces in the game.
Masori Armour
The Ranged equivalent to Torva Armour, Masori Armour is the best Ranged armour in Old School RuneScape.