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OSRS Attack Guide 1-99

Build PlanAll Guides

Updated September 2026

There is no one-size-fits-all Attack route. The right method depends on your budget, attention level, and account goals. Pick your lane, set your milestone, and run one method long enough to compound gains.

What Is Your Best Attack Method Right Now?

Choose a lane first: speed, balanced progression, or low-input AFK. Then commit to a clear target level before switching.

Choose Your Planning Track

Build My Attack PlanStart with prebuilt routes

High-Confidence Training Routes

Route 1Main Account RouteQuest XP jump -> crabs/slayer split -> NMZ/slayer at higher levelsTarget: 60 then 70
Route 2AFK RouteCrabs early -> NMZ sustained sessions with proper potion setupOutcome: 99 with low input
Route 3Profit RouteSlayer-first approach with Attack-focused styles and task routingOutcome: Combat + GP growth
Route 4F2P RouteF2P training ladder -> transition before 60 for major efficiency gainTarget: 60 then switch

Milestones That Matter

  • 40: Core early progression complete.
  • 60: Dragon scimitar unlock.
  • 70: Whip unlock and smoother training.
  • 85+: High-level consistency with stronger gear.
  • 99: Final accuracy capstone.

Execution Checklist

  1. Choose one route based on attention and budget.
  2. Use accurate style for Attack-focused sessions.
  3. Upgrade gear at meaningful breakpoints only.
  4. Re-plan at 60 and 70.

⚔️F2P Attack Training

F2P Attack training is decent, with access to most basic training methods. You can reach 99 in F2P, but it's significantly slower without members-only content like Slayer, NMZ, and superior weapons.

F2P Attack Training Path

Level 1-20: Cows & Goblins

Start at cows near Lumbridge for easy kills and cowhide profit. Move to goblins when you need faster respawns. Use bronze → iron → steel scimitar as you level. ~15K XP/hr.

Level 20-40: Hill Giants & Flesh Crawlers

Hill Giants in Edgeville Dungeon are popular (big bones for prayer). Flesh Crawlers in Stronghold of Security offer better XP/hr with less competition. Use mithril → adamant scimitar. ~20-25K XP/hr.

Level 40-60: Experiments & Hill Giants

Experiments in Creature of Fenkenstrain give great XP with low defence. Hill Giants remain viable. Upgrade to rune scimitar at 40 Attack. ~25-30K XP/hr.

Level 60-99: Lesser Demons & Hill Giants

Lesser Demons in Wizard's Tower basement are the best F2P option for high levels. Rune scimitar is your best weapon (no dragon scimitar in F2P). ~30-35K XP/hr at 99 Attack.

Why Get Membership for Attack?

Membership dramatically improves Attack training with faster methods and better rewards:

  • Slayer: 50-80K Attack XP/hr while making profit and training Slayer
  • NMZ: 60-90K XP/hr AFK training with absorption potions
  • Quest XP: Skip to 40 Attack instantly with Waterfall Quest + others
  • Better Weapons: Dragon scimitar (60), abyssal whip (70), Ghrazi rapier (75+)
  • Sand Crabs: Low-effort AFK training at 40-50K XP/hr

Recommendation: F2P is fine for early levels, but get membership before 60 Attack. The difference in training speed and weapon access (dragon scimitar, whip) makes membership essential for efficient progression.

🎯Recommended Attack Training Path

The Ideal Journey to 99

Levels 1-40: Questing for Fast XP

Complete combat quests to skip tedious early levels. Waterfall Quest alone gives enough XP for 1→30 Attack!

Levels 40-70: Sand Crabs or Slayer

Train at Sand Crabs (AFK) or do Slayer tasks (profitable + combat XP). Get dragon scimitar at 60 Attack!

Levels 70-99: Slayer or NMZ

Best: Slayer for profit + combat levels. Alternative: AFK at NMZ while sleeping (60K-90K XP/hr).

Why Train Attack?

Attack determines your accuracy in melee combat. Higher Attack = you hit more often = faster kills. It also unlocks better weapons at level milestones (60 for dragon, 70 for Saradomin sword, 75 for abyssal weapons).

📜Quest XP Rewards (1-40 Attack)

Skip Low-Level Grinding with Quests!

Early Attack training is slow and tedious. Instead, complete these quests to reach 40+ Attack in just a few hours without grinding!

Essential Combat Quests

QuestAttack XPRequirements
Waterfall Quest13,750 (1→30)None
Fight Arena12,175None
Tree Gnome Village11,450None
The Grand Tree18,40025 Agility
Vampire Slayer4,825None
Death Plateau3,000None
Dragon Slayer I18,65032 QP

💚 Total: ~82,000 Attack XP = Reach level 40+ without any grinding!

⚠️ Important: Quest Order

Do Waterfall Quest FIRST at level 1 Attack. It gives enough XP to reach level 30, making all subsequent quests easier. Use a quest guide (OSRS Wiki Quick Guide) for fastest completion!

⚔️Weapon & Gear Progression

Best Weapons for Attack Training

  • Level 1-40: Scimitars Iron → Steel → Mithril → Adamant scimitars. Fast attack speed, cheap.
  • Level 40-60: Rune Scimitar ⭐ Best weapon until 60 Attack. ~20K GP. Use this for 40-60 training.
  • Level 60-70: Dragon Scimitar ⭐⭐ Requires Monkey Madness I. Best weapon 60-70. ~60K GP.
  • Level 70-99: Abyssal Whip ⭐⭐⭐ Best Attack training weapon. Cannot train Strength with whip! ~1.5M GP from Slayer or GE.

Essential Melee Gear

Offensive Gear:

• Black Mask / Slayer Helm: 16.67% boost on Slayer tasks

• Dragon Defender: +6 Attack, +5 Strength (from Warriors' Guild)

• Barrows Gloves: +12 Attack bonus (Recipe for Disaster quest)

• Fire Cape: +4 Strength (Fight Caves)

Defensive Gear:

• Helm of Neitiznot: +3 Strength (Fremennik Isles quest)

• Fighter Torso: +4 Strength (Barbarian Assault)

• Bandos Chestplate: Best body armor (expensive)

• Dragon Boots: +4 Strength bonus

💡

Strength Bonus = Faster Training

Even when training Attack, wear gear with high Strength bonuses! Higher max hit = faster kills = more XP per hour. Don't sacrifice too much defensive gear though, or you'll waste time eating.

⚔️Training Attack Through Slayer

Why Slayer is Best

Training Attack through Slayer is the most efficient method for most players. You gain Attack XP, Slayer XP, AND profit from drops simultaneously. At high levels, Slayer is very profitable (5M+ GP/hr at bosses).

Benefits:

• Train Attack + Slayer simultaneously (double XP gains)

• Profit from monster drops (1-5M GP/hr at high levels)

• Black mask/Slayer helm gives 16.67% damage boost

• Variety - fight different monsters instead of one spot

• Unlock boss variants at 95 Slayer (hydra, cerberus)

How to Train Attack via Slayer

Step 1: Get a Slayer task from a Slayer master (Nieve/Steve at 85 combat recommended)

Step 2: Equip black mask (imbued) or Slayer helm for damage boost

Step 3: Use Attack style (accurate on scimitar, whip on accurate)

Step 4: Complete task and return for new task

💡 Check out our Slayer Guide for detailed training strategies!

💰 Profitable Slayer Tasks

At high combat levels, Slayer tasks are very profitable:

• Gargoyles (75 Slayer): 600K-800K GP/hr

• Brutal Black Dragons (77 Slayer): 1-1.5M GP/hr

• Cerberus (91 Slayer): 2-3M GP/hr

• Alchemical Hydra (95 Slayer): 4-5M GP/hr

Training Attack with Slayer = getting paid to train!

😴AFK NMZ Training

What is NMZ?

Nightmare Zone (NMZ) is a combat minigame where you fight quest bosses. It's the most AFK combat training method - you can train while sleeping, working, or watching TV. Just sip absorption/overload potions every 5-20 minutes!

Location: Yanille (north of bank)

XP Rate: 60K-90K Attack XP/hr depending on stats and gear

Requirements: Completed 5+ quests with boss fights (more = better)

Cost: ~100K GP/hr for potions (breaks even with herb boxes reward)

NMZ Setup

Potions:

• 4-5 Overload potions (boost all stats by 5-19 levels, lasts 5 minutes each)

• 20+ Absorption potions (1,000 damage absorbed per dose)

Method:

1. Drink 1 overload (you'll take 50 damage)

2. Rock cake/locator orb down to 1 HP (enemies hit less damage = absorptions last longer)

3. Drink absorption potions to 1,000 absorption

4. AFK for ~15 minutes, then repeat

💡 Use Runelite's "NMZ Helper" plugin to alert you when absorptions are low!

Best NMZ Bosses

Enable these bosses only (disable all others for best XP rates):

• Count Draynor (Vampire Slayer)

• King Roald (What Lies Below)

• The Kendal (Mountain Daughter)

• Tree Spirit (Lost City)

• Khazard Warlord (Tree Gnome Village)

⚠️ DISABLE hard bosses like Desert Treasure bosses - they slow down XP rates significantly!

💡

Normal vs Hard Mode

Hard Mode: More NMZ points, slightly better XP. Recommended once you have good gear (70+ combat stats).

Normal Mode: Less points but easier. Good for lower levels or if you're dying too often.

🦀Sand Crabs & Ammonite Crabs

Low-Level AFK Training

Sand/Ammonite crabs are the best AFK training for low-mid level players (level 15-70). They have high HP (60-100) and low defense, giving good XP with minimal attention. Each spot lasts ~10 minutes before you need to reset aggro.

Sand Crabs (Zeah)

Location: Hosidius beach (Zeah, Kourend)

Requirements: None

HP: 60 HP each

XP Rate: 25K-45K Attack XP/hr depending on level

How to reset aggro: Walk away until crabs de-spawn, then return

💚 Popular for low levels (15-60). Very crowded but plenty of spots!

Ammonite Crabs (Fossil Island)

Location: Fossil Island (requires Bone Voyage quest)

Requirements: Bone Voyage quest

HP: 100 HP each

XP Rate: 30K-50K Attack XP/hr depending on level

💙 Better than sand crabs (more HP = less walking). Less crowded. Recommended over sand crabs!

⚠️

Crabs vs NMZ

Crabs are better for low levels (15-60) since NMZ requires quest completion. At 70+ combat, NMZ becomes better due to higher XP rates and complete AFK (no aggro resetting needed). Switch to NMZ at 70+ for maximum efficiency!

👾Other Training Methods

Yaks (Neitiznot)

Location: Neitiznot (Fremennik Isles)

Requirements: Fremennik Isles quest

Benefits: Aggressive for 10 minutes, decent drops (raw yak meat 100 GP each)

XP Rate: 30K-50K Attack XP/hr

Experiments (Canifis)

Location: Experiment Cave (Canifis)

Requirements: Creature of Fenkenstrain quest

Benefits: Very low defense (0), always aggressive

XP Rate: 20K-35K Attack XP/hr

Outdated method - sand crabs and NMZ are both better now.

Pest Control

Location: Void Knights' Outpost (Port Sarim boat)

Requirements: 40 combat

Benefits: Unlocks Void Knight equipment (elite gear), buy XP with points

XP Rate: Variable depending on game speed

💙 Good for unlocking void gear, but not the most efficient pure XP method.

🧮Attack Calculator

Calculate your Attack XP gains and plan your combat level progression

📊

XP Planning

Plan your training path with accurate XP and time calculations

⚔️

Combat Levels

See how Attack training affects your combat level

Open Combat Calculator →

Frequently Asked Questions

01What's the fastest way to train Attack?

Quest to 40 Attack (Waterfall Quest, Fight Arena, etc.), then train via Slayer or AFK at NMZ. Slayer is best for most players (profit + XP), while NMZ is best for pure AFK training.

02Should I train Attack or Strength first?

Get 60 Attack first (for dragon scimitar), then train Strength to 70+, then back to Attack to 70 (for whip). After 70/70, most players train Strength to 99 first since higher max hit speeds up all combat training. Then Attack, then Defence.

03What weapon should I use for Attack training?

Scimitars until 60, dragon scimitar at 60, abyssal whip at 70. Set attack style to 'Accurate' for Attack XP. The whip is best for Attack training since it's fast and accurate.

04Is NMZ worth it for Attack training?

Yes, especially if you want to AFK train while doing other activities. NMZ gives 60K-90K Attack XP/hr with minimal attention (just sip potions every 5-20 minutes). It's the best method for overnight/work training.

06Can I train Attack and Strength at the same time?

Yes, use 'Controlled' attack style on weapons like longswords or hasta. This gives equal XP to Attack, Strength, and Defence. However, it's generally slower than focusing one skill at a time with the optimal style.

07How long does 99 Attack take?

With Slayer: ~180-250 hours (but you also get Slayer levels + profit). With NMZ AFK: ~150-200 hours of active time. From level 70-99 at NMZ = ~110 hours of AFKing. Most players train Attack through Slayer for the extra benefits!

📚 Related Guides

💪

Strength Guide

Train Strength for higher max hits

🛡️

Defence Guide

Train Defence for better armor

⚔️

Slayer Guide

Efficient Slayer training for XP

Ready to Train Attack?

Use our tools to plan your training and track your progress

Combat CalculatorAll Guides

Sources & methodology

XP rates, requirements, and drop data in this guide are cross-checked against the OSRS Wiki and verified against in-game behaviour. Grand Exchange prices move daily, so treat GP/hr figures as estimates and confirm current prices with the OSRS Wiki price tracker before committing to a method.