How to increase your combat level in Runescape

Sam Comrie
An image of Jagex's Runescape

There are a lot of dangerous beasts and hostile bosses to fight in RuneScape so increasing your combat level is crucial if you want to survive. Here’s exactly how you can raise your combat level in the game.

There are a lot of skills for players to improve in RuneScape that can help you gather more resources, use magic, and of course develop your strength for combat. If battles are your primary focus in the game, it’s essential to increase your combat level.

Here’s everything you need to know about increasing your combat level in RuneScape so you can defeat the strongest enemies in the game.

Contents

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How to increase your combat level in Runescape

Increasing your combat level in Runescape is fairly easy, to begin with, but you’ll need to set some time aside to attain serious power. To get started on your journey to leveling up, here are some tips:

  • Go to Lumbridge and kill cows repeatedly
  • Once you’ve leveled up moderately, move onto Haakon and the Barbarians
  • Lastly, move on to defeating Hill Giants at Edgeville Dungeon (accessible via the ruins in the South of Edgeville)

It’s worth noting that as you level up and become stronger, you’ll need to continue purchasing/crafting sufficient weapons and armor to protect yourself. Depending on your preferred weapon, you’ll need to focus your attention on specific skills that can increase your overall combat level.

What skills are part of combat in Runescape?

Skills are vital to increasing your combat level and can provide you with a path to follow, depending on your favorite weapon types. Combat level skills are divided into the following:

  • Attack
  • Strength
  • Ranged
  • Magic
  • Prayer
  • Defense
  • Constitution
  • Summoning

For melee-orientated players, focusing your attention on Attack and Strength will aid with slashing, stabbing, and crushing your foes. Use these types of attacks repeatedly to see your stats increase significantly over time. Ranged, Magic, and Prayer are increased through repetition too. However, Prayer can be leveled fairly fast over a few days by burying bones or scattering ashes.

Defense can be increased faster by completing questions that reward defense points for your efforts. Constitution will improve over time through any combat leveling, whereas Summoning will need you to complete Slayer objectives and quests to earn Charms that grant an increase in return.

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You’ll be fighting plenty of different enemies during your time with Runescape.

What is the max level for combat in Runescape?

All players in Runescape will start out with a combat level of 3, in both Runescape and OSRS (Old School Runescape). As you continue to level up your combat, you’ll eventually meet the max level of 138. For OSRS players, the maximum level for combat is level 126.

NPC’s will stop attacking you if your combat level is double their own +1. However, Monsters that are level 69 and over will always attack the player.

Now you’re ready to increase your combat level in Runescape. You can check out our other guides here too:

Old School RuneScape Blast Furnace guide: Requirements & how to use it in OSRS | What is the max level in Runescape? | Old School RuneScape Wintertodt guide | What is the max level in Runescape? | What is the best non-degradable armor in Runescape?

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About The Author

Sam Comrie is a former Dexerto journalist based in South Yorkshire, UK. He has an MA in Multimedia Journalism and joined Dexerto in 2021 after producing content for NME and Red Bull Gaming.