[Top 15] Old School Runescape Best F2P Gear and How To Get Them

Lets Dive In!
F2P is just as fun as P2P!


Trying to fill out your Roth IRA for the year? Just don’t want to spend the money on a video game? Spend all your money betting on red? Fear not, because you can still have plenty of fun with the excellent gear choices here in F2P Old School Runescape. Free-to-play (F2P) Old School Runescape may be a completely different game from Pay-to-play (P2P), but it has its own charm and meta. If you’re still scared about playing the free version, just remember that you can buy membership through in-game money! Once you get geared up and are making tons of money, you can easily make the switch. That being said, here is the only list you’ll ever need to get through your F2P adventure!

15. Silverlight 

Silverlight is a nostalgic weapon with a history that drips with every vengeful attack you make on demons. This sword is acquired during the Demon Slayer quest and can be bought after the quest from Sir Prysin in the Varrock Palace if lost. The unique effect of this weapon is that it increases the maximum hit of a player against demons by 60%. That means it can be a nearly tier 40 weapon that can be equipped with only level 1 attack!

Weapon Stats:

  • 14 Slash Bonus
  • 9 Stab Bonus
  • 12 Melee Strength
  • 3.0 second attack speed

What makes Silverlight awesome:

  • The weapon is very nostalgic for long term players and the quest to unlock it is quite fun.
  • Silverlight can be upgraded to the Darklight and Arclight as a member and has even better stats!
  • Great if you’re a low level and want to train on demons!

How to Get Silverlight:

  • Begin Demon Slayer by talking to the Gypsy just next to Varrock Square.
  • Follow a quest guide and you’ll be able to claim Silverlight!

 

14. Swift Blade

You’d never guess it by its name… but the Swift Blade attacks very fast. At first glance this weapon offers essentially nothing. On second glance, the weapon actually offers nothing. However, the true greatness of this weapon comes from the fact that it attacks at the highest speed possible for a melee weapon. This makes it really great for strength pures (pure accounts that don’t train attack or defence). This weapon will greatly increase damage per second (DPS) over weapons such as an iron scimitar if you don’t have any attack levels.

Weapon Stats:

  • 0 Attack Bonuses
  • 0 Melee Strength
  • 0 Everything!
  • 1.8 second attack speed

What makes the Swift Blade so hilariously good

  • Attacking every 1.8 second means a 25% increase in DPS, which is really good if you don’t have a high level attack.

How to Get a Swift Blade

  • The only way to get this weapon is through the minigame “Last Man Standing.”
  • Once you enter the competitive minigame, you’ll spawn with P2P Player-Killing (PKing) gear and have the chance to fight players for points. After gathering 350 points you can buy the Swift Blade.

 

13. Wizard Robes

The RuneScape stereotype of a wizard is someone wearing some blue robes and these Wizard Robes are the culprit. These robes are notably worn by Wizards in the Wizards’ Tower (That’s a lot of Wizarding!) and offer the highest magic bonuses for F2P players, which is still pretty low to be fair. On the other hand, the robes also make you look like a blue Gandalf so you’re still winning.

Armour Stats:

  • 5 Magic Attack Bonus
  • 5 Magic Defence Bonus
  • 0 Everything else

What makes Wizard Robes good for F2P

  • Despite their seemingly low stats, these robes do still offer the best magic bonus for F2P players.
  • They honestly do look pretty cool.

How to Get Wizard Robes

  • The quickest way to get these would be either the Grand Exchange or by killing Wizards in the Wizards’ Tower south of Draynor.
  • The skirt piece is actually acquired from Thessalia’s Fine Clothes store in Varrock and is just cosmetic, meaning it offers no stat bonuses.

 

12. Green Dragonhide Armour

Archers do love to wear their leather armour, even if it comes from dragon leather (and yes, RuneScape spells armour with a “u” because they’re British.) Green Dragonhide Armour is the best gear for rangers in F2P and offers quite brilliant stats all around. These are very common in F2P PKing or all-around training. 

Armour Stats:

  • -31 Magic Attack bonus
  • +31 Range Attack bonus
  • 65 Stab Defence bonus
  • 50 Slash Defence bonus
  • 73 Stab Defence bonus
  • 30 Magic Defence bonus
  • 62 Range Defence bonus

What makes Green D’hide Armour so great:

  • Dragonhide armour in general is really good for its cost in RuneScape. They offer high resistances all around and great ranged bonuses which helps with ranged training.

How to get Dragonhide armour:

  • Unfortunately, green dragons can only be killed by members so the armour can only be acquired from the Grand Exchange for F2P players.

 

11. Adamant Arrows

Adamant arrows may seem like a staple, but in F2P they are the best ammunition and a necessary piece of equipment if you want to PvM or PvP. These arrows are also commonly found in PvP worlds and the Wilderness, making it great to get a little bit of GP on the side.

Arrow Stats:

  • 31 Ranged Strength

What makes Adamant Arrows so common:

  • These are the highest arrows a F2P player can fire, and provides a big boost to DPS over Mithril Arrows.

How to get Adamant Arrows

  • Members can fletch adamant arrows, or obtain them from a variety of different monsters
  • F2P players can get them from either Lowe’s Archery Emporium or through the Grand Exchange.

 

10. Chronicle

We all know that getting to places in RuneScape by running or walking is the worst thing since non-sliced bread. But as a F2P player, it can also be difficult and expensive to acquire the law runes to always teleport places. The Chronicle, which was released for an Easter event in 2016, fixes this for players wishing to teleport to Varrock!

Weapon Stats:

  • 0 down the line!

What makes the Chronicle so good:

  • The Chronicle allows players to teleport to the Champions’ Guild for the cheap price of 150 GP per charge, and the book can hold up to 1000 charges. 
  • It can be equipped, meaning you can save space if you’re running to and from Varrock!

How to Get a Chronicle:

  • Head over to Draynor Village and go to Diango’s Toy Store. The Chronicle can be acquired for the cheap price of 300 GP from him.
  • Each Teleport Card costs 150 GP, it's a great deal!

 

9. Cabbage Cape

Capes in F2P are pretty weak in general, and they mostly all have the same stats. The Cabbage Cape is no exception. The cabbage cape shines though because of its cosmetic effects. Players can actually use the skillcape emote in order to play a fun animation. And if that doesn’t seem like the most awesome thing ever, I don’t know why you’re even playing the game! You can even watch the Cabbage Man in action on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhQJgo2Zbo0&ab_channel=Bekt

Cape Stats:

  • 1 Slash Defence Bonus
  • 1 Crush Defence Bonus
  • 2 Ranged Defence Bonus

What makes the Cabbage Cape so great:

  • The Cabbage Cape is tied for the best cape for F2P players!
  • It only costs 150 GP from Diango.
  • The Cabbage Cape Emote is awesome!

How to Get a Cabbage Cape:

  • Much like the Chronicle, head over to Diango’s Toy Store in Draynor Village and simply buy the cape for 150 GP.

 

8. Rune Chainbody

The Rune Chainbody is the classic “noob” platebody that players will wear if they have not completed the Dragon Slayer quest. However, there are certainly merits to wearing the chainbody due to its modest bonuses as well as having no negative attack bonuses towards ranged. It’s also only slightly more expensive than the next best armour, the adamant platebody.

Armour Stats:

  • -15 Magic Attack Bonus
  • +63 Stab Defence Bonus
  • +72 Slash Defence Bonus
  • +78 Crush Defence Bonus
  • -3 Magic Defence Bonus
  • +65 Ranged Defence Bonus

What makes the Rune Chainbody so good, and such a great Rune Platebody replacement:

  • The Rune Chainbody does not require Dragon Slayer to wear, and is actually great for rangers because it doesn’t have negative ranged attack bonuses.
  • The Rune Chainbody actually has higher crush defence than a Rune Platebody, making it better in some circumstances.

How to Get a Rune Chainbody:

  • You can pick up one of these from the Champions’ Guild (Teleport there with the Chronicle!) or through the Grand Exchange.

 

7. Amulet of Power

Amulets provide a good source of bonuses for players, and the F2P community has pretty limited choices. The Amulet of Power is a good all around piece of equipment that is good for magic, ranged, and melee. Also, Amulets of Power are derived from enchanting a diamond amulet, so you can technically give this to your significant other as a gift!

Amulet Stats:

  • 6 for all Attack Bonuses
  • 6 for all Defence Bonuses
  • +6 Melee Strength

What makes this item so good all around:

  • Even though other amulets may be better for certain situations, such as the Amulet of Strength for high hits, the Amulet of Power has the best all around stats. 
  • You won’t need any other amulet if you have this one!

How to get an Amulet of Power

  • This can be made by enchanting a diamond amulet with level 4 enchant, requiring level 57 Magic.
  • You can also buy the amulet for about 2k GP on the Grand Exchange.

 

6. Full Rune Armour

Rune Armour has the best defensive stats of any armour in F2P OSRS and it shows. Putting on this stuff will instantly make you the tankiest you can possibly be! Comprising of a Rune Helm, Rune Platebody, Rune Platelegs, and Rune Kiteshield (Not pictured above), this set is an inexpensive way to gear up for players with at least 40 Defence.

Full Set Stats:

  • -65 Magic Attack Bonus
  • -21 Ranged Attack Bonus
  • +207 Stab Defence Bonus
  • +209 Slash Defence Bonus
  • +192 Crush Defence Bonus
  • -12 Magic Defence Bonus
  • +205 Ranged Defence Bonus

Why Rune Armour is the best!

  • It provides great bonuses, and without special attacks in F2P, that means its very hard to be killed while wearing this amour!

How to get Rune Armour

  • Some Rune Armour pieces may be acquired from stores. Rune platelegs from the Champions’ Guild, and the Rune Platebody can be bought from Oziach in Edgeville.
  • All the Rune Armour pieces can be smithed with the required level.

 

5. Full God Rune Armour

Full “God” Rune Armour sets are a slight upgrade from Rune Armour and are acquired differently. They’re also much cooler looking, so that alone basically ensures they get their own slot in our top 5 OSRS F2P gear. There are 6 different sets to choose from, to include, Armadyl, Ancient, Bandos, Saradomin, Guthix, and Zamorak armour sets.

Gear Stats:

  • Same exact defence stats as Rune Armour
  • +1 Prayer bonus for each piece

What makes this our top armour pick:

  • +4 Prayer bonus may not seem like much, but in F2P where prayer potions are not available, every prayer point counts, especially in PvP situations.
  • Even if the risk is higher, and the armour costs more, it looks so good!

How to Get “God” Rune Armour:

  • Unfortunately for F2P, this armour is only obtainable through clue scrolls as a member.
  • Your best chance to get a set of this armour is through the Grand Exchange.

 

4. Maple Shortbow


 

The Maple Shortbow is the classical F2P player ranged weapon of choice for training and PvP. It’s able to fire arrows up to adamant, is a steal to equip at level 30 ranged, and looks absolutely dashing with an amulet of power and green d’hide. Also, it's funny to think that the same tree which gives us Maple Syrup in real life can also produce a bow that hurts so much in Runescape.

Weapon Stats:

  • 29 Ranged Bonus
  • 2.4 second attack speed

What makes this one of our top choices"

  • The Maple Shortbow is immensely cheap for the best-in-slot bow for F2P players and can fire best-in-slot arrows.

How to Get the Maple Shortbow

  • You can either buy or fletch maple shortbows. To buy one, go to the Grand Exchange or to Lowe’s Archery Emporium in Varrock.
  • Members can also fletch maple shortbows with a knife and some maple logs.

 

3. Rune Battleaxe

The Rune Battleaxe is often seen as the high damage, slower, alternative to things like the Rune Scimitar. They are commonly used to get some large hitsplats, and at a higher speed than a Rune 2h Sword. It also helps that the item is one-handed, which means you can keep on wearing that rune kiteshield for extra defence bonuses.

Weapon Stats:

  • 48 Slash
  • 43 Crush
  • 64 Melee Strength
  • 3.6 second attack speed

Why this weapon is great:

  • The Rune Battleaxe has only 6 less Melee Strength than a Rune 2h Sword and has the benefit of allowing players to wear a shield with it. This means that if both players “risk it for the biscuit,” that shield will come in handy if the other person is using a Rune 2h Sword. In words that non-Runescape players might understand, you have less chance of getting KO’ed. 
  • The one downside to this weapon is that it is slightly less accurate than our next weapon, the Rune 2h Sword.

How to Get a Rune Battleaxe:

  • You can either smith a Rune Battleaxe with 95 smithing or buy it through the Grand Exchange for around 24k GP.

 

2. Rune 2h Sword

The Rune 2h (two-handed) Sword is one of the best KO weapons in F2P OSRS, used very commonly in PvP and sometimes for players that just want to look cool. The Rune 2h Sword also has pretty similar stats to the Hill Giant Club (which has crush bonuses instead of slash), and is much cheaper.

Weapon Stats:

  • 69 Slash Bonus
  • 50 Crush Bonus
  • 70 Melee Strength
  • 4.2 second attack speed

What makes the Rune 2h Sword a top 3 weapon:

  • The Rune 2h Sword is capable of quickly comboing other players out in PvP, especially when switching between a maple shortbow and the 2h sword.

How to Get this weapon:

  • The Rune 2h Sword can be smithed with 99 smithing or for those of us who actually enjoy life, you can buy it on the Grand Exchange for about 38k GP.

 

1. Rune Scimitar

Is it any surprise that this weapon is our top pick? The Rune Scimitar is just the all around go to piece of gear in F2P, and is useful in almost every scenario, from training and PvP to just looking cool. It has the most DPS of any melee weapon in F2P, doesn’t require any quests to equip, and destroys everything in its path.

Weapon Stats:

  • 45 Slash Bonus
  • 44 Melee Strength
  • 2.4 second attack speed

What makes this our top pick for F2P gear

  • The Rune Scimitar is a cheap weapon that can train all three combat styles with its primary slash attacks.
  • The weapon is great against other players in PvP situations and can even KO with a hit, unlike maple shortbows.

How to Get a Rune Scimitar:

  • F2P players can smith this weapon with 90 smithing, while others will have to buy it from the Grand Exchange for about 15k GP.

 



As a dedicated fan of the League of Legends champion, Bard, I've decided to follow in his footsteps and tell stories of worth. Just hopefully not in magical kazoo sounds.
Gamer Since: 2008
Favorite Genre: MOBA
Currently Playing: Runescape (OSRS and RS3), League of Legends, Valorant, Civ 5, Elder Scrolls Online, Minecraft
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