melee weapons

(m) = Members only
Daggers
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune, dragon (m), bone (m))


Notes The dagger is one of the faster weapons in RuneScape. Generally, the dagger's best attack style is stabbing, although it also is suitable as a slashing weapon.

On members' servers, you will notice that daggers are more useful, as they can be poisoned. With the combination of poison reducing your opponents Hitpoints, and your fast attacks, they stand a slimmer chance. If the opponent is a player, it may be a good 'starting weapon', enabling you to quickly poison your opponent and then change to a more powerful weapon.

Swords
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune)


Notes The shortsword is a fast stabbing weapon, which deals significantly more damage than a dagger. A shortsword can also be used as a slashing weapon. It is generally a good all-round weapon and is not too expensive.

Longswords
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune, dragon (m))


Notes The warrior's friend. The longsword is excellent when stabbing or slashing opponents. It can deal a good amount of damage, and is faster than the two-handed sword, battleaxe or warhammer. Like the mace, the longsword also has a 'controlled' fighting option.

Scimitars
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune, dragon (m))


Notes The scimitar is mainly a slashing weapon, although it does have a less effective stab attack. It's not as flexible as the shortsword, but it deals slightly more damage. Slashing weapons are good against cloth and leather armour.

Maces
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune, Void Knight (m), dragon (m), the Ancient Mace (m))


Notes Maces are primarily crushing weapons. Faster and more flexible than the warhammer, RuneScape maces have little pointy studs to stab with. Crushing is particularly useful against plated opponents. Maces are also the preferred weapon of priests as they carry a Prayer bonus.

The mace also has a 'controlled' fighting option which allows you to spread your experience points between the four combat stats.

Axes
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon (m))


Notes The humble axe is a simpler weapon, primarily meant for Woodcutting. It will serve as a sturdy weapon if nothing else is at hand, though.

Battleaxes
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune, dragon (m))


Notes The battleaxe is another weapon that is faster than the two-handed sword, but does a little less damage. In the PVP combat areas it's very useful, as it can do a significant amount of damage in slashing and crushing modes, which will get through any player's armour.

Warhammers
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune)


Notes The warhammer consists of a large metal 'head' on the end of a pole. It's not the subtlest of weapons, but is great for smashing your opponents. Again, it's slightly faster than the two-handed sword, and, can be used in conjunction with a shield. The warhammer is perfect for fights against plated warriors.

Two-Handed Swords
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white (m), mithril, adamant, rune, dragon (m))


Notes The mighty two-handed sword packs an incredible punch, but at the price of being the slowest of all weapons and removing the option to carry a shield. The damage it deals is considerably higher than any other weapon made of the same material. Although it cannot be used to stab, very few pieces of armour can stand up to its power.

Spears (m)
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon)



Zamorak Spear (m)



Notes The spear is the most flexible of all the weapons in RuneScape, although because of this it sacrifices speed and power.

It is the only weapon that can effectively stab, crush or slash, and can also be used to poison your opponent. The spear also features the 'controlled' fighting option. It should be noted that spears (other than the Zamorak spear) are the only weapon that can have karambwan poison applied to them. For more information, try the Tai Bwo Wannai Trio quest.

Claws (m)
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune)


Notes A player with claws can attack as fast as a player with a dagger. Claws have a better slashing attack than a dagger, although they cannot be poisoned.

Halberd (m)
(Bronze, iron, steel, black, white, mithril, adamant, rune, dragon)


Notes The halberd doesn't hit quite as hard as the two-handed sword, is very slow, and cannot be used with a shield. However, it makes up for all of this by having a long reach, allowing the player to attack opponents over short distances and even over small obstacles. Unlike the two-handed sword, it has a reasonable stab attack, along with a substantial slash attack.

Pickaxes
(Bronze, iron, steel, mithril, adamant, rune)


Notes Any weapon is better than no weapon, and although a pickaxe is mainly used in Mining, it will serve as a weapon if nothing else can be found.

Granite Maul (m)



Notes Giving a large bonus to crush attacks, the damage a granite maul can inflict can be devastating on player and monster alike. These bonuses and the overall strength aspect of the granite maul come at the price of a very slow attack speed.

TokTz-Xil-Ak (m)
(Split sword)

TzHaar-Ket-Em (m)
(Mace)

TzHaar-Ket-Om (m)
(Maul)

TokTz-Xil-Ek (m)
(Knife)


Notes Weapons from the TzHaar city are available to the humans who trade or fight in their arenas. Because they are designed by the stone men beneath Karamja volcano, they come with a much higher Strength bonus than most normal weapons of their kind.

Abyssal Whip (m)



Notes The abyssal whip comes with a 'flick' attack style and a very fast rate of attack, ideal for training Attack and Defence at a good rate. The whip cannot be used to train Strength, unless the 'controlled' attack style is selected.

Dharok's Great Axe (m)


Torag's Hammers (m)


Guthan's Warspear (m)


Verac's Flail (m)



Notes If you are lucky to receive a melee weapon as a reward from the Barrows minigame, you have a powerful weapon indeed. Not only does the weapon offer exceptional combat bonuses, but if you complete a set (full armour set and weapon), you can unleash a deadly 'set effect'. For more information, see the Barrows rewards page.

The Godsword (m)



Notes The godsword is possibly the most powerful weapon in existence, and the last almighty battle of the god wars that created the Wilderness was fought over it. It has a decent attack rate and a hefty Strength bonus, but it can also unleash four different special attacks: entirely appropriate for a weapon that is rumoured to be capable of killing a god!

Saradomin sword (m)



Notes One of the truly ancient weapons of RuneScape, the Saradomin sword was once held only by the most powerful of Saradomin's warriors. With the opening of the God Wars Dungeon, though, it once more sees the light of day. It is a powerful two-handed weapon that strikes like lightning, and its special attack literally does so!