OSRS Bandos Armour Review

The Bandos armour set is a highly popular and powerful set of Melee armour in Old School RuneScape, requiring 65 Defence to equip. Obtained as drops from General Graardor and his minions within the God Wars Dungeon, it's renowned for providing a significant Melee Strength bonus while offering solid defensive capabilities.

Components and Stats

The set typically refers to three main pieces:

  • Bandos Chestplate: Offers excellent Melee defence bonuses (superior to Rune Platebody) and, crucially, a +4 Melee Strength bonus. It has negative Magic/Ranged attack bonuses.
  • Bandos Tassets: Provides strong Melee defence bonuses (similar to Rune Platelegs but lighter) and a +2 Melee Strength bonus. It also carries negative Magic/Ranged attack bonuses.
  • Bandos Boots: Offer high defensive stats (comparable to Dragon Boots) but no Strength bonus. They are often substituted with Primordial Boots for higher Strength bonus, or Guardian/Echo boots for defence.

Set Bonuses (Chestplate + Tassets):

  • Melee Attack: 0
  • Magic Attack: -36
  • Ranged Attack: -17
  • Melee Defences: +169 Stab, +156 Slash, +171 Crush
  • Magic Defence: -10
  • Ranged Defence: +226
  • Melee Strength: +6
  • Prayer: +2

(Refer to data dump for precise individual item stats)

Comparison to Alternatives

  • Rune Armour: Bandos offers significantly better defensive stats than Rune and, most importantly, provides the +6 Strength bonus from the Chestplate and Tassets, which Rune armour lacks entirely.
  • Dragon Armour: Dragon Platelegs/Skirt offer similar defence to Tassets but lack the Strength bonus. Dragon Chainbody/Platebody have lower defence than the Bandos Chestplate and no Strength bonus.
  • Fighter Torso: Obtained from Barbarian Assault, the Fighter Torso provides a +4 Strength bonus (same as BCP) but has significantly lower defensive stats (similar to Rune Chainbody). It's a common, cheaper alternative to the BCP, often paired with Tassets for a +6 Strength bonus.
  • Obsidian Armour: Offers slightly lower defence than Bandos but provides a set bonus boosting Obsidian weapon damage. Only relevant when using Obsidian weapons.
  • Barrows Armour: Offers higher defensive stats than Bandos but lacks any Strength bonus (except Dharok's set effect at low HP). Also degrades.
  • Inquisitor's Armour: Requires 70 Strength/30 Defence. Offers the same +6 Strength bonus (Chest + Legs) but specializes in Crush accuracy/damage, penalizing Stab/Slash. Has much lower defensive stats than Bandos but higher Prayer. See our Inquisitor's Armour Review.
  • Torva Armour: Requires 80 Defence. The current best-in-slot Melee armour, offering higher Strength bonus (+8 Chest + Legs) and significantly better defensive stats than Bandos. Much more expensive. Bandos components are needed to repair Torva. See our Torva Armour Analysis.

Uses and Verdict

Bandos armour is the quintessential Melee power armour for players between 65 and 80 Defence (and often beyond due to cost). Its primary appeal is the substantial +6 Strength bonus combined with high Melee and Ranged defence, making it ideal for:

  • General Slayer tasks (where Melee is used).
  • Many Bosses (God Wars Dungeon, Dagannoth Kings, Corporeal Beast, etc.).
  • Melee training where maximizing DPS is key.
  • Raids (Chambers of Xeric, Theatre of Blood).

Verdict: Bandos armour remains a cornerstone of high-level Melee setups in OSRS. It provides the best Strength bonus available at its Defence requirement and boasts excellent defensive stats without the niche specialisation or degradation of other sets like Inquisitor's or Barrows. While Torva surpasses it at level 80 Defence, Bandos offers fantastic value and power, making the Chestplate and Tassets high-priority upgrades for any serious Melee combatant. The boots are defensively strong but often skipped in favour of Strength-boosting alternatives like Primordial Boots.

Looking to acquire this powerful set? Face General Graardor, utilize our OSRS PVM Services for guaranteed drops, or buy the set directly with OSRS Gold.