OSRS Defence Guide 1-99: Training Methods & Importance Explained

Q: Does Defence level actually make a big difference in OSRS?

Yes! Higher Defence levels significantly increase your chance to block incoming Melee, Ranged, and Magic attacks based on your equipped armour's defensive stats. This means you take less damage overall, requiring less food/healing and allowing for longer trips during Slayer (Slayer Guide) and bossing (PvM Guide). It also unlocks the ability to wear better, more protective armour like Barrows, Bandos, or Justiciar.

Q: What's the fastest way to train Defence XP?

The absolute fastest Defence XP comes from using multi-target Magic spells like Ice Burst/Barrage (Bursting Guide) or Chinning (Chinning Guide) while Defensive Casting or Longrange is selected. This trains Defence alongside Magic or Ranged simultaneously at very high rates. For pure melee, using the Defensive style on high-HP, low-defence monsters in multi-combat (like NMZ) is fastest.

Q: Should I train Defence alongside Attack and Strength?

For most main accounts, yes. Using the "Controlled" attack style (with weapons like Whip or Staff) trains Attack, Strength, and Defence (plus HP) equally. This leads to balanced combat stats progression, ideal for general PvM. Alternatively, focusing training Strength first, then Attack, then Defence is common for maxing Melee DPS quicker, but leaves you squishier initially. Specific builds like Pures actively avoid training Defence (Pure Guide).

Understand the OSRS Defence skill! This guide covers how Defence works, efficient training methods (AFK & Active), key level unlocks, and why leveling Defence is important.

Published on: May 12, 2025 by Tons of XP Team

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OSRS Defence Guide 1-99: Why Level It & How to Train

The Defence skill in Old School RuneScape is your primary means of mitigating damage taken from all three combat styles: Melee, Ranged, and Magic. While often trained passively alongside Attack and Strength, focusing on Defence unlocks crucial armour upgrades and significantly improves survivability in nearly all combat scenarios. This guide explains the importance of Defence, how it works, and efficient training methods from level 1 to 99.

Check our Combat Training Guide for a broader overview.

Why is Defence Important in OSRS?

A higher Defence level provides several key benefits:

Increased Block Chance: Your Defence level is directly compared against an attacker's Attack level (or Ranged/Magic level for those styles) in the accuracy calculation. Higher Defence means attackers "roll" lower against you more often, resulting in more frequent misses (zeroes).
Better Armour Usage: Nearly all armour pieces, especially high-tier metal armour, shields, and some specialised gear, require specific Defence levels to equip. Levelling Defence unlocks access to gear with vastly superior defensive bonuses (Best Armour Guide). Examples: Rune (40 Def), Dragon (60 Def), Barrows (70 Def), Bandos/Armadyl (70 Def), Justiciar/Torva (75 Def). See our Gear Progression Guide.
Tanking Capability: In group PvM (Duo Bossing, Raids), designated "tanks" rely on high Defence levels and tank gear to absorb damage and hold boss aggression, allowing teammates to focus on DPS.
Survivability: Fundamentally, taking less damage means using less food/supplies, allowing longer trips for Slayer (Slayer Guide) or bossing, and reducing the chance of dying to unexpected damage spikes.

How Defence Training Works: Combat Styles

You gain Defence XP primarily by engaging in combat using specific attack styles:

Defensive Style (Melee): Most melee weapons offer a "Defensive" attack style. Selecting this grants Defence XP and Hitpoints XP for each successful hit.
Longrange Style (Ranged): Most ranged weapons have a "Longrange" style. This grants shared Ranged XP, Defence XP, and Hitpoints XP per hit, often at the cost of slightly slower attack speed.
Defensive Casting (Magic): When autocasting standard combat spells, selecting "Defensive Casting" grants shared Magic XP, Defence XP, and Hitpoints XP per cast. Does not work with Powered Staves (Tridents, Shadow) which only give Magic/HP XP.
Controlled Style (Melee): Some weapons (like Whips) have a "Controlled" style which gives shared Attack, Strength, Defence, and Hitpoints XP.

Efficient Defence Training Methods

Passive Training (Recommended for Mains):
- Controlled Melee (Whip): Train Attack, Strength, and Defence simultaneously using an Abyssal Whip on Controlled style during Slayer or general combat. Balanced and efficient long-term.
- Slayer with Defensive Styles: While doing Slayer tasks, consciously use the Defensive or Longrange styles to gain Defence XP alongside Slayer and other combat XP. Slower targeted Defence XP but very productive overall.
Dedicated AFK Training (Fastest Low-Effort):
- Nightmare Zone (NMZ) - Absorption Method: Same as training Attack/Strength AFK, but select the "Defensive" style on your melee weapon. Very high AFK Defence XP rates are achievable (100k+/hr). Use gear with high Defence bonus + Prayer bonus or the Absorption method.
- Sand/Ammonite Crabs: Use Defensive Melee style or Longrange Ranged style while AFKing at crabs. Lower XP than NMZ but minimal requirements.
Dedicated Active Training (Fastest XP Overall):
- Chinning/Barraging with Defensive Styles: Performing Chinning on Longrange style or Bursting/Barraging on Defensive Casting grants massive Ranged/Magic XP and Defence XP simultaneously (potentially 200k+ Defence XP/hr). Extremely expensive but the absolute fastest method. Often done in MM2 Tunnels (MM2 Guide).

Key Defence Level Unlocks

Level 40: Rune Armour, Green D'hide Armour
Level 50: Granite Armour
Level 60: Dragon Armour, Dragonhide Boots
Level 65: Dagannoth Kings access recommended (Piety), access to Warriors' Guild for Defenders (Defender Guide).
Level 70: Barrows Armour, Armadyl/Bandos Armour, Ahrim's/Karil's, Guthan's set, Dharok's set (Dharok Guide), Verac's set, Torag's set. Third Age Melee/Ranged. Abyssal Whip use requires Attack only, but high Defence often paired.
Level 75: Justiciar Armour, Torva Armour (passive), Dragonfire Shield, Avernic Defender, Spectral/Arcane Spirit Shields. Ability to wear Serpentine Helm. Guardian Boots. Prerequisite for high-level PvM like ToB/Nex.
Level 80+: Unlocks high-tier prayers via Prayer level but Defence contributes significantly to their effectiveness in practice. Virtus Robes require 80 Defence. Max Cape requirement eventually.

Conclusion: Don't Neglect Defence!

While Attack and Strength often get the spotlight for increasing DPS, a solid Defence level is the foundation of survivability and unlocks the best protective gear in OSRS. Whether training it passively through Controlled styles and Slayer, or actively grinding via NMZ or Defensive Casting/Longrange during AoE training, investing in Defence pays dividends in longer trips, fewer deaths, and access to higher-tier content.

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Frequently Asked Questions

+Does Defence level actually make a big difference in OSRS?