Defence
Defence | ||||
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Released | 4 January 2001 (Update) | |||
Also called | Def | |||
Members | No | |||
Type | Combat | |||
Statistics | ||||
Players with 99 |
180,684 as of 12 February 2021 - update | |||
Players with 200M XP |
163 as of 12 February 2021 - update | |||
Defence (spelled "Defense" in RuneScape Classic; oftentimes abbreviated as Def) is one of the primary combat skills that grants players protection in all forms of combat. The higher a target's Defence level, the less likely one is to land successful attacks (Melee or Ranged-based damage greater than zero, or Magic-based offensive spells that don't Splash) against said target. As such, it is a vital skill in high-level PvM and PvP situations. Defence does not decrease the amount of damage that an opponent can deal against you.
Magical defence is different - it is based on 70% of the player's Magic level, while the remaining 30% is the player's Defence level, which is then followed by the player's magical defence bonus from their armour.
A player's Defence level also determines which equipment they are able to wear, as most pieces of armour or other equipment have a Defence level requirement.
Defence is one of the skills that will raise the combat level of a player regardless of other skill levels. For this reason, Combat pure level Defence to a certain level then stop training it to minimise their combat level, giving them an upper hand in Player-versus-Player combat against players around their level. These accounts ranged from One-defence pures, black pures at 10, 13 Defence pures, initiate pures at 20, Infinity robe pures at 25, rune pures at 40, void pures at 42, berserker pure at 45, barrows pures at 70, and obsidian tanks at 75. Some players may choose to only train Defence, known as Defence pures.
Contents
Equipment[edit | edit source]
Almost every single piece of combat equipment (except for the ones that go on the weapon, cape, ring, and amulet slots) requires a certain Defence level to wear. Here are links to tables of armour and equipment that require a Defence level to wear:
- Armour - For an overview on the different types of armour.
- Melee armour - An overview of the different types of Melee armour.
- Magic armour - An overview of the different types of Magic armour.
- Ranged armour - An overview of the different types of Ranged armour.
- Prayer armour - An overview of the different types of Prayer armour.
- Defenders - A weapon that goes on the shield slot and provides offensive bonuses while also having an Attack and Defence levels requirement. The rune defender provides the same strength bonus as an obsidian shield, while only requiring 40 Defence as opposed to 60.
Temporary boosts[edit | edit source]
Boost | Level increase |
Visibility | Other info | |
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Defence cape | 1 | Visible | Activating the cape's effect will increase the corresponding skill by 1. |
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Spicy stew (red spice) |
±0-5 | Visible | Depending on type of stew, any skill can be boosted or reduced by 0 to 5 levels randomly. |
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Kebab | 1-3 | Visible | 4% chance to do so |
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Poison chalice | 1, 4 | Visible | Has a variety of beneficial and disastrous effects. |
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Defence potion | 3-12 | Visible | Boosts Defence by . Defence boosts do not allow players to equip higher level armour. |
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Abidor Crank | 3-12 | Visible | Boosts Defence by . Defence boosts do not allow players to equip higher level armour. |
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Sapphire glacialis (item) | 4-18 | Visible | Boosts Defence by . Must be used on another player. Boost affects the player it is used on. Acquired from the Hunting skill. |
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Super defence | 5-19 | Visible | Boosts Defence by . Reduces the chance of receiving damage. Defence boosts do not allow players to equip higher level armour. |
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Divine super defence potion | 5-19 | Visible | Acts as a super defence potion. Natural stat draining for Defence is disabled for 5 minutes, meaning the player's Defence will stay fully boosted. After the 5 minutes are over, Defence level will be restored to its base level. |
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Battlemage potion | 5-19 | Visible | Boosts Defence by . Allows for the use of higher level magical spells. |
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Bastion potion | 5-19 | Visible | Boosts Defence by . Boosts Ranged by . |
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Saradomin brew | 2-21 | Visible | Boosts Defence by and Hitpoints by . Reduces Attack, Strength, Magic and Ranged levels by . Hitpoints can rise above normal level with the boost. |
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Draynor Manor Cabbage | 1 or 2 | Visible | Restores 2 Hitpoints. |
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Super combat potion | 5-19 | Visible | Acts as a super attack, super strength, and super defence potion in one dose. |
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Divine super combat potion | 5-19 | Visible | Acts as a super combat potion. Natural stat draining for Attack, Strength, and Defence is disabled for 5 minutes, meaning the player's combat stats will stay fully boosted. After the 5 minutes are over, affected stats will be restored to their base level. |
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Overload | 5-19 | Visible | Boosts combat stats by (excluding Hitpoints and Prayer). The boost is reapplied every 15 seconds for 5 minutes. Also damages the player for 50 Hitpoints. (This lost health is refunded after the overload ends.) Only usable within the Nightmare Zone or within the Chambers of Xeric |
Quests[edit | edit source]
Quests requiring Defence[edit | edit source]
Quest | Defence requirement |
Other skill requirements |
---|---|---|
Rag and Bone Man II | ![]() |
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Between a Rock... | ![]() |
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Lunar Diplomacy | ![]() |
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King's Ransom | ![]() |
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Quests rewarding Defence experience[edit | edit source]
Quest | Experience reward |
Defence requirement |
Other requirements |
---|---|---|---|
A Soul's Bane | 500 | - | - |
In Search of the Myreque | 600 | - | ![]() |
In Aid of the Myreque | 2,000 | - | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nature Spirit | 2,000 | - | ![]() |
What Lies Below | 2,000 | - | ![]() |
The Fremennik Trials | 2,812 | - | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Heroes' Quest | 3,075 | - | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Between a Rock... | 5,000 | ![]() |
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Olaf's Quest | 12,000 | - | ![]() ![]() |
Holy Grail | 15,300 | - | ![]() |
Dragon Slayer I | 18,650 | - | ![]() |
Camelot training room (minigame) |
20,000 | ![]() |
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King's Ransom | 33,000 | ![]() |
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Total | 116,937 |
Skill choice[edit | edit source]
Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Defence. These rewards usually come in the form of items, such as lamps or books, and are independent of any experience rewards directly received for completing the quest.
Quest | Experience reward |
Skills available | Skill requirements |
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X Marks the Spot | 300 | Any | - |
Client of Kourend | 500 twice | Any | - |
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen | 2,500 | Any skill above 30 | ![]() ![]() |
A Tail of Two Cats | 2,500 twice | Any skill above 30 | - |
The Great Brain Robbery | 5,000 | Any skill above 30 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
King's Ransom | 5,000 | Any skill above 50 | ![]() |
Darkness of Hallowvale | 2,000 three times | Any skill above 30 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
A Taste of Hope | 2,500 | Any skill above 35 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Architectural Alliance (miniquest) |
10,000 | Any skill above 40 | - |
Curse of the Empty Lord (miniquest) |
10,000 | Any skill above 50 | Some players will need ![]() |
Shadow of the Storm | 10,000 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Contact! | 7,000 twice | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
- |
Dream Mentor | 15,000 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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The Fremennik Isles | 10,000 twice | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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One Small Favour | 10,000 twice | Any skill above 30 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Recipe for Disaster (The final battle) |
20,000 | Any skill above 50 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Legends' Quest | 7,650 four times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Monkey Madness I | 35,000 or 20,000[1] | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
- |
Dragon Slayer II | 25,000 four times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Monkey Madness II | 50,000 twice | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Total | 394,400 or 409,400 |
- ↑ The two skills chosen will receive 35,000 experience, and the other two will receive 20,000 experience.
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