Defence

This article has skill training guides: Members / Free-to-play

Skill training guides document optimal XP/hour methods to train a skill, as well as alternate passive or less expensive methods.

For a list of all requirements and unlockables within the Defence skill, see Defence/Level up table.

Defence
Released		4 January 2001 (Update)
Also called		Def
Members		No
Type		Combat
Statistics
Players with 99		222,762 as of 1 July 2022 - update
Players with 200M XP		243 as of 1 June 2022 - 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 range from One-defence pures, black pures at 10, 13 Defence pures, initiate pures at 20, 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.

Defence level up - normal The music that plays when levelling up.

Defence level up - with unlocks The music that plays when levelling up and unlocking new content.

Equipment

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

Main article: Temporary skill boost

Boost		Level increase	Visibility	Other info
	Defence cape	1	Visible	Activating the cape's effect will increase the corresponding skill by 1.
	Draynor Manor Cabbage	1 or 2	Visible	Restores 1 Hitpoint. Available to free-to-play players.
	Kebab	1-3	Visible	4% chance to do so. Available to free-to-play players.
	Poison chalice	1 or 4	Visible	Has a variety of beneficial and disastrous effects.
	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.
	Excalibur	8	Visible	Uses up 100% Special attack energy.
	Defence potion	3-12	Visible	Boosts Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {10}{100}}+3\rfloor$. Defence boosts do not allow players to equip higher level armour.
	Abidor Crank	3-12	Visible	Provides benefits of a defence potion.
	Elder (-)	4-13	Visible	Boosts Attack, Strength, and Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {10}{100}}+4\rfloor$. Only usable within the Chambers of Xeric, and is the weakest variant
	Overload (-)	4-13	Visible	Acts as an elder (-), twisted (-), and kodai (-) potion in one dose. Boosts combat stats by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {10}{100}}+4\rfloor$ (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 Chambers of Xeric, and is the weakest variant
	Elder potion	5-17	Visible	Boosts Attack, Strength, and Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {13}{100}}+5\rfloor$. Only usable within the Chambers of Xeric, and is the standard variant
	Overload (Chambers of Xeric)	5-17	Visible	Acts as an elder, twisted, and kodai potion in one dose. Boosts combat stats by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {13}{100}}+5\rfloor$ (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 Chambers of Xeric, and is the standard variant
	Sapphire glacialis (item)	4-18	Visible	Boosts Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+4\rfloor$. Must be used on another player. Boost affects the player it is used on. Acquired from the Hunting skill.
	Bandages (Theatre of Blood)	4-18	Visible	Acts like a super combat (minus one point), ranging, magic, prayer, and stamina potion, and heals 20 Hitpoints.
	Super defence	5-19	Visible	Boosts Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+5\rfloor$. Defence boosts do not allow players to equip higher level armour.
	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.
	Super combat potion	5-19	Visible	Acts as a super attack, super strength, and super defence potion in one dose. Boosts Attack, Strength, and Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+5\rfloor$.
	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.
	Bastion potion	5-19	Visible	Acts as a ranging and super defence potion in one dose. Boosts Ranged by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {10}{100}}+4\rfloor$ and Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+5\rfloor$.
	Divine bastion potion	5-19	Visible	Acts as a bastion potion. Natural stat draining for Ranged 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.
	Battlemage potion	5-19	Visible	Acts as a magic and super defence potion in one dose. Boosts Magic by $4$ and Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+5\rfloor$. Allows for the use of higher level magical spells.
	Divine battlemage potion	5-19	Visible	Acts as a battlemage potion. Natural stat draining for Magic 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.
	Overload (Nightmare Zone)	5-19	Visible	Acts as a super combat, super ranging, and super magic potion in one dose. Boosts combat stats by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+5\rfloor$ (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
	Saradomin brew	2-21	Visible	Boosts Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {20}{100}}+2\rfloor$ and Hitpoints by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {15}{100}}+2\rfloor$. Reduces Attack, Strength, Magic and Ranged levels by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {10}{100}}+2\rfloor$. Hitpoints can rise above normal level with the boost.
	Elder (+)	6-21	Visible	Boosts Attack, Strength, and Defence by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {16}{100}}+6\rfloor$. Only usable within the Chambers of Xeric, and is the strongest variant
	Overload (+)	6-21	Visible	Acts as an elder (+), twisted (+), and kodai (+) potion in one dose. Boosts combat stats by $\lfloor {\text{Level}}\times {\frac {16}{100}}+6\rfloor$ (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 Chambers of Xeric, and is the strongest variant

Quests

Quests requiring Defence

Quest	Defence requirement	Other skill requirements
Rag and Bone Man II	20	40
Between a Rock...	30	40 , 50
Lunar Diplomacy	40	61 , 49 , 5 , 65 , 60 , 55
King's Ransom	65	45

Quests rewarding Defence experience

Main article: Quest experience rewards

Quest	Experience reward	Defence requirement	Other requirements
A Soul's Bane	500	-	-
In Search of the Myreque	600	-	25
In Aid of the Myreque	2,000	-	25 , 15 , 7
Nature Spirit	2,000	-	18 if crafting your own sickle
What Lies Below	2,000	-	35
The Fremennik Trials	2,812	-	25 , 40 , 40 if crafting your own lyre
Heroes' Quest	3,075	-	55 , 53 , 53 , 25 , 50
Between a Rock...	5,000	30	40 , 50
Olaf's Quest	12,000	-	40 , 50
Holy Grail	15,300	-	20
Dragon Slayer I	18,650	-	32
Camelot training room (minigame)	20,000	65	45
King's Ransom	33,000	65	45
Total	116,937

Skill choice

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
X Marks the Spot	300	Any	None
Client of Kourend	500 twice	Any	None
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen	2,500	Any skill above 30	49 , 57
A Tail of Two Cats	2,500 twice	Any skill above 30	None
The Great Brain Robbery	5,000	Any skill above 30	16 , 30 , 50
King's Ransom	5,000	Any skill above 50	65
Darkness of Hallowvale	2,000 three times	Any skill above 30	5 , 20 , 22 , 32 , 33 , 40
A Taste of Hope	2,500 three times	Any skill above 35	48 , 40 , 40 , 45 , 38
A Kingdom Divided	10,000	Any skill above 40	54 , 52 , 52 , 50 , 42 , 38 , 35
Architectural Alliance (miniquest)	10,000	Any skill above 40	None
In Search of Knowledge (miniquest)	10,000	Any skill above 40	None
Curse of the Empty Lord (miniquest)	10,000	Any skill above 50	Some players will need 31
Shadow of the Storm	10,000		30
Contact!	7,000 twice		None
Dream Mentor	15,000		32 , 85 , 61 , 40 , 49 , 5 , 65 , 60 , 55
The Fremennik Isles	10,000 twice		20 , 40
A Night at the Theatre	20,000 three times		90 recommended
One Small Favour	10,000 twice	Any skill above 30	36 , 25 , 18 , 30
Recipe for Disaster (The final battle)	20,000	Any skill above 50	175 , 70 , 48 , 50 , 53 , 53 , 25 , 59 , 40 , 50 , 40 , 40 , 10 , 10 , 36
Legends' Quest	7,650 four times		107 , 50 , 50 , 45 , 56 , 52 , 42 , 50 , 50 , 50 , 50
Monkey Madness I	35,000 & 20,000		None
Sins of the Father	15,000 three times	Any skill above 60	62 , 60 , 56 , 52 , 50 , 50 , 49
Dragon Slayer II	25,000 four times		200 , 75 , 70 , 68 , 62 , 60 , 60 , 50 , 50
Monkey Madness II	50,000 twice		69 , 70 , 60 , 55 , 55 , 60
Total	541,900