Magic

The RuneScape Wiki also has an article on: rsw:MagicThe RuneScape Classic Wiki also has an article on: classicrsw:Magic

This article has a calculator here. Calculators determine experience and costs based on real-time prices from the Grand Exchange Market Watch.

This article is about the Magic skill. For information on training Magic, see Magic training (F2P) (P2P).

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

Magic
Released		4 January 2001 (Update)
Also called		Mage
Members		No
Type		Combat
Statistics
Players with 99		157,586 as of 1 July 2020 - update
Players with 200M XP		86 as of 1 July 2020 - update

Magic is one of the most important skills in Old School RuneScape and is one of the three combat classes. It is used in Combat; it allows crafted items to be enchanted, fast transport around the world via teleports, and converting items into coins via High Level Alchemy. Magic is probably the largest source of coins into the game. While it is possible to play the game without being skilled in Magic, it is a considerable advantage to be able to use many spells, especially High Level Alchemy and teleports.

Magic is also important in order to defend well against Magic attacks. Unlike Melee and Ranged Defence, Magic Defence is actually determined by both Magic (70%) and Defence (30%) levels, as well as magic defence bonus.

All members-only spells on this page are written in italics.

Magic level up - normal

The music that plays when levelling up.

Magic level up - with unlocks

The music that plays when levelling up and unlocking new content.

Spells

For a list of all the spells in the game, see List of spells.

A player demonstrating Magic spells.

Magic is used almost exclusively through casting spells on monsters, another player, on one's self (reflexively), or on an item.

Runes

Main article: Runes

All spells (with the exception of the Home Teleports in the Standard, Ancient, Lunar, and Arceuus spellbooks) require the use of runes as a consumed resource. Runes are stackable, commonly traded items which are obtained by various methods. For hints on obtaining runes, see Runes: obtaining runes.

Elemental staves

Main article: Elemental staves

The requirement for certain runes in a spell can be removed if the player wields an elemental staff corresponding to an elemental rune. As an example, wielding a staff of fire allows a player to cast High Level Alchemy using only one nature rune.

Magic weapons

Main article: Weapons § Magic weapons

Spellbooks

There are four divisions of Magic in RuneScape - standard (commonly called "modern"), Ancient Magicks, Lunar spells, and Arceuus. Each has a different spellbook and typically only one can be used at once (for an exception to this rule, see Spellbook Swap). The special spellbooks are only available on members' worlds.

To cast a spell, a player must choose the wanted spell from their spellbook. To access the activated spellbook, click on the spellbook icon in the game's interface.

Standard spells

The standard spellbook.

Main article: Standard spells

The standard spells are activated on any new character's account, and they are available on all worlds. There is no prerequisite to using the standard spellbook, although some spells are only available on members' worlds and others require completion of certain quests or tasks. As with other skills, new capabilities require higher skill levels.

Ancient Magicks (Members only)

Main article: Ancient Magicks

The Ancient Magicks contain some of the most dangerous offensive spells. These spells can only be used after completing the fiendish Desert Treasure quest.

Lunar spells (Members only)

Main article: Lunar spells

The Lunar spells are mostly supportive spells and are unrelated to combat, and require completing the Lunar Diplomacy quest before being usable. A spellbook extension becomes available after completion of the Dream Mentor quest.

Arceuus spells (Members only)

Main article: Arceuus spellbook

The Arceuus spellbook (also known as the Necromancy spellbook), is a spellbook that can be accessed by gaining 60% Arceuus favour. It contains mostly creature reanimation spells, but also several alternative teleportation spells.

Standard spellbook description

In the Standard spellbook, spells fall into one of several categories: Combat, Curse, Teleportation, Alchemy and Enchantment. All spells yield their associated amount of experience when cast. Combat spells additionally give experience related to the amount of damage caused to the opponent(s).

Teleportation spells

Teleportation spells are very popular with all players - free-to-players and members alike, as teleportation spells save lots of time when travelling around the world. Note that using a teleport spell is not possible north of level 20 Wilderness, nor in any of the combat-based minigames such as Castle Wars and Pest Control.

Icon	Spell	Magic level	Runes required	Experience	Notes
	Home Teleport	1	None	0	This spell will transport you to Lumbridge free of charge. It takes around 10 seconds to cast and is interruptible by combat. Additionally, it may only be cast every 30 minutes.
	Varrock Teleport	25	3 1 1	35	Transports you to the centre of Varrock, by the fountain near the shop.
	Lumbridge Teleport	31	3 1 1	41	Transports you to the centre of Lumbridge Castle, in the same spot as the Home Teleport.
	Falador Teleport	37	3 1 1	48	Transports you to the centre of Falador, by the guards.
	Teleport to House	40	1 1 1	30	Transports you to your house. See Construction skill.
	Camelot Teleport	45	5 1	55.5	Transports you to Camelot south of the castle.
	Ardougne Teleport	51	2 2	61	Transports you to Ardougne in the centre of the square. You must complete the Plague City quest to use this teleport.
	Watchtower Teleport	58	2 2	68	Transports you to the top of the Watchtower, next to Yanille. You must complete the Watchtower quest to use this spell.
	Trollheim Teleport	61	2 2	68	Transports you to the very top of Trollheim, near Eadgar's cave. You must complete the Eadgar's Ruse quest to use this teleport.
	Ape Atoll Teleport	64	2 2 2 1	74	Transports you to Ape Atoll. Requires completion of the Awowogei subquest of Recipe for Disaster.
	Kourend Castle Teleport	69	5 4 2 2	82	Transports you to the Kourend Castle courtyard. Players must unlock the spell via searching for the book, transportation incantations, in the Arceuus Library.
	Teleother Lumbridge	74	1 1 1	84	Teleports another player who has Accept Aid switched on to Lumbridge.
	Teleother Falador	82	1 1 1	92	Teleports another player who has Accept Aid switched on to Falador.
	Tele Block	85	1 1 1	80	Can only be cast on another player in the Wilderness, and if successful, will prevent that player from using teleportation spells for 5 minutes.
	Teleport to Bounty Target	85	1 1 1	45	Teleports you near your Bounty Hunter Target. You can only use this spell after using a Bounty teleport scroll.
	Teleother Camelot	90	1 2	100	Teleports another player who has Accept Aid switched on to Camelot.

Combat spells

Main article: Combat spells

All combat spells result in a spell related amount of experience when cast, but also give experience depending on the amount of damage caused to the opponent. Each damage point caused by a combat spell yields 2 Magic experience points (i.e. hitting a 30 with a spell yields the spell's base experience + 60 Magic experience) and 1.33 Hitpoints experience points. Generally, most combat spells use some air runes in combination with some other "combat" runes, though there are exceptions with the special spells such as Magic Dart.

All spells have equal accuracy, and the magical accuracy is only derived from the current Magic level (and applicable boosts such as from potions or prayer) and Magic accuracy bonus from equipment. To maximise accuracy, especially in training and player killing, players are advised to equip magic-boosting equipment, unequip magic-lowering equipment, use temporary skill boosts to Magic, and raise Magic levels. Most spells can be autocast (automatically firing a selected spell, when attacking), if the player wields a staff or wand, some require a specific item to be autocast.

Icon	Spell	Magic level	Runes required	Experience	Max hit	Notes
	Wind Strike	1	1 1	5.5	2
	Water Strike	5	1 1 1	7.5	4
	Earth Strike	9	1 2 1	9.5	6
	Fire Strike	13	2 3 1	11.5	8
	Wind Bolt	17	2 1	13.5	9	Chaos gauntlets can be used with Bolt spells. The gauntlets, when worn, increase the maximum damage done by all bolt spells by 3, thus making the max hit of a specific bolt spell only 1 behind the Blast spell of the same element.
	Water Bolt	23	2 2 1	16.5	10
	Earth Bolt	29	2 3 1	19.5	11
	Fire Bolt	35	3 4 1	22.5	12
	Crumble Undead	39	2 2 1	24.5	15	Will only work on undead creatures i.e. zombies, skeletons, etc. Can only be autocast with the Slayer's staff, Void knight mace or any version of the staff of the dead.
	Wind Blast	41	3 1	25.5	13
	Water Blast	47	3 3 1	28.5	14
	Iban Blast	50	5 1 + Iban's staff	30	25	Must complete Underground Pass quest, the staff has 120 charges (or 2,500 with Iban's staff (u)). Using Iban Blast on any monster will use one charge. Using the spell on a player will use up 2 charges. When all the charges are used up, you have to recharge the staff by using it on the well in the Underground Pass.
	Magic Dart	50	1 4 + Slayer's staff	30	15-19	Must have 55 Slayer to use. Can only be cast with the Slayer's staff or any version of the staff of the dead.
	Earth Blast	53	3 4 1	31.5	15
	Fire Blast	59	4 5 1	34.5	16	This is the strongest spell available to free players.
	Saradomin Strike	60	4 2 2 + Saradomin staff / Staff of Light	35	20 / 30	Must complete Mage Arena. Lowers target's prayer by 1 for each successful cast. Can be autocast with Staff of Light. Charge increases max hit from 20 to 30.
	Claws of Guthix	60	4 1 2 + Guthix staff / Void Knight mace / Staff of balance	35	20 / 30	Must complete Mage Arena. Chance to lower target's defence by 5% on successful hit. Can be autocast with Void Knight mace and Staff of balance. Charge increases max hit from 20 to 30.
	Flames of Zamorak	60	1 4 2 + Zamorak staff / (Toxic) Staff of the dead	35	20 / 30	Must complete Mage Arena. Lowers target's magic by 5% on a successful hit. Can be autocast with Staff of the dead or Toxic staff of the dead. Charge increases max hit from 20 to 30.
	Wind Wave	62	5 1	36	17
	Water Wave	65	5 7 1	37.5	18
	Earth Wave	70	5 7 1	40	19
	Fire Wave	75	5 7 1	42.5	20
	Wind Surge	81	5 1	44.5	21
	Water Surge	85	7 10 1	46.5	22
	Earth Surge	90	7 10 1	48.5	23
	Fire Surge	95	7 10 1	50.5	24

Defensive casting

Although each damage point caused by a combat spell yields 2 Magic experience points and 1.33 Hitpoints experience points when casting regularly, the other option, which is denoted by a shield icon in the interface, represents 'defensive casting'. If you click this button instead of the regular option, you will gain Defence experience whenever you cast combat spells at the cost of receiving a reduced amount of Magic experience. On defensive, you get 1.33 Magic experience points and 1 Defence experience point for every damage point you inflict as well as the usual 1.33 Hitpoints experience points and base Magic experience that is earned for each cast.

Curses

A curse spell is any spell that causes a negative effect to its target other than damage. Curses are an underused part of Magic, mainly because spell casters have little time to waste in casting damage spells. In long, prolonged fights, using a curse spell or two at the beginning may be a very good idea. Curses also are useful when competing for a monster respawn, as the curse immediately engages the monster.

Icon	Spell	Magic level	Runes required	Experience	Notes
	Confuse	3	2 3 1	13	Reduces your opponent's Attack by 5%.
	Weaken	11	2 3 1	21	Reduces your opponent's Strength by 5%.
	Curse	19	3 2 1	29	Reduces your opponent's Defence by 5%.
	Bind	20	3 3 2	30	Prevents your opponent from moving for 5 seconds.
	Snare	50	4 4 3	60	Prevents your opponent from moving for 10 seconds.
	Vulnerability	66	5 5 1	76	Reduces your opponent's Defence by 10%.
	Enfeeble	73	8 8 1	83	Reduces your opponent's Strength by 10%.
	Entangle	79	5 5 4	89	Prevents your opponent from moving for 15 seconds.
	Charge	80	3 3 3	180	This spell temporarily increases the maximum damage of the three God spells to 30 for about 7 minutes. The corresponding God cape must be worn along with the staff in order for the spell to get the damage increase.
	Stun	80	12 12 1	90	Reduces your opponent's Attack by 10%.

Alchemy

All Alchemy spells use nature runes to convert some thing into some other thing. Particularly note High Level Alchemy in this section, as it is probably the most widely used spell in the game.

Icon	Spell	Magic level	Runes required	Experience	Notes
	Bones to Bananas	15	2 2 1	25	Converts all bones in the player's inventory into bananas.
	Low Level Alchemy	21	3 1	31	Converts items into coins.
	Superheat Item	43	4 1	53	Smelts ores without the need for a furnace.
	High Level Alchemy	55	5 1	65	Converts items into more coins than Low Level Alchemy spell.
	Bones to Peaches	60	4 4 2	35.5	Converts all bones in inventory into peaches. You must buy this spell from the Mage Training Arena.

Enchantments

All enchantment spells use cosmic runes to make an item magical. For the enchant orb group of spells, you need to travel to the appropriate obelisk and cast the spell on that. Similarly with the jewellery spells, you must have a piece of jewellery to cast the spell on.

Icon	Spell	Magic level	Runes required	Experience	Notes
	Enchant Crossbow Bolt	4	Varies	Varies	Enchants any type of tipped bolts, up to level 87 Magic required.
	Lvl-1 Enchant	7	1 1	17.5	Enchants sapphire jewellery.
	Lvl-2 Enchant	27	3 1	37	Enchants emerald jewellery.
	Lvl-3 Enchant	49	5 1	59	Enchants ruby jewellery.
	Charge Water Orb	56	30 3 1	66	Creates a water orb, spell must be cast on Obelisk of Water deep in the Taverley Dungeon.
	Lvl-4 Enchant	57	10 1	67	Enchants diamond jewellery.
	Charge Earth Orb	60	30 3 1	70	Creates an earth orb, spell must be cast on the Obelisk of Earth in Edgeville Dungeon.
	Charge Fire Orb	63	30 3 1	73	Creates a fire orb, spell must be cast on Obelisk of Fire deep in the Taverley Dungeon.
	Charge Air Orb	66	30 3 1	76	Creates an air orb, spell must be cast on Obelisk of Air in Edgeville Dungeon.
	Lvl-5 Enchant	68	15 15 1	78	Enchants dragonstone jewellery.
	Lvl-6 Enchant	87	20 20 1	97	Enchants onyx jewellery.
	Lvl-7 Enchant	93	20 1 20	110	Enchants zenyte jewellery.

Combat

Monster magic defence

A monster's defence level has no effect on the accuracy of incoming magical attacks. Instead, a monster's magical defence roll is calculated solely from their magic level and magic defence bonus. This differs from range and melee, as they use the defence level and respective defence bonus.

Magic staves

Main article: Staves

Various staves are available in Old School RuneScape. In the list below are all the free-to-play staves, which all can be obtained at Zaff's store in Varrock. The main effect of a staff is to boost Magic Attack and Defence, while the elemental staves provide unlimited amounts of their corresponding rune(s). There are many members' staves such as battlestaves, mystic staves, slayer's staff, lunar staff and ancient staff. Visit the staves' page for a complete description.

Item		Attack		Defence				Strength
		Crush	Magic	Stab	Slash	Crush	Magic
	Staff	7	4	2	3	1	4	3
	Magic staff	10	10	2	3	1	10	7
	Staff of air	7	10	2	3	1	10	3
	Staff of water	7	10	2	3	1	10	3
	Staff of earth	7	10	2	3	1	10	5
	Staff of fire	9	10	2	3	1	10	6

Magic armour and robes

Main article: Armour/Magic armour

Most mages wear robes, although some light armour is available that is made from special material and does not hinder the wearer's ability to perform magical attacks. For the different sets of armour and detailed information on each piece, see the armour guide.

A player can have a Magic Attack bonus of up to 172, and a Magic Defence bonus up to 253. The lowest Magic Attack bonus is -105, which will help prevent spells from hitting an opponent while training (i.e. splashing).

Magic accuracy

• Magic accuracy is determined by attacker's Attack roll and defender's Defence roll.
• Attack roll and Defence roll formulas are different for monsters and players, more precisely their Attack and Defence effective levels differ.
• The player's accuracy roll depends on the player's Magic level ($M_{lvl}$) and Magic equipment attack bonus ($M_{eab}$). Because visible Magic level is used, Prayer effects need to be considered ($P_{e}$).
• Monster's accuracy roll depends on the monster's Magic level ($M_{lvl}$) and Magic attack bonues ($M_{ab}$).
• The player's defence roll depends on the player's Magic level ($M_{lvl}$), player's Defence lvl ($D_{lvl}$) and Magic equipment defence bonus ($M_{edb}$).
• Monster's defence roll depends on the monster's Magic level ($M_{lvl}$), monster's Magic defence bonus ($M_{db}$)

		Player	Monster
Attacking	Effective level ($E_{a}$)	$M_{lvl}\times P_{e}+8$	$M_{lvl}+9$
	Attack Roll ($R_{a}$)	$E_{a}\times (M_{eab}+64)$	$E_{a}\times (M_{ab}+64)$
Defending	Effective level ($E_{d}$)	$M_{lvl}\times 0.7+D_{lvl}\times 0.3+8$	$M_{lvl}+9$
	Defence Roll ($R_{d}$)	$E_{d}\times (M_{edb}+64)$	$E_{d}\times (M_{db}+64)$

• The hit chance can be calculated by taking Attack roll ($R_{a}$) of the attacker (Player/Monster) and comparing it with Defence roll ($R_{d}$) of the defender. Both can be calculated from given table.
  • If $R_{a}>R_{d}$ then Hit chance $H_{c}=1-(R_{d}+2)/(2\times (R_{a}+1))$
  • Otherwise Hit chance $H_{c}=R_{a}/(2\times (R_{d}+1))$
• Examples of Defence roll calculation for monsters
  • Callisto (Members only)
    • Effective level $E_{d}=M_{lvl}+9=1+9=10$
    • Defence roll $R_{d}=E_{d}\times (M_{db}+64)=10\times (900+64)=9,640$
  • Skeletal wyvern (Members only)
    • Effective level $E_{d}=M_{lvl}+9=120+9=129$
    • Defence roll: $R_{d}=E_{d}\times (M_{db}+64)=129\times (80+64)=18,576$
• Protect from Magic makes most NPCs splash against player.

Training Magic

Main article: Magic training

Temporary boosts

Main article: Temporary skill boost

Boost		Level increase	Visibility	Other info
	Magic cape	1	Visible	Activating the cape's effect will increase the corresponding skill by 1.
	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.
	Oldak	±2	Visible	Requires completion of Death to the Dorgeshuun.
	Wizard's mind bomb	2 or 3	Visible	Boosts magic by $Level*{\frac {2}{100}}+2$. Restores 3 Hitpoints. Reduces Attack, Strength and Defence. Available to free players.
	Magic essence	3	Visible	Used during the Fairytale II - Cure a Queen quest.
	Mature Wizard's mind bomb	3 or 4	Visible	Boosts magic by $Level*{\frac {2}{100}}+3$. Reduces Attack, Strength and Defence.
	Magic potion	4	Visible	Allows for the use of higher level magical spells.
	Divine magic potion	4	Visible	Acts as a magic potion. Stat draining for magic is disabled for 5 minutes, meaning the player's magic will stay fully boosted. After the 5 minutes are over, magic level will be restored to its base level.
	Battlemage potion	4	Visible	Boosts defence by $Level*{\frac {15}{100}}+5$. Allows for the use of higher level magical spells.
	Divine battlemage potion	4	Visible	Acts as a battlemage potion. Stat draining for magic is disabled for 5 minutes, meaning the player's magic will stay fully boosted. After the 5 minutes are over, magic level will be restored to its base level.
	Imbued heart	1-10	Visible	Boosts magic by $Level*{\frac {1}{10}}+1$. Allows for the use of higher level magical spells. Only usable once every 7 minutes.
	Super magic potion	5-19	Visible	Boosts magic by $Level*{\frac {15}{100}}+5$. Allows for the use of higher level magical spells. Only usable within the Nightmare Zone.
	Overload	5-19	Visible	Boosts combat stats by $Level*{\frac {15}{100}}+5$ (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

Quests requiring Magic

Quest	Magic requirement	Other requirements
In Aid of the Myreque	7	25 , 15
Watchtower	15	15 , 25 , 14 , 40
Elemental Workshop II	20	30 , 20
Darkness of Hallowvale	33	22 , 5 , 20 , 26 , 32 , 40
The Giant Dwarf	33	14 , 12 , 16
Spirits of the Elid	33	37 , 37 , 37
Enakhra's Lament	39	50 , 45 , 43 , 45
King's Ransom	45	65
The Eyes of Glouphrie	46	5 , 45 ()
Sins of the Father	49	62 , 56 , 52 , 60 , 50 , 50
Desert Treasure	50	53 , 50 , 10
Legends' Quest	56	50 , 50 , 45 , 52 , 42 , 50 , 50 , 50 , 50
Family Crest	59	40 , 40 , 40
Lunar Diplomacy	65	61 , 40 , 49 , 5 , 60 , 55
Swan Song	66	100 , 62 , 62 , 45 , 42 , 40
Dragon Slayer II	75	200 , 70 , 68 , 62 , 60 , 60 , 50 , 50

Quests rewarding Magic experience

Main article: Quest experience rewards

Quest	Experience reward	Magic requirement	Other requirements
Witch's Potion	325	-	-
Imp Catcher	875	-	-
Fairytale I - Growing Pains	1,000	-	-
Spirits of the Elid	1,000	33	37 , 37 , 37
The Giant Dwarf	1,500	33	14 , 12 , 16
The Grand Tree	2,150	-	25
Recipe for Disaster (Lumbridge Guide subquest)	2,500	-	40
Horror from the Deep	4,662	-	35
King's Ransom	5,000	45	65
Lunar Diplomacy	5,000	65	61 , 40 , 49 , 5 , 60 , 55
Enakhra's Lament	7,000	39	50 , 45 , 43 , 45
Dream Mentor	10,000	65	32 (boostable), 85 , 61 , 40 , 49 , 5 , 60 , 55
The Eyes of Glouphrie	12,000	46	5 , 45 ()
Swan Song	15,000	66	100 , 62 , 62 , 45 , 42 , 40
Watchtower	15,250	15	15 , 25 , 14 , 40
Desert Treasure	20,000	50	53 , 50 , 10
Total	103,262

Skill choice

Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Magic. 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	-
Client of Kourend	500 twice	Any	-
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	-
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	Any skill above 35	48 , 45 , 40 , 40 , 38
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 31
Shadow of the Storm	10,000		30
Contact!	7,000 twice		-
Dream Mentor	15,000		32 (boostable), 85 , 61 , 40 , 49 , 5 , 65 , 60 , 55
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 , 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
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	354,400

Trivia

• In early 2001, there were two magic skills, Good Magic and Evil Magic. However, with the introduction of a new magic system, the lower skill was removed, and the higher skill changed to Magic. For example, if the player had level 50 Good Magic and level 40 Evil Magic, they would keep level 50 Magic, and the experience for the Evil Magic was discarded. Because of this, some players were upset that they lost money for training their lower magic skill, and that the experience was thrown away instead of carried over. There were also spells like Shock Bolt, Elemental Bolt, Camouflage, and Fear.
• Prior to the introduction of RuneScape 2, combat spells were universally represented by a simple, flying blue star, which proved difficult to distinguish from arrows, which were green stars. Also, in RuneScape Classic, players were capable of casting magic spells while wearing full rune armour, leading to a massive imbalance in favour of high-level mages.
• Prior to the advent of multicombat areas in RuneScape 2, mages and archers could attack enemies while a melee fighter engaged the monster in direct combat. This was the most common way for multiple players to attack the same creature, usually high level bosses like the King Black Dragon. The loot would go to whoever dealt the most damage, and the person who dealt the last hit would be the only one to receive experience, though less than if they had killed the monster themselves.
• In RuneScape Classic, each spell gave the fixed experience using the formula 2 * spell level + 20. Magic was a much faster skill to train if you could get sufficient runes, though runes were much harder to obtain. With RuneScape 2 came the introduction of Runecraft and many monsters with much higher rune drop rates, so runes became much easier to obtain. Accordingly, experience rates were also reduced to where they are today. Now normal spells generally gives (spell level + 10) experience and combat spells generally give a base experience of (spell level + 10)/2.
• A Runescape Mythbusters episode aired on twitch revealed that a player's Magic level plays a role in defending against magic attacks.