Gear progression
Melee armour
Which melee armour upgrade gives the most defence per gp?
See your position on this path. Mark what you own — or connect RuneLite — and this page shows what you own, what's next, and what's already superseded.
Open gear checklistThe core progression
- Rune full helm
- Helm of neitiznot
- Neitiznot faceguard
- Torva full helm
Melee armour buys you survivability and a smaller slice of accuracy and strength. It matters most where you take real damage — long boss trips, the Wilderness, and content you can't safely flick prayer against. This ladder covers the body, legs and helm slots from your first Rune set to full Torva.
When to move up a tier
Upgrade armour once your weapon is already strong and staying alive (or extending trip length) is the bottleneck. An earned piece like the Fighter torso is worth grinding early because it beats far pricier bodies for strength; save Bandos and Torva for when their defence actually changes how long you can stay out.
Rune full helm
~20.4kThe entry-level melee helmet — a cheap defensive base before Slayer/Barrows helms.
Obtained from: Monster drops (or Smithing)
Helm of neitiznot
A cheap all-round melee helm with a prayer bonus — the standard head slot before the faceguard.
Unlocked by: The Fremennik Isles
Neitiznot faceguard
An upgraded helm of neitiznot with a strength bonus — a top melee head slot short of Torva.
Obtained from: Helm of neitiznot + Basilisk jaw (The Fremennik Exiles)
Torva full helm
Best-in-slot melee helmet with strength bonuses — the endgame head slot for all serious melee.
Obtained from: Nex
Rune platelegs
~38kThe entry-level melee legs — a cheap defensive base before Bandos tassets.
Obtained from: Monster drops (or Smithing)
Bandos tassets
The standard strength legs for melee bossing — a long-lived upgrade held until Torva.
Obtained from: General Graardor
Torva platelegs
Best-in-slot melee legs with top strength bonuses — the endgame legs for all melee.
Obtained from: Nex
Fighter torso
UntradeableThe cheapest strength-bonus body in the game — a near-universal early melee upgrade held until Bandos/Torva.
Obtained from: Barbarian Assault (reward shop)
Bandos chestplate
The workhorse strength body for years of a melee account — a major upgrade over the fighter torso for defence.
Obtained from: General Graardor
Torva platebody
Best-in-slot melee body with the game's best strength bonuses — the endgame chest for all melee.
Obtained from: Nex
Dragon boots
~211.3kThe cheap strength boot standard for years — the melee feet slot before Primordials.
Obtained from: Spiritual warriors (God Wars Dungeon)
Primordial boots
Best-in-slot melee boots with the game's top strength bonus — the endgame feet slot for melee.
Obtained from: Dragon boots + Primordial crystal (Cerberus)
Guardian boots
~1.4mTanky melee boots with a strength bonus — the base that upgrades into Echo boots.
Obtained from: Bandos boots + Black tourmaline core (Grotesque Guardians)
Echo boots
Tanky boots with a prayer bonus and a melee recoil effect — a direct upgrade of Guardian boots, but a defensive slot choice, not a Strength upgrade over Primordials.
Obtained from: Guardian boots + Echo crystal (Fortis Colosseum)
Void knight robe
The legs of the Void set — part of the damage-boosting bonus, a cheap hybrid option across styles.
Obtained from: Pest Control (reward shop)
Elite void robe
The upgraded Void legs — the elite counterpart to the Void robe with an added damage bonus.
Obtained from: Void robe upgrade (needs Hard Western Provinces Diary)
Void knight top
With the matching helm, boosts damage/accuracy in one style — a cheap hybrid body for accounts without best-in-slot sets.
Obtained from: Pest Control (reward shop)
Elite void top
An upgraded Void top adding a magic/ranged damage bonus over regular Void — the better hybrid body once the Hard Western diary is done.
Obtained from: Void top upgrade (needs Hard Western Provinces Diary)
Other body / legs / helm options
Rune platebody
~38.3kThe cheapest solid melee body — a defensive base before the fighter torso / Bandos.
Obtained from: Monster drops (or Smithing)
Verac's helm
Degrades~138.9kPart of Verac's set, whose effect can bypass armour and prayer — a niche melee helm. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Guthan's helm
Degrades~157kPart of Guthan's set, whose full-set effect heals on hit — popular for sustained/AFK slayer. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Verac's brassard
Degrades~181.8kThe body of Verac's set — completes the armour/prayer-ignoring effect used in niche melee content. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Torag's helm
Degrades~187.5kA defensive Barrows melee helm — cheap high-Defence protection, part of Torag's set. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Guthan's chainskirt
Degrades~187.7kThe legs of Guthan's healing set — worn to complete the lifesteal effect for AFK slayer. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Guthan's platebody
Degrades~212.5kThe body of Guthan's healing set — sustains long slayer trips via the set's lifesteal effect. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Torag's platelegs
Degrades~342.8kHigh-Defence Barrows legs — a cheap defensive option before Bandos tassets. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Torag's platebody
Degrades~343.1kA high-Defence Barrows body — a cheap defensive chest before Bandos. Degrades and needs repair.
Obtained from: Barrows
Verac's plateskirt
Degrades~361.1kThe legs of Verac's set — worn to complete the armour/prayer-ignoring set effect. Degrades.
Obtained from: Barrows
Blood moon helm
~826.2kPart of the Blood moon melee set — a mid-game set with a proc that hastens the next attack.
Obtained from: Moons of Peril (Lunar Chest)
Blood moon chestplate
~3.8mPart of the Blood moon melee set.
Obtained from: Moons of Peril (Lunar Chest)
Blood moon tassets
~9mPart of the Blood moon melee set.
Obtained from: Moons of Peril (Lunar Chest)
Void melee helm
UntradeableCompletes the melee Void bonus — situational, since dedicated melee gear usually beats Void.
Obtained from: Pest Control (reward shop)
Inquisitor's great helm
~71.3mPart of the crush-boosting Inquisitor's set — worth it where crush is best (e.g. with the mace).
Obtained from: The Nightmare
Inquisitor's plateskirt
~114.7mThe legs of the crush-boosting Inquisitor's set — situational, best where crush wins.
Obtained from: The Nightmare
Inquisitor's hauberk
~118.2mThe body of the crush-boosting Inquisitor's set — situational, strongest on crush-weak bosses.
Obtained from: The Nightmare
Justiciar faceguard
~13.1mBest-in-slot pure defence — situational, for surviving heavy-hitting content rather than DPS.
Obtained from: Theatre of Blood
Oathplate helm
Slash-focused endgame melee helm from Yama — a specialist ALTERNATIVE to Torva against high-Defence, slash-weak targets, not a universal upgrade.
Obtained from: Yama
Oathplate chest
Slash-focused endgame melee body from Yama — a specialist ALTERNATIVE to Torva for slash-weak targets.
Obtained from: Yama
Oathplate legs
Slash-focused endgame melee legs from Yama — a specialist ALTERNATIVE to Torva for slash-weak targets.
Obtained from: Yama
Avernic treads
~146.1mEndgame hybrid boots that beat the style-specific boots in most stats — one boot for every combat style, or the base for the style-specific upgrades.
Obtained from: Doom of Mokhaiotl (base form)
Strict upgrades stack vertically; sidegrades are shown as branches — one is not simply better than another, they solve different problems. Independent families are kept separate rather than forced into a single ladder. Values are illustrative; composite items are valued from their components.
Gear checklist
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Bossing hub
Where this gear is used & dropped
Progression planner
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How to read this melee armour progression
ScapePath maps this category as an upgrade graph, not a single price ladder. A strict upgrade replaces the item below it — it does everything the earlier piece did and more, so owning it makes the earlier one redundant. A sidegrade sits beside its peers because it solves a different problem, and independent familiesare kept apart because they aren't on the same line at all.
This page holds 29 separate families. Buy the next rung on the line you're actually on rather than the most expensive item on the page — the goal is the upgrade that changes your kills.