Gear progression
Melee weapons
What's my next melee weapon upgrade for the 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 Mark what you own — or connect RuneLite — and this page shows what you own, what's next, and what's already superseded.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 scimitar
- Dragon scimitar
- Abyssal whip
- Abyssal tentacle
- Osmumten's fang
- Ghrazi rapier
- Scythe of vitur
Your main-hand weapon is usually the single biggest lever on your melee damage, which is why it's the first place most accounts should spend. This ladder runs from the first Attack-gated scimitar an account buys through to the endgame Scythe of Vitur.
When to move up a tier
Move up a rung when your current weapon's accuracy or max hit is what's capping your kills — not just because you can afford the next item. Prioritise a weapon over a same-priced armour upgrade for pure DPS, but stop short of a Scythe for content a cheaper Rapier already clears comfortably.
Dragon scimitar
The classic first real melee weapon. Also needs Monkey Madness I to wield.
Buy from: Daga's Scimitar Smithy, Ape Atoll (needs Monkey Madness I)
Abyssal whip
A huge, cheap DPS jump over the dragon scimitar for general slayer and bossing.
Obtained from: Abyssal demons (Slayer)
Abyssal tentacle
A whip upgraded with a kraken tentacle — better accuracy and damage, but it degrades. A slayer/utility mainhand.
Obtained from: Abyssal whip + Kraken tentacle (Kraken)
Osmumten's fang
Improves more content than a big-ticket spec weapon — the priority melee mainhand for most accounts.
Obtained from: Tombs of Amascut
Ghrazi rapier
Best-in-slot stab outside the Scythe — a clean, no-mechanic accuracy/strength jump over the fang for most bossing.
Obtained from: Theatre of Blood
Scythe of vitur
Best-in-slot power, but only worth it for specific high-end content — not an account-wide upgrade.
Obtained from: Theatre of Blood
Staff of the dead
~5.4mA magic-boosting staff that also hits as a strong melee weapon, with a 50% melee-damage-reduction spec.
Obtained from: Staff of light + Kril'tsutsaroth hilt (K'ril Tsutsaroth)
Toxic staff of the dead
A Staff of the dead fused with a magic fang — the same spec plus a stronger melee profile. Degrades.
Obtained from: Staff of the dead + Magic fang (Zulrah)
Arclight
DegradesUntradeableEnormous accuracy and damage versus demons — the standard demon-slayer weapon. Consumes ancient shards.
Obtained from: Darklight + ancient shards (Shadow of the Storm)
Emberlight
An upgraded Arclight with a stronger demonbane effect and spec — the endgame demon weapon.
Obtained from: Arclight + Emberlight upgrade (Desert Treasure II demons)
Other weapon options
Belle's folly
~99.3kA stab sword from the Sailing content's Giants' Foundry — a mid stab option.
Made via: Polish Belle's folly (tarnished) at Giants' Foundry (Sailing)
Saradomin sword
~134kA slash two-hander with a magic-damage spec — mostly outclassed by the whip line, but cheap.
Obtained from: Commander Zilyana
Blue moon spear
The Blue moon set weapon — a hybrid spear that casts a bound spell; a niche set item.
Obtained from: Moons of Peril (Lunar Chest)
Abyssal dagger
~1.1mA fast stab weapon with a double-hit spec — a niche high-DPS option against low-defence targets.
Obtained from: Abyssal Sire
Zamorakian spear
~1.3mThe go-to stab spear for large monsters like the Corporeal Beast, which resist most other weapons.
Obtained from: Corporeal Beast
Zamorakian hasta
~1.5mA one-handed Zamorakian spear — trades the spear's power for a shield slot on stab-weak bosses.
Obtained from: Reforged from Zamorakian spear (Otto Godblessed)
Dual macuahuitl
~4.6mThe Blood moon set weapon — a fast dual-wield melee weapon with a set-synergy proc.
Obtained from: Moons of Peril (Lunar Chest)
Dragon hunter lance
~49.2mA dramatic damage boost against every dragon — the priority melee weapon for Vorkath and dragon slayer tasks.
Obtained from: Alchemical Hydra
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Blade of saeldor
Degrades~112.1mAn endgame slash weapon unlocked only after Song of the Elves — not an early upgrade. Best-in-slot slash comparable to the Ghrazi rapier's stab, with no ammo cost but a crystal-shard charge cost.
Made via: Sung from enhanced crystal weapon seed (The Gauntlet); needs Song of the Elves
Inquisitor's mace
~309.5mBest-in-slot crush weapon; strongest paired with the Inquisitor's armour set bonus on crush-weak bosses.
Obtained from: The Nightmare
Soulreaper axe
~409.4mStacks soul charges for escalating damage — top-tier melee DPS on long single-target fights.
Obtained from: Desert Treasure II bosses
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 weapons 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 14 separate families, topping out at Scythe of vitur. 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.