Ranging is an important skill in OSRS, as it allows you to attack your enemies from a distance without coming into direct harm. It also allows you to take a fight over terrain that you normally would not be able to cross.
There are a variety of ways to train the skill. But only some of them will grant you the very best and highest of experience rates.
Not to mention that the best monsters to train against are sometimes hidden in the most obscure places…
So let’s a look at some of the best monsters to train range on, and where to find them in Old School RuneScape.
10. Ankous
Starting off our list is a F2P option which can be trained either in the Forgotten Cemetery, or in the Stronghold of Security.
Ankous should be tackled after level 60+ range, because due to their low defence you can hit them fairly often.
There are plenty of safe spots available in both locations, too.
Ankous can also drop law runes and noted mith ore in F2P, which should provide a little bit of cash back in your bank!
For the best experience, I recommend using adamant arrows with a Maple Shortbow.
You should also be sure to have full Green d’hide before tackling these monsters.
Where to Find: Ankous in F2P can only be found in the forgotten cemetery or in the Stronghold of Security.
9. Rock Crabs
Rock crabs used to be one of the best places to train range, with a very specific technique.
A cannon can be placed here which will increase the experience you gain dramatically.
And this cannot be done at Sand Crabs, which makes this spot unique for pures who only want to gain range experience.
It’s recommended to use this spot from around levels 20 – 60 range, dependent on account goals.
Pures can technically start here from level 1 range with a robin hood set and a cannon.
You won’t make any money here, but the experience is very fast!
Where to Find: On the Northern beaches of Rellekka or on Waterbirth Island.
8. Ice Trolls
This is a very underrated training spot, and easily one of the best in OSRS if you want to just use a cannon.
You can easily safe spot the ice trolls and let your cannon do all the work while tele-grabbing the high-value drops.
You might even make a profit doing this method, all while obtaining 70-100k ranging experience per hour.
And I’d say that’s insanely good!
Note you will need to complete the Fremennik Trials quest and start the Fremennik Isles quest to get to this location.
Just make sure you’re careful when restocking your cannon, as the Ice Trolls can hit you for very high damage.
Where to Find: On Neitiznot, accessible during the Fremennik Isle quest.
7. Yaks
Another enemy located just by the Ice Trolls, the Yaks are in a far safer “pen” located just outside the Neitiznot city gates.
I would recommend training on these with iron knives, which deal out a lot of damage very quickly, as the knives themselves are pretty cheap and are thrown with insanely fast speed.
Knives are one of the fastest weapon classes in OSRS, after all.
And Yaks have extremely low defence and attack, but a ton of hitpoints.
This means you’ll do a lot of damage while receiving very little damage, if any. But it can take a while to grind up, even though it’s a pretty safe spot to do it.
And just like the Ice Trolls mentioned earlier, you’ll also need to complete the Fremennik Trials quest and start the Fremennik Isles quest for this area too.
Where to Find: Yaks are in the pen on Neitiznot isle.
6. Nightmare Zone
This is a great training method for range XP, if you can get in here.
Using a Toxic Blowpipe with steel darts, you can yield around 85k experience per hour.
This can be increased to roughly 95k with mith darts, at a higher expense to yourself.
With super ranging potions and absorption potions, you can deal much higher damage and last much longer in the arena.
You can also use a rune crossbow with broad bolts or knives, which should result in around 60-70k XP per hour.
Ultimately, there are a lot of options to use here. So the whole location is really one worth exploring.
Where to Find: Outside Yanille near the bank.
5. Caged Ogres
So this is a method commonly used by pures from levels 1-80 ranging, which can offer very fast experience, but it’s extremely expensive.
Reason being is that it relies on using a cannon for every single point of experience.
You can safe spot these ogres very easily, and deal quick damage.
It’s also a very AFK method which makes this quite attractive.
And it’s almost solely done by pures who have a main account to bank roll them. The cost is very high here, so don’t underestimate that part!
Also you’ll need to have completed Biohazard to gain access to the combat training camp, and you’ll need to finish Dwarf Cannon for access to a cannon to start this method.
Where to Find: The combat camp located just outside of Ardougne.
4. Slayer Tasks
This is the method I used to get 99 range, as the sheer amount of slayer tasks you’ll do that require range are plentiful.
This method is also quite profitable because some slayer bosses (and enemies along the way) drop a ton of loot.
Using this method also gives you the added benefit of gaining slayer experience!
You also get to use your slayer helmet. This grants you a 15% accuracy and damage bonus, which will ultimately increase the total experience earned per hour.
I would recommend getting to 55 slayer to use broad bolts for this, as well as making use of a cannon where ever possible.
Some very profitable tasks include Skeletal Wyverns, Alchemical Hydra, and Gargoyles.
Where to Find: You’ll find Slayer tasks all throughout OSRS! Just speak with a Slayer Master to find your opportunity, or skim this article where we explain more about the Slayer skill.
3. Sand Crabs
Sand Crabs are located on the island of Zeah just below Hosidius house, and are the “new” rock crabs.
They offer great experience, are easy to kill, and are located close to teleports and banking options (unlike rock crabs).
The only place they struggle to be competitive with Rock Crabs in that a Dwarf Multi-Cannon cannot be used to kill sand crabs.
But using knives is a very fast way of getting experience here.
And considering there are literally dozens of sand crabs along the beach, your experience should rack up pretty fast!
Just remember to wear the best in slot as much as you can. This spot is normally best for levels 1– 50 range.
The area also has no requirements to access, but be warned that it can get very crowded.
Where to Find: On the Southern beaches of Zeah. There are also alternative options such as Crab Claw Island where you can find more crabs for a cost of 10k to travel there.
2. Skeleton Monkeys (Ape Atoll)
After completing Monkey Madness I, you can chin Skelton Monkeys – which provide some of the best range experience in the game.
This location is more recommend towards pures who can complete Monkey Madness I, but not Monkey Madness II.
The best method here is to use range Void armour or Elite Void, along with a Salve (ei) which provides a 30% boost to damage and accuracy!
You’ll need to pray melee and use red chins to maximize damage – black chins are not recommended unless you have a ton of funds to spend.
Experience can fall between 200 – 400k per hour, depending on how efficient you are, the range gear you’ve used, and the type of chin used.
Where to Find: Skeleton Monkeys are in the Ape Atoll Dungeon, which you access during the quest Monkey Madness I.
1. Maniacal Monkeys
Maniacal monkeys are a superior form of Skelton Monkeys, and are found in a dungeon during Monkey Madness II.
These offer the very fastest form of ranging experience in OSRS.
A player can get between 350k – 400k experience an hour in this place, calculating that at level 55 range using red chinchompas.
While those at level 90 you can expect as much as 800 -900k experience an hour using black chinchompas.
It’s recommended to use full void here for the damage boosting set effect, and to take prayer potions if you can.
And the maniacal monkeys also drop prayer potions, which can help make your trips longer too.
Using a Bonecrusher necklace is also a way of restoring prayer points, which can almost sustain you infinitely.
Where to Find: Found in Kruk’s Dungeon on Ape Atoll during Monkey Madness II.
