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Equipment on an Ultimate Ironman is a balance between strength, availability, and storability. Every inventory space is valuable for an Ultimate Ironman, so in some cases a "weaker" piece of equipment might be the preferred option, due to it being storable in a STASH unit or in the player's player-owned house. The exact equipment progression for each player will be different, depending on their own priorities, resources, and stats. This guide aims to give a general breakdown of equipment choices for each of the three major combat styles, as well as some specialty equipment for niche scenarios or general-purpose use.
Damage per second (DPS) is the most important stat for gear as shorter kill times result saved time as well as less damage taken. Under the assumption that protective and damage boosting prayers are used, this results in a clear hierarchy of item stats: DPS > Prayer bonus > Defence bonus. In practice this hierarchy means that inventory and bag space should only be used for items that (significantly) improve DPS.
Contents
- 1 General equipment
- 2 Equipment setups for specific activities
- 2.1 Chambers of Xeric (team)
- 2.2 Chambers of Xeric (solo)
- 2.3 Theatre of Blood
- 3 Slot tables
General equipment[edit | edit source]
 | This article or section is incomplete and could do with improvement. Reason: The explanatory text under the gear tables is outdated and does not reflect the updates made to that table. |
For Melee weaponry, attack speed and Strength bonus are the most important stats to consider. At low levels, the buyable goblin paint cannon, adamant sword, and rune sword are the recommended options. Should one obtain a Rune scimitar ornament kit from beginner clues, a rune scimitar can be stored in the PoH, which could be useful in the early game. After Monkey Madness I, the dragon scimitar becomes an excellent melee weapon, with the Sarachnis cudgel being a slight upgrade obtainable through killing Sarachnis. At level 85 Slayer the abyssal whip becomes arguably the best general-purpose Melee weapon. However, should one be willing to obtain a Voidwaker, this may be a better choice than the whip due to its comparable stats in slash (and formidable stab attack bonus), the ability to train Strength, and its near best in slot special attack. That said, the whip is an excellent weapon for Ultimate Ironman players, being storeable in a STASH unit, tradeable (for purposes of storing it in the looting bag, unlike the blade of Saeldor (c)), and non-degradeable (unlike other top-tier weapons such as the tentacle whip). The Ghrazi rapier is technically the best 4 tick one-handed melee weapon available, though it is much more difficult to obtain than the abyssal whip. Osmumten's fang is extremely powerful and accurate, which makes it the best one handed weapon against high defence targets.
The strongest melee "shields" are the defenders, culminating in the dragon defender and the avernic defender, which can both be stored in a handy STASH unit. The dragonfire shield is not generally considered to be better enough compared to the dragon defender to warrant keeping, unless the player intends on killing lots of dragons in the near future.
For Melee armour, the Strength bonus is the most important stat, as protection prayers generally make defensive bonuses a secondary concern. The neitiznot faceguard is very strong and flexible. Comparatively, the helm of neitiznot and berserker helmet offer slightly lesser Strength bonuses, but can be easily bought when needed for melee combat, saving an inventory space. The obsidian helmet also offers a small Strength bonus, and can be stored in the player-owned house armour case with the obsidian platebody and obsidian platelegs. While this is not the best set to wear on its own, when combined with the Berserker necklace it becomes one of the best melee training options in the game. As with the top and platelegs, the Torva full helm is the strongest all around option, though is difficult to obtain relative to other options.
Both the bandos chestplate and fighter torso offer very strong Strength bonus for melee body armour, but the fighter torso can be stored in the player-owned house armour case, making it the preferred option. However, the bandos chestplate has considerably higher defence bonuses, which can be useful in some places. The obsidian platebody gives slightly less strength bonuses, and can be stored with the obsidian helmet and platelegs in the armour case. Similarly, the bandos tassets provide excellent Strength bonus for melee legwear, but the storeability of the obsidian platelegs makes them a popular alternative. Torva armour is the best melee armour, but is quite rare to obtain from Nex and requires breaking down Bandos armour for Bandosian components.
The best melee gloves will usually be the best culinaromancer's gloves available, only beat out by the ferocious gloves at the highest levels. The ferocious gloves must be reverted back to their hydra leather form to be tradeable (and thus, be storeable in the looting bag).
For melee boots, the climbing boots will be the best option for low to mid-level training, eventually being beat out by dragon boots and primordial boots at higher levels (though climbing boots can be easily replaced, saving an inventory space compared to its stronger alternatives). If the player is lucky enough to get spiked manacles or Climbing boots (g) from Treasure Trails, they can be stored in the player-owned house treasure chest; Dragon boots are also storable with the Dragon boots ornament kit.
The amulet of rancour is the strongest melee neckwear available, beating out the more well-rounded amulet of fury and amulet of glory. However, keeping three different neckwear options for the three different combat styles does take up more inventory space than just using an amulet of fury for all three.
Similarly, the berserker ring (i) is a strong --and relatively easy to obtain-- melee ring, but it can not be stored in the looting bag while imbued (it can be unimbued for an 80% points refund at the Nightmare Zone, or by removing a Scroll of imbuing obtained from the Emir's Arena). Due to the difficulty of keeping rings imbued, the well-rounded brimstone ring or unimbued berserker ring are solid alternatives. The Ultor ring and Bellator ring are the best options, although they may be difficult to obtain due to the difficulty of the bosses which drop them paired with the need to occupy several bag spaces with Chromium ingots while in the process of obtaining said rings. However, once created, these rings are tradeable, thus they can be stored in the looting bag.
Ranged weaponry is generally split between two-handed weapons and one-handed crossbows. Crossbows start with the Dorgeshuun crossbow (an excellent low-level training weapon due to its cheap ammunition and strength relative to other early game options) and range all the way up to the Zaryte crossbow. Crossbows are useful against enemies with high Hitpoints and Defence due to their accuracy and ability to use enchanted bolts, but are often beat out against weaker enemies by two-handed Ranged weapons.
Two-handed Ranged weapons start with the various shortbows, ranging up to the magic shortbow (i). The Bow of faerdhinen, obtained in The Gauntlet, is the best all-around Ranged weapon available. It boasts the highest damage output against monsters with mid and high-levels of defence and is storable in a STASH unit. The Toxic blowpipe, obtained from a rare drop by Zulrah, offers the best damage against (very) low defence targets when using Dragon darts, but it can't be stored and obtaining darts and Zulrah scales can be inconvenient. The twisted bow, a rare drop from the Chambers of Xeric, has a unique passive that lets it output unparalleled damage against bosses with high magic stats.
The best Ranged armour available is the fortified version of Masori armour, followed by regular Masori, then Armadyl armour, Karil the Tainted's equipment, Blessed dragonhide armour, and then each regular dragonhide armour set in descending order. None of the body or legs slot armours are easily stored, making them a permanent fixture in the player's looting bag in many cases. However, when using the Bow of Faerdhinen Crystal armour is necessary for the best performance.
The best Ranged boots are the Pegasian boots, though the lesser ranger boots and blessed boots have the advantage of being easily storeable in the players's Treasure chest in their player-owned house. The best Ranged gloves are Zaryte vambraces, but barrows gloves along with other culinaromancer's gloves are very strong options, are easy to reclaim, and are far easier to obtain than Zaryte vambraces.
Other than the Assembler max cape, none of the Ava's devices can be stored on the cape rack or in the looting bag, though the Ava's accumulator is cheap enough to replace by simply buying another one. With level 99 Ranged, the Ranging cape is a solid alternative, as it can be easily stored on the cape rack and has the same ammo-saving effect as the Ava's devices. The effect of the cape can even be improved to match the ammunition saving effect to that of the Ava's assembler --however it does not provide the same ranged strength boost-- by using a Vorkath's head with it.
The best Ranged off-hand equipment is the twisted buckler, followed by the dragonfire ward. The book of law and unholy book are both weaker, but can be easily retrieved from Perdu for a fee of 12,000 coins, or from Jossik for a one time 5,000 coin fee (subsequent reclaims are free), making them an excellent off-hand option at all levels.
The necklace of anguish is the strongest Ranged neckwear available, beating out the more well-rounded amulet of fury and amulet of glory. However, keeping three different neckwear options for the three different combat styles does take up more inventory space than just using an amulet of fury for all three.
With the release of Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire came the Venator ring, the new best in slot ring for ranged, due to its ranged strength bonus and style bonus, as well as the Ring of shadows. The Venator ring is tradeable and thus can be stored in the looting bag, however obtaining it is relatively difficult due to the challenging nature of the bosses paired with the need to store multiple Chromium ingots while in the process of making it. On the other hand, the Ring of shadows can be easily reclaimed, offers the same offensive ranged stats as the Brimstone ring (as well as similar stats for other styles), a +2 prayer bonus, and can be reclaimed for a fee of 75,000 coins from the Mysterious bandit in the Ancient Vault. The archers ring (i) is the second strongest Ranged ring, but it can not be stored in the looting bag while imbued (it can be unimbued for an 80% points refund at the Nightmare Zone or by removing a Scroll of imbuing). Because of this difficulty with keeping rings imbued, the well-rounded brimstone ring or unimbued archers ring are solid alternatives. If nothing else, the Explorer's ring variants are extremely cheap, easy to reobtain, and offer some prayer bonus.
Magic weaponry is generally split between regular spellcasting and powered staves. For regular spellcasting, the Kodai wand and Nightmare staff (along with its variants) are the strongest options for autocasting from all spellbooks, followed by the Ancient sceptre --which is unfortunately untradeable and thus not able to be put in the looting bag. However, the Master wand and Staff of the dead are both storable in the looting bag, and the Master wand can autocast ancient magicks. At lower levels, the ancient staff is useful for autocasting Ancient Magicks, and elemental staves can be useful for saving runes.
For powered staves, the Tumeken's shadow is the strongest option, followed by the Sanguinesti staff, then Trident of the swamp, and finally the Trident of the sea (which is notably easier to maintain in terms of charges). The Iban's staff and its upgraded version are viable staves at lower levels, before better weapons are available.
For general use, the Dust battlestaff is very useful, as it provides easy access to runes necessary for House teleport; however, some people might not find it worthwhile to keep, as Dust runes can easily be obtained en masse from Dust devils or one could simply purchase elemental runes. The Lava battlestaff is storable in a STASH unit near the Trollheim teleport, which could be situationally useful.
The strongest Magic armour is the Ancestral robes set, followed by Virtus robes, then Ahrim the Blighted's equipment and Mystic robes. Mystic robes can be stored in the magic wardrobe of the player-owned house and also can be bought as needed from the Magic Guild Store. The Farseer helm and Healer hat are both strong Magic helmet options, being buyable and storeable, respectively. Virtus robes are situationally stronger than Ancestral robes: when one is using ancient magicks. Bloodbark armour is a reasonably strong armour set with a unique passive which boosts the healing of Blood spells. It is also notable for having fairly high defensive stats as well as being storable in the PoH; however, give the difficulty of obtaining the Runescroll of bloodbark, many players will find that it is not worth the time investment to obtain a set.
The best Magic off-hand is the Elidinis' ward, as it offers a boost to magic damage along with reasonable defensive stats. The second best Magic off-hand item is the arcane spirit shield, however it is very a difficult and time-consuming item to obtain and therefore is seen as more of a show of accomplishment rather than a viable gear option. The book of darkness and unholy book are both weaker, but can be easily retrieved from Perdu or Jossik which makes them an excellent off-hand option --although one must do a large number of clue scrolls to obtain the necessary pages. The tome of fire is also a good low-level option, particularly for fire spells where its special effect is useful.
The imbued god capes are the strongest Magic capes to use due to their Magic damage bonus. Furthermore, they can be easily stored on the player's cape rack. At low levels, regular god capes or Ardougne cloaks can be used instead for some Magic accuracy.
The tormented bracelet is the best option for the hand slot. Its Magic damage bonus makes it substantially better than any other handwear, making it very useful for any scenarios where Magic is used, such as Slayer training, Zulrah, Barrows, and Chambers of Xeric. If the player does not have the tormented bracelet, the best culinaromancer's gloves available can be used for some Magic accuracy.
For Magic boots, the wizard boots are the generally the best option as they can be stored in the player's treasure chest. If the player does not have the wizard boots, mystic boots can be dropped and easily re-bought as needed or stored in the Magic wardrobe in the costume room (the player can withdraw the entire set and then deposit all pieces other than those desired). While the eternal boots offer the highest Magic attack bonus, they bring very little benefit to most combat situations and therefore most players consider them not worth keeping. Boots of brimstone could also be worth considering, as they have a moderate magic attack bonus as well as solid defensive stats, however they are not storable other than in the looting bag, limiting their potential use.
The occult necklace is the strongest Magic neckwear available. Its Magic damage bonus makes it substantially better than any other neckwear, making it very useful for any scenarios where Magic is used, such as Slayer training, Zulrah, Barrows, and raids. If the player does not have the occult necklace, amulet of fury or amulet of glory can be used for some Magic accuracy.
For the ring slot, the Magus ring is the best in slot option, although it can be difficult to obtain given the relative difficulty of the DTII bosses paired with the need to hold three Chromium ingots while in the process of obtaining the ring. However, once obtained it is both the best in slot magic ring, and storable in the looting bag. The brimstone ring is a good option as it provides bonuses for other combat styles in addition to a unique passive ability which allows some magical attacks to partially ignore the target's defensive stats. While the seers ring (i) offers a higher Magic attack bonus, magic rings are seldomly used, so most players consider the seers ring not worth keeping. Additionally, the seers ring cannot be stored in the looting bag while imbued (it can be unimbued for an 80% points refund at the Nightmare Zone or by removing a Scroll of imbuing). Another reasonable option is the Ring of shadows, as it is relatively easy to obtain, has good stats, and is easy to reclaim from the Mysterious bandit in the Ancient Vault for a fee of 75,000 coins. Furthermore, the ring can be upgraded to provide teleports to various locations, adding to its utility. As for other options, the Explorer's rings are always a reasonable choice given their utility and the ease of obtaining.
Some equipment is useful not for its base stats, but for its power in specific scenarios, such as where Prayer bonus or Defence stats are more desireable than raw damage output. For example, while other rings have stronger offensive bonuses, the unmatched defensive bonuses and ring of recoil effect of the ring of suffering make it useful in a number of situations. The Slayer helmet and its imbued version, while lacking significant stat bonuses, have a special effect that makes them the best helmet option for almost all Slayer tasks. The serpentine helm is useful in situations where the player encounters poison or venom, as an alternative to potions which nullify those effects. While it is a highly effective melee helmet in general, it requires Zulrah scales to charge, so some may prefer to only use it when the passive can be utilised. The Salve amulet and its various versions give significant bonuses against undead monsters, most notably Vorkath and many of the bosses in the Theatre of Blood.
In many cases, such as for low-effort combat training, a high Prayer bonus can be very useful. The Proselyte armour set has the highest Prayer bonus for head, body, and leg armour, and can be stored in the player-owned house armour case or bought from Sir Tiffy Cashien as needed. The Devout boots have the highest Prayer bonus for footwear, but their inability to be easily stored and niche usability often makes them less desirable than the storeable Holy sandals. The spectral spirit shield has the highest Prayer bonus for a shield, and its special effect makes it uniquely useful at Cerberus. However, that niche usefulness does not generally make them worth keeping and taking up an inventory slot.
Void Knight equipment and its elite version are very powerful combat options, and have the distinct advantage of being able to switch between combat styles with the helmets, saving inventory space in places like raids. Void Knight equipment can be stored in the armour case, with helmets being stored individually (making it easy to use only one or two, rather than all three).
For defensive gear, the Elysian spirit shield is unmatched in its bonuses and passive effect, though it is one of the most difficult items for an Ultimate Ironman player to obtain. The Justiciar armour set also has high defensive bonuses and a useful passive effect, and can be stored in the player-owned house armour case. As mentioned above, the ring of suffering and its imbued version have the best defensive bonuses for any rings, and can be charged with rings of recoil to gain their damage-returning effect.
As for weaponry, a number of weapons are uniquely useful against specific enemy types. The Arclight (which can be conveniently stored in a STASH unit) is the strongest weapon against demons, including Skotizo and K'ril Tsutsaroth. The Zamorakian spear is the best option when fighting the Corporeal Beast, as it takes significantly reduced damage from non-spear weaponry. Against dragons, weapons like the dragon hunter lance and dragon hunter crossbow outshine all others. Against many bosses and in raids where most enemies are larger than one square, the scythe of vitur has the highest damage output of any melee weapon, though it must be charged with Vials of blood and blood runes to use. The Elder maul has some niche usability in the Chambers of Xeric fight against Tekton, though it is not particularly useful elsewhere. Similarly, the strong slash bonus of the Blade of Saeldor excels at General Graardor and the Theatre of Blood.
Many weapons are desirable not for use in general combat, but for their special attack. The dragon warhammer's Defence-reducing special attack is useful in a number of places, particularly against high-Defence bosses and in raids. The Saradomin godsword's stat-restoring special attack is useful for extending combat trips without the use of food or prayer potions, and is particularly useful in the Inferno where supplies are limited to what the player carries in with them. The Bandos godsword has a Defence-reducing special attack much like the dragon warhammer, though it works slightly differently, making it more useful or less useful in certain situations. The Bandos godsword can be stored in a STASH unit, though doing so requires a Bandos platebody and Bandos cloak as well, which can be difficult to acquire. The Dragon battleaxe has a special attack that raises the player's offensive melee stats, and stores in a handy STASH unit alongside the Slayer helmet and Dragon defender.
Equipment setups for specific activities[edit | edit source]
| This article or section is incomplete and could do with improvement. Reason: These setups are outdated and miss important gear upgrades like the bow of Faerdhinen. Additionally a ToA setup is missing. |
Chambers of Xeric (team)[edit | edit source]
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Main article: Chambers of Xeric/Strategies
The Chambers of Xeric is a safe activity, which means players can store their items at an Item Retrieval Service for extra space. Players should bring the looting bag to store the valuable loot obtained from raiding. Having a fast method to get back to Mount Quidamortem is recommended, as this saves time in between raids. Players should bring the rune pouch with Teleport to House runes inside, or the Construction cape.
In order to save inventory space, Void Knight equipment is a popular equipment choice, as it allows for switching between Melee, Magic, and Ranged without having to bring alternate armours and gloves. This extra space makes up for the noted potions most Ultimate Ironman players will have in their inventory, and allow for more weapon, amulet, and cape switches. More experienced raiders can bring dedicated high-level equipment (such as Armadyl armour or Ancestral robes) if they feel comfortable doing the raid with fewer supplies.
For the main melee weapon, having the dragon hunter lance is strongly recommended as it is one of the best weapons to use against the Great Olm. Players who do not have the dragon hunter lance can alternatively use the Ghrazi rapier or the Blade of Saeldor instead. At the very minimum, players should have at least the abyssal whip or the zamorakian hasta.
Players should bring a relatively small amount of noted potions into the raid, so they can be dropped before the Great Olm for extra inventory spaces for potions made inside the raid. Items dropped inside the raid will stay on the ground for 30 minutes, but they will be lost should the player leave the raid. Therefore, players should only bring the amount of noted potions they do not mind potentially losing.
Chambers of Xeric (solo)[edit | edit source]
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Main article: Chambers of Xeric/Strategies
The Chambers of Xeric is a safe activity, which means players can store their items at an Item Retrieval Service for extra space. Players should bring the looting bag to store the valuable loot obtained from raiding. Having a fast method to get back to Mount Quidamortem is recommended, as this saves time in between raids. Players should bring the rune pouch with Teleport to House runes inside, or the Construction cape.
Solo raiding setups can vary a lot depending on what equipment the player has available and what layouts they prefer doing. Generally it is best to use Karil's or dragonhide armour along with dedicated switches for other combat styles, however the Void Knight equipment is also a viable option. Having another account or a friend to pre-scout layouts or hold the raid is strongly recommended (especially if the player is new to solo raiding), as this allows the player to adjust their inventory accordingly.
For the main melee weapon, having the dragon hunter lance is strongly recommended as it is one of the best weapons to use against the Great Olm. Players who do not have the dragon hunter lance can alternatively use the ghrazi rapier or the blade of Saeldor instead. At the very minimum, players should have at least the Zamorakian hasta.
Players should bring a relatively small amount of noted potions into the raid, so they can be dropped before the Great Olm for extra inventory spaces for potions made inside the raid. Items dropped inside the raid will stay on the ground for 30 minutes, but they will be lost should the player leave the raid. Therefore, players should only bring the amount of noted potions they do not mind potentially losing.
Very experienced raiders may want to consider bringing extra Saradomin brews and super restores instead of ranging or super combat potions, so they can kill the Great Olm without preparing supplies to save time. This is only recommended if the player has the sanguinesti staff for the mage hand, and/or the twisted bow or dragon hunter crossbow for the Olm head.
Theatre of Blood[edit | edit source]
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Main article: Theatre of Blood/Strategies
The Theatre of Blood is a dangerous activity, which means players are strongly advised not to store their items at an Item Retrieval Service, as it is likely to die to mistakes or a disconnection. It is recommended to have a lot of looting bag space, so players can store all their items and valuable loot obtained from the Theatre.
The Void Knight equipment is the best equipment choice, as it allows for switching between Melee, Magic, and Ranged without having to bring alternate armours and gloves. This extra space makes up for the noted potions most Ultimate Ironman players will have in their inventory, and allow for more weapon, amulet, and cape switches.
For the main Melee weapon, the blade of Saeldor (c) is the best option for most players, as the scythe of vitur is only obtainable from the Theatre. The abyssal tentacle is the second best option, but because maintaining charges for the abyssal tentacle can be inconvenient, many players opt to use the abyssal whip instead.
Players should bring two special attack weapons: one for defence reduction and one for extra damage output. For defence reduction, players should use the dragon warhammer or the Bandos godsword; for extra damage output, dragon claws are the best option, followed by a dragon dagger or a crystal halberd.
Slot tables[edit | edit source]
These slot tables list equipment for that particular slot only if it is storable in a player-owned house costume room, STASH units used for emote clues, or they are purchasable from stores. Due to limitations, there will be items from shops listed that have 0 stock, so check the individual item's page to verify it is obtainable.
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