RuneScape/Skills/Combat

Combat includes four major skills: Attack, Defense, Strength and Hit points

Attack
Attack increases the chances of you hitting. At level 1 attack, you will most certainly miss most often, while with higher attack, you will miss less and less. Attack also allows you to wield certain weapons if you reach a certain level, for example at level 10 attack, players are able to wield Black weapons, while at level 60 attack, member players are able to wield Dragon weapons. Attack can be temporarily increased by drinking an attack potion or super attack potion, made with the Herblore skill. Prayers also allow an increase in Attack.

Strength
The strength skill increases the range of attack, meaning that the player is able to hit higher. Higher strength also increases the chance of hitting higher. With 10 strength a player may be able to hit '3', but with 13 strength he will do so more often. The strength can be temporarily increased by drinking a strength potion or super strength potion, made with the Herblore skill. Some prayers also increase strength. Non-members can have a strength potion made by the Apothecary in Varrock, using a limpwurt root, red spider eggs and 5 coins.

Defence
Defence decreases the chance of your opponent(s) hitting damage on you. Higher defence means that you have the chance of being hit less often, but it is primarily the player's defence against the opponent's attack which determines how often one hits. At certain defence levels, players are able to wear certain types of armor. For example at level 20 defence a player can wield Mithril armor, while at level 70 defence a player can wear Barrows armor. Defence can be temporarily increased with defence potions or super defence potions, made with the Herblore skill. Prayers also allow an increase in Defence.

Hit points
Hit points determines how long players can stay alive in a fight. When players are hit a certain amount of damage, that amount is removed from their hit points. When their hit points reach 0, they die and are sent to Lumbridge (or Falador if they have Saradomin's Gaze on) keeping only their three most valuable items, or none if the player is skulled. (Yet they can keep an extra item with the prayer 'Protect Item'.) The higher your hit points the longer you stay alive during a fight. Hit points can be replenished with food, drinks, by dying or waiting over time (prayer speeds this up). Different food and drink heal different amounts, and some have added effects to them.

Combat style
The combat system of RuneScape gives a character experience when they hit. The experience is divided differently depending on what style of attacking you have chosen.


 * Accurate attacks are more accurate, so that you have a better chance of hitting.
 * Aggressive attacks are stronger, so that you can hit slightly higher.
 * Defensive attacks block more, so that you can receive less damage.

If fighting in accurate, aggressive or defensive modes, 4 experience points are given to the corresponding mode. Accurate gives attack experience, aggressive gives strength experience, and defensive gives defence experience. Fighting in controlled mode means that the experience is evenly divided throughout all the three skills, 1.33 being given to each skill per 1 damage dealt.

No matter which mode is chosen, the player always get 1.33 points of hit point experience per damage dealt.