OSRS Gear Calculator: Pick Your Best Setup

The OSRS gear calculator on this page works out your character’s offensive and defensive stats for any equipment setup you enter, then shows you the resulting max hit, accuracy, and defence bonuses. You pick your weapon, armour, and other gear from the lists, and it returns the same numbers the game’s own equipment screen would show. It is a planning tool: you can compare two setups side by side before you buy or grind for anything.

Formula

The max hit formula in Old School RuneScape is the same one the game uses for melee damage. It is:

Max Hit = floor( 0.5 + ( Strength level × (Style bonus + 8) × (Gear strength bonus + 64) ) / 640 )

Where:

• Strength level – your visible Strength stat (1–99, or higher with potions).
• Style bonus – 1 for Accurate, 3 for Aggressive, 0 for Defensive, 1 for Controlled (the calculator uses 1, 3, 0, 1 respectively).
• Gear strength bonus – the sum of all Strength bonuses from your weapon, armour, and other equipped items.

The attack roll is simpler: Attack roll = Attack level + Gear attack bonus + 8. This is the number used to determine whether you hit at all, before the max hit is rolled.

Worked Example

Using the defaults in the calculator above – 99 Attack, 99 Strength, 99 Defence, Aggressive style, 60 gear strength, 80 gear attack – the max hit works out like this:

1. Style bonus for Aggressive = 3.
2. Numerator = 99 × (3 + 8) × (60 + 64) = 99 × 11 × 124 = 135,036.
3. Divide by 640: 135,036 ÷ 640 = 210.99.
4. Add 0.5: 211.49.
5. Floor: 211.

The attack roll is 99 + 80 + 8 = 187. That max hit of 211 is the number you would see in the game with those stats and gear bonuses, assuming no special attacks or prayers.

How the Real Game Calculates Damage

Old School RuneScape’s damage system has two separate checks. First, the game rolls your attack roll against the opponent’s defence roll to see if you land a hit. If you do, it then rolls a random number between 0 and your max hit. The max hit formula above is the ceiling for that second roll. The calculator only gives you the ceiling, not the average damage – the average is roughly half the max hit, but only if your accuracy is 100%, which it rarely is. For real bossing or PvP, you need both accuracy and max hit, which is why the calculator shows the attack roll too.

How to Choose Your Gear

The best setup depends on what you are fighting. For low-defence monsters (slayer tasks, training), maximise Strength bonus because you will hit often anyway. For high-defence bosses (Corporeal Beast, Commander Zilyana), you need Attack bonus to land hits at all – a high max hit is useless if you miss. A practical approach:

• Enter your current setup in the calculator and note the max hit and attack roll.
• Swap one item at a time (e.g., a Fighter Torso for a Bandos Chestplate) and see which stat changes more.
• If the new item raises your max hit by 1 but drops your attack roll by 20, it is usually not worth it against high-defence targets.
• For ranged and magic, the same logic applies but with different formulas – this calculator covers melee only.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

The biggest mistake people make is forgetting the style bonus. Many players use the Aggressive style for training, which gives +3, but the formula changes if you switch to Controlled (+1) or Defensive (0). Another common error is mixing up Strength bonus and Attack bonus – they are separate stats on the equipment screen. A Dragon Scimitar gives +8 Strength and +8 Attack, but a Dragon Longsword gives +7 Strength and +8 Attack, so the scimitar is better for max hit. Also, the formula uses your visible Strength level, so potions and boosts (like Super Strength) do count – but prayers like Piety multiply the final max hit by 1.1, which this calculator does not include because prayer bonuses are a separate multiplier.

Limitations of the Calculator

This calculator only handles melee max hit and attack roll. It does not calculate defence bonuses, ranged accuracy, magic accuracy, or special attack damage. It also ignores:

• Prayer bonuses (Piety, Chivalry, etc.)
• Slayer helmet bonuses on task
• Void armour set effects
• Special attack multipliers (e.g., Dragon Dagger’s double hit)
• Poison or venom damage

For those, you need a full DPS calculator that simulates an entire fight, which requires knowing the opponent’s defence level and style. This tool is best for quick comparisons of melee gear, not for exact DPS.

Why Use a Gear Calculator Instead of Guessing

OSRS gear has many small bonuses that are easy to misremember. A +4 Strength bonus difference between two helmets might seem trivial, but over a long boss fight it adds up to dozens of extra damage. The calculator turns that guesswork into a number. It also helps you set a budget: if you are saving for a Bandos Chestplate, you can see exactly how much max hit it adds compared to a Fighter Torso, and decide if the cost is worth it. Many players use these tools before buying expensive gear on the Grand Exchange, and the same maths is used by the popular DPS spreadsheets in the community.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the calculator include potions and prayers?

No. You enter your base levels, and the calculator uses those directly. If you are using a Super Strength potion, add the boost to your Strength level before entering it. For prayers, multiply the final max hit by the prayer’s multiplier – Piety is 1.1, Chivalry is 1.1, and the basic Strength prayer is 1.05. The attack roll is also affected by prayers like Clarity of Thought, but that is a separate calculation.

What is the best melee weapon in OSRS?

There is no single answer. The best weapon depends on your stats, the opponent, and your budget. The Ghrazi Rapier has high accuracy and speed, the Scythe of Vitur is best for large monsters, and the Abyssal Tentacle is a cheaper option. Use the calculator to compare their Strength bonuses and see which gives you a higher max hit at your level.

Is a higher max hit always better?

No. Against high-defence monsters, accuracy matters more. A weapon with +5 less Strength but +20 more Attack can be better overall. The calculator shows both numbers, so you can judge. For training on low-defence monsters, max hit is king because you hit almost every time.

How do I find my gear Strength bonus in game?

Open your equipment tab (keyboard shortcut: W) and look at the melee stats. The Strength bonus is the number next to the sword icon under ‘Melee’. Add up all the bonuses from your weapon, amulet, ring, and armour – the game already does this for you, so just copy the total into the calculator.

Does the calculator work for ranged or magic?

No, it is melee only. Ranged has a different max hit formula that includes the bow’s strength bonus and your Ranged level, and magic damage is based on spell base damage plus magic damage bonuses. You would need a separate calculator for those styles.

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in attack | Attack level | - | 99 | 0
in strength | Strength level | - | 99 | 0
defence | Defence level | - | 99 | 0
in style | Attack style | Accurate=1, Aggressive=2, Defensive=3, Controlled=4 | 2
in gear_str | Gear strength bonus | - | 60 | 0
in gear_atk | Gear attack bonus | - | 80 | 0
out max_hit | Max hit | - | floor(0.5 + (strength * (style + 8) * (gear_str + 64)) / 640) | 0
out atk_roll | Attack roll | - | attack + gear_atk + 8 | 0