Today we’re diving into some of the most valuable combat upgrades you can invest in for RuneScape in 2025. December saw a surge in player activity, with a lot of new and returning faces flocking to the game. Whether you’re just starting out or coming back after a break, it’s important to know where to spend your hard-earned gold and time to get the best bang for your buck. In this guide, we’re focusing on combat-related upgrades, I’ll be breaking down skilling and other non-combat upgrades.
Let’s get right into it with some upgrades that will seriously improve your PvM experience. These are the kinds of gear and abilities that will make your combat journey much smoother, so let’s start with the big guns!
1. Tier 90 Necromancy Gear: The Best Combat Entry Point
The first upgrade on our list is getting your hands on Tier 90 Necromancy gear. Necromancy gear is currently one of the best value-for-money options in the game for newer or returning players. This set might take some time to unlock, but the effort is well worth it. The best part? It’s the cheapest Tier 90 gear available and will allow you to tackle nearly all bosses in the game—except for the few that don’t allow you to use Necromancy, such as the Rex Matriarchs and Dagannoth Kings.
While the full set can take some time to craft, there’s a great shortcut: you can buy Tier 80 gear off the Grand Exchange, then upgrade it to Tier 90 using crafting. This bypasses the grind for Tier 70 and saves you both time and OSRS gold. As of right now, Tier 90 Necromancy gear is the go-to choice for many players, and it remains an excellent, affordable option for those jumping into high-level PvM content.
2. Bone Shield Abilities: Less Gear, More Flexibility
While you’re working towards your Tier 90 Necromancy set, you’ll also unlock the Bone Shield abilities. Specifically, the Great Bone Shield is a game-changer for any combat-focused player. It allows you to forgo carrying a physical shield, freeing up an inventory slot and giving you the flexibility to keep your defensive abilities active at all times without having to manually swap gear.
This is a fantastic time-saver, as it eliminates the need for a shield while still offering high-level defense. You will be able to use this with any combat style, so if you’re planning on sticking with Necromancy and pushing through endgame content, it’s definitely worth the time investment to unlock this ability. Not only does it save you from extra gear swaps, but it also makes your inventory management a lot cleaner and more efficient.
3. Cinderbane Gloves: Best-in-Slot for Poison Damage
Next up, we’ve got an item that may not come cheap but is absolutely worth the investment: Cinderbane Gloves. These gloves are the best-in-slot option for any poison-related boss fight and are essential for players focused on Slayer, bossing, or general PvM content that involves poison damage. Currently, Cinderbane Gloves are priced at around 70 million GP, which might sound steep, but they’re a staple for any serious PvM player.
The reason these gloves are so valuable is because they work in tandem with incense sticks and weapon poisons to dramatically increase your damage output. Unless Jagex releases an even stronger version of these gloves, they’re likely to remain best-in-slot for the foreseeable future. If you’re looking to maximize your damage at most bosses, this investment will pay off.
4. Budget Perks: Small Cost, Huge Difference
For those of you who are looking to further optimize your PvM setup, don’t overlook the importance of budget perks. Unlocking perks through the Invention skill is a crucial investment for anyone looking to seriously engage in combat in 2025. While the highest-tier perks can be expensive, you don’t need to go for best-in-slot options right away. Even low-tier, budget perks can drastically improve your overall damage, healing, and defense in PvM.
Investing time into leveling up your Invention skill to unlock perks may seem like a grind, but it will make a world of difference. For example, perks like Devotion (which reduces the damage you take) or Combustion (which boosts your damage output) are super cheap in the early stages and still make a huge impact on your performance. Don’t stress about getting the “best” perks immediately—start with the affordable ones and work your way up as you gain more gold and experience.
5. Scriptures of Jazz and Mascot: Pocket Slot Upgrades
Let’s talk about one of the most underused inventory slots in RuneScape: the pocket slot. You might be surprised to know that many players overlook filling this slot, especially new players or those returning after a long break. But if you’re not taking advantage of the Scripture of Jazz or Scripture of Mascot, you’re missing out on a solid damage boost.
Both of these items are God books that can be acquired from bosses. The Scripture of Jazz is dropped by Carac in both normal and hard modes, while the Scripture of Mascot is a recent addition dropped in the Sanctum of Rebirth. These books are not only cheap, but they’re also incredibly useful. If you’re still running around with an old God book or even using a Scrimshaw, these books are a significant upgrade.
Both books provide a solid damage boost, and they’re easily accessible via the Grand Exchange. For the low price of around 500k GP, you’ll gain a damage increase that makes them well worth the investment.
6. Defense Skill Cape: A Lifesaver for Lower Levels
For lower-level players or those who don’t have a Max Cape or ZGS Cape just yet, one of the best capes you can invest in is the Defense Skill Cape. Unlocking this cape requires reaching level 99 in Defense, which is a decent time investment, but it’s worth every second. The Defense Skill Cape provides you with a Sign of Life, which allows you to respawn after dying with 50% health. This ability has a 1-hour cooldown, and it can save you in some pretty intense combat situations.
If you haven’t unlocked the Max Cape or ZGS Cape yet, this is a great alternative, especially for those just starting out or working on achieving their first 99s. Plus, with the Sign of Life perk, it’s a great way to ensure you’re not wasting time running back to your death spot after each defeat. If you’re a newer player who hasn’t completed the Fight Kiln yet, this cape could be a game-changer.
7. Dive Ability: Essential for New Content
Finally, let’s wrap things up with an ability that’s essential for anyone tackling newer content in RuneScape: Dive. Unlocking the Dive ability requires completing the Succession Quest, which isn’t a huge investment of gold, but it will take a bit of time. Once unlocked, this ability is a must-have for tackling recent content, particularly in places like the Sanctum of Rebirth.
Having Dive in your arsenal makes fights a lot smoother by allowing you to move quickly without switching gear, and it’s a mobility tool that will likely become even more valuable as future content is released. As more bosses are designed with mobility in mind, Dive will be essential for keeping up with the high-speed action. If you haven’t unlocked it yet, now is the time to start working towards it or buy RuneScape gold.
Conclusion
There you have it! These are some of the best value-for-money and value-for-time upgrades that will enhance your combat experience in RuneScape for 2025. Whether you’re a new player just getting started or a returning veteran, these items and abilities will improve your performance across the board.
