Old School RuneScape/Skills/Combat (melee)

Combat includes four major skills: Attack, Defense, Strength and Hitpoints

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.

Level requirements:
 * 1: Bronze or Iron. Wooden staff, Blurite sword or Silverlight (maybe Darklight)
 * 5: Steel
 * 10: Black
 * 20: Mithril
 * 30: Adamant, Battlestaff
 * 40: Rune
 * 60: Dragon
 * 70: Barrows weapons, Abbysal Whip

Strength
Strength increases the range of your attack, meaning you have the ability to hit higher. The higher your strength the higher you will be able to hit. Higher strength also increases the chance of a player hitting higher, for example with 10 strength a player may have the ability to hit '3', but may rarely hit it, but with 13 strength, for example, hitting '3's may be quite common. Strength can be temporarily increased by drinking a strength potion or super strength potion, made with the Herblore skill. Prayers also allow an increase in Strength. Non-members can have a strength potion made by the Apothecary in Varrock, using a limpwurt root, red spider eggs and 5 gp.

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

Level requirements:
 * 1: Bronze, iron, soft leather, common robes
 * 5: Steel
 * 10: Black, hard leather
 * 20: Mithril, Initiate armor, studded leather body (20 range required), Mystic robes
 * 25: Infinity robes
 * 30: Adamant, Splitbark
 * 40: Rune, green dragonhide (40 range required), Blue dragonhide (50 range required), red dragonhide (60 range required), black dragonhide (70 range required)
 * 60: Dragon
 * 70: Barrows armor

Hitpoints
Hitpoints 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 hitpoints. When their hitpoints reach 0, they die and are sent to Lumbridge (or Falador if they have Saradomin's Gaze on) losing all but their 3 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 hitpoints the longer you stay alive during a fight. Hitpoints 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, meaning you have a better chance of hitting.

Aggressive attacks are stronger, meaning you can hit slightly higher.

Defensive attacks block more, meaning 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, defensive gives defense experience). Fighting in controlled means that experience is evenly divided throughout all the three skills, 1.33 being given to each skill per 1 damage dealt.

Hitpoints experience is 1.33 per damage dealt, regardless of the mode chosen.