Combat pure

A Combat Pure is a character whose combat stats are specifically trained in order to optimize performance in Player versus Player activities (Wilderness, Duel Arena, etc.), often prioritizing offensive stats whilst maintaining a low combat level. For instance, someone with 70 Attack and 70 Strength and only 1 Defence would be considered a Pure. Though the concept of a Pure most commonly refers to an account with high offence and low Defence, there are other types of Pures, including "Berserker" Pures, "Barrows" Pures, and even Defence Pures. Still, considering the diversity of PvP oriented accounts, there are almost countless variations—some accounts are primed to work specifically with particular weapons.

Types of combat pures
One-Defence Pure - The most well-known form of Pure, a One-Defence Pure is a character designed solely with Player versus Player combat in mind. The idea is to train the account to have high offensive stats and a low Defence level while maintaining a low combat level to give it leverage over most accounts of a similar level. One-Defence Pures may also exist merely for the satisfaction of hitting unusually high at low combat levels. The levels of these accounts vary wildly, though many are within the Combat Level 50-90 range.

Defence Pure - A Defence Pure is an account that maintains a low combat level but has an extremely high Defence level in place of high Attack or Strength levels. However, since others have a large window of opportunity to escape from Defence Pures due to their weak attacks and are also generally annoyed by the Pure's high Defence, Defence Pures are seldom considered viable for PKing and are instead usually created for the sake of vanity. The combo used to slay opponents in Player versus Player combat often includes the use of the Dragonfire Shield's special attack combined with the stacking venom damage from the Serpentine Helm.

Black Pure - The Black Pure is an account designed for 10 Defence, which allows for the use of Black armour and the ability to wear Black mask/Slayer helmet. Rarely seen throughout the wild, the Black Pure can use low-cost armour and a wide array of weapons while being deadly at the same time, examples being the dragon dagger and the whip combination. The small Defence boost is noticeable, and can still benefit in small fights which could overtake a One-Defence Pure. Their levels are slightly higher than those of One-Defence Pures, but they still vary. Most people with this build of account are typically PvMers who like a challenge or like the ability to be strong in the wilderness as well.

13 Defence Pure - The 13 Defence Pure is essentially a Black Pure, sacrificing a small amount of offence for slightly more effective defensive gear. However, the Defence levels on these accounts are often a consequence of the 2,000 Defence experience gained from completing Nature Spirit, a requirement for a subquest of Recipe for Disaster. The completion of this subquest provides access to adamant gloves.

Initiate Pure - An Initiate Pure has 20 defence and utilizes the prayer and defence bonus of Initiate armor, their combat levels are slightly higher than One-Defence Pures, but training is much easier with a bit of defence.

Rune Pure - A Rune Pure is a Pure that has 40 Defence mainly so it can wear rune armour and other stat-boosting equipment such as fighter torsos and rune defenders, as well as the ever-useful dragonhide bodies and coifs. 40 Defence is also one of the requirements for completing the Lunar Diplomacy quest, which unlocks access to the very useful Vengeance spell. Rune Pures are also extremely popular in free-to-play PvP; in F2P, the idea behind this type of account is that a player can wear the highest armour available to them while remaining as low of combat as possible. However, F2P Rune Pures often also have Attack capped off at level 40 for Rune weaponry, making their combat level even lower. Many Rune Pures are within the Combat Level 70-110 range.

Berserker Pure - A Berserker Pure is near identical to a rune Pure except with 45 Defence for the sake of wearing a Berserker helm or a Fighter hat, which give better stat bonuses than the rune full helm, and also with the ability to complete all subquests of Recipe for Disaster, which allows the player to get Barrows gloves, the best gloves in Runescape. Their levels are virtually identical to those of Rune Pures.

Void Pure - A Void Pure is a Pure that utilizes the combat bonuses of the Void knight armour to achieve very high hits. Void Pures are most often Ranged oriented due to the already high hits of the Rune crossbow and Dark bow coupled with the damage and accuracy boosts of Ranged Void knight armour. Melee-based Void Pures are less common, and Mage-based Void Pures are virtually nonexistent. Another benefit to this style of Pure lies in its ability to risk very little wealth in comparison to many other Pures. Void knight armour is untradeable; rune kiteshields can be made untradeable through the use of construction and crafting (Heraldic Kiteshields, also called painted kiteshields). While their defence is similar to those of Rune or Berserker Pures, they usually have lesser Melee levels, making their combat levels slightly lower. Many Void Pures are within the Combat Level 70-100 range.

Mage Pure - A Mage Pure is typically a One-Defence Pure that specializes almost exclusively in Magic. This type of Pure is extremely strong at low-level PvP because of the fixed max damage that most spells deal regardless of one's Magic level. Most commonly, Pures of this nature will use Ancient Magicks or the Flames of Zamorak spell with a Toxic staff of the dead, although some opt to use the slayer dart spell. Being more effective at lower levels, these accounts are often within the Combat Level 40-60 range.

Range Pure - A Range Pure is typically a One-Defence Pure that specializes in Ranged combat. Some Range Pures largely neglect Attack and/or Strength to lower their combat level further.

Range Tank - A Range Tank is a character with high Ranged and Defence levels. Their Defence allows them to participate in high level PvP, wearing barrows items and utilising Ranged and often high-level Magic, through the use of spells like Vengeance. Their Attack and Strength levels are usually low. The levels of these accounts vary somewhat, most being in the Combat Level 70-110 range.

Barrows Pure - A Barrows Pure is an account that has or has very near 70 Defence mainly for Barrows equipment, such as Dharoks, and ideally 70 Prayer for the ability to use Piety. This is combined with overall high Attack and Strength for maximum damage; combat level is generally not monitored as seriously and it is common for these accounts to max out everything but Defence and Prayer. 94 Magic is ideal as it allows use of the useful Vengeance spell, though Ranged is rarely put to use outside of team PvP activities or PvM situations. These accounts are almost always within the Combat Level 100-120 range.

Commonly suppressed skills
The most frequently suppressed skills combat Pures keep as low as possible as not to affect their combat level are Defence, Prayer, and Hitpoints. The debates on whether it is wise to forgo the benefits of each and all of these skills are as old as the concept of Pures itself. Ultimately, it is a matter of preference for each player, keeping in mind that the "Purer" they are in this offensive sense, the more dynamic PvP combat will become and the higher the chance is that fights will end with a kill rather than with a combatant fleeing (for good or for bad). It is worth mentioning that only the most radical Pures insist on keeping all of the above skills at their extreme minimum once above a certain level, and will gain Hitpoints experience while fighting other players. Such experience can be gained through experience lamps or activities like Pest Control.

Below are a few considerations along these lines.

Defence
Defence is by far the most commonly suppressed skill. While like all skills it has its pros and cons, most Pures generally agree that the cons outweigh the pros. Some Pures choose certain levels, including 10,13, 20, 40, 42, or 45 Defence to have immense power compared to main accounts of the same level. The Rune Pure, for example, can obtain armour that has nearly the same strength bonus as a maxed account with 99 Defence.

Pros of having high Defence

 * If your Defence level is high, you won't have to buy as much food for PvP or PvM situations. Also you can train on higher level monsters much easier.
 * The higher your Defence level, the less likely you will get hit. This will enable you to tank easier in team PvP situations. Pures have a more difficult time tanking because of their lower defensive stats.
 * You will be able to wear better armour with higher defensive stats. This will make you even less likely to get hit.

Cons of having high Defence
Being a Defence Pure mainly has two big cons. These are that if you have low offensive stats, it will be harder to level up (getting less XP per average hit), which makes creating a high-levelled Defence Pure very time consuming. Also, if you have low offensive stats as a Defence Pure, it is harder to win a 1 vs 1 fight, as you will hit very low on your opponent, while the opponent might have methods like using a Ring of recoil or Vengeance, Verac's armour or another method that could hit through Defence.

Controversy
Many players believe that offensive Pures with minimal Defence have a factual advantage over balanced players of the same combat level due to game mechanics (i.e. the formulas that determine who gets hit how often and how hard, etc.). The general success of such Pures in low and mid level PvP seems to endorse this theory. However, the precise game mechanics regarding Attack and Defence are unknown. Some players believe that the success of offensive Pures is solely due to the factors mentioned above and have little to do with combat Attack/Defence mechanics, arguing that the fact that armour generally gives a good deal more Defence bonus than weapons of the same material give Attack bonuses suggests that balanced players should have a slight edge, profiting from the larger bonus. Some even believe than their success merely ostensible, hyped by the fact that most players are more quickly impressed by an unusually high hit than by someone blocking five attacks in a row.