Defence

RSCRS

This article is about the Defence skill. For information on training Defence, see Defence training.

Defence
Also known as	Def
Release date	4 January 2001 (Update)
Members only?	No
Players with 99	97,801 as of 20 April 2019
Players with 200M XP	72 as of 20 April 2019

Defence (spelled "Defense" in  RuneScape Classic; oftentimes abbreviated as Def) is one of the primary combat  skills that grants players protection in all forms of  combat. Defence is one of the skills that will raise the  combat level of a player regardless of other skill levels. For this reason, many pures leave their defence at a certain level and stop training it. They range from 1 Defence pures, to Initiate pures (level 20-25), rune pures (level 40/42), Berserker pures (level 45), and Barrows pures (level 70). All of the above may be considered as a type of ' pure'. Some players may choose to only train Defence, and are known as just ' Defence pures'.

The higher a target's Defence level, the less likely one is to land successful attacks (damage greater than zero) against said target. As such, it is a vital skill in high-level PvM and PvP situations. Defence does not decrease the amount of damage that an opponent can deal against you.

Magical defence is different - it is based on 70% of the player's Magic level, while the remaining 30% is the player's Defence level, which is then followed by the player's magical defence bonus from their armour.

A player's Defence level also determines which equipment they are able to wear, as most pieces of  armour or other equipment have a Defence level requirement.

Defence level-up (link)

The music that plays when levelled up.

Equipment

Almost every single piece of combat equipment (except for the ones that go on the weapon, cape, ring, and amulet slots) requires a certain Defence level to wear. Here are links to tables of armour and equipment that require a Defence level to wear:

• Armour - For an overview on the different types of Armour.
• Melee armour - An overview of the different types of Melee armour.
• Magic armour - An overview of the different types of Magic armour.
• Ranged armour - An overview of the different types of Ranged armour.
• Prayer armour - An overview of the different types of Prayer armour.
• Defenders - A weapon that goes on the shield slot and provides offensive bonuses while also having an Attack and Defence levels requirement. The rune defender provides the same strength bonus as an obsidian shield, while only requiring 40 defence as opposed to 60.

Quests rewarding Defence experience

Quest	Experience reward	Defence req.	Other requirements
A Soul's Bane	500	-	-
In Search of the Myreque	600	-	25
In Aid of the Myreque	2,000	-	25 , 15 , 7
Nature Spirit	2,000	-	18 if crafting your own sickle
What Lies Below	2,000	-	35
The Fremennik Trials	2,812	-	25 , 40 , 40 if crafting your own lyre
Heroes' Quest	3,075	-	55 , 53 , 53 , 25 , 50
Between a Rock...	5,000	30	40 , 50
Olaf's Quest	12,000	-	40 , 50
Holy Grail	15,300	-	20
Dragon Slayer	18,650	-	32
Camelot training room (minigame)	20,000	65	45
King's Ransom	33,000	65	45
Total	116,937

Skill choice

Upon completing any of the following quests, players may choose to allocate experience to Defence. These rewards usually come in the form of items, such as lamps or books, and are independent of any experience rewards directly received for completing the quest.

Quest	Experience reward	Skills available	Skill requirements
Client of Kourend	500 twice	Any	-
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen	2,500	Any skill above 30	49 , 57
A Tail of Two Cats	2,500 twice	Any skill above 30	-
The Great Brain Robbery	5,000	Any skill above 30	16 , 30 , 50
King's Ransom	5,000	Any skill above 50	65
Darkness of Hallowvale	2,000 three times	Any skill above 30	5 , 20 , 22 , 32 , 33 , 40
Curse of the Empty Lord (miniquest)	10,000	Any skill above 50	Some players will need 31
Shadow of the Storm	10,000		30
Contact!	7,000 twice		-
Dream Mentor	15,000		32 (Boostable), 85 , 61 , 40 , 49 , 5 , 65 , 60 , 55
The Fremennik Isles	10,000 twice		20 , 40
One Small Favour	10,000 twice	Any skill above 30	36 , 25 , 18 , 30
Recipe for Disaster (The final battle)	20,000	Any skill above 50	175 , 48 , 50 , 53 , 53 , 25 , 59 , 40 , 50 , 40 , 40 , 10 , 10 , 36
Legends' Quest	7,650 four times		107 , 50 , 50 , 45 , 56 , 52 , 42 , 50 , 50 , 50 , 50
Monkey Madness I	35,000 or 20,000	or	-
Dragon Slayer II	25,000 four times		200 , 75 , 70 , 68 , 62 , 60 , 60 , 50 , 50
Monkey Madness II	50,000 twice		69 , 70 , 60 , 55 , 55 , 60
Total	384,100 or 399,100