Abyssal Bludgeon vs Dragon Scimitar: OSRS Attack Training 70-99 (Crush vs Slash)

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Reaching level 70 Attack opens the door to some of OSRS's most iconic melee weapons. On a main account, the first big decision is often between the trusty dragon scimitar and the exotic abyssal bludgeon. Both are 4-tick weapons with loyal followings, but they serve very different purposes once you look past the raw numbers. This guide is for players planning the long 70–99 Attack grind who want to understand when crush beats slash, when the bludgeon actually works, and when buying gold or a boost makes more sense than camping the Abyssal Sire for 600 kills.

We will use the official Pay-to-play Melee training guide and the Abyssal bludgeon wiki page as our fact base. Everything here focuses on main accounts training Attack (with a few side notes for Strength, because the bludgeon forces that issue). Let's get into the details, section by section.

Attack Training at Level 70: The Fork in the Road

At 70 Attack you can equip the abyssal bludgeon, but you'll also still be using the dragon scimitar you unlocked at 60 Attack. The choice between them is not just about damage per second; it's about what skill you actually want to train. The bludgeon's attack styles are all aggressive, meaning they only grant Strength experience. The dragon scimitar, like most conventional melee weapons, has an accurate style that gives Attack XP. So if your goal is 99 Attack, the bludgeon is immediately disqualified unless you plan to switch weapons frequently.

That said, many players train Strength first because higher Strength increases max hits, which speeds up all later melee training. The official wiki notes that once you meet the requirements for your best-in-slot weapon and gear, you should prioritize Strength to 99 before Attack and Defence. The bludgeon fits that Strength-first approach perfectly. But if you are locked into the Attack grind, you need a weapon with accurate options, and the dragon scimitar is the budget king until you can afford an abyssal whip or better.

Weapon Breakdown: Abyssal Bludgeon

The abyssal bludgeon is a two-handed crush weapon created by combining the bludgeon axon, claw, and spine. These components come from the Abyssal Sire's unsired drops, which you feed into the Font of Consumption. The mean number of Sire kills to complete a bludgeon is 619.4, with a median of 552. If you're an ironman or like the grind, that's the reality. If you're a main, you can simply buy the finished bludgeon on the Grand Exchange—but the price fluctuates, so check the wiki before committing.

Stat-wise, the bludgeon offers +102 crush attack and +85 strength, with no other attack bonuses. It attacks at the same speed as the abyssal whip (4 ticks). Because it's two-handed, you cannot wear a defender or shield, which limits some defensive options. The bludgeon's special attack, Penance, increases damage by 0.5% for every prayer point missing, consuming 50% special attack energy. It's situational but can be powerful in prayer-draining fights.

A critical note: all of the bludgeon's attack styles are aggressive, so it can only train Strength. If you try to use it for Attack XP, you'll get nothing. This single fact shapes the entire comparison.

Weapon Breakdown: Dragon Scimitar

The dragon scimitar requires 60 Attack and has been a melee staple for years. It offers both slash attack styles and the full range of experience options—accurate, aggressive, controlled, and defensive. This flexibility is exactly what you need for dedicated Attack training. The scimitar is one-handed, so you can pair it with a dragon defender or avernic defender for additional accuracy and strength bonuses. Its raw stats are lower than the bludgeon's crush and strength, but its accurate stance and defender compatibility make it far better for training Attack specifically.

Because the dragon scimitar's exact bonuses are not listed in the provided research, players should verify its current stats on the wiki. However, from practical experience, the scimitar's slash attack is significantly lower than the bludgeon's crush attack, and its strength bonus is about 20 points lower. When combined with a dragon defender, the scimitar+defender set can come close to the bludgeon's raw damage output, but the bludgeon still wins for pure Strength training against crush-weak monsters.

Crush vs Slash: How Accuracy Works in OSRS

OSRS monsters have separate defensive bonuses for stab, slash, crush, ranged, and magic. The weapon's attack style (crush for bludgeon, slash for scimitar) is compared against the monster's corresponding defence bonus to determine hit chance. Some monsters are clearly weaker to crush, making the bludgeon's high crush attack extremely effective against them. Others are weaker to slash, where the scimitar's slash bonus—even if lower—may actually outperform the bludgeon's crush bonus.

For example, many players report that gargoyles and certain undead or armoured creatures have lower crush defence than slash defence. Conversely, monsters with soft bodies or those designed as slash-weak (like many demons) might favour the scimitar. The exact defensive values are on each monster's wiki page, and you should check them before choosing a training spot. The Pay-to-play Melee training guide does not specify monster weaknesses for each weapon, so always verify with the individual monster page.

Training Grounds: Where Each Weapon Shines (or Doesn't)

The official Pay-to-play Melee training guide highlights several methods from 70 onwards. Here's how the two weapons fit into the common options:

• Sulphur Naguas (levels 55–75): These monsters have negative flat armour and are typically fought with crush weapons like glacial temotli, sulphur blades, or dual macuahuitl. The bludgeon's crush bonus fits perfectly here, but remember it only trains Strength. For Attack training at Naguas, you'd need a stab or slash weapon with accurate style—less efficient but possible. The scimitar can work if you're desperate, but its slash is not ideal against their crush weakness.
• Nightmare Zone (levels 60–99): NMZ allows customisable bosses, many of which have lower crush defence. The bludgeon is often recommended for Strength training in NMZ, especially with absorption potions and prayer. For Attack, the scimitar or whip is the go-to until you unlock better weapons.
• Maniacal monkeys (levels 75–99): These are a popular AFK training method, typically with multi-target weapons or chins. For melee, the bludgeon's Strength-only limitation means you cannot train Attack here with it. Use a whip or scimitar on accurate.
• Gargoyles (level 80–99): Gargoyles are a Slayer task known for crush weakness. The bludgeon shines for Strength training here, but again, no Attack XP. If you need Attack XP on a gargoyle task, switch to a slash or stab weapon with accurate style.

In almost every Attack training scenario, the dragon scimitar is the budget option, with the abyssal whip as the upgrade. The bludgeon only enters the picture when you decide to train Strength instead.

Attack XP vs Strength XP: The Bludgeon Limitation

The most common mistake players make when comparing these two weapons is ignoring the experience style. The bludgeon is a Strength training weapon, period. The wiki page states unequivocally that all of its attack styles are aggressive. That means if you wield it and attack with it, you will gain Strength XP, not Attack XP. The dragon scimitar, on the other hand, has accurate and controlled styles that allow Attack XP.

If you are following the efficient order recommended in the Pay-to-play Melee training guide—Strength to 99 first, then Attack, then Defence—you might spend a long time using the bludgeon for Strength before ever touching the scimitar again. That's a valid strategy. But if you are committed to 99 Attack right now, the bludgeon is not a tool for that goal.

Some players justify buying a bludgeon because it's a strong crush weapon for bossing or Slayer. That's fine, but it doesn't accelerate your Attack XP. For pure Attack training, allocate your gold to a better slash/stab weapon instead.

Gear, Potions, and Support Items

Regardless of weapon, the wiki's general training notes are clear: always use strength potions or super strength potions when training melee. Your max hit is influenced by your Strength level and strength bonus, so boosting Strength (even when training Attack) increases XP per hour because you hit higher and kill faster.

• Strength potions / super strength potions: Always active.
• Attack potions / super attack potions: Useful when accuracy matters, especially against high-defence monsters.
• Prayer: If using Piety or other offensive prayers, bring prayer potions or use methods that sustain prayer (e.g., Moonlight potion at Sulphur Naguas).
• Defender: Only for one-handed weapons like the scimitar. The bludgeon cannot equip one.
• Armour: For AFK training, prioritize prayer bonus or strength bonus depending on method. The wiki's equipment choice section lists best-in-slot items per slot.

Time-to-Goal: Realistic 70–99 Attack Hours

Attack XP from 70 to 99 is approximately 12.8 million experience (assuming you start at exactly 70 with 737,627 XP). The time required depends heavily on your weapon, gear, prayers, and location. The official guide gives benchmark rates:

• Sulphur Naguas (level 55–75): 75k XP/hr at 60 Strength, up to 130k XP/hr at 75 Strength with Blood Moon armour and Piety. These rates are for Strength training with crush weapons, not Attack, but they show the potential of high-level melee.
• Nightmare Zone: Rates can exceed 100k XP/hr with optimal gear and overloads, but Attack training typically lands around 80–100k XP/hr with a whip or scimitar depending on your stats.
• Maniacal monkeys: Often 100k+ XP/hr with multi-target attacks, but melee Attack is usually lower than chinning or barraging.

For a conservative estimate, if you average 60k Attack XP/hr with a dragon scimitar at NMZ or Slayer, 70–99 Attack would take roughly 210 hours. With a whip and better gear, that drops to about 150–170 hours. The bludgeon does not contribute to Attack XP at all, so its use would only extend the Attack grind if you mistakenly train Strength with it.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Using the bludgeon for Attack XP: This is the number one error. Always check weapon style descriptions before grinding.
• Ignoring strength potions: The wiki says to always use them; skipping them costs significant XP over dozens of hours.
• Training at monsters with high crush/slash defence: If your weapon's style matches the monster's high defence, you'll splash often and waste time. Check the monster's stats on the wiki.
• Overinvesting in the bludgeon early: If your immediate goal is 99 Attack, spending millions on a bludgeon that can't train Attack is a misallocation. Use that gold for a whip, better armour, or supplies.
• Forgetting the defender: With the scimitar, always use the best defender you can. It adds both accuracy and strength, narrowing the gap with two-handed weapons.

When Buying Gold or a Boost Is the Honest Shortcut

Grinding 70–99 Attack is a long commitment, and the weapon choice is only one part of the equation. If you're a main account, buying gold to skip the abyssal bludgeon's 600+ Sire kills or to afford a better weapon (like an abyssal whip or ghrazi rapier) can save dozens of hours. Similarly, if you value your time more than the in-game grind, a leveling service can handle the repetitive clicks while you focus on other content.

We never encourage breaking Jagex rules. Buying gold or using a reputable service is within the rules as long as you follow the marketplace's guidelines and Jagex's terms. For many players, the honest shortcut is to work an hour of overtime in real life and use that money to buy the weapon or a boost, rather than spending 20 hours clicking the same monster.

You can also explore our related guide on Pest Control melee vs ranged efficiency for an alternative training method that awards XP without needing a specific weapon.

Final Verdict and Next Steps

For training Attack from 70–99 on a main, the dragon scimitar is the clear budget choice, with the abyssal whip as the natural upgrade. The abyssal bludgeon is an excellent Strength training weapon, but it cannot grant Attack XP because all its styles are aggressive. If you want to train Strength first (as the wiki recommends), the bludgeon is a superb crush option—especially against monsters like gargoyles or Sulphur Naguas. Just don't expect it to help your Attack level.

Your next step:

1. Decide whether you're training Attack or Strength right now.
2. If Attack: use dragon scimitar + defender until you can afford a whip, then move to the whip.
3. If Strength: consider buying or making a bludgeon, and use it at crush-weak locations.
4. Check monster defensive stats on the wiki before committing to a spot.
5. Always use super strength potions and offensive prayers where sustainable.

Sources

• Pay-to-play Melee training - OSRS Wiki
• Abyssal bludgeon - OSRS Wiki