OSRS 1 Attack Pure Strength: Obby Maul vs Rune Scimitar

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.

Building a 1 Attack pure in Old School RuneScape means every point of Attack XP is a permanent mistake. You need to train Strength without ever touching Accurate or shared attack styles, and you must avoid weapons that demand Attack levels. That is exactly where the obsidian maul and berserker necklace combination separates itself from the rune scimitar. The scimitar is off the table for a true 1 Attack account because it requires 40 Attack and gives Attack XP on every swing. This guide compares the two setups for pure Strength training, using the Pay-to-play Melee training wiki as the fact base.

Why a 1 Attack Pure Trains Strength Differently

The general melee training rules still apply: experience rates are largely influenced by Strength level and strength bonus, so after hitting minimum requirements you should prioritise Strength to 99 before Attack and Defence. For a pure, the minimum requirement is deliberately set at 1 Attack. That means every weapon you use must have no Attack requirement, and every attack style must be set to Aggressive or Strength-only. The rune scimitar fails both tests. It requires 40 Attack, and training with it would push you past 1 Attack immediately. The obsidian maul, by contrast, has a 1 Attack requirement but a 60 Strength requirement, making it the natural milestone weapon for a pure.

Obsidian Maul + Berserker Necklace: The Setup

The obsidian maul is a two-handed crush weapon with a high Strength requirement and no Attack requirement. When paired with a berserker necklace, obsidian melee weapons receive a boost to accuracy and damage, which is why the wiki's high-level Nightmare Zone setup uses a berserker necklace alongside obsidian armour and a Toktz-Xil-Ak. The maul benefits from the same interaction. For a 1 Attack pure, this is the strongest accessible Strength training weapon once you hit 60 Strength.

Because the berserker necklace is expensive, many pures delay this upgrade until they can afford both the maul and the necklace together. Until then, they often use an event rpg or a slayer staff with Strength style, but those are far behind in damage output. The maul alone is noticeably weaker than the maul + necklace combo, so the necklace is not optional for efficient training.

Rune Scimitar: The 40 Attack Alternative

The rune scimitar is a classic melee training weapon for accounts with 40 Attack. It has a fast attack speed and decent slash accuracy, but it cannot be used by a 1 Attack pure. If you are building a 1 Attack account, the scimitar is off the table permanently. If you already have 40 Attack, you are no longer a 1 Attack pure, and this guide does not apply to you in the same way—though the Strength training principles still hold.

For accounts that do have 40 Attack, the scimitar is a cheaper alternative to obsidian weapons, but it lacks the berserker necklace synergy and has a lower strength bonus than the maul. When players plan to stay at 1 Attack, the scimitar is not a viable choice, and even mentioning it serves mostly to illustrate why the obby maul is required.

Max Hit Analysis: Crush vs Slash and Strength Bonus

Max hit is driven by effective Strength level, strength bonus from gear, and the weapon's own stats. The obsidian maul has a high crush bonus and a slow attack speed, but its per-hit damage is much higher than the rune scimitar's. When paired with the berserker necklace, the maul gains an additional damage and accuracy boost on top of its already high Strength requirement. The rune scimitar, by contrast, has a modest slash bonus and no special interaction with the berserker necklace. The practical result is that the obby maul setup produces far larger max hits and, despite slower attack speed, competitive or better Strength XP per hour in many scenarios.

Exact max hits depend on your Strength level, potions, prayers, and other gear. Use a combat calculator or check the wiki's equipment tables before planning your training. The key point for a pure: the maul is the only option that keeps Attack at 1 while still hitting hard.

XP Rates and Attention: AFK vs Efficient

The fastest general melee methods in the research pack include Gemstone Crabs (30–55), Sulphur Naguas (55–75), and Maniacal Monkeys (75–99), but many of these require quests, Slayer levels, or gear that conflict with a 1 Attack build. For a 1 Attack pure, the most popular efficient method is Nightmare Zone with an obsidian setup. The wiki lists Nightmare Zone as a method from level 60 onwards, and it works especially well with obsidian armour and a berserker necklace. NMZ allows you to choose your bosses, use overloads and absorption potions, and train almost entirely AFK with the right setup.

Crabs — rock, sand, and ammonite — are the go-to AFK spots for lower-level pures. They have high Hitpoints, low Defence, and no Attack requirement. While not explicitly listed in the paid melee training article, they are standard for pures; always verify current spawn locations and crowding on the wiki. The obby maul's slow attack speed actually works well at crabs because you spend less time clicking and more time waiting for the next respawn, making it extremely low-attention.

Gear and Inventory for Pure Strength Training

Maximising strength bonus is the name of the game. The following items are commonly used by 1 Attack pures and align with the general equipment advice in the wiki. Exact stats and requirements should be confirmed on each item's wiki page.

• Weapon: Obsidian maul (1 Attack, 60 Strength)
• Amulet: Berserker necklace (required for the maul synergy)
• Helmet: Berserker helm or Obsidian helmet (check requirements; Obsidian helmet requires 60 Defence, so pure may use Berserker helm or other strength-boosting headgear)
• Body/Legs: Obsidian platebody and platelegs if you have 60 Defence; otherwise use Monk robes or other prayer gear if protecting, or strength-boosting gear that has no Defence requirement
• Ring: Berserker ring (i) for Strength bonus
• Boots: Climbing boots from Death Plateau, noted in the wiki as an early strength item
• Cape: Fire cape or Mythical cape for Strength bonus, or an Ardougne cloak for prayer bonus
• Gloves: Regen bracelet or Combat bracelet for strength; Barrows gloves if you have completed RFD without gaining Attack XP (difficult but possible)

Inventory depends on your training spot. For NMZ, bring absorption potions, overloads (or super sets), and a rock cake or locator orb to lower Hitpoints. For crabs, just bring a few super strength potions and maybe some food. Prayer potions if using protection prayers at multi-combat spots.

Where to Train: From Crabs to Nightmare Zone

Because questing is largely off limits for a 1 Attack pure (most early combat quests give Attack XP), you will need to grind from level 1 Strength the hard way. A common path is:

• 1–30: Chickens, cows, or other low-level monsters using only the Strength attack style. This is slow but unavoidable.
• 30–60: Rock crabs, sand crabs, or ammonite crabs. These have high HP and low Defence, allowing long AFK sessions. The obby maul cannot be equipped until 60 Strength, so use an event rpg, slayer staff, or other 1 Attack weapon that can train Strength. Verify which 1 Attack weapons are available; the event rpg is the typical budget choice.
• 60+: Upgrade to obsidian maul + berserker necklace and move to Nightmare Zone or continue at crabs. NMZ offers better XP/hr with custom bosses and overloads. The wiki's fastest experience section lists NMZ at level 60 and beyond. Alternatively, if you complete the required quests without gaining Attack XP (which is very restrictive), you could access Sulphur Naguas or Maniacal Monkeys, but most pures stick to NMZ.

At NMZ, choose bosses that have no Defence or Attack requirements and are weak to crush. Popular choices include the King Black Dragon, Trapped Soul, Count Draynor, Sand Snake, and others; verify on the wiki which bosses are best for your stats and whether any quest requirements would give unwanted XP.

Common Mistakes That Waste Attack XP

• Using Accurate or Controlled attack style — one hour of Accurate training can ruin a 1 Attack pure forever.
• Equipping a weapon that requires Attack — even if you don't gain XP, realising you can't equip it after buying it is a waste of gold.
• Completing quests with Attack XP rewards — Waterfall Quest, Fight Arena, Tree Gnome Village, The Grand Tree, and others all give large Attack XP. Avoid them on a 1 Attack pure.
• Forgetting the berserker necklace — the maul is mediocre without it; always wear the necklace together with the maul.
• Training on high Defence monsters without super sets — your XP/hr drops sharply if you are constantly hitting 0s. Use super strength potions or overloads where possible.

Time and Cost Tradeoffs: Is Buying Gold Honest?

The obsidian maul and berserker necklace setup is not cheap. The necklace alone is a significant investment for a new pure, and the maul adds more. If you are short on gold, you have a few honest options: farm the gold through skilling or PvM, or buy OSRS gold from a marketplace. Buying gold is allowed as long as you purchase from a reputable site that does not use bots or ask for your password. Many players choose this route to skip the time-gated gold grind and get straight to efficient Strength training. Similarly, if you don't want to click for dozens of hours, a Strength training service can level your pure while you are away. This is not cheating Jagex rules—it is account sharing, which carries risk, so verify the service's reputation before committing.

The time saved by buying gold for the maul + necklace can be substantial. Instead of spending 20+ hours earning the gold, you can start NMZ training immediately. The opportunity cost is real: every hour spent gold farming is an hour without Strength XP. For players who value their time, the marketplace link below shows current gold rates.

View live gold rates

For further reading on alternative pure builds that combine Strength with Ranged, see our guide on OSRS Ranged 70-99: Dwarf Cannon vs Chinchompas.

Next Steps: Build Your Pure Without Regret

Start by locking in your 1 Attack rule. Train Strength from level 1 using a Strength-only style. Grind to 60 Strength at crabs with a budget 1 Attack weapon. At 60 Strength, buy an obsidian maul and berserker necklace, plus a berserker ring (i) if you can afford it. Move to Nightmare Zone with a custom boss list and use overloads or super sets. Never touch a rune scimitar, never complete Attack XP quests, and double-check every attack style before you click. With patience and the right gear, you will have a high-Strength 1 Attack pure ready for PvP or bossing.

Sources

• Pay-to-play Melee training — OSRS Wiki
• Berserker necklace — OSRS Wiki
• Berserker necklace (or) — OSRS Wiki
• Berserker ring (i) — OSRS Wiki