OSRS Project Rebalance Combat Update: Mains, Pures, and Boosting

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.

Old School RuneScape's combat system has been tweaked repeatedly over the years, but the Project Rebalance series is different. Rather than adding a single overpowered reward or a new boss, Jagex is systematically reworking the underlying numbers that decide how often you hit and how much damage you deal. The combat-focused wave landed in 2024 and it touches everything from Barrows runs to high-level PvP. If you are a main training Slayer, a pure risking a fight in the Wilderness, or a buyer trying to price a Combat Achievements boost, this update changes the maths you are relying on.

This guide walks through what actually shipped in Project Rebalance: Combat Changes, what it means for account builds, and how the knock-on effects ripple into gold, gear, and boosting quotes. We are not going to recite every patch note; instead we will translate the patch into concrete decisions and market shifts. All facts below are drawn from the official OSRS Wiki and the live update posts.

Project Rebalance: Combat Changes at a Glance

Before digging into the specifics, it is worth separating the headline systems from the noise. The update did not replace OSRS combat; it did not add a new spellbook or a new tier of weapons. Instead it made three structural adjustments: NPC defence types were standardised, elemental weaknesses were rolled out to a wider set of monsters, and a batch of items had their stats and magic damage bonuses redistributed. There were also miscellaneous changes like the removal of a delay on Telekinetic Grab and Bones to Peaches, but those are more relevant to skilling.

For players who primarily kill monsters, the biggest jarring change is that an old reliable setup may no longer be the obvious best. For players who PvP, the item tweaks and magic damage redistribution can shift which builds have an edge in edge-style fights. For anyone buying or selling an account, the update changes what “good” looks like.

Jagex was explicit that the aim is not to fundamentally change combat, but to open design space for future rewards without powercreep. That means the immediate impact is on existing gear and tactics: you may need to carry a different spell or a different ranged weapon than you did a month ago.

Elemental Weaknesses: A New Magic Calculation

Elemental weaknesses have existed in OSRS in a roundabout way for years — the Ice Demon's famous vulnerability to fire spells is one example. Project Rebalance standardises the system and exposes it through Monster Examine. For every point of elemental weakness an NPC has, a spell of that element gains +1% accuracy and +1% damage. The bonus is additive with your existing magic damage percentage, using the formula:

Base Damage × (Magic Damage % + Elemental Weakness %)

This additive approach matters more than you might think. A budget magic setup with, say, 30% magic damage will see a larger relative jump against a monster with 50% fire weakness than a maxed setup with 80% damage will. That means the standard spellbook has a clearer place in mid-game progression, instead of being instantly outclassed when you can afford a powered staff.

When the update landed, Jagex published a list of impacted NPCs grouped by element. We have summarised the broad categories in the table below. Exact weakness percentages vary per monster, so always check Monster Examine for the precise number before swapping runes.

Note that some of these NPCs also take double damage from magic generally, so the hitsplats can look dramatic. But the weakness bonus is not a flat multiplier on your whole hit; it only applies to the elemental portion. If you are using a trident or powered staff, elemental weakness does not apply — this is specifically for standard spellbook elemental spells like Fire Surge.

Ranged Defence Types and Item Rebalances

Elemental weaknesses were only one half of the combat update. Jagex also adjusted how NPC ranged defence works and redistributed stats across a range of equipment. The goal was to make crossbows, bows, and thrown weapons feel distinct rather than having one best-in-slot for every scenario. Details on which items changed are listed in the official newspost and the wiki item pages; we won't guess at specific new stats here. What matters for players is that gear decisions you made six months ago may no longer be optimal.

The item rebalances touched magic damage bonuses in particular. Some items had their magic damage percentage shifted from one slot to another, or their overall bonus reduced. That means a setup that previously hit the magic damage cap might now need a different combination of items. For mains, this is a gear optimisation puzzle. For pures, it can change whether a certain weapon is even usable at a given combat level.

For players who do a lot of bossing, the practical takeaway is to check the wiki's recommended gear after the update, not before. Old guides and YouTube videos may still recommend items that were nerfed or buffed. We will cover specific mistakes later.

How Mains and PvM Accounts Are Affected

Main accounts that spend most of their time killing monsters feel this update most directly. Elemental weaknesses mean that carrying fire, water, earth, and air spells is no longer a meme; in certain tasks, a spellbook swap is a legitimate DPS increase. Bosses like Cerberus, K'ril Tsutsaroth, and Zulrah now have clearly defined elemental weaknesses that reward using the correct standard spell.

The ranged defence changes also affect mains who do a lot of crossbow camping. If a monster's defence profile changed, you may find that a bow or a thrown weapon performs better than your old crossbow. This forces a broader gear collection and, for ironmen, a reason to grind out weapons they previously skipped.

Slayer got a small quality-of-life change in the same Project Rebalance family: the ability to swap your current task with one from storage. This is unlocked for a one-off 1,000 Slayer Points fee and then free forever. For mains pushing Slayer level or farming points, this is a significant time saver — you no longer have to cancel a task and lose streak progress just to grab a stored task you actually want to do.

Combat Achievements themselves are not new to this update, but they sit at the centre of how mains prove their combat skill. With new elemental weaknesses, some achievements that required specific kill conditions may become easier or harder depending on the gear changes. For example, an achievement that required killing a monster with a specific spell might now have a stronger reason to use that spell anyway.

Pures and PK Builds: The Bloodbath Shift

Pures, berserkers, and other low-defence account builds are built around tight combat level maths. Every item rebalance and magic damage adjustment ripples into that maths. The combat update did not directly add elemental weaknesses to player-versus-player fights — weaknesses are an NPC mechanic — but the item stat changes and magic damage redistribution absolutely affect PvP gear choices.

For one-defence pures who rely on magic, any change to items like the occult necklace or ancestral (if they can use it) shifts their max hit and accuracy. The additive elemental weakness formula does not apply to players, so a pure cannot gain an edge by casting fire spells against another player. However, if an item they use was nerfed or buffed, their combat bracket might change viability.

Ranged builds that camped a specific crossbow or bow may need to re-evaluate. The ranged defence type changes on NPCs do not directly affect PvP, but the item rebalances can. Jagex explicitly said the goal is to open reward space without powercreep, which often means toning down over-centralising items. That can hurt builds that relied on a single overpowering weapon.

For account buyers, a “maxed pure” from before the update may no longer be maxed in the sense of optimal gear. Even if the stats are the same, the equipment that made it valuable may have shifted. That is worth verifying before you pay a premium.

Combat Achievements and the Art of Boosting

Combat Achievements are a point-based system with six tiers: Easy, Medium, Hard, Elite, Master, and Grandmaster. Rewards are claimed from Ghommal outside the Warriors' Guild, and each tier requires a certain number of points rather than completion of every lower task. That means you can pick and choose tasks to hit a threshold, which is exactly why boosting services exist for this content.

The Easy tier requires 41 points and offers a 5,000 XP lamp, a 5% increased easy clue scroll chance, and Ghommal's hilt 1 with three daily teleports to God Wars Dungeon. Medium requires 169 points and steps up the rewards. Higher tiers add better teleports, clue boosts, and cosmetic upgrades. The point system means a boost provider can focus on the easiest combination of tasks to hit your target tier, which keeps quotes cheaper than full completion.

Project Rebalance changes the combat landscape enough that some previously “easy” Combat Achievement tasks may now be slightly different in difficulty because of gear stat changes. A task that required a specific kill time might be easier now with elemental weaknesses, or harder because your old best-in-slot lost power. Boosters will need to re-test their routes, and buyers should expect quotes to be refreshed rather than inherited from last year.

Marketplace Ripple Effects: Gold, Gear, and Boost Quotes

Whenever a major combat update ships, the OSRS economy twitches. Elemental weaknesses make runes for fire, water, earth, and air spells more desirable for PvM. Gear that pairs well with elemental magic — or items that were buffed in the rebalance — see increased demand. Conversely, items that lost power may see their price dip as players dump them. We are not going to quote specific GP values because prices move daily, but the direction of the shift is clear: anything that helps you exploit a weakness or fill a design gap will be valued more, and anything that was nerfed will be valued less.

Gold buyers should note that gearing up for the new meta is not instant. You may need to buy multiple spellbooks' worth of runes, a few different ranged weapons, and perhaps a new off-hand. That is a larger gold sink than the old “one setup for everything” approach. If you are short on GP, buying gold from a marketplace like GP Trillionaire can speed up the adaptation — but only if you have a clear gear plan.

Account buyers face a more subtle shift. A main with high Combat Achievements points and well-rounded gear is now more valuable than a one-dimensional account. A pure that relied on a broken item is less valuable. When pricing an account, check the elemental weakness landscape and the item rebalance list to see if the account’s bank is still relevant.

Boosting services for Combat Achievements, Slayer, and boss kills are also repricing. More complex methods (swapping elemental spells mid-kill, using multiple ranged styles) take longer than the old one-weapon rotations. A responsible booster will factor that into the quote. If you are comparing quotes, make sure the provider has actually read the Project Rebalance patch notes.

We have covered Varlamore combat content and Royal Titans duos in previous guides — both of those pieces of content interact with the new system. If you are planning to farm bosses in the new regions, check those articles for updated strategies.

For gold, accounts, or a skilled carry through the new Combat Achievements, shop with support and ask questions before you buy.

Common Mistakes (and What to Double-Check)

After any big update, the most common mistake is following outdated advice. Here are the specific traps we have seen players fall into since Project Rebalance:

• Using a trident or powered staff against a weakness: Elemental weaknesses only apply to standard spellbook elemental spells, not powered staves. If you are using a trident, you are not getting any bonus.
• Assuming all NPCs in a category have the same weakness percentage: The table above gives categories, but actual values vary. Always Monster Examine.
• Ignoring ranged defence changes when planning boss kills: If your crossbow feels worse, it might not be your imagination. Check the monster's new defence type and consider a different weapon class.
• Not unlocking Slayer task swap because of the 1,000 point fee: The fee is one-off and pays for itself in saved time if you do any amount of slayer boosting or point farming.
• Buying a boost or account based on pre-update reviews: Methods have changed. Ask for a post-update proof or a recent completion log.

Your Next Move After the Update

The combat update is not a disaster, but it is a nudge to re-examine your account. Start by opening the Combat Achievements interface and checking which tiers you already have points for — you might be closer to a reward than you think. Then hit a few monsters with Monster Examine to see their elemental weaknesses. If you are a main, try swapping to the appropriate elemental spell for a Slayer task and compare your kill times. If you are a pure, recalculate your max hit with the current item stats before your next Wilderness trip.

If time is your bottleneck, the honest option is to buy a boost for Combat Achievements or Slayer. The new task swap mechanic and elemental weaknesses make manual grinding more efficient, but they also add complexity that a casual player may not want to manage. That is what the marketplace exists for. Whether you choose to DIY or outsource, the important thing is to act on the information rather than pretend the meta didn't move.

For further reading on boss-specific changes, check our Royal Titans duo guide or the Varlamore mid-game loop article.

Sources

• Update:Project Rebalance: Combat Changes
• Combat Achievements
• Player killing
• Update:Project Rebalance: Skilling & Poll 81 MTA Changes
• Update:Further Project Rebalance (Skilling) & Varlamore Changes