Creating an optimal budget setup for Old School RuneScape’s Barrows requires a strategic approach to maximize efficiency and minimize cost. The Barrows minigame is known for its rewarding loot, including the Barrows equipment. However, to navigate this challenge effectively, especially on a budget, you must understand the best choices for melee, ranged, and magic equipment.
Table of Contents
Multiple Combat Styles
In the Barrows minigame, bringing at least two combat styles out of melee, ranged, and magic is crucial. This necessity stems from the unique combat mechanics of the Barrows brothers. Each brother has specific weaknesses and resistances, making them more susceptible to certain attacks. For instance, Ahrim the Blighted is weak to melee attacks, while Karil the Tainted is vulnerable to magic. Without the flexibility of multiple combat styles, you would struggle against certain brothers, significantly reducing your efficiency and increasing the risk of death.
Moreover, employing different combat styles allows for greater adaptability during your runs. Certain areas within the Barrows, such as the tunnels, can benefit from using ranged or magic attacks due to the ability to hit enemies from a distance, maintaining safety and conserving health. Additionally, using the appropriate style can help conserve prayer points, a valuable resource in Barrows, as you can switch off your prayer when facing a brother weak to your current combat style.
Inventory Management and Swaps
Effective inventory management is another crucial aspect of a successful Barrows run. Given the limited space, balancing combat gear with necessary supplies is essential. Swapping out pieces of equipment as you change combat styles is common. These swaps can significantly enhance your effectiveness against each brother, ensuring you always fight with the optimal gear.
Your inventory should also include prayer potions, as prayer is vital for reducing the damage taken from the brothers. Food, preferably high-healing items like sharks, is necessary to recover health lost during combat since some brothers can hit through prayer. Additionally, including a teleport method to quickly exit the Barrows area or reach a bank is crucial for efficient runs. Some players also carry a spade (essential for entering the brothers’ crypts), runes for casting spells, and possibly a super combat or ranging potion for boosting combat stats.
Balancing these items while leaving enough space for potential loot is a skill that develops with experience. As you become more familiar with the Barrows, you’ll learn to fine-tune your inventory to suit your playstyle, ensuring that each run is as efficient and profitable as possible. Remember, the goal is to maximize your combat effectiveness while minimizing the resources used, and effective inventory management is vital to achieving this balance.
Melee Choices
Regarding melee, the primary objective is to balance cost and effectiveness. For armour, the Dragon Med Helm, Granite Platebody, and Dragon Platelegs or Skirt offer substantial defense bonuses without breaking the bank, as each item costs around 100k OSRS gold. These pieces provide solid protection against the melee attacks of the Barrows brothers. A Toktz-ket-xil (Obsidian shield) is a great budget option for the shield slot, offering both melee and ranged defense bonuses.
The weapon is crucial for melee setups. The Abyssal whip, for its price, offers excellent stats for attack and strength. It’s a reliable choice for players who can afford it. The Dragon Scimitar is a worthy alternative for those on a tighter budget, albeit with slightly lower stats.
Ranged Choices
Ranged setups in Barrows can be surprisingly cost-effective. For armour, opting for a mix of Red d’hide and Black d’hide pieces (vambraces, body, and chaps) strikes a good balance between cost and defense. These provide good ranged attack bonuses and decent defense against magic attacks.
Your weapon choice in ranged should ideally be a Magic Shortbow (imbued if possible) or a Rune Crossbow. The Magic Shortbow, especially when imbued and used with Rune arrows, provides a high rate of fire and decent damage. The Rune Crossbow, used with Broad bolts, is a more economical choice, offering good damage at a lower cost.
Magic Choices
Magic is highly effective in Barrows due to the brothers’ generally low magic defense. For armor, the Mystic robe set is an affordable yet efficient option. It offers substantial magic attack bonuses crucial for increasing your hit chance. Still, you can get away with using the same dragon armour for your melee build since the brothers have a negative magic defense bonus similar to the Dagannoth kings.
As for weapons, the Iban’s Staff is a powerful yet affordable option, capable of dealing significant damage to the Barrows brothers. However, its untradeable nature will require you to complete a series of quests before obtaining it. If you’re looking for OSRS items for sale, the Trident of the Seas or Trident of the Swamp represents the better, more expensive upgrades.
How to Obtain These Items
Dragon armour pieces can often be found at reasonable prices on the Grand Exchange. Otherwise, they are rare drops from various high-level monsters. The Abyssal whip is also commonly traded here, though it may require saving some gold or dropping it from Abyssal demons. The Dragon Scimitar can be purchased from Daga’s Scimitar Smithy on Ape Atoll after completing the Monkey Madness I quest.
Red and Black d’hide pieces are easily obtainable from the Grand Exchange. The Magic Shortbow and Rune Crossbow can also be purchased there. Additionally, the imbued version of the Magic Shortbow can be obtained using a Magic Shortbow scroll, which is also available on the Grand Exchange or from the Wilderness Slayer cave or the LMS minigame.
Iban’s Staff is obtained by completing the Underground Pass quest and can be upgraded by paying 200,000 coins to the Dark mage in West Ardougne.
Conclusion
Building a budget setup for Barrows in OSRS is about making the most out of your resources. While more powerful and expensive items are available, the gear outlined here provides a solid foundation for tackling the Barrows brothers effectively. Remember, the key to success in Barrows is not only the gear but also understanding the mechanics of each brother and employing the right strategy. You can make profitable runs through Barrows without spending a fortune with the right equipment and knowledge.