Combat

Main Page / Combat

Combat

Combat pages should connect equipment, mobs, drops, requirements, and strategy notes without burying the facts.

Combat

Combat covers equipment, mobs, drops, formulas, weaknesses, requirements, and strategy notes.

Unverified

Related pages Main Page · Items · SankoQuest:How to help

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Tools

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Resource Nodes and Facilities

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Recipes and Actions

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Training Methods

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The "Combat" grouping above comes from the datamine and is kept as a navigation hub; combat is not a single in-game skill. See Combat skills below.

Bronze Short SwordWeapon item Bronze ShieldShield item Bronze HelmetArmor item BonesItem page

Techniques

See Tick Manipulation: a discovered technique with the 2h sword that resets the attack animation via a same-tick pickup click, allowing near-every-tick hits at roughly a 400ms click rhythm — best performed in the Plasma Spider/Skeleton multi-combat zone using their guaranteed Bones drop. Confirmed only for 2h swords so far.

Verified Mechanics and Behavior Notes

The notes below are verified in-game (2026-07-05), except where marked as unconfirmed.

Combat skills

Mechanic Combat progression is tracked by four separate skills: Attack, Strength, Defense, and Stamina (the skill that governs health). No single "Combat" skill appears in the in-game skill panel; the "Combat" grouping used by this hub page reflects a datamined grouping and is kept for navigation. Exact in-game capitalization of the skill names on this page is unverified.

Combat XP Formula

Mechanic Every combat hit that lands awards a total of 4 XP per point of damage dealt, split among the relevant combat skills according to the combat style in use. A 1-damage hit therefore produces 4 total combat-skill XP; a 3-damage hit produces 12; and so on. This base rule applies to melee, Archery (the ranged-combat skill), and Magic alike; see the Magic subsection below for its formula and its one addition (splashing).

Mechanic Melee combat has four abstract XP-allocation styles:

• An Attack-only style — the full 4 × damage goes to Attack.
• A Strength-only style — the full 4 × damage goes to Strength.
• A Defense-only style — the full 4 × damage goes to Defense.
• A combined style — the 4 × damage total splits 50/50: 2 × damage to Attack and 2 × damage to Strength (Defense receives none).

These are abstract XP categories, not the weapon-specific style names (Stab, Lunge, Slash, Block, and so on) in the weapon attack styles table below — see the open mapping question at the end of this section.

Mechanic Archery has three combat styles:

• Accurate — by pattern with melee's pure styles, likely awards the full 4 × damage as pure Archery XP. This is an inference, not a directly confirmed rate.
• Rapid — attacks slightly faster than Accurate (exact rate unstated); likely also awards the full 4 × damage as pure Archery XP. Also an inference, not directly confirmed.
• Longrange — confirmed: splits its XP 2 × damage to Archery and 2 × damage to Defense.

Help verify whether Accurate and Rapid actually award pure Archery XP (currently an inference from parallel to melee's pure styles, not a directly confirmed rate) Accepted evidence: in-game XP-drop capture on an Accurate or Rapid archery hit.

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Separately, the client's own combat-mode enum — already documented above in Combat style bonuses and the weapon attack styles table — lists the ranged modes as accurate/rapid/longrange, an exact match to these three reported Archery style names. This is an additional, independent confirmation of the style names; it does not confirm the XP split for Accurate/Rapid.

Mechanic Magic combat XP follows the same damage-based rule already confirmed above for melee and Archery: a landed hit awards the full 4 × damage to Magic — a single, un-split style, unlike Archery's Longrange — plus 1 × damage to Stamina, on top of the Magic XP. A 1-damage hit therefore yields 4 Magic XP + 1 Stamina XP; a 2-damage hit yields 8 Magic XP + 2 Stamina XP.

Magic has one XP behavior not reported for melee or Archery: splashing — a Magic attack that deals 0 damage (a miss) — still grants a flat 2 Magic XP, half of what a 1-damage hit awards to Magic. Whether a splash also grants Stamina XP is not stated; following the 0 damage × 1 pattern it would presumably be 0, but this has not been directly confirmed and should not be asserted as fact.

No split-style behavior like Archery's Longrange (which divides its XP between Archery and Defense) has been reported for Magic — it appears to be a single, 100%-to-Magic style throughout, aside from the splash exception above.

Mechanic Stamina gains XP on every combat hit, regardless of style, at a rate of 1 × damage dealt — separate from, and additional to, the 4 × damage split described above.

Summary:

Combat type	Style	Attack XP	Strength XP	Defense XP	Archery XP	Magic XP	Stamina XP
Melee	Attack-only	4 × damage	—	—	—	—	1 × damage
Melee	Strength-only	—	4 × damage	—	—	—	1 × damage
Melee	Defense-only	—	—	4 × damage	—	—	1 × damage
Melee	Combined (Attack + Strength)	2 × damage	2 × damage	—	—	—	1 × damage
Ranged (Archery)	Accurate (inferred)	—	—	—	4 × damage (inferred)	—	1 × damage
Ranged (Archery)	Rapid (inferred)	—	—	—	4 × damage (inferred)	—	1 × damage
Ranged (Archery)	Longrange	—	—	2 × damage	2 × damage	—	1 × damage
Magic	Hit	—	—	—	—	4 × damage	1 × damage
Magic	Splash (0-damage miss)	—	—	—	—	2 (flat)	0 (presumed, not confirmed)

Stamina's 1 × damage rate is confirmed for every hit row above; the Accurate/Rapid Archery-XP figures are an inference rather than a directly confirmed rate, and the Magic splash row's Stamina XP (0) is a presumed value, not directly confirmed.

Worked examples:

• A 1-damage hit using Longrange yields 2 Archery XP + 2 Defense XP (the confirmed 50/50 split) plus 1 Stamina XP (the general Stamina rule).
• A 3-damage hit using a melee Strength-only style yields 12 Strength XP (confirmed: 3 × 4) plus 3 Stamina XP (the general Stamina rule).
• A 1-damage Magic hit yields 4 Magic XP plus 1 Stamina XP.
• A 2-damage Magic hit yields 8 Magic XP plus 2 Stamina XP.
• A Magic splash (0-damage miss) yields a flat 2 Magic XP, and presumably 0 Stamina XP (not directly confirmed).

This formula is now confirmed for melee, Archery, and Magic alike (see the Magic subsection above) — Magic uses the single-skill, 100%-to-Magic version of the rule, the same pattern as melee's pure Attack/Strength/Defense styles or Archery's Accurate/Rapid, plus the splash exception described above. No split-style behavior like Archery's Longrange has been reported for Magic.

Open question — weapon-style-name mapping: the weapon-specific style names in the weapon attack styles table above (for example, sword: Stab / Lunge / Slash / Block; axe: Chop / Hack / Smash / Block) are not yet mapped to which of the four abstract melee XP categories above each named style actually grants. For example, it is unknown whether Stab on a sword grants pure Attack XP or the combined style's split XP. Do not guess an OSRS-style mapping — this is unconfirmed for SankoQuest.

Help verify which of the four abstract melee XP categories (Attack-only/Strength-only/Defense-only/combined) each named weapon attack style (Stab, Lunge, Slash, Block, Chop, Hack, Smash, Spike, Impale, Bash, Pound, Focus, Punch, Kick) actually grants Accepted evidence: in-game XP-drop capture per named weapon style. Add it with {{Mechanic}}.

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Community theory (unconfirmed, not SankoQuest data): a community member ("ArkRide", quoted from a public chat, July 2026) has proposed that SankoQuest reuses OSRS's own per-style level-boost pattern — that game's 4-style weapon categories give an invisible +3 boost to Attack/Strength/Strength/Defence respectively, roughly in the order Attack → Strength → Strength → Defence for a typical weapon category. ArkRide's own words: "devs could have called them however they wanted, but the ruleset stays." He reports personally testing the second style (which he identifies as training Strength) and says he can "confirm it 100%... because I do gain +1 hit with that" — but immediately adds two of his own caveats: the boost may not always be detectable ("you usually need 5-6 str levels to gain +1 hit, the invisible boost might still not reach that threshold"), and he is considerably less confident about the first style granting Attack or the fourth granting Defence, calling those "harder to say for sure... because it's harder to check."

This is not SankoQuest's own client data and not a confirmed in-game test by anyone documented on this wiki — it is a secondhand community claim, imported by analogy from an unrelated game, self-described by its own source as partially unverified. It does not resolve the open mapping question above; it is recorded here only as a candidate hypothesis worth testing in-game.

weapon-style-to-XP-category mapping (community theory) community claim (third-party, unconfirmed) Unverified

Equipment bonuses

Mechanic Melee armour applies a negative Magic attack bonus while worn. Exact per-piece bonus values have not been documented.

Archery ammunition

Mechanic Bows currently accept any arrow tier, and Archery XP (Archery is the ranged-combat skill) is awarded normally regardless of the arrow tier used.

As heard in-game (unconfirmed): the Ranger Chestplate is currently the only obtainable piece of the ranger armour set; the other ranger pieces are said to be not yet obtainable. This remains unconfirmed.

Multi-combat zone

Mechanic A multi-combat zone lies east of the Giant Spider area, in the eastern part of the main landmass. It contains coal rocks and Scorpions. Its exact boundaries, how multi-combat status is indicated in-game, and whether other multi-combat areas exist are not yet documented.

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NPC healing during combat

Priests near the cow field in the grass zone are attackable. A player who is in combat can still talk to a Priest and ask to be healed, and the heal is applied mid-fight. The Priest NPC does not yet have a wiki page; one should be created once the exact in-game name is confirmed.

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Evidence

Combat progression spans four skills in-game observation Unverified

Total combat XP per hit is damage × 4 in-game observation Verified

Melee XP splits by combat style in-game observation Verified

Ranged (Archery) XP splits by combat style in-game observation Verified

Ranged (Archery) XP splits by combat style (style names) client data (datamine) Unverified

Magic combat XP follows the same formula, plus a splash exception in-game observation Verified

Stamina gains XP on every combat hit in-game observation Verified

Melee armour Magic attack penalty in-game observation Unverified

Bows accept any arrow tier in-game observation Unverified

Multi-combat zones in-game observation Unverified

Priest healing during combat in-game observation Unverified

ranger armour availability (unconfirmed) in-game observation Unverified

Combat Formulas (client data)

According to client data (July 2026): the web client ships a combat module containing the formulas and style mappings below. Values are quoted verbatim from the sigma.sankoquest.com bundle captured 2026-07-05 (chunk e5c8f07ca20c8363.js, combat class, beautified lines ~11704–11864; weapon style tables from chunk c12a64812e41c536.js, lines 366–425). Combat resolution is server-authoritative, so everything in this section is Unverified until confirmed by in-game testing.

Core rolls

Quantity	Formula (client data)	Explanation
Effective level	effectiveLevel = level + styleBonus + 8	The relevant skill level plus the combat-style bonus (below) plus a flat 8.
Attack roll	attackRoll = effectiveAttackLevel × (equipmentAttackBonus + 64)	equipmentAttackBonus sums the matching attack stat (stab, slash, or crush for melee; ranged; or magic) across all worn equipment.
Defence roll (vs melee/ranged)	defenceRoll = (defenceLevel + styleBonus + 8) × (equipmentDefenceBonus + 64)	equipmentDefenceBonus sums the defence stat matching the incoming attack style (see Defence axes).
Defence roll (vs magic)	defenceRoll = (floor(0.7 × magicLevel + 0.3 × defenceLevel) + styleBonus + 8) × (equipmentDefenceBonus + 64)	Against magic, the defender's Magic level is weighted 70% and Defense level 30%.
Hit chance	if attackRoll > defenceRoll: 1 − (defenceRoll + 2) / (2 × (attackRoll + 1)) otherwise: attackRoll / (2 × (defenceRoll + 1))	Probability that an attack lands, from the attacker's and defender's rolls.
Max hit	maxHit = max(1, floor(0.5 + effectiveStrength × (strengthBonus + 64) / 640))	effectiveStrength uses the same effective-level formula; strengthBonus sums melee/ranged/magic strength across equipment (arrows carry ranged strength).
Damage roll	damage = floor(random × (maxHit + 1)), clamped to 1–maxHit	Rolled on a successful hit only, then further clamped to the target's remaining HP.

Combat style bonuses

Each combat mode (the four style slots on the combat panel, modes 0–3) grants hidden level bonuses before the +8:

Combat style	Mode 0	Mode 1	Mode 2	Mode 3
Melee	+3 Attack	+3 Strength	+1 Attack, +1 Strength, +1 Defence	+3 Defence
Ranged (Accurate / Rapid / — / Longrange)	+3 Attack, +3 Strength	none	not available	+3 Defence
Magic (Accurate / Autocast / — / Longrange)	+3 Attack	none	not available	+3 Defence, +1 Attack

Ranged and magic weapons only allow modes 0, 1, and 3. Melee mode names vary by weapon class (next table). A weapon is classified in client data by its stats: a ranged-attack stat makes it ranged, otherwise a magic-attack stat makes it magic, otherwise melee; unarmed combat defaults to attack speed 4, range 1, crush.

Weapon attack styles (stab/slash/crush)

Each melee weapon class maps its four modes to a named style and a damage substyle. The substyle selects which attack bonus the attacker uses and which of the defender's stab/slash/crush defence values opposes it.

Weapon class	Mode 0	Mode 1	Mode 2	Mode 3
Sword	Stab (stab)	Lunge (stab)	Slash (slash)	Block (stab)
Katana	Chop (slash)	Slash (slash)	Lunge (stab)	Block (slash)
2h sword	Chop (slash)	Slash (slash)	Smash (crush)	Block (slash)
Axe	Chop (slash)	Hack (slash)	Smash (crush)	Block (slash)
Pickaxe	Spike (stab)	Impale (stab)	Smash (crush)	Block (stab)
Staff	Bash (crush)	Pound (crush)	Focus (crush)	Block (crush)
Unarmed	Punch (crush)	Kick (crush)	—	Block (crush)
Bow	Accurate	Rapid	—	Longrange

"—" marks modes the client filters out of the UI. The bow row's melee substyle is stored as a crush fallback in client data, but bows attack with the ranged stats, not a melee substyle. Which of the four abstract melee XP categories (Attack-only / Strength-only / Defense-only / combined Attack+Strength — see Combat XP Formula above) each named style in this table actually grants is not yet confirmed; this is an open question, not a client-data fact.

Defence axes

The client's equipment-bonus mapping resolves the defender's stats by the incoming attack style (the same mapping is applied to NPC defence stats):

• Melee attacks are opposed by the defender's stab, slash, or crush defence, chosen by the attacker's substyle above.
• Ranged attacks are opposed by the defender's light, standard, or heavy defence, chosen by the attacking weapon's ranged type (default "standard"; every bow in the extracted manifest is "standard"). The light/standard/heavy trio thus appears to be the ranged-defence axis in client data — no extracted item or weapon distinguishes the three yet (all carry identical light/standard/heavy values).
• Magic attacks are opposed by the defender's single magic defence stat.

The in-game-verified magic penalty on melee armour (above) is directionally consistent with client data, where melee armour pieces carry negative magic defence values (for example, chestplates −4, leggings −3, kiteshields −1). The client manifest shows no magic-attack field on melee armour, so exactly which magic stat the observed in-game penalty applies to still needs verification; the gameplay observation remains primary.

Evidence (client data)

combat formulas, style bonuses, and attack/defence style mappings (client data) client data Unverified

Wiki task

Needs a verified source mob stats, combat formulas, equipment bonuses, and drop tables Accepted evidence: gameplay screenshot, official data, reader capture, or curator-reviewed notes.

Target page: Combat. Listed on SankoQuest:Open bounties.

Wiki task

Needs a verified source which abstract melee XP category (Attack-only/Strength-only/Defense-only/combined) each named weapon attack style (Stab, Lunge, Slash, Block, Chop, Hack, Smash, Spike, Impale, Bash, Pound, Focus, Punch, Kick) actually grants Accepted evidence: in-game XP-drop capture per named weapon style. Use {{Mechanic}} on the target page. Target page: Combat. Listed on SankoQuest:Open bounties.