Fastest Way to Get 1–99 Strength in OSRS
Strength is one of the most important combat skills in Old School RuneScape. Increasing your Strength level raises your maximum melee hit, allowing you to deal more damage and defeat enemies faster.
For most melee-focused accounts, Strength is worth prioritizing because higher damage can improve both combat XP rates and PvM efficiency.
This guide walks you step by step from level 1 all the way to 99 Strength using efficient training methods.
Why Strength Is Worth Training
Higher max hits
Increasing Strength allows your melee attacks to deal more damage.
Faster combat training
Higher damage generally means faster kills and better combat XP rates.
Important for PvM
Strength is useful throughout Slayer, bossing, raids, and general melee combat.
Useful for PvP
Many PvP account builds prioritize Strength because of its effect on maximum hits.
Levels 1–20: Beginner Strength Training
Method: Low-Level Monsters
Start by training against easy enemies with low Defence and Hitpoints.
Good options include:
-Chickens
-Cows
-Goblins
-Monks
Use the best Strength-training weapon available for your Attack level.
At these levels, progression is extremely fast, so there is little reason to spend much time optimizing your setup.
Levels 20–40: Early Strength Training
Method: Low-Defence Monsters
Good options include:
-Al Kharid Warriors
-Minotaurs
-Hill Giants
-Sand Crabs
Sand Crabs are particularly useful because they have high Hitpoints and low Defence.
Tip
Use an aggressive combat style whenever your weapon allows it so your combat experience goes directly toward Strength.
Levels 40–60: Sand Crabs or Ammonite Crabs
At this point, crabs become one of the easiest ways to train Strength.
Good options
-Sand Crabs
-Ammonite Crabs
Why crabs are good
-High Hitpoints
-Low Defence
-Easy to fight
-Low attention required
-Good sustained XP
Ammonite Crabs are especially popular once you have access to Fossil Island.
Levels 60–70: Upgrade Your Weapon
Your weapon becomes increasingly important as your Strength level rises.
Depending on your Attack level and account progression, useful weapons can include:
-Dragon scimitar
-Saradomin sword
-Dragon sword
-Other Strength-training weapons available to your account
The Dragon scimitar is one of the most common choices after completing Monkey Madness I.
Continue training against:
-Ammonite Crabs
-Sand Crabs
-Nightmare Zone
-Slayer monsters
Levels 70–99: Best Strength Training Methods
Once you reach higher combat levels, you have several good paths to 99.
Your best method depends on whether you want maximum XP, AFK training, or useful account progression.
Option 1: Nightmare Zone
Nightmare Zone is one of the classic methods for training melee stats.
Why it's good
-Low effort
-Long training sessions
-Consistent XP
-Easy to train multiple melee stats
-Useful reward points
With the right setup, you can spend long periods attacking bosses without constantly paying attention.
Best for
Players who want relatively AFK Strength training.
Option 2: Slayer
Training Strength through Slayer is slower than focusing entirely on maximum XP methods, but it provides much more account progression.
Benefits
-Train Strength and Slayer together
-Earn valuable drops
-Unlock Slayer monsters
-Access Slayer bosses
-Make GP while training
For many players, Slayer is one of the best overall ways to work toward 99 Strength because you're progressing multiple parts of your account at once.
Option 3: Ammonite Crabs
Ammonite Crabs remain useful even at higher Strength levels.
They have high Hitpoints and low Defence, allowing you to continuously attack with relatively little attention.
Pros
-Simple
-Low effort
-Low risk
-Minimal supplies
Cons
-Limited profit
-No Slayer experience
-Less useful account progression
Option 4: High XP Combat Training
Players who care primarily about speed can use more active combat training methods and optimized equipment.
Your XP per hour depends heavily on:
-Attack level
-Strength level
-Weapon
-Gear
-Prayer
-Potions
-Monster Defence
-Training method
Improving your equipment as you progress can significantly increase your XP rates.
Best Weapons for Strength Training
Your ideal weapon changes depending on your Attack level and budget.
Common progression options include:
-Iron and Steel scimitars
-Mithril scimitar
-Adamant scimitar
-Rune scimitar
-Dragon scimitar
-Higher-level Strength-training weapons
Avoid using a weapon that cannot train Strength directly if Strength is your main goal.
Best Gear for Strength Training
You should generally prioritize equipment that increases your melee Strength bonus.
Useful upgrades can include:
-Helm of Neitiznot
-Fighter torso
-Dragon defender
-Barrows gloves
-Fire cape
-Dragon boots
-Amulet of strength
-Amulet of fury
-Amulet of torture
You don't need all of these items before training.
Upgrade your equipment gradually as your account and bank improve.
Strength Training Through Slayer
If you're planning to eventually max your account, combining Strength training with Slayer can save you from having to train both skills separately later.
Instead of spending all your time at crabs or Nightmare Zone, you can complete Slayer tasks using an aggressive combat style.
This provides:
-Strength XP
-Hitpoints XP
-Slayer XP
-Combat drops
-GP
-Account progression
The downside is that your pure Strength XP per hour may be lower.
AFK Strength Training
If you want low-effort training, your best options generally include:
-Nightmare Zone
-Ammonite Crabs
-Sand Crabs
These methods allow you to train while paying less attention than more active combat methods.
Remember that monsters such as crabs eventually lose aggression, so you'll need to reset their aggression periodically.
Experience Rates
Strength XP rates vary significantly depending on your stats, equipment, and training method.
Early levels: 10k to 30k XP per hour
Mid levels: 30k to 60k XP per hour
Higher levels: 60k to 100k+ XP per hour
Optimized setups can achieve higher rates.
Don't worry too much about maximum efficiency at lower levels because you'll progress through them quickly.
Time to 99 Strength
Getting from level 1 to 99 Strength requires approximately 13 million XP.
Depending on your method and equipment, reaching 99 can take roughly:
-AFK methods: 150 to 250+ hours
-Efficient combat training: 100 to 180 hours
-Slayer: potentially longer, but with significant additional account progression
Your actual time will depend heavily on your Attack level, equipment, and how actively you train.
How Much Does 99 Strength Cost?
Strength is relatively inexpensive compared with many buyable skills.
Basic training can cost almost nothing outside of:
-Food
-Potions
-Prayer supplies
-Gear upgrades
You can even make money while training Strength through Slayer and other combat activities.
Your gear also retains value because most tradeable equipment can later be sold.
Should You Train Strength Before Attack?
For many accounts, keeping Attack high enough to unlock better weapons and then prioritizing Strength is an effective strategy.
Higher Attack improves accuracy.
Higher Strength improves your maximum hit.
You generally don't want to completely neglect Attack because weapon upgrades can significantly improve your training speed.
A balanced approach might involve reaching an important Attack milestone, unlocking a better weapon, and then focusing heavily on Strength.
Common Strength Training Mistakes
Using the wrong combat style
Training against monsters with unnecessarily high Defence
Ignoring weapon upgrades
Spending too much GP on tiny gear improvements
Training only Strength while completely neglecting Attack
Using expensive supplies when cheaper methods would work
Ignoring Slayer if you eventually plan to train it anyway
Fastest Path to 99 Strength
A simple progression for most players looks like:
-Level 1–20: Low-level monsters
-Level 20–40: Sand Crabs or similar monsters
-Level 40–60: Sand Crabs or Ammonite Crabs
-Level 60–70: Ammonite Crabs, Slayer, or Nightmare Zone
-Level 70–99: Nightmare Zone, Slayer, Ammonite Crabs, or optimized combat training
You don't have to follow these exact levels.
Move to better methods whenever your stats, quests, and equipment allow it.
Why Strength Is One of the Most Important Combat 99s
Strength affects almost every part of melee combat.
Higher Strength means bigger hits, faster kills, better training efficiency, and stronger performance during PvM.
It's also relatively inexpensive to train compared with many other skills.
Whether you choose AFK Nightmare Zone sessions, Ammonite Crabs, Slayer, or more efficient active training, the most important thing is using the best weapon available to you and continuing to improve your melee setup as your account progresses.
With consistent training, you'll eventually reach 99 Strength while building a much stronger account along the way.
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