RuneScape 3 combat
This article is compiled from the videos of GnomonkeyRS. It records what Gnomonkey said, with sources, not verified game fact. See About.

| Type | Mechanic |
| Videos | 3 (first 2023-08-18, latest 2026-08-23) |
| Main source | RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER |
RuneScape 3 combat is a mechanic topic that Gnomonkey covers in 3 videos between 2023-08-18 and 2026-08-23. This article is a stub: his statements are grouped by type, repeated ones merged.
Methods
- RS3 adrenaline is like OSRS special attack energy: you build it by attacking, then spend it on threshold and ultimate abilities.1
- A threshold ability needs 50% adrenaline to use and takes 15% of it, doing more damage than the basic version, while ultimates use more.2
- He is using Revolution (auto ability use) for now and plans to switch to full manual once he has more abilities, as he currently has one threshold and one ultimate on each bar.3
Stats and numbers
- At 4,000% enrage, the Arch-Glacor hits for roughly half to three-quarters of your health every attack unless you use defensive abilities such as Reflect, Immortality (you respawn if you die within 30 seconds) or Barricade (invulnerable for 10 seconds).4
Tips
- Shots at a moving target in RS3 give more damage if the monster moves, and he notes triple-damage hits and dual-wield abilities once an offhand is equipped.5
- In RS3, XP is stored in the monster until you kill it, so you must actually kill the monster to receive XP and cannot just hit it for XP drops.6
- He surprised himself with how easily a 'one-take' (like protecting from damage without prayer, using a key press) works in RS3 when you can bind a keyboard key.7
- RS3 bosses can have one-shot attack mechanics that you answer with a specific ability, such as using Resonance with a shield on to heal instead of taking damage.8
- Gnomonkey's RS3 Leagues damage rotation was opening with Meteor Strike to gain adrenaline faster, then Berserk for more damage taken and dealt, then using damage abilities repeatedly while handling boss mechanics.9
Gnomonkey's opinion
- Gnomonkey, who says he has never gotten deep into RS3 endgame PvM, reads the combat changes as simplification inspired by what Jagex learned from Necromancy, the fourth combat style, which uses charges spent on big attacks.10
- Gnomonkey says early RS3 combat is bad because many styles have basically nothing to use until levels in the 40s or 50s, and hopes redistributed unlocks fix that.11
- Gnomonkey says needing a damage aura to push endgame combat feels like you cannot do something until the aura is back, so removing them is good.12
- Gnomonkey says RS3 and Old School combat are not really comparable: Old School relies on positioning around tile effects and gear switches, while RS3 focuses on using abilities at the right time for boss mechanics and you can typically camp one style.13
- Gnomonkey prefers that dealing damage in RS3 is an active skill check, whereas in Old School he dislikes DPS checks such as at Akkha because you have little control over your damage.14
Events
- RS3 combat changes include removing unnecessary bloated abilities and completely removing thresholds, the small-bar-cost abilities that sit alongside ultimates, which spend the whole adrenaline bar.15
- RS3 combat will gain a basic attack as its own ability in the combat bar and rotation, rather than constant background auto attacks unattached to the abilities used.16
- RS3 will redistribute ability unlocks by level, remove lesser abilities, clean up visuals, normalise ammo consumption, rebalance solid food and change the default action bar.16
- RS3 is raising all combat styles' levels up to 120, which Necromancy already had.11
- RS3 is removing the Berserker, Reckless, Maniacal and Mobilising-type damage auras, which give extra damage for one hour (as heard, 'Moderat' Aura).12
Revision history
| Date | Video | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-23 | DID RS3 LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES? | Added: 5 statements (opinion, stat, tip) |
| 2026-01-19 | RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER | Added: 8 statements (event, opinion) |
| 2023-08-18 | MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN | Page created: 6 statements (method, tip) |
| ## See also |
References
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MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN, 2023-08-18. ▶ 12:00 ↩
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MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN, 2023-08-18. ▶ 12:47 ↩
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MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN, 2023-08-18. ▶ 13:22 ↩
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DID RS3 LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES?, 2026-08-23. ▶ 15:10 ↩
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MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN, 2023-08-18. ▶ 3:02 ↩
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MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN, 2023-08-18. ▶ 11:22 ↩
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MAXED OSRS to FRESH RS3 IRONMAN, 2023-08-18. ▶ 16:17 ↩
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DID RS3 LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES?, 2026-08-23. ▶ 12:45 ↩
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DID RS3 LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES?, 2026-08-23. ▶ 13:43 ↩
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RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER, 2026-01-19. ▶ 6:19 ↩
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RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER, 2026-01-19. ▶ 7:39 ↩↩
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RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER, 2026-01-19. ▶ 8:13 ↩↩
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DID RS3 LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES?, 2026-08-23. ▶ 12:01 ↩
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DID RS3 LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES?, 2026-08-23. ▶ 14:17 ↩
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RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER, 2026-01-19. ▶ 6:37 ↩
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RUNESCAPE 3 RELEASES BEST UPDATE EVER, 2026-01-19. ▶ 7:06 ↩↩
Category: Mechanics