OSRS Magic Weapons Guide

Fighting with Magic in OSRS is fun but it can be costly unless you know what you're doing. Part of becoming the best mage in the game is knowing which weapons to use for most cases. In this guide, we'll show you all that you need to know about Mage weapons in OSRS.

OSRS Magic Weapons

Magic weapons in OSRS comprise mainly of staves and wands. While you can use melee attacks when using most magic weapons, they're best used from afar with spells. In the game, staves aren't compatible with all spells in the game so you should take this into consideration when picking a weapon.

When casting spells, you also need to use runes which vary depending on the spell. There are some mage weapons that negate rune use. For example, the Kodai Wand allows you to cast wate spells without using runes. Below is a chart for mage weapons and their attack type bonuses.

OSRS Best Mage Weapons

There are a lot of so this might be a lengthy section and that's why we'll kind of be trying to speed through it but of course, we want to get all the information in there too. There are lots of Magic weapons in the game and each serves a purpose.

1. Elemental Staves

We'll begin with the stabs and more specifically elemental staves in general. Staffs can be used to auto-cast spells. Not every staff can cast every spell but Elemental Staves. Once we get into other spell books, we sometimes need special staves. There are four elemental runes: air runes, earth runes, water runes, fire runes.

Each of these runes has a basic staff which, when equipped, counts as many runes as we need of that type. So if we wanted to use high-level alchemy instead of one nature rune and five fire runes, we could just use one nature rune and wear a staff of fire. We can't auto-cast non-combat spells, so if we were using an air staff and had mine runes in our inventory, we could then go to the combat tab and set the staff to auto-cast wind strike.

This way, we only have to click a monster one time to start continuously attacking like we would with any other attack style. These basic stabs have no requirements and they do give a small bit of magic accuracy.

2. Battle Staves

   

Battle staffs are an upgraded version of those basic elemental stabs and they do require 30 magic and attack to wield and still give the same effect for unlimited runes when they're equipped - they have the same magic stats as regular staffs, only giving a boost to melee, which we guess could help if we ran out of runes during a fight, but overall it's not that helpful.

When we get into the battle staves, though, we now have staffs for combined runes instead of just air, earth, water, and fire. The lava battle staff is pretty cheap and it counts as both fire runes and earth runes. The mud battle staff is a little pricier; it's still not bad though and it counts as water and earth runes.

The steam battle staff is even more pricey but it's still under a mil and it gives fire and water runes. The smoke battle staff is a couple of million gold but it does count as fire and air runes. With the mist battle staff, we're back into cheaper options; this one is for water and air runes. And finally, with the dust battle staff, it's very cheap and it gives earth and air runes. So there is a battle staff for each combination of runes of two different runes at least. So if we had one of these stabs and a rune pouch, we could basically have five different types of runes to use, only using one inventory space and our weapon slot.

We could even go deeper and put actual combined runes like lava runes, smoke runes, and whatnot in our rune pouch. We can have all sorts of different types of runes without taking up that much space.

3. Mystic Staves

   

The next elemental staff upgrade is mystic stabs which are a little bit disappointing. They require 40 magic and attack to wield and still give no extra magic bonuses over the regular elemental stabs, only another melee bonus which is okay in a pinch. All of the battle staffs we mentioned before have a mystic variant of it but for the most part the mystic stabs tend to just be sold or out rather than used.

4. Slayer Staff

   

Those are all the elemental staves, but now we have a bunch of special staffs to go through. We're going to start with the Slayer staff. It requires 50 magic and 55 Slayer to equip and has a slight bit more magic accuracy than just those elemental staffs.

This staff has to be worn to use the magic dart spell, which is kind of like broad bolts for magic, being the only way to fight turrets and crafts with magic. But there are a few spells that the Slayer staff can auto-cast, like that magic dart spell and crumble Undead and some of the more powerful spells in our standard spell book. The staff can be upgraded using a Slayer's enchantment on it. It'll enchant the staff for 2500 charges. The enchanted staff requires 75 magic and 55 Slayer and now does a lot more damage as long as we're using magic dart on a monster that we currently have as a Slayer task.

The Slayer staff is not used extremely often, but it is pretty cheap and probably gets the most use with crumble undead during the Vorkath fight or some Slayer assignments.

5. Iban's Staff

   

Iban's staff is a reward from the Underground Pass quest and is required to use Iban's blast. Iban's blast is a powerful magic spell, especially for only requiring 50 magic.

Originally, the staff only has 120 charges and it uses one charge per attack or two if we're using it in PvP. With 120 charges, we're not going to last very long, so we should upgrade the staff at the Dark Wizard right outside of the Underground Pass.

Now it can hold up to 2500 charges and if we want to refill the staff, we can do it for free in the well very deep in the pass or we can pay that Dark Wizard another 250k and he'll fully charge it. Upgrading the staff in the first place costs 200k.

For regular PvM, Iban's blast is commonly used until 75+ magic. It only requires one death rune and five fire runes as long as we have the staff, which isn't too expensive and again it's pretty strong for such low requirements. So this is a pretty commonly used staff for actual combat stuff, PvM wise, for mid-level magic users.

6. God Staves

   

God staves are a reward from the Mage Arena, which is one of the deepest things in the wilderness, making it a little risky to get them. We need 60 magic to wield the staves and there are three different kinds: one for Saradomin, one for Zamorak, and one for Guthix.

Each staff has a unique spell that requires the staff to be wielded to use them. We have the claws of Guthix, the flames of Zamorak, and the Saradomin strike. These are normally only used in PvP since they do a low max hit unless we're using the charge spell before each attack. Each spell has unique effects: the Guthix spell has a chance of lowering our opponent's defense by 5%, which would be pretty good if the bandos godsword, dragon warhammer, or arc light didn't exist; then we have the Saradomin strike which can drain our opponent's prayer, and the flames of Zamorak can decrease our opponent's magic level a little bit.

7. Ancient Staff

   

Next, we have the Ancient staff which is mostly used for the Ancient spell book. Believe it or not, it requires 50 attack and 50 magic to wield and we need to do Desert Treasure to use the staff and to unlock the Ancient spell book. The Ancient staff has a solid accuracy bonus compared to elemental stabs and it's more accurate than the Slayer staff.

It can be used to auto-cast from our normal spell book but it's also the cheapest staff that can auto-cast from the Ancient spell book, which is what it is mostly used for.

8. Lunar Staff

   

The Lunar staff is a reward from Lunar Diplomacy along with the Lunar spell book. The Lunar staff requires 65 mage to wield and it can replace our dramen staff when using fairy rings and has a bit more accuracy than the Slayer staff but it's worse than the Ancient staff overall so it really isn't used other than replacing our dramen staff.

This is one of the least useful staffs in the game as it's use case is very situational. If you don't have anything more powerful, then stick with this by all means but if possible, just skip it.

9. Ahrim's Staff

   

The Ahrim's staff actually used to be a two-handed staff which was an interesting mechanic but made it far less useful, so they did change that for us. It requires 70 magic and attack to wield. If we're wearing full Ahrim's, then it has a chance to lower our opponent's strength level when it's used, but that's not very useful overall.

The staff does have a 5% magic damage bonus, which is pretty good since not a lot of items give magic strength. The staff is degradable but it doesn't cost too much to repair, like all other Barrows armor. As far as we know, this staff isn't used that often, though right at 70 magic it is a powerful choice and it's not a bad option necessarily; there just are better stabs out there.

10. Staff of the Dead

    

Now we have the Staff of the Dead, which requires 75 attack and 75 magic to wield and it's extremely powerful with a 15% boost to magic damage. There's also a 1/8 chance that when we use any combat spell it won't use any runes on that spell, which saves us a lot of money in the long run. Interestingly, the staff has a crazy strength and slash bonus making it a pretty powerful melee weapon too in a pinch.

It also has a special attack which cuts melee damage from our opponent in half for a full minute, though we can't say that it is used extremely often. We can attach a magic thing to the staff and make it a toxic staff of the Dead, which does require 59 crafting and a chisel, though it is a tradable item too, so we could just buy the toxic one.

The toxic staff of the Dead has more magic accuracy and can inflict venom, though now we have to charge it with Zora's scales, making it a little more expensive to use. We could instead attach a Saradomin's light to the staff, which makes the staff of light.

This is just the same as a regular staff of the Dead but it counts as a Saradomin item instead of a Zamorak item. Plus, we can use Saradomin's strike as opposed to the staff of the Dead which can be used for any spell book.

11. Kodai Wand

    

The next staff we want to talk about is the Kodai wand which requires 77 magic to wield. It has a 5% magic damage boost, which isn't too bad, and it's basically like a combination of Ahrim's staff and the staff of the Dead but without needing runes for our spells.

Plus, it doesn't require that we wield it as a weapon. This makes it a very powerful option for anyone who wants to do a lot of magic damage without having to constantly recharge a weapon or worry about runes.

12. Trident of the Seas/Swamp

    

The Trident of the Seas is a mid-game staff that you're most likely going to be using for a really long time. The staff itself is very powerful. You can get the Trident of the Sea as a rare drop from Cave Krakens. This can last with you a long time but once you get a magic fang and use a chisel on it with the Trident, you can get an even more powerful weapon with the Trident of the Swamp.The Trident of the Swamp is a staple weapon for many mages in OSRS simply because the staffs after this are very powerful. The Tridents are both going to be helpful when it comes to farming for better weapons at the end game and this is mostly a non-negotiable item for most builds.

13. Blue Moon Spear

    

This is a new addition to the game alongside with a variety of other sets called the Moon Equipment. There are three moon sets to get from the Perilous Moons boss fights. If you focus on fighting the Blue Moon, you can get the Blue Moon Spear.

This is a bladed spear that has the passive effect of automatically binding your target. However, you'll need to wear the full Blue Moon set before this can actually trigger. Keep in mind that this is a Magic/Melee Hybrid weapon so you'll mostly be fighting up close instead of slinging spells.

14. Tumeken's Shadow

    

The Tumeken's Shadow is the second most powerful staff in the game. If you're lucky enough, you can get this as a reward from doing the Tombs of Amascut raid. The raid itself is pretty difficult but if you're after Tumeken's Shadow, then your effort is definitely going to be worthwhile.

In terms of pure damage, Tumeken's Shadow deals the most Magic damage in the game thanks to its passive which multiplies your attack bonus and magic bonus depending on your worn equipment. This means that the better gear you have, the more powerful you'll be. It's only beaten by the Sanguinesti Staff as it lacks a self-sustaining passive.

15. Sanguinesti Staff

    

This is by far the most powerful weapon in the game right now. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most expensive items to get and the most expensive to maintain in the game right now. If you really want to maximize your mage's power though, this is the only weapon to look into.

You can get the Sanguinesti Staff as a rare drop from the Theatre of Blood raid. You'll need to be very lucky though as the drop rates are horrible.

Aside from its power, one of the reasons why this is such a beloved staff if because there's ⅙ change of getting healed whenever you deal damage to the enemy. The healing is only have of your total hit but this is still a huge plus when it comes to your survivability.

All Mage Weapons In OSRS

The weapons above are definitely worth the trouble but there's a lot of other staves and wands that you have access to in the game. Below is a list of all of them, as well as their respective bonuses.

Staves

Magic weapons with the capacity to automatically cast spells are called staves. Because they save coins that would otherwise be spent on runes, elemental staves are well-liked. Depending on the staff's element, they can produce an infinite amount of a particular rune.

All staves provide boosts for both magic and mediocre melee attacks. With a little bit better Magic and melee bonuses, battlestaves are enchanted versions of regular staves. Battlestaves have been enhanced with additional magic and melee bonuses to become mystic staves.

Certain spells require the use of specific staves. A couple of examples of this are the Magic Dart spell that is cast by the Slayer staff and the Iban Blast spell that requires Iban's staff to be cast.

Every stave has a 5 melee attack speed; bladed, dramen, and ancient staff have a 4 melee attack speed, while Ahrim's staff has a 6 melee attack speed.

Croziers

Magic weapons known as croziers have the capacity to automatically cast spells from a standard spellbook. They don't offer an endless supply of runes of any kind, but they are comparable to battlestaves with an extra Prayer bonus.

After finishing medium or hard Treasure Trails, you can acquire a crozier, which is a piece of a cestment set. Guthix, Saradomin, Zamorak, Zaros, Bandos, and Armadyl are the gods each crozier is associated with.

Croziers need sixty prayers to activate and are equipped in the weapon slot. They grant a +6 bonus for Prayer.

Elemental Staves

Elemental staves, when donned, offer an infinite supply of either the combination rune (lava, mud, steam, smoke, mist, and dust) or one of the fundamental elemental runes (air, water, earth, and fire).

Battlestaves

Battlestaves are combat-useful melee and magical weaponry integrated into one. Despite possessing Melee Attack bonuses as well, their primary purpose is to cast combat spells. They have +2 more Magic Attack bonuses than standard staves.

Apart from its melee capabilities, battlestaves can also be used to autocast spells and supply an infinite number of runes, as indicated by their names.

By giving Thormac 40,000 coins (30,000 if you have finished the hard Kandarin Diary, or 20,000 if you have completed the elite Kandarin Diary), battlestaves can be upgraded to mystic staves.

Mystic Staves

Using mystic staves in battle requires having level 40 Attack and Magic. They are a hybrid of melee and magical weaponry. Despite possessing Melee Attack benefits as well, their primary usage is to cast combat spells. They have +2 more Magic Attack bonuses than Battlestaves.

Wands

Wands are Magic weapons with the capacity to cast spells automatically. They lack the Melee bonuses found in the majority of other Magic weapons. Additionally, they don't offer an endless supply of any kind of rune-aside from the Kodai wand. Wands are much more expensive or difficult to obtain than other Magic weapons, but they also grant larger Magic bonuses.

The Mage Training Arena minigame awards standard wands. Different Magic levels are needed to wield each wand, which can be acquired from the Rewards Guardian in return for pizazz points.

The master wand and the kodai wand are the only two wands that can automatically cast Ancient Magicks.

Powered Staves

Powered staves are a type of magic weapon where you can utilize any spellbook, as they usually come with a built-in magic spell. You gain 2 Magic experience for each damage delivered by the built-in spells, which offer no basic experience.

To automatically launch magic projectiles, they are usually charged with coins or runes. Their spells cannot be automatically cast, in contrast to other Magic weapons. They also attack at a speed of 4, which is faster than other magic weapons' attack speed of 5. On the other hand, the attack speed of the Tumeken's shadow is 5.

All spells, with the exception of Thammaron's and the accursed sceptre, that are cast from powered staves cannot be used against other players in the Wilderness. They can only be used against other players in the minigames Castle Wars, TzHaar Fight Pit, Soul Wars, and, if enabled by the clan leaders, the Clan Wars.

Bladed Staves

Bladed staves are a type of magic weapon that usually have a good boost for both magic and melee attacks. Their ability to attack with the Jab, Swipe, and Fend options sets them apart. In contrast to other magic weapons, depending on the kind of bladed staff, some can autocast god spells in addition to Crumble Undead and Magic Dart. With the exception of the blue moon spear, which has an attack speed of 5, most have a fast attack speed of 4 when using melee.

Get Your Favorite Mage Weapons

Working to get all of these weapons in OSRS is definitely going to be a long journey. If you want to cut it short and get your favorite mage weapons ASAP, feel free to reach out to us at RPG Stash for help!