With that said, here’s all the best methods to consider:
Crabs (rock, sand, and ammonite) The Nightmare Zone (most afk, slight over-time profits) Vyrewatch Sentinels (high level, chance at expensive drop) Stronghold of Security Giant Spiders (F2P friendly)
Though members have multiple methods to choose from, free players will (unfortunately) have to generally rely on one monster for their afk training. Note: While it’s technically possible to afk-train on essentially any aggressive creature, this article focuses only on the best and “afkest” of the bunch. You’re gonna have to check your screen a lot less while killing Giant Spiders, compared to something like Greater Demons or Rune Dragons.
Method 1: Crabs
Starting almost two decades ago in 2004 with Rock Crabs and continuing up to this day, RuneScape players have a long-standing tradition of killing thousands of crabs in order to get their stats up with the least effort possible. Due to their lack of combat stats (except hitpoints of course), crabs make for an excellent training method for accounts in basically every level “bracket” there is. Even with minimal defence bonuses, you’ll be able to go fully-afk without any risk of dying, and will only need to click twice every 10 minutes to make the crabs aggressive once again. While ammonite crabs are considered the best thanks to having the highest health among crab-kind, that’s also what makes them the most popular and busy of the bunch. For that reason, lower-level accounts that have trouble finding an empty spot should consider visiting the other variants, since the experience per hour will pretty much be the same. Note: Ammonite crabs are the only ones with a requirement, locked behind the intermediate quest “Bone Voyage”.
Method 2: The Nightmare Zone
The Nightmare Zone (commonly abbreviated as NMZ) is a minigame where players go toe-to-toe against quest bosses that they’ve already bested in the past. Defeating a boss/monster in the NMZ rewards you with points, which can be spent on Dom Onion’s chest (located right outside the arena) to purchase some goodies such as:
Herb Boxes that contain a random assortment of herbs (best gp per point ratio) Scrolls of Redirection (changes Teleport to House tablet destination) Imbues for various items (such as Slayer Helmets and combat rings)
Another way to spend your reward points is by buying special potions that are only usable inside NMZ. The most noteworthy ones for melee training are the Overload and Absorption potions. I’m not going to go on a deep dive about NMZ strategies (it would probably take the whole article), but the most common way to train is by customizing your rumble with bosses that only use melee attacks, and protecting against them either through prayer or with Absorption potions. Note: Ironmen can only use the shop to buy imbues and scrolls of redirection.
Method 3: Vyrewatch Sentinels
Vyrewatch Sentinels are the guards of the vampyric capital, Darkmeyer. These guys (and gals) attack any player on site that isn’t wearing some form of “Vyre Noble” outfit, and will continue to be aggressive even after the usual 10 minute mark has passed. The most common method of killing Vyrewatch Sentinels is by wearing prayer or tank gear (like proselyte or justiciar), and utilizing the few spawns next to the bank, so you can store your drops or withdraw more supplies when needed. Also, the Sentinels also have a 1/1500 chance of dropping the elusive blood shard, which is worth a little over 9 million coins (as of this writing). Note: Access to Darkmeyer and Vyrewatch Sentinels requires completion of the master quest “Sins of the Father”.
Method 4: Stronghold of Security Giant Spiders (F2P)
This method is dedicated entirely to free players, and is meant purely for afk experience. The Stronghold of Security houses many different creatures and monsters, and among them are the Giant Spiders. These spiders can be found in the third level of the stronghold (Pit of Pestilence), and what makes them particularly great for training is that they’re always aggressive towards players of all combat levels. Unfortunately, their drop table consists of literally just beginner clue scrolls, so there’s not a lot of room for profit to be made (unless you get lucky with the scrolls). If you want to be more resourceful and cut down on costs, you can bring along a fly fishing rod and some feathers to fish and cook your own food right outside Barbarian Village!
Extra AFK Melee Training Tips
Whether you’re planning to train for a short or long period of time, here’s a few tips that you should know before starting:
It’s a good idea to always wear the gear that provides you with the highest strength bonus. Using degradable armour (such as Barrows pieces) should be avoided, since it’s generally unneeded and helps cut down on costs (especially for the methods listed here) The “NPC Aggression Timer” plugin on Runelite is great to keep track of timers, and help you reset aggro more easily. On a similar note, the “Idle Notifier” plugin can notify you when your health and prayer points are running low, or if you’re about to log out from inactivity.
