OSRS: The 10 Best Bolts (Ranked)

What are the best bolts in OSRS?

Bolts are the ammunition type used for crossbows, and they can be created using smithing and fletching skills.

However, certain crossbow bolts in Old School Runescape can only be obtained via drops or specialty shops.

In this list, we are going to be taking a look at the best bolts in OSRS that every crossbow user needs to have in their arsenal.

The 10 Best Bolts In OSRS

The crossbow bolts on this list have all been chosen based on their individual stats and benefits.

This way, you can easily learn which bolts are worth investing in and how you can get them for yourself.

With that being said, here’s our list of the 10 best bolts in OSRS:

10. Emerald Bolts

Kicking off our list, we have emerald bolts, which are mithril bolts that have been tipped with enchanted emeralds.

Emerald bolt tips attached to mithril bolts can be enchanted using the spell “enchant crossbow bolt,” which requires level 27 magic.

This spell will enchant ten bolts at a time, allowing you to stock up relatively quickly.

However, like standard mithril bolts, you will need a mithril crossbow or better to fire these.

What makes emerald bolts special is that they have a 55% chance of triggering the magical poison debuff.

This makes bolts apply 5 points of poison damage, even more than super-poisoned projectiles.

If used with the Zaryte Crossbow, one of the best ranged weapons in OSRS, this poison damage will be increased to 6.

There is also a 10% increased chance of this effect triggering if you have completed the Hard Kandarin Diary.

To get these bolts for yourself, you can either enchant the emerald tips yourself or buy them on the Grand Exchange for 30 coins.

9. Broad-tipped Bolts (Normal)

Broad bolts are up next, and they are some of the most popular in Old School Runescape.

These crossbow bolts provide a ranged strength bonus of +100, and they can be bought in sets of 250 for 35 slayer points from any Slayer Master.

Speaking of the slayer skill, broad-tipped bolts are required if you want to slay Kurasks or Turoth using ranged.

These bolts also require a slayer level of 55 and a ranged level of 61 to equip, and they can only be fired by a rune crossbow or greater.

Many players use broad-tipped bolts for ranged training since they are as strong as adamant bolts but much cheaper to buy.

Aside from purchasing them from Slayer Masters, broad bolts can also be bought from the Grand Exchange for around 57 coins.

Alternatively, players with a 55 fletching level who have the broader fletching ability unlocked can make broad bolts.

This ability can be unlocked for 300 slayer points, and they can be created by adding feathers to unfinished broad bolts purchased from a Slayer Master.

8. Adamant Bolts

The fourth strongest crossbow bolt in the Old School Runescape, adamant bolts pack one hell of a punch.

These bolts need to be fired from adamant crossbows or greater and require a ranged level of 46.

While broad bolts are equally as strong, adamant bolts are available to lower levels, making them worth investing in.

Players can either purchase adamant bolts from the Grand Exchange for 120 coins or make them themselves.

To make adamant bolts, players need a level 73 smithing, and a single adamant bar will create ten bolts.

However, you will also need a 61 fletching level to attach the feathers needed to complete them.

If you need a bit of help, you can check out our OSRS 1-99 fletching guide that will walk you through how to level up this skill quickly.

They can also sometimes be found as an uncommon drop from iron dragons and skeletal wyverns.

7. Broad-tipped Bolts (Amethyst)

Up next, we have amethyst broad-tipped bolts, which require a slayer level of 65 and a ranged level of 61 to equip.

Amethyst broad bolts can only be first by the rune, dragon hunter, dragon, Armadyl, and Zaryte crossbows.

They also come with a ranged strength bonus of +115, which is equivalent to runite bolts when in combat.

On the Grand Exchange, these bolts can be purchased for 300 coins each, but players can also craft them.

To make amethyst broad-tipped bolts for yourself, you’ll need a fletching level of 76 and the broader fletching ability.

If you meet these requirements, you can attach amethyst bolt tips to broad bolts, which will create ten at a time.

Players often favor these bolts over standard broad bolts, especially for the purpose of slaying Kurasks and Tuoth using ranged attacks.

When training your ranged skill, you will definitely want to grab these bolts as soon as you hit level 61.

6. Runite Bolts

Runite bolts can be fired using rune, dragon, dragon hunter, Armadyl, and Zaryte crossbows.

These crossbow bolts provide a +115 ranged strength bonus, tying them with the amethyst broad bolts as the fourth strongest in OSRS.

However, in order to equip and use runite bolts, you will need to have a ranged level of at least 61.

While these bolts can be bought on the Grand Exchange for 100 coins each, they can also be found as drops.

Most commonly, runite bolts are dropped by the nuclear smoke devil, the ancient wizard, and the King Black Dragon.

They can also be created with a smithing level of 88 and a fletching level of 69.

A single runite bar will make ten unfinished runite bolts, which can then be completed by adding feathers.

When training your ranged skill, runite bolts are definitely something you’ll want to pick up or start making as soon as you hit level 61.

5. Ruby Bolts

Ruby bolts are made by adding ruby bolt tips to adamant bolts and enchanting them with the enchant crossbow bolt (ruby) spell.

An enchanted ruby bolt will require a 49 magic level to make and a ranged level of 46 to wield.

This spell will create ten ruby bolts at a time and use a blood rune, a cosmic rune, and five fire runes in the process.

The cost is worth it because ruby bolts have a chance of activating the blood forfeit effect.

When activated, this effect causes the damage dealt to be 20% of the target’s current hitpoints.

However, this effect will take 10% of the player’s current hitpoints in the process, so keep that in mind.

Fortunately, if players don’t have ten hitpoints to spare, this effect will not activate under any circumstances.

This effect has an 11% chance of activating in PvP combat and a 6% chance during PvM combat.

Furthermore, if you’re wearing the Kandarin headgear, one of the best ranged helms, these percentages are increased to 12.1% and 6.6%, respectively.

While you can make ruby bolts yourself with the right skills, they can also be purchased on the Grand Exchange for around 100 coins.

4. Diamond Bolts

Like ruby bolts, diamond bolts are created using adamant bolts but tipped with an enchanted diamond instead of a ruby.

Diamond bolt tips can be enchanted using the enchant crossbow bolt (diamond) spell, which requires a 57 magic level.

This spell creates ten diamond bolt tips at once while consuming two law runes, ten death runes, and a cosmic rune.

What makes diamond bolts special is that they have a 10% chance of triggering the armor-piercing effect.

The armor-piercing effect increases maximum damage by 15% or 25% if using the Zaryte crossbow.

If you have completed the Hard Kandarin Diary, which offers one of the best diary rewards, the damage will be increased by an extra 10%.

Furthermore, when equipped, diamond bolts will increase your ranged strength bonus by +105, which is decently high.

To get these bolts for yourself without the required skills, you can find them on the Grand Exchange for about 160 coins each.

3. Dragonstone Bolts

Dragonstone bolts are runite bolts that have been tipped with enchanted dragonstone bolts.

Like the last few aforementioned bolts, Dragonstone bolts can be enchanted using the enchant crossbow bolt (dragonstone) spell.

This requires a level 68 magic skill, but you will also need a ranged skill of 61 to use them once made.

What makes these bolts special is that they have a 6% chance of triggering the dragon’s breath effect.

When activated, this effect inflicts dragonfire against the target, and a slight increase in the damage dealt can be gained by using the Zaryte crossbow.

However, if the target is immune to dragonfire, this effect will not trigger, and this also extends to targets using Protect from Magic.

Players engaging in PvP combat often use enchanted dragonstone bolts, since they have a chance of hitting opponents extremely hard.

These bolts can be absolutely devastating under the right circumstances, and you definitely shouldn’t pass them up.

If you don’t want to spend time making them yourself, you can find them on the GE for around 400 coins each.  

2. Dragon Bolts

Dragon bolts in Old School Runescape are extremely strong, and they offer a +122 ranged strength bonus.

These powerful bolts can only be fired from a dragon crossbow or greater, and they require a ranged level of 64 to use.

What makes dragon bolts so impressive is that they can be combined with any type of bolt tip, excluding amethyst.

For example, enchanted dragonstone dragon bolts are a superior version of the typical dragonstone bolts.

This is because they will now do more damage and benefit from a larger ranged strength bonus.

To make dragon bolts, you will need to grab some unfinished dragon bolts, which can be found on the GE for 1.4k each.

You can then attach feathers to these using a fletching level of 84 and any type of enchanted bolt tip that you want.

Dragon bolts are definitely one of the most powerful and flexible bolt types in all of OSRS.

If you can, you will definitely want to stock up on these as soon as you reach ranged level 64.

1. Enchanted Onyx Bolts

Taking our number one spot are enchanted onyx bolts, which are rune bolts tipped with enchanted onyx.

Onyx bolts can be enchanted using the enchant crossbow bolt (onyx) spell, which requires a magic level of 87.

These bolts require a ranged level of 61 to use, but they have a chance of triggering the life leech enchantment.

This effect deals 20% extra damage and 30% if you’re under the effect of the Zaryte crossbow.

Along with the additional damage, this effect will heal the user’s hitpoints by 20% of the total damage dealt.

However, this effect won’t trigger on undead foes since they have no life force to leech.

The life leech enchantment has a 10% chance of triggering in PvP combat and an 11% chance of triggering in PvM.

This is increased to 11% and 12.1%, respectively, if the hard Kandarin Diary is completed.

If you don’t have the skill levels needed to make enchanted onyx bolts, it is possible to buy them on the Grand Exchange.

Unfortunately, these bolts are extremely expensive, costing around 8.6k each, meaning only 10 of these arrows will run you about 86k.

That said, like the best weapons of all time in OSRS, it is worth having a couple of these arrows in your arsenal as a ranger!

Summary

We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the best bolts in OSRS and learned more about which ones you should use in combat.

Although all of these crossbow bolts are useful, you’ll have to pay attention to what ranged levels they can be used at.

Make sure to pay attention to your character’s level so that you’ll know when to switch to the next best type of bolt!

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best bolts in OSRS:

1. Enchanted Onyx Bolts
2. Dragon Bolts
3. Dragonstone Bolts
4. Diamond Bolts
5. Ruby Bolts
6. Runite Bolts
7. Broad-tipped Bolts (Amethyst)
8. Adamant Bolts
9. Broad-tipped Bolts (Normal)
10. Emerald Bolts

Which of these bolts are you going to use first? Leave a comment below.