Defence

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This article is about the Defence skill. For information on training Defence, see Defence training.

Defence
Also known as	Def
Release date	4 January 2001 (Update)
Members only?	No
Players with 99	97,801 as of 20 April 2019
Players with 200M XP	72 as of 20 April 2019

Defence (spelled "Defense" in RuneScape Classic; oftentimes abbreviated as Def) is one of the primary combat skills that grants players protection in all forms of combat. Defence is one of the skills that will raise the combat level of a player regardless of other skill levels. For this reason, many pures leave their defence at a certain level and stop training it. They range from 1 Defence pures, to Initiate pures (level 20-25), rune pures (level 40/42), Berserker pures (level 45), and Barrows pures (level 70). All of the above may be considered as a type of 'pure'. Some people may choose to only train Defence, and are known as just 'Defence pures'.

The higher the Defence level, the fewer successful blows an opponent will land against the player, this applies to all combat styles used against the player. Defence is thus a vital skill for enduring attacks for long periods of time, and can be extremely helpful against opponents with high Attack, Ranged, or Magic. Defence does not affect the amount of damage taken when a successful attack is landed on the player.

A player's Defence level also determines which equipment he or she is able to wear, as most pieces of armour or other equipment have a Defence level requirement.

Defence level-up (link)

The music that plays when levelled up.

Equipment

Almost every single piece of combat equipment (except for the ones that go on the weapon, cape, ring, and amulet slots) requires a certain Defence level to wear. Here are links to tables of armour and equipment that require a Defence level to wear:

• Armour - For an overview on the different types of Armour.
• Melee armour - An overview of the different types of Melee armour.
• Magic armour - An overview of the different types of Magic armour.
• Ranged armour - An overview of the different types of Ranged armour.
• Prayer armour - An overview of the different types of Prayer armour.
• Defenders - A weapon that goes on the shield slot and provides offensive bonuses while also having an Attack and Defence levels requirement. The rune defender provides the same strength bonus as an obsidian shield, while only requiring 40 defence as opposed to 60.

Quests

There are several quests that provide Defence experience as a reward, and further quests that provide optional experience- often in the form of experience lamps and books.

This list is incomplete.

Quest Name	Experience	Form
Contact!	7,000 x2	Combat Lamp
Darkness of Hallowvale	2,000 x3	Tome of Experience
Dragon Slayer	18,650	Reward
Dream Mentor	15,000	Dreamy Lamp
Holy Grail	15,300	Reward
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen	2,500	Skill Lamp
Olaf's Quest	12,000	Reward
Nature Spirit	2,000	Reward
The Fremennik Isles	10,000 x2	Reward
The Great Brain Robbery	5,000	Blessed Lamp
King's Ransom	33,000	Reward