Old School RuneScape’s new weapon is what Ironman accounts have needed for years
Old School RuneScape’s latest quest has introduced a new weapon that is set to change Ironman mode forever.
For the longest time, Old School RuneScape remained faithful to its name by maintaining and delivering a traditional RuneScape experience based on the 2007 version of the popular MMORPG.
However, in recent years this has changed with OSRS players opening up to more ambitious content that strays further from the game’s original vision, including a whole new skill, pets, and several reworked minigames.
Now another big change has arrived greatly impacting the Ironman accounts as the game mode’s melee progression meta has undergone a huge shift.
New OSRS axe will change the Ironman meta forever
As part of the February 21 update that introduced the Defender of Varrock quest, Old School RuneScape also saw a new weapon added, the Zombie Axe.
The Zombie Axe is a 5-tick weapon that requires 65 Attack to equip with its broken variant being a rare drop from Armoured Zombies, a new enemy that can be fought after completing Defender of Varrock.
After receiving a Broken Zombie Axe, players can repair it with 70 Smithing to create the wieldable version. Furthermore, Defender of Varrock itself requires the completion of several quests, 55 Smithing, and 52 Hunter.
JagexThese are the key stats for the Zombie Axe:
- Slash Bonus: +105
- Crush Bonus: +90
- Strength Bonus: +107
- Attack Speed: 5
Even after accounting for its slower Attack Speed, the Zombie Axe’s performance and average DPS almost match the Abyssal Whip, an extremely popular melee weapon that requires 85 Slayer to obtain on an Ironman.
However, the Zombie Axe is much easier to get and only just loses out to the Slayer-exclusive drop in most situations. More importantly, it is a huge upgrade to the Dragon Scimitar which Ironman accounts were previously stuck using, often for hundreds of hours during their lengthy Slayer grind.
Those excited to try out the Zombie Axe and have the opportunity to use a larger variety of weapons should also look forward to Project Rebalance. The ambitious project will feature a complete overhaul to PvE combat that should see OSRS have more viable weapons than ever before.