OSRS: How To Get a Rune Crossbow on Ironman

There are two main ways of obtaining Rune Crossbows as an Ironman:

1. Creating them yourself through Fletching and Smithing
2. Or defeating the Crazy Archeologist demiboss in the Wilderness

There is also a third option in defeating Kree’Arra in the God Wars Dungeon. But this option will not be covered here, since it’s unlikely for a player to farm this endgame level boss if they don’t even own a rune crossbow yet.

Rune Crossbows are amazing mid-level weapons that require 61 Ranged to use. Due to their ability to use a shield and to fire Ruby and Diamond bolts, they are a popular option for content such as the Fight Caves and Slayer tasks.

And much like almost all rune weapons, Rune Crossbows (and the ways to obtain them) are off-limits for free-to-play players.

Method 1: Skilling for your Rune Crossbow

Although not recommended, players may craft their Rune Crossbows from scratch using their Smithing and Fletching skills.

This will require level 91 Smithing in order to create the Runite Limbs (or to get the drop from enemies such as Iron Dragons), and level 69 Fletching to combine them with a Yew Stock and Crossbow String.

The main drawback of this method is obtaining the Runite Limbs, since 91 Smithing is an incredibly high requirement for a mid-game item.

In comparison, Crazy Archeologist will involve a much easier enemy, while dropping the completed weapon.

Nevertheless, this alternative may be interesting to players that do not wish to enter the Wilderness – such as Hardcore Ironmen or players that tend to play on busy times, which increases the likelihood of spotting a PKer that interrupts your farming.

Method 2: The Crazy Archeologist

The most popular option for your crossbow is to farm the Crazy Archeologist, a Wilderness demiboss with a Combat Level of 204.

While being rather easy to kill, two Rune Crossbows can drop at a rate of 1/25.

This makes for a rather quick alternative (even with the drop rate). Especially when compared to the demanding requirements of 69 Fletching and 91 Smithing just to wear a level 61 weapon.

In addition, some drops may be interesting to low-mid level Ironmen, such as a red d’hide body, cannonballs, food, and dragon arrows.

This results in a rather simple boss that’s quick to kill and is quite likely to drop something you’ll want at some point in time.

The main drawback is heading inside the Wilderness.

Crazy Archeologist is a popular spot to scout for players, due to being a popular farming spot. As a result, it’s important for players to bring an emergency teleport and be quick on their feet if they see anyone.

The demiboss wanders around levels 22-25 of the Wilderness, so you might be able to escape if you think fast.