Greater demons are a popular training spot in Old School RuneScape, offering decent experience in both combat styles: melee and magic. But which method reigns supreme? This comprehensive guide dives deep into the pros and cons of each approach, helping you decide which is best for your playstyle and goals.
Melee Against Greater Demons: A Brute Force Approach
Melee combat against greater demons is a classic and reliable method, particularly favored by players who enjoy the visceral thrill of close-quarters combat.
Advantages of Melee:
- Simpler Setup: Requires less preparation and fewer resources compared to magic. You primarily need decent melee gear and food.
- High Experience Rates (with proper gear): With high-level weapons and armor, melee can yield impressive experience per hour. The raw damage output is significant.
- No Prayer Drain: Unlike magic, melee doesn't drain your prayer points, reducing the need for prayer potions or costly prayer renewals.
Disadvantages of Melee:
- Higher Risk of Death: Greater demons hit hard, and without sufficient defensive gear and supplies, death is a very real possibility. This leads to significant loss of resources and time.
- Gear Requirements: While simpler than magic in terms of setup, achieving high experience rates requires significant investment in high-level melee gear and armor.
- Slower Kill Times (without optimal gear): Without top-tier gear, killing speeds can be significantly slower than with efficient magic setups.
Magic Against Greater Demons: The Efficient Approach
Magic offers a different approach, prioritizing efficiency and potentially higher experience per hour with the right setup.
Advantages of Magic:
- Higher Potential Experience per Hour: With optimized gear and setups (like using trident of the swamp), magic boasts the potential for vastly higher experience rates than melee.
- Safer Combat: Maintaining distance from the greater demons significantly reduces the risk of taking damage, leading to fewer deaths and resource losses.
- Reduced Supply Costs (with efficient setups): While needing runes, efficient magic methods can reduce overall supply costs compared to the potential costs from repeated melee deaths.
Disadvantages of Magic:
- Higher Setup Costs: Requires a significant investment in runes, a high-level magic weapon, and potentially other items like a good teleportation method.
- Prayer Drain: Using magic will drain your prayer points, demanding a consistent supply of prayer potions or a high prayer level.
- More Complex Gameplay: Requires more tactical positioning and managing your resources effectively.
The Verdict: Which is Better?
The "best" method depends heavily on your circumstances:
- For beginners or those with limited resources: Melee, while potentially slower, is more accessible. Focus on improving your melee gear gradually.
- For experienced players with high-level gear and resources: Magic generally provides superior experience per hour, but requires a larger upfront investment.
- For players prioritizing safety: Magic's ranged nature significantly reduces the risk of death.
Ultimately, both melee and magic offer viable strategies for training at Greater Demons. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of each, considering your current gear, resources, and risk tolerance to make the best choice for your Old School RuneScape journey. Experimentation is key to discovering your preferred method and optimizing your experience rates.
