OSRS Defence Calculator

9 priced Defence methods, from 250,000 XP/hr down to 15,000. Free-to-play skill.

OSRS Defence Calculator. Between Sand Crabs (Defensive) (1) and Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) (60) this table lists 9 Defence methods. Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) at 250,000 XP/hr is the best of the 9 rows open at level 70. 12,296,804 XP, no action count and 49 hrs - the panel above answers those three at 10 hrs a week.

Defence goal

RuneScape username

Current level

Current XP

Target level

How much do you actually play?

10 hrs / week

The damage

XP remaining

12,296,804

Actions left

—

via Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse)

Time left

49 hrs

Nights of grinding

weekly hours averaged across 7 days

ETA

in 5 weeks

Total cost ≈ 110.7M gp

Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) at 250,000 XP/hr is the fastest row available to you, and nothing locked in this table beats it.

Defence methods and rates

Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) at 250,000 XP/hr is a session average; the 9 rows below all are.

Method	Lvl	XP/hr	GP/XP	To goal	Hours
Giant frogs f2p Lumbridge Swamp starter for F2P; 23 HP each and every frog drops big bones you can bank for Prayer or gp. · 92 xp/frog	1	15,000	+2	133,661	820 hrs
Sand Crabs (Defensive) afk Hosidius shore AFK staple: 60 HP punching bags that barely hit back. Reset aggro every ~10 min. · 240 xp/crab	1	30,000	—	51,237	410 hrs
Ogress Warriors f2p Best F2P mix of xp and loot; rune drops average ~1.9k gp per kill, but bring food - they hit hard. · 328 xp/kill	40	25,000	+5	37,491	492 hrs
Scurrius (solo, Defensive) Giant rat boss aimed at mid-level accounts; +20% xp modifier (more with a rat bone weapon), solo instance has 500 HP. · 2400 xp/solo kill	30	55,000	—	5,124	224 hrs
Gemstone Crab afk 2025-added world boss in Varlamore: tag it and AFK up to 10 min. Pays 3.5 xp per damage instead of 4, plus a small gem payout.	1	30,000	—	—	410 hrs
Nightmare Zone (Defensive) The long-haul meta: Dharok's + absorption potions on Defensive style. Points cover the potions, so it's basically free.	40	90,000	+0.1	—	137 hrs
Slayer (Defensive/Controlled) profit Slowest pure Defence xp, but you bank Slayer levels and valuable drops at the same time; profit grows with task level.	40	65,000	+2	—	189 hrs
Pest Control cheapest Zero supplies and no death risk; xp per point scales with your level, best at 100+ combat. Also unlocks Void armour.	40	110,000	—	—	112 hrs
Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) fastest Long fuse chins in the MM2 tunnels: fastest solo Defence xp with equal Ranged xp alongside, but chin costs are brutal.	60	250,000	-9	—	49 hrs

About training Defence

Defence has no dedicated activity of its own - you earn it by fighting on xp-splitting combat styles: melee Defensive pays 4 Defence xp per point of damage, Long fuse ranged pays 2, and defensive spell casting pays 1. Most players just let Defence ride along with Slayer, crabs or Nightmare Zone sessions and flip to Defensive style whenever the stat falls behind. If you want it fast, Long fuse chinning at maniacal monkeys pushes past 250k Defence xp an hour.

Did you know: Level 1-99 Defence takes 13,034,431 xp, and Defensive style pays exactly 4 xp per damage - so a pure sand-crab grind means dealing 3,258,608 damage, roughly 54,310 crabs at 240 xp apiece.

How this Defence estimate is built

12,760,689 XP separates level 60 from Defence 99, out of 13,034,431 total. 250,000 XP/hr on Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) turns that gap into 51 hrs; 0 XP per chinchompa turns it into 0 actions. No per-action XP for Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse), so the action tile stays blank and the hours carry the estimate. Gemstone Crab, Nightmare Zone (Defensive), Slayer (Defensive/Controlled), Pest Control, Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) report no countable unit, and features in hours only for that reason. 36 nights at 1.4 hrs a day covers 51 hrs of Defence. 54 hrs from level 1, if you switch at 30/40/60.

Decision example

12,760,689 XP: Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) converts it in 51 hrs, Pest Control in 116 hrs - 127% more clock. Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) costs 114.8M gp while Pest Control breaks even. Low attention instead: Sand Crabs (Defensive) at 30,000 XP/hr.

Limits of the number

250,000 XP/hr is Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) over a session, 337,500 on a perfect tick. An hour of Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) burns about 2.3M gp in supplies. Prices are 16 October 2026 estimates: 9 GP/XP today, and the Defence cost moves with supply.

Defence, level 60 to 99

12,760,689 XP - 98% of a whole 99 - explained twice. Same target, same 12,760,689 XP; the Defence rate is the only difference.

Method	Rate	Actions	Active hours	GP/XP estimate
Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse)	250,000 XP/hr	no action unit	51 hrs	-114.8M gp
Pest Control	110,000 XP/hr	no action unit	116 hrs	not estimated

Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) saves 65 hrs over Pest Control, which is 127% of the slower total.

13,034,431 XP for 99 is arithmetic, not opinion; the Defence rates behind these hours are the part to re-check, last done 16 October 2026. Data sources.

A practical Defence route

3 stages, 1-40 to 70+: each names the Defence method to switch to and what the switch buys.

1-40

Quest rewards with a build check
Use combat quests where they fit your account, then train on the Defence style against targets you can sustain.
40-70

Controlled versus defensive
Controlled style keeps total combat moving; defensive style is slower but makes the Defence target explicit.
70+

Stop at the useful unlock
Barrows, dragonfire, armour and combat-level breakpoints often matter more than an automatic plan for 99.

Defence by goal

What changes the choice

Fastest: Use high-damage melee or ranged methods while selecting Defence XP where the method supports it.
Build planning: Check quest XP and combat-level changes before accepting a reward that moves Defence above a PvP bracket.
Low cost: Choose durable monsters and a slower rate when food, prayer or ammunition costs dominate the session.

Requirements and caveats

The same monster can produce different Defence XP depending on attack style and combat method.
The calculator does not model combat-level brackets or quest rewards unless you include them in the remaining XP yourself.

Common mistakes to avoid

Selecting controlled combat while expecting the dedicated Defence rate.
Planning 70 Defence without checking whether a quest reward will overshoot the intended build.

3 Defence switches, reviewed 2026-10-16. Defence training on the OSRS Wiki.

Defence FAQ

How long does 99 Defence take in OSRS?

Budget 54 active hours for the level 1 to 99 climb on the best available Defence method at each step, or 28 nights at two hours.

How many solo kills do you need for 99 Defence?

About 5,426 solo kills at 2400 XP each on Scurrius (solo, Defensive), from level 30 to 99.

Which Defence method is fastest?

Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse), from level 60, at about 250,000 XP/hr. Long fuse chins in the MM2 tunnels: fastest solo Defence xp with equal Ranged xp alongside, but chin costs are brutal.

What is a practical Defence training route?

1-40: Quest rewards with a build check - Use combat quests where they fit your account, then train on the Defence style against targets you can sustain. 40-70: Controlled versus defensive - Controlled style keeps total combat moving; defensive style is slower but makes the Defence target explicit. 70+: Stop at the useful unlock - Barrows, dragonfire, armour and combat-level breakpoints often matter more than an automatic plan for 99.

Is Defence profitable?

Yes - Giant frogs earns roughly 2 gp per XP, and Ogress Warriors earns roughly 5 gp per XP, and Nightmare Zone (Defensive) earns roughly 0.1 gp per XP, and Slayer (Defensive/Controlled) earns roughly 2 gp per XP. All of them are slower than Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) at 250,000 XP/hr.

Defence method choice: what matters?

The same monster can produce different Defence XP depending on attack style and combat method. The calculator does not model combat-level brackets or quest rewards unless you include them in the remaining XP yourself. Common mistakes include Selecting controlled combat while expecting the dedicated Defence rate. Planning 70 Defence without checking whether a quest reward will overshoot the intended build.

Is Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) worth it over Pest Control?

65 hrs is what Chinning maniacal monkeys (Long fuse) saves you over Pest Control across 12,760,689 XP, once level 60 is behind you.

All 24 skill calculators, closest in hours first

Ranked by hours to 99, Defence lands at 13 of 24. Thieving takes 51 hrs, Sailing 74 hrs. Open the hub table: Ogress Warriors is the only Defence row that pays, at 5 GP/XP.