Best OSRS Melee Cape Slot Items for Maximum Combat Power

In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), the cape slot is a critical piece of equipment for melee builds, offering significant boosts to strength, attack, and defense stats. Whether you’re tackling high-level PvM challenges like the Inferno or grinding Slayer tasks, choosing the right cape can make or break your performance. This guide dives into the best melee cape slot items, their stats, how to obtain them, and why they’re essential for optimizing your melee setup. Let’s explore the top capes to elevate your combat prowess in 2025!

The cape slot in OSRS isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a powerhouse for combat stats. For melee-focused players, capes provide critical strength and attack bonuses that directly impact damage output, alongside defensive stats to keep you alive in tough fights. With the right cape, you can maximize your DPS (damage per second) and survivability, making it a cornerstone of any best-in-slot (BiS) melee setup. Below, we’ll break down the top melee capes, their unique benefits, and how to get them.

Key Factors to Consider

When selecting a melee cape, consider the following:

• Strength Bonus: Boosts your maximum hit, crucial for DPS.
• Attack Bonuses: Improves accuracy for stab, slash, and crush attacks.
• Defensive Stats: Enhances survivability against melee, ranged, and magic attacks.
• Utility: Some capes offer teleports or niche perks for specific activities.
• Accessibility: Requirements like quests, skills, or PvM challenges affect obtainability.

Top Melee Capes in OSRS

The melee cape slot is dominated by a few standout options, each catering to different playstyles and progression levels. Here’s a detailed look at the best capes for melee combat, ranked by their effectiveness in 2025.

Infernal Cape: The Ultimate Melee Cape

The Infernal Cape is the undisputed king of melee capes, offering unparalleled stats for high-level PvM. Obtained by defeating TzKal-Zuk in the Inferno, this cape is a badge of skill and prestige. Its +8 strength bonus and +12 defense across all styles make it ideal for bosses like those in the Theatre of Blood or Nightmare of Ashihama. The +4 prayer bonus is a cherry on top for prayer-heavy strategies.

How to Get: Complete the Inferno, a grueling PvM challenge requiring elite combat skills, top-tier gear, and mastery of prayer switching. Expect to spend weeks or months practicing, as it’s one of the toughest feats in OSRS.

Why It’s Great: The Infernal Cape’s massive strength and defensive bonuses make it BiS for nearly all melee scenarios, from Slayer to endgame raids.

Fire Cape: A Staple for Mid-to-Late Game

The Fire Cape is the second-best melee cape and a must-have for players progressing toward endgame content. Earned by defeating TzTok-Jad in the TzHaar Fight Cave, it offers a +4 strength bonus, +11 defensive bonuses, and +1 to all attack stats. Its iconic flame animation adds flair to your character.

How to Get: Survive 63 waves of enemies in the Fight Cave and defeat Jad, requiring precise prayer switching and combat knowledge. It’s challenging but achievable with mid-level gear and practice.

Why It’s Great: The Fire Cape is accessible to mid-level players and provides a significant DPS boost for Slayer, bossing, and general combat.

Max Cape: Versatility for Skilling and Combat

The Max Cape is a prestigious option for players who’ve achieved level 99 in all skills. While not as strong as the Infernal or Fire Cape for pure melee, its +4 strength bonus matches the Fire Cape, and it offers unique perks like teleports to skill-related locations. It can also be combined with other capes (e.g., Fire Cape) for cosmetic variants.

How to Get: Reach level 99 in all 23 skills and purchase it from Mac for 2,277,000 coins. This requires over 300 million total experience, making it a long-term goal.

Why It’s Great: The Max Cape is a versatile choice for players who want combat bonuses alongside skilling utility, though it’s outclassed by the Infernal Cape in pure melee scenarios.

Mythical Cape: Niche Crush Specialist

The Mythical Cape is a lesser-known but powerful option for crush-based melee builds. With a +6 crush attack bonus, it’s BiS for activities like fighting the Corporeal Beast or Wilderness bosses when paired with weapons like the Dragon Warhammer. Its unlimited teleports to the Myths’ Guild are a bonus.

How to Get: Purchase it from Jack in the Myths’ Guild for 1,200 coins after completing the Dragon Slayer II quest.

Why It’s Great: Its crush bonus shines in specific scenarios, and its low requirements make it accessible for mid-level players.

Obsidian Cape: Budget-Friendly Starter

The Obsidian Cape (or “Obby Cape”) is a solid early-game option with no requirements. It offers +9 defensive bonuses and matches the stats of most skill capes, making it a great choice for players who haven’t yet tackled the Fight Cave or other challenges.

How to Get: Buy it from the Grand Exchange for around 50,000-100,000 coins or from TzHaar shops.

Why It’s Great: Affordable and effective, it’s a no-frills cape for players starting their melee journey.

Comparing Melee Cape Stats

To help you choose the best cape for your needs, here’s a table comparing the key stats of the top melee capes:

Cape	Strength Bonus	Attack Bonuses	Defense Bonuses	Prayer Bonus	Requirements
Infernal Cape	+8	+4 (all except +1 Magic/Ranged)	+12 (all)	+4	Complete Inferno
Fire Cape	+4	+1 (all)	+11 (all)	+2	Complete Fight Cave
Max Cape	+4	+1 (all)	+11 (all)	+4	99 in all skills
Mythical Cape	0	+6 (Crush), 0 (others)	+10 (all)	+1	Dragon Slayer II
Obsidian Cape	0	0	+9 (all)	0	None

How to Choose the Right Melee Cape

Your choice of cape depends on your combat level, goals, and access to content. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide:

For Beginners (Levels 1-60)

Start with the Obsidian Cape. It’s cheap, requires no quests or skills, and provides decent defensive stats for early-game training or quests.

For Mid-Level Players (Levels 60-90)

Aim for the Fire Cape or Mythical Cape. The Fire Cape is ideal for general melee combat, while the Mythical Cape excels in crush-based scenarios like Corporeal Beast.

For Endgame Players (Levels 90+)

Pursue the Infernal Cape for maximum DPS and survivability in high-level PvM. The Max Cape is a good alternative if you’ve maxed all skills but haven’t conquered the Inferno.

Tips for Obtaining Your Melee Cape

Getting the best melee capes requires preparation and strategy. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

• Practice Prayer Switching: Both the Fire Cape and Infernal Cape require mastering prayer switches to counter Jad and TzKal-Zuk’s attacks. Use lower-level content like Slayer tasks to hone this skill.
• Optimize Your Gear: Equip BiS melee gear like the Amulet of Torture, Ferocious Gloves, and Osmumten’s Fang to make Fight Cave and Inferno runs easier.
• Stock Up on Supplies: Bring high-healing food (e.g., Saradomin brews) and prayer potions for endurance challenges like the Fight Cave.
• Complete Prerequisite Quests: For the Mythical Cape, finish Dragon Slayer II to unlock the Myths’ Guild. For the Max Cape, grind all skills to 99.
• Use Guides and Simulators: Tools like the OSRS Best in Slot Gear Calculator can help you plan your setup for challenging content.

Future of Melee Capes in OSRS

With updates like Varlamore: The Final Dawn introducing new BiS items, the melee cape slot may see changes. Jagex has hinted at potential upgrades, such as an untradeable melee weapon, but no new capes have been confirmed as of May 2025. For now, the Infernal Cape remains the gold standard, but keep an eye on Jagex’s blog posts for future content that could shake up the meta.

Conclusion: The melee cape slot is a game-changer for OSRS players, offering everything from budget-friendly options like the Obsidian Cape to the elite Infernal Cape. By understanding each cape’s stats, requirements, and use cases, you can choose the perfect one for your playstyle. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned PvM veteran, equipping the right cape will boost your melee performance and help you conquer Gielinor’s toughest challenges. Which cape are you aiming for? Let us know in the comments!