Defence training for Ironmen
Defence gates armour, from rune at 40 to Barrows and Bandos at 65 to 70 and Torva at 80.
Time. Some players keep Defence lower early, but Ironmen generally want it up for bossing.
Methods and XP rates from the OSRS Wiki's Ironman and training guides, October 2026. Times are our estimates.
1 to 50
3 h
1 to 70
14 h
1 to 80
33 h
1 to 90
81 h
1 to 99
191 h
Methods by level
| Levels | Method | XP/hr | Time for this stretch | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–30 | Sand Crabs in HosidiusEstimate; wiki gives no flat rate. | ~20,000 | 40 min | — |
| 30–60 | Gemstone Crab (AFK)Estimate; wiki gives no flat rate. | ~40,000 | 6.5 h | Children of the Sun |
| 60–75 | Nightmare Zone absorption rumbleNeeds five eligible quests done. Wiki: 50-80k at levels 50-75. | ~65,000 | 14 h | — |
| 75–99 | Nightmare Zone absorption rumbleIronman guide figure for mid-game gear; very AFK. | ~70,000 | 169 h | — |
XP rates are typical, not maximum. Our time column scales skills where you gather your own supplies (Prayer, Herblore, Cooking, Construction, Smithing, Fletching, Crafting) to include that gathering.
What Defence levels unlock
- 20Rag and Bone Man IIquest
- 30Between a Rock...quest
- 30Masori armourgear
- 40Fighter torsogear
- 40Fighter torsounlock
- 40Lunar Diplomacyquest
- 42Elite Voidgear
- 42Elite Voidunlock
- 45Zaryte vambracesgear
- 55Helm of neitiznotgear
- 60Dragon bootsgear
- 60Dragon defendergear
- 60Dragon defenderunlock
- 65Ancestral robesgear
- 65Bandos chestplategear
- 65Bandos tassetsgear
- 65King's Ransomquest
- 70Ahrim's robesgear
- 70Armadyl armourgear
- 70Avernic defendergear
- 70Crystal armourgear
- 70Neitiznot faceguardgear
- 70Pietyunlock
- 75Dragonfire shieldgear
- 75Dragonfire wardgear
- 75Eternal bootsgear
- 75Pegasian bootsgear
- 75Primordial bootsgear
- 75Serpentine helmgear
- 75Virtus robesgear
- 80Elidinis' wardgear
- 80Ferocious glovesgear
- 80Torva armourgear
Plan it for your account
Look yourself up and use Goal mode: it shows the levels a target needs and roughly how long each takes from your real XP.
Questions
- How long does 99 Defence take on an Ironman?
- Roughly 191 h with the methods on this page, including rough time to gather your own supplies. Faster methods exist if you push harder.
- What is the best way to train Defence as an Ironman?
- It changes with level: Nightmare Zone absorption rumble from 60, then Nightmare Zone absorption rumble from 75. The full table above shows every stage.