OSRS Combat Achievements Tiers Guide: Avoid Trap Tasks

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Combat Achievements (CA) turn boss knowledge into a permanent account upgrade. Released on 21 July 2021, they convert niche PvM experience into account-wide benefits: higher clue scroll rates, free daily teleports, extra Slayer convenience, and Ghommal's hilt upgrades that can rival mid-game offhands. The system is point-based, not linear. You do not need to finish every Easy task before claiming Medium rewards, and a handful of endgame tasks can outweigh an entire day spent on inefficient Easy grinds.

The problem is that some CA tasks are traps. They look short, but hide a long quest chain, an untradeable item, or a supply bill that wipes out the reward. This guide walks through the six tiers, the account unlocks that matter, and how to spot the tasks that are better skipped until later. If you are buying or building an account, what matters is not total points, but which tiers are actually unlocked.

The tier ladder and the point thresholds that actually matter

Combat Achievements are split into six difficulty bands: Easy, Medium, Hard, Elite, Master, and Grandmaster. Each task is worth a set number of points, with higher tiers awarding more points per task. Rewards are claimed by speaking to Ghommal or Laidee Gnonock at the Warriors' Guild entrance, or from the Leagues Tutor during a League. Unlike Achievement Diaries, you do not need all previous tier tasks; you only need the point total for the reward tier you want.

Grandmaster is the only exception to point-based claiming: it requires all tasks, not just a total. If new tasks are released, your previously claimed hilt can remain in your bank, but its benefits are downgraded to the highest tier you still qualify for, and you cannot claim another until you catch up.

The early tiers are deceptively approachable, but point requirements climb fast. A player with only Easy tasks can stop at 41 points and still enjoy a permanent clue scroll buff, but anyone chasing the hilt should treat Medium and Hard as the same project: you need 436 points for hilt 3, which is a much larger time investment.

What makes a CA task a trap?

A trap task is one that looks cheap on the surface but has a hidden cost. The most common traps in Combat Achievements are not the obvious endgame challenges, but restrictions that demand a specific untradeable, a long quest unlock, or a rare drop from unrelated content.

• Hidden gear requirements. A task may read like a simple kill, but the boss might be designed around a dragon hunter weapon, a fire cape, or a specific Slayer helmet upgrade. If you do not already own the item, the task is not a 10-minute detour.
• RNG-dependent perfect kills. Tasks that require taking no avoidable damage or killing a boss within a fast time often hinge on hit RNG, not skill. You can spend two hours resetting for one point.
• Quest-locked bosses. Several CA tasks involve bosses gated behind quests like Dragon Slayer II or Desert Treasure II. The task itself is short; the quest chain is not.
• Passive tasks you may already have done. Boss kill count tasks and time-based Gauntlet tasks were retroactively completed for players who had them before CA launched. Always check the interface before repeating a grind.

One common mistake is treating CA like a diary where you complete every task in order. Because rewards are point-based, skipping a few inefficient Easy tasks and doing two extra Medium tasks is often faster. Before you start a task, ask whether the points per hour are better than another task you are ignoring.

Easy and Medium: the low-hanging account upgrades

The first two tiers are worth doing on every account that can kill bosses, even if you never plan to push higher. The Easy tier unlocks several permanent account benefits that affect daily play.

The clue scroll buff alone makes Easy CA worthwhile for any player who does medium clues or wants easy elites eventually. The hilt teleports are a real time save for God Wars trips, and the Like a boss increase is small but meaningful.

Medium adds a 10,000 XP lamp and hilt 2, with the same reward categories scaled up. The point jump from 41 to 169 is significant, so target tasks that overlap with your existing bossing routine: Slayer boss tasks, Barrows, and mid-tier bosses like Vorkath (once DS2 is complete) all contribute without much extra effort.

Dragon Slayer 2 unlocks Vorkath and opens a large block of medium and hard CA tasks, so plan your quest order around combat achievements rather than doing them twice.

Hard and Elite: the breakpoints that change how you boss

Hard and Elite are where the hilt starts to become a genuine offhand option and the daily teleports become a real convenience. The point thresholds are 436 and 1,100 respectively, and the task pool expands to include bosses that require more precise mechanics, better gear, and sometimes a Slayer task.

Elite also unlocks a 25,000 XP lamp on any skill of at least level 50. That is enough to finish a slow skill or push a requirement for a quest. The lamp cannot be banked, so plan the skill before you claim it.

The biggest hidden change at this stage is not the lamp; it is the hilt. Each version adds more daily teleports and better stats, which reduces supply costs for repeat boss trips. If you are doing hundreds of kills for Slayer or pets, those teleports compound into hours saved.

For many players, Hard is a realistic stopping point until they have better gear. Elite tasks frequently require perfect kills, no-damage restrictions, or speed kills that depend on high DPS. Trying to brute-force Elite with mid-level gear is a trap.

Slayer and Like a boss: the hidden account synergy

Slayer is the backbone of most combat progression in OSRS, and Combat Achievements reward that loop directly. The Slayer skill gates access to many monsters, provides bonus damage through the black mask and Slayer helmet, and generates Slayer reward points for unlocks. The Easy CA tier modifies the existing Like a boss Slayer reward, raising the maximum boss kill count from 35 to 40.

This matters for two reasons. First, boss tasks are already efficient for Slayer XP and pet hunting; a higher kill cap means fewer task resets and more time inside the boss room. Second, many CA tasks are tied to Slayer-only bosses or require being on task, so training Slayer naturally completes CA objectives.

Slayer equipment requirements are also a trap source for CA tasks. Some tasks expect earmuffs, a nose peg, or a specific weapon like a leaf-bladed sword. If you do not own the Slayer item, the task is impossible until you buy it, and some items are locked behind Slayer levels or rewards.

Slayer reward points should be spent deliberately. Unlocking the Slayer helmet, extending good tasks, and buying the Like a boss reward are all useful, but some unlocks are cosmetic and do not help CA. Check the Slayer reward shop before spending points earned from a streak.

Ghommal's hilt upgrades and the Avernic defender combo

Ghommal's hilt is the flagship reward of Combat Achievements because it scales with your point total and can combine with the Avernic defender at higher tiers. The hilt itself is an offhand that also provides daily teleports and other passive benefits.

• Hilt 1 — 41 points
• Hilt 2 — 169 points
• Hilt 3 — 436 points
• Hilt 4 — 1,100 points
• Hilt 5 — 1,965 points
• Hilt 6 — 2,697 points

At hilt 5 and 6, you can combine the hilt with the Avernic defender to create Ghommal's avernic defender 5 or 6. This is an account upgrade that matters in melee setups, and it is one of the main reasons players push into Master and Grandmaster.

This is why buying an account with a high CA tier is not just about the hilt in the bank. The point total matters, not the item. If new content has been released since the account was last active, that hilt 5 may only function as a hilt 4.

Antique lamps: free XP and where to put it

Three combat achievement tiers reward an antique lamp, but they are not created equal. Each lamp has a minimum skill level to use and cannot be banked or replaced if destroyed. Claim them only when you know which skill you want.

The Grandmaster lamp has an extra wrinkle: since While Guthix Sleeps, you cannot claim it from Ghommal because he dies during the quest. You must speak to Laidee Gnonock instead, and only after you have progressed enough to unlock Tormented Demons, which have their own CA tasks.

For most players, the best lamp target is a slow or expensive skill like Runecraft, Agility, or a skill just below a quest requirement. Since the lamp cannot be banked, do not claim it unless your chosen skill is already at the required level.

Common mistakes and trap tasks to deprioritise

After hundreds of player-reported CA grinds, the same mistakes come up repeatedly. Avoid these unless you want to burn hours for no account benefit.

• Doing tasks in tier order. Points are points; a 6-point Medium task can be faster than three 2-point Easy tasks. Sort by points per hour, not by tier.
• Chasing perfect kills too early. No-damage and speed tasks are often balanced around max gear. Wait until you have better stats and weapons.
• Ignoring passive completion. Boss kill count tasks and Gauntlet time tasks may already be marked complete if you did them before 21 July 2021. Check the interface before committing.
• Underestimating quest requirements. Many CA bosses are locked behind long quest chains. If you are not already doing those quests, the task is not a quick win.
• Spending Slayer points poorly. Do not buy cosmetic unlocks before Slayer helmet and Like a boss if your goal is CA. Points are finite early on.
• Claiming lamps on the wrong skill. A level 19 skill cannot use the Easy lamp, and the lamp is lost forever if you destroy it.

If you are aiming for Grandmaster, the trap is different: every task must be completed, so there is no skipping. That includes awakened DT2 bosses, which are among the hardest content in the game. For everyone else, the best strategy is to stop when the next tier requires tasks that would take longer than the rewards are worth.

A practical next step for your account

Open the Combat Achievements interface from the Character Summary tab and write down your current point total. Then sort the task list by tier and identify every task you can complete in one trip. Start with Easy and Medium tasks that overlap with your existing Slayer assignments or boss kills. Claim the Easy reward before moving on, because the clue scroll boost and hilt teleports are useful immediately.

If you would rather start from an account that already has the early tiers done, or you want to skip the 100-hour grind to hilt 3, that is a legitimate marketplace option. Browse accounts to see what tier progress is available, and always confirm the current point total, not just the hilt in the bank.

Sources

• Combat Achievements
• Ghommal's hilt
• Slayer
• Antique lamp (Easy Combat Achievements)
• Antique lamp (Elite Combat Achievements)
• Antique lamp (Grandmaster Combat Achievements)