OSRS Project Rebalance Combat: Mains vs Pures & Boosting Quotes

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Project Rebalance is a series of updates that has been reshaping core systems in Old School RuneScape. The skilling half landed first on May 8th, covering Agility, Thieving, Mining, and a major Mage Training Arena pass. Then the combat update followed, introducing NPC Defence changes, elemental weaknesses, Ranged Defence types, and item rebalances. If you are pricing a boost, planning a Combat Achievement push, or deciding between a main and a pure, these patches move the needle.

The changes are not cosmetic. They alter which spells are best at which bosses, how much Magic Damage you actually need, and whether a lower-levelled or restricted account can realistically clear a task. This article walks through the update line-by-line, compares mains and pures, and spells out the marketplace knock-on effects.

The Big Picture: Project Rebalance Hits Combat

The combat newspost is explicit about intent: Jagex does not want to fundamentally change combat, but to improve the parts that make it satisfying. The update opens up space for rewards that do not contribute to bloat and powercreep. That matters for both mains and pures. A main in near-BIS gear sees different relative shifts than a pure in welfare or mid-tier gear. The new elemental weakness system deliberately gives bigger relative bonuses to middling setups, so early and mid-game magic builds get a larger lift.

At the same time, item rebalances and Magic Damage redistribution mean your old gear may have different max hits. The elemental weakness formula is additive: base damage is multiplied by (Magic Damage % + Elemental Weakness %). That is important because it prevents high-end setups from becoming absurdly overpowered while giving lower-end accounts a way to compete at specific bosses.

Combat Achievements Become the Pressure Test

Combat Achievements have been in the game since 21 July 2021. They split boss and monster challenges into Easy, Medium, Hard, Elite, Master and Grandmaster tiers, each awarding points. The interface lives in the Character Summary tab. Some tasks are free-to-play, but most are members.

Unlike Achievement Diaries, you do not need to finish every task in a tier before claiming rewards. You only need the point threshold for that tier. The exception is Grandmaster, which demands completion of every currently available task. The wiki lists Easy at 41 points and Medium at 169 points. Higher tiers climb steeply. Rewards include Ghommal's hilt, daily God Wars Dungeon teleports, Slayer task count unlocks, Pest Control commendation points, and Warrior Guild token boosts. Those rewards are not just QoL; they change how fast mains and pures can farm bosses.

Task types include endurance challenges, time-based kills and restriction-based kills. The rebalance changes how some of those restrictions play. For example, the elemental weakness system makes standard spellbook pures more viable at bosses with a fire or water weakness. Speed tasks may now be approachable with lower overall Magic damage because the additive weakness bonus supplements gear.

Mains vs Pures: Where the Lines Move

The Player killing wiki describes pures as accounts that limit or entirely avoid training one or more combat skills. Mains train everything. Combat rebalance does not directly change Defence experience, but it shifts what those builds can realistically kill. Elemental weakness is a tool: a pure with 85 Magic using Fire Surge on a fire-weak boss now gets bonus accuracy and damage that previously required a much more expensive setup. That narrows the gap between a main in Ancestral and a pure in Ahrim's, at least at specific bosses.

This does not mean pures can suddenly clear Grandmaster tasks. Many tasks still require high kill counts, perfect tick execution and survival. What changes is the gear barrier: you no longer need a maxed main's Magic Damage percentage to exploit a boss's elemental weakness. The formula multiplies base damage by (Magic Damage% + Elemental Weakness%). If your gear gives 20% magic damage and the boss has 50% fire weakness, the spell hits as if you had 70% magic damage. That is why mid-tier accounts get the largest relative jump.

Elemental Weaknesses: The Biggest Practical Change

Elemental weaknesses have existed in roundabout ways, such as Ice Demon's fire weakness. The update standardises them, adds more NPCs, and showcases them in Monster Examine. When you cast a spell matching the weakness, you get +1% accuracy and +1% damage per point. Fire Surge on a 50% fire weakness target gains 50% accuracy and damage.

The list is broad but not universal. Air weakness covers Barrows brothers, aviansies including Kree'arra, ghosts and skeletons. Water weakness includes chromatic dragons, KBD, lava dragons, demonic gorillas, greater and lesser demons, hellhounds including Cerberus, K'ril Tsutsaroth and minions, pyrefiends, fire giants, giant mole and drakes. Earth weakness hits metal dragons, waterfiends and wyrms. Fire weakness targets giant spiders, ice creatures, moss giants, mountain trolls, scarab swarms, scarab mages, Vespula's abyssal portal, Nightmare totems, Kephri and her scarabs, and Zulrah.

Jagex kept the list tight on purpose. Many NPCs have no elemental weakness. If you assume every Slayer boss has one, you will waste runes. This is a common mistake.

What This Means for Boosting Quotes and Account Demand

The marketplace reacts to mechanical changes. When a service provider quotes a Combat Achievement package, they factor in expected kill times, gear requirements and failure rates. Elemental weaknesses lower kill times for specific bosses, which can reduce the cost of magic-based tasks. On the other hand, tasks with no weakness and stricter restrictions may not change at all. Pures that previously could not attempt certain bosses may now be viable, increasing demand for pure-specific CA completions.

Account demand also shifts. Mains still dominate endgame PvM, but a pure with high Magic and the right spellbook can now clear certain bosses more efficiently than before. Buyers looking for an account to complete Combat Achievements may weigh Magic-focused builds more heavily. However, defence still matters for survival, and many Grandmaster tasks demand high Defence and Prayer. The patch does not erase account restrictions; it adds a new lever.

Common Mistakes and What to Verify on the Wiki

The most common mistake after any rebalance is assuming patch notes cover everything. They do not. The combat update lists elemental weaknesses but not every NPC defence change. The wiki's Monster Examine tool and update page are the best places to verify exact values.

• Assuming all bosses have an elemental weakness — only the listed NPCs do.
• Ignoring Magic Damage redistribution: some gear bonuses moved, so your old setup may have different max hits.
• Forgetting that Combat Achievement point thresholds can change when new tasks are added; your claimed rewards may lock again.
• Thinking pures automatically benefit: Defence still gates many tasks, and some bosses still require tanking.
• Using elemental spells everywhere — standard spellbook still has lower base damage than powered staves at high Magic Damage percentages.

For the current numbers on weakness percentages, task point requirements and reward unlocks, use the OSRS Wiki pages linked in Sources.

Time and Cost Tradeoffs: Learning the Meta vs Buying a Boost

There are two ways to adapt to Project Rebalance. You can learn the new elemental weaknesses, update your spellbook and grind Combat Achievements yourself. That takes time but no direct GP. Or you can pay for a boost and let someone else handle the task requirements. Both are legitimate. What changes is the time estimate.

The Easy and Medium CA tiers are relatively fast; Hard and Elite are long; Master and Grandmaster are multi-hour commitments requiring near-max gear. Elemental weakness shortens some boss kills, but the majority of time in CA is travel, banking, and task execution. A boosting service can compress that for you, but you should always verify the service's scope, the exact tasks included, and whether they will use your account or pilot on a provided account.

Practical Next Steps After the Patch

Start with Monster Examine on bosses you farm or plan to farm for Combat Achievements. Note which have elemental weaknesses and match your spellbook. Review your Magic gear after the rebalance; some items may have shifted. Then open the Combat Achievements interface and sort tasks by tier and boss. Claim any rewards you now qualify for.

If you're a pure, focus on tasks where the elemental weakness can carry your lower Defence. If you're a main, update your gear setups for each boss rather than using one generic magic or ranged loadout. The patch rewards using the right tool. And if you decide to outsource the grind, use a service that supports you after the update.

For more on related Varlamore midgame content that intersects with newer Combat Achievement tasks, see our OSRS Varlamore Midgame Loop guide. If you want to shorten the post-patch learning curve, Shop with support for a combat or CA boost that matches your build.

Sources

• Update: Project Rebalance: Combat Changes
• Combat Achievements
• Player killing
• Update: Project Rebalance: Skilling & Poll 81 MTA Changes
• Update: Further Project Rebalance (Skilling) & Varlamore Changes