~Range 2H F2P PKing Guide~ [Update(s): Feb. 21st, 2011]

bongo_man · February 22, 2011

Phew! It may have taken awhile but I've finally updated this guide to match the info regarding the new wilderness. I also took the time to clean up the guide and make it easier to read by fixing coding errors that made it look ugly and untidy. I also decided to add a really comprehensive section on delaying so people could further understand, in detail, how it works. You can check out my video guide on 2H delaying here:

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=CEulNciD2BM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEulNciD2BM

I also completed my 3rd PKing video, so feel free to check it out if you're craving some F2P carnage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39FePJP_6nA

Enjoy guys! And keep the comments coming, I appreciate every single one of them =]

Rainbows · February 28, 2011

Could you also cover Range -> Scimitar -> 2H switching? It's a bit difficult to pull off, but it certainly used to work in the old wilderness (currently don't the stats to pk, myself).

Prun · March 3, 2011

VERY nice. I don't say this often, I could've sworn I was one of the best range 2hers. I admit defeat, you have some tricks I have never seen before. Step back 2h, etc etc.

Perhaps we can schedule a fight, I have a 57 and 46.

Cheers.

Prun.

Thorp · March 8, 2011

Hey, I could use some advice. Me and a friend have made pures again because the wild has returned. He's a pure strength build and I'm a ranged/2her. He's almost 90 str and I'm around 82 ranged and strength. We're around level 60cb. So my question is, at what levels is it worth it to start getting prayer? I don't mind prayer switching if the damage really is that much better. Should we both get 31? Or should I stay at 1 or get 44? We've always sort of had the idea that it's garbage in F2P but we've never made it this high on pures before.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help us out.

bongo_man · May 11, 2011

Hey, I could use some advice. Me and a friend have made pures again because the wild has returned. He's a pure strength build and I'm a ranged/2her. He's almost 90 str and I'm around 82 ranged and strength. We're around level 60cb. So my question is, at what levels is it worth it to start getting prayer? I don't mind prayer switching if the damage really is that much better. Should we both get 31? Or should I stay at 1 or get 44? We've always sort of had the idea that it's garbage in F2P but we've never made it this high on pures before.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help us out.

My apologies for the delayed response. School was my highest priority at the time, and even when it finished I lost interest (once again...) in Runescape and thus didn't pay attention to this thread.

In my guide you can read about my views on getting prayer as a Range 2H, and how I think it's unnecessary until the higher levels where pures aren't as large in number. Right now you're at a CB level in which most of your fights will be against pures, so I'd say wait until you're about 90 Strength to get prayer. As for the recommended level, get 31. Range becomes a supporting weapon once your 2H hits are greater than your range hits, so it's unnecessary to get 44 Prayer to increase the power of the supporting weapon when it's the main weapon (i.e., your 2H) you should be focused on.

Ibis bell · February 1, 2012

Updates

-Changed logo and title of guide
-Added more sections, in particular the section on delaying
-Fixed coding errors
-Updated information to match that of the current wilderness

This is a wonderful guide not only for intermediate but advanced players as well! I was wondering if someone could help lead me in the right direction w/my character:

Cb lvl 44
Hp 47
Str 52
Range 45
Mage 1
Pray 1
Def 10

It was dumb to train defense I know, but what skills do I need to level up now and how much to be a good ranged/2h p2p pker? Please help.
-Made it look prettier (I hope)
-PKing Video #3 Added

Table Of Contents

1.0 Introduction

1.1 - Why Range 2H?

1.2 - What To Level: The Anatomy Of A Range 2Her

2.0 Getting Started

2.1 - Choosing A Suitable PKing Name

2.2 - Where Do I Start?

3.0 Training Spots: Attack, Strength and Range
3.1 - Optimal Training Attire and Inventory

3.2 - Level 1-10

3.3 - Level 10-30

3.4 - Level 30-40

3.5 - Level 40+

4.0 Let's PK
4.1 - Basic Information

4.2 - PKing Necessities

4.3 - When To Level

5.0 Timing: Delaying Your 2H (Normal, Misclick and Stacking Delays)

5.1 - Normal Delays

5.2 - The Three Misclick Delays: Running, Step/Turn-Around and Behind the Back

5.3 - Stacking Delays: 2-Step and 3-Step

5.4 - Thoughts & Recommendations: Stack Addicts

5.5 - Range 2H Delaying: The Video Guide

6.0 - General PKing Tips and Advice

6.1 - Safing

6.2 - Risking

6.3 - Honour PKing

7.0 - Miscellaneous
7.1 - PKing Dictionary

7.2 - My PKing Videos

***8.0 - Conclusion and Special Thanks***

1.0 - Introduction

[hide=1.1 - Why Range 2H?]

I've experimented with every type of pure possible (I think...) in F2P. I've come to the find the Range 2H style to be the most dominant because of two simple reasons:

Versatility - Combining the speed of range with the power of a 2H makes for deadly hits. Your opponent barely has time to react after hitting them with a [3] on your bow and following up with a [22] from a smack of your 2H.

Element of Suprise - Some of your opponents may be easily fooled into thinking that you are just a range pure. However the minute they let their guard down and let their HP go low in order to risk for a kill, you can whip out your 2H and kiss them goodbye.

[/hide]

[hide=1.2 - What To Level: The Anatomy Of A Range 2Her]

Legend

= - Equal to

> - Greater Than

< - Less Than

>/= - Greater Than or Equal to

</= - Less Than or Equal to

x - arbitrary value (any unknown real number)

** - optional

Combat

Attack </= 45**

Strength = x

Defence = 1

Range = x

Magic ^ 25

Prayer </= 31**

Non-Combat Related

Woodcutting > 60

Fishing > 40**

Cooking > 40**

Dungeoneering >/= 45**

Attack: Raise your Attack in increments of 10 (10, 20, 30, 40), and once you reach 40, STOP! ONLY GET 45 ATTACK IF YOUR ARE ALREADY 45 DUNGEONEERING! The point of being 45 Attack and Dungeoneering is so you can wield the Gravite 2H, and it's pointless to be 45 in one of them without being 45 in the other.

Strength: Pretty self explanitory. You'll want to keep your strength level up to par with your current range level, and later on you'll want to surpass it.

Defence: 2+2 = 4; Pures = 1 Defence

Range: Same thing mentioned about strength, except the last bit of corse.

Magic: You'll want a minimum of 25 Magic for Varrock Teleport when you die in the wilderness and get sent back to Lumbridge. It's also useful for certain training spots and for quick transport.

Prayer: If you decide you want to add Prayer to your arsenal, then go right ahead and level it to 31. Although I don't recommend it.

Woodcutting: Probably the best way to make money as a pure. Yews can go for ~500ea, making the long, daunting, adventure to 60 Woodcutting worthwhile.

Fishing/Cooking: This is optional. If you aren't lazy then having 40 Fishing and Cooking in order to catch and cook your own lobs for PKing will save you a bundle.

Dungeoneering: The journey to 45 Dungeoneering may be a long one, but in the end you are rewarded with the ability to wield (given you have 45 Attack) the Gravite 2H, which has a +20 Strength bonus over the Rune 2H, making it a worthwhile item for every Range 2Her to invest in. Of course there is the con of having to pay 1mil or 100k + 10k Dungeoneering tokens to recharge/replace it, so I suggest waiting until you're in the higher levels (i.e., 55+ combat, 75+ Strength) to be able to use it to its full potential.[/hide]

2.0 - Getting Started

[hide=2.1 - Choosing a suitable PKing name]

Choosing a name can be tough, and it's even more frustrating when you come up with a name only to find that it's already taken! If you're having trouble choosing a name here are some things you can consider while choosing:

a band name/song
a character in a video game/book/movie/etc.
anything related to fighting
anything RS related

You should try avoiding names like '1337t3hpk' or anything nonsensical; a strong, intimidating PKing name can actually be quite the morale booster, even if it isn't clearly noticeable.[/hide]

[hide=2.2 - Where Do I Start?]

Congratulations! You've just completed Tutorial Island!...ok now what?

It can be difficult deciding what to do first. You don't have much money to work with and there isn't much you can do as a lvl.3 to make money effeciently. Nevertheless, you should move your butt to the Grand Exchange in Varrock and sell all your runes for a reasonable profit. You should have around 300 coins by now, which is more than enough to buy an iron and steel scimitar, so pick both of those up while you're there.

You have two options now, either head back to Lumbridge and start killing cows for their hides, or go to the Security of Stronghold in Barbarian Village to get the 10k rewarded. I suggest going to the Stronghold when you have enough money to buy around 10 trout, that way you won't have to stall in-between doors waiting for your HP to replenish because of a lack of food. If you wish to head straight for the SoS regardless of your HP and amount of food, then do that and you can probably skip killing the cows for their hides since you'll have an adequate amount of money. If not, then head back to Lumbridge and start your massacre!

Once you've had your fun with cows and have a decent amount of money, there are some quests you should consider doing:

Imp Catcher

Reward: 875 Magic Exp

Witch's Potion

Reward: 325 Magic Exp

Vampire Slayer

Reward: 4825 Attack Exp

I recommend saving Vampire Slayer until you're 38 Attack- well, 32,399 experience in Attack to be exact. This way when you complete the quest you'll be at 40 Attack.

The other two quests are just for easy Magic experience, which will help you on your way to 25 Magic for Varrock Teleport.

**I didn't include the Restless Ghost quest because I don't recommend Range 2Hers to use prayer so early on, although it's completely optional it's not something I condone personally.[/hide]

3.0 - Training Spots: Attack, Strength and Range

[hide=3.1 - Optimal Training Attire and Inventory]

Melee

Iron Full Helm
Iron Platebody
Amulet Of Strength
Green D'Hide Chaps (when 40 Range) > Iron Platelegs
Green D'Hide Vambraces (when 40 Range)
Rune Scimitar (or whatever type you can wield)
Trout/Salmon/Tuna (any food that's low in cost)
Varrock Tele Runes (optional; depends on location)

Ranging

Coif
Leather Body
Amulet Of Power
Green D'Hide Chaps (when 40 Range)
Green D'Hide Vambraces (when 40 Range)
Maple Shortbow (or whatever bow you can wield)
Iron/Steel/Mithril Arrows
Trout/Salmon/Tuna (any food that's low in cost)
Varrock Tele Runes (optional; depends on location)

[/hide]

[hide=3.2 - Level 1-10]

Cows (Attack/Strength/Range)

Experience Gained: 32/24xp

Notable Drops: Cowhides

Max Hit: 10

Recommended Location: Lumbridge Pen/Falador Pen

Cows are definitely the optimal monsters to train on from level 1-10. They drop cowhides which can be sold at the GE for ~180ea, making you a nice profit whilst gaining easy levels. The pen in Lumbridge can get crowded at times, so if you're up for a little trip then you can also head over to Falador and kill the cows in the pen to the sotuheast. They have a max hit of 1, making them no threat whatsoever; while ranging, you can use the fern in the far end of the pen to block the cows from reaching you while you range them from behind.

[/hide]

[hide=3.3 - Level 10-30]

Monks(Attack, Range, Strength)

Experience Gained: 60

Notable Drops: None

Max Hit: 10

Recommended Location: Monastery

Monks are favourited by low levels mainly because of the fact that you don't need food to fight them. Monks will heal you if you ask them to, and I'm pretty sure this is the formula: Health Regained = HP Level / 3.5 (e.g., x = 21 / 3.5, x = 6). So if you decide to bite the hand that feeds, to chew until it bleeds, and if you can get up off your knees you'll find that Monks are an easy path to 30 [strength]. The downside about Monks is that they are only located at the Monastery, meaning it can be very hard to find an uncrowded world. Another negative is that they have no profitable drops, but if you are planning on getting 31 Pray it wouldn't hurt for you to bank the bones they drop and bury them later. Remeber: a single grain of rice can tip the scale.

Hill Giants (Range, 20-30)

Experience Gained: 140

Notable Drops: Big Bones, Runes, Limpwurt Roots

Max Hit: 40

Recommended Location: Edgeville Dungeon

Hill Giants are a great way for rangers to get from levl 20-30. I recommend starting at level 20 because your hits will be more accurate, meaning you won't waste as much arrows. They provide great drops- mainly limp roots and big bones, which you can bank and sell for a substantial amount of money. I only recommend Hill Giants for rangers because they can use the stalagmites as safe spots; with only 1 Defence it'd be a huge waste of food trying to fight them with melee.

[/hide]

[hide=3.4 - Level 30-40]

Zombies and Skeletons (Attack, Strength)

Experience Gained: 120/68

Notable Drops: None

Max hit: 30 (both)

Recommended Location: Draynor Village Sewers

Zombies and Skeletons in the Draynoy Sewers is almost how I always level from 30-40 in Attack/Strength for my pure. The sewer is conveniently located next to the bank, making for quick trips. Although they don't have any good drops and can hit quite often, the location is virtually empty. You should be surprised if you find more than one person training down there.

Flesh Crawlers (Attack, Strength, Range)

Experience Gained: 100

Notable Drops: None

Max Hit: 10

Recommended Location: Security Stronghold (second level)

The ultimate F2P training spot in my opinion. Let's take a look at these guys. They have a max hit of one; 100xp gained with each kill; they're aggressive, so you don't have to force them to attack you. Flesh Crawlers are especially favoured by high level pures with 40+ combat because they provide a healthy amount of experience and only have a max hit of 1, allowing them to rake in the experience points at a fast rate. The obvious downside about them is that they have no good drops. and since they're only located in one place it's hard to find an uncrowded world. Nevertheless, Flesh Crawlers should be the only monster you train on for Strength from now on if you don't want to waste money on food for other monsters with higher hits.

**If you want, you can continue to level Range to 40 with Hill Giants. They will take longer than Flesh Crawlers, but they do provide decent drops and you don't need to bring food because of the safe spots.[/hide]

[hide=3.5 - Level 40+]

Now that your attack is maxed (for a Range 2H pure), you can finally just focus on Strength and Range.

For Strength, I highly recommend sticking with Flesh Crawlers all the way. You will get bored of fighting them, but the fact of the matter is that they are the easiest monsters for you to train on.

As for Range, continue fighting either Flesh Crawlers or Hill Giants until you reach level 60. From that point you'll want to stick with...

Lesser Demons (Range 60+)

Experience Gained: 316

Notable Drops: Rune Med Helm, Fire Runes

Max Hit: 80

Recommended Location: Karamja Volcano

Ahh Lesser Demons- the perfect monster for high level Range training (in F2P). Not only do they provide you with a substantial amount of experience points, they can drop Rune Med Helms and 30/60 Fire runes. They drop Fire runes often, so you can expect to rake in a high amount of Fire runes with each trip. There are also three safe spots to use to fight the demons:

Safe Spot #1

Safe Spot #2

Safe Spot #3

It can get pretty crowded sometimes, but there are 6 Demons that spawn so there should be plenty for everyone.[/hide]

4.0 - Let's PK!

[hide=4.1 - Basic Information]

Stuff you should know before you even think about taking a step into the PvP worlds:

If you are not skulled you will keep your THREE best items, if you are skulled you will lose ALL your items
In high-risk wilderness worlds, you can not use the protect item prayer, meaning you will not be able to keep an extra item on death
If you kill your opponent you will receive everything they are wearing or carrying (this is only if they are skulled, if they aren't you will receive everything except their three best items)
If you kill your opponent and they are carrying a non-tradeable item, that item will be converted into coins in the drop pile
You can be only be attacked by players within range of your combat level. This range increases as you move deeper into the wilderness (e.g., if you are combat level 45 and in level 10 wilderness, you can be attack by level 35-55's)

[/hide]

[hide=4.2 - PKing Necessities]

Food: Swordfish > Lobster > Tuna
2H Sword: Gravite > Rune > Adamant > Mithril > Steel > Iron
Shortbow: Maple > Willow > Oak
Arrows: Adamant > Mithril > Steel > Iron
Head Armour: Iron Full Helm > Coif > Leather Cowl
Body Armour: Iron Platebody > Iron Chainbody > Leather Body
Leg Armour: Green D'Hide Chaps > Studded Chaps
Gloves: Green D'Hide Vambraces > Leather Vambraces
Necklace: Amulet of Strength > Amulet of Power
Potion: Strength Potion
Food - Tuna is only necessary for under 30 combat, where the max hit for rangers is 8, meleers 10, and mages 13, making tuna an adequate food for healing during that episode in your PKing career. Past that though, you'll want to upgrade to lobsters as tuna just won't cut it anymore. Once you reach around 55 combat you can optionally make another upgrade to swordifsh, as the max hits can get up to 22, although they are expensive and hard to obtain in high quantities (1k+).

2H Sword - Your finisher weapon. Once again, the type of 2H you'll be using is in correspondence to your current attack level.

Shortbow - The type of bow you use is in corre- yeah yeah you get it =\

Arrows- ^^

Head Armour - It really doesn't matter whether you decide to wear a Coif or an Iron Helm, the effects they have on your combat are barely noticeable. Hell, you can even wear a chef hat if you want.

Body Armour - Basically the same idea as head armour- you can even wear an apron to accompany your chef hat if you want!

Leg Armour - Green D'Hide provides good defence and range bonuses, so when you get 40 range be sure to pick it up ASAP. Until then you'll have to stick with studded chaps.

Gloves - ^^

Potion - Pot up! You'll need this if you want to be able to smack your opponent with your max hit.

Despite how I state how it doesn't really matter what armour you wear, overall it makes a difference if you wear something as compared to nothing. So make sure you're fully dressed before heading into battle.[/hide]

[hide=4.3 - When to level]

It's kind of hard to determine what someone should level without knowing their stats first, but I'll just give advice on when you should considering levelling up some of your stats.

When you've reached 20 combat, most meleers will be using either Steel, Black, or Mithril weapons, and rangers will be using Willow Shortbows equipped with Mithril arrows. The choice to either get 20 Attack and ~25 Strength or 5 Attack and ~35 strength can be somewhat difficult. I didn't mention 10 Attack because I encourage you NOT to. A Black 2H sword and a Steel 2H sword give the same strength bonus, the only difference is that a Black 2H sword has a better slash bonus by 6, and a crush bonus by 5. Nevertheless, gaining that extra 5 attack doesn't outweight the extra strength levels you could've gained, because ultimately you're looking to hit as high as you can on your opponent. As for the 5 attack vs. 10 attack argument, you should remember that your opponents (well, most of them) are 1 defence, and at that level having 10 attack as opposed to 5 attack doesn't make that big a difference.

Now with that out of the way, back to the real problem. If you decide to get 5 attack and get ~35 strength, your max hit with a 2H will be 7 and with a scim, 6. If you decide to get 20 attack and ~25 strength, your max hit with a 2H will be 6, and a scim 5. Well it's pretty clear that you should just get 5 attack and 35 strength then right? Well yes, but in order to be impartial I must provide reasons why 20 attack could be 'better' for you. While you are able to hit higher with the 5 attack setup, it does take longer to obtain 35 strength and it can be quite daunting. Honestly, that's the only good 'argument' I can think of as to why you wouldn't want to get 35 strength and 5 attack: laziness. Now let's see why the 5 attack setup is better:

First: costs. A steel 2H and scim are less expensive than a mithril 2H and scim, and are a lot easier to come by. You'll be saving money in the long run if you happen to die several times- let's hope that doesn't happen =)

Second, 35 strength potted you'll be raised to 41 strength, and the additional strength gained from the aggressive style raises you to 44 strength. You need 40 strength to hit a 7 with a steel 2H, so at 44 strength you'll be able to hit your max for awhile before the effects of the potion fade away. The same thing applies to the mithril 2H and 25 strength, but in that scenario your max hit is only 6 and will always be 1 less than the steel 2H's max.

Lastly, it hits higher. Plain and simple. There's no need to elaborate here; you hit higher with the 5 attack setup than the 20 attack setup.

The next step is deciding when to get 30 and, eventually, 40 attack. I suggest getting 30 attack when you are 40 strength, and by that time you should be around 47 ranged to make you 34 combat. When you're 50 strength I suggest getting 40 attack, and by then you'll be around 60 range and 42 combat. Some people like sticking getting 20 attack and waiting until 50 strength to upgrade to adamant, and then waiting until 60 strength to upgrade to rune. Personally, I like getting rune as soon as possible because of the higher max hits, but whatever path you decide to take make sure you use a combat calculator to help make sure you don't screw yourself up.

Your range level should be the main focus in the low levels- you'll want 40 range as soon as possible. The quick hits of 7's, 8's, 9's, etc. in the early levels is extremely annoying, and combined with the smack of a 2H it can be deadly for one to go up against a range 2Her. When you reach 63 range and start maxing 11's with adamant arrows, you'll want to put your focus towards your strength level. Most people keep their strength and range levels in check, but I personally find it better to keep your strength about 3-5 levels higher than your range. It's because the max hit from your 2H is much greater than the max with your bow, and since your 2H is your finishing weapon you'll want to be able to deal as much damage as possible.[/hide]

5.0 - Timing: Delaying Your 2H (Normal, Misclick and Stacking Delays)

[hide=5.1 - Normal Delays]

One of the key--and most predominant--elements of PKing is timing. Timing. Is. EVERYTHING! It does you no good if you can get your opponent down to low HP but can't land your 2H in time to finish them off. What you want to aim for is to equip your 2H right when you release your arrow, so that your next attack will be from the 2H. The easiest way to draw your 2H is to simply click it, although you can also right-click it and select 'wield'. Once you are comfortable with equipping your 2H the second your bow releases the arrow, you can try to tackle the delayed/quick release.

The delayed/quick release occurs when you draw your 2H as your bow goes down to the side following a range attack, making your character draw the 2H during what would be your next range attack. This results in an interruption of the next range attack, allowing for a smoother, swifter attack from your 2H. Don't let the name mislead you though, it's NOT faster than just equipping the 2H once your bow comes out, the only advantage of the delayed/quick release is that it's unexpected and not as obvious.

In order to perform a normal delay, you must know the trigger (think of as a sort of "kick" in Inception) for when to click your 2H.

The trigger for clicking your 2H is when your bow BEGINS TO FALL TO YOUR SIDE, following a range attack.

To further break down how the delayed hit is done, we must look at these three criteria...

Bow begins to drop to side
2H is clicked to wield
Opponent is clicked immediately after clicking 2H
[/hide]

[hide=5.2 - The Three Misclick Delays: Running, Step/Turn-Around and Behind the Back]

I decided to group these three type of delays into a general group called "misclick delays". The reason I have done so is because all three of them create the illusion that you have misclicked your opponent, casting a psychological effect that distracts them from their HP and raises your chances of killing them. These delays also have the same triggers, which you will observe as you go through each of them.

1. The Running Delay

The running delay is not too different from a normal delay: the only difference is the added action of running away from your opponent. The action of you running away is perceived as a misclick by your opponent. This false judgement can momentarily distract them from their current HP, and it is in this brief moment where you have a chance of killing your opponent, a chance which is higher than just doing a normal delay.

This type of delay occurs when you click on a square on 'X' spaces away from your opponent, making your character run away from your opponent and hitting them with a 2H as you run back towards them. 'X' is an arbitrary value, meaning you can run however many spaces away from your opponent as you want. I suggest you click only 2-4 spaces away, as it can be pretty difficult to try and click 10 spaces away and still try and pull off the delay.

The trigger for this, as well as the other two misclick delays, type of delay is different from the normal delay however, in fact there are technically TWO triggers: the trigger for running 'X' spaces away from your opponent, and the trigger for pulling out the 2H. The trigger for pulling out your 2H is the same as the normal delay, so you have your work cut out for you already.

The trigger for clicking 'X' spaces away from your opponent is when your bow is BEING RAISED.

Let's look at this delay step-by-step:

Bow is being raised; click 'X' spaces away from your opponent
Bow begins to drop to side; click your 2H
Click opponent immediately after clicking your opponent

2. The Step/Turn-Around Delay

The Step/Turn-Around (TA) delay is easier to execute than the running delay since you only need to click ONE square away from your opponent. Just like the running delay, the step/TA delay makes your opponent think that you misclicked a space, or that you are just trying to pick up your arrows. Their false perception gives you an upper edge on them, raising your chances of success.

This type of delay occurs when you click on a square ONE space away from your opponent, resulting in your character turning their back to your opponent and releasing the 2H as you turn around to hit them.

The trigger for clicking ONE sqaure away from your opponent is when your bow is BEING RAISED.

Let's look at this delay step-by-step:

Bow is being raised; click ONE space away from your opponent
Bow begins to drop to side; click your 2H
Click opponent immediately after clicking your opponent

3. The Behind The Back Delay

The Behind the Back (BTB) delay is the most difficult of the misclick delays. It requres higher precision than the others and can easily cause you death if you don't pay attention. However, I find that the psychological effect of the BTB delay is stronger than the running and step/TA delay. The action of your character running behind the behind confuses them. Are they trying to get better positioning? Are they picking up arrows? Did they just misclick? These things may go through your opponent's mind as you run behind them, and in that instant of contemplation you have a high chance of killing them as opposed to the other delays.

This type of delay occurs when you click on the square BEHIND your opponent and hit them from the other side with your 2H. Your character does a nice little 180 when they swing their 2H as they turn around, and it looks pretty damn cool when done properly.

The trigger for clicking on the square BEHIND your opponent is when your bow is BEING RAISED.

Let's look at this delay step-by-step:

Bow is being raised; click the space behind your opponent
Bow begins to drop to side; click your 2H
Click opponent immediately after clicking your opponent
[/hide]

[hide=5.3 - Stacking Delays: 2-Step and 3-Step]

These two delays are called the "stacking" delays for a very simple reason: when you hit your opponent with these type of delays, your two hits literally stack on top of one another instantaneously. With that being said, this type of delay is the deadliest of all delays. The reason being is that it's impossible for the human mind to perceive and judge the hit of the range attack and act quick (i.e., eat a lobster to restore health and negate the 2H hit by 120) enough before the 2H hits them; the two hits are so instant that you either have to take a huge risk and pray you don't die, or predict a high hit from range and eat as before the range hit is displayed.

Ironically, being the deadliest delay of all, the stacking delays are the easiest to pull off: you don't really even need to delay in order to execute them properly. You can still achieve a stacked hit by simply drawing your 2H as your range attack hits, but the motion of a delayed 2H during a stacked hit is down right scary, as your character does a smooth sliding motion as they swing their 2H into the opponent. For that reason, I highly suggest you to delay your 2H when doing stacked hits and not resort to laziness.

1. The 2-Step Delay

The 2-Step delay is the easier than the 3-step and the easiest of all delays. There is no psychological effect generated by this delay, only fear.

This type of delay occurs when your character is EXACTLY 2 squares apart from your opponent- diagonally, vertically or horizontally. 2 Squares between you and your opponent is the minimum amount of distance you need in order to run to them, and also the maximum distance that allows you to hit them instantly, which is why the speed of your 2H hit is raised in this type of delay.

You must be EXACTLY 2 SQUARES apart from your opponent.

There is no REQUIRED trigger for this delay, but if you do decide to delay (which you should), then the trigger is the same as the normal delay.

Let's look at this delay step-by-step:

2 squares between you and your opponent
Bow begins to drop side; click your 2H
Click opponent immediately after clicking your opponent

2. The 3-Step Delay

The 3-step delay is slightly more complex than the 2-step, as there is a required trigger. The same basic principles still apply however, and you will still achieve a stacked hit if done correctly.

The concept of the 3-step delay is that you are closing off the exceeded distance between you and your opponent (usually you HAVE to be 2 squares apart from your opponent) by running into them as you draw your 2H, resulting in the same instant hit you would receive at normal stacking distance. The use of this delay is to prevent your opponent from attempting to get an instant hit from the 2-step delay by making the distance between the two of you THREE spaces. You NEED to run into your opponent in order to achieve a stacked hit from this distance, otherwise your opponent will be able to perceive the range hit and react accordingly before you hit them with you 2H. You click on the square in FRONT of your opponent to execute this delay properly.

The trigger for clicking on the square in FRONT of your opponent is when your bow is BEING RAISED.

3 squares between you and your opponent; click on square in front as bow is BEING RAISED
Bow begins to drop side; click your 2H
Click opponent immediately after clicking your opponent[/hide]

[hide=5.4 - Thoughts & Recommendations: Stack Addicts]

Being able to delay your 2H really sets the men apart from the mice; the ability to delay shows that you understand the concept of using your 2H to its fullest in order to kill your opponent. With that being said, there is something that must be said about the stacking "delay".

I put the quotations around delay because I don't see this style of attacking as a delay since no delay is required in order to execute it. The reason I list it under the delay section is for simplicity reasons, but to be honest I find it to be one of the lowest methods of strategy.

I can't count the number of times I've faced opponents who have praised their skill to run around like dogs in order to get into stacking distance- it's nothing to be proud of. Even the most unexperienced player can do a stacked hit as it requires little to no skill to just do it.

These stack addicts, as I like to call them, rely heavily on the stacking technique due to their lack of ability to do a true delay hit. They constantly move 2 spaces away from you in order to get into stacking position and achieve the instantaneous hits, and if you ever get them out of their comfort zone (i.e., face to face) you will quickly see that they draw their 2H instantly when your HP is low instead of attempting a delay.

The amount of Range 2Hers that become stack addicts instead of learning to delay greatly irks me, as they are only preventing themselves from learning about timing. They also garner little respect from other players, as most of them know that a stacked hit is the "noob" way of Range 2H'ing versus doing delay hits, which takes actual skill.

I'm not saying that you should never do stacked hits; it can be useful in situations where you're against an opponent who is knowledgeable in the art of delay and can predict and counter your delayed hits. I am simply suggesting that you use it sparingly, as you really are hurting yourself by relying on the stacking technique for kills. What will you do when you're up against a strength pure? You can't be more than 2 spaces away from them, you're forced to fight them face to face. Stack addicts in these kind of situations usually end up being unsuccessful or dieing because they are unable to delay, making it easy for the strength pure to see when they are pulling out their 2H.

In a nutshell, don't use the stacking technique too much. Delay. Be happy. Play. Laugh. Grow. =)[/hide]

[hide=5.5 - Range 2H Delaying: The Video Guide]

I decided to make a video guide for the visual learners and just to make it easier for people to understand how a delayed hit works. The info in the video is more general than the guide, so I highly suggest reading the info in the guide before referring to the video.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=CEulNciD2BM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEulNciD2BM

[/hide]

6.0 - General PKing Tips and Advice

[hide=6.1 - Safing]

Ahh safing...safing, safing, safing...no one likes it when their opponent stuffs their face with lobsters back to full HP. There's no way the fight is going to progress that way. So how do you not safe? Simple: don't eat above your opponent's max hit. Let's say for example you're a lvl. 55 vsing another lvl. 55 pure strength. Their max hit should be 23 and the chances of them hitting a 23 are already low, therefore it's considered unnecessary to eat when above 23 HP. Now let's say you're at around, ohh 20 HP, most people--myself included--would also consider that safing. Why? Because the chances of them hitting a 20 are also unlikely, and instead of eating you could land a hit which could possibly bring them down to a low enough HP so that you can finish them.

Another safing situation is when your opponent has you at around 5 HP and you're eating to get back to an adequate amount. Usually you get down to such a low HP after a hit from a 2H/Baxe, so it's only necessary to eat twice after that because a 24 HP gain should be more than enough to keep you from getting KO'd. Unless they smack another 23 or something, you should try to limit yourself to only two [lobsters]. Now if you're in that same situation but are being attacked by a scimitar, then you'll most likely need to eat three times because of the speed of the scimitar. But the minute you see you're at an adequate HP level, stop eating so you can lay some hits of your own and get out of the corner you're in.

The last situation is eating before your opponent hits. You should try to not assume that your opponent will hit high (this sort of fits into the first situation too), because there's a good chance that they can hit from 0-5, and if you're busy stuffing your face you just missed out on a good opportunity to go for a KO.

It's understandable for first time PKers to safe a little bit- they're scared of dying. But the more you force yourself to take risks and not safe at times where you could be attacking, the smarter you become with your choices of when to eat.[/hide]

[hide=6.2 - Risking]

Your opponent obviously isn't just going to let you kill them, so sometimes you have to take some risks in order to get the KO. Knowing when to risk key, because there are smart risks, stupid risks, and double risks.

Smart risks are going for the kill with an adequate amount of HP so that the chances of you getting hit big are unlikely. Say for instance you and your opponent are both lvl. 55's, and you just got hit with a 2H and have 5 HP. Now say your opponent has 26 HP, it'd be a smart risk to not eat, hit them once with your bow and 2H them. This is because the delay from your opponent using their 2H and their next attack is enough time for you to lay a range + 2H attack, which could possibly result in a KO. However, if it doesn't KO them make sure you eat so you don't...you know, DIE...There are of course many scenarios I could apply a smart risk to, but I think this one gives you the gist of it.

A stupid risk is pretty self explanitory. Let's use the lvl.55 scenario again, but instead replace the 2H with a scimitar. The delay between the scimitar attack and their next attack is NOT enough time for you to lay a range + 2H attack, but just a range attack- which, alone, isn't enough to KO them. It would be stupid to go in with 5 HP and try because the scimitar would easily KO you. Basically any situation where you try to KO with a low amount of HP while knowing that the next attack is imminent is a stupid risk. To avoid these make sure you know things like your opponents HP (approximately) what they just attacked with.

A double risk is really rare these days. It's when both you and your opponent go for the kill instead of eating to restore HP. It's mostly seen between two range 2Hers, but sometimes when high level meleers have around 18 HP or so they'll both attack with their 2H at the same time. It really helps if you know you go for a double risk, because there's a high possibility the average PKer will just 2H and eat at the same time, thus making you the only one risking. If you see them risk at least once or twice then that's a sign that they'd go for a double risk with you, however it's necessary for you to try and risk as well to show the same to them. It really comes down to honour and pride as a PKer.[/hide]

[hide=6.3 - Honour PKing]

You can have 99 strength, range and HP, 268 2Hs and scims in your bank, and a total of 547m, but if you don't have PKing honour, despite all those accomplishments, then you can expect to receive little to no respect. Here's a few things you should do if you want to garner respect from your fellow PKers:
Don't PJ
Don't rush your opponent
Don't safe
Take risks (although it's not necessary to)
Don't talk smack (this one is worth breaking IMO ;))
Say 'gf' when you or your opponent dies

PJing is the hands down the worst thing you can do in PKing. I highly advise you not to PJ for any reason, even if they PJ'd you first. Although Jagex has managed to tone down PJing a little (before you could attack someone if they were fighting another player and weren't being attacked back), it's still doable. Sure, it's easy to attack your opponent while they're off guard, but the only thing that comes from it is gaining disrespect from other players. Repercussions may include things such as other PKers not wanting to fight you.

Rushing your opponent will lose you some respect, but definitely not as much as PJing. You can easily avoid this by asking your opponent to fight.

No one will want to fight you if you safe the whole time, so try your best not to safe!

It's not necessary to take risks to gain respect, but I guarantee you will if you do so.

Save the cheeky comments for another day, just focus on the fight.

You and your opponent have both fought valiantly, so pay each other respect by saying 'gf' and nothing more.

It's rare to find people in the wildy that abide by these unofficial rules, you can do your part by doing just that. PJers and major safers are never going to go away, along with the frustration created by them. The most you can do is just avoid fighting them, because they really aren't doing anything 'wrong'- it's just the way they choose to PK. So just try to fight people who choose to PK the 'right' way.[/hide]

7.0 - Miscallaneous

[hide=7.1 - PKing Dictionary]

[hide=A-H]
A

AFK - Away From Keyboard; being away from the keyboard.

B

C

D

DM - Death Match; a challenge issued to a player where the conditions are that both most fight to the death (no running).

DD - Death Dot; a plethora of people standing in one place to make it look like one person. This formation was popular back in the old days when clans would form at hill giants or the castle to surprise the opposing clan.

E

EP - Earning Potential; determines how good your drop will be if you kill an opponent.

F

FFS - For F$%* Sake; an expression used to express discontent.

G

GF - Good Fight; usually used when a fight ends to respect the other player for putting up a good fight, though it's commonly used with red bars.

H
[/hide]

[hide=I-Q]
I

J

K

L

M

N

No-Eater - when you kill your opponent without eating (derived from the term "no-hitter" in baseball, which occurs when the pitcher prevents the opposing team from getting any hits).

O

P

PJ - Pile Jumping; attacking your opponent while they are picking up a drop, or if they were fighting someone else.

Q

QC - Quick Chat; used to ask about another players stats without the burden of using the keyboard to respond.

[/hide]

[hide=R-Z]
R

Red Bar - when your opponents health bar goes completely red, but they do not die. This is because they actually have around 1-2 HP left, but the bar makes it seem as if they have 0.

Rusher - someone who starts a fight with another player without asking.

S

Safer - someone who eats excessively; more than the adequate amount needed to put you at a safe amount of HP.

SMD - Suck My D*$%; a rather common way of saying "no"; used to express discontent.

Stack Addict - Someone who relies heavily on the stacking technique

T

U

V

W

X

Y

YH - Yeah Honestly; used to agree with a statement.

Z
[/hide]
[/hide]

[hide=7.2 - My PKing Videos]Username: I God O Pk I
Channel:

Video #1 -
Video #2 - http://www.youtube.c...h?v=If85-EOyKO4
Video #3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39FePJP_6nA
[/hide]

***8.0 - Conclusion and Special Thanks***

It's been a LOT of fun working on this guide! I enjoy sharing what I know with other people, so I hope anyone who reads this finds the information useful and can utilise it!

Special thanks to the anyone who comments and helps to make corrections, it encourages me to continue updating the guide and I wouldn't be able to catch all the mistakes myself.
Also credit to the Tip.It bestiary for information on the monsters for the training section, and to Jagex for the in-game information! You guys rock, this community rocks, thank you :D !!!