Introduction
Prelude: Learning PvM is a journey from tackling the basic concepts of DPM to mastering the nuances and techniques at the highest level. DPM-Advice-Basic focuses on the fundamental concepts to dealing efficient DPM to match the level of our basic boss guides. If you're deciding on a style, curious about melee, and/or would like to revisit the fundamentals this guide is for you!
This guide will go over abilities, weapons & gear, approaching a boss, and refining mistakes.
Ability Themes
Melee abilities vary in their themes. Some are strong individually, some comboed and some provide powerful utility values. Currently, they can be interpreted into four different classes with three different damage types.
Classes:
⬥ Power: Deal high damage.
⬥ Auxiliary: Deal equal or less damage but enhance other abilities.
⬥ Utility: provide low or non-damaging utility buffs.
⬥ Subpar: as we know of lack any serious use. Generally avoid unless theorycrafted in advance.
Damage Types:
⬥ Instant: Deal damage immediately
• Examples: 
⬥ Channelled: Deal channelled damage.
• Channels lock the player into using the ability.
• After 1.8s or 3t, it can be freely cancelled by casting another ability.
• Examples: 
⬥ Bleed/Burn: Deal damage that is spread over time.
• This is isn't boostable in 
• But is boosted by 
⬩ Full list here: Damage over Time - https://runescape.wiki/w/Abilities#Damage_over_Time_abilities
• Examples: 
Basic Abilities
Melee basics are common use abilities with 2 purposes:
⬥ Gain 8% adrenaline.
⬥ Deal Damage.
Here are some examples:
⬥ Power:
• 
- denotes 
(flanking)
- denotes (lunging)
- deals 250% damage when target is below 50% health.
- deals 140% damage when target is bound/stunned.
⬥ Auxiliary:
• 
⬥ Utility:
• 
⬥ Subpar:
• 
Sample Auxiliary Combos
⬥ →
⬥ →
⬥ →
⬥ →
Utility Examples:
⬥ +
⬥ 
+
⬥ +
• Extends the range of surge and redirects with
Threshold Abilities
Melee thresholds are stronger than basics however are more taxing to use. These abilities have 2 purposes:
⬥ Sacrifice 15% adrenaline.
⬥ Deal higher damage.
⬥ Power:
•
- does stun however is more renowned for its damage.
⬥ Utility:
• 
⬥ Subpar:
• 
Auxiliary/Utility Examples:
⬥ : Reduces remaining cooldown of
⬥ : Lowers the enemy's defences for 60s.
⬥ : Stuns target for 3.6s.
Ultimate Abilities
Melee Ultimates deal maximum damage and or elevate other abilities. They typically have 1-3 purposes:
⬥ Sacrifice 100% adrenaline.
⬥ Deal devastating damage.
⬥ Provide a longstanding buff.
⬥ Power:
• 
⬥ Auxiliary:
• 
⬥ Utility:
• 
⬥ Subpar:
• 
Berserk:
⬥ is Melee's strongest ability and the core of Melee DPS.
⬥ Typically, melee will cast and then optimise a series of abilities while is active for high burst.
• This is called a Berserk Rotation.
• The Berserk Rotation will be covered after introducing weapons.
Weapons & Gear:
⬥ In this section, we'll introduce the 3 weapons used for the rest of the guide.
⬥ Melee weapon(s) have several key descriptors which describe its capabilities.
If you are familiar with this feel free to skip ahead.
Sample Weapon Breakdown:
⬥ Dragon Rider Lance, Dark Ice Shard and Dark Ice Sliver: 
• Accuracy: This is assigned from the Main Hand's accuracy value.
- has a t85 accuracy value of 2178.
- has a t90 accuracy value of 2458.
• Damage: Auto attack damage from the respective weapon.
- has a t88 damage value of: 844.5.
- has an off-hand t88 damage value of: 422.4.
- has a t80 damage value of 1788.
• Attack Speed: Auto attack speed of each weapon.
- each auto attack once every 2.4s (4t).
- auto attacks once every 3.6s (6t).
• Tier: Requirement to wield.
- Both Require 85 Attack.
• **Passive: **
- and have a 5% and 1% respective chance to apply 
Primordial ice.
- With , gaining stacks of triggers 
Frostblades for 9s.
- adds bonus ability damage to your abilities during the duration.
• Special Attack: Icy Tempest:
- Deals 100-120% and 150-180% aoe damage, consuming stacks.
- Damage is increased per stack.
• Passive:
- Halberd class 2H weapon.
- Halberds gain +1 attack range.
- Example: normally strikes in a 3x3 aoe; strikes in a 5x5 with
⬥ Ability Damage:
• This is damage dealt with abilities.
• It is calculated with Auto attack damage value(s), weapon attack speed, strength level and other boosts.
- have Tier 88 ability damage: **~1637.65. **
- has Tier 80 ability damage: ~1523.25
- With 99 strength, no boosts.
Armour & Other Gear
⬥ T70 Bandos Power Armour 
⬥ T80 Laceration boots 
⬥ T85 Jaws of the Abyss 
• When casting basics gain +2% adren per active bleed.
⬥ Any necklace/cape slot is okay. Preferably strength cape 99/120
Auras:
⬥ +15% str/att -10% def.
⬥ +5% dmg.
⬥ 
Deal magic damage over time.
⬥ 
+10% accuracy.
⬥ 
+5% healing (capped).
Archaeology Relics:
⬥ 
• Conservation of Energy: refund 10% adren on casting ultimates.
• Berserker's Fury: Deal more damage when lower health.
• Font of Life: +500 Max LP.
Planning a Fight:
We'll use this sample 14-ability action bar.
In this section We'll cover three fundamental steps to tackling bosses for the first time.
Step 1: Identify Key Abilities:
All of these abilities are enhanced by except for bleeds
Berserk Enhanced Abilities
⬥ Power Basics 1-4:
⬥ Auxiliary Basic 5-6:
⬥ Power Thresholds 7-9:
⬥ Utility Threshold 10:
Step 2: Analyzing the boss:
⬥ We'll use Vindicta and Gorvek 
as our sample boss. Vindicta and Gorvek has 2 phases, each with 100k health.
⬥ Higher DPM is one part familiarizing with boss threats and another part executing a strong rotation.
Analyzing Vindicta
⬥ Phase 1:
• Does a spinning melee special attack ... "I should protect/deflect melee."
• Does a fire breathing magic special attack ... "I should move away from it."
⬥ Phase 2:
• attacks 3 times. Melee, ranged, melee... "The ranged one hits hard, I should use a defensive or pray ranged.**"
• does her fire breathing magic special attack... "I should move away from it."
Rough Plan:
⬥ rotation for the first 100k health.
⬥ and strong Power Thresholds for the last 100k health.
• From now on we'll focus on the rotation.
• The rest is left for the reader's exercise.
Step 3: Create & Test the plan:
Now let's try making a rotation. Here's our general approach:
⬥ Use Power Abilities but also plan around strong Auxiliary combos.
• With current gear is the only worth while auxiliary ability.
⬥ Utilise thresholds but also manage adrenaline.
Brainstorm
⬥ We're at 100 adren, so let's use + 
• [] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ]
⬥ Since we're out of combat, let's use to gain 
effect.
• [] → [] - [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ]
⬥ We want adren, let's use two Power Basics:
• [] → [] - [] → [] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ] → [ ]
⬥ The effect is expiring soon so let's use a channelled Power Threshold. Our adren is above 50, let's use more Thresholds.
• [] → [] - [] → [] → [] → [] → [] → [ ] → [ ]
⬥ Okay looks like we need more adren, let's use a Power Basic: and finish strong with
• [] → [] - [] → [] → [] → [] → [] → [] → []
Rough Rotation:
⬥ + → → → → → → → →
VOD Reviewing
Refining is considerably the most important practice of improving DPM. It exercises many healthy thought processes to rationalize where a boss encounter did not go as planned. Viewing a recording or VOD of your encounter is critical to identifying mistakes.
Below, is a video sample of the rough rotation alongside a list of mistakes. Try identifying the mistakes inside the video as an exercise.
Rough Rotation Video:
Final/Refined Rotation Video:
Comparing Final vs Rough Rotation
⬥ Rough: + → → → → → → → →
⬥ Final: + → → → → → 5t → → → →
⬥ Damage Difference: ~85k vs ~113k
Identifying Mistakes:
⬥ Firstly, it only uses 32t out of the available 34t from
⬥ Secondly, there isn't enough adrenaline to cast
⬥ Thirdly, there are better Power Basic options than
⬥ Lastly, isn't in
• Timestamps are at 0:30 and 0:19 respectively.
Refining each mistake
⬥ #1: >
• deals more damage.
• Net Gain: +18.5%
⬥ #2: shorten , cancel with
• Shortening from 7t to 5t, 4 hits to 3 hits.
⬩ Allows to cancel
⬩ Net Loss: -94.2%
⬩ Gain 2t of time. Can squeeze in another ability; #3.
⬥ #3: Add
• Gains +8% adren.
• Net Gain: 104.6%
⬩ Recall is casted with t80 damage
⬥ #4: Cancel with
• This places inside
• Retain all hitsplats
• Net Gain: +256%
Results:
Average Ability Damage, (AAD) = Average ability % of rotation
⬥ Rough vs Final AAD: 1804% vs 2089.1%
• ~16% DPS increase
⬥ Final rotation deals ~16% more damage
• (2089.1/1804) - 1 ~ 0.158,
⬥ Net Gain from these 4 fixes:
• 256% + 18.5% + 104.6% - 94% = 285.1%
⬥ Total AAD difference between Final and Rough:
• 2089.1% - 1804% = 285.1%
We've unknowingly introduced, in #2, #4, a vital mechanic called Cancelling Channels. This will be the final basic melee tip for the guide.
Cancelling Channels
Why Channelled Abilities are Important
⬥ Cancelling channelled abilities saves time.
• Animations are sometimes unsynced with the hitsplats.
• It can be higher damage-per-tick and more adrenaline friendly to cancel early.
⬩ Frequently cancelled:
⬩ See the following example with 
from magic. (Functionally identical to )