RuneScape: Dragonwilds Staff Guide: Every Staff Ranked by Power, Stats and Recipes

Dragonslaying tends to conjure up images of sword and shield work, plate armor, and a lot of yelling. That is one way to do it. Another way is to stand at a comfortable distance and politely set the dragon on fire. If you like the second option, RuneScape: Dragonwilds has a full lineup of staves built for exactly that purpose.

This guide covers every staff currently in the game, ranked from weakest to strongest, with their power levels, damage multipliers, durability, and full crafting recipes.

How staves work in RuneScape: Dragonwilds

Staves are ranged magic weapons, and they trade the brute force of melee gear for distance and utility. Each staff can be loaded with one of two rune types at any given time: Air or Fire. To swap, right-click the matching rune in your inventory. Both light and heavy attacks consume runes as ammunition, so keep a healthy stack on hand or you will be hitting dragons with a fancy stick.

The two elements feel very different in practice:

• Air Runes: high single-target damage with knockback, useful for picking off priority enemies and creating space.
• Fire Runes: lower per-hit damage, but a wider area of effect and stackable damage over time.

Smart wizards keep both rune types ready and switch on the fly based on what is in front of them. Solo play with a staff is workable but tougher than swinging steel, especially in the early game. In a group, even a low-tier staff turns you into solid ranged support while your friends absorb the bites.

Every staff uses the same spells and animations. The differences come down to damage multiplier, durability, the occasional crit modifier, and what materials you need to craft one.

Here is the full list, sorted from lowest power level to highest.

Ash Battlestaff

• Power Level: 2
• Damage Multiplier: 1.9
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 900
• Crafted at: Crafting Table
• Recipe: 12x Ash Logs, 6x Rune Essence, 2x Coarse Thread

Your starter wand. It will not win any duels, but it gets you through the opening hours.

Oak Battlestaff

• Power Level: 3
• Damage Multiplier: 2.8
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1050
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 12x Oak Logs, 6x Anima-Infused Bark, 3x Wool Thread

A clean step up from the Ash, with better durability and a noticeable damage bump for not much extra grinding.

Grieving Moon Staff

• Power Level: 3
• Damage Multiplier: 2.6
• Critical Chance: -15%
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1050
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 8x Oak Logs, 6x Antler, 2x Animal Bone

Cheap to make compared to the Oak, but the negative crit chance makes it a sidegrade rather than an upgrade. Useful if you cannot get the wool together yet.

Blightwood Battlestaff

• Power Level: 4
• Damage Multiplier: 4.1
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1300
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 12x Blightwood, 6x Wild Anima, 4x Vault Shard, 3x Swamp Thread

The mid-game workhorse. Damage roughly doubles compared to the Oak, and the 1300 durability means fewer repair runs.

Draconic Staff

• Power Level: 4
• Damage Multiplier: 4.1
• Critical Chance: +15%
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1100
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 10x Iron Bar, 6x Granite, 4x Jade, 4x Vault Shard

Same damage as the Blightwood but with a +15% crit chance, so on paper it pulls ahead in sustained fights. Lower durability is the tradeoff.

Staff of Light

• Power Level: 4
• Damage Multiplier: 4.5
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1300
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 16x Blightwood, 12x Vault Shard, 8x Wild Anima, 4x Sapphire, 1x Vault Core

The best power-4 option in raw multiplier, but the recipe is significantly heavier, especially the Vault Core requirement.

Splitbark Staff

• Power Level: 5
• Damage Multiplier: 5.4
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1300
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 16x Hollow Bark, 6x Sacred Oil, 6x Vault Shard, 4x Fine Thread

First of the two top-tier staves. Excellent durability and a big damage jump over anything below it.

Necromancer's Staff

• Power Level: 5
• Damage Multiplier: 5.9
• Attack Combo: 4
• Durability: 1050
• Crafted at: Smithing Anvil
• Recipe: 24x Undead Bone, 6x Sacred Oil, 6x Vault Shard, 4x Fine Thread

The highest damage multiplier in the game right now. Durability is shorter than the Splitbark, so plan repairs accordingly.

Which staff should you craft?

If you are just starting, ride the Ash Battlestaff until you can afford the Oak. From there, the Blightwood is the fastest meaningful upgrade. Once you have access to Vault content, the Necromancer's Staff edges out the Splitbark on pure damage, while the Splitbark wins on durability and crafting simplicity. Both are endgame-grade.

Keep both rune types stocked, swap between Air and Fire based on what you are fighting, and the scaly population will thin out faster than you expect.