OSRS Snakeskin: Your Essential Guide To Crafting Ranged Armour And Beyond
In the vast and ever-evolving world of Old School RuneScape, players are constantly seeking efficient ways to train their skills, earn gold, and equip their characters for the adventures ahead. Among the myriad of materials available, snakeskin holds a unique, albeit sometimes overlooked, place. This versatile material, derived from the slithering inhabitants of Gielinor, is a cornerstone for many aspiring rangers looking for a reliable set of early to mid-game armour. But where does it come from, how is it processed, and is it truly worth your time? Let's unravel the mysteries of OSRS snakeskin.
Obtaining Snakeskin: The Hunt Begins
Before you can craft anything with snakeskin, you first need to acquire the raw material: snake hides. These are primarily obtained by bravely facing off against certain snake-type monsters found across Gielinor. While various snakes drop these hides, the most concentrated and popular hunting grounds are often found in the exotic and dangerous Karamja region. This jungle-covered island is teeming with the very creatures you need.
Within Karamja, you'll encounter a variety of snakes that drop the coveted hides. Notable examples include the agile Karamjan monkey (yes, they drop snake hides, a classic RuneScape quirk!) and the more direct swamp snakes lurking in the marshy areas. These creatures provide a steady supply of regular and swamp snake hides, essential for your crafting endeavors. Beyond regular monster drops, snake hides can also be acquired during a Temple Trekking event, offering an alternative method for those who enjoy minigames.
From Hide to Armour: The Tanning Process
Once you've amassed a collection of raw snake hides, your next step is to transform them into usable snakeskin. This requires the services of a skilled professional: a tanner. Tanners are NPCs found in various locations across RuneScape, ready to convert your raw hides into finished leather for a small fee.
The cost of tanning varies slightly depending on the type of hide:
- Regular snake hide: 15 coins per hide.
- Swamp snake hide: 20 coins per hide.
Finding a tanner is relatively easy, as they are strategically placed in common player hubs. You can find tanners in:
- Al Kharid
- The Ranging Guild
- Varrock
- Taverley
- Canifis
Choosing the most convenient tanner often depends on your current location and whether you're combining tanning with other activities like banking or crafting.
Crafting Your Ranged Arsenal: Snakeskin Armour
With a stack of tanned snakeskins in your inventory, it's time to put your Crafting skill to work. Snakeskin is primarily used to create snakeskin armour, a set of ranged gear that serves as a valuable stepping stone for rangers in the mid-game. To craft these items, you'll need a needle and thread in addition to your tanned snakeskins.
Snakeskin armour is a ranged armour set that requires specific combat levels to wear. All pieces of snakeskin armour demand a minimum of 30 Ranged and 30 Defence to equip. This makes it an ideal set for players progressing through their early combat levels, offering better protection than entry-level gear like frog-leather armour, though it is weaker than more advanced options such as spined armour.
A Full Set of Snakeskin
To craft a complete set of snakeskin armour, you'll need a total of 46 tanned snakeskins. If you decide to include the snakeskin shield, the total requirement goes up slightly to 48 skins. Each piece requires a specific Crafting level:
- Snakeskin Boots: Worn in the footwear slot. Require 45 Crafting and 6 snakeskins, granting 30 Crafting experience.
- Snakeskin Vambraces: Worn on the hands. Players can make these from snakeskin using the Crafting skill, requiring a Crafting level of 47 or higher.
- Snakeskin Chaps: Worn in the legwear slot. Require 30 Ranged and 30 Defence, and can be crafted with snakeskin and thread.
- Snakeskin Body: Worn in the torso slot. Requires 30 Ranged and 30 Defence to wear. Players can create a snakeskin body through the Crafting skill at level 53.
Crafting a full set offers a decent chunk of Crafting experience, making it a viable method for players looking to level up their skill on a relatively low budget. As one user, @born2grind, noted, it can be a good option for "crafting on the cheap to get through another couple of crafting levels."
The Value Proposition: Is Snakeskin Worth It?
While snakeskin armour serves its purpose as a functional ranged set for mid-level players, its overall utility and profitability have been subjects of discussion within the OSRS community. For many, it's a stepping stone, a means to an end for training Crafting or gearing up before moving on to more powerful (and expensive) armour sets.
However, some players believe that snakeskin items could benefit from a rebalance to make them more appealing. A user suggestion highlighted the potential for increasing both the crafting XP gained from making snakeskin items and their alch (Alchemy) value. This would make crafting snakeskin a more competitive training method and provide a better return on investment for players who choose to engage with this material. The current and proposed stats for such changes often include detailed tables outlining the potential improvements, aiming to make snakeskin a more useful and profitable venture for players.
Currently, its niche lies in being an accessible and relatively inexpensive ranged armour set that bridges the gap between basic leather and more advanced gear like green d'hide. For new members or players on a budget, snakeskin armour offers a solid defensive boost without breaking the bank, providing the necessary stats to engage in various combat activities that require 30 Ranged and Defence.
Conclusion
Snakeskin, though not the flashiest or most profitable material in Old School RuneScape, plays an important role in the game's progression system. From its humble origins as a drop from the exotic serpents lurking in the depths of the Karamja jungle to its transformation into a functional ranged armour set, snakeskin offers a reliable path for aspiring rangers. Whether you're hunting snakes for hides, visiting a tanner in Al Kharid, or meticulously crafting each piece of armour, snakeskin provides a tangible sense of progression and a valuable training opportunity for your Crafting skill. While community suggestions for its improvement highlight a desire for greater utility, its current place as an accessible and foundational ranged armour set remains undeniable, making it a consistent choice for adventurers navigating the vast world of Gielinor.
Snakeskin armour - OSRS Wiki
Snakeskin chaps - OSRS Wiki
Snakeskin boots - OSRS Wiki
