Runescape Guide to Bolts

The Fletching skill in Runescape allows you to make bows and arrows, but it also gives you the ability to make crossbows and bolts. There are a few different bolts that you can make in the game, from regular bolts to “tipped” bolts.

Bolts are made with metal, feathers, and gems. You will need unfinished bolts and feathers. Unfinished bolts are done by smithing a metal bar on an anvil into them. A complete bolt is made from adding a feather to this unfinished bolt. The level you need to make bolts and the experience you get for making the bolt varies by the style of metal. Bolts, when finished (whether tipped or regular), are then able to be used in basic crossbows. They make for a good bit of ranged combat damage in battles.

• Bronze bolts – These require a fletching level of 9 and will give you a half a point of experience.
• Blurite bolts – These bolts require a level of 24 and will give you a point of experience.
• Iron bolts – Iron bolts take a level of 39 to create and will give you 1.5 points of experience.
• Silver bolts – These bolts require a level of 43 and they give 2.5 points of experience.
• Steel bolts – These will require a 46 fletching skill and they give 3.5 points of experience.
• Mithril bolts – Requires a 54 level of fletching skill and they will give 5 points of experience.
• Adamant bolts – This bolt requires a 61 in fletching level and it will give you 7 points of experience.
• Rune bolts – These require a level of 69 in fletching and they will give 10 experience points

Tipped bolts are what you call bolts that have gems and things added to the tip. Also adding a mithril grapple can be a tipped bolt. These are the types of gems and things you can add to bolts to make them tipped. You are able to chisel regular opals, pearls, and gems to make that type of bolt tip. There are also barbed tips that you can buy so that you can make a barbed tip bolt. Making cut gems so that you can have them on your bolts is a bit different. Making gemmed tipped bolts requires a certain level of ability and will give you a few experience points. This is what you’ll need to make those gemmed tipped bolts.

• Opal/Bronze – Needs an opal tip and a bronze bolt. You will need to cut an opal into an opal bolt tip, and put it onto a bronze bolt to make this type of bolt. Requires a level of 11 in fletching and gives 1.6 in experience.
• Jade/Blurite – Needs a jade tip and a blurite bolt. You will need to cut a jade into a jade bolt tip, and put it onto a blurite bolt to make this type of bolt.Requires a level of 26 in fletching and gives 2.4 in experience.
• Pearl/Iron – Needs a pearl tip and an iron bolt. You will need to cut a pearl into a pearl bolt tip, and put it onto an iron bolt to make this type of bolt.This requires a fletching level of 41 and gives you 3.2 experience.
• Red Topaz/Steel – This needs a red topaz tip and a steel bolt. You will need to cut a red topaz into a red topaz bolt tip, and put it onto a steel bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a level of 48 in fletching and gives 3.9 in experience.
• Barbed/Bronze – This needs a barbed tip and a bronze bolt. You will need to buy barbed tips and put it onto a bronze bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a level of 51 in fletching and it will give 9.5 in experience.
• Sapphire/Mithril – This needs a sapphire tip and mithril bolt. You will need to cut a sapphire into a sapphire bolt tip, and put it onto a mithril bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a 56 in fletching level and it will give 4.7 in experience.
• Emerald/Mithril – This needs an emerald tip and mithril bolt. You will need to cut a emerald into a emerald bolt tip, and put it onto a mithril bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a 58 in fletching level and it will give 5.5 in experience.
• Mithril Grapple/Mithril – This needs a mithril grapple and a mithril bolt. You will need to get the mithril grapple and put it onto a mithril bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a 1 in fletching level and gives 5.5 in experience.
• Ruby/Adamant – This needs a ruby tip and an adamant bolt. You will need to cut a ruby into a ruby bolt tip, and put it onto a adamant bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a 63 in fletching level and gives a 6.3 in experience.
• Diamond/Adamant – This needs a diamond tip and an adamant bolt.You will need to cut a diamond into a diamond bolt tip, and put it onto a adamant bolt to make this type of bolt. It requires a 65 in fletching level and a 7 in experience.
• Dragonstone/Rune – This needs a dragonstone tip and a rune bolt. You will need to cut a dragonstone into a dragonstone bolt tip, and put it onto a rune bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a 71 in fletching level and an 8.2 in experience.
• Onyx/Rune – This needs an onyx tip and a rune bolt. You will need to cut a onyx into a onyx bolt tip, and put it onto a rune bolt to make this type of bolt.It requires a 73 in fletching level and gives 9.4 in experience.

As you can see making bolts requires a bit of skill but having tipped bolts, especially when you enchant them, can really make for a powerful weapon in the hands of someone with good ranged abilities. You will be able to level up your fletching ability by making all the boys and the ammo for them. However, bolts can be enchanted and have the properties of the enchantment, the properties of the bolt and the tip that it has. There is a bigger and better amount of damage for you to have using a crossbow than a regular bow. But mainly it is just up to the player to decide which of these are better for their ranged combat style.