what bow is best for farming the gem crab osrs
The best bow for farming Gemstone Crab in OSRS is usually the Sunlight Hunter Crossbow or a Magic Shortbow (i) if you want a true bow setup, with the crossbow often edging it out for practical AFK ranging. Recent community discussions and comparison content around Gemstone Crab setups keep pointing to budget ranged options like the Sunlight Hunter Crossbow, Magic Shortbow, and higher-cost alternatives such as the Toxic Blowpipe depending on your goals.
Best pick
For most players, the safest answer is:
- Sunlight Hunter Crossbow for strong, easy AFK ranged training.
- Magic Shortbow (i) if you specifically want a bow and solid value.
- Toxic Blowpipe if you care more about speed than “best bow” specifically, since it is generally stronger but not a bow in the usual sense.
Why this is the pick
Gemstone Crab is usually about balancing XP, cost, and attention, not squeezing out perfect DPS. Community discussion and recent guide content suggest the top ranged setups are chosen more for convenience and XP/hr than for pure bow preference, which is why the Sunlight Hunter Crossbow and Magic Shortbow keep coming up.
Practical recommendation
- Choose Magic Shortbow (i) if you already have arrows and want a classic bow.
- Choose Sunlight Hunter Crossbow if you want smoother AFK training and don’t mind using a crossbow.
- Skip expensive overkill unless you are optimizing XP and already own the gear.
TL;DR
If you asked “what bow is best,” the Magic Shortbow (i) is the cleanest bow answer, but the Sunlight Hunter Crossbow is probably the better overall ranged weapon for Gemstone Crab farming right now.