While I'm not saying this is bad, it's however it does leave RuneScape somewhat weak. Achieving 99 in a particular skill on RuneScape is traditionally just similar to OSRS gold gaining max the level of a character in another MMO, for the most part (unless we're dealing in useless techniques like cooking, fletching or Firemaking, which could be accomplished in 60 to 70 hours). It's not even close to that.
If you're looking for boosts and other effects, that's the reason for prayer. It's purpose is to give players rewards and advantages in combat that other MMOs normally offer the player through tradeskills, for example, crafting runes of armor to connect to your armor or enchanting your weapon to become more powerful and powerful, and other.
RuneScape isn't equipped to do that which is why it requires prayers to function in that manner and offer players that kind of selection as content for the end of the game becomes harder and more difficult (God Wars, Dungeoneering and other bosses are great examples) in addition to gear, which can only be able to provide so much, which is why the potions are becoming more powerful too. The fact is that equipment and items (as well as prayers) were rapidly too powerful for PvP, which is why there were absorption effects on armor.
My argument is that RuneScape requires an aura slot to efficiently improve the game. It's a difficult concept to understand for people that doesn't have a 99 skill or doesn't have a high enough level of combat skills to take on difficult bosses where you don't have the ability to Protect from Range/Melee/Magic and everything is fine yet, it's certainly one of those things the game should have to be able to deliver more, challenging content in the future.
The benefit of allocating it to a statslot is that JaGEx can restrict, for instance access to aura slots within the Wilderness (as an instance), balancing both Boss-killing (and cheap RS gold other PvE that is high-combat content) and PvP.
