View source for The Leviathan/Strategies

[[File:Fighting the Leviathan.png|thumb|400px|A player fighting the Leviathan, a sea creature dwelling in the Scar.]]
After the completion of [[Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire]], players can fight a stronger variant of [[the Leviathan]]. An even stronger awakened variant can be fought by climbing the handholds with an [[awakener's orb]] in the player's inventory and selecting "Yes" when prompted.

If the player dies while fighting the Leviathan, their [[grave]] will appear in [[the Scar]] by the rowboat. Players will have their reclamation fee reduced by 75% until they have five kills, after which the standard death cost will apply.

== Requirements ==

* Completion of {{SCP|Quest}} [[Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire]]

== Suggested skills ==

* {{SCP|Ranged|75+}}
* {{SCP|Defence|70+}}
* {{SCP|Hitpoints|80+}}

==Getting there==
The quickest methods of reaching [[the Scar]], where the Leviathan resides, are:
* Using the [[ring of shadows]] to teleport to the Scar, by the abyssal rift. This requires having used the [[scarred tablet]] on it, which is a 1/25 drop from the Leviathan.
* Teleporting to the [[Temple of the Eye (location)|Temple of the Eye]] via the [[amulet of the eye]] (or the [[grouping]] teleport for the [[Guardians of the Rift]] minigame), then reaching the Scar via the [[Catalytic Guardian]].
* Reaching the Temple of the Eye via the portal in the [[Wizards' Tower]] basement ([[necklace of passage]] teleport or [[fairy ring]] code {{Fairycode|dis}}).

==Fight overview==
The Leviathan uses a volley of rapid-firing attacks which deal damage upon impact; protection prayers will fully block these attacks.
{| class="wikitable"
!Orb
!Colour
!Pray
|-
|[[File:Leviathan magic attack.png|frameless|width=90x90]]
|'''Blue'''
|{{Ilink|Protect from Magic|pic=Protect from Magic|size=23}}
|-
|[[File:Leviathan ranged attack.png|frameless|width=90x90]]
|'''Green'''
|{{Ilink|Protect from Missiles|pic=Protect from Missiles}}
|-
|[[File:Leviathan melee orb.png|frameless|width=90x90]]
|'''Orange'''
|{{Ilink|Protect from Melee|pic=Protect from Melee|size=25}}
|-
|[[File:Leviathan boulder.png|frameless|width=90x90]]
|'''Rocks'''
|None; run away from shadows
|}
Alongside the orb attacks, the Leviathan also utilizes a biting attack when in melee range, which [[Protect from Melee]] will fully block (though it has no warning animation). This attack is only used when directly next to the pool and one tile diagonally across from the corners. It may be beneficial to highlight these tiles so they can be avoided when necessary.
[[File:The Leviathan - tick flick.mp4|thumb|500px|The player demonstrates the swift switching of protection prayers in the fifth and sixth sequence of attacks.]]
At the end of each volley, the boss will roar and cause debris to fall around the arena, with one falling down on the player's location as a permanent spawn for the remainder of the fight. Players will take  unavoidable, minor chip damage from the roar but can avoid the debris by moving at least 1 tile away. Every subsequent volley of attacks will increase in intensity, which can make it difficult to switch prayers at later volleys. The sequence of attacks are as follows:
* 3 tick attacks with magic and ranged
* 2 tick attacks with magic and ranged
* 2 tick attacks with all three styles
* 1 tick attacks with magic and ranged
* 1 tick attacks with all three styles
* All three styles with faster projectile time (2 ticks to react)
* All three styles with even faster projectile time (1 tick to react)

At any point during the volley of attacks, players can cast any type of [[shadow spell]] to stun the Leviathan (which will always succeed), where it will stay still for 15 [[ticks]] (9 seconds). Damage against it is capped at 10 when stunned, but the player can run around to attack its backside to deal a large amount of damage, which will cause it to retaliate with a special attack.

The Leviathan's attack speed will decrease upon being stunned and having lost 25% of its health, so make note of this when a stun is needed.

===Special attacks===
* '''Lightning Barrage''' - The Leviathan unleashes a barrage of lightning towards the player while also launching orbs around it. Run in a tight circle to stay ahead of the electric stroke (it can also be dodged with precise movement whilst also attacking it; see the demonstrations below). Once the attack ends, step away from melee range to prevent it from using its bite attack.
* '''Smoke Blast''' - The Leviathan begins to spit out debris that falls onto the player's location every tick. The debris take two ticks to land, so players can stand still for one tick on each tile if they want to attack. After throwing ten debris, it will discharge a blast of smoke that can be avoided by standing behind the debris left behind. Beginning the enrage phase during this special attack will NOT interrupt the smoke blast.

Damage dealt to the Leviathan is reduced by 33% for the duration of each special attack.

Players can determine which special attack will be used first in the fight after the first roar by observing where the debris remains, assuming that the Leviathan was not stunned before a volley ended. If the debris appears to the '''east and west''', then the '''Lightning Barrage''' attack is used first. If the debris appears to the '''north and south''', then the '''Smoke Blast''' attack is used instead. The boss will alternate between the two special attacks.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200" style="text-align:left">
The Leviathan - Smoke Blast.mp4|The player avoids the Smoke Blast attack.
The Leviathan - Lightning Barrage skip (4-tick weapon).mp4|Performing the Lightning Barrage skip with a 4-tick weapon (ex. the [[Bow of Faerdhinen]]).
The Leviathan - Lightning Barrage skip (5-tick weapon).mp4|Performing the Lightning Barrage skip with a 5-tick weapon (ex. the [[Armadyl crossbow]]).
</gallery>

===Enrage phase===
[[File:The Leviathan - abyssal pathfinder glow.png|thumb|400px|The player has buffed their accuracy and damage by being within the abyssal pathfinder's area-of-effect.]]
Upon reaching 180 hitpoints (20% of its health), the Leviathan will begin to focus on the player intensely, beginning the enrage phase. It will roar, causing one set of debris to drop on the arena, while an [[abyssal pathfinder]] will spawn, usually to the north-west, but can appear elsewhere if the spot is restricted. The Leviathan will also change its attack speed to 2, (i.e. 1.2 seconds) between attacks regardless of the state it was in before the phase started. It will only use magic and ranged orbs in this state, though it can still bite players if they are next to it.

The abyssal pathfinder has a 5x5 Area-of-Effect that the player must stand in; if the player is not in its AoE, the Leviathan's attacks will pierce through protection prayers and the player's attacks will deal less damage. The player will glow when they are within the pathfinder's AoE, and will be granted perfect accuracy and an increased minimum hit<ref>{{PlainCiteTwitter|author=Mod Ash.|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230916183238/https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1703058011122541032|date=16 September 2023|archiveurl=https://twitter.com/JagexAsh/status/1703058011122541032|archivedate=16 September 2023|quote=Mod Ash: "[Hi, can you tell us how does the abyssal pathfinder at Leviathan works? How much dmg/accuracy % it gives?] If I'm reading my colleagues' code correctly, it's ensuring you hit for at least 20% of your max (...)"}}</ref>, so switching to a [[toxic blowpipe]] can be beneficial. The best strategy to finish off the Leviathan is to use the [[webweaver bow]] special attack twice, as it will often defeat the boss or knock it down to very low health  afterwards. A [[lightbearer]] is essential for this - even with one you cannot spec twice every kill.

Until the phase ends, debris will continually spawn from above, so it is important to defeat the boss before too many boulders appear and restrict movement. Once the Leviathan is slain, all debris on the field will be removed.

==Awakened mode==
In Awakened mode, the Leviathan has the following changes:
* The boss' health increases from 900 to '''2,700'''.
* The boss is immune to [[stat drain]]s.
* Upon reaching 50% of its health, a tornado will spawn in the arena and move towards the player. This will deal 40+ damage if it makes contact with them.
* More debris will drop down, with a "+" shaped formation dropped on the player's location.
* Stuns are '''50% shorter'''  in length.
* Its enraged attack speed is '''doubled''' to one tick (0.6s)
* The range of the [[abyssal pathfinder]] is increased to 7x7 tiles

Rather than letting the Leviathan finishing an attack sequence, it is recommended to stun it before it ends so boulders will not fall from above, as the boulders will drop in a +-shaped formation on the player which will severely impede movement if allowed to appear, which will likely result in death in the enrage phase. This also ensures minimal damage is taken until the enrage phase, as the player is expected to take no damage from the lightning current or shockwave attacks. As the boss' magic level is significantly increased from 160 to 280, using a [[twisted bow]] is encouraged over any other weapon.

Once the tornado appears at 50% health (1350 health), players must utilise two additional tiles to perfectly run the lightning current rather than running back and forth to avoid getting hit by it. The player will still retain the ability to attack despite these additional tiles. During the debris attack, each quadrant can allow for two instances of each attack before being unusable; during the first instance for each quadrant, run two tiles to leave a gap between it and the next thrown debris, so that the player can simply walk between them for the second instance of the attack. 

When rushing in to stun the Leviathan, make sure to swap to [[Protect from Melee]] to avoid any potential bite attacks. To avoid any unnecessary chip damage from incoming attacks as the enrage phase starts, leave the boss as close as possible to 20% of its health, then stun and hit from behind. Before starting the enrage phase, make sure to have max health and prayer. It is also encouraged to leave the north-west clear of debris to ensure the pathfinder spawns there and luring the tornado as south as possible to get a head-start once starting the phase, as it is important not to let it trail close to the player.

During the enrage phase (540 health), dump two webweaver specials upon being lit by the pathfinder, which should reduce the boss' health to ~360 and return to a twisted bow and continue attacking the boss while moving and reacting to incoming attacks. While a toxic blowpipe can be used for higher DPS with its attack speed, the boss' even faster attack speed and the tornado, along with having to flick the attacks, dodging the tornado and being in sync with the pathfinder makes this highly unfeasible. Make sure to stay away from the boss' melee distance to ensure that it will not chomp for massive damage, as it and an unprotected attack will usually result in death. The player should have enough time to defeat the boss before the pathfinder completes a full cycle, though this also depends on how much the boss will swap between combat styles.

==Equipment==
{{clear|left}}
*With [[Masori armour]], the [[Zaryte crossbow]] is best in slot against Leviathan until it reaches 450 HP (380 without a [[Venator ring]]), at which point the [[Toxic blowpipe]] surpasses it.
*If you can't get [[Masori armour]], a [[Bow of faerdhinen]] is acceptable here. However, Fortified Masori provides little benefit over the unfortified variant here, and the unfortified variant with a [[Twisted buckler]]  is currently cheaper than a bowfa and full crystal.
**The [[Rune crossbow]] with [[Ruby bolts (e)]] and [[Masori armour]] and [[Twisted buckler]] is better DPS than  [[Bow of faerdhinen (c)]] and full crystal.
**[[Zaryte crossbow]] with no armor is roughly equivalent to a [[Bow of faerdhinen]] with full crystal, and it doubles as very powerful spec weapon.<br>
*When inside the abyssal pathfinder a blowpipe cannot hit less than 20% of its maximum hit, killing leviathan in 10 shots on average. The [[Zaryte crossbow]] is the strongest spec weapon at Leviathan, and using it at the beginning of the fight as well as using the [[Toxic blowpipe]] during the enrage phase, leads to faster kills overall. However, if the player is uncomfortable or unable to kill Leviathan during the enrage phase, two [[Webweaver bow]] special attacks may be used after the abyssal pathfinder activates. This requires 100% spec energy, and even with a lightbearer it may not regenerate before the next enrage phase.

<tabber>
Main =
{{Recommended equipment
| head1 = {{plink|Slayer helmet (i)}}{{efn|Only while on a Slayer task.}}
| head2 = {{plink|Masori mask (f)}}
| head3 = {{plink|Armadyl helmet}}
| head4 = {{plink|Blessed coif|pic=Ancient coif}}
| head5 = {{plink|Karil's coif}}
| neck1 = {{plink|Necklace of anguish}}
| neck2 = {{plink|Amulet of fury}}
| neck3 = {{plink|Amulet of glory}}
| neck4 = {{plink|Amulet of power}}
| cape1 = {{plink|Dizana's quiver}}
| cape2 = {{plink|Ava's assembler}}
| cape3 = {{plink|Ava's accumulator}} <br>/ {{plink|Ranging cape(t)}}
| body1 = {{plink|Masori body (f)}}
| body2 = {{plink|Armadyl chestplate}}
| body3 = {{plink|Karil's leathertop}}
| body4 = {{plink|Blessed body|pic=Ancient d'hide body}}
| body5 = {{plink|Black d'hide body}}
| legs1 = {{plink|Masori chaps (f)}}
| legs2 = {{plink|Armadyl chainskirt}}
| legs3 = {{plink|Karil's leatherskirt}}
| legs4 = {{plink|Blessed chaps|pic=Ancient chaps}}
| legs5 = {{plink|Black d'hide chaps}}
| weapon1 = {{plink|Zaryte crossbow}}
| weapon2 = {{plink|Armadyl crossbow}}
| weapon3 = {{plink|Dragon hunter crossbow}} <br>/ {{plink|Dragon crossbow}}
| weapon4 = {{plink|Rune crossbow}}
| weapon5 = {{plink|Toxic blowpipe}}
| weapon6 = {{plink|Crystal bow}}{{efn|name="crystal"}}
| shield1 = {{plink|Twisted buckler}}{{efn|name="1h"|If using a 1-handed weapon}}
| shield2 = {{plink|Dragonfire ward}}{{efn|name="1h"}}
| shield3 = {{plink|Odium ward}}{{efn|name="1h"}}
| shield4 = {{plink|Book of law}}{{efn|name="1h"}}
| shield5 = {{plink|Unholy book}}{{efn|name="1h"}}
| ammo1 = {{plink|Ruby dragon bolts (e)}} <br>/ {{plink|Dragon arrow}}
| ammo2 = {{plink|Ruby bolts (e)}}<br> / {{plink|Amethyst arrow}}
| ammo3 = {{plink|Diamond dragon bolts (e)}} <br> / {{plink|Rune arrow}}
| hands1 = {{plink|Zaryte vambraces}}
| hands2 = {{plink|Barrows gloves}}
| hands3 = {{plink|Blessed vambraces|pic=Ancient bracers}}
| hands4 = {{plink|Black d'hide vambraces}}
| hands5 = {{plink|Regen bracelet}}
| feet1 = {{plink|Echo boots}} <br> / {{plink|Pegasian boots}}
| feet2 = {{plink|Ranger boots}}
| feet3 = {{plink|Blessed boots|pic=Ancient d'hide boots}}
| feet4 = {{plink|Boots of brimstone}}
| feet5 = {{plink|Shayzien boots (5)}}
| ring1 = {{plink|Venator ring}} <br> / {{plink|Lightbearer}}{{efn|name=lightbearer|Required if using [[Webweaver bow]] during enrage phase}}
| ring2 = {{plink|Archers ring (i)}}
| ring3 = {{plink|Lightbearer}}
| ring4 = {{plink|Ring of suffering (ri)}}
| ring5 = {{plink|Ring of shadows}}
| special1 = {{plink|Zaryte crossbow}}
| special2 = {{plink|Tonalztics of ralos}}
| special3 = {{plink|Webweaver bow}}{{efn|name=webweaver|used during enrage phase if player is struggling}}
| special4 = {{plink|Armadyl crossbow}}
| special5 = {{plink|Dark bow}}
}}
|-|
Bowfa =
{{Recommended equipment
| head1 = {{plink|Slayer helmet (i)}}{{efn|Only while on a Slayer task.}}
| head2 = {{plink|Crystal helm}}
| neck1 = {{plink|Necklace of anguish}}
| neck2 = {{plink|Amulet of fury}}
| neck3 = {{plink|Amulet of glory}}
| neck4 = {{plink|Amulet of power}}
| cape1 = {{plink|Dizana's quiver}}
| cape2 = {{plink|Ava's assembler}}
| cape3 = {{plink|Max cape}}
| cape4 = {{plink|Ava's accumulator}} <br>/ {{plink|Ranging cape(t)}}
| body1 = {{plink|Crystal body}}
| legs1 = {{plink|Crystal legs}}
| weapon1 = {{plink|Bow of faerdhinen}}
| ammo1 = {{plink|Rada's blessing 4}}
| ammo2 = {{plink|God blessing|pic=Peaceful blessing}} <br>/ {{nowrap|{{plink|Rada's blessing 3|txt=Rada's blessing 3}}/[[Rada's blessing 2|2]]}}
| hands1 = {{plink|Zaryte vambraces}}
| hands2 = {{plink|Barrows gloves}}
| hands3 = {{plink|Blessed vambraces|pic=Ancient bracers}}
| hands4 = {{plink|Black d'hide vambraces}}
| hands5 = {{plink|Regen bracelet}}
| feet1 = {{plink|Echo boots}} <br> / {{plink|Pegasian boots}}
| feet2 = {{plink|Ranger boots}}
| feet3 = {{plink|Blessed boots|pic=Ancient d'hide boots}}
| feet4 = {{plink|Boots of brimstone}}
| feet5 = {{plink|Shayzien boots (5)}}
| ring1 = {{plink|Venator ring}} <br> / {{plink|Lightbearer}}{{efn|name=lightbearer|Required if using [[Webweaver bow]] during enrage phase}}
| ring2 = {{plink|Archers ring (i)}}
| ring3 = {{plink|Lightbearer}}
| ring4 = {{plink|Ring of suffering (ri)}}
| ring5 = {{plink|Ring of shadows}}
| special1 = {{plink|Webweaver bow}}
| special2 = {{plink|Zaryte crossbow}}
| special3 = {{plink|Tonalztics of ralos}}{{efn|bowfa doesn't benefit that much from the Tonalztics of Ralos because it's already very accurate}}
| special4 = {{plink|Armadyl crossbow}}
| special5 = {{plink|Dark bow}}
}}
</tabber>
{{notelist}}

==Inventory recommendations==
{{Inventory
|align = right
|1 = Webweaver bow
|2 = Divine rune pouch
|3 = Ring of shadows
|4 = Teleport to house (tablet)
|5 = Super restore(4)
|6 = Super restore(4)
|7 = Super restore(4)
|8 = Super restore(4)
|9 = Divine ranging potion(4)
|10 = Stamina potion(4)
|11 = Anglerfish
|12 = Anglerfish
|13 = Shark
|14 = Shark
|15 = Shark
|16 = Shark
|17 = Shark
|18 = Shark
|19 = Shark
|20 = Shark
|21 = Shark
|22 = Shark
|23 = Shark
|24 = Shark
|25 = Shark
|26 = Shark
|27 = Shark
|28 = Shark
}}

{{Rune pouch|align=right
|1=Death rune
|2=Chaos rune
|3=Soul rune
|4=Air rune
}}
* [[Stamina potion]]s are recommended if [[Agility]] level is low or are inexperienced with the boss.
* [[Prayer potion]]s or [[super restore]]s (can replace food with more potions if experienced)
* [[Ring of shadows]] for teleporting back, or [[amulet of the eye]] if [[scarred tablet]] has not been acquired yet
* [[Anglerfish]] are for boosting health before starting a kill to lessen interruptions during the volley of attacks, as well as chip damage from the roar attack. 
** Players can also bring [[summer pie]]s instead of [[shark]]s, which restores 22 hitpoints and 20% run energy per pie.
* [[Shadow Rush]] is just as effective as [[Shadow Barrage]] in stunning the boss, while costing three times less.
* A 1-handed magic staff can be used to auto-cast Shadow spells. Thamarons Scepter is a lighter weight option.



==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leviathan, The/Strategies}}
[[Category:Strategies]]