Ancient Magicks

Ancient Magicks spellbook icon

Ancient Magicks (also known as Ancients) are a series of Magic spells unlocked upon completion of the quest Desert Treasure I. Unlike the Lunar spellbook, which primarily focuses on utility spells, and both the standard spellbook and the Arceuus spellbook, which feature a mixture of combat and utility spells, the Ancient Magicks is significantly combat-oriented, including some of the most powerful combat spells in the game.

Having far fewer spells than the other spellbooks, the Ancient Magicks only contains 16 combat spells and 9 teleports. Ancient Magicks spells require multiples of expensive runes such as death and blood runes. Owing to their power (a minimum of 50 Magic is needed to even access the spellbook), Ancient Magick spells are popular in player-versus-player activities.

Background

The Ancient Magicks are a long-forgotten and destructive set of spells. In the Second Age, they were very commonly used, mostly by the followers of Zaros, who ruled a very large empire at that time.

The destructive and powerful spells of the Ancient Magicks proved to be useful during the wars in the era. The Spellbook also contained various teleport spells, which made it easier for the Zarosians to travel across their empire, which stretched from the northern Wilderness, to northern Misthalin and north-western Morytania.

Unfortunately, knowledge of Runecraft was lost before the Second Age and the remaining supplies Guthix provided humans in the First Age slowly disappeared through the use of Magic. Back then, many wizards held battles with the few remaining runes as a prize.

After Zaros' banishment following the Betrayal of Zaros, Zamorak and other gods like Saradomin, destroyed the empire. The destruction of the empire and the slow disappearance of runes caused the Ancient Magicks to become a rarely used form of Magic. During this time, only the Mahjarrat used Ancient Magicks, mostly because they didn't need runes to use Magic.

The God Wars held after Zaros' banishment saw the slow fade of the Ancient Magicks from common knowledge. Many of the remaining followers of Zaros, who comprised the majority of spell-casters, were killed or imprisoned. The powerful spells caused much destruction during the enormous battles, although the number of people who knew about the spells was extremely limited.

Long after the end of the God Wars, at the beginning of the Fifth Age, the art of Runecraft was rediscovered, giving humans a new supply of runes. New spells were invented by modern wizards of the Wizards' Tower, driving the Ancient Magicks even further into obscurity. Today, Ancient Magicks are used almost exclusively by the Mahjarrat, who have been driven close to extinction in Gielinor. A handful of people, such as Solus Dellagar, still possess the knowledge of Ancient Magicks. But furthermore, most mages of Gielinor choose to practice the modern magic created at the Wizards' Tower. Players will learn about the Ancient Magicks during the Desert Treasure I quest, where they release the imprisoned Zarosian Mahjarrat Azzanadra.

Skill and quest requirements


Total level: 332
33	----	----
30	15	20
----	10	----
40	53	----
11	----	50
50	10	----
----	10	----
----	----
28	----	----

Because unlocking the Ancient Magicks spellbook requires completion of the Desert Treasure I quest, the following quests are also required:

The prerequisite quest skill requirements, combined with the experience rewarded from these quests, means that the minimum skills required to obtain Ancient Magicks can be seen in the table to the right.

Switching spellbooks

Once Desert Treasure I is completed, the easiest way to switch spellbooks for normal accounts is to use another player's POH. To find a house to use, use the House Advertisement next to a POH portal in one of the designated House Party worlds, notably the one in Rimmington on World 330, and select a house which is advertising its possession of altars. Keep in mind that this method will not work for Ironman Mode.

Players can switch to Ancient Magicks at the altar inside the Ancient Pyramid in the Kharidian Desert, south-west of Pollnivneach and north of Menaphos. There is a rear entrance (tunnel) to the south of the pyramid that allows players who have completed Desert Treasure I to enter the throne room directly, where the altar resides, without having to navigate the four floors of the pyramid. At the altar, players can pray to switch to or from the Ancient Magicks spellbook, though this drains all Prayer points to zero (players can still switch spellbooks even with 0 Prayer points).

Those who simply wish to switch from Ancient Magicks to the regular spellbook may find it easier to pray twice at the Astral Altar on Lunar Isle, provided Lunar Diplomacy has been completed.

Players who have level 80 in Construction can build an ancient altar within their Achievement Gallery, allowing them to freely switch between the standard and ancient spellbooks without the prayer drain. Those with 90 Construction may also use the occult altar if they built one of the other two spellbook altars.

Additionally, players who have level 99 in Magic can switch their spellbook up to five times per day with the Magic cape.

Reaching the pyramid

Various methods of teleportation exist for reaching the Ancient Pyramid:

The pharaoh's sceptre, obtained from Pyramid Plunder, teleports players directly on top of the pyramid by selecting "Jaldraocht".
A camulet provides a teleport to Enahkra's temple, which is just west of the Ancient Pyramid.
Ferryman Sathwood can transport a player to the Ruins of Unkah, which is just south of the Ancient Pyramid.
Pollnivneach is a short distance east of the Pyramid and it is accessible via the magic carpet network (from either Shantay Pass or Sophanem, after Icthlarin's Little Helper), or Teleport to House for players who have their houses located in Pollnivneach.
Fairy ring code DLQ and run south to Nardah and run west till the bridge and cross it and you would see the Ancient Pyramid.

Spell summary

Autocasting

Unlike the standard spells, Ancient Magicks combat spells can only be autocast with particular Magic weapons. The weapons are:

Staff
	Ancient staff
	Ancient sceptre
	Blood ancient sceptre
	Ice ancient sceptre
	Shadow ancient sceptre
	Smoke ancient sceptre
	Ahrim's staff^{[n 1]}
	Master wand
	Kodai wand
	Nightmare staff
	Eldritch nightmare staff
	Volatile nightmare staff
	Thammaron's sceptre (a)
	Accursed sceptre (a)
	Blue moon spear

^ With Ahrim the Blighted's equipment and the Amulet of the damned

Combat spells

The Ancient Magicks combat spells are, as mentioned, the most dangerous combat spells in the game. Not only can they deal a substantial amount of damage, but each of the four classes of combat spells has a different additional effect:

A player casts Ice Barrage on several foes.

The Smoke spells are the only group of spells that can inflict poison damage to other players and NPCs.
The Shadow spells can be used to lower the target's Attack level.
- Shadow spells can also disorient the Abyssal Sire during its first phase and The Leviathan.
The Blood spells will heal the caster 25% of the damage dealt.
The Ice spells freeze the target in place and prevent it from moving.

The specific duration/effectiveness of each of the standard effects (aside from the blood spells, which always heal a flat 25%) depends on the level of the spell cast; for example, Smoke Burst will deal more poison damage than Smoke Rush. Burst and Barrage spells are a 3x3 AoE around the targeted monster, with the latter being a stronger AoE attack. Likewise, Rush and Blitz are single-target spells, with the latter being stronger.

Some monsters are large, meaning that they take up more than one square of space. When a Burst or Barrage spell is cast on one of these monsters, it will hit the monster plus any surrounding monsters with any square of space standing within a 3x3 zone of the targeted monster's south-westernmost corner square, which is treated as its "origin" square.

Ancient Magicks is generally used for powertraining Magic, as very high rates can be acquired with burst or barrage spells (the latter being much more expensive) with relatively low attention in multi-combat areas with plenty of monsters, such maniacal monkeys or smoke devils. It is also popular in Player killing activities, particularly ice spells past level 30+ Wilderness where teleports cannot be used.

Virtus robes grant a 5% damage bonus per piece when using Ancient Magicks combat spells, for a total of 15% with the full set, making the set ideal when bursting or barraging monsters.

Ancient Magicks are not allowed in Barbarian Assault.

In the Wilderness, Blighted ancient ice sacks can be used in place of conventional runes for the purpose of casting ice spells, which saves two inventory spaces.

Spell	Level	Runes	Coins^[1]	XP	Base max hit^[2]	Boosted max hit	Slayer max hit	Effect
Smoke Rush	50	¹ ¹ ² ²	534	30	13	18	20	Poisons target starting at 2 damage.
Shadow Rush	52	¹ ² ² ¹	702	31	14	20	21	Reduces target's Attack level by 10%.
Blood Rush	56	¹ ² ²	738	33	15	21	24	Heals the caster for 25% of the damage inflicted on the target.
Ice Rush	58	² ² ²	534	34	16	22	25	Freezes the target for 4.8 seconds.
Smoke Burst	62	² ² ⁴ ²	748	36	17	24	26	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Poisons targets starting at 2 damage.
Shadow Burst	64	¹ ⁴ ² ²	1,074	37	18	25	28	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Reduces targets' Attack levels by 10% each.
Blood Burst	68	² ⁴ ²	1,156	39	21	30	33	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Heals the caster for 25% of the damage inflicted on the targets.
Ice Burst	70	⁴ ⁴ ²	748	40	22	31	35	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Freezes targets for 9.6 seconds.
Smoke Blitz	74	² ² ² ²	768	42	23	32	36	Poisons target starting at 4 damage.
Shadow Blitz	76	² ² ² ²	1,104	43	24	34	37	Reduces target's Attack level by 15%.
Blood Blitz	80	⁴ ²	1,176	45	25	35	40	Heals the caster for 25% of the damage inflicted on the target.
Ice Blitz	82	³ ² ²	763	46	26	37	41	Freezes target for 14.4 seconds.
Smoke Barrage	86	⁴ ⁴ ² ⁴	1,108	48	27	38	43	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Poisons targets starting at 4 damage.
Shadow Barrage	88	⁴ ² ⁴ ³	1,607	49	28	40	44	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Reduces targets' Attack levels by 15%.
Blood Barrage	92	⁴ ⁴ ¹	1,669	51	29	41	46	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Heals the caster for 25% of the damage inflicted on the targets.
Ice Barrage	94	⁶ ² ⁴	1,098	52	30	42	48	Hits a 3x3 area around a target. Freezes targets for 19.2 seconds.

^ Price will vary when using Combination runes.
^ Max hit may be increased by using equipment which increases magic damage.

Teleportation spells

A player teleporting with Ancient Magicks.

Teleport spells from the Ancient Magicks teleport players to former strongholds and settlements of the Zarosian Empire, some of which are located in the Wilderness.

Spell	Level	Runes	XP	Notes
Edgeville Home Teleport	0	None	0	Teleports the player to Edgeville, near the well. Using this spell takes around 10 seconds to cast, gives no experience, and is interruptible by combat. Players can only cast this spell once every 30 minutes.
Paddewwa Teleport	54	¹ ¹ ²	64	Teleports the player inside the entrance of Edgeville Dungeon.
Senntisten Teleport	60	² ¹	70	Teleports the player to the Digsite, between the south gate and the Exam Centre.
Kharyrll Teleport	66	¹ ²	76	Teleports the player to Canifis, inside the Hair of the Dog tavern.
Lassar Teleport	72	⁴ ²	82	Teleports the player to the top of Ice Mountain, towards the south side of the snowy area.
Dareeyak Teleport	78	² ³ ²	88	Teleports the player to the western ruins in the Wilderness.
Carrallanger Teleport	84	² ²	94	Teleports the player to the Graveyard of Shadows in the Wilderness.
Teleport to Target	85	¹ ¹ ¹	45	Teleports the player to their assigned target inside Daimon's Crater. Can only be cast on Bounty Hunter worlds.
Annakarl Teleport	90	² ²	100	Teleports the player to the Demonic Ruins in the Wilderness.
Ghorrock Teleport	96	⁸ ²	106	Teleports the player to the Frozen Waste Plateau in the Wilderness.

Trivia

Mind, earth, astral, cosmic, nature, wrath, and body runes are not used in the Ancient Magicks spellbook.

If your membership expires while the Ancient Magicks spellbook is activated, then it will return to the Standard spellbook, even if you re-activate your membership.
Despite being a members-only spellbook, the Edgeville Home Teleport is available in any Free-to-play world, as long as your membership is still active.

[1] With Ahrim the Blighted's equipment and the Amulet of the damned

[2] Price will vary when using Combination runes.

[3] Max hit may be increased by using equipment which increases magic damage.

[n 1]

[1]

[2]

Ancient Magicks

Contents

Background

Skill and quest requirements