Ancient staff

Ancient staff
Released							18 April 2005 (Update)
Members							Yes
Quest item							No
League region							Desert✓
Properties
Tradeable							Yes
Equipable							Yes
Stackable							No
Noteable							Yes
Options							Wield, Drop
Examine							A magical staff of ancient origin...
Values
Value							100,000 coins
High alch							60,000 coins
Low alch							40,000 coins
Weight							2.267 kg
Grand Exchange
Exchange							70,563 coins (info)
Buy limit							70
Daily volume							4,917
View real-time prices
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Advanced data
Item ID							4675

The ancient staff is a one-handed magical weapon that can be used to autocast spells from the Ancient spellbook and standard spellbook. It requires 50 Attack and 50 Magic to wield, along with completion of Desert Treasure I. The staff is decorated with the symbol of Zaros.

It is frequently used in high-level player-killing due to its high magical accuracy. It, along with its upgraded versions, are the only items that have negative Prayer bonus.

Similarly to bladed staves, this staff has an attack speed of 4, making it a suitable weapon for melee combat, displaying similar stats as those of the rune scimitar with slightly higher strength bonus and lower attack bonus. It is outclassed in melee combat by the granite hammer, which also requires 50 Attack to wield, with an additional requirement of 50 Strength.

The staff may be bought once from Eblis for 80,000 coins after completing Desert Treasure I. For this reason, Ironmen are not recommended to alch or drop it because it is used in a master clue step.

The ancient staff can be upgraded to the ancient sceptre by bringing an ancient staff and an ancient icon to Eblis. This process is irreversible and the sceptre is untradeable.

Combat stats

Attack bonuses
+10	-1	+40	+15	+0
Defence bonuses
+2	+3	+1	+15	+0
Other bonuses				Slot
+50	+0	+0%	-1	List

Combat style		Attack type	Weapon style	Attack speed	Range	Experience	Level boost
	Bash	Crush	Accurate	4 ticks (2.4s)	1 tile		+3 Attack
	Pound	Crush	Aggressive				+3 Strength
	Focus	Crush	Defensive				+3 Defence
	Spell	Magic	Defensive Autocast	5 ticks (3.0s)	10 tiles		None
	Spell	Magic	Autocast				None

Autocasting options

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Treasure Trails

The ancient staff is required for a master clue step requiring the player to have a negative prayer bonus. It is one of six items in the game with a negative prayer bonus, the others being its upgraded version, the ancient sceptre, and the upgrades to the ancient sceptre.

Comparison between other magic weapons

Magic weapons comparison table ()

Name		Level(s) required	Magic attack	Magic damage	Price	Notes
	Tumeken's shadow	85	+35	N/A	1,196,689,251	Requires 5 2 per charge of the built-in spell. Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level and can hit up to 34 at 99 without any magic damage bonus. Has a passive effect which triples magic attack bonus and magic damage from the player's worn equipment. The magic damage increase is capped at a total of 100%. Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff.
	Harmonised nightmare staff	82 50	+16	+15%	401,314,854	Can autocast standard spells only. Standard spells attack one tick faster, matching the speed of a powered staff. Otherwise possesses identical bonuses and benefits to the Nightmare staff.
	Volatile nightmare staff	82 50	+16	+15%	171,700,042	Can autocast both Ancient Magicks and standard spells. Has a special attack which consumes 55% of the player's special attack energy and deals a high amount of damage with 50% increased accuracy. This attack does not consume runes. Otherwise possesses identical bonuses and benefits to the Nightmare staff.
	Eldritch nightmare staff	82 50	+16	+15%	324,886,893	Can autocast both Ancient Magicks and standard spells. Has a special attack which consumes 55% of the player's special attack energy and deals a high amount of damage, restoring the player's prayer points by 50% of the damage dealt. This attack does not consume runes. Otherwise possesses identical bonuses and benefits to the Nightmare staff.
	Sanguinesti staff	82	+25	N/A	71,198,434	Slightly stronger than the trident of the swamp, with the same stats but able to hit one damage higher. Requires 3 per charge of the built-in spell. Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level and can hit up to 32 at 99 . Has a 1 in 6 chance to heal the wielder by half the damage dealt. Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff.
	Holy Sanguinesti staff
	Kodai wand	80	+28	+15%	118,433,874	Can autocast Ancient Magicks, Arceuus spells, and standard spells. Provides unlimited water runes while equipped. When a combat spell is cast with the wand, there is a 15% chance that the wand will negate the rune cost for that spell. Offers the second-highest magic attack bonus of a 1-handed staff.
	Trident of the swamp	78	+25	N/A	6,019,114	Has the same benefits as the Trident of the seas, but with +10 more magic attack bonus. Requires 5 1 1 and 1 Zulrah scale (instead of coins) per charge of the built-in spell, and can hold up to 2,500 charges. The enhanced version can hold up to 20,000 charges, but requires 10 kraken tentacles to create. Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level and can hit up to 31 at 99 . Has 25% chance to inflict venom on the target. Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff.
	Trident of the swamp (e)				11,464,437
	Purging staff	77 50	+37	+10%	54,842,639	Can autocast Arceuus spells. Untradeable; created from a tormented synapse with 74 Crafting. Has a passive effect that doubles the bonuses of demonbane spells. Currently offers the highest magic attack bonus and magic defence of any staff.
	Toxic staff of the dead	75	+25	+15%	14,663,228	Can autocast Flames of Zamorak, Magic Dart, Crumble Undead, Arceuus spells, and standard spells. Has the same benefits as the Staff of the dead, but with +8 more magic attack bonus. Requires Zulrah's scales to recharge (up to 11,000). Has 25% chance to inflict venom on an opponent.
	Staff of light	75	+17	+15%	9,024,799	Can autocast Saradomin Strike, Magic Dart, Crumble Undead, and standard spells. Counts as both a Saradomin AND Zamorak item in God Wars. Otherwise possesses identical bonuses and benefits to the Staff of the dead excluding ability to autocast Flames of Zamorak or Arceuus spells.
	Staff of balance	75	+17	+15%	25,922,132	Can autocast Claws of Guthix, Magic Dart, Crumble Undead, and standard spells. Otherwise possesses identical bonuses and benefits to the Staff of the dead excluding ability to autocast Flames of Zamorak or Arceuus spells.
	Staff of the dead	75	+17	+15%	8,704,918	Can autocast Flames of Zamorak, Magic Dart, Crumble Undead, Arceuus spells, and standard spells. Has a special attack that halves all melee damage the player takes for one minute, which stacks with the PvP damage reduction effect of the Protect from Melee prayer. This consumes 100% of the player's special attack. When a combat spell is cast with the staff, there is a 1/8 (12.5%) chance that the staff will negate the rune cost for that spell. Currently the strongest staff when used as a melee weapon, surpassing the Ancient staff and Iban's staff, and provides +17 magic defence. Counts as a Zamorakian item in God Wars.
	Trident of the seas	75	+15	N/A	39,942	Has its own built-in spell, requiring charges which cost 5 1 1 runes and 10 coins per cast. Can hold up to 2,500 charges. The enhanced version can hold up to 20,000 charges, but requires 10 kraken tentacles to create. Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level and can hit up to 28 at 99 . Has a weapon speed of 4 (same as scimitars/whip), while all other forms of combat magic only have 5 (same as longswords). Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff.
	Trident of the seas (e)				6,704,657
	Slayer's staff (e)	75 55	+12	N/A	24,429	Can autocast Magic Dart, Crumble Undead, Arceuus spells, and the Wave and Surge spells. Has 2,500 charges and is recharged with a Slayer's enchantment. If used to cast Magic Dart on the player's Slayer task, max hit is 13 + (player's magic level / 6), rounded down, and uses 1 charge from the staff on a hit. Otherwise provides the same benefits as the Slayer's staff.
	Nightmare staff	72 50	+16	+15%	59,934,260	Can autocast both Ancient Magicks and standard spells.
	Ahrim's staff	70	+15	+5%	245,762	Can autocast Arceuus spells and standard spells. Can autocast Ancient Magicks if equipped with Ahrim the Blighted's equipment and the Amulet of the damned.
	Blue moon spear	75 70	+30	+5%	766,519	Can autocast Ancient Magicks, Arceuus spells, and standard spells. Gain the Frostweaver set effect when used with the Blue moon armour set.
	Ancient sceptre	70 60 50	+20	+5%	70,563	Can autocast Ancient Magicks, and enhances the effects of said spellbook by 10%. Also can autocast standard spells. Requires Secrets of the North completion in order to create by speaking to Eblis to combine an ancient staff with an ancient icon.
	Warped sceptre	62	+12	N/A	95,422	Requires 5 2 per charge of the built-in spell. Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level and can hit up to 24 at 99 without any magic damage bonus. Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff.
	Accursed sceptre	70	+22	N/A	2,834,615	While charged, an additional 50% magic accuracy and damage boost is applied when attacking any NPC in the Wilderness. This effect will stack with a Slayer helmet or a Salve amulet and their variants, but not both simultaneously. Has a special attack which consumes 50% of the player's special attack energy and deals an attack with 50% increased damage and accuracy. Upon a successful hit, drains the target's Defence and Magic by 15%. Standard version: Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level. Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff. Autocast version: Can autocast Flames of Zamorak, standard spells and Ancient Magicks.
	Accursed sceptre (a)
	Master wand	60	+20	N/A	1,981,570	Can autocast Ancient Magicks, Arceuus spells, and standard spells. Requires 240 Telekinetic, 240 Alchemist, 2400 Enchantment and 240 Graveyard points, and a teacher wand equipped or in the player's inventory, to purchase from the Mage Training Arena. Thus it does not cost much besides the time and runes spent in the Mage Training Arena.
	Thammaron's sceptre	60	+15	N/A	2,701,949	While charged, an additional 50% magic accuracy and damage boost is applied when attacking any NPC in the Wilderness. This effect will stack with a Slayer helmet or a Salve amulet and their variants, but not both simultaneously. Standard version: Built-in spell damage scales with the player's Magic level. Because the spell is built-in, the player does not need to carry its runes in their inventory and can use Arceuus spellbook, Lunar spells, or Ancient Magicks while wielding this staff. Autocast version: Can autocast Flames of Zamorak, standard spells and Ancient Magicks.
	Thammaron's sceptre (a)
	God staves	60	+6	N/A	80,000	Required to cast god spells, but cannot be used to autocast them. Those who have 80 and the respective God cape can use the Charge spell, which increases the God spell's damage by 50%.
	Iban's staff	50	+10	N/A	200,000	Only staff able to cast Iban Blast. Can autocast Iban Blast and standard spells. Has 120 charges (2,500 if upgraded). One charge is used when casting Iban Blast on an NPC and two are used when casting it on another player. Iban Blast has a max hit of 25.
	Iban's staff (u)				400,000
	Ancient staff	50	+15	N/A	70,563	Can autocast both Ancient Magicks and standard spells.
	Slayer's staff	50 55	+12	N/A	22,743	Can autocast Magic Dart, Crumble Undead, Arceuus spells, and the Wave and Surge spells. Runes required to cast Magic Dart are very cheap compared to spells of a similar level. Maximum hit of Magic Dart is 10 + (player's magic level / 10), rounded down.
	Void knight mace	42 22	+8	N/A	Untradeable	Can autocast Claws of Guthix, Crumble Undead, and the Wave and Surge spells.
	Mystic smoke staff	40	+14	+10%	2,008,117	Can autocast standard spells. Provides unlimited fire and air runes. Grants a 10% accuracy and damage boost for combat spells on the standard spellbook.
	Smoke battlestaff	30	+12		1,891,413
	Salamanders	30 (Green)	N/A	N/A	137	Unique and versatile two-handed weapons that facilitate the use of all three combat styles. Cannot autocast spells, but instead have their own unique magic attack, similar to how powered staves have built-in spells. Damage done by salamanders is calculated by a unique formula using a hidden "magic damage bonus" unique to each lizard type.
		50 (Orange)			170
		60 (Red)			66
		70 (Black)			435
		80 (Tecu)			283,360
	Croziers	60	+10	N/A	8,966	Can autocast standard spells. Have a notable Prayer boost of +6.
File:Skull sceptre.png	Skull sceptre	1	+10	N/A	Untradeable	Can autocast Arceuus spells and standard spells. Additionally, the imbued version can autocast Crumble Undead.
File:Skull sceptre (i).png	Skull sceptre (i)
	Elemental staves	1 (Basic)	+10	N/A	1,346	Can autocast standard spells. Provide unlimited runes of their respective elements. Elemental staves (air, water, earth and fire) provide one type of rune. Combination staves (lava, mud, mist, dust, steam and smoke) provide two types of runes.
		30 (Battlestaff)	+12		8,983
		40 (Mystic staff)	+14		25,116