Boss
A boss is a powerful, usually unique monster that is fought to accomplish an objective, be it the advancement or completion of a quest or minigame, or as part of a team player-versus-monster event. Many quests feature boss fights at their climaxes; such bosses are often the main antagonists of the quests or quest series, or are somehow related to the main antagonist(s). Some monsters that are commonly referred to as bosses are very powerful monsters that reside in multi-combat areas; these monsters are commonly fought by teams of players in search of highly valuable drops. Many bosses have extremely high combat levels, and most of the strongest monsters in the game are bosses. With the exception of Bryophyta and Obor, bosses are exclusive to members.
Dwarf multicannons often cannot be set up in the areas of many bosses, and many are immune or resistant to other effects, such as freeze and poison. Others may have different restrictions; for example, Prayer cannot be used during the fights with the final bosses of Recipe for Disaster. Most bosses (e.g. bosses like the Corporeal Beast) also reside in a multi-way area; very few reside in single-way areas or instances.
Excluding minigame and quest bosses, each boss has its own hiscore table, tracking the players with the most kills, or raid completions in the case of raid bosses. Each of these bosses (or raids) also has its own set of combat achievements and, with the exception of the Deranged archaeologist, each one also has unique drops in the collection log. Most bosses will generate a message upon kill telling the player what drop(s) they have obtained. For example, if players are at General Graardor and kill him (and drops Bandos tassets), a message will appear in the game box saying "Player name received item: Bandos tassets".
List of bosses
World bosses
World bosses spawn across Gielinor either out in the open or in their lairs. World bosses are defined as bosses which spawn naturally, on their own, and can be killed at any time, as opposed to instanced bosses which spawn only in private lairs based on the actions of the player to whom the instance belongs. Some world bosses may, however, be killed in private instances for a price. Some world bosses, namely the Barrows brothers and God Wars Dungeon generals, also have additional requirements and mechanics related to finding and killing them. In the case of the Barrows brothers, they do not drop loot directly, but their defeat instead contributes to a single reward.
Wilderness bosses
The following world bosses are specifically located within the Wilderness, where players may attack each other. The one exception is the King Black Dragon: his lair where the fight takes place is not located in the Wilderness, but it can only be accessed through Wilderness, and is thus still considered risky.
Instanced bosses
As opposed to world bosses, instanced bosses are fought in their own arena. They are generally fought alone, with the lone exception being The Nightmare, which is a group instanced boss. Spawning instanced bosses either requires an action (Zulrah and Vorkath), while others simply spawn upon entering the instance (Phantom Muspah and both forms of the Nightmare).
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The Forgotten Four
The following bosses can be fought during and after completing Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire. The versions fought after completing the quest have increased stats, dealing more damage with their auto-attacks and mechanics, but are otherwise the same as the quest variants. An even stronger variant, known as awakened, can be fought with the use of an awakener's orb. These awakened variants have an even larger stat increase, their base mechanics are enhanced and with the exception of the Whisperer, gain new mechanics.
In normal mode, if the player has less than five kills on the boss and die, they will only pay 20% of the total fee.
Sporadic bosses
Sporadic bosses are those that cannot be fought whenever the player wishes. Instead, they require a special item of some sort to gain access to them, which is obtained by partaking in other more common activities. Naturally, these bosses will also be instanced given the nature of their sporadic logistic. Of this list, Obor and Bryophyta are notably the only free-to-play bosses outside of quests.
| Boss | Level | Hitpoints | Attack style(s) | Location | Requirements | Collection log | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obor |  |
106 | 120 |  Melee (crush) Ranged
|
Edgeville Dungeon |  Giant key
|
 Hill giant club
|
| Bryophyta |  |
128 | 115 | Melee (crush) Magic
|
Varrock Sewers |  Mossy key
|
 Bryophyta's essence
|
| The Mimic |  |
186 | 230 | Melee (crush) Magic
|
Watson's house in Hosidius |  Mimic
|
 Ring of 3rd age[b]
|
| Hespori |  |
284 | 300 | Magic Ranged
|
The Farming Guild | File:Hespori seed.pngHespori seed[c] 65 Farming
|
 Bottomless compost bucketFile:Iasor seed.pngIasor seed File:Kronos seed.pngKronos seed File:Attas seed.pngAttas seed |
| Skotizo |  |
321 | 450 | Melee (slash) Magic
|
The Catacombs of Kourend |  Dark totem
|
 Skotos Jar of darkness Dark clawDark totem Uncut onyx Ancient shard
|
Slayer bosses
Slayer bosses are a specific set of bosses that are only unlocked by training Slayer. Each one corresponds to another monster commonly assigned for Slayer tasks, which, with the exception of hellhounds, are also unlocked by training Slayer. In addition to a Slayer level requirement, each boss requires a task for either the boss itself or the equivalent monster in order to be fought.
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Minigame bosses
These bosses are fought as parts of instanced minigames. The combat achievements for these minigames usually (but not always) relate to or at least require the defeat of the bosses, and, like other boss pets, pets rewarded by these minigames are typically smaller versions of the bosses.
| Boss | Level | Hitpoints | Attack style(s) | Minigame | Requirements | Collection log | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystalline Hunllef |  |
674 | 600 | Magic Ranged
|
 The Gauntlet
|
 Song of the Elves
|
 Youngllef Crystal armour seed Crystal weapon seed Enhanced crystal weapon seed
|
| Corrupted Hunllef |  |
894 | 1000 | Magic Ranged
|
The Corrupted Gauntlet
|
Song of the Elves
|
YoungllefCrystal armour seedCrystal weapon seedEnhanced crystal weapon seed Gauntlet cape
|
| TzTok-Jad |  |
702 | 250 | Magic Melee (stab) Ranged
|
TzHaar Fight Caves
|
N/A | File:Tzrek-jad.pngTzrek-jad Fire cape
|
| TzKal-Zuk |  |
1400 | 1200 | Magic Ranged
|
Inferno
|
Fire cape (first time only)
|
File:Jal-nib-rek.pngJal-nib-rek File:Infernal cape.pngInfernal cape |
| Sol Heredit |  |
1563 | 1500 | Melee (crush)
|
Fortis Colosseum
|
Children of the Sun
|
 Smol heredit Dizana's quiver (uncharged) Sunfire fanatic cuirass Sunfire fanatic chausses Sunfire fanatic helm Echo crystal Tonalztics of ralos (uncharged)File:Sunfire splinters.pngSunfire splinters |
Skilling bosses
Skilling bosses are world bosses that are not fought conventionally, but rather by utilising non-combat skills to defeat them, either directly or indirectly. For this reason, they can be very different experiences to more conventional bosses, and require entirely different gear and equipment.
| Boss | Skills used | Combat mechanics | Location | Requirements | Collection log | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tempoross |  |
 Fishing Cooking Construction
|
 Damaged directly
|
Ruins of Unkah | 35 Fishing
|
 Tiny tempor Big harpoonfish Spirit angler outfit Tome of water (empty) Soaked page Tackle box Fish barrel Dragon harpoonFile:Spirit flakes.pngSpirit flakes |
| Wintertodt |  |
 Firemaking Woodcutting Fletching Construction Herblore
|
 Dangerous activity
|
Wintertodt Camp | 50 Firemaking
|
 Phoenix Tome of fire (empty) Burnt page Pyromancer outfit Warm gloves Bruma torch Dragon axe
|
| Zalcano |  |
 Mining Smithing Runecraft |
Damaged directly Dangerous activity
|
Prifddinas | Song of the Elves
|
 Smolcano Crystal tool seed Zalcano shardUncut onyx
|
Raids
Raids are high-level activities with a set of bosses that players can fight either alone or with a team.
Chambers of Xeric
Bosses within the Chambers of Xeric are sporadic: as the layout of each raid is randomised, the bosses that players will encounter as well as their order may vary, with the exception of the Great Olm, which appears at the end of every raid. This is not the case if the Challenge Mode is enabled, where each boss is encountered and there is no randomisation. Each boss' stats also scale to the amount of players in the raid and their combat level. All bosses except ice demon and the Great Olm drop potions, seeds or ingredients to use in the raid; once the Great Olm is defeated, the exit is opened and players can collect their loot, the quality of which scales to their performance in the raid.
| Boss | Attack style(s) | Special attacks or mechanics | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tekton |  |
Melee
|
Regenerates health periodically and targets players with damaging sparks |
| Vanguard | .png) |
Melee Magic Ranged
|
All three vanguards reset health if they are not within less than 33% of each other's health (or 40% if the raid has less than five people) |
| Vespula |  |
Melee Ranged
|
Spawns vespine soldiers; cannot be killed directly (the abyssal portal must instead be destroyed) |
| Vasa Nistirio |  |
Ranged
|
Regenerates health periodically through glowing crystals; stuns players before casting a high damage attack |
| Muttadile |  |
Melee Ranged Magic
|
Regenerates health from the meat tree unless it is cut down, large muttadile can use a shock wave attack that deals massive damage |
| Great Olm |  |
Magic Ranged
|
Has a multitude of special attacks |
Theatre of Blood
Unlike the Chambers of Xeric, bosses within the Theatre of Blood take place in a predetermined order. Their hitpoints are scaled depending on the number of players from three to five; if there are only one or two players, the scaling for three players is used, and five is the maximum number of players per team. Bosses do not drop anything, although there are resource chests where players can obtain potions and food for upcoming encounters; after defeating Verzik Vitur, the entrance to her vault is opened where players can obtain their loot, the quality of which scales to their performance in the raid.
| Boss | Attack style(s) | Special attacks or mechanics | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Maiden of Sugadinti |  |
Magic
|
Spawns Nylocas Matomenos and blood spawns; creates blood splats that damage players and heal her |
| Pestilent Bloat |  |
Ranged
|
Spawns flies that deal rapid damage within line of sight; stomp attack that deals high damage within line of sight |
| Nylocas Vasilias |  |
Magic Melee (stab) Ranged
|
Multiple waves of smaller nylocas must be defeated before the boss encounter; heals with and reflects damage done with the incorrect style |
| Sotetseg |  |
Melee (crush) Magic Ranged
|
Launches a ball of energy where its high damage must be dispersed between players; teleports a player into the Shadow Realm with a maze for other players to follow |
| Xarpus |  |
Ranged (Typeless)
|
Heals from exhumes not blocked by players; spits acid on players' locations; can reflect damage |
| Verzik Vitur |  |
Magic Ranged Melee (crush)
|
Has a multitude of special attacks across three phases |
Tombs of Amascut
In the Tombs of Amascut, players are able to face each of the first four bosses, namely, Akkha, Ba-Ba, Kephri, and Zebak in any order they choose. After the player has defeated all 4, they may challenge the wardens as the final boss. Tombs of Amascut is unique in that it has invocations, which is a system that allows the individual to increase the difficulty of the bosses in a modular fashion. As such, the numbers provided for level and hitpoints are based on a raid with No Invocations. The strength of the bosses will scale with each additional invocation added to each boss.
| Boss | Level | Hitpoints | Attack Style(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akkha |  |
337 | 537 | Melee Magic Ranged
|
Has a multitude of special attacks. |
| Ba-Ba |  |
359 | 380 | Melee Ranged
|
Throws boulders that can be mitigated by standing next to fallen rocks or sarcophagi. Summons Baboons. Launches players and sends boulders rolling towards the entrance. |
| Kephri |  |
341 | 150 (with multiple shield phases) | Magic
|
Attacks with a delayed, overhead fireball. Dung Strike launches players back and blocks off movement. Mass Incubation spawns Agile Scarabs. |
| Zebak |  |
371 | 540 | Melee Magic Ranged
|
Spits acid around the arena. Summons waves that damage and push the player. Roar attack is blocked by thrown boulders. |
| Tumeken's Warden | .png) |
489 (Phase 1) 544 (Phase 2) |
140 800 |
Melee Magic Ranged
|
Tumeken's Warden and Elidinis' Warden are fought in succession, and have identical stats depending on which warden you fight in either phase 1 or phase 2. |
| Elidinis' Warden | .png) |
489 (Phase 1) 544 (Phase 2) |
140 800 |
Melee Magic Ranged
|
|
Quest bosses
A large number of quests involve and/or conclude with a battle against a powerful monster, which often is or is related to the quest's main antagonist. Except where otherwise noted, these bosses can only be fought in the Nightmare Zone once their respective quest has been completed.
A sub-boss is a powerful or semi-powerful monster fought as a prelude to the actual boss fight.
- The Abomination is fought during A Taste of Hope.
- Agrith Naar, a demon summoned to Gielinor by a group of Zamorakians, is fought at the end of Shadow of the Storm.
- Ancient Guardian is a golem encountered at the end of Below Ice Mountain. It is one of the few free-to-play bosses.
- The Arzinian Avatar is the boss of Between a Rock....
- Arrg is the strongest mountain troll in the game, and is the boss monster of Troll Romance.
- Barrelchest, a hulking artificial construct controlled by Mi-Gor, is the boss of The Great Brain Robbery.
- A Black demon controlled by Glough is the final challenge in The Grand Tree.
- The Black Knight Titan is the scourge of the Fisher Realm and is fought during Holy Grail.
- Bouncer is a powerful hellhound, the pet of General Khazard, and is fought during Fight Arena.
- Its ghost is fought during the Shadow Sword miniquest.
- Chronozon is a demon who is the boss of Family Crest.
- A Corrupt Lizardman is a lizardman fought during the Tale of the Righteous.
- Count Draynor is a notorious vampyre who is the boss of Vampyre Slayer. He is one of the few free-to-play bosses.
- The Culinaromancer is a powerful sorcerer who draws his power from food. He is the main antagonist of the Recipe for Disaster quest series, and is the final boss of its conclusion, Defeating the Culinaromancer.
- Dad is a mountain troll who is fought during Troll Stronghold.
- The Dagannoth Mother is the boss of Horror from the Deep.
- Delrith is an ancient demon who was summoned to destroy Varrock; he is the boss of Demon Slayer. He is one of the few free-to-play bosses.
- The Dramen Tree Spirit guards the dramen tree within Entrana Dungeon, and is the boss of Lost City. Because of the restrictions on Entrana, no weapons or armour may be used to fight the tree spirit.
- Draugen is a spirit fought as part of The Fremennik Trials.
- Elvarg is a green dragon who has decimated the island of Crandor, where she roosts. She is the final boss of Dragon Slayer I, and is one of the few free-to-play bosses.
- The Evil Chicken is a boss fought during the Freeing Sir Amik Varze subquest of Recipe for Disaster.
- An Evil Spirit is the boss monster of Rum Deal.
- The Fragment of Seren is the darkness within Seren made manifest, who serves as the final boss of Song of the Elves.
- Gadderanks is a human supporter of the vampyric regime in Morytania. He is fought during In Aid of the Myreque.
- Galvek is an extremely powerful dragon who serves as the final boss of Dragon Slayer II.
- General Khazard can be optionally fought during Fight Arena.
- The Giant Roc is a large avian fought atop Trollheim during My Arm's Big Adventure. He has the uncommon ability to knock players around the area with his massive wings.
- A giant scarab is fought at the end of Contact!.
- The Giant Sea Snake is the boss of Royal Trouble.
- Glod is an enormous giant who resides in the cloud world above the magic beanstalk that players plant during Grim Tales; he is the quest's boss. He can disable prayers and force players towards or away from him.
- Glough is a gnome who causes trouble in the quest, Monkey Madness II. He turns into a giant with three phases and must be defeated by the player.
- The Ice Troll King, leader of the ice trolls, is the boss of The Fremennik Isles.
- Ithoi the Navigator is a human that is the boss fought in The Corsair Curse. He is of the few bosses that can be fought in free-to-play.
- The Jungle demon is a powerful demon who serves as the final boss of Monkey Madness I.
- A Khazard Ogre is one of the bosses of Fight Arena.
- Koschei the Deathless is a Fremennik warrior who cannot be truly killed. He must be defeated in battle three times in a row as part of The Fremennik Trials.
- Me, who takes the form of players who fight them, is fought at the end of Lunar Diplomacy.
- Melzar the Mad is the keeper of Melzar's Maze. He is a sub-boss of Dragon Slayer I. He is one of the few free-to-play bosses.
- A powerful Moss Guardian must be fought, without weapons, armour, or Prayer, to obtain the consecration seed in Roving Elves.
- Nezikchened is a black demon who is fought three times during Legends' Quest, including at the quest's climax.
- Ranis Drakan is fought during A Taste of Hope.
- The Sand Snake, is the boss of The Depths of Despair.
- The Sea Troll Queen, ruler of the Sea trolls, is the final boss of Swan Song.
- Sigmund is a supporter of Humans Against Monsters who is fought in two quests: Death to the Dorgeshuun and Another Slice of H.A.M..
- Sir Leye is a Temple Knight fought during Recruitment Drive. He cannot be defeated by any blade; as such, he must be fought either unarmed or with a blunt weapon.
- Sir Mordred is the leader of the Renegade Knights and is fought during Merlin's Crystal.
- Slagilith is an animated golem of rock who is fought during One Small Favour. It can be fought after the quest is complete.
- Slash Bash is a strong zogre who is the boss of Zogre Flesh Eaters.
- Tarn Razorlor is a necromancer and is the boss of the miniquest, The Lair of Tarn Razorlor.
- Tolna is a young boy who succumbed to the evils of what later became known as the Dungeon of Tolna. He is the boss of A Soul's Bane, taking the form of a three-headed monster.
- Treus Dayth, now a ghost, was a follower of Drakan who was sealed within the Abandoned Mine. He is the boss of Haunted Mine.
- Ulfric is an undead Fremennik who is the boss of Olaf's Quest.
Quests with multiple bosses
Some quests have several boss monsters that must be defeated, usually one after the other.
- Dragon Slayer I has two bosses: Melzar the Mad and Elvarg.
- Spirits of the Elid has three bosses: The black golem, grey golem, and white golem.
- Desert Treasure I has four Zamorakian warriors as bosses: Dessous, Kamil, Fareed, and Damis.
- The Recipe for Disaster quest series culminates in the final subquest, Defeating the Culinaromancer. Six bosses must be defeated: Agrith Na-Na, Flambeed, Karamel, Dessourt, Gelatinnoth Mother and the Culinaromancer himself. Each of these bosses except for the Culinaromancer is a play on another boss of one of the quests required to finish Recipe for Disaster.
- During Dream Mentor, four boss monsters are fought, in order: The Inadequacy, The Everlasting, The Untouchable, and The Illusive.
- Monkey Madness II has four bosses: Kruk, Kob, Keef, and Glough.
- Dragon Slayer II has three bosses: Robert the Strong, Vorkath, and Galvek.
- Song of the Elves has three bosses: Elven traitor, Essyllt, and the Dark Lord.
- A Night at the Theatre has seven bosses: the Maiden of Sugadinti, the Pestilent Bloat, Nylocas Vasilias, Sotetseg, Xarpus, Verzik Vitur, and a Hespori
- Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire has four bosses: Vardorvis, The Leviathan, The Whisperer, and Duke Sucellus.
Event bosses
Some bosses could be fought during holiday and community events and can no longer be fought.
Boss slayer
Players who have unlocked the Like a boss ability via spending 200 Slayer reward points can be assigned bosses by Konar, Nieve/Steve, Duradel/Kuradal, or Krystilia. The Slayer master will randomly assign a boss for which the player meets the below requirements. For example, they can assign the Dagannoth Kings to any player (since there are no special requirements), but Commander Zilyana can only be assigned if the player has 70 Agility and has completed Death Plateau. Krystilia can only assign the bosses located within the Wilderness. These allow players to fight the bosses while enjoying the benefits provided from black masks and slayer helmets, though the player will not be eligible to complete most speed-based Combat Achievements while on-task.
After determining the boss, the Slayer Master will ask the player to select the amount that they want to kill for their assignment. The player can select anywhere from 3–35 kills (36 if Barrows is assigned). The maximum assignment can be increased by completing Combat Achievement tiers, up to a maximum of 65. Upon finishing a boss task, the player will get an additional 5,000 Slayer experience regardless of task length. If the effect of a slayer cape goes off for a boss task, it is possible for the player to be assigned a different boss, since the task itself has numerous options to select from.
If players do not wish to kill the boss they have been assigned, they can pay 30 Slayer reward points to skip the task as with regular tasks. However, this is not recommended, as apart from wasting 30 Slayer points, the task can be easily completed by assigning 3 kills. The only way to "block" a boss is by toggling the ability off, though this does not refund points.
Duradel has a task weighting of 12 for boss Slayer tasks, whereas Konar, Nieve/Steve, and Krystilia each have a task weighting of 8.
The following bosses can be assigned:
Nightmare Zone
The Nightmare Zone is a minigame that allows players to fight bosses from quests they have completed. Players can fight up to 42 unique boss monsters from previous quests.
