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. 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. Most bosses will also 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".
Contents
List of bosses[edit | edit source]
Slayer bosses[edit | edit source]
Bosses in this category require a Slayer task either to the boss itself or the creature equivalent in order to be fought.
Name | Image | Level | Hitpoints | Attack style | Location | Slayer requirement | Unique drops |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grotesque Guardians | ![]() ![]() |
Dusk: 248 Dawn: 228 |
450 (each) | Melee (stab), Ranged, Magic | Slayer Tower | 75 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Kraken | 291 | 255 | Typeless Magic | Kraken Cove | 87 | ![]() ![]() | |
Thermonuclear smoke devil | 301 | 240 | Typeless magical ranged | Smoke Devil Dungeon | 93 | ![]() ![]() | |
Cerberus | 318 | 600 | Melee (stab), Ranged, Magic | Cerberus' Lair | 91 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Abyssal Sire | 350 | 400 | Melee | Abyssal Nexus | 85 | ![]() | |
Alchemical Hydra | 426 | 1100 | Ranged, magic | Karuulm Slayer Dungeon | 95 | ![]() ![]() |
Wilderness bosses[edit | edit source]
These bosses are located within the Wilderness, where players may attack each other. A notable exception is the King Black Dragon: its lair where the fight takes place is not located in the Wilderness, but it can only be accessed through Wilderness.
Name | Image | Level | Hitpoints | Attack style | Location | Unique drops |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chaos Fanatic | 202 | 225 | Melee, Magic | West of the Lava Maze | ![]() ![]() | |
Crazy archaeologist | 204 | 225 | Melee, Ranged | Ruins south of The Forgotten Cemetery | ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Scorpia | 225 | 200 | Melee | Cavern beneath Scorpion Pit | ![]() ![]() | |
King Black Dragon | 276 | 255 | Melee, Dragonfire (long-ranged) | His lair, located deep in the Wilderness | ![]() ![]() | |
Chaos Elemental | 305 | 250 | Magic, Ranged, Melee | West of the Rogues' Castle | ![]() | |
Vet'ion | 454 | 255 | Melee, Magic | North of the Bone Yard | ![]() ![]() | |
Venenatis | 464 | 255 | Melee, Magic | East of the Bone Yard | ![]() ![]() | |
Callisto | 470 | 255 | Melee, Magic | South of Demonic Ruins | ![]() ![]() |
Sporadic bosses[edit | edit source]
Sporadic bosses are those that cannot be fought whenever the player wishes to: instead, they require a special item of some sort to gain access to them, which is obtained by partaking in other more common activities. Obor and Bryophyta are among the few free-to-play bosses.
Name | Image | Level | Hitpoints | Attack style | Location | Requirement | Unique drops |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Obor | 106 | 120 | Melee, Ranged | Western wall of the Hill Giant area, by the southern part of the Edgeville Dungeon | Giant key | ![]() | |
Bryophyta | 128 | 115 | Melee, Magic | Near the north-western end of the Varrock Sewers | Mossy key | ![]() | |
The Mimic | 186 | 222 | Melee | Inside the strange casket upstairs in Watson's house in Hosidius | Mimic | ![]() | |
Hespori | 284 | 300 | Magic, Ranged | Underneath the intermediate tier of the Farming Guild | Plant a hespori seed and wait 24–32 hours for it to grow | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Skotizo | 321 | 450 | Melee, Magic | Centre of the Catacombs of Kourend | Dark totem | ![]() ![]() |
Skilling bosses[edit | edit source]
Skilling bosses are not fought traditionally with combat, but rather by utilising non-combat skills to defeat them.
Name | Image | Skills used | Location | Requirements | Unique drops |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wintertodt | Firemaking, Woodcutting, Fletching, Farming, Herblore | Wintertodt Camp | 50 Firemaking | ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Zalcano | Mining, Smithing, Runecraft | Prifddinas | Song of the Elves | ![]() ![]() |
Raids[edit | edit source]
Raids are high-level activities with a set of bosses that players can fight either alone or with a team.
Chambers of Xeric[edit | edit source]
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.
Name | Image | Standard attack style | Special attacks or mechanics |
---|---|---|---|
Tekton | Melee | Regenerates health periodically and targets players with damaging sparks | |
Ice demon | Ranged, Magic | Must be thawed by lighting the braziers, attacks based on players' protection prayers | |
Lizardman shaman | Ranged | Summons spawns that explode; uses a moderately damaging acid attack; jumps on the player; all three special attacks can be dodged | |
Vanguard | 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) | |
Guardian | Melee | Causes a boulder to drop from the ceiling | |
Vasa Nistirio | Ranged | Regenerates health periodically through glowing crystals; stuns players before casting a high damage attack | |
Skeletal Mystic | Magic, Melee | None | |
Muttadile | Melee, Ranged, Magic | Regenerates health from the meat tree unless it is cut down | |
Great Olm | Magic, Ranged | Has a multitude of special attacks |
Theatre of Blood[edit | edit source]
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.
Name | Image | Standard attack style | 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, 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, 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 | N/A | Heals from exhumes not blocked by players; spits acid on players' locations; can reflect damage | |
Verzik Vitur | Magic, Ranged, Melee | Has a multitude of special attacks across three phases |
Minigame bosses[edit | edit source]
These bosses are fought as parts of minigames.
Name | Image | Level | Hitpoints | Attack style | Associated minigame |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Penance Queen | 209 | 250 | Melee, Ranged | Barbarian Assault | |
Crystalline Hunllef | 674 | 600 | Magic, Ranged | The Gauntlet | |
TzTok-Jad | 702 | 250 | Magic, Melee, Ranged | TzHaar Fight Caves | |
TzKal-Zuk | 1400 | 1200 | Magic, Ranged | Inferno | |
Ahrim the Blighted | 98 | 100 | Magic | Barrows | |
Karil the Tainted | 98 | 100 | Range | Barrows | |
Dharok the Wretched | 115 | 100 | Melee | Barrows | |
Guthan the Infested | 115 | 100 | Melee | Barrows | |
Torag the Corrupted | 115 | 100 | Melee | Barrows | |
Verac the Defiled | 115 | 100 | Melee | Barrows |
Other[edit | edit source]
These bosses are not restricted to a certain activity and may be killed at any time. All except Zulrah, Vorkath, Rabbit & Deranged Archaeologist may be fought with a group.
Quest bosses[edit | edit source]

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.
- 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.
- 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 one of the few free-to-play bosses, and the only free-to-play boss exclusive to Old School Runescape.
- 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 who cannot be defeated by any man alive. Thusly, he must be fought as a woman during Recruitment Drive.
- 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[edit | edit source]
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 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, Essylt and the Dark Lord.
Boss slayer[edit | edit source]
Players who have unlocked the Like a boss ability via spending 200 Slayer reward points can have Konar, Nieve/Steve, Duradel, or Krystilia assign them boss monsters in addition to the tasks they already assign. The Slayer master will randomly assign a boss if they can meet those 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.
Once a boss has been assigned, they will ask the player to select the amount that they want to kill for their assignment. The player can select anywhere from 3–35 times (a maximum of 15 if Zulrah is assigned, or 36 if Barrows is assigned) to kill that boss. Upon finishing a boss task, the player will get an additional 5,000 Slayer experience.
The following bosses can be assigned:
- Abyssal Sire
- Alchemical Hydra
- Barrows (Brothers only, not chests)
- Callisto
- Cerberus
- Chaos Elemental
- Chaos Fanatic
- Commander Zilyana
- Crazy archaeologist
- Dagannoth Kings
- General Graardor
- Giant Mole
- Grotesque Guardians
- K'ril Tsutsaroth
- Kalphite Queen
- King Black Dragon
- Kraken
- Kree'arra
- Sarachnis
- Scorpia
- Thermonuclear smoke devil
- Venenatis
- Vet'ion
- Vorkath
- Zulrah
Nightmare Zone[edit | edit source]
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.