Dwarf multicannon

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"Cannon" redirects here. For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation).
NormalNormal, baseNormal, standNormal, barrelsOrnamentedOrnamented, baseOrnamented, standOrnamented, barrels
Dwarf multicannon
Dwarf multicannon.png
Released27 May 2003 (Update)
MembersYes
QuestDwarf cannon
LocationN/A
OptionsFire, Pick-up, Empty
ExamineA powerful ranging device that fires metal balls.
Advanced data
Object ID6

The Dwarf multicannon (or simply Cannon) is a Ranged weapon. To use it, the Dwarf Cannon quest must be completed. Unlike other Ranged weapons, it is not equipped by a player; rather, it is assembled on the ground. Cannons are often considered to be a supplement to a primary weapon or fighting method.

The dwarf multicannon in operation.

The cannon consists of four pieces: the base, the stand, the furnace, and the barrels. After a player has loaded cannonballs or granite cannonballs into the cannon, the cannon rotates and fires automatically.

Damage with the cannon yields half experience for Ranged (2 experience per damage rather than 4), and does not yield any Hitpoints experience. The cannon's accuracy depends heavily on the player's current equipment, attack style and levels, the details of which can be found below.

After completion of the Dwarf Cannon quest, players may buy the cannon parts from the dwarf engineer, Nulodion, south of Ice Mountain, for 200,625 coins each. Nulodion will also sell the full cannon set for 750,000 coins through his dialogue, which includes all four parts, an ammo mould, and the cannon's instruction manual. If a cannon decays or the mould is dropped, Nulodion will provide a free replacement.

A player may own multiple cannons, but may only have one assembled at a time.

The cannon parts can be ornamented using the shattered cannon ornament kit which converts it into a cannon resembling one from RuneScape Classic.

Parts[edit | edit source]

Cannon
Item GE Price
Cannon barrels.png Cannon barrels 185,887
Cannon base.png Cannon base 187,858
Cannon furnace.png Cannon furnace 198,535
Cannon stand.png Cannon stand 184,797
Total 757,077
Dwarf cannon set.png Dwarf cannon set 773,451
Difference 16,374
Ammo
Item GE Price
Cannonball.png Cannonball 158
Granite cannonball.png Granite cannonball N/A

Note that the cannon parts are rather heavy, and carrying them will make your weight extremely high. If you plan to do a lot of running with them in your inventory, it is recommended to bring a few Super energy or Stamina potions to compensate for the more rapid energy loss.

Assembly[edit | edit source]

A player setting up the cannon.

The Dwarf multicannon is carried in four pieces in a player's inventory. To begin setting it up, the player must place the cannon base on a vacant square surrounded by eight more vacant squares. The rest of the cannon will automatically be set up from there. Finally, the player must use up to 30 cannonballs on the cannon or load it by selecting "Fire." Players can increase this capacity by completing tasks from the Combat Achievements system, reaching a maximum of 60 for the elite tier. If players have both regular and granite cannonballs in their inventory, granite cannonballs will be inserted first.

There are many locations where the cannon cannot be taken into or cannot be set up; if a player attempts to set down a cannon base in prohibited area, they will instead get a message in their chat box explaining why they cannot do so. An incomplete list of areas where players are unable to set up a dwarf multicannon can be found below.

Mechanics[edit | edit source]

These are the mechanical aspects of the cannon. This section includes the rotation, targets, and decay of the cannon's parts.

Damage[edit | edit source]

The cannon has a static max hit of 30 with cannonballs and 35 with Granite cannonballs, regardless of the player's Ranged level or any other bonuses to the player's ranged damage.

Accuracy[edit | edit source]

The cannon's accuracy is affected by the player's accuracy bonus,[1] which can be boosted[2] and is calculated differently depending on weapon type and attack styles.

  • When using ranged weapons, the cannon uses the player's ranged accuracy, taking into account their ranged bonus. This includes ranged accuracy boosting prayers, such as Rigour.
  • When using melee weapons, the cannon uses the player's melee accuracy, taking into account their stab, slash, or crush bonus depending on their currently selected attack style, as well as their Attack level and other melee accuracy bonuses. This includes melee accuracy boosting prayers, such as Piety.[3]
    • Note that the cannon uses the player's crush bonus when no weapon is equipped, as all unarmed attack styles are crush.
  • When using Powered staves, such as the trident of the seas, the cannon uses either the player's ranged or melee accuracy, whichever is higher.[4]
    • Note that other magical staves, such as the staff of air, are treated as melee weapons even when autocast is on.[5]

The cannon's accuracy, while derived from the accuracy of the player's selected attack style, will always roll against the target's range defence.[1]

Revolutions[edit | edit source]

After the cannon has been set up, loaded, and fired, the barrel will rotate and fire at targets within its line-of-sight and range. The cannon barrel rotates in discrete intervals; there are eight directions the barrel may face, and the barrel makes a 45-degree turn every 0.6 seconds (one game tick), completing a full revolution in 4.8 seconds. The cannon fires up to one cannonball while facing each direction, so it fires up to eight cannonballs per revolution. The cannon may fire up to 6000 cannonballs per hour.

In a single-combat zone, the cannon fires at the monster the player is being attacked by. If the player is not being attacked by any monster – not being hit by any monsters – the cannon fires at multiple monsters. This means that a player can range, mage, or halberd from a "safespot" in a single-combat zone and have the cannon shoot at multiple monsters, as long as the player is never attacked by a monster, in which case that monster will be the only target the cannon attacks. However, the player may need to regularly come out of cover to reload the cannon if it is unreachable from the safespot.

Casting Telekinetic Grab will pause the rotation and firing of the cannon for the duration of the spell.

Targets[edit | edit source]

For each direction the cannon faces during its rotation, there is a specific set of squares relative to the cannon's location that a cannonball may be shot into at that time. This target region can be visualised by a triangle emanating from the cannon barrel. Squares may be cut off from the target region by an obstacle.

Green represents double shots. Red means no fire. For 1x1 monsters, players should lure them onto the green area.

Target regions for different directions overlap slightly. This may result in shooting multiple cannonballs at one monster in one cannon revolution, even one that is standing still. Up to two cannonballs may be shot at a monster that takes up a single square per rotation. If it is not in the proper location however, only one, or even zero cannonballs may be shot per rotation.

Target standing adjacent to, or one non-diagonal space away from the corner of the 3x3 area the cannon is set up in will be shot twice. Players should aim to lure targets to this space.

For monsters larger than 1x1, only the south-western tile is shot. That being said against 1x1 - 2x2 targets, the worst possible spot to stand is in the middle of the cannon or any corner under the cannon. The best way to slay those is to lure them into a multi-hit spot, or stand far from the cannon. For 3x3 monsters (e.g. Black demons), one should stand under the cannon in the north-east tile (1,1).

Players cannot control what target is chosen, thus it may fire at anything around it. However, if a player is already engaged in single combat, the cannon will only fire at the current opponent and targets between player's cannon and target may prevent the cannon from shooting your target.

Breaking/Decay[edit | edit source]

Once a cannon has been continually set up for 25 minutes, a message will appear that the cannon has broken; regardless of how many cannonballs had been fired. Players can simply click on the cannon to repair it and restore functionality. If an additional 10 minutes pass without repairing the cannon, it will disappear.

Cannons that disappear are not lost forever, but rather may be re-obtained for free from Nulodion, even if the cannon was bought from another player. Replaced cannons come loaded with cannonballs equal to the amount loaded in the cannon when the cannon was lost.

Otherwise, cannons will remain set up until the player retrieves it. Even if the player switches worlds, it will remain on the previous world until decay occurs. This doesnt prevent you from going to reclaim a cannon from the vendor after swapping worlds, but the original cannon cannot be picked up after reclaiming in this way. If a player dies, even to another player in the wilderness; the cannon will remain in place and can be safely reclaimed after it has decayed.

Most bosses, such as the King Black Dragon, destroy dwarf multicannons; though cannons destroyed this way can still be reclaimed from Nulodion at no cost.

Common cannon spots[edit | edit source]

  • Generally, players prefer to use their cannons in multicombat areas, due to the mechanics of the cannon. If the player can safespot the monsters they are attacking, they can treat single combat areas as multicombat areas for the cannon, but if the player is actively being attacked in a single combat area the cannon will only fire at the NPC the player is currently fighting.
  • Green dragons in the Wilderness is a common cannon area, as they yield significant profit. Once the cannon is placed, the only risks are losing the Cannonballs the player has brought, as the cannon can be recovered from Nulodion without further risk.
  • The Combat Training Camp is the most common low risk spot for cannoning, but is significantly busier than other common spots. Players set their cannon up facing the caged Ogres, and are free to do other tasks like Fletching as they cannot be damaged. These spots are extremely hard to get at peak hours, as players generally will stay at these spots for hours to train ranged and other skills simultaneously.
  • Hill Giants in the Edgeville Dungeon are a less common target, due to the lack of rare drops other than the Giant key. They can be easily safespotted, and have a large amount of health, allowing the cannon to hit hard enough per cannonball to justify training here. Moss giants are also common cannon targets.
  • Rock Crabs are a very common cannon target, due to their low attack and the multicombat areas they inhabit. These spots are also extremely busy at peak hours, with it not being uncommon to see multiple cannons within the same area. Sand Crabs cannot be targeted by cannons and as such are not suitable for cannon training.

Usage[edit | edit source]

Cannons are commonly used by players training Slayer to speed up tasks. With the average price of cannonballs, the use of a cannon is often considered to be quite expensive. However, the cost is often considered to be justified by the bonuses of using a cannon. A player doing a Slayer task can melee almost the entire time getting nearly as much Melee experience as they would without using a cannon. The cannon will also attack several targets even in a single-way combat area as long as the player is not under attack (e.g. in a safespot).

Players should be diligent when using a cannon in multicombat areas, as the cannon can attract large numbers of monsters to attack the player, and continual reloading of the cannon will likely be required due to the number of cannonballs used.

Outside of Slayer, using the cannon can speed up kills on lizardman shamans and Wilderness bosses. Ironman mode accounts may also find it useful when taking on Corporeal Beast, as the dark energy core will not return for the rest of the kill if the cannon kills it while it is midair. Players may also use a cannon to obtain champion's scrolls faster, one of which is required to obtain a music cape, while players that complete the full champions' challenge are awarded with a champion's cape.

Prohibited areas[edit | edit source]

Within the following areas, a cannon cannot be placed down. A message will often appear in the player's chatbox explaining why it cannot be done.

In other locations, the cannon may be set up but may be destroyed by an NPC almost instantly, or is almost useless due to limitations:

Comparison between other ranged weapons[edit | edit source]

Name Ranged level required Ranged attack Ranged strength
(Max ammo) 		Price Notes
Twisted bow.png Twisted bow Ranged 85 +70 +20
(+80) 		1,481,168,696
  • Has a passive effect where the higher the target's Magic level is, the more accurate and damaging the bow becomes.
  • Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon.
  • Offers an attack speed of that of a longbow.
Bow of faerdhinen.png Bow of Faerdhinen Ranged 80 +128 +106 102,977,732
  • Has the highest ranged bonus of any ranged weapon, including a +106 Ranged Strength bonus.
  • Receives noticeable damage and accuracy bonuses if worn alongside pieces of crystal armour.
  • Has the furthest attack range of any bow or crossbow in the game (tied with composite bows and the crystal bow) of 10 squares.
  • When created, the bow starts off at 10,000 charges and degrades.
  • The bow can be upgraded to the bow of Faerdhinen (c) to stop it from degrading.
Zaryte crossbow.png Zaryte crossbow Ranged 80 +110 (+122) 419,009,917
  • It is the only crossbow that grants defensive bonuses.
  • One of two crossbows with a prayer bonus, along with the Armadyl crossbow from which it is crafted.
  • Has a special attack which provides double accuracy on the next shot and guarantees the special effect of any enchanted bolts used if it hits. Costs 75% special attack energy.
  • Its passive effect strengthens the effects of enchanted bolts by 10%.
Venator bow.png Venator bow Ranged 80 +90 +25
(+85) 		46,721,714
  • Has a passive effect when charged with ancient essence that allows arrows to ricochet to nearby targets when in a multicombat area.
  • Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon.
  • Has an attack speed of 5, between that of a shortbow and a longbow.
Toxic blowpipe.png Toxic blowpipe Ranged 75 +30 +20
(+55) 		2,020,851
  • Requires Zulrah's scales (up to 16,383) and any unpoisoned darts to charge.
  • Ranged strength bonus stacks with the darts that are used to charge the blowpipe (up to +55 ranged strength with dragon darts).
  • Has an attack speed of 3 (same as darts) in a non-pvp encounter or 4 in a pvp encounter (same as shortbows).
  • Offers a special attack where accuracy is increased by 100% and damage is increased by 50%, and heals the user by half of the damage dealt. Costs 50% special attack energy.
  • Has 25% chance to inflict venom on an opponent.
Heavy ballista.png Heavy ballista Ranged 75 +125 +15
(+165) 		583,689
  • Has the second highest ranged bonus of any ranged weapon, including a +15 Ranged Strength bonus.
  • Requires completion of Monkey Madness II to equip.
  • Only accepts javelins as ammunition.
  • Ava's devices will not retrieve fired javelins, nor can they be picked up.
  • Offers a special attack which increases accuracy and damage by 25% each for one shot. Costs 65% special attack energy.
Dragon hunter crossbow.png Dragon hunter crossbow Ranged 70 +95 (+122) 60,116,691
  • Offers the third highest one-handed Ranged attack bonus in the game, outclassed only by the Armadyl and Zaryte crossbow.
  • Increases accuracy and damage by 30% and 25% respectively when fighting draconic creatures.
Armadyl crossbow.png Armadyl crossbow Ranged 70 +100 (+122) 49,359,819
Crystal bow.png Crystal bow Ranged 70 +100 +78 369,157[n 1]
  • Offers a ranged strength of +78.
  • Neither consumes nor requires ammunition.
  • Has an attack speed of 5, between that of a shortbow and a crossbow.
  • Has the furthest attack range of any bow or crossbow in the game (tied with composite bows and the bow of Faerdhinen) of 10 squares.
  • Receives noticeable damage and accuracy bonuses if worn alongside pieces of crystal armour.
Webweaver bow.png Webweaver bow Ranged 70 +85 +65 20,195,569
  • Upgraded version of the Craw's bow, which requires the fangs of Venenatis to create.
  • Must be charged with revenant ether to be fired, but it does provide its own ammo, similar to the crystal bow.
  • While charged, an additional 50% ranged 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. This makes it the strongest ranged weapon in the Wilderness.
  • Has a special attack that hits an enemy four times in succession with increased accuracy, each dealing up to 40% of the player's max hit, along with a chance to inflict poison, starting at 4 damage. Costs 50% special attack energy.
Karil's crossbow.png Karil's crossbow Ranged 70 +84 (+55) 97,800
  • One of the fastest crossbows, together with the hunters' crossbow.
  • Can only fire bolt racks, which cannot be retrieved by an Ava's device.
  • If worn with the rest of Karil the Tainted's equipment, it offers a set effect which lowers the target's Agility level (only works on players).
  • Wearing an amulet of the damned together with the whole equipment set grants a 25% chance for an attack to hit twice, in which case the second hit will inflict half the damage of the first.
  • Like all Barrows equipment, it degrades and will fully degrade after 15 hours of combat. It is repairable.
Dragon crossbow.png Dragon crossbow Ranged 64 +94 (+122) 1,704,444
Rune crossbow.png Rune crossbow Ranged 61 +90 (+115) 10,349
Craw's bow.png Craw's bow Ranged 60 +75 +60 19,699,383
Dark bow.png Dark bow Ranged 60 +95 (+60) 798,857
  • Offers the fifth highest Ranged attack bonus in the game, behind the bow of Faerdhinen (+128), heavy ballista (+125), the Zaryte crossbow (+110), and the crystal bow and Armadyl crossbow (+100).
  • Has the ability to shoot two arrows at a time.
  • The slowest weapon in the game, with an attack speed of 9 (5.4 seconds).
  • Offers a powerful special attack, which if used with dragon arrows increases damage dealt by 50% with a minimum hit of 8 (30% with any other arrow type with a minimum. hit of 5). Costs 55% special attack energy.
Magic shortbow.png Magic shortbow Ranged 50 +69 (+55) 850
  • The only shortbow to offer a special attack, which fires 2 shots in rapid succession but with reduced accuracy. Costs 55% special attack energy.
  • Can be imbued with a magic shortbow scroll, increasing its ranged attack bonus to +75 and lowering the special attack cost to 50%.
Magic shortbow (i).png Magic shortbow (i) +75 110,369
Magic comp bow.png Magic comp bow Ranged 50 +71 (+55) 4,839
  • The only composite bow to offer a special attack, which is guaranteed to hit the target but is not boosted by damage-boosting prayers or the Slayer helmet (i). Costs 35% special attack energy. Shares this special attack with the magic longbow.
  • Is slightly more accurate than the magic longbow and 1 tick faster (1 tick slower than the shortbow), while keeping the same attack range of the longbow.
Seercull.png Seercull Ranged 50 +69 (+55) 18,039
  • Has slightly less accurate but otherwise identical stats to the magic comp bow.
  • Has a special attack that targets mages by lowering their Magic level, costing 100% special attack energy.
Magic longbow.png Magic longbow Ranged 50 +69 (+55) 1,294
  • The only longbow to offer a special attack, which is guaranteed to hit the target but is not boosted by damage-boosting prayers or the Slayer helmet (i). Costs 35% special attack energy. Shares this special attack with the magic comp bow.
  • Like all longbows, is 2 ticks slower than the magic shortbow, in exchange for 3 additional attack range.
  • Unlike the magic shortbow, cannot be imbued.
Adamant crossbow.png Adamant crossbow Ranged 46 +78 (+100) 1,246
  • Offers the sixth highest one-handed Ranged attack bonus in the game.
  • Has an attack speed equal to that of longbows and an attack range equal to that of shortbows.
  • Because of the slower attack speed and the potential for overkill from its higher max hit, it deals less damage over extended periods than the magic shortbow, and should be used primarily when additional defence is needed through the use of a shield, or if enchanted bolt effects are needed.
Chinchompa.png Chinchompas Ranged 45
(Grey) 		+45 N/A Varies[n 2]
  • One of the three ranged weapons that offers the ability to hit more than one opponent at a time (similar to burst or barrage Ancient Magicks), the others being the special attack of the dragon crossbow, with a similar attack, and rune thrownaxe, with a ricochet type attack.
  • Regarded to be the best way of training Ranged, but at a very high cost.
  • Has an attack speed of 4 (the same as scimitars, maces, and whips).
  • If a player dies with chinchompas equipped or in their inventory, they will disappear, as they are live animals.
Red chinchompa.png Ranged 55
(Red) 		+70 +15
Black chinchompa.png Ranged 65
(Black) 		+80 +30
Swamp lizard.png Orange salamander.png
Red salamander.png Black salamander.png 		Salamanders Attack Ranged Magic 30
(Green) 		+20 (+16) 40
  • Unique and versatile two-handed weapons that facilitate the use of all three combat styles.
Attack Ranged Magic 50
(Orange) 		+29 (+22) 119
Attack Ranged Magic 60
(Red) 		+47 (+31) 71
Attack Ranged Magic 70
(Black) 		+69 (+49) 256
Dorgeshuun crossbow.png Dorgeshuun crossbow Ranged 28 +42 (+49) 2,853
  • Is one tick faster than most other crossbows, and it is able to fire bone bolts, which are significantly cheaper than most other ammunition of similar strength.
Rune knife.png Throwing knives Ranged 40
(Rune) 		+25 +24 Varies[n 2]
  • Have high damage output, but are significantly more expensive compared to other low-level options.
Yew shortbow.png Shortbows Ranged 40
(Yew) 		+47 (+49) 382
  • Offer slightly less damage output than using rune knives, but are a lot cheaper.
Adamant dart.png Darts Ranged 30
(Adamant) 		N/A +17 Varies[n 2]
  • Are cheap, deal decent damage and are easy to buy from the Grand Exchange.
  • Adamant darts have comparable damage output to using a shortbow with rune arrows, so players should use whichever is cheaper.

Cannon barrels.png
Cannonball.png Granite cannonball.png

Dwarf multicannon N/A N/A N/A 757,077
  • Can be set up and used alongside other weapons for passive Ranged damage and experience.
  • Cannot be set up in all areas.
  • Has a static max hit of 30 with cannonballs and 35 with granite cannonballs.
  • Derives accuracy from player's current attack style (Ranged while ranging, Melee while meleeing, and whichever is higher with powered staves) while rolling against the target's Ranged defence.
  1. ^ Cost of having Ilfeen charge a crystal weapon seed after obtaining minimum cost.
  2. ^ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cost of thrown weapons is only that of the ammo.

Changes[edit | edit source]

Date Changes
12 July 2023
(update)

The cannon will also now automatically decay if a Forestry event spawns where it is placed.

30 November 2022
(update)
  • The cannon can now hold 35, 45, and 60 cannonballs after completing the respective combat achievements: medium, hard, and elite.
  • The cannon can no longer be set up on Fossil Island's small island with the bank chest.
4 April 2019
(update)

Firing a cannon with an extremely low accuracy bonus will now have a chance to deal 1 point of damage instead of hitting 0.

31 March 2016
(update)

Cannons can no longer be set up in the Blast furnace.

24 March 2016
(update | poll)

Cannons which decay no longer suddenly disappear. Instead, they are now given a repair option which allows you to reset your cannon timer without having to pick it up and put it back down!

24 September 2015
(update)

The cannon should no longer produce the message "Someone else is fighting that".

10 September 2015
(update)

NPC's will no longer sometimes turn invisible on the south-west tile of a Dwarf Cannon.

20 August 2015
(update)

The dwarf cannon now checks ownership correctly when firing.

11 June 2015
(update)
  • You can no longer place a cannon by the start of the Seers' agility course.
  • Fixed an issue with prayer draining and the cannon.
15 January 2015
(update)

The cannon no longer works on the Mage Arena mages and Kolodion.

20 November 2014
(update)

Nulodion will now return your cannon if someone else has one setup on the same tile where yours decayed.

26 June 2014
(update)

The dwarf multicannon no longer always hits zero when wielding a trident of the seas.

15 May 2014
(update)

Cannons can no longer be set up on PvP worlds due to griefing issues.

1 May 2014
(update)

Cannons can no longer be setup within the Party room and can now be placed where the Party room used to be.

20 February 2014
(update | poll)

Left-clicking on your cannon will now let you reload it, even if it isn't currently firing.

3 October 2013
(update)

The message notifying you that your cannon has decayed no longer appears five minutes too early.

11 July 2013
(update | poll)

The dwarf multicannon can now be constructed and reloaded with a single click, instead of requiring you to use items on it repeatedly. Also, its decay warning message has been made more visible.

4 April 2013
(update)

The cannon ownership system has been improved to be more robust.

22 February 2013
(update)

This content was included when the Old School RuneScape servers officially launched.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • The only ammunition for cannons that players can use is cannonballs made from steel and granite. However, Dondakan from the quest Between a Rock... fires adamantite, runite, and gold cannonballs from his cannon.
  • If the cannon is fired in a single-combat area the chat will say, "I'm currently under attack" along with an occasional, "Someone else is fighting that" depending on the combat status of the player-character.
  • If a player drops the components of the cannon set, they will discover that the items are 1x1 size, despite the cannon being 3x3.
  • The cannon may sometimes shoot through walls.
  • Despite being called a multicannon, it only has one barrel to fire cannonballs. The name comes from the dwarf cannon in RuneScape Classic, which had 8 barrels and would fire in all directions instead of spinning.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 Bitterkoekje. "Combat Formulas." 10 March 2015. Old School RuneScape Forums.
  2. ^
  3. ^
  4. ^
  5. ^
v • e
Dwarf Cannon
NPCs
Items
Dwarf multicannon
Locations
Related
v • e
Dwarf multicannon
Parts
Shattered ornament
Ammunition
v • e
Ranged weapons
Shortbows
Longbows
Composite bows
Special bows
Crossbows
Ballistae
Darts
Throwing knife
Throwing axes
Chinchompas
Other weapons
Ammunition
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