Zulrah/Strategies

From Old School RuneScape Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Zulrah is a level 725 solo-only snake boss found at a shrine east of Zul-Andra, accessible by boat. Zulrah's shrine can be exited through victory, death, logout, or teleportation.

Forms[edit | edit source]

A player fights Zulrah, the serpent of the Poison Waste, in its tanzanite form.

Throughout the fight, Zulrah will continually dive into the swamp, sending out a plethora of attacks before doing so. It will then re-emerge in its next phase and continue its attacks, usually as a different form.

If struck with a hit just as it dives, the hit will register shortly after it resurfaces. Unlike the Alchemical Hydra, Zulrah's attacks will go through even when killed, so it is important to keep health and the appropriate prayer up to avoid an accidental death.

Zulrah possesses a Defence, Magic and Ranged level of 300, along with +50 ranged and magical accuracy and strength bonus on all forms. Although Zulrah has no melee defence in any form, Zulrah can only be reached with a halberd-type weapon, and even then, is immune to melee damage. The ranged and magic attacks will envenom the player should it hit, or if it would have dealt damage if blocked by a protection prayer. Damage dealt to Zulrah at all forms is capped at 50, with hits dealing more than that randomly hitting it for 45-50 damage.

Zulrah (serpentine).png
  • Zulrah's serpentine form, in which it will attack with Ranged, with a few exceptions such as its "Jad" phase (see rotations). While in this form, Zulrah is weak against magical attacks - possessing -45 magic defence and +50 ranged defence.
Zulrah (magma).png
  • Zulrah's magma form, in which it will attack with Melee. Zulrah will stare at the player's position for several seconds before whipping its tail at that area. If the player does not move away from the targeted area in time, they will be dealt up to 30 damage and be stunned for several seconds. While in this form, Zulrah is still weak against magical attacks - possessing +0 magic defence and +300 ranged defence.
Zulrah (tanzanite).png
  • Zulrah's tanzanite form, in which it will randomly attack with both Magic and Ranged attacks, although it uses magic much more frequently compared to ranged. While in this form, Zulrah is weak to ranged attacks - possessing +300 magic defence and +0 ranged defence.

Special attacks[edit | edit source]

During the fight Zulrah can summon snakelings and/or venom clouds in any form, however the phase at which it does so, as well as when during the phase, is predetermined by the rotation.

Snakelings[edit | edit source]

Snakeling.png

Snakelings are monsters that Zulrah will summon during the fight via shooting white orbs. Despite their moderately high combat level of 90, they only have 1 Hitpoint. They attack with either magic or melee, but never both. The magic snakeling possesses a Magic level of 185 with +120 melee accuracy, +80 magic accuracy and -20 magic strength. The melee snakeling possesses an Attack level of 140, Strength level 138, and +120 melee accuracy. Both snakelings have 1 Defence with -40 against all combat styles, and have a max hit of 15.

Protection prayers block their attacks; however, it is better to tank the attack if Zulrah is also attacking, since Zulrah can deal more damage, and it is nearly impossible to flick multiple snakelings and Zulrah attacking together. It is highly recommended to bring a ring of recoil or ring of suffering(r/ri) to kill the snakelings.

While snakelings spawn immediately, in some of Zulrah's attack rotations, it will occasionally throw a white orb and then dive into the swamp. The summoned snakeling will not appear until Zulrah reemerges from the swamp.

If you are hiding from Zulrah, it is best to use this time to kill the snakelings as to lessen the need to eat and/or use recoil charges during the fight.

A player taking damage from Zulrah's venom clouds.

Snakelings will also die off if they have been lingering around for more than 40 seconds, regardless if they are in combat with the player or not, although this generally occurs when the snakeling is stuck and cannot reach the player. They will automatically die off with Zulrah when it is killed.

Venom clouds[edit | edit source]

Zulrah will spawn venomous clouds during the fight via a barrage of dark-green orbs. If a player stands within a cloud's 2x2 radius, they will be dealt varying damage per tick which can add up quickly. Players will want to position themselves accordingly for each phase as to minimise the potential damage from these clouds.

Certain phases may force the player to run through venom clouds in order to re-position themselves. Doing so will deal some damage to the player, however, this is a much better outcome than the potential damage inflicted by an unprepared Zulrah attack.

Similarly to the snakelings, if Zulrah launches a dark-green orb just as it dives, the venomous cloud will not appear until Zulrah resurfaces.

While these clouds inflict venom damage, they do not envenom the player.

Setup[edit | edit source]

Ideally, the best set-up entails using both Ranged and Magic, to exploit Zulrah's weaknesses. Those using the twisted bow can opt for a single-style setup, as Zulrah's high Magic level makes it very accurate against the serpentine and tanzanite forms. A magic switch is optional to deal with the magma form due to its increased ranged defence.

Beginners may find it easier to bring fewer Magic/Ranged switches until they are comfortable with Zulrah's mechanics and phases. Zulrah is only weak to Ranged while in tanzanite (blue) form; therefore, it is best to opt for a Magic-based approach.

A serpentine helm is very useful for its immunity to venom, despite it having negative Magic and Ranged bonuses. It prevents the need for anti-venom+ potions, therefore freeing up an inventory slot, but over time it's less cost efficient than the potions, considering it needs to be charged with Zulrah's scales. It's recommended for beginners to wear the Serpentine helm until they are able to kill Zulrah consistently.

For banking and teleportation, there are several ways to do so:

Recommended skills[edit | edit source]

Equipment[edit | edit source]

References
  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Only use with the full set of Void knight armour
  2. ^ If using Fire Surge with tome of fire
  3. ^ If using blood spells
  4. ^ If using Fire Surge with harmonised nightmare staff

Inventory[edit | edit source]

Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngCooked karambwan.png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngCooked karambwan.png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngCooked karambwan.png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngAnti-venom+(4).png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngPrayer potion(4).png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngCooked karambwan.png
Zul-andra teleport.pngImbued heart.pngRing of dueling.pngRune pouch.png

References
  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Only use with the full set of Void knight armour
  2. ^ If using Fire Surge with tome of fire
  3. ^ If using blood spells
  4. ^ If using Fire Surge with harmonised nightmare staff

Ancestral/Masori[edit | edit source]

Inventory[edit | edit source]

Toxic blowpipe.pngMasori body (f).pngMasori chaps (f).pngNecklace of anguish.png
Ava's assembler.pngMasori mask (f).pngZaryte vambraces.pngPegasian boots.png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngDivine ranging potion(4).png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngAnti-venom+(4).png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngPrayer potion(4).png
Shark.pngCooked karambwan.pngShark.pngShark.png
Zul-andra teleport.pngImbued heart.pngRing of dueling.pngRune pouch.png

Note that all the listed Ranged switches can be substituted out for cheaper items, such as Karil the Tainted's equipment, Blessed dragonhide armour or Black dragonhide armour.

Void[edit | edit source]

Inventory[edit | edit source]

Void ranger helm.pngToxic blowpipe.pngDivine ranging potion(4).pngMagic potion(4).png
Ava's assembler.pngPegasian boots.pngAnti-venom+(4).pngPrayer potion(4).png
Necklace of anguish.pngImbued heart.pngCooked karambwan.pngCooked karambwan.png
Cooked karambwan.pngCooked karambwan.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.png
Manta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.png
Manta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.png
Manta ray.pngZul-andra teleport.pngRune pouch.pngRing of dueling.png

Toxic blowpipe.pngPrayer potion(4).pngAnti-venom+(4).pngDivine ranging potion(4).png
Cooked karambwan.pngCooked karambwan.pngCooked karambwan.pngCooked karambwan.png
Manta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.png
Manta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.png
Manta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.png
Manta ray.pngManta ray.pngManta ray.pngRing of dueling.png
Zul-andra teleport.pngRune pouch.png
Astral rune.png4000Death rune.png2000Earth rune.png10000
References
  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Only use with Crystal body and Crystal legs. Helm can be replaced with Serpentine helm if anti-venom isn't an option

Inventory[edit | edit source]

Fight overview[edit | edit source]

All damage towards Zulrah is capped at 50; if players would have dealt over 50 damage to Zulrah, it is reduced to 45-50 damage.[1] However, using the twisted bow with dragon arrows is still recommended, as dealing above 50 damage more often will result in more hits dealing 45-50 damage, and still increase the overall average damage output.

At the start of the fight, Zulrah will be in one of four possible rotations (see picture), with each rotation consisting of predefined phases. It takes Zulrah about three minutes to complete each rotation. After it finishes a rotation, Zulrah will then begin a new one; it is possible to be the same rotation as the previous one. During the new rotation(s), there is a chance for Zulrah to randomly be in a phase different from the expected phase. There is also a chance for Zulrah to enter a form where Zulrah will randomly switch between mage and ranged attacks in a way that cannot be predicted and prayed against(unlike Jad form, which alternates between mage and range each attack). Because of this, it is best to try to kill Zulrah within the first rotation.

Each column in the image corresponds to one of Zulrah's rotations, with each row corresponding to that rotation's phase. The green, red, and blue circles indicate Zulrah's form and position in each phase.

It is recommended to always use Protect from Missiles (serpentine) or Protect from Magic (tanzanite) when learning Zulrah, as its attacks are very accurate and often hit hard. Note that not every serpentine and tanzanite phase has Zulrah attacking the player, however it is only recommended to disable these prayers accordingly once the player is comfortable with the fight's rotations. Zulrah's attacks are capable of hitting up to 41 and with the high damage of the snakelings, can easily combo a player in seconds. The only exception for Zulrah's serpentine form is its "Jad" form, where you will need to alternate between Protect from Missiles and Protect from Magic after every attack it performs.

All rotations[edit | edit source]

Zulrah's Shrine, with Zulrah in its starting phase.

At the start of the fight, Zulrah will always be in its serpentine form in the middle of the shrine. It will never attack directly at the start; rather, Zulrah will fill the area with venom clouds, leaving the tips on the east and west sides clear. After filling up the area with venom clouds, Zulrah will dive into the swamp and continue on to one of the four rotations.

The safespot to evade Zulrah's melee form is in the square highlighted in yellow. The other safespot is in the equivalent space beside the other pillar.

At the end of every rotation, Zulrah will once again appear in the middle of the shrine in its serpentine form. However, Zulrah will now attack the player with ranged attacks several times, before filling the area with venom clouds. This phase counts as the first phase of the new rotation.

A Zulrah rotation guide, designed to be open alongside the game. Each column is a different rotation.

Shared rotations[edit | edit source]

Rotations 1 & 2[edit | edit source]

After filling the shrine with venom clouds, Zulrah dives back into the swamp and reappears in the same spot in its magma form. It will use two melee attacks before diving back down, appearing at the same spot in its tanzanite form.

When it performs enough attacks in its tanzanite form, Zulrah dives back into the swamp and the rotations separate until the second-to-last phase in the rotation.

In this second-to-last phase, informally known as the "Jad" phase, Zulrah will appear to the west in a serpentine form. It will alternate between ranged and mage attacks, starting with ranged. Players are advised to switch between their Protect from Missiles and Protect from Magic prayers on each attack accordingly, otherwise they can be dealt high amounts of damage in a short amount of time. At the end of this phase, Zulrah fills the shrine with venom clouds, leaving the tips on both sides clear of them.

For the final phase, Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form and uses two melee attacks. It will then continue on to the starting phase of the next rotation, in which it appears in the middle in its serpentine form and attacks the player with ranged attacks.

Rotations 3 & 4[edit | edit source]

In these rotations, Zulrah's initial phases are different, though the last three phases are similar to each other.

In Rotation 3, right before the second-to-last phase, Zulrah will send out snakelings; this does not occur in Rotation 4. Regardless, the mechanics are still the same in that phase.

In the second-to-last phase, a.k.a. the "Jad" phase, Zulrah appears to the east in its serpentine form. It will alternate between magic and ranged attacks, starting with magic. Players are advised to switch between their Protect from Magic and Protect from Missiles prayers on each attack accordingly, otherwise they can be dealt high amounts of damage in a short amount of time. Zulrah does not send out venom clouds at the end of this phase and simply dives back into the swamp when its done attacking.

At the final phase of these rotations, Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, summoning four snakelings (two on each side). It will then continue on to the starting phase of the next rotation, in which it appears in the middle in its serpentine form and attacks the player with ranged attacks.

Rotation overview[edit | edit source]

Zulrah will start the fight in one of the four rotations below, chosen at random.

You can tell which rotation Zulrah is in by either the second or fourth phase:

  • If the second phase is Zulrah in its magma form, then its third phase will be in its tanzanite form. Afterwards, Zulrah will be in its serpentine form in the south (Rotation 1) or in the west (Rotation 2).
  • If the second phase is Zulrah in its serpentine form, then it's in Rotation 3.
  • If the second phase is Zulrah in its tanzanite form, then it's in Rotation 4.

The phases below specify Zulrah's position by bold and form by colour, while the "Jad" phase has been underlined.

Rotation 1[edit | edit source]

  • Phase 1: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, spewing out 4 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 2: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee.
  • Phase 3: Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 4 times.
  • Phase 4: Zulrah appears in the south in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times, followed by 2 snakeling orbs, 2 venom cloud barrages, and 2 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 5: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee.
  • Phase 6: Zulrah appears in the west in its tanzanite form, attacking with both Magic and/or Ranged 5 times.
  • Phase 7: Zulrah appears in the south in its serpentine form, spewing out 3 venom cloud barrages, followed by 4 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 8: Zulrah appears in the south in its tanzanite form, attacking with both Magic and Ranged 5 times, followed by an alternating series of 5 snakeling orbs and venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 9 (JAD): Zulrah appears in the west in its serpentine form, alternating between Ranged and Magic attacks 10 times, starting with ranged. It will then spew out 4 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 10: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee.
  • Phase 11: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times, followed by 4 venom cloud barrages.

Rotation 2[edit | edit source]

  • Phase 1: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, spewing out 4 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 2: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee.
  • Phase 3: Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 4 times.
  • Phase 4: Zulrah appears in the west in its serpentine form, spewing out 3 venom cloud barrages, followed by 4 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 5: Zulrah appears in the south in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 5 times, followed by 2 snakeling orbs, 2 venom cloud barrages, and 2 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 6: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee.
  • Phase 7: Zulrah appears in the east in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times.
  • Phase 8: Zulrah appears in the south in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 5 times, followed by an alternating series of 5 snakeling orbs and venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 9 (JAD): Zulrah appears in the west in its serpentine form, alternating between Ranged and Magic attacks 10 times, starting with ranged. It will then spew out 4 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 10: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee.
  • Phase 11: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times, followed by 4 venom cloud barrages.

Rotation 3[edit | edit source]

  • Phase 1: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, spewing out 4 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 2: Zulrah appears in the east in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times, followed by 3 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 3: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, spewing out an alternating series of 6 venom cloud barrages and snakeling orbs. It will then attack twice with Melee.
  • Phase 4: Zulrah appears in the west in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 5 times.
  • Phase 5: Zulrah appears in the south in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times.
  • Phase 6: Zulrah appears in the east in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 5 times.
  • Phase 7: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, spewing out 3 venom cloud barrages, followed by 3 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 8: Zulrah appears in the west in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times.
  • Phase 9: Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 5 times, followed by 2 venom cloud barrages and 3 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 10 (JAD): Zulrah appears in the east in its serpentine form, alternating between Magic and Ranged attacks 10 times, starting with magic.
  • Phase 11: Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, spewing out 4 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 12: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times, followed by 4 venom cloud barrages.

Rotation 4[edit | edit source]

  • Phase 1: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, spewing out 4 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 2: Zulrah appears in the east in its tanzanite form, spewing out 4 snakeling orbs, followed by attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 6 times.
  • Phase 3: Zulrah appears in the south in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 4 times, followed by 2 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 4: Zulrah appears in the west in its tanzanite form, spewing out 4 snakeling orbs, followed by attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 4 times.
  • Phase 5: Zulrah appears in the middle in its magma form, attacking twice with Melee, followed by 2 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 6: Zulrah appears in the east in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 4 times.
  • Phase 7: Zulrah appears in the south in its serpentine form, spewing out 6 snakeling orbs, followed by 3 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 8: Zulrah appears in the west in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 5 times, followed by 4 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 9: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 4 times.
  • Phase 10: Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, attacking with Magic and/or Ranged 4 times, followed by 3 venom cloud barrages.
  • Phase 11 (JAD): Zulrah appears in the east in its serpentine form, alternating between Magic and Ranged attacks 8 times, starting with magic.
  • Phase 12: Zulrah appears in the middle in its tanzanite form, spewing out 4 snakeling orbs.
  • Phase 13: Zulrah appears in the middle in its serpentine form, attacking with Ranged 5 times, followed by 4 venom cloud barrages.
A Zulrah rotation guide, designed to be open alongside the game. Each column is a different rotation.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ^