In Old School RuneScape, the most challenging achievement is obtaining top-tier gear that will give you an advantage versus players and creatures. Players can do this by either slaying monsters that drop premium loot or purchasing from the Grand Exchange, which requires a lot of OSRS gold.
Like any MMORPG, the enemies you encounter in Oldschool RuneScape will get significantly more difficult to defeat. Therefore, you’ll need to wield a powerful weapon to kill them. In 2015 Jagex released a new boss called Zulrah that drops various components to make weapons and loot that can be sold for huge profits. The most notable OSRS item it drops is the Tanzanite Fang, which is used to create the Toxic Blowpipe, a high-tier best weapon for your ranged equipment slot.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the Toxic Blowpipe from its benefits and how to obtain it.
What Is The Toxic Blowpipe?
The Toxic Blowpipe is a powerful 2-handed dart (not bolts) weapon that is used for PVP and PVM situations. It has one of the fastest attack speeds in the game, making it a deadly weapon to use in the Duel Arena and when bossing. The Blowpipe has amazing DPS because it has a 25% chance of inflicting venom onto an opponent. Therefore, if you want a powerful weapon in OSRS, there are not many better options than the Toxic Blowpipe.
- Attack Bonuses:
- +30 Ranged
- +20 Ranged Strength
- 3 Attack Speed
- 5 Ranged Strength
The combat styles heavily impact the Toxic Blowpipe because they can increase accuracy, damage, or range tiles. Each attack style is unique to every situation, so you’ll need to trust your judgment on which one to use when fighting.
- Accurate: Increases the character’s accuracy and damage. You will attack slower, but in return, you will splash less often. This attack style is ideal for those who are looking to do maximum hits.
- Rapid: The rapid attack style will increase your firing speed by 1 tick. Therefore, you can achieve more DPS with this style. However, accuracy is not the focus of this method of attack, which means you will splash more than the other 2 options.
- Longrange: This attack style will increase your range by 2 tiles. It’s great for safe spotting when fighting creatures and need that extra range. Also, you will be receiving experience in Ranged, Defence, and Hitpoints.
Furthermore, the Blowpipe has beautiful aesthetics, thanks to the development team. They wanted to create a weapon that looks old school but has a modern feel to it. The possible dragon darts weapon looks dangerous and takes the form of the Zulrah boss.
How To Make A Toxic Blowpipe
To make the Toxic Blowpipe, you will need a Tanzanite Fang. You can get this by killing Zulrah and receiving the rare loot or purchase it from the Grand Exchange for roughly 2.4m RS gold. Use a GE tracker, if necessary. Then you’ll need a chisel and level 53 Fletching. To make the weapon, simply right-click on the Tanzanite Fang can select “Craft”.
Charging The Toxic Blowpipe
The Toxic Blowpipe is charged by using Zulrah’s Scales, which are common drops from the beast. The weapon cannot be wielded unless it has been charged. It uses non-poisonous darts as ammunition and can store up to 16,383 units. To store all the ammunition and Zulrah’s Scales, it will cost around 2m GP. Furthermore, the Blowpipe has a 1 in 3 chance to not use scales when in combat.
A fully charged Toxic Blowpipe will last for 8 hours with rapid attack and 12 hours in long-ranged or accurate combat styles. To charge the weapon, use the darts with Zulrah’s Scales on the Toxic Blowpipe. You’ll notice the scales and ammunition disappear from your inventory, which will indicate that you have successfully charged the weapon.
The Value Of The Toxic Blowpipe
The Toxic Blowpipe is one of the most expensive weapons in OSRS. Although it’s not tradable when charged, the supplies to make it are very expensive. The Blowpipe is charged via Zulrah’s Scales that cost 120 GP per unit. When using the rapid attack style, your character can average around 3,000 shots per hour, which means 2,000 Zulrah’s Scales will be used.
Therefore, the base cost of using the Toxic Blowpipe best weapon is 240k GP per hour. However, the type of dart factors heavily on the GP per hour you will spend while slaying enemies in a Slayer task or whatnot. Note that these estimates include the use of Ava’s Assembler.
Costs Per Hour:
- Mithril Dart – 240k GP
- Adamant Dart – 250k GP
- Rune Dart – 420k GP
- Amethyst Dart – 440k GP
- Dragon Darts – 1,100k GP
We strongly recommend using Ava’s Assembler because it will automatically pick up 80% of any Ranged ammo that you’ve fired. This will require you to have level 70 Ranged and the completion of Dragon Slayer II. However, Ava’s Accumulator will suffice if you do not meet the requirements to complete Dragon Slayer II. This is a tier lower than the assembler and will pick up 72% of ammunition fired.
Toxic Blowpipe Special Attack
The Toxic Blowpipe has a fantastic special attack called Siphon. It increases accuracy by 100% and damage by 50%. Also, while active, it will heal you for half the damage dealt. The ability will consume 50% of the character’s special attack energy, which means players can use Siphon 2 times in a rotation.
How To Obtain The Toxic BlowPipe
To acquire the Toxic Blowpipe, one of the Old School Runescape best ranged weapons, you must kill Zulrah, a serpent boss located at a shrine East of Zul-Andra. She is level 725, and players can only fight her solo, making her extremely difficult to defeat. Zulrah can only be killed with either Ranged or Magic because it is immune to melee attacks.
Players can only access Zulrah after completing the Regicide quest. Also, before combat, you will need to speak with High Priestess Zul-Harcinqa and offer yourself as a sacrifice in place of the gnome child. Afterward, you can speak to Zul-Gwenwynig, who will take you to Zulrah’s lair via sacrificial boat. The only way to leave the lair is by killing Zulrah, teleporting, or dying.
How To Defeat Zulrah
First, you should familiarize yourself with the boss area to not be surprised by any mechanics. The shrine is a small U-shaped island that has 2 pillars in the middle corners. Zulrah will emerge at different locations to fight you, so you’ll need to be ready to switch your location at a moment’s notice.
Moreover, Zulrah cannot be damaged by melee attacks, which means you will need to attack with Magic or Range combat styles. Preferably, you’ll want to have both combat setups in your inventory because she periodically switches forms that give her resistances to certain attack types. These are the optimal setups you’ll want to use:
Recommended Skills:
- Level +80 Magic
- Level +80 Ranged
- Level +70 Defense
- Level +80 Hitpoints
- Level +44 Prayer
Ranged:
- Head – Armadyl Helmet
- Chest – Armadyl Chestplate
- Legs – Armadyl Chainskirt
- Boots – Pegasian Boots
- Cape – Ava’s Assembler
- Ring – Archers Ring (i)
- Necklace – Necklace of Anguish
- Weapon – Twisted Bow
- Ammunition – Dragon Arrows
Magic:
- Head – Ancestral Hat
- Chest – Ancestral Robe Top
- Legs – Ancestral Robe Bottom
- Boots – Eternal Boots
- Cape – Imbued Saradomin Cape
- Ring – Tormented Bracelet
- Necklace – Occult Necklace
- Shield – Arcane Spirit Shield
- Weapon – Trident of the Swamp
- Ammunition – Death, Fire, and Chaos Runes.
Prayer:
- Protect from Magic
- Protect from Projectiles
- Any Prayers that will boost offensive and defensive stats
These are the optimal setups when fighting Zulrah. However, the items listed can be extremely expensive for some players. Therefore, if you can’t obtain a piece of gear, use the closest tier of equipment you can.
Inventory
Zulrah will inflict venom onto you so bringing anti-venom is essential when in battle. Your inventory can vary depending on the goals you have. For example, if you plan to camp Zulrah and want to get as many kills per hour, then using Saradomin Brews is optimal. However, if you want to kill her guaranteed and not fuss with restores and brews, then using the best food you can is fine.
This is what you should bring on your first Zulrah trip:
- Teleports to nearby banks
- Teleports to get to Zulrah quickly
- Magic and Range equipment for switches
- Ranging Potion
- Magic Potion
- 1-2 Prayer Potions
- Anti-venom+ Potion
- 2-3 Karambwans
- Fill rest of inventory with Anglerfish
During the battle, Zulrah will spawn smaller Snakelings that inflict venom with each attack. It’s an enhanced version of poison that will increase in damage over time. The starting damage is 6 and can go up to 20. Therefore, using anti-venom+ will greatly reduce the damage received. Also, you can equip a Serpentine Helm that is more effective when dealing the venom.
Furthermore, Zulrah can create poison clouds that do a lot of damage. It’s in your best interest to quickly run out to take as little damage as possible.
Zulrah will have different forms during the fight, which are easily distinguished by its skin color. Furthermore, the color will tell you the attack style it will use and its weaknesses. The creature will change forms by diving into the swamp and resurfacing in a different location.
- Green: When Zulrah is in green form, it will attack with Ranged. Its weakness is magical attacks, and after approximately 2 minutes, it will begin attacking with either Ranged or Magic.
- Blue: During the blue phase, Zulrah is weak to Ranged attacks. The creature will begin attacking you with both Ranged and Magic attacks. However, in this form, her Magic attacks are more common and accurate. Therefore, we advise using Protect from Magic.
- Red: When Zulrah is red, she will use her tail to attack. She will charge up her tail and smash it down dealing huge amounts of damage with a stun. Players can dodge the attack by moving 2 miles away. In this form, she is more resistant to all types of damage. However, Magic is typically more effective than Ranged in this situation.
After defeating Zulrah, its loot will spawn on the floor in front of you. If you’re lucky, the boss will drop a Tanzanite Fang. However, you may need to kill hundreds of Zulrahs before getting the item because the drop rate for the fang is 1/1,024.
FAQ
Question: What Happens If You Die When Fighting Zulrah?
Answer: Upon dying at Zulrah, all items except 3 valuables will be held by the Priestess at Zul-Andra dock. All items will be lost if players die unsafe deaths before reclaiming the items from her. Players who have low kill counts can use her item retrieval services for free. However, adventurers with a +50 kill count will be asked to pay 100k GP to claim back the items.
This will not apply to ultimate iron man accounts, and they can reclaim their items for free. Also, completing the elite Western Provinces Diary will grant players a free death daily without penalties.
Question: What Equipment Can You Make From Zulrah Drops?
Answer: Zulrah is a high-level boss that requires skill and dedication to kill. Therefore, it’s only fair that its drops are very rewarding. The boss can drop a variety of rare loot that can be crafted into special weapons and armor.
- Serpentine Helm: The helm requires level 75 Defence to equip and provides a number of benefits. Its defense capabilities are similar to the Barrows Helmets, which focus on offense. The Serpentine Helm offers the 2nd most Strength bonuses out of all helmets. It is made from chiseling a Serpentine Visage, which requires level 52 Crafting.
- Attack Bonuses:
- -5 Magic
- -5 Ranged
- Defense Bonuses:
- +52 Stab
- +55 Slash
- +58 Crush
- Other Bonuses:
- +5 Strength
- Attack Bonuses:
- Toxic Blowpipe: This is a powerful Ranged weapon that has one of the best attack speeds in OSRS. The powerful special attack will deal more damage and heal you. It requires level 75 Ranged to wield and can be made from a Tanzanite Fang with level 53 Fletching.
- Attack Bonuses:
- +30 Ranged
- Other Bonuses:
- +20 Ranged Strength
- Attack Bonuses:
- Toxic Staff of the Dead: The staff is a bladed weapon that is made from a Magic Fang on a Staff of the Dead. The weapon requires level 75 Attack and Magic to wield and can be used in both combat styles.
- Attack Bonuses:
- +55 Stab
- +70 Slash
- +25 Magic
- Defense Bonuses:
- +3 Slash
- +3 Crush
- +17 Magic
- Other Bonuses:
- +72 Strength
- +15% Magical Strength
- Attack Bonuses:
Question: What Are The Fastest Ranged Weapons?
Answer: OSRS features several fast attacking weapons that are perfect for PVP and PVM combat. They allow you to slay enemies and get the most DPS. The only drawback of these weapons is that you’ll be sacrificing accuracy for speed.
- Dart:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Speed: 3 Seconds
- Interval: 1.8 Seconds
- Rapid:
- Speed: 2 Seconds
- Interval: 1.2 Seconds
- Throwing Knife:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Speed: 3 Seconds
- Interval: 1.8 Seconds
- Rapid:
- Speed: 2 Seconds
- Interval: 1.2 Seconds
- Shortbow:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Speed: 4 Seconds
- Interval: 2.4 Seconds
- Rapid:
- Speed: 3 Seconds
- Interval: 1.8 Seconds
- Throwing Axe:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Speed: 5 Seconds
- Interval: 3 Seconds
- Rapid:
- Speed: 4 Seconds
- Interval: 2.4 Seconds
- Toxic Blowpipe:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Speed: 3 Seconds
- Interval: 1.8 Seconds
- Rapid:
- Speed: 2 Seconds
- Interval: 1.2 Seconds
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Accurate and Longrange:
- Accurate and Longrange:
Question: What Is The Best Ranged Special Attack?
Answer: High-tier weaponry often features a unique special attack that can only be used 1 or 2 times. The character’s special attack energy will be drained after each use. Usually, stronger abilities will use more than 50% of the energy, meaning it can only be used once per cycle. These are the best Ranged weapons that have special attacks:
- Toxic Blowpipe – Siphon: The special attack will increase accuracy by 100% and damage by 50%. Also, it will heal the player for 50% of the damage dealt. The ability will drain 50% of the player’s special attack energy.
- Dark Bow – Descent of Darkness/Dragons: The first type of ability will deal 30% more damage with a minimum of 5 damage per hit. The ability will show 2 demon-like creatures in the shape of arrows flying towards your target. However, if you have dragon arrows equipped, the special attack will change to Descent of Dragons. This will deal up to 50% more damage with a minimum of 8 per arrow.
- Heavy Ballista – Concentrated Shot: The Heavy Ballista’s special attack will consume 65% energy, which means you can only use it once per cycle. The ability will increase accuracy and damage by 25%.
- Armadyl Crossbow – Armadyl Eye: The legendary crossbow has an amazing special attack called Armadyl Eye. This will double the character’s overall accuracy for the next shot. This is calculated by the player’s Ranged level and gear accuracy. The special attack will consume 40% special attack energy.
- Dragon Crossbow – Annihilate: The name of the ability lives up to its expectations. Annihilate will hit an enemy causing a 3×3 explosion to occur. The primary target will take 20% extra damage and hurting surrounding enemies. The ability will drain 60% of the special attack bar.
Summary
We’ve taken you on a comprehensive journey about everything the Toxic Blowpipe has to offer. The powerful weapon is necessary for those who want fast and heavy-hitting Ranged attacks. The special attack will make your projectiles guaranteed to hit and will heal you.
Also, you’ve learned how to defeat the boss that drops components to make the Blowpipe. Therefore, if you’re an iron man or regular account, you can acquire the item without going to the Grand Exchange. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and obtain the majestic weapon!
Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:
- OSRS Smithing Training Guide [2022]: All You Need To Know
- OSRS Hitpoints Training Guide: The Quickest Way To Train
- OSRS Ranged Training Guide: Our Best Tips!
This article was updated on 11/03/2022 by the Rune Fanatics editorial team. Our goal at Rune Fanatics is to provide the most up-to-date relevant quest information, walkthroughs, and tips. We updated some of the article text to give you better, more relevant information.
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