Sarachnis OSRS Monster Handbook: Slaying the mother of the temple spiders

Whether you are a veteran OSRS player rediscovering this web browser phenomenon or a new player braving this RPG adventure for the first time. You will need to know how to survive in this new and unforgiving land. To survive and thrive in this RPG, you will need to complete quests to earn XP and gold. Which, on occasion, will require the player to slay a fearsome beast.

These encounters represent the boss battle sections of OSRS and if unprepared, players will succumb to the devastating dangers that these creatures have in their arsenal. However, we aim to help make your battle a stress-free affair with guides that help you prepare for the fight, learn the attack patterns and weaknesses of the beasts you encounter. Plus, we will give you the inside scoop on the lore and background of the bosses in question. In this guide, we take a look at Sarachnis, the mother of the temple spiders.

What Is Sarachnis?

As mentioned, Sarachnis is the mother of the temple spiders and represents the toughest arachnid enemy that you encounter in the Forthos Dungeon. Sarachnis is a mid-tier boss that is aimed at players who have tried their hand at boss battles in an attempt to bridge the gap to harder battles and top-tier PvM challenges. Players often attempt this battle around the same time that they seek out monsters such as KBD, Giant Mole and Barrows.

In terms of appearance, Sarachnis is a much larger red spider variant. With a model that has much longer legs with sharp crimson daggers at the end. Plus, when compared to red spiders, Sarachnis has a much larger body and head. This monster is dangerous in appearance and provides a fierce test for intermediate players.

Where is Sarachnis Located?

To find Sarachnis, you will need to travel to the Forthos Dungeon which is located in Great Kourend. This is located just north-east of the woodcutters guild. There are a number of teleportation locations which allow players to access this area fast. These are the aforementioned Woodcutters, Xeric’s Lookout or Kourend House.

As this area is full of spiders, you will need to bring along a slashing weapon. This will allow you to cut through the spiders webs in the dungeon and progress to Sarachnis’ lair. Try to take a path north through the dungeon and then hook left at the top. Taking the route left will lead to the player encountering red dragons in the Scorched Grotto.

What Are Sarachnis Immunities?

Before you commit to fighting this eight-legged beast, you will need to know what items to bring along and to do that effectively, you’ll need to know this monsters immunities. As you would expect, this gargantuan spider is immune to venom, so if that was a tactic you were planning on employing, it won’t do any good. Plus, the monster is immune to poison, so if you were planning on a defensive strategy where you would whittle down the boss’ health, we are afraid that won’t cut it either.

What Attacks Does Sarachnis Use?

As you would expect from a mid-tier boss, Sarachnis represents a challenge which provides a variety of attacks and considerations that the player must take into account. Sarachnis has a pair of standard attacks as well as three unique abilities that the player must be on the lookout for. Here is a breakdown of each Sarachnis ability:

Melee attack: This is the standard melee attack that Sarachnis will regularly use throughout the fight at close quarters. This attack animation sees the spider mother lift and smash her legs in the direction. This is much harder to evade than the standard ranged attack.

Ranged attack: If you prefer to strike from a distance, you’ll see much more of the ranged attack. This is an attack animation that will see Sarachnis hurl barbed web attacks at the player. This is the more preferable attack to defend against when battling Sarachnis so try to keep your distance.

Healing Strikes: One of the unique abilities that Sarachnis possesses is a healing strike. This means that everytime that she lands a standard melee attack or ranged attack, the monster will recover five and ten hit points, respectively. This is indicated by a magneta splat and will even occur when the damage inflicted is a zero. This effect means that you’ll need to be elusive if you want to take down this spider fast.

Spawn of Sarachnis: During the fight, Sarachnis will spawn two ‘spawn of Sarachnis’ enemies. These are spider variants which will only appear when Sarachnis is on 66% health or 33% health. This is random and cannot be controlled by the player. One spider will be a level 66 ranged magic attacker with a max hit of 11. Whereas the other will be a level 107 melee attacker with a max hit of 30. Each of these spiders have a hit point count of thirty.

Sticky Web: Sarachnis also has an attack that will bound the player, rendering them incapacitated for about three seconds. This will freeze the player in place and will guarantee a free hit for Sarachnis. This attack is known as sticky web and can be predicted by a sound cue which sounds like a hissing noise. This is the first attack that Sarachnis will use when you enter the battle arena.

What Should My Base Stats Be Before Fighting Sarachnis?

While it is possible to complete this quest with base stats that don’t represent a mid-tier character build. We would urge you to strive to have stats that make this more of a fair challenge that an uphill task with the odds stacked against you. Here is a list of base stats that we would suggest you have before you take on Sarachnis:

• Hit points: 65+
• Attack: 65+
• Strength: 65+
• Defence: 65+
• Magic: 60+
• Prayer: 50+

The most important of these stats are the defence stat as you will need to tank hits from the spawn enemies. The magic stat so that the ranged mage spawn doesn’t wipe you out and the strength stat which will allow you to equip the weapons needed to make this battle much easier. However, even if your stats are a little lower than this, you will still have a reasonable chance of beating Sarachnis, provided you follow a guide and prepare adequately.

How to Defeat Sarachnis

Now let’s go over the strategy for taking down this Goliath arachnid. Firstly, before we even discuss fighting this monster, you’ll need to know the best way to prepare for this battle. So with that in mind, lets go over the weapons and inventory you should use for this fight:

Inventory

There is no real ideal inventory setup for this fight and it will depend on the player’s preference. However, what we would suggest is that you take all of your best food, some restore prayer potions and Sara brew’s.

Weapons

In truth, there are a number of great weapons that are perfect for the occasion. Including a giant newspaper that sadly, wont be available upon your first meeting with this enemy. What you need is something that does plenty of crush damage as this is Sarachnis’ weakness and also, one that can hit fast to avoid getting pummelled by her minions. So with this in mind, here are the ideal weapons for the job:

• Abyssal Bludgeon
• Leaf-bladed Battle-axe (55 slayer needed)
• Elder Maul
• Saradomin
• Zamorak
• Bandos

Strategy: With the preparation covered, you are now ready to take on the mother of the temple spiders. So let’s talk strategy. Now, before you enter you’ll need to turn off auto-retaliate. The reason being that you’ll need to control your attacks when the spawn of Sarachnis come into play. Auto retailiate will only mess with your best laid plans, so turn it off before you take on Sarachnis.

As for battling this beast, you’ll need to have to swap prayers on the fly and defend against the right attacks based on your position. If you are far away from Sarachnis, protect from projectiles. However, if you are at close quarters you will need to defend against melee attacks.

It is also essential to count the attacks that Sarachnis does as every four attacks, the beast will use a special attack called sticky web. Getting hit with this attack will leave you bound for three seconds and allow Sarachnis to get a free attack in. However, if you count attacks and listen for the hissing noise that precedes the attack, you should be able to get out of the way pretty handily.

Ideally, you want Sarachnis to be using ranged attacks for the majority of the fight. So the best way to do this is by occupying the centre of the arena. Sarachnis has a habit of retreating to the corners of the arena before moving in on the player. So if you are in the middle of the arena, you can control the tempo of the battle and indeed, what attacks the mother spider uses against you. Melee attacks are much more difficult to evade so keep your distance from Sarachnis unless you are inflicting damage.

It is also worth noting that the first attack that Sarachnis will cast is her sticky web signature move. She will immediately attempt to stick you in place and stop you from carrying out your battle plan. So when you enter the cave, be wary of this attack, evade as best you can and if you manage to dodge this, you’ll have four normal attack animations before you’ll have to think about it again.

You’ll also have to be on the lookout for Sarachnis’ spiderlings which will spawn when the monster is at 66% health or 33% health. These enemies will serve as an annoyance but we would urge you to focus your attacks on Sarachnis as these minions can spawn repeatedly, so taking down the source of these spiderlings is the better option. Plus, your defence stat should help you weather the storm. If this becomes a struggle, kill the mage spiderling, the other doesn’t pose too much of a threat and can be easily evaded.

Also, if you want to fight this monster after you kill them, you will only have to wait ten seconds. She will respawn in the centre of the battle arena and all spawn from the previous battle will die.

What Drops Does Sarachnis Offer?

What are the reasons that you fight a boss fight? To progress through the game? To get the XP boost that comes with slaying a huge monster? The bragging rights? All these are fair reasons but within the confines of OSRS, the reason that players come back to boss fights time and time again, is for the loot that get dropped by a fallen foe. Sarachnis is no different and those who slay this arachnid boss will get their hands on a number of items and resources that will help players make money and progress their character within the game. Here is a rundown of the drops that Sarachnis offers:

• Dragon Med Helm – 1/192 rarity
• Sarachnis Cudgel – 1/384 rarity
• Rune platebody – 1/50 rarity
• Rune Med Helm – 1/50 rarity
• Rune 2H Sword – 1/50 rarity
• Battle staff – 1/50 rarity
• Blood rune – 1/20 rarity
• Chaos rune – 1/20 rarity
• Cosmic rune – 1/20 rarity
• Death rune – 1/20 rarity
• Soul rune – 1/20 rarity
• Mithril arrows – 1/50 rarity
• Mithril boots 1/50 rarity
• 17K – 25k coins – 1/16.67
• Dragon bones – 1/20 rarity
• Egg potato – 1/20 rarity
• Weapon poison (++) – 1/50 rarity
• Crystal Key – 1/100 rarity
• Spider carcass – 1/100 rarity

These are the main physical drops that can be earned from besting Sarachnis. The player can also obtain other items such as seeds, herbs and gems. With the best possible drops in these categories being tortsol seeds, snap dragon seeds, grimy tortsol, runite ore and uncut diamonds. The average value of one Sarachnis drop is anywhere between 28K and 30.5K gold. This is based on an average from 33,620 kills.

Do I Need an Active Quest to Fight Sarachnis?

While most boss fights will require the player to have triggered an active quest to gain access to the fight, Sarachnis doesn’t. This boss is one that players can technically access no matter what their skill level or time spent in the game. That isn’t to say that the player can walk straight into Forthos Dungeon without jumping through a few hoops. But in theory, there is no reason why a novice player can’t stumble into this battle and take a swing at Sarachnis. Here is a quick rundown of the criteria players will need to meet to engage in this battle:

• You will need to hand in the three tattered tombs to the acreuus library. To get these tomes you will first need to find Brother Aimeri who will then give you the information about the tomes.
• After this, you will need to acquire the tombs by killing low tier enemies in the dungeon. The tombs are random drops which can be obtained relatively easily. Once you have all three, place them in the Acreuus library and you will gain access to the hidden burial chamber where you will find Sarachnis.

Do I Lose My Items If I Die Fighting Sarachnis?

Unlike some monsters that you fight within OSRS, Sarachnis offers a much more forgiving affair. While a lot of monsters will claim your possessions after you lose a battle, this is not the case with the mother of the temple spiders. If Sarachnis bests you in battle, you will be able to travel back to her lair and pick up your gear at no cost. This means that even if you are a little under levelled for the battle, there is little risk for losing to this arachnid boss. However, the travel back to this area can be a pain so try your best to take her out at the first time of asking.

Do I Have To Face Sarachnis Alone?

The good news is that while some monsters will be a solo affair, Sarachnis is not one such monster. As this monster is in a multiple attack arena thanks to the spawn of Sarachnis monsters, you can bring along your friends for the battle. So if you are struggling to get one over on this fearsome foe. Bring along some higher levelled friends of yours and this boss should pose little threat. You may have to split the spoils of battle but that is a small price to pay for the joy of beating Sarachnis.

FAQs

Just For Fun

There are also some fun facts surrounding this monster that you may not have noticed. Firstly, it is likely that when you kill Sarachnis, you will receive an egg potato. Now, there is no literature to confirm this but many OSRS players believe that this is a food item that is a product of the spider eggs in the burial chamber. An interesting tidbit to say the least.

Then secondly, there is a Pokemon reference hidden within this encounter. When you examine the egg sacs in Sarachnis’ lair, you will see text pop up on screen that reads “It’s making sounds inside, it’s going to hatch soon!” Now if you are familiar with the Pokemon daycare system, then you’ll know what this is in reference to. This is word for word the description that is given to players when an egg is about to hatch in Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal. So there is a little treat for all you gen II fans out there.

So that is our extensive guide on how to best the mother of the temple spiders, Sarachnis. What do you make of this extensive monster handbook? Was this helpful for you? Would you like to see more guides for some other mid-tier boss battles in OSRS? Let us know in the comments section below and as always, thank you for reading.

• About
• Latest Posts

Callum Marshall

Callum Marshall is an experienced content writer. He’s been working in the business for several years and offers his services as an editor-in-chief, PR consultant, game tester, scriptwriter, and an all-around gaming aficionado. He lives and breathes gaming, and that’s why he’s here to provide you (the reader) with important news that matters without all the fluff.

Outside of working hours, he stops typing and picks up a controller. His favorite games of all time are Runescape, Kingdom Hearts, Journey, Fallout New Vegas, Disco Elysium, and he also dabbles in Rocket League in the lulls between titles. When he’s not gaming, you can find him rewatching Peep Show for the hundredth time or re-living his youth skating. Skateboards are the new comb-over, haven’t you heard?

Latest posts by Callum Marshall (see all)

• Regicide OSRS Guide: A Complete Walkthrough - September 30, 2021
• Monkey Madness OSRS Quest Guide: An Adventure on Ape Atoll - September 22, 2021
• Black Dragon OSRS Guide: Taking on these Dark Draconic Terrors - September 5, 2021