Desert Phoenix

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Desert Phoenix
Release date	11 April 2005 (Update)
Race	Phoenix
Members	Yes
Quest NPC	The Golem
Location(s)	North-west of the Ruins of Uzer
Gender	Female
Actions	Grab-feather, Examine
Examine	Definitely not a chicken.
Advanced data
NPC ID	1911
Links	MRND1911
Infobox • Talk page

The Desert Phoenix is a bird found flying along the west bank of the River Elid in the Kharidian Desert, north of the bridge to the Dominion Tower in the area where the river flows through a small gorge. It can be plucked with 25 Thieving to obtain a phoenix feather, granting 26 Thieving experience. The feathers are a component in super antifire potions; these should not be confused with the phoenix quill, a tertiary component for phoenix familiars and reborn phoenix pouches. Phoenix feathers are untradeable, but can be stored in a Beast of Burden. Like other pickpocketing NPCs, the desert phoenix will damage and stun the player if the player is caught.

During The Golem quest, players must steal one of its feathers and use it with black mushroom ink to create a phoenix quill pen. Before completing the quest, it is only possible to collect one phoenix feather at a time. After completion of the elite Desert achievements, players retrieve two feathers at once when plucking the phoenix. The desert amulet 4 does not need to be equipped in order to retrieve more than one feather.

The baseline auto-pickpocketing effect works on the Desert Phoenix, however, pickpocketing will be stopped when the player is caught. Thieving boosts will increase your success rate while gathering feathers and skillcape perk of the thieving cape will note them. If you have low Thieving and/or Constitution levels you may need to bring food to heal damage dealt by unsuccessful Thieving attempts. Protection from the desert heat is also needed in the area where the desert phoenix is located, unless you have completed the Crocodile Tears quest.

Getting there

• Use fairy ring code DLQ (after A Fairy Tale III - Battle at Ork's Rift or A Fairy Tale II - Cure a Queen with a lunar staff) and run north-west, cross the bridge near the Dominion Tower, and run a short distance north from there.
• Use the broomstick teleport from Swept Away, banking at the Shantay Pass bank chest and running directly east out of the gate. This method can produce 800-1200 feathers per hour.
• Once the Dominion Tower is unlocked, the Dominion medallion's teleport option may be used to reach the phoenix. The Dominion Tower is the closest bank, but a combat level of 110 is required to access it.
• Take the boat after pressing the blood button during The Vault of Shadows mystery at Kharid-et, which requires level 86 Archaeology.
• Using the traveller's necklace third teleport option and running south-west across the bridge south of the Dominion Tower then heading north.

Pickpocketing

Thieving level	25	Thieving XP	26 XP	Stun time / damage	6s /  ? + 3% of current life points
Loot
	Phoenix feather	1; 2	Always	1–2	1–2

Graphical updates

• 

  Desert Phoenix after 11 April 2005 (update)

• 

  Desert Phoenix after 9 July 2007 (update)

Update history

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included—see here for how to help out!

• update 7 November 2022 (Update):
  • Automatically picking phoenix feathers from the Desert Phoenix will no longer require the completion of Hard Desert achievements.

• patch 26 May 2020 (Update):
  • The Desert Phoenix can now be continuously auto-pickpocketed as a reward for completing the Hard Desert Achievements.

• patch 3 January 2013 (Update):
  • Players failing a pickpocket of the Desert Phoenix now take more damage.

• patch 7 November 2011 (Update):
  • The desert phoenix from The Golem has found a new home west of the Dominion Tower.

• update 11 April 2005 (Update):
  • Added to game.

Trivia

• The examine text of the desert phoenix is a reference to the examine text of a chicken: Yep, definitely a chicken.