Poison
Poison is a detrimental status that players and monsters may suffer when they are attacked by a poisoned weapon or poisonous non-player characters. The damage from poison can range from 1 to theoretically over 10,000 (Har'Lakk the Riftsplitter's accumulating poison), and it strikes every 10 seconds or whenever an attack re-applies it. Poison can be cured by antipoison, which is handy to have when fighting poisonous monsters.
When a player or monster is poisoned, a number appears with a green hitsplat (
), indicating the amount of damage the poison has dealt to their life points.
Being afflicted by poison does not disrupt skill training, Home Teleport, or put the player into combat stance, but players cannot rest if they are poisoned. Players will not take damage from poison during cutscenes, but their health still regenerates normally.
Inflicting poison[edit | edit source]
Weapon poison[edit | edit source]
Weapon poison is made through the Herblore skill. When the poison is used, the player's attacks will become poisonous for a limited time. Any attack style can benefit from weapon poison, including magic spells. Multi-target abilities like Ricochet will have a chance to apply poison to secondary targets as well.
There is a 12.5% chance per hit to poison opponents in combat. Poison damage is dealt on the first application and renews the poison duration. Poison hits every 10 seconds and wears off after 3 minutes. Weapon poison, when applied, appears as a buff, and the duration for which weapons will be poisonous depends on the strength of poison used.
- Weapon poison: Lasts 2 minutes 30 seconds, dealing between 7-24% of the player's ability damage per hit (tier 1). Current Grand Exchange price is 119 coins per (1) dose.
- Weapon poison+: Lasts 5 minutes, dealing between 9-30% of ability damage per hit (tier 2). Current Grand Exchange price is 776 coins per (1) dose.
- Weapon poison++: Lasts 10 minutes, dealing between 11-36% of ability damage per hit (tier 3). Current Grand Exchange price is 10,991 coins per (1) dose.
- Weapon poison+++: Lasts 12 minutes, dealing between 13-42% of ability damage per hit (tier 4). Current Grand Exchange price is 10,548 coins per (1) dose.
The following items boost the effects of weapon poison:
- Cinderbane gloves: Tier 90 Hybrid power gloves requiring level 85 Defence. While worn, the strength of weapon poison the player is using is increased by 1 tier.[1] Using both weapon poison+++ and cinderbane gloves will deal between 15-48% of the player's ability damage per hit (tier 5). The gloves have a passive effect that applies poison to targets while worn. If the target is already poisoned, the gloves adds a 1/6 chance for poison hits to refresh the poison effect and dealing an extra hit. This extra hit can do the same and so on, potentially causing a chain of rapid poison hits. Current Grand Exchange price is 102,184,134 coins.
- Kwuarm incense sticks: Each potency level of Kwuarm incense sticks provides a 2.5% increase to base poison damage (up to +10% base poison damage at maximum potency level 4).[2] The potency level will increase every 10 minutes. Overloading consumes 6 sticks but instantly provides the maximum potency. This effect stacks with the base poison damage coefficient increase from weapon poison and cinderbane gloves, however it does not affect the extra poison hits from the Cinderbane gloves' passive effect. Using weapon poison+++, cinderbane gloves, and kwuarm incense sticks (potency 4) will deal between 25-58% of the player's ability damage every 10 seconds (as well as the 12.5% chance per hit as long as the duration remains). Current Grand Exchange price is 38,483 coins per (1) stick.
Other poison[edit | edit source]
- Wyvern crossbow: Tier 85 two-handed Ranged weapon with successful hits causing rapid poison bleeds that increase in damage the longer the time spent in combat against the enemy.
- Upgraded bone blowpipe: Tier 87 (tier 90 accuracy, tier 85 damage) two-handed Ranged weapon that is automatically poisoned. When used, poison hits occur twice as frequently as normal, but the amount of damage they do is halved. This effect works in synergy with the passive effect of cinderbane gloves.
- Laniakea's spear: Tier 82 (tier 90 damage, tier 75 accuracy) two-handed spear with halberd range. Has a passive effect that increases poison damage by 5% and provides an additional 5% chance to apply weapon poison if it is active.
- Emerald bolts (e): Tier 60 mithril bolts can be made with level 53 Smithing and level 54 Fletching. Emerald bolt tips can be added at level 58 Fletching, then enchanted with level 27 Magic. Has a 55% chance per hit to deal 2-4% ability damage as a poison splat, scaling with other poison buffs.
- Emerald bakriminel bolts (e): Tier 95 bolts (requires level 99 Ranged) that are obtained with level 85 Woodcutting from Bloodwood trees and processed with level 93 Fletching and enchanted with level 93 Magic spell Enchant Bakriminel Bolt (Emerald). Has a 55% chance per hit to deal 2-4% ability damage as a poison splat, scaling with other poison buffs.
- Spirit scorpion: By using Spirit Scorpion scroll (Venom Shot), the player is applied weapon poison that only lasts 30 seconds, dealing between 7-24% of the player's ability damage per poison hit. Current Grand Exchange price is 73 coins per (1) scroll.
- Swamp titan: By using Swamp Titan scroll (Swamp Plague) , the titan attacks with poisonous magical attacks that will poison suspectible targets if the attack is successful. It appears to last 3 minutes, like regular weapon poison.
Poison sources[edit | edit source]
Several of Gielinor's monsters are naturally venomous, inflicting the poison effect on players periodically during combat, while others have special attacks that inflict poison.
Additionally, there are other sources of poison, especially from triggering traps, that are commonly associated with the Agility and Thieving skills.
Poisonous monsters[edit | edit source]
Obstacles[edit | edit source]
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Special poison[edit | edit source]
Certain monsters in the game can inflict poisonous damage that is different from conventional poison, usually as a result of being a special attack or an environmental mechanic. Unlike conventional poison, special poison does not turn a player's health bar green, and cannot be negated by regular cures and prevention means. The following monsters are able to inflict special poison damage:
- Polypore creatures will deal rapid poison damage when they come within melee distance if they have not been sprinkled with Neem oil.
- Luminous snagglers can launch three green projectiles into the air around themselves which will deal high poison damage in an area of effect where they land whilst healing the Luminous snaggler for each one that hits.
- Living Wyverns inflict a poison on their target with a potency that is dependent on the chill effect of the player, dealing less damage the colder the player is.
- Vinecrawlers can strike the player's current location from the ground for heavy poison damage, which can be avoided by moving out of the way.
- Venomous dinosaurs can cause rapid poison damage on their target, which can be cleared by using Freedom or killing the dinosaur that caused the poison.
- Bulbous crawlers can release a poison cloud that deals heavy poison damage, which can be prevented by moving the bulbous crawler during its special attack animation or running far away from it.
- Liverworts can stun the player and launch three spores in their direction. If the player does not run out of the way in time, all three spores will hit the player for poison damage and heal the Liverworts. If the attack is evaded, the three spores will damage the Liverworts instead.
- Yakamaru is able to release an "insane" poison that one player must absorb in order to infect Yakamaru and progress the fight. Players with the poison will take consistent poison damage which can only be removed by having Yakamaru absorb the poisoned player at the end of each pool phase. That player will then need be resuscitated or they will instantly die.
- The Crassian Leviathan creates pools of poison in the middle of the arena which deal unavoidable poison damage hits if players stand in them for too long.
Cure and prevention[edit | edit source]
Poison can be cured using various types of remedies, some of which provide an immunity. Antipoison potions are the most popular antidote and they come in various levels which provide progressively longer immunity to poisoning. All regular poisons can be cured by regular antipoison, but each poison hit that would have been received will lower the effectiveness of the antipoison used.
Poison can be cured by left-clicking on the heart icon next to the health bar when it is green with poison. This requires the player to have an antipoison in their inventory.
Cure & immunity[edit | edit source]
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Cure only[edit | edit source]
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Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]
- Poison purge aura converts poison damage into healing
- Inoculation brace absorbs 500 poison damage before breaking
- Anti-poison totem prevents poison while equipped in the off-hand slot but will not cure it, or it reduces poison damage by 50% when equipped in the pocket slot
- Venomblood perk prevents poison when its item is equipped but will not cure it
A safe alternative for players is to teleport to their Player-owned house; dying there will result in no items being lost. Additionally, leaving the house by using the teleportation methods available (e.g. mounted amulet of glory, the portal chamber, Exit Portal) will also cure poison completely.
Update history[edit | edit source]
- hotfix 9 August 2021 (Update):
- Poison no longer bypasses damage caps when Kerapac, the Bound transitions through phases.
- patch 11 January 2016 (Update):
- Several home teleport animations are no longer interrupted by poison.
- patch 9 November 2015 (Update):
- The poison timer icon will no longer remain visible when using a prayer book to cure the poison.
- patch 29 September 2014 (Update):
- Players can now cure poison with the unicorn via the ‘Heal’ option on the life points icon and the ‘Interact’ option on the Summoning icon.
- patch 13 August 2013 (Update):
- The inoculation brace now protects players from 500 poison damage before crumbling to dust.
- patch 4 March 2013 (Update):
- The "poisonous" indicator on the combat interface now works correctly after logging out and in again.
- patch 4 December 2012 (Update):
- Poison is no longer carried through Dungeoneering floors.
- patch 13 November 2012 (Update):
- The "Cure Poison" option on the lifepoints icon near the minimap now works with the Prayer book reward from Great Brain Robbery.
- patch 22 November 2011 (Update):
- Using unpoisoned javelins, knives or darts, whilst having a single item in the players quiver after summoning any familiar, will no longer cause players to poison NPCs.
- update 4 January 2011 (Update):
- You may now click the life points globe to cure poison with the Cure Me spell.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Picking nettles or farmed cave nightshade barehanded will inflict poison damage, as suggested by the green hitsplat, but will only hit once, leaving the player without any poison effect.
- With the introduction of the Evolution of Combat, many significant changes to poison's mechanics were made.
- Poison used to always slowly reduce in damage over time in a regular order.
- Weapon poisons can only be used on certain types of weapons (arrows, daggers, etc.) to make them poisonous until removed with a cleaning cloth.
- Karambwan paste caused spears and hastae to become poisonous when the paste was applied to them. The paste no longer has any poison effect on the weapons, and weapons with karambwan paste applied to them may not be used in combat.
- Smoke Spells from the Ancient Magicks spellbook previously could potentially poison targets and was the only way to do so using magic.
- Steel bolts (p+) is a remnant of the pre-EoC system, which remained as it is dropped by monsters.
- In the early days of Evolution of Combat, the poison was "drunk" by the player, before it received a unique "apply" option and animation.
- Most poisonous monsters are technically venomous, not poisonous - poisons are absorbed, consumed, or inhaled by the victim, whereas venoms are injected into the victim by bites or stings.
- In addition to poison, Old School RuneScape also has a venom mechanic. While poison decreases damage over time, venom damage increases over time. An antipoison potion turns venom into normal poison, and new anti-venom potions can completely cure it.