Summoning

The Old School RuneScape Wiki also has an article on: osrsw:SummoningThe RuneScape Classic Wiki also has an article on: classicrsw:Summoning spells

This article is about the summoning skill. For information on training summoning, see summoning training.

Due to (an) update(s), this article may be out of date. Reason: Places where familiars are prohibited/hidden is inaccurate You can help improve this page by editing it.

Summoning
Release date	15 January 2008 (Update)
Members	Yes
Type	Combat
Statistics
Minimum level to be ranked	15 (as of 3 Oct 2023)
Players with 99	235,756 (as of 3 Oct 2023)
Players with 120	26,735 (as of 3 Oct 2023)
Players with 200M XP	8,635 (as of 3 Oct 2023)
Infobox • Talk page

Summoning is a members-only skill (though free players can train the skill up to level 5) that focuses on summoning familiars from the Spirit Plane by creating and using summoning pouches. Each familiar has a unique ability that requires a Summoning scroll, made from a corresponding pouch, to use. Familiars have a wide variety of uses, from fighting in combat to carrying items to providing invisible boosts to other skills. The Quest, Wolf Whistle acts as an introduction to the skill, though it is not required to begin training the skill.

The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 703,004) on the HiScores for Summoning is level 15. As of 03 October 2023, there are 235,756 current members that have achieved level 99 in Summoning. There are 26,735 current members that have achieved level 120 in Summoning.

Summoning level up (1-49)

Summoning level up (50-99)

Similar to Prayer, Summoning requires points to summon familiars and utilise their abilities. Summoning points are drained when Familiars are summoned. Summoning points are typically recharged by interacting with large or small obelisks. Alternatively, Summoning points may be restored through the use of Summoning potions or Super Restore Potions.

Getting started

Wolf Whistle (Quest)

A Spirit Wolf

As noted in the introduction, the Wolf Whistle quest is an excellent, though non-essential introduction to the Summoning skill. The quest is essentially a Summoning tutorial, and also introduces the player to Pikkupstix, who is the Summoning skill master. Additionally, the quest rewards the player with a 276 xp lamp, which, if the player is new to the skill, is enough to reach Summoning level 4 when used. The player also receives 275 gold charms, which is enough to further achieve level 18 in the skill, if each charm is used most effectively.

To maximise the XP gained from these charms, see the Beginner Summoning table further in this article.

Pikkupstix also offers several free Summoning items for new players at his shop.

The ethereal, lush Spirit Plane

The basics

The crux of Summoning lies within two areas:

• The creation of Summoning pouches, which are imbued with the essence of familiars from the Spirit Plane.
• The creation of scrolls that enable the unique special abilities of each familiar.

“	For many centuries now, the druids of Taverley and some of the ogre shamans of Gu'Tanoth have been bringing various familiars from other realms to help them with a variety of their tasks. Of course, the druids being peaceful and the ogres being more 'business-like', they traditionally summon entirely different familiars - what would a druid want with a rune minotaur, for example? What would an ogre do with a unicorn stallion? Having realised how useful this skill is to the adventurers of RuneScape, they have released the secret of their powers, and now you can enjoy the curious advantages that come with learning the art of Summoning. Summoning works by 'infusing' the essence of a creature from a strange realm into a type of pouch. When the Summoning pouch is opened, a portal is briefly activated to pull the familiar through to the world of RuneScape, where it is bound to serve its master for a period of time before the portal closes and it is pulled back.	”
— Summoning: The Basics Game Guide

Required items

Item	Description
Pouch	An empty pouch is one of the required base items for each Summoning pouch; all other required ingredients are placed inside the pouch. Pouches may be purchased from Summoning shops, and may also be obtaining by catching Spirit Implings (54 Hunter).
Spirit shard*	Spirit shards (shards) are required ingredients in each pouch*. Depending on the pouch being created, anywhere from 1 to 222 shards may be required per pouch. Thus, spirit shards are an integral item to keep on-hand when training the skill.
Charm	Charms are required ingredients in each Summoning pouch. The type of charm required varies depending on the type of pouch being created, but one (1) charm is always required. Charms are not tradeable items, and can only be obtained from NPC's as monster drops or otherwise.
Tertiary ingredient	Tertiary Summoning ingredients are the deciding ingredient as to which pouch will be made. Because of this, there are many possible tertiary Summoning ingredients. Many of these tertiary ingredients are difficult or dangerous to obtain, rare drops, and/or non-tradeable with other players. Furthermore, some pouches require two tertiary ingredients.

* Elder energy replaces the use of spirit shards in the creation of any of the five (5) Summoning pouches that use elder charms: nightmare muspah, blood nihil, ice nihil, shadow nihil, and smoke nihil.

Experience Boost (Outfit)

The Shaman's outfit is the experience-boosting outfit for the Summoning skill. The Shaman's outfit is acquired via Treasure Hunter, and began with a promotion on the Squeal of Fortune from 16 to 26 August 2013. Alternatively, pieces of the outfit can be obtained as rewards from the Familiarisation activity. When worn, each piece grants a 1% bonus to Summoning experience when training the skill. When all pieces of the set are worn, a 1% set bonus is added, providing a total set bonus of 6%.

Concept art of the complete Shaman's Outfit

Item		XP boost
	Shaman's headdress	1%
	Shaman's poncho	1%
	Shaman's leggings	1%
	Shaman's hand wraps	1%
	Shaman's moccasins	1%
Sub-total		5%
Set bonus		1%
Full set		6%

Other Summoning Equipment

Fang of Mohegan

Item	Description
Fang of Mohegan	Fang of Mohegan can no longer be obtained in RuneScape after an update but still exists in-game for those who had done so. The Fang of Mohegan is an item that, when worn, has a chance of doubling the monster drop rate of charms. It also allows the player to teleport to large Summoning obelisks. This item does not provide bonus experience.

Skill Boosts

Main article: Temporary skill boost

Temporary boosts for Summoning work differently than for most other skills. Creating and summoning familiars is tied to the absolute skill level, rather than the current skill level, so a boost will not enable a player to create a pouch or summon a familiar at a higher level. Instead, these boosts can be used to increase or restore Summoning points. They can also be used to meet effigy requirements. A Summoning boost will remain until excess Summoning points have been drained.

Summoning-boosting items

Item	Level Boost	Description
Summoning cape	+1	Boosts the player's Summoning level by one (1) level.
Musaberry	+2	Boosts the player's Summoning level by two (2) levels.
Mature pigswill	0	Boosts Summoning points by thirty (30), Farming by four (4) levels, and reduces Attack and Strength by three (3) levels. Heals up to 880 life points.
Pork pie	0	Boosts Summoning points by fifty (50). Boosts Farming by five (5) levels. Heals up to 1350 life points.
Adv. pulse core	+7	Can boost the player's Summoning level by seven (7), and xp gain by a maximum of ten percent (10%).

Other ways to boost Summoning

Feature	Level Boost	Description
Clan citadel	±10	It is possible within the player's clan citadel to use the powerup skill tile to boost Summoning by ten (10) levels. This is a popular method for players to be able to use ancient effigies. This boost ceases when the player leaves the Clan Battlefield. These powerups may also be configured to decrease your Summoning level by ten (10), if desired.
Quest	>10	It is also possible to obtain a significant Summoning boost after touching the Stone of Jas during Ritual of the Mahjarrat. Since Summoning points, like Prayer points, do not regenerate or wear off with time, this boost lasts even after finishing the quest until a familiar is summoned and points drain below one's Summoning level or until one's character dies.

Pouches

Main article: Summoning pouches

A player infusing pouches at an obelisk

The creation of Summoning pouches is the main method of gaining experience in the Summoning skill, and are used to summon familiars. The creation of a pouch is relatively simple: it is created by infusing the appropriate items at an obelisk, and can then be used to summon a familiar. Summoning pouches are destroyed when used to summon familiars, and are not restored to the player when the familiar departs.

Beginner Summoning

The following table will be most helpful to those who are new to Summoning, and have completed the Wolf Whistle quest.

Those who have completed Wolf Whistle will have been rewarded with a 276 xp lamp and 275 gold charms. When used most effectively, the combination of the xp lamp and charms can yield the xp necessary to achieve level 18 in the skill. The player will need to acquire the necessary spirit shards and tertiary ingredients to create the following pouches.

Level	Pouch	Quantity needed	Charm	Spirit shards		Cost of Shards		Tertiary Ingredient	Cost of Tertiary Ingredients		XP per Pouch	Total XP
				Per Pouch	Total	Per Pouch	Total		Per Pouch	Total
4	Dreadfowl	95	Gold charm	8	760	192	18,240	Raw chicken	1,375	130,625	9.3	883.5
10	Spirit spider	54	Gold charm	8	432	192	10,368	Spider carcass	2,660	143,640	12.6	680.4
13	Thorny snail	72	Gold charm	9	648	216	15,552	Thin snail	1,502	108,144	12.6	907.2
16	Granite crab	36	Gold charm	7	252	168	6,048	Iron ore	894	32,184	21.6	777.6
Totals		257	257	2,092		50,208			414,593		3,248.7 xp

Acquiring charms

Main article: Summoning training/Obtaining charms (P2P)

Scrolls

Main article: Summoning scrolls

Summoning scrolls are required to perform a familiar's special move. The special moves the scrolls can perform vary widely and are tied to the familiar. You must have the familiar summoned that the scrolls are tied to in order to use them. Using a scroll does not use any summoning points. Instead, it uses Summoning spell points. Players must have enough points on the spell point bar to perform the action.

Scrolls are created by converting charged familiar pouches into scrolls at an obelisk. One pouch can be converted into 10 scrolls that are tied to the familiar the pouch was fused with.

Familiars

A moss titan

Main article: Summoning familiars

The spiritual magic circle that appear when you summon a familiar of the Spirit Plane

A player summoning a beaver familiar

Familiars are creatures that players may summon in order to help them with various tasks. The familiars have many different abilities, from boosting skills to aiding you in combat. All familiars have a special move which can be activated with Summoning scrolls. Only one familiar can be summoned at a time, and must be dismissed before another can be summoned.

In order to summon a familiar, players must use the "Summon" option on a Summoning pouch. Summoning familiars costs summoning points (similar again to Prayer points). While a familiar is out, summoning points will be slowly drained until they reach 0, again similar to prayer. The familiar does not disappear when the points reach 0, but any right-click abilities will be unavailable until the summoning points are recharged. Summoning points must be recharged at an obelisk or a small obelisk, by using Summoning potions or Super restore potions, or with the Ardougne cloak 4 when a familiar is present.

Players can talk to their familiars if they have at least 10 or more summoning levels above the required level to summon that familiar, (e.g. a spirit wolf can be understood at level 11) with some exceptions, such as minotaurs. Because the level cap at 99 and various other reasons, some familiars cannot be understood. (all summoning familiars requiring level 90+ summoning)

The Chocatrice that could be commanded during the 2008 Easter event is one of the only three creatures that could be controlled by non-member players.

Eek! the spider, which could be obtained by doing the 2009 Halloween event, can also be controlled by a non-member.

Non-members can also summon a squirrel using the squirrel ears obtained during the 2010 Easter event.

The Spirit Wolf is considered the signature familiar as it is the icon for the Summoning skill. 

Special abilities

Each familiar has a different special ability that they are able to use. Some are accessed by talking, using the familiar's special button, right clicking a familiar for another option, or simply summoning them. Players can allow their familiars to autofire their combat oriented special attacks. This can be enabled by right-clicking the Summoning Points bar (the "special bar" that says x/60) on the familiar interface and setting an interval. To disable autofire; set the interval to 0.

Abilities	Description
Fighter	These familiars will fight alongside a player, and have combat levels similar to regular creatures. Until a recent update, a player had to be actively fighting and taking damage for their familiar to fight; but now it is possible to safespot with Ranged or Magic, and still have your familiar fight.
Light enhancer	Some familiars can see well in the dark and will make any light source a player carries brighter.
Skill Booster	These familiars can either temporarily raise your level in a given skill, or provide an 'invisible' boost that is always active. If that stat has already been raised by a potion the skill boost will not work. Invisible skills boosts do not allow the player to perform an activity above their level; they simply help the player in increasing the efficiency of their activity at their current level.
Remote view	These familiars can fly into the air and allow the player to see through their eyes, giving the player the ability to see things much further away.
Beast of Burden	A beast of burden or BoB can carry a varying number of items. Certain familiars can only carry specific items, and only abyssal familiars can carry rune essence and pure essence.
Healer	These familiars can heal a player's life points at a given rate. For example, the Bunyip heals a player 2% of their Life Point every 15 seconds.
Forager	A forager will find certain items from time to time, and can carry up to 30 of a specific type of item. Players are only able to withdraw items from these familiars, not deposit items in them.
Teleporter	These enable the summoner to teleport to a specific place when talked to. Examples are Spirit Kyatt and Arctic Bear.

Forbidden areas for familiars

There are certain places where players cannot summon familiars or bring them in:

• Party Room
• The Runespan
• Tears of Guthix
• Familiars cannot be summoned at a big obelisk, although those that are already summoned can be brought to one
• Familiars cannot be summoned at the Nature Grotto in Mort Myre Swamp, although those that are already summoned can be brought here
• Familiars cannot be summoned or brought into a player-owned house while in building mode, and building mode cannot be enabled with a familiar present
• The aquarium in a player-owned house
• Many locations related to quests
• Entrana - The monks will not allow any familiars or scrolls on Entrana
• Keldagrim and Dorgesh-Kaan stations
• The Elemental Workshop
• Some minigames:
  • The Barrows minigame area - does not apply to Barrows: Rise of the Six
  • The Mage Training Arena
  • Pest Control - Familiars cannot enter the Void Knight boats
  • Barbarian Assault - Whilst playing, familiars are not allowed
  • Stealing Creation - Familiars and pouches from outside are prohibited; can summon Clay beings inside the minigame
  • The TzHaar Fight Caves
  • The Pit
  • The Sawmill Training Area - The Beaver cannot be brought in for the +2 Woodcutting level boost
  • Under Daemonheim - Familiars and pouches from outside are prohibited; can summon special familiars from the Gorajo tribes within Daemonheim
• For most transportation methods, familiars will automatically follow the player. Familiars, however, cannot be taken on some types of transportation, including:
  • The Broomstick teleport option to the Sorceress's Garden cannot be used if the player has a familiar summoned.
  • The Dorgesh-Kaan - Keldagrim Train System cannot be used if the player has a familiar summoned.
  • The Ancient Cavern pier entrance cannot be used if the player has a familiar summoned. However, familiars are allowed inside the cavern itself, and players can summon them there or bring them with them when using the fairy ring network or teleporting to Kuradal using a Ferocious ring
• Golrie's Strongroom
• The Brimhaven Agility Dungeon
• The Lumbridge Crater

Some areas are not actually forbidden, but the familiar 'returns to the spirit plane' while the player is there. When the player leaves the area, the familiar returns. These areas include:

• The Grand Exchange
• Every spa at Oo'glog
• The Varrock Museum
• The Guthixian Caches
• Fish Flingers
• The Fight Cauldron

Pets

Main article: Pet

Pets are animals that follow you all around RuneScape and are purely for decorative/entertainment purposes - with the exception of the broav, which plays a part in While Guthix Sleeps, the Saradomin owl and the Zamorak hawk, which both provide protection from respective factions in the God Wars Dungeon, and the platypus, which can be used to obtain caskets. They are very similar to pet cats, which can be obtained from the Gertrude's Cat quest. The differences are that you have to continue feeding your summoning pets after 100% growth, and pet cats require stroking to keep them from running away, whereas summoning pets do not.

Locations

Summoning shops

There are Summoning shops in Taverley, Gu'Tanoth, the Amlodd district of Prifddinas, and the Nature Grotto wishing well.

Pet shops

Main article: Pet shop

Pet shops exist in Yanille and Taverley. Players can buy pets and pet food at these stores, but only certain pets (as you get a cat from Gertrude in Varrock after completing Gertrude's Cat).

Summoning obelisk

• Obelisks (as opposed to Small obelisks) are fully charged with summoning energy and can be used to recharge Summoning points. They can also be used to infuse pouches and scrolls although cannot be used to heal injured familiars. See Summoning points and infuse pouches and scrolls the main article for a list of their locations.

• Small obelisks are partially-charged with summoning energy and may be used to recharge summoning points or heal injured familiars, but not to infuse pouches or scrolls. They have many locations, such as Edgeville or even, if the player has the required Construction level and materials, in a player's POH. For a complete list, please go to the main article.

Travelling

A player wearing a Summoning cape and performing the Skillcape emote.

See Summoning obelisk trips for a guide on fast trips to and from Summoning obelisks.

Cape of Accomplishment

Once a player has mastered the skill and reached level 99, Pikkupstix (in Taverley) will sell them a Summoning cape. Refer to the Capes guide for more details. Because Summoning takes many other combat skills to raise, untrimmed capes are very rare. Before the Bonus Experience Weekend, very few players had obtained an untrimmed Summoning cape, however several players managed to obtain the untrimmed cape during the event.

Distractions and Diversions

This section refers to the Distraction and Diversion, Familiarisation. Visit the full article here. Upon skill mastery (level 99), Pikkupstix reveals that Familiars hail not from Gielinor, but the Spirit Plane. The Distraction and Diversion, Familiarisation allows you to access this realm for a limited amount of time each week, where you will be "Familiarised" and hunt for raw shards.

Skilling pet (Shamini)

Main article: Shamini

Like all skills, there is a skilling pet obtainable from training this skill. The pet for the Summoning skill is called Shamini.

Quests with a Summoning requirement

• 14 - Bringing Home the Bacon
• 19 - Spirit of Summer
• 23 - Summer's End
• 23 - While Guthix Sleeps
• 37 - A Fairy Tale III - Battle at Ork's Rift
• 41 - The Curse of Arrav
• 45 - Salt in the Wound
• 48 - A Void Dance
• 55 - The Void Stares Back
• 65 - A Clockwork Syringe
• 67 - Fate of the Gods
• 74 - One of a Kind
• 75 - Plague's End

Quests for Summoning experience

Main article: Quest experience rewards § Summoning

Quest	Members	Experience reward	Summoning requirement	Other requirements
Wolf Whistle		276	N/A	N/A
Bringing Home the Bacon		350	14	14 Farming 14 Construction
A Fairy Tale III - Battle at Ork's Rift		1,000	37	59 Magic 54 Farming 51 Thieving 36 Crafting
Spirit of Summer		1,000	19	26 Farming 35 Prayer 40 Construction
Summer's End		1,500	23	35 Hunter 37 Woodcutting 45 Mining 47 Firemaking 55 Prayer
The Curse of Arrav		4,000	41	37 Slayer 61 Agility 64 Ranged 64 Strength 64 Mining 66 Thieving
A Void Dance		8,000	48	46 Hunter 47 Construction 47 Mining 49 Herblore 52 Woodcutting 54 Thieving
Salt in the Wound		12,500	45	60 Defence 50 Constitution 47 Herblore 35 Dungeoneering
A Clockwork Syringe		15,000	65	50 Dungeoneering 61 Slayer 62 Construction 74 Smithing 74 Thieving 76 Defence
The Void Stares Back		20,000	55	80 Magic 78 Attack 78 Strength 71 Firemaking 70 Construction 70 Crafting 70 Smithing 25 Defence
Fate of the Gods		50,000	67	73 Agility 75 Divination 76 Slayer 79 Magic
Plague's End		50,000	75	75 Agility 75 Construction 75 Crafting 75 Dungeoneering 75 Herblore 75 Mining 75 Prayer 75 Ranged 75 Woodcutting
One of a Kind		80,000	74	40 Divination 67 Dungeoneering 81 Magic
Total		243,626

Achievements

Main article: Summoning achievements

Gallery

• 

  The login page when Summoning was released in January 2008

• 

  The login screen without the interface

• 

  The symbols that came out of the torches

• 

  The RuneScape banner during the release of Summoning.

• 

  The popup that appears once you reach level 5 in F2P.

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!

• patch 13 September 2021 (Update):
  • The familiar renewal message is no longer duplicated when the familiar is renewed with an active Totem of Summoning.
  • Fixed an issue where players could not restore Summoning points if they didn't have a pet summoned.

• ninja 13 September 2021 (Update):
  • Changed the Grand Exchange buy limit for spirit shards from 10,000 to 500,000.

• ninja 14 June 2021 (Update):
  • Behaviour
    • Familiars will now return to players faster when stuck against terrain.
    • Familiars that previously only fought in self-defence, such as Bunyips or Unicorn Stallions, can now be ordered to attack (they still won't attack by default).
    • A new 'Combat Mode' Summoning setting will set your Familiar to always attack your current target, attack only in self-defence, or never attack unless specifically commanded to.
    • The duration of all Familiars has been standardised to increments of 16 minutes - 16, 32, 48, 64 and so on.
      • Some outliers have been rebalanced and had their duration increased or decreased where appropriate.
      • Dungeoneering and Stealing Creation Familiars will all last for 64 minutes and 32 minutes respectively.
    • The Anachronia Totem of Summoning now increases all Familiar durations by 16 minutes instead of by 10%.
    • All Familiars except Spirit Pack and Prayer Pigs may now store their respective scrolls.
    • The following Familiars can now auto-fire their scrolls:
      • Spirit Spider
      • Macaw
      • Spirit Terrorbird
      • Ibis
      • Fruit Bat
      • Nightmare muspah
      • Ghast
      • Spirit war pig
      • Ravenous locus
    • Some Familiars can no longer have their auto-fire set. Previously, these Familiars could set a rate but would never actually fire.
    • Legendary pets with the Beast of Burden ability can now be turned into Beasts of Burden by left-clicking or tapping the pouch.

• • UI
    • The 'Follower Details' interface has been updated:
      • Various icons have been replaced with new graphics.
      • The familiar special points bar is now green, the same colour as its action bar variant.
      • Added a button to set the special attack auto-fire rate and removed the right-click option to do the same thing on the special points bar.
      • Added a new button to directly access Familiar Settings from the Settings interface.
      • Added a new button to store or take scrolls with four different options: 'store max', 'take all', 'store x' and 'take x'.
      • Added a new information panel which, when expanded, displays all information regarding the Familiar which could usually be found on the Pouch.
      • Added hover/tap tooltips to various interface components.
      • The indicator for scrolls remaining in the Backpack and held by the Familiar has been made more prominent.
      • Interface components will now auto-adjust when resizing the interface.
      • These changes also apply to the Beast of Burden Inventory view, where you'll find a new collapsible panel for the relevant buttons.
    • Added two new settings to automatically close and open the Follower Details interface when a Familiar spawns or despawns.
    • On Mobile, the Beast of Burden Inventory now has bigger slots for better visibility.
    • With few exceptions, despawning familiars will no longer automatically close open interfaces.
    • Follower interaction settings can now be found in the main Settings menu, under both Combat and Skilling options.

• • General QoL
    • Tooltips for Summoning Pouches now display:
      • Summoning level required
      • Familiar duration
      • Type of Familiar, i.e. Beast of Burden or Skill Booster
      • Familiar abilities, if applicable
      • Relevant scroll and effect
      • Which Combat Mode is enabled by default
      • Highlighted keywording
    • Familiar scrolls have had a similar tooltip touch-up and now display the Familiar they belong to and how many special move points they'll consume.
    • Familiar scrolls are now also named after their respective Familiars. For example, 'Death from Above' is now 'Ripper Demon Scroll (Death From Above)'.
    • Dungeoneering and Stealing Creation Familiars have also had their scroll and Pouch information updated.
      • Those same Familiars can also hold their own scrolls now.
      • They'll also be affected by the Anachronia Summoning Totem.
    • Various Familiar buttons can now be dragged to the action bar, including:
      • Give to Beast of Burden
      • Take from Beast of Burden
      • Dismiss Familiar
      • Call Familiar
      • Use Scroll
      • Attack
      • Renew
    • When a Familiar despawns, any scrolls it was holding will now be sent to the Backpack. If space is not available, they will go to the Bank. If the Bank is also full, they'll be dropped.
    • Added info-box messages for various erroneous actions, such as casting scrolls for a Familiar when there are none available.
    • The term 'Summoning special points' has been changed to 'Familiar special points'.
    • Abyssal familiars now use the bank note terminology rather than certs.

• patch 14 December 2020 (Update):
  • Summoning tasks in Yak Tracks are now less restrictive and allow you to create a wider range of pouches.

• patch 20 January 2020 (Update):
  • Runescape Mobile:
    • Resolved a problem with the ordering of options when long-pressing on the Summoning Globe from the mobile HUD.

• patch 2 December 2019 (Update):
  • Dogs no longer appear as members only in the Summoning skill guide.

• patch 14 October 2019 (Update):
  • Gregorovic's Memory cutscene at The Heart of Gielinor is no longer cut short if you have a familiar summoned.

• patch 23 September 2019 (Update):
  • Noted damaged hides from Big Game Hunter can now be placed in beast of burden inventories.

• patch 3 September 2018 (Update):
  • Activities that drain your Summoning level rather than Summoning stat will no longer block you from restoring your Summoning level through standard means.

• ninja 20 August 2018 (Update):
  • Summoning will now visibly display as 990 and the summoning stat will not be drained when using summoning pouches.

• patch 18 December 2017 (Update):
  • It is no longer possible to save more charms than are used when crafting Summoning pouches.

• hotfix 9 October 2017 (Update):
  • Lapsed free players can now call and/or dismiss their followers after dropping a cat or a kitten.

• patch 12 September 2016 (Update):
  • Summoning familiars no longer state an outdated XP type next to their name in the Summoning skill guide.

• patch 12 October 2015 (Update):
  • Familiars' life points are restored from an obelisk when the player already has maximum summoning points.

• patch 15 June 2015 (Update):
  • Players will no longer be told that they don't have any summoning materials when trying to create pouches with a legendary Beast of Burden pet summoned.

• patch 5 January 2015 (Update):
  • Gaining level 75 in the relevant skills for Plagues' End is now mentioned in the skill advance messages.

• patch 1 July 2014 (Update):
  • Familiar summon animations have been updated.

• update 17 December 2013 (Update):
  • Reverted the changes made earlier this month to the Summoning skill. Any players who still have uncharged pouches can now convert them into the relevant amount of experience and pouches.
  • Players with charges left in their Spirit gems can now use up the charges for the correct amount of experience. As players will not receive pouches for this, their gem will convert into a new-style spirit gem.
  • Each charge in a new-style spirit gem now equates to a free charm when crafting pouches. There is a varying trigger chance for the gems: from 10% for a sapphire, to 60% for an onyx.
  • Spirit gems can now be equipped in the pocket slot.

• patch 11 December 2013 (Update):
  • Creating unfinished Summoning pouches now works off of the player’s Summoning level and not the number of active Summoning points.

• hotfix 3 December 2013 (Update):
  • Increased the amount of special move points for the Iron Within and Steel of Legends scrolls to 25, to account for how powerful they now are.
  • Summoning familiars now deal 50% damage against Ascension dungeon creatures, to account for their buffed stats.
  • Players now gain the correct XP when crafting Summoning pouches using Spirit gems.
  • Players may once again craft Summoning pouches with a lowered Summoning level.

• update 3 December 2013 (Update):
  • Pouches, shards, charms and tertiary ingredients can be combined anywhere to make uncharged pouches. You can then take these to an obelisk to render them usable, and to earn your Summoning XP.
  • Spirit gems started appearing in the game as drops. These can be used to store uncharged pouches (5, 10 or 20, depending on whether it's a spirit sapphire, emerald or ruby), making runs to the obelisk even more efficient.
  • The stats of several Summoning familiars have been overhauled.

• patch 13 August 2013 (Update):
  • Summoning boosts no longer cause the requirement for pouches to display incorrectly in the make-x interface.

• patch 3 July 2012 (Update):
  • Ghasts have been added to the Summoning Skill Guide.

• patch 6 March 2012 (Update):
  • Summoning is no longer boosted via the Stone of Jas.

• patch 14 February 2012 (Update):
  • The Summoning interface now highlights the pouches the player can craft more clearly.

• patch 31 January 2012 (Update):
  • The Summoning icon now has options when clicked on the bottom-right corner.

• patch 31 August 2011 (Update):
  • The pet Jad is now listed in the Summoning skill advance guide.

• update 25 May 2011 (Update):
  • We've added a toggle option to the Summoning pouch/scroll creation interface, so you can view either all possible pouches/scrolls that can be made or only those you're currently carrying the tertiary component for. The option you choose will persist between logins.

• patch 4 January 2011 (Update):
  • In-game skill guide for Summoning now lists Fremennik helms more clearly.
  • Fixed the capitalisation on some messages about Summoning headgear.

• patch 20 December 2010 (Update):
  • Charged Summoning headgears have had damage soaking applied to them.

• patch 11 January 2010 (Update):
  • Clarified the messages when using the Abyss to get to Entrana with Summoning items.

• update 18 August 2009 (Update):
  • All combat familiars will now follow you into a fight much more promptly.
  • Updated the Summoning status globe (the button near the minimap) so that you can configure what happens when you left-click on it. One option included is to send your familiar to fight an NPC or another player on a PVP world.
  • Added the Menegerie in which you can store a number of fully grown pets of any kind. You could create a haven for all three god birds, for instance, or build your very own little dragons’ den.

• patch 21 July 2009 (Update):
  • Added a Summoning obelisk icon to the Stronghold of Security minimap.

• update 8 July 2009 (Update):
  • All functions of the Summoning interface moved to the Summoning icon near the mini-map.

• patch 22 June 2009 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue with the last charge with the Summoning headgear.

• patch 27 May 2009 (Update):
  • Resolved an issue in the Summoning skill in which the code didn't correctly handle situations where you may not have had a follower.

• update 28 April 2009 (Update):
  • Firstly, we have raised the pet limit so that you can have twice as many pets as before.
  • Secondly, you don’t need to wait until a familiar has disappeared to use the next pouch; now you click a handy button in the Summoning interface to replenish your familiar’s timer to 100% when it has dropped below two and a half minutes.

• update 6 January 2009 (Update):
  • Phoenix familiars and Phoenix egglings released.

• update 15 October 2008 (Update):
  • Summoning is separated from overall combat level.

• update 7 May 2008 (Update):
  • Bogrog will swap Summoning pouches for 70% of the spirit shards needed to make them.

• update 31 March 2008 (Update):
  • With this update, each familiar stays out for a set period of time, regardless of the summoner's skill level, so there is no need to renew your familiar.
  • You will now find that Summoning a creature is far more preferable to either selling the pouch or high-alching it.
  • Many of you felt that combat familiars should give combat XP. We definitely agree, so each combat familiar now gives XP when they cause damage.
  • Taking your combat familiar into battle will reveal our next improvement: each creature is significantly tougher.
  • Acquiring charms has been made easier this week, with charm drops added to nearly 20 of our Slayer creatures.
  • For those who prefer sleight of hand over the crossing of swords, we have also added charms to the Dorgesh-Kaan chests, so thieves can access them, too.
  • Recharging Summoning points has been made easier, with miniature obelisks scattered across the world to keep you topped up.
  • Buttons have been added to help you 'dump' items from your familiar to your inventory and your familiar to your bank.
  • Headgear and headdresses can hold more scrolls per item, many existing helmets can be enchanted to hold scrolls.
  • Expansion of Beast of burden inventory limit.
  • So, this week, the big guns arrive, largely in the form of the titans. These humanoid creatures don't only have a killer punch; significantly increase your chance of success when Mining and Firemaking, boil adventurers in their own armour or even recharge amulets of glory! You can expect them to range all the way up to level 99, too.
  • A few inches shorter, but no less daunting, are the big cats from the Hunter skill. As an example of just how many things each familiar can offer you, the graahk, kyatt and larupia are capable of teleporting you to Hunter areas, boosting your chances of trapping a creature, and lending a powerful paw when you need them in battle.
  • We can guarantee that the other familiars do more than make up the numbers. Fans of Pest Control will know the void pests, with their ability to teleport you to the landers, while other recognisable familiars include the talon beast, spirit mosquito, pyrelord and the fearsome giant chinchompa.

• update 17 January 2008 (Update):
  • The price of shards has halved, taking them from 50gp to 25gp. You may purchase these shards from Pikkupstix in Taverley.
  • Those of you who purchased shards at 50gp will not be disappointed. When you next log into the game, we will calculate approximately how many spirit shards you have bought and used at the increased price. Pikkupstix will then offer you an appropriate number of spirit shards. This is to compensate you for the reduction in price.
  • We have amended the object prices of several Summoning pouches, so that they are based on their shard requirements.

• update 15 January 2008 (Update):
  • Summoning skill added to game.
  • Strange obelisks have been spotted underground and in the farthest reaches of RuneScape. What could they be for? Who put them there? And what do they have to do with our new members-only skill, Summoning?
  • One obelisk in particular has been causing trouble for Taverley's most well-known summoner, Pikkupstix, as a giant wolpertinger has used it to break free from the spirit plane. This pesky rabbit, wolf, reindeer...thing is now munching on Pikkupstix's bedclothes, and the druid needs your help to do a spot of banishing...
  • So begins this week's Wolf Whistle quest, which you will need to complete if you wish to start training the Summoning skill, in much the same way as Druidic Ritual opens up the Herblore skill.
  • To get more information on how to start Summoning, visit the Summoning - The Basics page in our Knowledge Base.
  • Once you have completed the Wolf Whistle quest, you can begin raising your stats on your way to the Summoning skillcape! Some of the familiars you summon can help in combat, healing you or attacking with claws, paws, missiles or magic. This is reflected in an increase to the maximum Combat level, taking it to 138. This increased Combat level is not visible on free worlds.
  • Other familiars aid you outside of combat, including the ability to store items for you - like the pack yak, which acts as a temporary bank for 10 of your items. Some have slightly...stranger effects. Might 'Fish Rain' interest you?
  • New creatures - barker toad and bunyip - share room with those that are more 'familiar', like the smoke devil (the relative of the dust devil) and the spirit dagannoth. Those with a high enough Summoning level will even be able to talk to them - but beware, they aren't used to talking to humans...
  • You will recognise many familiars from previous newsposts, wallpapers, Development Diaries and Postbags from the Hedge, while others will be a complete surprise! There is such a wealth of familiars - 53 in fact - that it'll take months for even the most persistent to master their abilities, special moves and Summoning requirements.
  • In addition, high-level Summoners will unlock an array of 22 new pets. New dogs are at the lowest level, while the hardest pet to tame is...drum-roll...a dragon!
  • Phew! There is barely a moment to remind you of the extra batch of Summoning familiars and pets coming next month. If you think some of the creatures in this update are big, wait till you see what February brings...

Trivia

• In 2007, a player exploited a bug that made it possible to walk out of the templates map and get to the summoning cage area.
• The Run energy update on 9 June 2009 changed the summoning icon located near the mini-map to , but the next day it was changed to .
• Along with Mobilising Armies, the update on 8 July 2009 moved all the functions of the Summoning tab to the Summoning icon near the mini-map. Jagex cited the fact that it was only accessible some of the time as the reason for the change.
• During A Void Dance, if you talk to Jessika about what she studies, she will reveal that there are two types of summoning; Arcane and Druidic summoning. Druidic summoning is the skill players can learn, while arcane summoning is likely the branch of magic that Wizard Grayzag and Evil Dave study.
• Before the Troll Warzone update on 31 January 2012, the Wolf Whistle quest had to be completed before Summoning could be trained.
• Before the graphical updates, there was a Summoning icon and what level you are even if you are F2P. This is no longer valid.
• Until 7 February 2012, Beasts of Burden were unable to carry any untradeable item, but this was changed on that date to allow them to carry untradeable potions and potion flasks.
• The Summoning skill was significantly revamped on 3 December 2013, with the addition of Uncharged Summoning pouches, which must first be created before imbuing a pouch, and a buff to the stats of all combat familiars. 2 weeks later, the change was reverted in response to player feedback.
• When a familiar is sent away temporarily (such as in highly populated locations like the Grand Exchange), they are transported to a cage near the candlelight random event.
• Other races than druids, ogres, and humans appear to possess some knowledge of Summoning. For instance, the Amlodd Clan of elves and their leader, Lord Amlodd, are highly skilled in the art of Summoning.

See also

• Quest experience rewards - Summoning
• Pouches calculator
• Scrolls calculator
• Draw order, a finer point in familiar/player appearance.
• Grand Exchange Market Watch/Summoning
• Summoning/Level up table
• Summoning training, a guide to training Summoning