Best RS3 Bosses for Money 2024
Runescape 3 is very much a PVMer’s game. The best money-making methods in the game are PVM methods. And it isn’t even close (A sad reality for those who enjoy skilling the most). The best PVM methods will net you upwards of 100 mil GP per hour. Skilling caps out at around 30 mil GP at best at the moment. One of the best ways to interact with the PvM element of Runescape is farming RS3 bosses.
But while we would all love to jump straight into killing bosses like Nex or Telos, that’s far easier said than done. Endgame PVMing requires getting dozens of unlocks before you’re truly ready, as efficient PVMing is necessary to get the most GP/hour. Not to mention mastery of the ability bar, which I find essential in elevating your PVM game. But don’t worry; if skilling isn’t your thing, or if you merely want to earn GP via PVM, there’s a handful of bosses in Runescape 3 that provide solid GP/hour and aren’t too challenging. These bosses will also help you get a handle on bossing on RS3. This RS3 Bosses Guide will help you do just that.
Table of Contents
Recommended Stats and Gear for RS3 Bosses
The best combat style(s) will vary per boss, but level 60 Combat stats are enough for all of them. 43 Prayer for access to overheads is a good idea, though you won’t always need to use them. Use your best-in-slot gear for each combat style. Catfish is a cost-efficient food that heals for reasonably high amounts of HP. If you have a legendary pet, the Beast of Burden and Life Saver abilities can come in handy.
There’s a saying that modern problems require modern solutions. Well, naturally, old ones don’t. The following bosses aren’t much different from their OSRS counterparts, don’t require extreme mastery of the ability bar, and are pretty straightforward to kill. Take this time to experiment with ability load-outs while the threat level is relatively low.
1. Giant Mole
Getting There
- Teleport to Falador using the lodestone, then run into the park.
What to Expect
The Giant Mole is beneath Falador Park on the west side. Crawl down the plant roots to enter the Giant Mole’s lair.
There are five chambers in the lair, with the Giant Mole starting in the central chamber. Attack her to begin the fight. I recommend Magic for this boss. Magic is the best way to punch up in Runescape 3 and will allow for the highest damage output (Especially for mid-level players).
The Giant Mole has 78,000 HP. After getting her HP below a set threshold, she will burrow out of her current chamber and into a new one. You can track where she’s going by following the dirt clouds.
The different chambers of the lair will switch up the Giant Mole’s abilities.
- Chamber 1 (First phase): Immune to stun and poison
- Chamber 2: Berserk ability (Increased damage). While in chamber 2, she is susceptible to stun. Stunning the Giant Mole will remove her Enrage ability.
- Chamber 3: In chamber 3, the Giant Mole will use a ground pound attack that causes rocks to fall onto the player. She can also stun you while in this chamber. Using abilities like Freedom or Anticipation to prevent the stun will allow you to run around and avoid falling rocks.
- Chamber 4: The Giant Mole will use a digging attack in chamber 4. If in range of her when she emerges to attack you, you will take significant DOT damage.
- Chamber 5: In the final chamber of the lair, the Giant Mole will call for help from smaller moles. While alive, these smaller moles will reduce the damage the Giant Mole takes from your attacks.
- Chamber 1 (Final phase): The Giant Mole will return to Chamber 1 in the final phase. Here, she has access to the abilities of every other room. Get her down as quickly as possible. Once you do so, you can claim your spoils.
Note: Regardless of the chamber, don’t spot the Giant Mole safely. If you do, she will always use her falling rocks to attack. And if you’re in a safe spot, you can’t dodge them.
Unfortunately, the Giant Mole’s drops have not aged well, and the profitability of this boss has tanked pretty hard. You can trade the moleskin and claws you receive with Wyson the Gardener to obtain bird nests. Iron Man accounts may find this helpful. More than anything, fighting the Giant Mole is good for learning how to adapt to boss phases.
2. Chaos Elemental
Getting There
- Use the Edgeville or Ardougne teleport levels to teleport to the Deserted Keep, then run to the nearby Chaos Elemental.
- Use the Wilderness lodestone, then teleport using the nearby Wilderness Obelisk. Once at the northeast Obelisk, run northwest to the Chaos Elemental.
What to Expect
With a recent update allowing players to opt-out of PVP in the Wilderness, Wilderness bosses like the Chaos Elemental are much more accessible to mid-level players.
The Chaos Elemental has three attacks it will use against the player.
- Discord: The Chaos Elemental will launch a green orb attack at the player that will deal Ranged, Magic, or Melee damage up to 1104 damage. If you have access to overheads, which you should, Protect from Magic is the safest option since Magic is the most accurate attack style.
- Confusion: If you are within 20 squares of the Chaos Elemental, it will use a red projectile that will teleport you to a random location. For this reason, Ranged and Magic are recommended over Melee when fighting the Chaos Elemental. Ranged is the cheapest route.
- Madness: Madness is a red, green, and blue projectile that the Chaos Elemental will launch at you. When Madness hits, your main-hand weapon and several other equipped items will be unequipped and sent to your inventory. With a full inventory, you can completely negate the effect of Madness. I recommend using food that leaves behind items such as soups or pies. Curry is the most cost-effective and best healing food to use here.
The Chaos Elemental doesn’t take too long to defeat since it only has 17,000 HP. As far as drops go, the Chaos Elemental drops a wide assortment of items like runes, seeds, potions, and food. I highly recommend bringing a Beast of Burden to help prolong trips. Some of the best potential drops from the Chaos Elemental include the Dragon 2h sword, brawling gloves, and Ancient Warriors’ equipment. The drop rates for Ancient Warriors’ equipment here are far lower than if you were to kill Revenants, but still a possibility.
3. King Black Dragon
Getting There
- Use the artifact northwest of the Edgeville lodestone to teleport straight to the King Black Dragon’s Lair.
- Use the artifact in the Lava Maze Dungeon to teleport into the King Black Dragon’s Lair. Using this artifact grants a 10% damage boost against the King Black Dragon. Watch out for the poisonous spiders.
- If you have killed the KDB at least ten times, you can create a KBD portal at War’s Retreat.
What to Expect
As with all dragons, Dragonfire protection is a must-have here. The cheapest option is an Anti-dragon shield + antifire potion. The best option, however, is super antifire potions.
An update a month ago made super antifire potions tradable on the Grand Exchange. These provide 100% resistance to Dragonfire, which allows you to use two-handed or dual-wielded weapons against the King Black Dragon.
The King Black Dragon is extremely basic for a boss enemy. He primarily attacks with Dragonfire, though if you are within Melee range, he will also use Melee attacks.
Along with his standard Dragonfire attack, the King Black Dragon has three additional breath attacks: Poisonous, Freezing, and Shocking Dragonfire. Each deals minor amounts of damage (Even with 100% immunity to standard Dragonfire) and has secondary effects.
Poisonous Dragonfire deals will poison you, but the damage is negligible. You don’t even need to bring an anti-poison to counter this. Freezing Dragonfire will hold you in place for a short time, but you can still attack while frozen. Shocking Dragonfire will drain your stats by 2 when it hits you and also drain some Summoning points.
You can use any attack style you wish at the King Black Dragon. Depending on your combat levels, you can kill the KBD in less than a minute.
Like the Giant Mole and Chaos Elemental, the drops of this legacy boss have not aged well. The most valuable items, like Dragon Rider gloves or boots, have meager drop rates. You can expect an assortment of moderate-value loot like rune salvage, blood runes, and yew logs. The speed at which you can kill the KBD makes this boss a good option for those hunting for boss pets.
4. Kalphite Queen
Getting There
- Use Fairy Ring code B I Q to teleport close to the Kalphite Lair, then head inside.
- Run north from Bedabin Camp.
For either traveling method, bring something to protect you from the heat, like a Tome of Frost.
What to Expect
If fighting the Kalphite Queen for the first time, bring two ropes. You will need them to unlock full access to the Kalphite Hive and entryway to the Kalphite Queen.
Once down in the Kalphite Hive, use a rope of the hole leading to the second level. The Kalphite Queen will be waiting for you here. See to removing her crown.
The Kalphite Queen has two phases.
First Phase
In her first phase, the Kalphite Queen will use Protect from Magic and Protect from Ranged, so Melee is your only option. The cheapest and most effective Melee setup is your best offhand Melee weapon and the Keris dagger from the quest Contact! If you have at least a Desert amulet 3 from completing the challenging Desert achievements, your Keris will perform even better.
The Kalphite Queen has three attacks that she will use against you: Bite, Lightning, and Spines. Bite is a basic Melee attack and the Kalphite Queen’s only attack that can potentially miss you.
Lightning and Spines are Magic and Ranged attacks, respectively. Both have 100% accuracy, and Spines will drain your Prayer points by 10. Since the Kalphite Queen attacks with all three attack styles, Hybrid armor is ideal here.
Second Phase
After depleting her first health bar, the Kalphite Queen will rise and attack again. In her second and final phase, the Kalphite Queen is immune to Melee damage, forcing you to switch to Magic or Ranged.
If the Kalphite Queen gets near the cocoons on the edges of the chamber, Kalphite workers will spawn and attack you. For this reason, I find Magic and AOE abilities the best option for the second phase. But cost-efficiency-wise, Ranged is better.
The Kalphite Queen’s attacks remain unchanged in the second phase. Whittle her down with Magic or Ranged, and you will have defeated this pesky boss.
A recurring trend with the bosses I’ve listed is drop tables that have aged poorly. The Kalphite Queen isn’t a challenging boss, and you can rack up a solid amount of kills per hour and get some decent GP.
Unfortunately, one drop, in particular, has taken a massive hit: the Wine of Zamorak. The value of this drop is a tenth of what it was two years ago. The best drops you’ll get here consistently are blood, law, death runes, and a couple of pieces of rune salvage. The Dragon 2h sword and Dragon chainbody used to be the holy grails of this boss, but both are pretty worthless these days.
5. Barrows
Getting There
- Teleport to Canifis lodestone, run south, then use the Swap Boat at The Hollows. Using the boat requires the completion of The Nature Spirit.
- Use the trapdoor behind Hair of a Dog in Canifis to teleport to Mort Myre Swamp, then run to the Swamp Boat. If you’ve played the Burgh de Rott Ramble minigame (Which requires completion of In Aid of the Myreque and The Darkness of Hallowvale) and have trained Zachory Bragg to level 99, you can create a trapdoor shortcut that will take you straight to the Swamp Boat. Both methods require completion of In Search of the Myreque.
- Use fairy ring code B K R to teleport to the Mort Myre Swamp, then run to the Swamp Boat. Fairy ring access requires you to complete A Fairy Tale II – Cure a Queen.
- If you have defeated the Barrows brothers at least once, you can use the boss portal at War’s Retreat to teleport straight to the Barrows.
What to Expect
Once at the Barrows, dig at one of the mounds to enter a crypt. Once inside, search the sarcophagus until one of the Barrows brothers appears.
One sarcophagus will issue a prompt asking if you wish to enter a hidden passage. Save this one for after you’ve defeated all the brothers.
There are six primary Barrows brothers: Verac, Guthan, Ahrim, Dharok, Torag, and Karil. If you complete the Ritual of the Mahjarrat and Kindred Spirits quests, you will also run into Akrisae and Linza, respectively.
Each of the brothers has access to their respective armor set effects, so keep that in mind. Dharok is the most dangerous as his armor effect gives him the highest damage potential. Akrisae drains Prayer points and uses overheads, and Linza can reflect damage and has more HP than every other brother combined.
I recommend inexperienced players intentionally avoid unlocking Akrisae and Linza for now. Linza, in particular, isn’t worth fighting until you’re an endgame player. Due to her massive HP pool, she slows down efficiency and GP/hour on Barrows runs.
Magic is the best combat style for Barrows, as four brothers are susceptible to Magic. You should bring a Melee and Ranged option for Karil and Ahrim too. Consider wearing Hybrid armor to limit how much inventory space your armor takes up. Bring a dragon defender if you want to receive corruption sigils.
After defeating all the brothers, head back to the mound that leads into a hidden tunnel. Once down in the main crypt, you’ll need to make your way to the center room with the reward chest. Ignore the monsters, as it isn’t worth killing them.
Along the way, you can run into up to two Barrows brothers any time you enter a room. Killing as many Barrows brothers as possible increases the chances of getting a Barrow item from the reward chest, so I recommend killing the extra brothers. You only have a chance of receiving a Barrows item if you killed that brother.
Once you reach the door that allows you access to the reward chamber, a puzzle prompt will appear. You will need to solve it to get inside. The puzzles are easy, but if you get it wrong, it resets like the Lieutenant Surge switch puzzle from the first generation Pokemon games. If that happens, you’ll need to find it again.
After entering the reward chamber, loot the chest to receive your spoils. The meat and potatoes of Barrows runs are, of course, Barrows items. Linza has the most valuable drops. After her, Ahrim’s equipment and Karil’s crossbow give the most GP.
Killing six brothers will give you seven loot table rolls. If you fail to get any Barrows items, you will receive items from the standard drop table instead. The Amulet of the forsaken is very rare but worth nearly 16 mil at the moment. Not bad.
You will also get a decent chunk of elite clue scrolls from Barrows. If you’re a mid-level player, you likely don’t have the requirements to complete elites, but at least you can get a stash of them ready.
If you have completed the Hard Morytania achievements, you will receive double rune drops from reward chests and can instantly bank your loot. That will significantly increase the number of runs you can do per trip.
6. Daggonoth Kings
Getting There
- Teleport to Rellekka and speak with Jarvald to take a boat to Waterbirth Island
- Use a Daggonoth Kings teleport tablet to teleport close to the Daggonoth Kings lair.
- Use a portal at War’s Retreat to teleport to the entrance of the Daggonoth Kings’ lair. You must already have killed the Daggonoth Kings at least once.
- Use the Waterbirth Teleport Lunar spell to teleport straight to Waterbirth Island. Require 72 Magic and completion of Lunar Diplomacy.
- With Fremennik sea boots 3 or 4, change the teleport location on the enchanted lyre to Waterbirth Island by speaking with Olaf the Bard.
What to Expect
The Daggonoth Kings reside deep inside the Waterbirth Island Dungeon, so I recommend using a transportation option that sends you straight to them.
Once inside their lair, the Daggonoth Kings will attack you. If you’re feeling unconfident, limit how often multiple Kings can attack you by luring one of them to the corners and picking them off that way.
The three Daggonoth Kings, Rex, Supreme, and Prime, each have one attack style and are weak to only one attack style. Rex uses Melee and is weak to Magic, Prime uses Magic and is weak to Ranged, and Supreme uses Ranged and is weak to Melee.
A good gear setup here is your best Hybrid armor and three strong weapon options for Melee, Ranged, and Magic. If you have Fremennik sea boots 4, the Kings will drop noted Daggonoth bones. You can consider bringing magic notepaper to extend the trips further. The Daggonoth Kings frequently drop unnoted Sharks. You can stay here for quite a long if you’ve got the Combat levels.
The Kings are simple bosses to fight. Focus on one of them, then take down the others. They all have a max hit of 1788, and since they will tag team you, you can take a lot of damage quickly if you aren’t careful.
When starting, you can set the respawn time on your instance to one of the lower levels. Once you’ve gotten into a routine of killing the Daggonoth Kings, set it to fastest for the most GP/hour.
There’s only one reason you’d want to take on the Daggonoth Kings: a chance at some Fremmenik rings. Rex drops the berserker and warrior rings, Prime drops the Seers’ ring, and Supreme drops the Archers’ ring. The rings aren’t rare, so you can expect to get a few of these while taking down the Daggonoth Kings.
Daggonoth Kings peaked several months ago when the Seers’ ring went for 23 mil+, but it’s still quite valuable these days, fetching a price of around 13-14 mil. The Archers’ ring is about 7 mil, and the Berserker ring is around 6.3 mil. The only dud here is the Warrior ring at a paltry 400K.
RS Boss Farming is Intimidating But Not Impossible
Bossing in RS3 can be very intimidating at first. That’s especially the case if you try to dive into one of the more difficult bosses right away. But PVM is one of, if not the most enjoyable aspect of RS3 once you know what you’re doing. Out of the bosses listed above, only the Barrows brothers and Daggonoth Kings will net you serious profit. But profit isn’t the only reason I recommend taking on the other four. It’s all about dipping your feet into the vast boss pool of RS3. Soon, you’ll be able to dive into the deep end of the pool, and that’s where the real fun starts.
