Weapon Special attack

Some weapons in RuneScape have special attacks available for them. There are many types of special attacks, from temporary boosts in stats, to strikes dealing extra damage.

They are activated by the player by clicking on the special attack bar under the Combat Options interface. Special attacks have an energy bar that is drained when you use the attack; this is drained of varying amounts according to which weapon is used. The special energy bar regenerates at rate of 10% every 30 seconds, requiring 5 minutes to regenerate from empty to full.

Dragon Dagger


Puncture. 25% Drain.
 * 2 very quick strikes with increased attack and strength.
 * Extra: The dragon dagger is the most common player killing weapon in the p2p version of RuneScape as it hits twice. This can easily kill an unaware player as it can deal well over, for example, 60 damage (hitting two 30s) using the special attack, along with a high enough Strength level and the proper prayers and/or potions. It is often used to "finish" an opponent off when its health is low. To equip the dagger requires the completion of Lost City.

Dragon Scimitar
Sever. 55% Drain.
 * A slash with increased accuracy that, if successful, prevents the target from using protection prayers for five seconds.
 * Extra: Requires the completion of Monkey Madness to equip.

Dragon Longsword
Cleave. 25% Drain.
 * Increases Attack and Strength by 50% for the special attack hit.
 * Extra: Requires the completion of Lost City to equip.

Dragon Mace


Shatter. 25% Drain.
 * Drastically increases Strength and decreases accuracy for one hit.
 * Extra: Requires the completion of Heroes' Quest to equip.

Dragon Battleaxe
Rampage. 100% Drain.
 * Temporary changes of:
 * Strength +20%
 * Attack -10%
 * Defence -10%
 * Ranged -10%
 * Magic -10%


 * Extra: Requires the completion of Heroes' Quest to equip.

Dragon Spear
Shove. 25% Drain.
 * Pushes the target back one square and stuns them. This attack does not deal damage and can only be used on opponents which occupy one square. (so other players or zombies would work, but a giant rat would not.)

Dragon Axe
Clobber. 100% Drain.
 * Lowers the target's Defence and Magic by the amount of damage done. (Compare with Seercull bow.)

Dragon Two-Handed Sword
Powerstab. 60% Drain.
 * In a multi-combat area, all targets directly next to the player will take damage. No more than 14 enemies can be hit at a time with this attack. No advantages are offered by using this attack in a single-combat area.

Dragon Claws
Slice and Dice. 50% Drain.
 * Four very quick attacks performed at once, but the last three hits depend entirely on the first hit. The second hit will always be half of the first hit, and the 3rd and 4th hits will always add up to the 2nd hit. For example, 20-10-5-5 or 17-9-4-4 or 12-6-3-3. Effectively, whatever you hit in the first strike, you will get double that hit after all 4 hits are dealt (20+10+5+5=40)

Abyssal Whip


Energy Drain. 50% Drain.
 * A more accurate attack that transfers 10% of the target's run energy to the player (only works on a non-NPC).

Granite Maul
Quick Smash. 50% Drain.
 * Instantly attacks regardless of when it is used. Does not work outside of combat.

Excalibur
Sanctuary. 100% Drain
 * Temporarily increases Defence.

Darklight
Weaken. 50% Drain.
 * Temporarily reduces the target's Attack, Strength and Defence by 5%. Twice as effective on demons (reduces each stat by 10%).

Rune Claws


Impale. 25% Drain.
 * An attack with increased Attack and Strength, but a slower speed.

Rod of Ivandis
Retainer. 10% Drain.
 * Captures a Vampyre juvinate that has 1/2 or less health.
 * Extra: It has 10 charges before it is destroyed and must be created again.

Ivandis flail
Retainer. 10% Drain.
 * Captures Vampyre juvinates and Vyrewatch that has 1/2 or less health.
 * Extra: It has 30 charges before it is destroyed and must be created again.

Bone Dagger
Backstab. 75% Drain.
 * Lowers the Defence of the target by the amount of damage dealt. Greatly increased accuracy on an unsuspecting target.
 * Extra: Requires the completion of Death to the Dorgeshuun to use equip.

Barrelchest Anchor


Sunder. 50% Drain.
 * An attack with twice the chance to hit; if successful it will lower either the target's Defence, Attack, Ranged or Magic level by 10% of the damage dealt.
 * Extra: Requires the completion of The Great Brain Robbery.

Brine Sabre
Liquefy. 75% Drain.
 * Doubles the chance of hitting, and adds 25% of the damage dealt to the user's Strength, Attack and Defence levels.
 * Extra: Can only be used under water.

Ancient Mace
Favour of the War God. 100% Drain.
 * Hits through Protect from Melee, drains the target's Prayer by damage dealt, and adds the Prayer to the user's Prayer.
 * Extra: Requires completion of Another Slice of H.A.M. to equip.

Statius's warhammer
Smash. 50% Drain.
 * Deals up to 25% more damage and decreases opponent's Defence by 30%.
 * Extra: Can be obtained by killing other players in PvP worlds.

Vesta's longsword
Feint. 25% Drain.
 * Inflicts 20% more damage and is harder to defend against.
 * Extra: Can be obtained by killing other players in PvP worlds.

Vesta's spear
Spear Wall. --% Drain.
 * Damages everyone adjacent and prevents melee attacks from striking you for 5 seconds.
 * Extra: Can be obtained by killing other players in PvP worlds.

Saradomin Sword
Saradomin's Lightning. 100% Drain.
 * Hits Two lightening bolts hitting from 5 to 15 magic damage. This special attack grants Magic experience for damage dealt.

Zamorakian spear
Shove. 25% Drain.
 * Pushes the target back one square and stuns them. This attack does not deal damage.

Armadyl Godsword


The Judgment. 50% Drain.
 * Inflicts 25% more damage.

Bandos Godsword
Warstrike. 100% Drain.
 * Attack does 10% more damage and drains one of the target's combat stats by the amount of damage dealt, until it reaches 0. If the stat drained reaches 0 before all of the damage could be accounted for, another stat is drained by the amount remaining. Stats are drained in the following order: Defence, Strength, Prayer, Attack, Magic, Ranged.

Saradomin Godsword
Healing Blade. 50% Drain.
 * Restores the user's Hitpoints by 50% of the damage dealt (with a minimum of 10 Hitpoints) and restores Prayer by 25% of damage dealt (with a minimum of 5 Prayer points). Attack has no effect if damage is not dealt.

Zamorak Godsword
Ice Cleave. 60% Drain.
 * Freezes the target for 20 seconds if successful, though the target can still attack.

Magic Shortbow
Snap Shot. 55% Drain.
 * Fires two arrows very rapidly but with decreased accuracy.

Magic Longbow
Power Shot. 35% Drain.
 * An accurate shot that will almost always inflict damage.

Magic Composite Bow
Power Shot. 35% Drain.
 * An accurate shot that will almost always inflict damage.

Rune thrownaxe
Chain Hit. 10% Drain per hit.
 * Bounces between targets in multi-combat, striking multiple targets.

Seercull


Soulshot. 100% Drain.
 * Inflicts damage and decreases the Magic level of the target by the amount of damage dealt.

Dorgeshuun Crossbow
Snipe. 75% Drain.
 * Lowers the target's Defence by the amount of damage inflicted. Greatly increased accuracy on an unsuspecting opponent.
 * Extra: Requires completion of Death to the Dorgeshuun to equip.

Dark bow
Descent of Darkness. 55% Drain.
 * Fires two arrows and inflicts up to 30% more damage than a normal shot. Minimum damage is 10 (5 damage per arrow).


 * Descent of Dragons. 55% Drain.
 * When using dragon arrows, inflicts up to 50% more damage. Minimum damage is 16 (8 damage per arrow).


 * Both attacks will always hit.

Morrigan's throwing axe


Hamstring. --% Drain.
 * Deals 20% extra damage and drains target's run energy four times faster for the next minute.
 * Extra: Can be obtained by killing other players in PvP worlds.

Morrigan's javelin
Phantom strike. 50% Drain.
 * Inflicts continuous damage in the same way that poison does, but faster and target can still be poisoned.
 * Extra: Can be obtained by killing other players in PvP worlds. The additional damage from the special attack occurs at dart-speed until it doubles the damage dealt by the original special attack. Thus, if you hit a 52 with the special, the opponent will be hit by 5s at dart speed until 52 damage has been dealt.

Enchanted bolts
Enchanted, gem-tipped bolts for the series of crossbows have a special effect which occurs randomly, differing for each type, similar to the Barrows specials.

Sapphire bolts (e)

 * Clear Mind.
 * This gives the bolts a chance of lowering their target's Prayer points and giving part of them to the attacker, though it only works on other players. It doesn't work on the Kalphite Queen.

Emerald bolts (e)



 * Magical Poison.
 * The bolts count as being poisoned with extra-extra-extra strong poison (5 damage, even higher than p++ projectiles with an initial damage of 4), although they have an increased chance of poisoning their opponent.

Ruby bolts (e)

 * Blood Forfeit.
 * The bolts get a chance of removing 10% of the attacker's Hitpoints to remove 20% of their target's Hitpoints, though it does not work if the attacker cannot spare the Hitpoints. This is especially effective against opponents with a high hitpoints level such as black dragons.

Diamond bolts (e)

 * Armour Piercing.
 * The bolts get a chance of negating a sizable portion of their target's defence bonuses against ranged attacks.

Dragon bolts (e)

 * Dragon's Breath.
 * The bolts get a chance of inflicting a dragon's breath hit against their target, unless they have an anti-dragon shield, have used an anti-fire potion, or are some type of fiery beast, such as a dragon.

Onyx bolts (e)

 * Life Leech.
 * The bolts get a chance of doing extra damage and healing the attacker's Hitpoints by 25% of the damage dealt. This does not work on undead, as they have no life to leech.

Barrows
Main article: Barrows equipment

This is a listing of the special attack ability that each set grants. Note: The set effect will only activate if you have all of the equipment, namely, the helm, body, legs, and weapon.

Ahrim the Blighted

 * Blighted Aura
 * Damaging magic attacks have a chance of reducing target's strength.

Visible effect

Karil the Tainted

 * Tainted Shot
 * Damaging ranged attacks have a chance of reducing the target's agility by 25%

Visible effect

Torag the Corrupted

 * Corruption
 * Damaging melee attacks have a chance of reducing the target's run energy by 20%

Visible effect

Verac the Defiled

 * Defiler
 * Melee attacks have a chance to ignore the opponent's defence provided by their armour, as well as their prayer.

Invisible effect

Guthan the Infested



 * Infestation
 * Melee attacks have a chance to to heal you by the amount of damage inflicted, on a 1:1 ratio. For example, if you hit a 20 you would recover 20 hitpoints.

Visible effect

Dharok the Wretched

 * Wretched Strength
 * A player's strength increases with diminishing hitpoints. For example, a player that has lost 70 hitpoints will experience a strength increase of approximately 70 levels and may deal significant amounts of damage. If the player's hitpoints fall below 10% of their maximum, their strength is doubled regardless of their max hp.

Invisible effect

It should be noted that the special attack of each Barrows set is not voluntarily invoked but rather occurs at random, with the exception of Dharok's effect, which is activated at all times.