Abyss

The Abyss is a "glue" plane that sits between realms and holds them together. It is a region that, with exception of the Astral and Ourania Runecrafting Altars, provides access to all the existing Runecrafting altars without the need for a talisman. The Abyss consists of two rings; a dangerous outer ring in a multiway combat zone and a safe inner ring with rifts leading to the Runecrafting altars. In appearance, it seems to be oddly organic, with eyes, boils, and strange-looking tendrils.

In The Account of Aesa Fellsdottir (Part 2) it's implied that the Abyss is actually inside the body of Hostilius, a Chthonian demon that was defeated by Zamorak and the Avernic during the demonic rebellion. He was then dragged into the Abyss, where his immense body was 'strung between worlds like a great corpse-puppet'. What the Abyss looks like outside of his corpse is unknown. According to Zaros the Abyss is made of the detritus of previous universes and exists at the very bottom of the universe.

Aside from the abyssal monsters inhabiting it, using the Abyss is also dangerous because players who enter the Abyss will have their Prayer points drained to 0, unless they have an Abyssal Summoning familiar summoned. Abyssal familiars slow down the rate by which prayer is drained, but do not completely prevent it.

The dwarf multi-cannon cannot be used here.

Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of using the Abyss is the fact that players have to travel through part of the low-level Wilderness to reach the Mage of Zamorak, who teleports the player to the Abyss.

A 250% bonus experience is given while runecrafting via the Abyss compared to regular runecrafting. While the Demonic skull is equipped a 350% bonus is given to runecrafting via the Abyss, but the player will be marked with a demon's head while entering the wilderness. The Demonic skull will be destroyed when the player is killed and his/her killer will receive 500,000 coins.

Location
To enter the Abyss located north of Edgeville, the player needs to complete the Abyss miniquest. Once players have completed the Abyss miniquest, use the 'Teleport' option on the Mage of Zamorak north of Edgeville in level 4 to 6 Wilderness to enter the Abyss.

Strategy:
 * Once in the Wilderness, players should run until they reach the Zamorak Mage.
 * The fastest way to reach the Abyss is via the yellow path.

Warning:
 * Players will be able to attack you upon entering the wilderness.
 * Upon entering the Abyss, you will receive a skull. Meaning that you will lose all your items when you die during the time you are skulled, even though the abyss itself is a non-wilderness area. Do not bring any items you are not willing to lose.



Other notes:
 * Inside the Abyss, a player is not in the Wilderness any more, and cannot be attacked by other players. However, if a player attacks immediately before a player enters the Abyss, the attack can hit after the player has been teleported inside, due to lag. Also note that, if teleblocked by a player before entering, using the 'Teleport' option on the Zamorak Mage will not work.
 * Combat experience received in the Abyss is only half that received outside of the Abyss, although it is still very common to see players training magic and range.

Inside the Abyss
The interior of the Abyss is roughly circular, with an 'inner' and 'outer' ring. After the player is teleported into the outer ring, they will have to find a way through to the inner ring where the rifts leading to the runecrafting altars are located.



Outer Ring
The outer ring contains a large number of Abyssal monsters: These monsters can hit over 275 (with the exception of the leeches, which hit a maximum of 208), although they often miss if the player has a decent defence level (65+) and wears adequate armour such as Dragonhide, or armour from the 'strategy' section. However, the abyssal monsters should still not be underestimated as, due to their large numbers, a player in the Abyss may take several hits per second. It should be noted that, failed or not, no damage is taken from these monsters during an attempt to pass through to the inner ring. Minimising time between attempts can increase the chances of survival.
 * Abyssal guardian (combat level: 79)
 * Abyssal walker (combat level: 77)
 * Abyssal leech (combat level: 72)

Access to the inner ring is gained by utilising different skills to bypass several obstacles:


 * Chopping away tendrils using a hatchet
 * Mining through rock using a pickaxe
 * Distracting eyes (thieving skill needed, but no object needed)
 * Squeezing through gaps (agility skill needed, but no object needed)
 * Burning away boils using a tinderbox

Upon entering the Abyss the player always appears near the mining obstacle or the agility obstacle. With a high mining or agility level, this can be used to one's advantage to train more efficiently. An alternative to the agility obstacle is to proceed past the agility obstacle and pass via the thieving obstacle. Yet another alternative to the mining obstacle is to proceed past the mining obstacle and pass via the woodcutting obstacle.

These obstacles have randomly generated locations upon a player's arrival in the abyss and can be in different locations for different players at the same time. Passing them gives 25 xp in the required skill. The higher the level of the player in the corresponding skill, the higher the chances of passing the obstacle (the chances of passing are approximately skill level ÷ 99).



Inner ring
There are no monsters in the inner ring of the Abyss. There are rifts leading to every Runecrafting altar (except the Astral altar and Ourania altar) there, which makes the Abyss useful for crafting a lot of different types of runes very quickly. Talismans, Tiaras or Staves are not needed to access the altars via the rifts. The following restrictions still apply:


 * The Cosmic rift cannot be accessed until the Lost City quest has been completed.
 * No weapons or armour can be taken through to the rift to the Law altar, as it is located on Entrana. This includes pickaxes, hatchets, Explorer's Ring, and any familiars or scrolls.
 * The Death altar requires the quest Mourning's Ends Part II to be completed.
 * The Blood altar requires the quest Legacy of Seergaze to be completed.

There is a rift for the Soul altar, although it cannot be used.

There is a Dark mage standing at the centre of the inner ring (yellow spot on the minimap), maintaining the rift so the ZMI can use the Abyss to craft runes. He will repair players' Runecrafting Pouches for free.

Pouches
Pouches come in four types - Small, Medium, Large and Giant. The small pouch will be obtained from the Zamorak Mage upon completion of the Abyss mini-quest; you may retrieve the small pouch from him later on if you drop it or lose it. All the pouches are dropped by the creatures in the Abyss and the Alternate Abyss as well. Since the release of the Runecrafting Guild, you can now also obtain some pouches from the Wizard Korvak. He can replace lost medium pouches for free and will repair any others for a fee; and it is thus suggested that players instead visit the Dark Mage in the centre of the abyss to repair your pouches. Korvak charges 9,000 coins & 12,000 coins for Large and Giant pouches respectively, and repairs Medium pouches for free. He also sells Large pouches for 25,000 coins & Giant pouches for 50,000 coins. No matter where you choose to obtain your pouches, you may only get ONE of each size; the pouches are also untradeable. If you try to pick up another pouch, the message, You do not need another small/medium/large/giant pouch will appear. In addition, all pouches will automatically be destroyed upon death (they have a white outline in the 'Items kept on death' interface). This makes a risk, especially when under attack by a player in the wilderness. You must take account for this.

Pouches degrade with each use; the biggest pouch will degrade first. If a giant pouch is being used, 11 trips may be completed with the Giant pouch at full capacity – it will degrade on the 12th trip. More precisely, the Giant pouch will degrade after 135 essence have passed through it. Clicking on the pouch when it is already full of essence does not degrade the pouch, contrary to what many people believe.

When a pouch degrades, the result is that the pouch will carry fewer essence than before. After the first degrading, the giant pouch will hold 9 essence instead of 12. If a degraded pouch continues to be used, the pouch will degrade further, further reducing the number of essence that can be held in it. Eventually the pouch will not be able to hold any essence and will degrade completely.

When a pouch degrades, it will darken in colour; the player will receive a message in their chatbox alerting them to the fact. Pouches can be repaired by speaking to the Dark Mage in the centre of the Abyss (or with the Lunar spell NPC Contact). He will repair pouches whether they have visibly degraded or not. It is possible to contact the Dark Mage every 11th trip to repair pouches so that the pouches may always be used at full capacity. However, it may be difficult to remember to keep track of which trip is the 11th trip, so it is common for players to just go to the Dark Mage after the Giant pouch has visibly degraded, crafting 3 fewer essence on that trip.

Pouches are also repaired even when they are stored in a bank, so they don't have to be carried in the inventory when talking to the Dark Mage. Alternatively, for players who have access to the Lunar spellbook you can repair your pouches by using the Contact NPC spell.

An exception to this is the Massive pouch, which after every 42 uses will crumble into dust. It is also possible to own more than one, but only one may be filled at a time and there is no way of repairing it.

Any pouch that gets dropped may be picked up by the player who dropped it (within three minutes), however, all the essence that was contained within the dropped pouch will be gone.

Equipment
The following items should be taken on every runecrafting run:
 * Pure essence (or regular if crafting Body runes or lower)
 * Pouches (optional)
 * Charged amulet of glory (having at least two extras in bank is strongly recommended)
 * If you are new to the Abyss or are afraid of dying, bring one click teleportations, such as the ectophial, a crystal teleport seed or Teleport to House tablets (Teleport to House tablets have the advantage of allowing you to recharge your prayer points at your altar, should you have one, after each run, affording you better protection from player killers in the wilderness by using protection prayers)
 * If you can't afford the amulet of glory, or simply don't want to buy it, simply use Varrock teleport tablets, therefore eliminating the need to risk an amulet of glory, or use up its charges


 * Summon a teleporting familiar if you have over 60+ summoning (such as spirit graahk etc.)

NOTE: There is no requirement to have talismans, tiaras or talisman staffs while in the abyss.


 * Due to the inherent nature of the Wilderness, players should find the right balance for their level of weight versus defensive stats and convenience.


 * With the right equipment, it is possible to have good cheap defence or even exceptional defence if you are willing to risk items of value, and still weigh 0 kg.
 * If possible it is recommended to wear the Master runecrafter robes, if not possible, take more note from the items below.

Boots:
 * Boots of lightness (-4 kg; to run longer)

Cape:
 * Wicked cape (-6 kg; to run longer)
 * Spotted or Spottier cape (-3 kg and -4.5 kg respectively; to run longer)

Weapon slot:
 * Previously, a Mithril Pickaxe was recommended, due to the Toolbelt update, it is no longer necessary. Just make sure to have at least a Bronze pickaxe, a Bronze hatchet and a Tinderbox on/in your Toolbelt.
 * Talisman staff (distracting the eyes in the Abyss to help you sneak past.Note: when crafting Law runes, only a Law talisman staff is allowed inside,as the others are considered weapons by the Saradomin Monks.

Ring:
 * Ring of duelling (optional, in case of forgetting charged Amulet of glory)
 * Explorer's ring (restore run energy three times per day, though you won't need it if your weight is zero and your agility is 68 or higher; though it can be a good emergency teleport out of the Abyss)
 * Ring of life (Players with 80 defence or higher and a good set-up will find the ring of life quite useless)

Hand:
 * Penance gloves (removes 7 kg from your total weight, allowing you to run longer)
 * Combat bracelet provides a defensive bonus plus a teleport to the Monastery (just a short run N,NE back to Edgeville) should you forget to swap your Amulet of glory.
 * Dragon gauntlets provide good defence bonuses and weigh 0 kg
 * Regen Brace keeps health high, and gives some protection.

Body and legs:
 * Varrock armour (good melee defence, very lightweight)
 * Hunter gear such as Kyatt hunter gear has decent defence and is nearly weightless. It is, in general, superior to Rogue equipment.
 * Sacred clay armour weighs less (2 kg per piece), but carries the same stats as green dragonhide armour.
 * Agile top and Agile legs. Reduces weight for a total of 22 kg, as well as providing some defence.
 * Wicked robe top and Wicked legs. Reduces weight for a total of 18 kg, but has no defensive bonuses.
 * Higher tier Dragonhide Armour armour (Red, Black, Royal, Blessed) It is light, although may not be as smart a choice as some armours above.

Head:
 * Torag's helmet, Guthan's helm or Verac's helmet, because these helms give excellent defence for their weight
 * Lunar helm provides some defence against a player's magical attacks, but is useless as far as surviving in the Abyss itself

Shield slot:
 * Crystal ward has very nice defence bonuses, (better than those of a spirit shield besides magic defence, in which the difference is negligible), while weighing very little.
 * Holy book has slight defence bonuses and low weight
 * Spirit shields have very nice defence bonuses and only weigh very little
 * Falador Shield is pretty useful as it increases your Prayer Points. It only has a few charges, more with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th shields. Also, if you are also wielding items that give Prayer Bonuses this'll make prayer last even longer
 * Void Knight Deflector is useful because it provides +30 defence in all stats besides magic (+10), while having the same weight as a Bearhead (0.4kg), yet if it is lost then it is hard to replace.

Alternative: If you are a high-levelled player with experience at the abyss who already has a set of full armadyl, consider using this instead of the top choices for each of the slots listed above (replace chestplate for varrock armour, helmet for bearhead, and skirt for hunter legs/sacred clay legs). This will provide you with the same melee defence bonuses, as well as a hefty chunk of Magic defence rivalling Karil's armour. You can wear all this and still weigh zero, as long as you have all three weight reducing items (boots of lightness, penance gloves and spottier cape). Note, however, that it isn't really worth spending 30m+ on a set if you don't already have it, unless you are going to be doing long-term runecrafting in the Abyss or at the ZMI altar. Also, wearing expensive armour may encourage player killers to kill you.

One run, step by step

 * 1) Teleport (glory or lodestone) to Edgeville.
 * 2) Bank, get essences, fill pouches and familiar (if applicable), bank again, fill remaining space.
 * 3) Run to mage, right click and choose the 'teleport' option.
 * 4) Find white rocks to mine or a gap to squeeze through.
 * 5) Enter chosen rift.
 * 6) Runecraft essence, empty familiar, runecraft essence. (A recent update allows the altar to runecraft directly from their pouches, so as to save the number of clicks)
 * 7) Teleport back to Edgeville.
 * 8) Check glory for charges and exchange if needed.
 * 9) Repeat from step 2.

General

 * If a player forgets to recharge their Amulet of Glory, he/she simply has to home teleport to Edgeville and run to the bank then restart from step 2. If a player remembers they have no teleports before they enter their chosen rift, they can enter the Body rift and exit it to be close to Edgeville.
 * Also when a player teleports to their house, giving they have a high enough Construction level, they can use a mounted Amulet of Glory in the quest hall. It requires 3 Teak Planks, 1 uncharged Amulet of Glory, and 47 Construction and gives unlimited teleports to Karamja, Al Kharid, Edgeville & Draynor.
 * Banked games necklaces (or combat bracelets) are recommended to recharge amulets of glory (requires completion of Heroes Quest). However, if your POH is in Taverley, it is recommended you teleport there with the House teleport spell as it is closer to the guild than the Burthorpe Games Room (or Warriors' Guild).
 * If a player wishes to runecraft Laws, he/she must not wear any armour nor wield a weapon (for example, a pickaxe). However, Law crafting can still be done by putting a bronze pickaxe/hatchet in the player's toolbelt. This will not prevent you from entering Entrana.
 * If one's computer is slow one should try to reduce the graphics settings as much as possible to reduce the possibility of serious lag. The best option would be to use a computer with a fast connection if you're using the abyss alone.
 * It is strongly recommended to be at least wary if taking Runecrafting pouches into the Abyss, as they are not easy to replace and is not one of the items kept upon death, even should you possess no other item besides. However, it is acknowledged that these pouches can considerably increase Runecrafting experience anywhere. If lost, it is possible to reclaim the medium, large and giant pouches from Wizard Korvak, for a cost of nothing, 25k and 50k respectively. The small pouch can be reclaimed for free from the Dark Mage inside the Abyss.
 * In the past, it was difficult for players to get back to their grave in time if they died in the Abyss. It was recommended for players to have at least one charged Amulet of Glory in their bank so they were able to teleport back to Edgeville. However, since the recent update to how respawning works, players can now simply select to respawn in the last hub they visited; when using the Abyss to craft runes, the player's hub should be Edgeville.
 * Using the Abyss also holds other advantages. For example, using the Abyss means you do not have to have a talisman in your inventory, because the abyss teleports you directly into the respective altar.
 * It is recommended to use the abyss ONLY for runecrafting. If you want to hunt the monsters for pouches, talismans, etc. use the abyssal area, accessible by fairy ring code ALR. The abyssal area is safer, because it's single-way combat, and doesn't require travel through the wilderness.

Unlimited running

 * After As a First Resort..., Runecrafting at the Abyss can be aided by bathing in the pools at the Oo'glog spa. Despite the fact that it's nice to not have to stop to walk/rest/drink energy potions/use Terrorbird scrolls, in terms of time lost going to the spa and back, it is not worth doing this financially. At around the level of 65 agility you will not need anything to restore your run energy, unless you complete your runs extremely quickly. However, if you don't have this level, the spa can be very useful in saving some resting time or potions if you're going to be Runecrafting on a short term basis.

Steps:
 * 1) Teleport to Edgeville with Amulet of glory.
 * 2) Use the Fairy ring code A-K-S to Feldip and run south until you get into Oo'glog. (see alternate methods below)
 * 3) Jump in the thermal spring, then the salt-water spring.
 * 4) Teleport to Edgeville with an Amulet of glory once more, or use the Fairy ring code D-K-R to save a teleport.
 * 5) Run to the abyss.
 * 6) Repeat every 10-15 runs, depending on when the salt-water effect wears off.

If a player is unable to use the Fairy Rings, they can teleport to Camelot or by using the Explorer's ring and then take the Charter ships in Catherby or Port Sarim, to get to Oo'glog. The charter system costs money, but the price can be lowered by completing the Cabin Fever quest and wearing the Ring of charos. If you do not wish to use charter ships or fairy rings, you can instead use a Ring of duelling or a Spirit tree to teleport to Mobilising Armies and run east to Oo'glog, though a player using this method should beware of ogresses. A player may also teleport directly to Mobilising Armies, requiring a Law rune, Air rune, and Water rune and a Magic level of 10, regarding if they are on the Normal Spellbook.

Summoning Familiars
There are several different summoning familiars that you can use to aid you in the Abyss.

The following familiars will carry up to 20 pure or rune essence for you, and fight for you in the abyss:
 * 1) Abyssal parasite: The abyssal familiar requiring the lowest summoning level (54); it lasts for 30 minutes, will carry 7 unnoted essence and will fight the monsters that are attacking you in the abyss. It also will slow the rate of the abyss' prayer drain.
 * 2) Abyssal lurker: The abyssal familiar requiring the second-lowest summoning level (62); it lasts for 41 minutes, will carry 12 unnoted essence and will fight the monsters that are attacking you in the abyss. It also will slow the rate of the abyss' prayer drain.
 * 3) Abyssal titan: The abyssal familiar requiring the highest summoning level (93); it lasts for 43 minutes, will carry 20 unnoted essence and will fight the monsters that are attacking you in the abyss. With a combat level of 110 and a max hit of 500+, it can and will kill anything it sets its eyes on in the Abyss. It also will slow the rate of the abyss' prayer drain.

The following familiars will help you in different ways, but cannot carry pure essence:
 * 1) Bull Ant: This familiar requires 40 summoning, holds 9 slots (can't store essence) that you could use for food or another glory in case you forgot yours, and its scroll will restore your run energy in a very similar way to the spirit terrorbird. Although players with 65 agility or higher using equipment that has 0 kg weight will find this unhelpful, many lower levelled players with 40 summoning but low agility will benefit from this.
 * 2) Spirit Terrorbird: This familiar requires 52 summoning, holds 12 slots (can't store essence) that you could use for food or another glory in case you forgot yours, and its scroll will restore your run energy in a very similar way to the bull ant. Although players with 65 agility or higher using equipment that has 0 kg weight will find this unhelpful, many lower levelled players with 52 summoning but low agility will benefit from this.
 * 3) Geyser Titan: Although the required level (89) is quite high, this familiar is very useful as you can use amulets of glory on it, and they will become charged. This means you never have to spend time swapping out your glory or forgetting to swap it out. This familiar is also quite powerful, with a combat level of 200 and a maximum hit of 210, and will fight for you in the abyss.
 * 4) Fire, ice, or moss titans will fight for you in the abyss, and their scroll will boost life points by 80 and defence level by 12.5%, which makes it useful for players with lower defence levels or players not using any armour in the abyss.

Using the Abyss as a method of transportation
Because the altars are located throughout the world, it is possible to use the Abyss as a method of teleportation. Some useful (and free) teleports include:
 * Law altar - Entrana
 * Nature altar - Karamja, Shilo Village, Tai Bwo Wannai, Brimhaven Dungeon
 * Water altar - Lumbridge Swamps, Zanaris
 * Fire altar - Al-Kharid, Duel Arena, Shantay Pass
 * Air altar - Champions' Guild, Cooks' Guild, Grand Exchange, Varrock
 * Death Altar - End of Underground Pass and eastern Tirannwn
 * Blood Altar - Quick access to Mutated bloodvelds for Slayer tasks.
 * Earth altar - East Varrock

To use a teleport, simply enter the Abyss, find and enter the altar, then leave via the portal. No tiaras or talismans are necessary when entering the portals to go to the various altars via the abyss.

Training
Training Melee skills or magic skills is a good way for gaining a lot of experience. There is a corner with 15+ creatures that are aggressive and will attack the player upon respawn. Please note that you can only afk them for about 10-15 minutes before they become un-aggressive. To reset the aggressive timer simply run away and come back, then repeat the process. Average xp/h is about 100k-150k. Using melee and a 2h weapon, abilities: Hurricane, Quake, and Cleave one can expect 200k-250k xp per hour (not including HP xp).

Tips

 * If you are away from your keyboard when at less than half health, rest in a safe area. Resting restores health faster.
 * Bring lightweight equipment and a one-click teleport.

Trivia

 * When the Abyss was released, it was possible to attack other players inside the abyss by using Ancient Magicks multi-target spells on a monster near the player, you could also select an attacking spell from the spell list and manually use it on a player. Because of the relative obscurity of the recently-released Abyss, many people explored the Abyss with expensive armour, and were a target for the bug abusers. The glitch was later fixed, however, the people who profited from it were not banned.
 * After the update on 10 December 2007, Abyss runecrafting was made much safer due to the fact that there are no player killers around and revenants only occasionally wander close to the Zamorak Mage. However, the player killers were returned with the Wilderness and Free Trade update on 1 February 2011.
 * It is possible to see the Abyssal Area at the far north of the Abyss. You don't even need an Orb of Oculus.
 * According to the game's background, whenever a person is teleported with magic, they are in the abyss for a split second. Hence the Lost & Found office random event. Accordingly, as the Mage of Zamorak during the miniquest with the same name theorizes, The Abyss is a dimension in which the dimensional barriers may be weakening. If this is indeed the case, then many more teleportation methods would be failing, not simply the initial spell that caused the Zamorakians to discover the Abyss as well as allowing all of the abyssal creatures into the same area. As most teleports are quite accurate, this has caused controversy pertaining to the storyline of this miniquest.
 * It is worth noting, however, that the Mage of Zamorak claims that Zamorak has devoted some of his energy to stabilizing the Abyss. It is possible that, as a result, there is now less risk of teleportation spell failure.
 * On 6 June 2009 with the new update of the Hunt for Red Raktuber the thieving obstacle did an emote even if you failed to pass.

Music
Music tracks unlocked:
 * Into the Abyss

Abyss Abyss