Hexhunter bow (Dungeoneering)

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The Hexhunter bow is a bow found in the dungeon of Daemonheim while Dungeoneering. The bow is a unique drop from the soulgazer, requiring 98 Ranged to wield. The bow is the rarest and one of the most sought-after items in Dungeoneering and is a highly recommended bind.

Though soulgazers officially require level 99 Slayer to damage, they can be killed by a player with any Slayer level using the Retribution prayer, Wrath curse, and the special effect of the blood necklace. While players without level 99 Slayer have obtained bow drops using these damaging methods, it is no longer possible to do so unless you are level 99 Slayer when the soulgazer is killed. 99 Slayer is also required for recoil damage (such as Deflect curses and Vengeance) to damage a soulgazer. A survivalist's potion can be used to temporarily raise Slayer level.

Comparison between bows
Notes:


 * 99 Slayer is required to damage soulgazers, however others can kill it and give you the drop, or you can damage it with certain items and prayers.


 * 91 Fletching is required to craft a gravecreeper shortbow (plus 90 Woodcutting to cut the tree, but the logs can be bought), however someone else can fletch it, or it can be obtained as a drop from forgotten rangers.

This discussion assumes 99 Ranged - lower levels is clearly just a choice between armour and lifepoints of a longbow and extra damage per second of a shortbow

The hexhunter bow is still the best ranged weapon, however the Evolution of Combat has made other ranged weapon viable alternatives. In comparison with the sagittarian longbow, the hexhunter bow is by far the superior choice: while the longbow has an extra 10 accuracy (little over a 1% increase) and a 5 damage increase (accounting for sagittarian arrows, an increase of around 0.3%) the hexhunter bow has the same lifepoint and armour bonuses, and is 1.2 seconds faster. As such the hexhunter bow has around 50% more damage per second than the sagittarian longbow, so it is a better choice. The one advantage that the longbow has is that it is easier to obtain. The furnished floors - specifically floors 23 to 29, where the Sagittare resides - have a very low chance of spawning a soulgazer, if at all, but getting a sagittarian drop is fairly common with a dungeon of 5, higher-combat-levelled players.

The comparison with the sagittarian shortbow is closer. The sagittarian shortbow, at first glance, has much more damage - however, accounting for arrows and relative speeds, the shortbow only has around 7% more damage per second over the hexhunter bow if you are not using abilities whatsoever, which results in a lower damage output regardless of what bow you use. Accounting for stacking the piercing shot ability with every attack and the use of a desperado ring, the hexhunter bow has a superior damage per second than any other bow in daemonheim. On top of the superior damage output, the hexhunter bow gives a very hefty defence and lifepoint boost, and gives access to sheild abilties in addition to the two-handed bow abilities. Another factor making the hexhunter bow even more desirable is it's fastest speed. In guardian doors the hexhunter bow saves a tick every time that a new creature is attacked, because of it's 2.4 second intervals, compared to the saggitarian shortbow's 3 second intervals. The rarity of the hexhunter bow, however, can play into the decision - like the longbow, the sagittarian shortbow is a fairly common drop from the Skeletal Trio on all occult floors with a party of 5 higher-combat-levelled players. A player may wish to obtain a sagittarian shortbow whilst hunting for the hexhunter bow. In conclusion, the hexhunter bow is the superior bow in Daemonheim. The only reason a player should be using an alternative bow is if they cannot obtain, or haven't yet obtained the hexhunter bow.

The gravecreeper shortbow is provided as a comparison if the sagittarian shortbow cannot be obtained, for example if a player lacks the required dungeoneering level to obtain sagittarian gear. The gravecreeper shortbow is the best craftable shortbow, and using promethium arrows has around 15% less damage than the sagittarian shortbow, as well as 10% less accuracy. While it is clear that the gravecreeper shortbow is inferior to both the sagittarian shortbow and the hexhunter bow, it is by far the easiest to obtain, as all the materials could be gathered in a complexity 3 dungeon - and can be created by another player. The gravecreeper shortbow is a good idea for a player to bind before reaching the floors for a sagittarian shortbow.

Dropping monsters

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Former Bonus
The hexhunter is still the best bow, but before the Evolution of Combat, the hexhunter bow had a passive bonus: its ranged damage increased as the opponent's Magic level increases. This made it one of the most desirable items in Daemonheim, as it could hit very highly and accurately on forgotten mages, necromancers, mysterious shades and the like, its damage per second easily matching if not exceeding the damage per second of the highest melee weapons - a far more damaging weapon than any other bow in Daemonheim. The hexhunter was also very good against most bosses, even those that may not seem to have high magic levels, like Dreadnaught and Gravecreeper, though this was most effective when employing the use of a Bloodrager's Sundering Strike special attack to lower the bosses defence.

Trivia

 * The Hexhunter bow is currently the fastest speed bow in the game along with the Seercull.

Hexhunter bow