Harpie Bug Swarm

Beta

Harpie Bug Swarms are insectoid Slayer monsters that require level 33 Slayer to kill as well as level 33 Firemaking to light the unlit bug lantern. A lit bug lantern is required to be wielded to deal any damage to them.

Players often kill harpie bug swarms as many consider them a good source of clue scrolls (medium), have relatively low defence, and are also a good source for fire runes and green charms. They are aggressive to players under level 93. If you use the fairy ring you may want to bring some food because there is a level 83 monster that is aggressive along the way. If you are under level 107 combat you will also be attacked by jogres. You will need some agility to cross the log. If you fail you will be damaged.

Strengths and weaknesses
Harpie bug swarms use rapid ranged attacks and do quite a bit of damage for their combat level. If a lit bug lantern is not equipped any attacks on them will not hit. They are weak to crush attacks.

Alternatively, players can mage or range harpie bug swarms from the eastern side of the stream at the eastern end of their habitat, to avoid taking any damage from them, although this does mean expenditure in terms of runes or ammo for ranged weapons, and using magic is not recommended due to their natural resistance to magical attacks. Note: Ava's device, a reward from Animal Magnetism quest, does not work across the stream to retrieve bolts.

Another place to mage or range them is north of the brown ridge. They will not come too far in between the sea and ridge.

Although not in a multi-combat area, a cannon can be used to take down the swarms in one hit fairly often.

Another viable strategy, for those that have finished the Tai Bwo Wannai Trio quest, is to use Protect from Melee prayer, and refilling prayer points at the Tribal statue in the village, a short run away. In this case, equipping armour that boosts your prayer bonus is recommended to increase fighting time.

Habitat
They're found east of the Jogre Dungeon. Since Harpie Bug Swarms are located close to the Karamja general store, it is possible to buy food there as well as sell drops. However, if one wishes to use a bank, there is one in the TzHaar City, found beneath Karamja Volcano, and the route is made shorter with the mithril grapple shortcut (53 Agility, 42 Ranged and 21 Strength required) on a peninsula just east of the cliff. If you don't wish to or cannot use that shortcut, you may also bank in Shilo Village after you complete the Shilo Village quest. Also, Rionasta in Tai Bwo Wannai Village can send items to the bank for 10 trading sticks per item, although he cannot take items out of the bank. The bank in Zanaris is also close, if you can use fairy rings (northeast of CKR), as the bank is just north-west of the main fairy ring in Zanaris.

Players can still be assigned harpie bug swarms as Slayer tasks, even if they do not have the 33 Firemaking level required to light an unlit bug lantern. Players cannot use assistance from other players to light an unlit bug lantern, therefore 33 Firemaking is a necessary requirement to enable players to kill harpie bug swarms.

Armour/Weapons

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Runes

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Other

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Trivia

 * If you look closely, whenever you hit the swarm for damage, a splash of white liquid will appear at the bottom of the swarm. This may be blood or dead bugs.
 * These bugs slightly resemble a bloated leech, though shrunken and a different colour.
 * You can kill the bugs without a lit bug lantern by using poisoned weapons, but it will not count as a kill for Slayer or give any drops.
 * The fact that stabbing/slashing attacks do not work well against them is probably because while lunging your sword at them, it is unlikely to hit a large number of bugs in that hit. This means that the bugs are probably small, and the bluntness and broader striking area of a crush attack can hit many bugs at once.
 * They will occasionally retreat if their health is low.
 * During the October 25th, 2011 triple Slayer experience event, harpie bug swarms didn't give triple Slayer experience like all the other tasks did.

Harpyien-Käferschwarm

Harpie bug swarm Harpie Bug Swarm