Greater demon

Greater demons are strong demonic beings often found in remote places. They follow the god Zamorak, seeing as they are Demons. They are the second highest-levelled, third most accurate, and third highest maximum hit free-to-play monster that is not a revenant, a quest monster, or a dungeoneering monster. In accuracy and maximum damage per hit, they were surpassed by level 85 skeletons when the Stronghold of security came out in 2006, and then these records went to the hellhound with the update on the 16th of June, 2009.

Greater demons are stronger than lesser demons, with highly accurate melee attacks that hit up to 92. Physically, greater demons have few features that distinguish them from their lesser demon brethren, with the differences only consisting of wings and a slightly greater stature. With the release of Summoning, players may kill greater demons for crimson charms. Although, for profit purposes, players may want to kill Waterfiends instead.

Locations

 * Entrana Dungeon (no armour or weapons allowed). If you bring runes or make your own ranged weapons you can safespot Greater Demons from the Dramen Tree Area.
 * Brimhaven Dungeon
 * Ogre Enclave (all but one caged)
 * Kuradal's Dungeon
 * Demonic ruins (also called Annakarl) in level 45-48 Wilderness
 * Wilderness Volcano
 * Dungeon at the end of the Lava Maze (the dungeon is also in the wilderness)

Strengths and weaknesses
Greater demons only attack with melee and can hit accurately with hits into the 90s. This can make for a short trip for lower level players that may not have the proper gear to defend against these attacks. While greater demons can hit hard they do have a relatively low Defence, making them easier to kill than their level suggests. They are also classified as a big monster, taking up four squares. This makes them very easy to safe spot and attack with either Magic, Ranged or a halberd (members). Players that chose to fight greater demons in close combat need to make sure they are prepared for the fight. As greater demons are available to be killed in both F2P and P2P worlds the actual level of difficulty will vary depending on equipment available and skills trained. Full rune armour or higher is recommmended used when killing greater demons. A weapon with a slash attack should be used as greater demons are weakest to this type of attack. Use of a shield can be helpful especially for those that are lower in Defence or are using rune armour. Like all demons, greater demons are especially weak to Magic, though most weapons will work very well. Players who have never killed greater demons before should bring plenty of good food and possibly an emergency teleport in case a hasty exit is needed. This will allow for the player to judge exactly how much damage they are taking and can adjust equipment as they see fit.

Entrana Dungeon
This is not a recommended spot for training. It is almost completely unusable for meleers, and mages will be stuck with a very low magic bonus due to weapons and armour being banned on Entrana, despite runes being allowed. If you wish to use ranged, it is suggested to bring Bolts or arrows, an unfinished c'bow or bow, c'bow string or bowstring, threads, a needle, and several hides for making your armour. Be sure to not make any of the armour until you have gone into the dungeon or you will be forced off the island. If safe spotting, try to focus mainly on the red one. The purple demon moves too much and can draw you out.

Brimhaven Dungeon
It is far from the nearest bank, but there are plenty of greater demons. This is an okay spot for warriors but not the best for rangers and mages due to a lack of safe spots. It is recommended to go here if you have a combat level of 90 or higher. The aggressive Wild dogs can be irritating as well for players under combat level 127 (when they stop being aggressive). Wild dogs and Greater demons lose their aggression if you stay there long. A hatchet is required to navigate the obstacles in the dungeon, and the dungeon entrance fee is 875 coins. The Karamja gloves 3 item negates the entrance fee, and make for a useful escape teleport to Shilo Villiage for restocking, coupled with 10 coins for a cart ride back to Brimhaven to return to the dungeon.

Ogre Enclave
This is a decent spot for mages and rangers. A single Greater demon can be found wandering in one corner of the dungeon. There is also a cage full of demons in the opposite corner that is ideal for killing them without being hit. Be aware though that ammunition may not be retrieved, other than with Telekinetic Grab. Halberds can also reach the demons, making it a good spot for meleers as well.

Kuradal's Dungeon
This location may only be used by those with a Greater Demon task assigned by Kuradal (requires 110 combat and 75 slayer), but is a very good location to fight them if this is the case. There are a few safespots from which they can be ranged, notably right next to the barrier separating them from the hellhounds. For players with 70+ ranged, making use of darts or knives with a ferocious ring can deal a huge amount of damage very quickly.

Demonic Ruins
For those desiring to stay a long trip, there is a nearby lobster fishing spot, ideal for players with level 40 and over fishing, providing they have the means to cook the lobsters. However, care is essential, as revenants patrol here very frequently, most notably the Revenant Hobgoblin, and the Revenant Ork, the biggest threat a low-levelled player can encounter. In addition, it is very far from a bank and the Wilderness obelisks (the fastest way to reach the location) can be unreliable. It is definitely not the best place for members, as there are safer and less remote locations, such as the Brimhaven Dungeon for members and the Wilderness Volcano for free players. More information on strategies for fighting these may be found in the tactics section below.

Wilderness Volcano
This is a very useful free-to-play training area. Lower levels can safespot the Greater Demons from behind the piles of bones. The main disadvantage to this area are the Ankous. If they have not become tolerant yet, they can wander into the safespot and interrupt rangers and mages. On the flip side, there is a banker right outside the volcano, and you can teleport from the majority of the volcano, should you be injured. As this area can be used for all three combat types, it's perfect for quick training.

When ranging and you have less than level 61, you should use a Zanik's crossbow or Adamant crossbow, even a Magic shortbow. Less than that level is not suggested.

Although it is located in the Wilderness, revenants don't patrol this area, though they can be led into it (see Wilderness volcano article for more information).

Lava Maze
This is a poor location because it is located deep in the Wilderness (level 44), and there are Poison spiders nearby. You can find the lever to the King Black Dragon here. And there is a big chance you get attacked by revenants.

Entrana Dungeon (P2P)
Sail to the island carrying some food, along with some of the supplies listed, based on the combat style you wish to use:
 * Rangers: Bring a Crossbow string, or Bow String, and the unstrung version of the best Crossbow or unstrung bow that you can make along with your weapon's appropriate type of ammo (bolts / arrows are allowed on to the island). You may also wish to bring dragonleather or regular leather if you have a high enough level to craft it into armour. Remember to bring your own Thread, since you cannot find it on the island. A needle is also needed, but you can find one on the island by searching the haystacks. Other suggested items: Unholy Book if using a crossbow, and any amulet that helps your ranged attack bonus, such as the Amulet of Ranging.
 * Mages: Runes are allowed on the island. Bring a fletching knife, and kill a nearby zombie for a hatchet. Use these two items to construct a Dramen Staff from the Dramen tree. For other gear, use anything that boosts magic attack that is allowed on Entrana (unholy book, Zamorak robes, ghostly robes, amulets)
 * Close Combat: It is not recommended that you do Melee combat here, as it is much easier to do damage with either Ranged or Magic, but you can try to get by with an Amulet of Strength, Combat bracelet, and a Silver sickle (which can be made at the furnace in entrana). Bring lots of bones to bananas or bones to peaches tablets / runes, because there are three bone spawns near the greater demons, which respawn rather quickly in terms of food usage. It is also suggested to have over 70 defence and use the best armour you can make with the crafting skill.

Players should not assemble their weapons or armour until after they have arrived on the island, or else they will be barred from entry until they get rid of all their worn and carried weapons and armour. Once ready players should then proceed to the North-west to the dungeon from Lost City and navigate through it, were they will find the demons. There are some stalagmites which can be used for cover as the player ranges the demon.

Brimhaven Dungeon (P2P)
A strategy for players without Guthan's armour is to bring a Super defence potion, though this isn't a necessity. On players with decent defence (75+) and armour the demons do a minimal amount of damage. With Bones to Peaches, it is possible to fight per normal but kill the usually aggressive wild dogs for their bones whenever healing is needed. If combined with the regen bracelet, players would not need much food at all.

There's a semi-safe spot at the very end of the Greater Demon area in Brimhaven dungeon, where attacked demons will mostly position themselves in a spot where they are unable to attack the player. However, ranging and maging are not really recommended in this location.

It is better to kill Greater Demons here when 127 Combat or greater, as the Wild Dogs, which slow down slayer training against Greater Demons with their aggressiveness, are unaggressive at that point.

Ogre Enclave (P2P)
The Ogre Enclave is a good place to range/mage or even melee them with a Halberd without fear of being attacked. Most of the greater demons here are caged. Bring telegrab runes to retrieve drops.

The major downside to this location is that all arrows/bolts are unable to be retrieved by an accumulator making it quite costly to kill them here.however since the crystal bow uses no ammunition it's a suggested weapon to use.

Kuradal's Dungeon (P2P)
Notice: Players can only kill greater demons in this area if they are assigned by Kuradal as a Slayer task. It is recommended to wear a slayer helm, ferocious ring, and a fast, slashing weapon like the abyssal whip. Another option is to bring Darklight. The special attack of darklight is able to weaken the demon, making it very vulnerable. In Kuradal's Dungeon there are also a few safe spots. Greater demons are very weak to magic attacks. So killing them with magic in these spots is recommended. It is possible to range them too, they do not have many lifepoints making them easy to kill.

Demonic Ruins (F2P)
A free-to-play strategy is to wear full rune or green dragonhide armour (to defend against Revenants' attacks) and to bring decent food (preferably tuna or better). Optionally, bring Strength potions to deal more damage and get drops faster. Fight as normal. If a revenant appears, do this:


 * Revenant comes from the east: On the western side of the ruins is a cross shaped extension. Run into the cross on the south-western square of the southern arm of the cross. This spot is safe from any revenant patrol route. Should it see you and be targeting you, log out and immediately log back in, and simply wait a moment. The revenant will continue on its way. There is no way to be hit in this spot, unless someone lures the revenant inside of the cross. If this happens run OUTSIDE the ruins on the south east side, and get in the corner where the wall meets. Log out and in immediately. This will allow you to be safe again, and give the minimum time for more revenants to possibly arrive.


 * Revenant comes from the west: If you're on the eastern side of the ruins, you don't really have to worry about this spawn, as it won't see you UNLESS you're standing north of the building. In any case, if it sees you, doing exactly what you would do if it should come from the east will work to avoid it.

Regardless of your combat level, it's advised to hide, and not fight revenants (Especially higher level ones) as just a 1-3 fights will use a large portion of your food.

Fishing spots (Lobsters and harpooning) are available on the eastern coast of the wilderness, which isn't very far from the ruins. However, the stretch here is highly prone to Revenants, especially of the Knight and Ork species, which means escape won't be easy especially when you meet a patrol group.

Wilderness Volcano (F2P)
Compared to the Demonic Ruins, the wilderness volcano is a much better choice. Safe spots are plenty for rangers, plus a bank is just outside the crater, making banking very convenient. However, the cluster of Greater Demons is surrounded by level 82 Ankous, Lesser Demons and level 122 Hellhounds, which are located near some safe spots, hence making things troublesome for rangers until their aggressiveness wanes. Spawn times are quick being from 90 seconds to less than 1 second. The biggest plus of the Wilderness Volcano is that Revenants do not patrol here. A player can stay here as long as they have more food in the bank since it is highly convenient to run to the bank and back. However, players should have at least 65-70 defence before they consider training here.

If you are of a reasonably high combat level you can also use the Clan Wars activity to renew prayer and health without using food or prayer potions.

100% drops

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Runes

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Weapons and armour

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Gems

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Other

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Different appearance
Since the graphical update on 29 August 2006, greater demons now appear in at least four different variants. Because of this, some new players think one "species" of Greater demon appears stronger and tougher due to it looking more intimidating than others. However this is not true, as Jagex affirms that they are equally strong and tough and all have the same stats as one another. The Green object on the head of the No-horned Demon at first appears to be a beard, but it is in fact it's tongue, showing that it does not have a bottom jaw, this along with the small/broken horns and torn wings Suggest that this type is a "Wounded" Demon; although their stats are the same as the other three.

Before graphical update


Before demons were updated they had heads which resembled that of a horse, or the old head of all the dragons, as well as long thin limbs, fangs, and a solid red skin tone.

In RuneScape Classic, they had reddish-orange skin with horns, and did not have wings.

Trivia

 * The animation of Greater Demons was updated on the 5th of July, 2010. Previously, they didn't move their wings as much, or their tail.
 * There is a Lesser Demon with short horns and a green tongue, similar to one of the new Greater Demons.
 * Due to their remote location and horrible drops, these are almost never killed, unless assigned by a Slayer Master.