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, 70 damage (hitting two 35s) 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. It can be poisoned to a Dragon Dagger (p), a Dragon Dagger (p+), or a Dragon Dagger (p++)

Dragon Scimitar
Sever. 60% 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 20% 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 + 15 levels
 * Attack -10% of original level
 * Defence -10% of original level
 * Ranged -10% of original level
 * Magic -10% of original level


 * Extra: Often uses in conjunction with attack potions to make up for loss of attack levels. Requires the completion of Heroes' Quest to equip.

Dragon Halberd


Sweep. 33% Drain.
 * A wide slash with increased strength that strikes multiple enemies if they are lined up correctly (in a multi-combat zone) and will hit larger monsters twice.
 * Extra: Requires the completion of Regicide to equip.

Dragon spear
Shove. 25% drain.
 * When this special is used, the target is pushed back one square and stunned for three seconds. This attack does not do damage. Does not work on enemies that take up more than one space.

Dragon hatchet
Clobber. 100% Drain.
 * Lowers the target's Defence and Magic by the amount of damage done. (Comparable to the 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 with reduced accuracy, 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). There is also the chance that you hit a 0, as your first hit. This does not mean that you'll hit 0's as your first 4 hits (special attack). For example, you could hit 0-20-8-12, or 0-0-5-8 or even 0-0-0-38.

Abyssal Whip


Energy Drain. 50% Drain.
 * A more accurate attack that transfers 25% of the target's run energy to the player (only works on other players).

Granite maul
Quick Smash 50% Drain
 * An extra attack done instantly with no other effects.
 * Because of the speed of the Granite Maul, the special is very beneficial, allowing 3 strikes very quickly where it would normally take a long time.
 * The Granite Maul is also commonly used in combination with another slow weapon, like the dark bow or dragon 2h, in a "combo breaker". In a combo breaker, a user uses the slow weapon, switches to the granite maul, and then uses all of the granite maul's special attack bar to add two additional hits to the already high hitting weapon.

Granite mace
Quick Smash 50% Drain
 * An extra attack done instantly with no other effects.
 * If timed correctly, you can use one normal attack, two specials, then another normal attack. This is only possible because the special attack does not affect when the next normal attack will land. This is impossible with the Granite Maul because the special on the Maul delays the normal attack after a special.
 * If used as a first strike you will see this warning, "Warning: Since the mace's special is an instant attack, it will be wasted when used on a first strike."

Excalibur
Sanctuary. 100% Drain
 * Temporarily increases Defence by 8%.

Enhanced excalibur
The Enhanced Excalibur is an upgraded version of the Excalibur that can be obtained after completing the Seers' Village Diary. It has an enhanced special attack that, in addition to better boost in defence (15% boost), heals the player 4 hp every 5 seconds for up to 5 times for a total of 20 hp.

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%). Removes Tormented Demon's shield.

Rune Claws


Impale. 25% Drain.
 * An attack with 10% more 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 Attack, Defence, 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. Can boost Prayer points over the base level (eg. 75/60).

Statius's warhammer
Smash. 35% 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. 50% 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 lightning bolts, the first hit is a regular hit which grants experience in the chosen melee skill, the second hit is magic-based, and can hit 5-25. The second hit gives magic exp.

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 always inflict damage.


 * It is often used by low level players in the God Wars Dungeon to attack creatures while they are fighting with another monster, and as the Power Shot always inflicts damage, the player will get the drop.

Magic Composite Bow
Power Shot. 35% Drain.
 * An accurate shot that will 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 use the special attack.

Zanik's crossbow
Defiance. 50% Drain.
 * Deals increased damage (max. +15) to players using Prayers and/or equipment marked by the gods. Does 3-15 extra damage to other enemies.
 * Extra: Requires completion of The Chosen Commander to obtain the weapon.

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 4 per arrow (against protect range) and 8 per arrow normally.


 * Both attacks will always hit.

Morrigan's throwing axe


Hamstring. 50% Drain.
 * Deals 20% extra damage and drains target's run energy four times faster for the next minute.
 * Extra: Can only be obtained by killing other players in PvP worldsor buying it from other players.

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.

Opal bolts (e)

 * Lucky Lightning
 * There is a chance of the bolts hitting extra damage.

Jade bolts (e)

 * Earth's Fury
 * This attack knocks an opponent to the ground. It is less likely to work on opponents with high Agility.

Topaz bolts (e)

 * Down to earth
 * This attack has a chance of lowering an opponents Magic. It only works on players, however.

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. It only works on other players.

Emerald bolts (e)



 * Magical Poison.
 * These bolts inflict five poison damage periodically on the target, with an increased chance to poison. This makes them even better than P+ bolts in damage (five damage compared to four) as well as being cheaper.

Ruby bolts (e)

 * Blood Forfeit.
 * These bolts have a chance of removing 20% of the target's current Hitpoints by removing 10% of your Hitpoints. This is especially effective against opponents with many Hitpoints, such as the Corporeal Beast.

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 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.