Safe spot



A safe spot is a position from which a monster may be attacked, using ranged or magic combat or using a halberd over an obstacle, without retaliation. Making attacks in this manner is often termed "safe spotting" or simply "safe-ing".

It works because NPCs, and some automatic player movements, always move directly toward their target and do not detour around obstacles if that would mean moving away. Larger monsters may also end up snagged on a corner, even it looks like they do have an almost direct path.

How "safe" a spot really is often depends on circumstances:
 * It is not possible to reliably use safe spot tactics against other players, though a temporary advantage can be gained.
 * It is not possible against opponents, whether a player or an NPC/monster, who use a ranged or magic attack.(Unless you stand outside of that monsters patrol area)
 * It can be difficult to reach a safe position against aggressive monsters. Some safe spots are only effective once the monsters have become tolerant.
 * Monsters that retreat cannot be reliably safe spotted.

Safe spotting in a PKing scenario
Because the concept of safespotting is a physical action (i.e. it is recreatable in a real-life scenario) and not a quirk of the game's programming, it is, of course, possible to safe spot against other players. However, because there is a human, not a computer behind the screen of another player, safe spotting is nearly always a temporary tactic against humans. A computer lacks the awareness to react to safe spotting whereas humans do.

Safe spotting against other players is also limited by the practicality of it. Most monsters, again, due to their computer control, lack the ability to stop a player from doing it. A wener would see what the other player is doing and stop them, all the while forcing the safe spotter to waste time and food. Also, safe spotting, in some cases, could be dangerous as counter-safe spotting is possible (once again the adaptability of humans comes to the forefront). This reverse engineering, along with adequate protection against the original safe spotter's form of damage (Protect from Magic versus a magic-using safe spotter) can be extremely effective.

But in some cases safe spotting has serious advantages. The few, free, or depending on your opinion, "cheap", hits a ranger can get on a warrior before the warrior can close in on him can make the difference between a shiny new Abyssal whip, or you spending a day at the grand exchange, buying a Dark bow. Indeed, when a fight comes down to a battle of attrition (when whoever has more food wins), those two or three hits can be instrumental. This process can also be called "far casting".

This tactic's implications are of course somewhat obvious and as such there is a small, programmed in, defence against a safe spotter in the Wilderness or anywhere. When a warrior is retaliating against (not attacking), a distanced attack, he/she will, during their headlong charge, make their first hit on their enemy 3-4 squares before they are in melee range. Whether this is a programming oversight or an intentional counter is irrelevant, what matters is that it somewhat nullifies the point of safe-ing because that one hit is effectively a ranged attack as well. This severely shortens the aforementioned "closing distance", but not to the point where safe spotting is pointless.

Edge of range
Another form of safe spotting is the edge of a NPC's/monster's patrol range, as most, if not all, NPCs and monsters will not pursue beyond a certain area. This is generally unreliable though, because they will often wander off, causing you to move closer in order to continue hitting the NPC/monster, after which it will simply come back to attack you. However, by using Longrange style on a bow you can keep shooting at the NPC/monster. Also other monsters may attack you while you are out of range of the monster/NPC you are ranging. If you are using range, your arrows will be strewn all over the place; An Ava's Accumulator is recommended to prevent having to pick them up. In some rare cases, it is possible to kill a monster with close-up melee without being attacked by them. This is most likely a glitch.

The best way to do this would to find the northern edge of their roaming range, this way when you attack them all they do is walk around instead of backing away from you. It's unknown why they continue to walk when attacked this way. This works its best and most noticeably at the green dragons located in the wild.

Training Range and Magic from Safespots
Players can easily train range and magic from safespots in the following places:
 * Cockroach workers downstairs Stronghold of Safety.
 * Lesser demon, top of Wizards' Tower, just west of Lumbridge Swamp and south from Draynor Village.
 * Duck ponds in Lumbridge.
 * White Knights' Castle in Falador.
 * Barbarian Village.
 * Demons in the Karamja Volcano.
 * Moss Giants on the island of Crandor.
 * Behind certain fences in many locations.
 * Blue dragons in any of their locations.
 * Green dragons on rocks east of Clan wars.
 * Ogres in King Lathas's training ground.
 * Red Dragons, North of chaos dwarfs, 46 wilderness, behind line of skeletons on eastern peninsula.
 * Red Dragons in Brimhaven Dungeon from a spot in the middle of rocks on the northern wall.
 * Lesser demons, Behind the stalagmites in Taverley Dungeon.
 * Greater demons, inside the ruins in the Demonic Ruins.
 * Black demons, at the chaos tunnels. And many other spots in the chaos tunnels.
 * Asgarnian Ice Dungeon, in the white snow spot between the Ice warriors and the Hobgoblins.
 * Skeletal Wyverns, in the Asgarnian Ice Caves north of Mudskipper Point behind the cave entrance which requires the monsters to be tolerant requires 72 Slayer.
 * Scorpions, in the Al Kharid Mine.

Other Meaning
Safe spot can also mean an area or spot in an otherwise dangerous area where other monsters cannot attack you (not meaning you can attack them safely). This meaning of safe spots are often used to complete certain quests. For example, in the Temple of Light, safe spots are considered areas where there are no Shadows nearby.