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This article is about the normal rune dragon. For the elite version, see Elite rune dragon.
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Rune dragons are metal dragons that can be found on Mount Firewake, in Kethsi. In order to fight rune dragons (and be assigned them for a slayer task), the player must first complete the quests Ritual of the Mahjarrat and Fate of the Gods.

They won the first RuneLabs poll, alongside adamant dragons, and were first announced in the June 2015 Behind the Scenes.[1]

Rune dragons are found in the remains of Mount Firewake, where the Kethsians kept the Stone of Jas, until it was overused and awakened the Dragonkin. Also located in this area is the laboratory of the Dactyl Forcae, a disciple of Kerapac, who created the adamant and rune dragons.

If the player dies on Mount Firewake, their gravestone spawns near the World Gate.

Strategy[]

Rune dragons have a total of 3 phases that must be completed with each kill, with the first phase requiring the use of dragonbane bolts or arrows in order to break through their metallic armour and with the second phase being unreachable with melee weapons.

As with mithril and adamant dragons, rune dragons use all three styles of combat, in addition to the standard dragonfire. Their magic and melee attacks are simply standard attacks, while their ranged attack will freeze the player for one second, which can be avoided with Freedom and Anticipation.

During their second phase, their standard dragonfire is replaced with an "enhanced" dragonfire. The "enhanced" dragonfire is not as strong as it implies; rather, it functions similarly to the Queen Black Dragon's dragonfire (even super antifires with a dragonfire shield/anti-dragon shield cannot fully block - this attack is reduced to the low 400s with full antifire protection, and 800's with standard protection) though it is avoidable.

Armoured phase[]

  • Starts with 68,250 life points
  • Dragonbane ammunition is essential on this phase, as all other attacks, including those of familiars, deal dramatically reduced damage.

Flying phase[]

  • Starts with 45,045 life points. Any attacks during the transition will be reduced to 10% damage. [2]
  • The dragon begins flying and becomes immune to melee attacks. Dragonbane is no longer required to deal full damage. In addition, the dragon stops using melee attacks and replaces its standard dragonfire attack with the enhanced version.
  • Throughout this phase, the rune dragon may breathe a bright blue plume of enhanced dragonfire, dealing magic damage. This attack cannot be fully blocked by a super antifire or wyrmfire potion, and will deal a minimum of 450 magic damage. However, if the player is far enough from the dragon, a small cloud appears under the player indicating the enhanced dragonfire is being used and can be avoided by moving away from it.

Enrage phase[]

  • Starts with 22,522 life points. Any attacks during the transition will be reduced to 10% damage. [2]
  • The rune dragon gains a faint blue aura about its head crest after landing, indicative of this phase beginning.
  • It is again possible to attack the dragon with melee.
  • The dragon gets stronger with every attack. It stops using enhanced dragonfire and returns to standard dragonfire. It also starts using its melee attacks again.

Drops[]

100% drops[]


Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Reinforced dragon bonesReinforced dragon bones1Always21,881
Rune barRune bar1Always2,985

Charms[]

No charmGold charmGreen charmCrimson charmBlue charm
29–33%11–14%20–23%28–31%5–7%
Represents a 90% confidence range based on a sample of 1,678 kills.
4 charms are dropped at a time.
Add data to the log (requires JavaScript).

Main drop[]

Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Rune platelegsRune platelegs1Common37,002
Rune chainbodyRune chainbody1Common29,002
Rune kiteshieldRune kiteshield1Common30,650
Dragon longswordDragon longsword1Uncommon56,212
Off-hand dragon longswordOff-hand dragon longsword1Uncommon55,396
Dragon platelegsDragon platelegs1Rare160,990
Dragon plateskirtDragon plateskirt1Rare164,077
Runite oreRunite ore(noted)Common5,676
Runite bolts (unf)Runite bolts (unf)40Common7,720
Rune barRune bar(noted)Common8,955
Magic logsMagic logs30 (noted)Uncommon11,400
Uncut dragonstoneUncut dragonstone(noted)Uncommon24,154
Black dragonhideBlack dragonhide(noted)Uncommon31,338
Onyx bolt tipsOnyx bolt tips8Uncommon56,856
Coins 10000Coins11,000–14,000Uncommon11,000–14,000
Prayer potion (3)Prayer potion (3)3Uncommon6,624
RocktailRocktail2Uncommon9,380
Rare drop tableRare drop table1RareNot sold
Steadfast scaleSteadfast scale1Rare (1/768)[d 1]13,281,692
Glaiven wing-tipGlaiven wing-tip1Rare (1/768)[d 1]7,908,410
Ragefire glandRagefire gland1Rare (1/768)[d 1]578,526
Draconic visageDraconic visage1Rare (1/512)[d 2]1,187,911

Tertiary drops[]

Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Forcae's journal pageForcae's journal page1Uncommon (1/20)[d 3]Not sold
Sealed clue scroll (hard)Sealed clue scroll (hard)1UncommonNot sold
Sealed clue scroll (elite)Sealed clue scroll (elite)1Rare[d 4]Not sold
Kethsi ringKethsi ring1RareNot sold
Court summonsCourt summons1Very rareNot sold
  1. ^ a b c Only while on a Slayer assignment.[3] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "scales" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "scales" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ^ Mod Timbo. "Revealing Drop Rates." 17 November 2017. Developers' Blogs.
  3. ^ Continues to be dropped until all 10 pages are obtained.
  4. ^ There is a 1% chance of this being a sealed clue scroll (master) instead

Rare drop table[]

This monster has access to the rare drop table.
Luck-enhancing items such as a ring of wealth or luck of the dwarves are not required to access the table.
Show/hide rare drop table
Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Coins 250Coins250–500Common250–500
Uncut sapphireUncut sapphire1Common809
Uncut emeraldUncut emerald1Common2,555
Uncut rubyUncut ruby1Common1,842
Uncut diamondUncut diamond1Common4,843
Uncut diamondUncut diamond45–55 (noted)Rare217,935–266,365
Loop half of a keyLoop half of a key1Common11,053
Tooth half of a keyTooth half of a key1Common11,538
Uncut dragonstoneUncut dragonstone1Uncommon12,077
Uncut dragonstoneUncut dragonstone45–55 (noted)Rare543,465–664,235
Dragon longswordDragon longsword1Common56,212
Dragon spearDragon spear1Rare35,861
BattlestaffBattlestaff180–220 (noted)Rare542,160–662,640
Rune javelinRune javelin5Rare905
Rune platebodyRune platebody1Uncommon37,480
Rune platebodyRune platebody15–25 (noted)Rare562,200–937,000
Shield left halfShield left half1Rare64,399
Dragon helmDragon helm1Uncommon58,601
Rune arrowheadsRune arrowheads113–137Common14,916–18,084
Onyx boltsOnyx bolts135–165Very rare1,003,725–1,226,775
Chaos talismanChaos talisman1Rare1,923
Nature talismanNature talisman1Rare1,473
Water talismanWater talisman65–82 (noted)Rare164,320–207,296
Earth talismanEarth talisman65–82 (noted)Rare12,025–15,170
Fire talismanFire talisman25–35 (noted)Rare5,225–7,315
Raw lobsterRaw lobster135–165 (noted)Common47,655–58,245
Raw sharkRaw shark225–275 (noted)Uncommon321,075–392,425
Big bonesBig bones68–82 (noted)Uncommon13,804–16,646
Dragon bonesDragon bones180–220 (noted)Rare384,480–469,920
CoalCoal200–1,100 (noted)Uncommon22,400–123,200
Gold oreGold ore90–110 (noted)Common52,830–64,570
Adamantite oreAdamantite ore180–220 (noted)Uncommon40,860–49,940
Adamant barAdamant bar14–16 (noted)Common24,654–28,176
Adamant barAdamant bar135–165 (noted)Rare237,735–290,565
Runite oreRunite ore90–110 (noted)Rare127,710–156,090
Rune barRune bar(noted)Common8,955
Rune barRune bar45–55 (noted)Rare134,325–164,175
Grimy torstolGrimy torstol90–110 (noted)Uncommon485,010–592,790
Grimy snapdragonGrimy snapdragon90–110 (noted)Uncommon161,010–196,790
Super restore (4)Super restore (4)45–55 (noted)Uncommon125,910–153,890
Prayer potion (4)Prayer potion (4)45–55 (noted)Uncommon130,950–160,050
Lantadyme seedLantadyme seed14–16Uncommon10,164–11,616
Dwarf weed seedDwarf weed seed14–16Uncommon11,508–13,152
Magic seedMagic seed4Uncommon209,856
Palm tree seedPalm tree seed10Rare396,000
FlaxFlax450–550 (noted)Common43,200–52,800
Molten glassMolten glass45–55 (noted)Common27,585–33,715
Soft claySoft clay450–550 (noted)Uncommon188,550–230,450
Yew logsYew logs68–82 (noted)Uncommon11,356–13,694
Yew logsYew logs675–825 (noted)Rare112,725–137,775
Teak plankTeak plank45–55 (noted)Uncommon16,740–20,460
Mahogany plankMahogany plank270–330 (noted)Rare356,670–435,930
Blurberry SpecialBlurberry Special1Uncommon12,008
Vecna skullVecna skull1Very rare*124,871
Hazelmere's signet ringHazelmere's signet ring1Very rare*1,432,268,388
Brawling gloves (Melee)Brawling gloves (Melee)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Magic)Brawling gloves (Magic)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Ranged)Brawling gloves (Ranged)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Agility)Brawling gloves (Agility)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Cooking)Brawling gloves (Cooking)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (FM)Brawling gloves (FM)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Fishing)Brawling gloves (Fishing)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Hunter)Brawling gloves (Hunter)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Mining)Brawling gloves (Mining)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Prayer)Brawling gloves (Prayer)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Smithing)Brawling gloves (Smithing)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Thieving)Brawling gloves (Thieving)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (WC)Brawling gloves (WC)1Very rareNot sold
Crystal triskelion fragment 1Crystal triskelion fragment 11Very rareNot sold
Crystal triskelion fragment 2Crystal triskelion fragment 21Very rareNot sold
Crystal triskelion fragment 3Crystal triskelion fragment 31Very rareNot sold

Universal drops[]

Universal drops are dropped by nearly every monster outside of Daemonheim.
These drops are dropped alongside main drops.
Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Key tokenKey token1RareNot sold
Mimic kill tokenMimic kill token1Very rare5,575

Achievement[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Upon release, there was a bug that caused Rune dragons to build up their rage outside of combat, due to players leaving combat during the third phase. This caused them to easily kill players in a single hit. This bug was patched the following day. Without growing their rage, rune dragons will still keep their rage for a long time after leaving combat. If one leaves for a bank trip, it is common to find their already damaged dragon in the same state as it was before leaving.
  • There is currently a glitch where damage from a dwarf multicannon deals full damage for phase one of the fight, even though dragonbane ammo is required in order to harm them. 
  • On release, rune dragons were aggressive and had fewer spawns. With the Patch Notes update on 22 June 2015, several changes were implemented, such as increased experience, tolerance towards players, more spawns, and reduced damage from their enhanced dragonfire.
  • Originally, as a rune dragon had to reach a specific threshold of life points to move to the next phase, overhitting the mark would result in the dragon regenerating all lost health back to the specific health mark (e.g if the rune dragon had 46,000 life points and was hit by a Tuska's Wrath on a Slayer assignment, it would have 34,000 life points; the next hit would result in its health returning to the transition threshold of 45,050 life points).[4] In addition, rune dragons could not be attacked during phase transition. This was changed on 22 August 2016 due to player complaints.
  • If a rune dragon is forced into its next phase via indirect damage, it will turn aggressive towards the player that caused the phase transition.
  • Rune dragons (and their elite variant) are the only metallic dragons to have no weaknesses.
  • On 13 November 2017, the drop rate for glaiven wing-tip, ragefire gland and steadfast scale has changed to 1/256 from 1/512.[3]
  • As of 1 February 2018, the highest kill count for these monsters was 69,056 kills[5].
    • This had not increased by 6 May 2018.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Mod Osborne. RuneScape's RuneLabs #2 (video). YouTube. 13 March 2015.*
  2. ^ a b Jagex. Patch Notes | 22/08. RuneScape Official Forums. 22 August 2016. "Made changes to rune dragons' phase transitions to allow players to continue attacking throughout. Damage that overshoots the lifepoint thresholds will no longer be healed back, but that hit, and hits during transition, are reduced to 10% power."*
  3. ^ a b c d Mod Chaose. Mod Chaose on Twitter: "@sebastiaanvans 1/256, down from 1/512". Mod Chaose's Twitter. 13 November 2017. "1/256, down from 1/512"*
  4. ^ Jagex. Mod Stu's Twitter account. 3 November 2015. Mod Stu: "Yep, guilty, and I'm aware they regenerate at transition thresholds. Intended mechanic; no plans to change it."
  5. ^ Mod Shauny. Top 10 killers per Boss. 2 Feb 2018. "Here are the top 10 kills for each Slayer creature in RuneScape, be aware that we've not listed display names for privacy purposes however if you wish to brag about one number being yours then we won't stop you!"*
  6. ^ Mod Shauny. Top Slayer Killers - 6th May 2018. 6 May 2018. "Here are the top 10 kills for each Slayer creature in RuneScape, be aware that we've not listed display names for privacy purposes however if you wish to brag about one number being yours then we won't stop you!"*
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