OSRS Efficient Pest Control: Maximize Points and Rewards in 2025

Pest Control in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a beloved minigame that offers players a cooperative combat experience, valuable rewards, and a chance to hone their skills. Whether you’re chasing the iconic Void Knight equipment or looking to boost your combat stats, efficiency is key to making the most of your time. In this guide, we’ll dive into strategies, tips, and tricks to optimize your Pest Control runs in 2025, ensuring you rack up commendation points fast while enjoying the action. Let’s get started!

Before diving into efficiency, it’s worth understanding what Pest Control is all about. This members-only minigame pits players against waves of monsters spawning from portals, with the ultimate goal of protecting the Void Knight or destroying all four portals. Located at the Void Knights’ Outpost, accessible via Port Sarim, Pest Control is a safe activity—death means respawning on the lander with no risk to your items.

How to Access Pest Control

Getting to Pest Control is straightforward:

Port Sarim Route: Travel to Port Sarim’s southern docks, speak to the Squire, and hop on a lander.
Teleport Options: Use the Grouping teleport (20-minute cooldown) or Pest Control teleports from Treasure Trails for a faster trip.
Fairy Ring: Code AIQ takes you to Mudskipper Point, a short walk from the docks.

Requirements and Lander Tiers

You’ll need a combat level of at least 40 to participate, with three lander tiers based on your level:

Novice (Combat 40+): Ideal for lower levels starting out.
Intermediate (Combat 70+): A step up in difficulty and rewards.
Veteran (Combat 100+): The most efficient for high-level players aiming for max points.

Games require 5–25 players, starting automatically with 25 or after a 2-minute wait with at least 5.

Optimizing Your Pest Control Strategy

Efficiency in Pest Control hinges on balancing portal destruction with Void Knight defense while maintaining your activity bar. Here’s how to streamline your approach.

Key Roles: Defenders vs. Portal Killers

Two primary roles dominate Pest Control:

Defenders: Focus on protecting the Void Knight by killing pests or luring them away.
Portal Killers: Prioritize destroying portals quickly to end the game and heal the knight (50 hitpoints per portal, up to 200 max).

For maximum efficiency, most players should focus on portal killing, as games end faster when all portals are down—typically in 2–3 minutes on Veteran boats.

Portal Weaknesses and Combat Styles

Each portal has a specific weakness, making the right combat style crucial:

Portal	Location	Weakness
Purple	West	Ranged
Blue	East	Magic
Yellow	Southeast	Stab/Slash
Red	Southwest	Crush

Match your gear to the portal’s weakness for faster takedowns, though high-level teams can brute-force portals with sheer numbers.

Managing Spinners

Spinners heal portals and can slow your progress. Attack them only if multiple spawn—otherwise, outdamage their healing with focused portal hits. Luring them away with ranged or magic works too, especially at the east portal where NPC blocking can trap them.

Best Gear and Loadouts for Efficiency

Your gear setup can make or break your Pest Control efficiency. Here’s what to bring based on your combat style and level.

Melee Loadouts

Melee excels at portal killing, especially with this standout option:

Dharok’s Set: The king of portal destruction. Lower your health (e.g., with a Dwarven Rock Cake) to boost damage output—perfect for Veteran games where portals drop in seconds.
Alternatives: Bandos armor with a Dragon Scimitar or Abyssal Whip for solid, consistent DPS.

Ranged and Magic Options

For specific portals or hybrid roles:

Ranged: Armadyl crossbow or Toxic Blowpipe for the purple portal. Black d’hide offers affordable defense.
Magic: Trident of the Seas or Swamp for the blue portal. Mystic robes keep costs low while maximizing damage.

Inventory Essentials

Keep it light and effective:

Dwarven Rock Cake: For Dharok users to lower HP safely.
Prayer Potions: Use offensive prayers like Piety or Rigour liberally since stats reset after each game.
Hammer: For repairing barricades if you’re multitasking.

Maximizing Commendation Points

Commendation points are your reward currency, exchangeable for Void gear, XP, or GP. Here’s how to farm them efficiently.

Activity Bar Management

To earn points, keep your activity bar above 25%:

Attack Pests: Moderate activity boost—great for defenders.
Hit Portals/Spinners: High activity boost—ideal for portal killers.
Repair Barricades: High activity and some Crafting XP—perfect for low-combat players.

If your bar turns red, you’ll get no points, so stay active!

Points per Game

Points scale with lander difficulty:

Novice: 2 points per win (max 6 with Hard Combat Achievements).
Intermediate: 3 points per win (max 7 with Hard CAs).
Veteran: 4 points per win (max 8 with Hard CAs).

Veteran boats on World 344 (the official Pest Control world) are the fastest way to stack points, averaging 100–120 per hour with a good team.

Reward Goals

Here’s what you’re working toward:

Reward	Points Required
Full Void Set (incl. 1 helm)	850
Additional Helm	200
1M Combat XP (per skill)	Approx. 500–600

Plan your runs based on your goals—Void gear is a popular first target for its combat versatility.

Tips for Faster Games and Team Coordination

Efficiency isn’t just about you—it’s about the team. Here’s how to speed things up and win consistently.

Join the Right World

World 344 is the go-to for Veteran games. It’s active, with boats filling fast and experienced players dominating portals. Avoid Novice or Intermediate boats if you’re over level 100—they’re slower and less rewarding.

Communicate Portal Order

Shields drop in a predictable pattern (e.g., purple, blue, yellow, red). Call out the next portal in chat so the team can swarm it as soon as it’s vulnerable. A coordinated group can down each portal in 10–15 seconds.

Handle Gates and Pests

Close south, east, and west gates early to slow pests. Kill Splatters and Ravagers before they breach barricades—lure Splatters near Defilers or Torchers to detonate them for area clears. Repairing gates is rarely worth it unless you’re desperate.

Avoid Common Mistakes

Steer clear of these pitfalls:

Over-defending: Too many defenders drag out games—focus on portals unless the knight’s health dips below 50.
AFKing: Idle players tank the activity bar and team morale.
Ignoring Spinners: Let too many pile up, and portals become unkillable.

With these strategies, Pest Control transforms from a grind into a fast, rewarding experience. Stick to Veteran boats, gear up smartly, and coordinate with your team to hit 100+ points per hour. Whether you’re after Void armor or combat XP, efficiency is your ticket to success in 2025. Happy pest-slaying!