Basilisk Knight Slayer Task Guide OSRS

In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), the Basilisk Knight task is a challenging yet rewarding Slayer assignment that offers players a chance to earn valuable loot, including the coveted Basilisk Jaw. Found in Jormungand’s Prison beneath the Island of Stone, these formidable creatures require specific strategies and gear to defeat efficiently. This guide covers everything you need to know to tackle the Basilisk Knight task, from requirements and gear setups to safespotting techniques and loot potential, ensuring you maximize both experience and profit.

Before diving into Jormungand’s Prison, ensure you meet the prerequisites to take on Basilisk Knights. These requirements are essential for accessing the task and surviving the encounter.

Slayer and Quest Prerequisites

Basilisk Knights require a minimum of level 60 Slayer to deal damage, and you must complete The Fremennik Exiles quest to access their location. The quest unlocks Jormungand’s Prison, where these creatures reside. Additionally, to receive Basilisk Knights as a task from higher-tier Slayer Masters like Duradel, Nieve, or Konar, you need to purchase the Basilocked Slayer reward for 80 Slayer points. Lower-tier masters like Vannaka or Chaeldar can assign basilisks without this unlock, but their tasks include regular basilisks, not knights.

Combat and Gear Requirements

Basilisk Knights have a combat level of 204 and use both magic and melee attacks, with a maximum hit of 20. Players must equip a mirror shield or V’s shield to avoid their stat-draining gaze, which can deal heavy damage and reduce combat stats. A Defence level of 20 is required to wield these shields. Recommended combat stats include:

• Attack/Strength: 70+ for melee setups
• Ranged: 80+ for safespotting
• Defence: 70+ to reduce damage taken
• Prayer: 70+ for access to Piety or Rigour

How to Reach Basilisk Knights

Getting to Jormungand’s Prison efficiently is key to starting your task quickly. Here’s how to navigate to the Basilisk Knights’ lair.

Travel Options to Island of Stone

Basilisk Knights are located in Jormungand’s Prison, accessible via the Island of Stone. The most efficient travel methods include:

• Lunar Isle Teleport: Use a Lunar Isle teleport or a portal in your Player-Owned House (POH), then speak to any citizen to be sent to Rellekka. From there, board Haskell’s boat north of Yrsa’s Accoutrements.
• Rellekka House Teleport: Teleport to your POH if it’s in Rellekka, exit, and head to Haskell’s boat.
• Fairy Ring (AKS): Use the Fairy Ring system to teleport to Great Kourend, then travel to Rellekka via boat or other means.

Once on the Island of Stone, head north to the cave entrance in the center of the island. Inside, navigate to the southern chambers—specifically the southwest corner or the southernmost room—where Basilisk Knights spawn.

Best Gear and Inventory Setup

Choosing the right gear and inventory setup is critical for efficiency and survivability. Ranging is the preferred method due to safespotting, but melee is viable for faster kills with high-end gear.

Recommended Ranged Setup

Ranging allows players to safespot Basilisk Knights behind stalagmites, minimizing damage. Here’s a best-in-slot ranged setup costing approximately 402 million GP:

Slot	Item
Head	Slayer Helmet (i)
Neck	Necklace of Anguish
Body	Armadyl Chestplate
Legs	Armadyl Chainskirt
Weapon	Dragon Hunter Crossbow
Ammo	Dragon Darts or Dragon Knives
Shield	Mirror Shield

For budget setups, consider black d’hide armor, a rune crossbow, and broad bolts. Monk’s robes can replace armor for Ironmen prioritizing prayer bonus, as they offer +26 prayer bonus compared to black d’hide’s +8, while maintaining decent range accuracy with a Slayer Helmet (i).

Melee Setup for Advanced Players

Melee is faster but riskier, requiring precise positioning to avoid melee attacks. A high-end melee setup costs around 966 million GP:

• Weapon: Inquisitor’s Mace or Zamorakian Hasta (crush weapons outperform due to knights’ weakness)
• Armor: Bandos Chestplate, Bandos Tassets, Primordial Boots
• Shield: Mirror Shield or V’s Shield

Budget melee options include a Dragon Mace or Leaf-Bladed Battleaxe with Proselyte armor for prayer bonus.

Inventory Recommendations

Your inventory should support sustained trips and efficient looting. Include:

• Prayer Potions (4-6): To maintain Protect from Magic and Rigour/Eagle Eye
• Super Ranging/Combat Potions: Boost damage output
• Food (Sharks or Better): For emergency healing
• Telekinetic Grab Runes: To collect drops from safespots
• Holy Wrench: Increases prayer restoration from potions
• Ring of Wealth: Improves drop table by removing “nothing” drops

Combat Strategies and Safespotting

Basilisk Knights are aggressive and will attempt to enter melee range, so safespotting is crucial for ranged setups. Their magic attacks can still hit through safespots, so always use Protect from Magic.

Safespotting with Ranged

In Jormungand’s Prison, stalagmites provide natural safespots. Position yourself at least two tiles away from the knight, behind a stalagmite, to prevent melee attacks. A popular safespot is just outside the doorway to the southwest chamber, where knights cannot pass through the one-tile-wide entrance. Flick Protect from Magic to match the knight’s attack speed (which mirrors your weapon’s speed) to conserve prayer. For example, with a crossbow, activate the prayer on the tick after your attack roll.

Melee Combat Tips

Melee requires standing one tile away to avoid the knight’s melee attacks while still dealing damage. Use crush weapons like the Inquisitor’s Mace for optimal DPS. Bring Super Attack/Strength potions and pray Piety for maximum output. Be cautious of the knights’ aggression, and retreat to a safespot if overwhelmed. Ironmen can use Proselyte armor to extend trips, as it doesn’t interfere with Ava’s devices.

Managing Superior Variants

If you have the Bigger and Badder Slayer unlock (150 points), there’s a 1/200 chance a Basilisk Sentinel spawns after killing a knight on task. These superiors have higher stats and better drops but are manageable with the same gear and prayers. Ensure you have enough supplies, as they hit harder and take longer to kill.

Loot and Profit Potential

Basilisk Knights are a profitable Slayer task, primarily due to the rare Basilisk Jaw, used to craft the Neitiznot Faceguard. Here’s a breakdown of their loot and profitability.

Notable Drops

The Basilisk Jaw has a drop rate of 1/1,000 on task (1/5,000 off-task), making tasks essential for chasing this 15-20 million GP item. Other notable drops include:

• Dragon Bones: For prayer training or Grand Exchange sales
• Runes: Nature and fire runes for spellcasting
• Herbs (Noted): Grimy ranarr and snapdragon
• Hard Clue Scrolls: 1/182 chance with Combat Achievements unlocked

Profit Per Hour

On a Slayer task, the average Basilisk Knight kill is worth 28,270 GP, dropping to 9,000 GP off-task. Excluding the jaw, kills average 4,182 GP. With efficient setups, players can achieve 100-150 kills per hour, yielding:

• Without Jaw: ~100,000 GP/hour after consumables
• With Jaw (on rate): Up to 1-2 million GP/hour, depending on luck

These figures make Basilisk Knights a top-tier task for Ironmen and main accounts alike, especially when extended with a Bracelet of Slaughter to increase kill count.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

To optimize your task, steer clear of these pitfalls:

• Ignoring Safespots: Failing to use stalagmites or doorways increases damage taken.
• Underestimating Prayer: Always bring enough prayer potions to maintain Protect from Magic.
• Wrong Combat Style: Basilisk Knights are weak to crush and ranged attacks; avoid stab or slash weapons like rapiers.
• Skipping Tasks: The jaw’s improved drop rate on task makes it worth doing, even if slow.

With the right preparation, the Basilisk Knight task in OSRS is a lucrative and engaging challenge. Equip your mirror shield, find a safespot, and hunt for that elusive jaw to upgrade your Helm of Neitiznot. Happy slaying!