Killing The Leviathan

Killing The Leviathan in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a high-level money-making method that pits players against one of the game’s challenging bosses, offering substantial rewards for those skilled enough to take it down. Introduced as part of the Desert Treasure II questline, this formidable foe resides in a unique arena and drops valuable loot, including rare items that fetch hefty prices on the Grand Exchange. The method demands significant preparation, from meeting combat and quest requirements to optimizing gear and mastering the fight mechanics, but the payoff—potentially hundreds of thousands or even millions of GP per hour—makes it a lucrative endeavor for seasoned players. Below, we’ll explore each step in detail: meeting the prerequisites, preparing gear and inventory, traveling to the location, fighting the boss, looting the drops, and selling the spoils.
Meeting the Prerequisites
Before you can face The Leviathan, you’ll need to meet a series of prerequisites that ensure you’re ready for the challenge. This boss isn’t for the faint-hearted or under-leveled, requiring a mix of combat stats, quest completions, and access to specific content. These hurdles gatekeep the method, but they’re achievable with dedication.
Skill Requirements
- Combat Level 115+: Recommended for survivability and damage output.
- Attack 70+: For wielding high-tier weapons like the Fang or Scythe.
- Strength 70+: Boosts melee damage.
- Defence 70+: Reduces incoming damage from Leviathan’s attacks.
- Magic 75+: Needed for Desert Treasure II and useful for shadow spells (P2P).
- Prayer 70+: For Piety or Rigour to maximize DPS.
Quest Requirements
- Desert Treasure II – The Fallen Empire: Unlocks The Leviathan encounter.
- Sub-quests: Desert Treasure I, The Dig Site, Druidic Ritual, Temple of Ikov, The Tourist Trap, Troll Stronghold, Death Plateau, Priest in Peril, Waterfall Quest.
- Secrets of the North: Partial completion aids in story context and access.
Additional Prerequisites
- Membership (P2P): Leviathan is exclusive to members.
- Fremennik Provinces Access: For travel (e.g., via fairy rings).
- GP Investment: Around 5-10M GP for gear and supplies initially.
Preparation Tips
- Train combat stats via slayer or Nightmare Zone to hit the recommended levels efficiently.
- Complete Desert Treasure II early—it’s a long quest, but the boss fights (including Leviathan practice) teach mechanics.
- Save 1M GP for emergency gear upgrades if needed.
Meeting these prerequisites takes time—questing alone might span 20-30 hours—but it’s a one-time grind. A player with 85 Attack, Strength, Defence, and 75 Magic after finishing Desert Treasure II is well-positioned to start.
Preparing Gear and Inventory
With prerequisites met, preparing your gear and inventory is critical to surviving and profiting from The Leviathan. This boss demands a balance of high damage output, decent defence, and sustainable supplies, tailored to your combat style (melee preferred, with magic as a niche option). Budget and maxed setups vary, but efficiency is key.
Recommended Gear
- Melee Setup (Budget)
- Head: Slayer Helmet (i) (on task) or Neitiznot Faceguard (~500K GP).
- Body: Bandos Chestplate (~15M GP) or Fighter Torso (free via Barbarian Assault).
- Legs: Bandos Tassets (~20M GP) or Obsidian Platelegs (~1M GP).
- Weapon: Osmumten’s Fang (~60M GP) or Abyssal Whip (~2M GP).
- Shield: Dragon Defender or Avernic Defender (~5M GP).
- Amulet: Amulet of Torture (~5M GP) or Amulet of Glory (~50K GP).
- Ring: Berserker Ring (i) (~3M GP) or Ring of Suffering (i) (~10M GP).
- Melee Setup (Maxed)
- Head: Torva Full Helm (~200M GP).
- Body: Torva Platebody (~500M GP).
- Legs: Torva Platelegs (~400M GP).
- Weapon: Scythe of Vitur (~1B+ GP) or Blade of Saeldor (~100M GP).
- Cape: Infernal Cape (~50M GP via Fire Cape grind).
- Magic Setup (Optional)
- Weapon: Shadow of Tumeken (~1B+ GP) or Trident of the Swamp (~5M GP).
- Armour: Ahrim’s Robetop and Skirt (~5M GP total).
Inventory Setup
- Food: 10-12 Sharks or Manta Rays (~1-2K GP each) for healing.
- Potions:
- Super Combat Potion (1-2 doses, ~10K GP) or Divine Super Combat (~50K GP).
- Prayer Potion (4) (~10K GP each) for sustained Prayer use.
- Stamina Potion (1) (~5K GP) for run energy.
- Teleport: POH Teleport or Rimmington Tablet for banking.
- Emergency: Rune Pouch with Vengeance runes (P2P, ~1K GP setup).
Gear Tips
- Use Slayer Helm (i) if on a Leviathan task (assigned by Konar or Duradel).
- Prioritize Osmumten’s Fang—its accuracy shines against Leviathan’s high defence.
- Bring 1-2M GP worth of gear to start; upgrade as profits roll in.
Prep takes 5-10M GP for a solid mid-tier setup, ensuring you can kill Leviathan 3-5 times per trip. Test your loadout at easier bosses like Vorkath first to dial it in.
Traveling to The Leviathan’s Location
Getting to The Leviathan requires navigating to its unique arena, accessible only after unlocking it via Desert Treasure II. Located in the Scar, a corrupted abyss beneath the desert, travel involves specific teleports and a bit of walking, but efficient routes cut downtime.
Location Details
- The Scar: A post-quest instanced area tied to the Ancient Vault.
- Access Point: Near the Quidamortem region in the Kebos Lowlands.
Travel Methods
- Fairy Ring (DJP)
- Requirements: Fairy Tale II started, Dramen Staff or Lunar Staff.
- Route: Teleport to DJP (Kebos Lowlands), run east to the Scar Essence Mine entrance, enter the Scar via the rowboat.
- Time: ~2 minutes.
- POH Portal (Lovakengj)
- Requirements: POH moved to Lovakengj (~20K GP), 100 Sulphur for portal.
- Route: Teleport to POH, exit, run northeast to Scar entrance.
- Time: ~1.5 minutes.
- Xeric’s Talisman (Glade)
- Requirements: Xeric’s Talisman (~500K GP), charged with lizardman fangs.
- Route: Teleport to Xeric’s Glade, run south to Scar.
- Time: ~2 minutes.
Efficiency Tips
- Wear Graceful Outfit or sip a Stamina Potion to maintain run energy.
- Keep a teleport tab for quick banking after kills.
- Use world hopper to avoid crowded Scar instances.
Travel takes 2-3 minutes per trip—negligible once you’re set up. DJP fairy ring is the most accessible for most players, making it the go-to route.
Fighting and Killing The Leviathan
Fighting The Leviathan is the heart of this method, a multi-phase battle that tests your combat skills and reaction time. This serpentine boss uses a mix of ranged, magic, and special attacks, requiring precise movement and prayer flicking to survive. Mastering the fight boosts kills per hour and profit.
Boss Mechanics
- Health: ~900 HP.
- Attacks:
- Ranged: Green projectiles—pray Protect from Missiles.
- Magic: Blue waves—pray Protect from Magic.
- Smoke Barrage: Poisons and binds—move to avoid.
- Specials: Lightning strikes and shadow phases—dodge or tank with food.
Fight Strategy
- Phase 1: Standard attacks—flick prayers based on projectile color (green = ranged, blue = magic).
- Phase 2: Smoke clouds spawn—run to clear tiles, maintain DPS with Fang or Scythe.
- Phase 3: Lightning and shadows—sidestep bolts, use Piety or Rigour for max damage.
Kill Time
- Mid-Tier Gear: 3-4 minutes per kill (15-20 kills/hour).
- Maxed Gear: 2-3 minutes per kill (20-25 kills/hour).
Efficiency Tips
- Practice prayer flicking at easier bosses (e.g., Chaos Fanatic) to nail timing.
- Spam-click your weapon to avoid auto-attack delays.
- Heal to full before specials to survive mistakes.
A mid-tier player can expect 15 kills/hour, while maxed setups hit 25 kills/hour. It’s a steep learning curve—expect 5-10 deaths early—but once mastered, it’s a GP goldmine.
Looting the Drops
After slaying The Leviathan, looting its drops is where the profit shines. This boss offers a mix of consistent alchables and rare uniques, with the potential for massive payouts. Efficient looting maximizes your hourly GP.
Common Drops
- Rune Items: Rune Kiteshield, Rune 2h Sword (~50-100K GP total).
- Resources: Blood Runes (500-1K, ~200K GP), Death Runes (~100K GP).
- Coins: 50-100K GP per kill.
Rare Drops
- Leviathan’s Lure: ~5M GP.
- Chromatic Quartz: ~10M GP (part of Virtus Robes tradeables).
- Awakener’s Orb: ~20M GP.
Drop Rates
- Uniques: ~1/100 to 1/200 per kill (varies by item).
- Average Loot: 200-300K GP/kill without rares, 5-20M GP with a big drop.
Looting Tips
- Leave low-value junk (e.g., steel arrows) to save inventory space.
- Bank every 3-5 kills to avoid losing rares to a death.
- Use Herb Sack or Seed Box if P2P for extra loot capacity.
Looting 15 kills/hour averages 3-4.5M GP in commons, with a rare drop every 5-10 hours spiking it to 10-20M GP. It’s RNG-heavy, but the baseline is solid.
Selling the Loot on the Grand Exchange
Selling The Leviathan’s loot on the Grand Exchange turns your kills into GP, with prices fluctuating based on supply and demand. Timing and strategy can squeeze extra profit from your haul.
Selling Process
- Teleport to GE via Varrock Teleport or Games Necklace.
- List commons in bulk (e.g., 1K Blood Runes at ~200 GP each).
- Price rares conservatively—Leviathan’s Lure at 4.5-5M GP moves faster than 6M GP.
Market Tips
- Commons: Sell instantly at mid-price (~200K GP/kill clears quick).
- Rares: Check GE history—hold Awakener’s Orbs if prices dip below 18M GP.
- Volume: Dump 5-10M GP in loot every few hours to avoid flooding.
Profit Breakdown
Kills/Hour | Avg Loot/Kill | Hourly Profit |
---|---|---|
15 | 200-300K GP | 3-4.5M GP |
25 | 200-300K GP | 5-7.5M GP |
Selling nets 3-7.5M GP/hour on average, with rare drops pushing it to 10M+ GP/hour sporadically. It’s a high-risk, high-reward grind that pays off with skill.
Conclusion
Killing The Leviathan is an elite OSRS money-making method, blending combat prowess with RNG luck for 3-7.5M GP/hour and occasional multimillion-GP windfalls. Meeting prerequisites and prepping gear set the stage, traveling and fighting demand precision, and looting and selling seal the deal. For players with the stats and stomach for a challenge, it’s a thrilling way to stack GP—grab your Fang, pray up, and dive into the Scar!