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Killing The Nightmare
Killing The Nightmare in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a high-tier money-making method that pits players against a formidable group boss, offering substantial rewards for those with the skills and coordination to take it down. Introduced in the Morytania expansion, The Nightmare of Ashihama is a challenging encounter that drops valuable uniques and consistent loot, making it a lucrative option for advanced players willing to invest in gear and teamwork. This method requires meeting specific prerequisites, preparing top-notch equipment, traveling to its remote location, mastering its complex mechanics, looting the spoils, and selling them on the Grand Exchange for profits that can reach millions of GP per hour. Below, we’ll break down each step in detail to guide you through this rewarding but demanding endeavor.
Meeting the Prerequisites
Taking on The Nightmare requires meeting a series of prerequisites that ensure you’re equipped to handle its difficulty. This boss is designed for high-level players, demanding strong combat stats, quest completions, and access to members-only content. These requirements take time to achieve, but they’re essential for survival and profit.
Skill Requirements
- Combat Level 120+: Recommended for competitive DPS and survivability.
- Attack 85+: For wielding elite weapons like Inquisitor’s Mace or Scythe of Vitur.
- Strength 85+: Boosts melee damage output.
- Defence 80+: Mitigates damage from Nightmare’s attacks.
- Magic 85+: Useful for Thralls (P2P) or Vengeance.
- Prayer 70+: For Piety, Rigour, or Augury.
- Hitpoints 85+: Ensures you can tank hits during phases.
Quest and Content Requirements
- Sins of the Father: Unlocks Morytania expansions and Nightmare access.
- Sub-quests: Priest in Peril, In Aid of the Myreque, Darkness of Hallowvale, In Search of the Myreque.
- Membership (P2P): Mandatory for Nightmare and its drops.
- Sleepe Access: Post-quest, speak to villagers in Slepe to unlock the encounter.
Additional Prerequisites
- Team: 4-10 players recommended (solo possible but less efficient).
- GP Investment: 10-50M GP for gear and supplies.
- Combat Experience: Practice at bosses like Vorkath or Zulrah to hone skills.
Preparation Tips
- Train via Slayer or Nightmare Zone to hit 85+ combat stats.
- Complete Sins of the Father early takes 5-10 hours but unlocks key areas.
- Join a clan or Discord for reliable Nightmare teams.
Meeting these takes effort 20-30 hours of questing and training but a player with 90 Attack, Strength, Defence and the quest done is ready to dive in.
Preparing Gear and Inventory
Preparing your gear and inventory for The Nightmare is crucial, as this boss demands high DPS, solid defence, and sustained supplies for multi-kill trips. Melee is the meta, though magic and ranged have niche roles in teams. Budget and maxed setups vary, but optimization is key to maximizing kills and loot.
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).
- Legs: Bandos Tassets (~20M GP) or Obsidian Platelegs (~1M GP).
- Weapon: Inquisitor’s Mace (~150M GP) or Abyssal Whip (~2M GP).
- Shield: Avernic Defender (~5M GP) or Dragon Defender.
- Amulet: Amulet of Torture (~5M GP) or Glory (~50K GP).
- Ring: Berserker Ring (i) (~3M 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).
- Magic/Ranged (Team Support)
- Magic: Ancestral Robes (~200M GP total), Trident of the Swamp (~5M GP).
- Ranged: Armadyl Armour (~50M GP), Twisted Bow (~1B+ GP).
Inventory Setup
- Food: 10-15 Manta Rays or Anglerfish (~2K GP each).
- Potions:
- Divine Super Combat (~50K GP) or Super Combat Potion (~10K GP).
- Prayer Potion (4) (~10K GP each) x 3-4.
- Stamina Potion (1) (~5K GP).
- Teleport: Drakan’s Medallion (Sins of the Father reward) or Ectophial (~1K GP).
- Extras: Rune Pouch with Thralls/Vengeance runes (~1K GP).
Gear Tips
- Prioritize Inquisitor’s Mace or Scythe Nightmare’s crush weakness makes them top-tier.
- Use Slayer Helm (i) if on a Nightmare task (rare, via Duradel).
- Budget 10-20M GP for a solid setup; upgrade as profits grow.
Prep costs 10-50M GP depending on gear tier, ensuring 3-5 kills/trip in a team. Test your loadout at easier bosses to refine it.
Traveling to The Nightmare’s Location
Getting to The Nightmare involves traveling to Slepe, a gloomy town in Morytania, where the boss resides in an instanced arena. Efficient routes minimize downtime, letting you focus on kills and loot.
Location Details
- Slepe: Northeast Morytania, post-Sins of the Father.
- Arena: Accessed via the “Sleepe” NPC or right-clicking the Nightmare Totem.
Travel Methods
- Drakan’s Medallion
- Requirements: Sins of the Father completed.
- Route: Teleport to Ver Sinhaza, run north to Slepe, enter arena.
- Time: ~1 minute.
- Ectophial + Fairy Ring (ALP)
- Requirements: Ghosts Ahoy for Ectophial, Fairy Tale II started.
- Route: Ectophial to Port Phasmatys, ALP to Haunted Woods, run southwest to Slepe.
- Time: ~2-3 minutes.
- Morytania Legs 3/4
- Requirements: Medium/Hard Morytania Diary.
- Route: Teleport to Burgh de Rott, run northeast to Slepe.
- Time: ~2 minutes.
Efficiency Tips
- Equip Drakan’s Medallion it’s free and fastest.
- Wear Graceful or sip Stamina Potion for run energy.
- Coordinate with your team to enter the same instance.
Travel takes 1-3 minutes per trip negligible with Drakan’s. It’s a quick hop once you’re geared up.
Fighting and Killing The Nightmare
Fighting The Nightmare is the core challenge, a multi-phase group boss with shifting mechanics that demand coordination and skill. It’s a DPS race with special attacks, requiring prayer flicking, positioning, and teamwork to secure kills efficiently.
Boss Mechanics
- Health: 2,400 HP (scales with team size).
- Attacks:
- Standard: Melee, Ranged, Magic pray based on animation (claw = melee, orb = ranged, wave = magic).
- Totems: Four totems spawn; charge them by standing near to disable Nightmare’s shield.
- Parasites: Infect players move away to burst them, avoiding team damage.
- Sleepwalkers: End-phase adds kill quickly with high DPS.
- Specials: Grasping claws, flower power (dodgeable AoE), curse (prayer drain).
Fight Strategy
- Phase 1: DPS while flicking prayers melee hits hardest, so prioritize Protect from Melee unless assigned ranged/magic.
- Totems: Split team to charge totems fast (2-3 players each).
- Specials: Dodge claws/flowers by moving; burst parasites away from group.
- Phase 2: Sleepwalkers spawn focus DPS to end fight (~20% HP left).
Kill Time
- 5-Player Team: 5-7 minutes/kill (8-12 kills/hour).
- 10-Player Team: 4-6 minutes/kill (10-15 kills/hour).
Efficiency Tips
- Use Inquisitor’s gear for crush bonus Nightmare’s weak to it.
- Assign roles: DPS, totem chargers, parasite handlers.
- Practice at Phosani’s Nightmare (solo mode) to learn mechanics.
A 5-player team averages 10 kills/hour, while larger groups hit 15 kills/hour. It’s tough expect deaths early but mastery yields high GP.
Looting the Drops
Looting The Nightmare’s drops is where the profit lands, with a mix of consistent alchables and rare uniques that can skyrocket earnings. Efficient looting ensures you capitalize on every kill, especially in a team split.
Common Drops
- Rune Items: Rune Platebody, Dragonstone Bolts (e) (~100-200K GP total).
- Resources: Blood Runes (1K, ~200K GP), Onyx Bolt Tips (~50K GP).
- Coins: 50-150K GP.
Rare Drops
- Inquisitor’s Mace: ~150M GP.
- Nightmare Staff: ~50M GP.
- Harmonised Orb: ~300M GP.
- Eldritch Orb: ~200M GP.
Drop Rates
- Uniques: ~1/100 to 1/400 per kill (team size affects split).
- Average Loot: 300-500K GP/kill without rares, 5-300M GP with uniques.
Looting Tips
- Split loot evenly use clan tools or trust system.
- Bank every 3-5 kills to secure rares.
- Prioritize high-value drops over junk like steel arrows.
Looting 10 kills/hour averages 3-5M GP in commons, with a rare every 10-40 hours spiking it to 50M+ GP. It’s RNG-driven but rewarding.
Selling the Loot on the Grand Exchange
Selling The Nightmare’s loot on the GE turns your kills into GP, with prices varying by market trends. Smart selling maximizes profit, especially for rares.
Selling Process
- Teleport to GE via Games Necklace or Varrock Teleport.
- List commons in bulk (e.g., 1K Blood Runes at ~200 GP each).
- Price rares conservatively Nightmare Staff at ~45-50M GP sells faster.
Market Tips
- Commons: Sell instantly (~300K GP/kill clears quick).
- Rares: Hold Eldritch Orbs if below ~180M GP prices fluctuate.
- Volume: Dump 5-10M GP in loot every few hours.
Profit Breakdown
| Kills/Hour | Avg Loot/Kill | Hourly Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 300-500K GP | 3-5M GP |
| 15 | 300-500K GP | 4.5-7.5M GP |
Selling nets 3-7.5M GP/hour on average, with rares pushing it to 10M+ GP/hour sporadically. It’s a high-stakes payout for skilled teams.
Conclusion
Killing The Nightmare is a top-tier OSRS money-making method, delivering 3-7.5M GP/hour and occasional massive windfalls. Meeting prerequisites and prepping gear set you up, traveling and fighting test your mettle, and looting and selling cash it in. For high-level players with a solid team, it’s a thrilling GP grind gear up, rally your crew, and conquer the dreamscape!
