Does Ring of Wealth Affect Tertiary Drops in OSRS

Does Ring of Wealth Affect Tertiary Drops in OSRS

In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), the Ring of Wealth is a popular item among players looking to optimize their loot. Known for its ability to enhance drops from the Rare Drop Table (RDT), many players wonder: does it also influence tertiary drops like clue scrolls, pets, or other unique rewards? This blog post dives deep into the mechanics of the Ring of Wealth, explores how tertiary drops function, and answers whether this enchanted ring can boost your chances of securing these coveted items. Let’s break it down!

The Ring of Wealth is an enchanted dragonstone ring that players can craft by casting the Lvl-5 Enchant spell, requiring level 68 Magic. It’s widely used for its teleportation functions and its effect on loot. But its primary appeal lies in how it interacts with certain drop tables. To understand its impact (or lack thereof) on tertiary drops, we first need to explore its core mechanics.

How the Ring of Wealth Works

The Ring of Wealth enhances loot by modifying the Rare Drop Table and Gem Drop Table. Specifically, it removes “nothing” drops from these tables, increasing the likelihood of receiving valuable items like gems, runes, or mega-rare items such as the Dragon Spear or Shield Left Half. According to the OSRS Wiki, it approximately doubles the chance of getting a regular item from the Gem Drop Table by eliminating 63 empty slots out of 128 entries and boosts mega-rare item chances by factors of 16.8 (Gem Drop Table) and 8.5 (Rare Drop Table). Importantly, you only need to wear the ring when dealing the killing blow to benefit from this effect, allowing players to switch from combat rings during a fight.

Myths and Misconceptions

Many players believe the Ring of Wealth boosts all “good” drops, including monster-specific uniques or tertiary items. This misconception stems from anecdotal experiences where players feel luckier while wearing it. For example, a Reddit user claimed they got a pet drop right after equipping the ring, but correlation doesn’t equal causation. The ring’s effects are strictly limited to the RDT and Gem Drop Table, and any perceived boost to other drops is likely placebo or RNG at work.

What Are Tertiary Drops in OSRS?

Before answering whether the Ring of Wealth affects tertiary drops, let’s clarify what tertiary drops are and how they differ from other loot in OSRS.

Defining Tertiary Drops

Tertiary drops are special items that are rolled independently of a monster’s main drop table. Examples include:

  • Pets: Rare cosmetic followers like the Chaos Elemental Jr. or Skotos.
  • Clue Scrolls: Parchments leading to treasure trails.
  • Looting Bags: Useful for Wilderness activities.
  • Long Bones and Curved Bones: Items from certain monsters used for Construction training.

Unlike main drops, tertiary drops have fixed drop rates and are not influenced by modifiers that affect standard loot tables. For instance, a boss pet’s drop rate is often tied to kill count rather than equipment. Multiple tertiary drops can be received in a single kill, except in cases like long and curved bones, where the curved bone is only rolled if the long bone isn’t dropped.

How Tertiary Drops Are Calculated

Tertiary drops operate on a separate roll from the main drop table. For example, when you kill a boss like Zulrah, the game first determines your main loot (e.g., scales, uniques like the Tanzanite Fang), then rolls for tertiary items like the Jar of Swamp or Zulrah’s pet. These rolls are independent, meaning the Ring of Wealth’s effect on the RDT doesn’t interact with them. This is a key point in understanding why the ring doesn’t affect tertiary drops.

Does the Ring of Wealth Affect Tertiary Drops?

The short answer is no, the Ring of Wealth does not affect tertiary drops in OSRS. Let’s explore why and address specific cases like clue scrolls and pets.

Why Tertiary Drops Are Unaffected

The Ring of Wealth only modifies the Rare Drop Table and Gem Drop Table by removing empty slots, increasing the chance of receiving items from those specific tables. Tertiary drops, however, are not part of these tables. They have their own predetermined drop rates, which are unaffected by equipment or luck modifiers like the Ring of Wealth. For example, the drop rate for a clue scroll from a Hellhound is fixed, and wearing the ring won’t make it more likely to drop. This is confirmed by sources like OSRSAnswers, which explicitly state that the ring has no impact on tertiary drops such as pets or clue scrolls.

Clue Scrolls and the Ring of Wealth

A common question is whether the Ring of Wealth increases clue scroll drop rates. The answer is generally no, as clue scrolls are tertiary drops with fixed rates. However, there’s a notable exception with the Ring of Wealth (i), the imbued version. When imbued with a Ring of Wealth Scroll, it doubles the chance of receiving clue scrolls from monsters and skilling activities in the Wilderness (excluding beginner clues). This effect is specific to the imbued ring and only applies in the Wilderness, not elsewhere.

Pets and Other Tertiary Items

Pets, like the Kree’arra pet from Armadyl GWD, are iconic tertiary drops with drop rates often in the 1/5000 range. Players sometimes hope the Ring of Wealth will boost their odds, but it doesn’t. Pet drops are calculated independently, and the ring’s RDT-focused effect has no influence. The same applies to other tertiary items like looting bags or jars from bosses. A Reddit thread debating this topic concluded that the ring only affects RDT items, not pet drops, with users pointing to the OSRS Wiki for clarity.

When Should You Use the Ring of Wealth?

While the Ring of Wealth doesn’t help with tertiary drops, it’s still a valuable item in specific scenarios. Here’s when it shines and when it’s less useful.

Best Use Cases for the Ring of Wealth

The ring is most effective when farming monsters that frequently roll the Rare Drop Table. Here are some situations where it’s worth wearing:

  • Ironmen Hunting RDT Items: Ironmen seeking items like the Dragon Spear or Shield Left Half benefit from the ring, as it significantly boosts the odds of these mega-rare drops.

  • Slayer Tasks with RDT Access: Monsters like Gargoyles or Nechryaels can roll the RDT, and the ring increases the chance of valuable drops like gems or key halves.
  • Wilderness Clue Hunting: The imbued Ring of Wealth (i) is a must for players farming clue scrolls in the Wilderness due to its doubling effect.
  • Coin Collection: The ring automatically picks up coins, Tokkul, and numulites dropped by monsters, which can be toggled on or off. This is handy for high-volume slayer tasks.

When to Skip the Ring

In many cases, the Ring of Wealth is less useful than combat-focused rings. For example:

  • Bossing for Uniques: When hunting boss-specific drops like Tassets from Bandos or Sigils from Corporeal Beast, the ring offers no benefit, as these are not RDT items. A Ring of Suffering or Berserker Ring is often better.

  • Pet Hunting: Since pets are tertiary drops, you’re better off using gear that speeds up kills to increase your attempts per hour.
  • Clue Scrolls Outside the Wilderness: The standard ring doesn’t affect clue scroll rates, and even the imbued version only works in the Wilderness.

Comparing Ring of Wealth to Other Luck Enhancers

To put the Ring of Wealth in context, let’s compare it to other luck-enhancing items in OSRS and see how they stack up for tertiary drops.

Ring of Wealth vs. Other Rings

The table below compares the Ring of Wealth to other rings that might influence loot or combat efficiency:

Ring Effect Affects Tertiary Drops? Best Use
Ring of Wealth Removes empty RDT/Gem Drop Table slots, auto-collects coins No (except imbued version for Wilderness clues) RDT farming, Wilderness clue hunting
Ring of Suffering High defensive stats, recoil effect No Tanking at bosses or PvM
Berserker Ring Boosts Strength and melee damage No Maximizing DPS in PvM
Luck of the Dwarves (RS3) Tier 4 luck enhancer (not in OSRS) N/A N/A (RS3 only)

Note that OSRS lacks higher-tier luck enhancers like RuneScape 3’s Luck of the Dwarves, which does affect some unique drops. In OSRS, no ring directly boosts tertiary drop rates.

Alternatives for Tertiary Drop Hunting

Since the Ring of Wealth doesn’t help with tertiary drops, focus on strategies that increase your kill speed or efficiency:

  • Optimize Gear: Use BiS (best-in-slot) gear to kill monsters faster, increasing your rolls per hour for tertiary drops.
  • Boost Stats: Potions, prayers, and buffs like Piety or Overloads (for specific content) improve efficiency.
  • Choose the Right Method: For clue scrolls, farm monsters with high drop rates, like Hellhounds or Eclectic Imps.

Community Insights and Anecdotes

The OSRS community has long debated the Ring of Wealth’s effectiveness. On Reddit, some players swear by it, citing “lucky” streaks, while others dismiss it as useless for anything but RDT farming. One user humorously noted, “I went 623 kills dry on Vet’ion, put on a Ring of Wealth, and got the pet at 624.” While entertaining, these stories don’t change the mechanics—RNG is the real driver. The consensus, backed by the OSRS Wiki, is that the ring’s benefits are niche but valuable in the right context.

In conclusion, the Ring of Wealth does not affect tertiary drops in OSRS, except for the imbued version’s clue scroll boost in the Wilderness. Its primary role is enhancing RDT and Gem Drop Table loot, making it a great choice for specific farming scenarios but not a universal luck booster. For pet hunters or clue scroll enthusiasts, focus on kill efficiency and embrace the grind—RNG will decide the rest. Equip the Ring of Wealth strategically, and may your loot be ever in your favor!