How to Kill Cerberus OSRS – Ultimate Slayer Boss Guide

Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound boss in Old School RuneScape (OSRS), is a formidable challenge that rewards skilled players with some of the game’s most coveted loot, including primordial, pegasian, and eternal crystals. Located deep in Taverley Dungeon, this level 318 Slayer boss requires a Slayer level of 91 and a hellhound or Cerberus task to fight. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to defeat Cerberus efficiently, from preparation to mastering its mechanics. Whether you’re an Ironman chasing best-in-slot boots or a main looking to profit, this guide has you covered.

Before facing Cerberus, thorough preparation is key to maximizing kills per hour and minimizing deaths. You’ll need the right skills, gear, and inventory setup to tackle this high-level boss.

Skill Requirements

To fight Cerberus, you must have:

• 91 Slayer: Required to deal damage to Cerberus. If you’re at least 86 Slayer, you can use wild pies to temporarily boost to 91, but the boost must be maintained throughout the fight.
• High Combat Stats: Aim for 90+ in Attack, Strength, Defence, and Hitpoints for optimal performance. 70+ Prayer is highly recommended for protection prayers.
• Optional Agility: 70 Agility unlocks a shortcut in Taverley Dungeon, speeding up trips to Cerberus’ lair.

Getting a Slayer Task

Cerberus can only be fought on a Slayer task for hellhounds or Cerberus herself. The best Slayer master for Cerberus tasks is Duradel in Shilo Village, who assigns 130–200 hellhounds. To extend tasks, equip a bracelet of slaughter at the end of each kill to conserve better gloves during the fight.

Traveling to Cerberus’ Lair

Cerberus resides in her lair within Taverley Dungeon, accessible via a cave entrance in the northeastern hellhound area. Here are the fastest ways to get there:

• Key Master Teleport: Dropped by Cerberus (1/64 chance), this teleports you directly to the lair entrance.
• Falador Teleport: Teleport to Falador, run northwest, jump the wall shortcut, and enter Taverley Dungeon. Use the 70 Agility shortcut or a dusty key to reach the hellhound area.
• House Teleport: If your player-owned house is in Taverley, teleport and run southwest to the dungeon.

Note: A line of fire may spawn between the entrance and Cerberus after a fight, dealing 5 damage if crossed.

Gear and Inventory Setup

Cerberus has high offensive stats (220) but a low Defence level (100), making her vulnerable to melee, especially crush-based attacks. Below are recommended setups for melee and ranged combat.

Melee Gear Setup

Melee is the most efficient way to kill Cerberus due to her weakness to crush attacks. Here’s a best-in-slot setup:

Slot	Item	Alternative
Head	Slayer Helmet (i)	Helm of Neitiznot
Cape	Infernal Cape	Fire Cape
Body	Bandos Chestplate	Fighter Torso
Legs	Bandos Tassets	Obsidian Platelegs
Weapon	Scythe of Vitur (Crush)	Abyssal Bludgeon
Shield	Avernic Defender	Dragon Defender
Boots	Primordial Boots	Dragon Boots
Gloves	Ferocious Gloves	Barrows Gloves
Ring	Berserker Ring (i)	Ring of Wealth

Special Attack Weapon: Dragon Claws or Dragon Dagger for high-damage special attacks.

Ranged Gear Setup

Ranged is viable but slower, as Cerberus has +100 Ranged Defence. Use a Toxic Blowpipe or Twisted Bow for best results. Recommended gear includes Armadyl armor, Pegasian boots, and an Archers Ring (i).

Inventory Setup

Your inventory should balance damage output and sustainability:

• 4–6 Prayer Potions: Essential due to Cerberus’ prayer-draining Summoned Souls attack.
• 10–12 Saradomin Brews: Heal and boost Defence, paired with Super Restores to counter stat drain.
• 2–3 Divine Super Combat Potions: Boost melee stats.
• Runes for Arceuus Spells: Blood, Cosmic, Death, Soul, and Fire runes for Greater Ghostly Thrall and Death Charge.
• High-Alch Runes: For alching common rune armor drops.
• Looting Bag: For suiciding supplies to extend trips.

Understanding Cerberus’ Mechanics

Cerberus uses a mix of regular and special attacks that require precise prayer flicking and positioning to counter. Mastering these mechanics is crucial for consistent kills.

Regular Attacks

Cerberus attacks with all three combat styles, each with a max hit of 23:

• Magic: A transparent, smooth grey ball.
• Ranged: A spiked ball.
• Melee: A bite, used even at range.

She prioritizes the style you’re weakest against, typically Magic due to low Magic Defence in melee setups. Keep Protect from Magic active for most of the fight.

Special Attacks

Cerberus has three special attacks with specific triggers:

1. Triple Attack: Occurs every 10 attacks (1st, 11th, 21st, etc.). Cerberus rapidly attacks with Magic, Ranged, and Melee in sequence. Flick prayers in this order: Protect from Magic, Ranged, then Melee. Each hit can deal up to 23 damage.
2. Summoned Souls: Triggered every 7th attack (7th, 14th, 21st, etc.) when Cerberus is below 400 HP. She howls “Aaarrrooooooo,” summoning three souls (blue for Magic, red for Melee, green for Ranged) that attack from west to east. Each soul drains 30 Prayer (15 with a Spectral Spirit Shield) if blocked or deals 30 damage if unblocked. Flick prayers based on their colors.
3. Lava Pools: Every 5th attack (5th, 10th, 15th, etc.) when below 200 HP, Cerberus growls “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr” and spawns three 3×3 lava pools—one under you and two randomly. Standing on a pool deals 15 damage every two ticks, adjacent tiles deal 7, and the initial hit deals 10. Move immediately to avoid damage. Antifire protection reduces prolonged damage.

Note: There’s a 10% chance Cerberus skips Summoned Souls or Lava Pools, using a regular attack instead. If Triple Attack and Summoned Souls overlap, Triple Attack takes priority.

Combat Strategy

With preparation and mechanics understood, here’s a step-by-step strategy to kill Cerberus efficiently.

Starting the Fight

Enter the lair, activate Protect from Magic, and stand under Cerberus to delay her first Triple Attack. If she moves, attack immediately. Use Piety or Rigour to boost damage and cast Greater Ghostly Thrall for extra DPS.

Managing Health and Prayer

Keep your health above 60 and Prayer between 30–45 during Summoned Souls to minimize prayer drain. Overheal with Saradomin Brews before sipping Divine Super Combat Potions. Flick prayers for Triple Attacks and Souls, but default to Protect from Magic otherwise.

Optimizing Kills

To maximize kills per hour (up to 50–60 with Scythe of Vitur):

• Delay Souls: Keep Cerberus above 400 HP until the 14th attack (about 56 seconds) to avoid early Summoned Souls, reducing prayer potion usage.
• Suicide Method: Die in the lair with a looting bag full of supplies to stockpile resources for longer trips.
• Prayer Flicking: Practice flicking for Triple Attacks and Souls to conserve Prayer points.
• Special Attacks: Use Dragon Claws or Blowpipe specials when available to burst damage.

Loot and Profitability

Cerberus is one of OSRS’s most profitable bosses due to her unique drops. The average kill is worth approximately 102,394 GP, but this varies based on rare drops.

Key Drops

Item	Drop Rate	Approx. Value (GP)
Primordial Crystal	1/512	34,943,796
Pegasian Crystal	1/512	2,200,000
Eternal Crystal	1/512	4,000,000
Smouldering Stone	1/512	4,000,000
Hellpuppy Pet	1/3,000	N/A

Without uniques, the average kill is worth 24,918 GP, yielding about 447,918 GP per hour at 35 kills. With uniques, profits can exceed 5M GP per hour.

Tips for Profit

• Wear a Ring of Wealth: Increases the chance of hitting the unique drop table by removing “nothing” rolls.
• Alch Common Drops: Rune armor drops like Rune Platebody can be alched for extra GP.
• Konar Tasks: Cerberus kills on a Konar quo Maten task yield an average of 88,170 GP due to Brimstone Key drops.

With practice, Cerberus becomes a rewarding and manageable boss. Focus on prayer flicking, positioning, and efficient supply use to maximize your kills and profits. Happy hunting!