Old School RuneScape (OSRS) – Barrows Guide (Low, Med, High Level)

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A Comprehensive Guide to Barrows in Old School RuneScape

RuneScape veterans are well-versed in completing Barrows runs, and there’s no secret why. Barrows itself doesn’t require crazy high requirements, so it’s amazing how much gp you can make with casual combat. Barrows is a combat-based minigame where you fight six Barrows brothers to claim a reward at the end. This reward mostly consists of runes and a chance to get a piece of Barrow’s equipment; some of the equipment pieces are currently going for 1m+ gp!

Base Requirements

  • “Priest in Peril” Quest Completed
  • Decent Combat Gear & Stats (65 Magic, Range, Melee, Hitpoints Recommended)
  • 43+ Prayer
  • A Spade (one can be found at the entrance of Barrows)

Setting Up Low-Level Barrows Strategy

The gear setup below, minus the untradable items, can all be bought for around 200k. Even better, if you’re someone with much higher stats, this can be accomplished for much less. The key points for low-level gear are this:

  • Iban’s Staff for Iban’s Blast or a Slayer’s Staff for Slayer Dart can be used for cheap offensive magic.
  • Ardougne Cloak can be used for Prayer bonus.
  • Barrows gloves can be used for balance Attack and Defense bonuses. Can also be replaced with Dragonhide Vambraces.
  • A God Book is used for added Attack/ Defense bonuses (depending on which one you bring. Here, I am using an Unholy God Book).
  • Chest and Legs equipment can vary in dragonhide type based on your Range level, OR you can bring Rune armour instead.
  • A Ring of Dueling is used to teleport to the Ferox Enclave straight after the run to rejuvenate your stats.
  • 1-2 Prayer potions are needed to always keep prayer active.

Medium-Level Barrows Strategy

This setup relies on using the Void Knight Outfit’s set effect to maximize your Mage and Range accuracy and damage. The neat thing about using Void Knight armour is you only technically need to switch your helm and weapon when fighting between the brothers and entering the crypts. The Void Knight armour provides a 10% attack and damage bonus to Ranged and Melee, and a 45% attack bonus to Magic. The Amulet of fury gives a +10 Attack and +15 Defense bonus across all styles, making it the most versatile necklace piece available. The Unholy godbook provides both a +8 Attack bonus across all styles and a +5 Prayer bonus. The Imbued god cape, Eternal boots, and Seer’s ring provides an extra +35 Magic attack bonus and 2% Magic damage. At this level, it is reasonable to bring a Trident of the swamp (also called a “Toxic trident”) for Magic, Rune/Dragon crossbow for Range and a Dragon Dagger/Abyssal whip for Melee.

High-Level Barrows Strategy

This method is all about speed! For players with high enough combat stats, it is common to wear a full Graceful set to run in between the Barrows Brothers to make their trips as efficient as possible. The strategy is maintaining your Prayer points with a healthy balance of Prayer-restoration potions and food; this allows players to complete a run and teleport straight back to the beginning without the need for a bank. The Graceful set speeds up the rate that your run energy is restored. The Amulet of fury, which carries over from the previous setup, provides excellent bonuses across all combat styles. The Imbued god cape, Eternal boots, Seer’s ring, and Book of Darkness provide a total +45 Magic attack and +5 Prayer bonus. To effectively speed run, your weapons should consist of a Toxic Trident, Toxic blowpipe, and Abyssal whip. It is worth noting that the Barrows Brothers actually have 0 Magic defense, so although having a high Magic Attack is nice, it is not actually needed. This is why lower-level players can get away with wearing tanky gear (i.e., Rune platebodies, d’hide armour, barrows gear, etc.) and still high consistently with Magic. Therefore, bringing gear that either gives a high defense/prayer bonus or helps you restore your run energy is usually the priority.

Getting to Barrows

Normally to get there, you will need to traverse the Morytania Swamp, which can drain your energy and possibly make your food rotten. However, most players in Old School RuneScape trying to get to Barrows opt for using a Barrows Teleport (2k on the Grand Exchange) to go straight there!

Killing the Brothers

Once here, you will see six mounds of dirt for you to dig on top of and enter. You will also see the small shed out front to pick up a Spade if you forgot one. All you must do is walk on top of a mound, dig with your spade, and search the crypt inside for a Barrows Brother to spawn. They are in the same location every time. You may start with any of them, but the recommended rotation is Dharok > Ahrim > Verac > Torag > Karil > Guthan. Dharok does the most damage off-prayer, so it is recommended to fight him first to make sure you have the maximum amount of prayer points. After you kill one of the brothers, you may go back up a nearby staircase and move on to the next one. The main point for all of them is to always keep your protection prayers active. All of them have a special ability that you will not have to worry about as long as you maintain your protection prayers (except for Verac, which I will explain).

Dharok the Wretched (Level-115)

  • Attacks with Melee.
  • Special Ability: The lower his hitpoints, the stronger he hits. Pray Protect from Melee AT ALL TIMES. Attack him with Magic.

Ahrim the Blighted (Level-98)

  • Attacks with Magic.
  • Special Ability: Gives a 20% chance to lower your Strength stat. Protect from Magic. Switch to your Magic Shortbow to attack with Range.

Verac the Defiled (Level-115)

  • Attacks with Melee.
  • Special Ability: Has a 20% chance to hit through Defensive bonuses and protection prayers. Protect from Melee, and don’t be alarmed when you’re still getting hit. Eat food as needed if your hitpoints get too low. Attack with Magic.

Torag the Corrupter (Level-115)

  • Attacks with Melee.
  • Special Ability: Has a 20% chance to lower a player’s energy. Protect from Melee. Attack with Magic.

Karil the Tainted (Level-98)

  • Attacks with Range.
  • Special Ability: Has a 25% chance to lower the player’s Agility. Protect from Range. Attack with Magic.

Guthan the Infested (Level-115)

  • Attacks with Melee.
  • Special Ability: Has a 25% chance to heal the same damage he deals to the player. You don’t have to worry about him healing if you keep your Protect from Melee prayer active. Attack with Magic.

Barrows Prayer Drain

During the fights, you may see a giant head of one of the brother’s heads appear on your screen like…