Hardcore safety
Staying alive on Hardcore Worlds
Which deaths count, the stats to have before risky content, and how hard each monster hits.
The rules
If you die, you choose
Reset wipes the character completely: levels, quests and every item. Transfer moves it to the main game for good, keeping your bank and the items you protected. Either way, anything that would go to your gravestone is deleted. Player Support will not restore hardcore status.
Your escape crystal
Every character starts with one, and more cost 10,000 coins from Death, Rick at the Wizards' Tower or the Mysterious Stranger. It does not save you everywhere. Its teleport, and the auto-teleport when you take damage after being idle for the time you set under Configure, only work in Barbarian Assault, Chambers of Xeric, the Inferno, Pest Control, Theatre of Blood, Tombs of Amascut and TzHaar-Ket-Rak's Challenges. It never triggers while you are moving, and right after you log in or hop it fires on the first hit. Out in the world, wear it and toggle it to act like a ring of life instead, but in that mode it stops working in the activities above. Its teleport works up to level 30 Wilderness, where most teleports stop at 20.
Never go AFK in combat
Do not rely on idle tricks to keep you safe. One moment away from the screen can cost the character, so log out properly whenever you step away.
Wilderness = PvP
Wilderness deaths follow normal PvP rules and other players can attack you. Every guide step that enters the Wilderness is flagged. Go in with a teleport that works at that depth, on a quiet world, carrying nothing you need.
At sea
If your boat capsizes you wash up at the last gangplank you sailed from with your inventory — that is safe. Reaching 0 HP while on the boat is a real death. Teleporting off your boat at sea loses courier cargo and salvage.
Quest completions heal
Since August 2026, finishing any quest fully restores run energy and cures poison. Energy potions also restore more (15% a dose) and drop from many early monsters.
Disconnections
A disconnect does not instantly remove you from combat. Avoid dangerous content on unstable connections, and do not start boss fights during known server maintenance.
Know your exit
Before every fight decide how you leave: a teleport tab, jewellery, the escape crystal, or a door. Leave at a fixed HP threshold, not when you "feel" low.
Use the tools
RuneLite plugins worth enabling: Quest Helper (Plugin Hub), Opponent Information, NPC Aggression Timer, Status Bars, Prayer, Idle Notifier (low HP / low prayer), Special Attack Counter, Item Charges, Ground Items.
Unsafe and safe deaths
Hardcore Worlds use the stricter Hardcore Group Ironman death rules, so some places that are safe for a Hardcore Ironman are not safe here.
Unsafe: a death here counts
- Barbarian Assault
- Camelot training room (Knight Waves)
- Chambers of Xeric
- Dream World (during Lunar Diplomacy)
- Fishing Trawler
- Inferno
- Magic Training Arena
- Nightmare Zone
- Pest Control
- Inside a player-owned house
- PvM Arena
- TzHaar Fight Cave
- Random events
- Rogues' Den maze
Safe: a death here doesn't
- Castle Wars
- Clan Wars
- Emir's Arena
- The Fremennik Trials — 4th phase of the Koschei duel only
- Replay of the Galvek fight
- Replay of the Glough fight
- Soul Wars
- TzHaar Fight Pit
- TzHaar Fight Cave — only with the Karamja Elite diary resurrection
- Zulrah — only with the Western Provinces Elite diary resurrection
Stats to have before risky content
| Content | Stats | Note |
|---|---|---|
| TzHaar Fight Cave (unsafe) | 70+ Ranged, 70+ Defence, 43 Prayer minimum; 85+ Ranged / 70 Defence / 70 Prayer is a safer target | The Karamja Elite resurrection only helps on later runs: the Elite tier itself requires a completed Fight Cave, and the Hard tier requires killing a Ket-Zek on wave 31 (wiki diary data). Your first Fire cape is a real-death attempt. |
| Barrows (first runs) | 70+ Magic for Trident/blast spells, 43+ Prayer, 70 Defence | Dharok can hit very hard at low HP — keep HP high and pray Protect from Melee. |
| Zulrah | 75+ Magic and Ranged, 70+ Defence | Venom and fast rotations. The Western Provinces Elite resurrection only applies after the Hard tier, which itself requires a Zulrah kill (wiki diary data) — the first kills are real deaths. |
| Vorkath | 85+ Ranged, 70+ Defence, 74 Prayer for Rigour helps | Requires Dragon Slayer II. Acid and freeze phases punish mistakes. |
| Chambers of Xeric (unsafe) | 80+ combat stats and 70+ Prayer as a minimum; 90+ for low-risk raiding | Learn mechanics with experienced teams before solo attempts. |
How the guide marks risk
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Normal | Ordinary task. No special preparation. |
| Preparation | Needs supplies or specific gear, or has a hazard that is easy to avoid if you know about it. |
| Dangerous | A fight or area that can kill an unprepared account. Read the warning first. |
| High risk | Content that kills hardcore accounts regularly. A preparation checklist must be ticked before the task can be completed. |
Monster max hits
The monsters the guide sends you near, hardest-hitting first, with their maximum hit from the OSRS Wiki. A max hit you can't survive at your current Hitpoints is a reason to wait, or to bring better gear and food.
| Monster | Combat | Max hit | Style | Aggressive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Troll Queen | 170 | 16 (Melee), 37 (Magic), 254 (on Wise Old Man) | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| TzKal-Zuk | 1400 | 148 | Typeless Magic, Typeless Ranged | Yes |
| Vorkath | 732 | 30 (Magic), 32 (Ranged), 32 (Melee), 80 (Dragonfire), 121 (Dragonfire Bomb/Special), 41 (Rapid Fire/Special) | Slash, Magic, Ranged, Dragonfire | No |
| Galvek | 608 | 28 (Ranged), 28 (Slash), 28 (Magic), 121 (Dragonfire) | Slash, Ranged, Magic, Dragonfire | Yes |
| Vorkath (Dragon Slayer II) | 392 | 30 (Magic), 28 (Ranged), 32 (Melee), 72 (Dragonfire), 121 (Dragonfire Bomb/Special) | Slash, Magic, Ranged, Dragonfire | No |
| Duke Sucellus | 538 | 36 (Melee), 28 (Magic), 99 (Gaze) | Magic, Crush | Yes |
| TzTok-Jad | 702 | 97 (Melee), 97 (Ranged), 95 (Magic) | Stab, Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| Balance Elemental | 524 | 40 (standard) 89 (stat-draining) | Ranged | Yes |
| Nex | 1001 | 33 (Magic), 60 (Ranged), 27 (Melee), 50 (Smoke Dash), 50 (Shadow Smash), 80 (Blood Sacrifice), 60 (Containment), 75 (Ice Prison) | Magic, Ranged, Crush | Yes |
| Phantom Muspah | 741 | 72 (Ranged), 79 (Magic), 80 (Shockwave) | Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Menaphite Akh | 351 | ? (melee), 80 (lightning) | Slash | Yes |
| Elvarg | 83 | 8 (Slash), 70 (Dragonfire), 10 (with anti-dragon shield) | Slash, Magic, Dragonfire | Yes |
| Corrupted Hunllef | 894 | 68 | Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| Shellbane gryphon | 235 | 22 64 (whirlwinds) 30 (knockback) | Melee, Ranged | Yes |
| General Graardor | 624 | 60 (melee), 35 (ranged) | Crush, Ranged | Yes |
| Tekton | — | 59 | Stab, Slash, Crush | Yes |
| Dharok the Wretched | 115 | 29 (normal), 57 (at 1 Hitpoints) | Slash | Yes |
| Alchemical Hydra | 426 | 55 | Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Ket-Zek | 360 | 52 (Magic), 55 (Melee) | Magic, Stab | Yes |
| Akkha | 337 | 55 | Slash, Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| Crystalline Hunllef | 674 | 50+ | Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| The Whisperer | 587 | 30 (x2) (Melee), 28 (Ranged), 26 (Magic), 45 (Screech), 50 (Soul Siphon) | All | Yes |
| Dagannoth Prime | 303 | 50 | Magic | Yes |
| Black dragon | 227 | 21 (Melee), 50 (Dragonfire) | Slash, Dragonfire | Yes |
| Robert the Strong | 224 | 34 (Ranged), 50+ (Special) | Ranged | Yes |
| Sol Heredit | 1563 | 44 (Typeless AOE), 44 (Grapple), 15-25-35 (Triple Parry 1), 15-30-45 (Triple Parry 2) | Various | Yes |
| Tormented Demon | 450 | 31 (auto), 45 (special) | All | No |
| Zulrah | 725 | 41 | Ranged | Yes |
| The Leviathan | 593 | 34 (Melee orb & Bite), 16 (Ranged orb), 22 (Magic orb), 41+ (Smoke Blast) | Melee, Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Strange Creature | 368 | 38 (Ranged), 40 (Shockwave) | Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Hespori | 302 | 8 (x2) (Ranged), 14 (Magic), 40+ (special) | Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Fareed | 167 | 37, 40 (without Ice gloves) | Slash, Magic | Yes |
| Zebak | 371 | 38 (Melee), 16 (Magic), 16 (Ranged) | Melee, Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Arrg | 113 | 38 (melee), 30 (ranged) | Slash, Ranged | Yes |
| Vardorvis | 572 | 30-37 (Melee), ?? (axes) | Slash | No |
| Kruk | 207 | 33 (melee), 37 (ranged) | Slash, Ranged | Yes |
| Barrelchest | 190 | 35 | Crush, Typeless Ranged | Yes |
| Blue Moon | 329 | 32 total [4+8+20] | Typeless slash | Yes |
| Blood Moon | 329 | 32 total [4+8+20] | Typeless slash | Yes |
| Eclipse Moon | 329 | 32 total [4+8+20] | Typeless slash | Yes |
| Jungle demon | 195 | 32 | Slash, Magic | Yes |
| Kalphite Queen | 333 | 31 | Stab, Ranged, Magic | Yes |
| Mad Angel | 270 | 31 | Melee, Magic | No |
| Lizardman shaman | 150 | 31 (Melee), 21 (Ranged) | Crush, Ranged | Yes |
| Arrav | 339 | 30 | Crush | Yes |
| Dagannoth Supreme | 303 | 30 | Ranged | Yes |
| Sourhog | 37 | 6, 20-30 (without Reinforced goggles) | Crush, Ranged | Yes |
| Great Olm | 1043 | 27 28 29 (phase 4) | Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| Augur Metzli | 396 | 28 | Magic | Yes |
| Damis | 174 | 28 | Crush | Yes |
| Dad | 101 | 27 | Crush | No |
| Dagannoth Rex | 303 | 26 | Slash | Yes |
| The Untouchable | 274 | 26 | Crush | No |
| Flambeed | 149 | 25 | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| Culinaromancer | 75 | 25 (Magic), 11 (Crush) | Melee, Magic | Yes |
| Vanstrom Klause | 459 | 24 (Standard) | Magic | Yes |
| Champion of Scabaras | 379 | 24 | Magic, Melee | Yes |
| Ba-Ba | 359 | 24 | Crush, Ranged | Yes |
| Kephri | 341 | 24 | Magic | Yes |
| The Everlasting | 223 | 24 | Crush | Yes |
| Guthan the Infested | 115 | 24 | Crush | Yes |
| Kamil | 154 | 23 (Melee), 5x2 (Magic) | Melee, Magic | Yes |
| Torag the Corrupted | 115 | 23 | Crush | Yes |
| Verac the Defiled | 115 | 23 (Stab), 15 (Protect from Melee) | Stab | Yes |
| Giant Mole | 230 | 21 | Crush | No |
| Evil Chicken | 159 | 21 | Magic | No |
| Ice Troll King | 122 | 21 (melee), 16 (special), 11 (Magic), 7 (Ranged) | Crush, Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| The Inadequacy | 343 | 18 (Melee), 20+ (Ranged) | Crush, Ranged | Yes |
| Ranis Drakan | 233 | 20 | Magic, Slash | Yes |
| Giant scarab | 191 | 20 | Stab, Ranged | Yes |
| Nezikchened | 187 | 18 (Melee & Magic), ~20 (Dark Dagger) | Slash, Magic | Yes |
| Giant Roc | 172 | 14 (Melee), 20 (Ranged) | Crush, Ranged | Yes |
| Karamel | 136 | 7x2 (Magic), 20 (Ranged) | Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| Gelatinnoth Mother | 130 | 9 (melee), 20x2 (ranged/magic) | Ranged, Magic, Stab | Yes |
| Ahrim the Blighted | 98 | 20 | Magic | Yes |
| Karil the Tainted | 98 | 20 | Ranged | Yes |
| Dessous | 139 | 19 (Melee), 5 (Magic), 5 (Ranged) | Crush, Magic, Ranged | Yes |
| Dessourt | 121 | 19 | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| Strongbones | 184 | 18 | Magic, Melee, Ranged | Yes |
| Chronozon | 170 | 18 | Slash | Yes |
| Dark beast | 182 | 17 (melee), 8 (magic) | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| Amoxliatl | 226 | 16 (standard) ? (Icicle Crash) | Magic | Yes |
| Black demon | 172 | 16 | Slash | Yes |
| Agrith-Na-Na | 146 | 16 | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| Warped terrorbird | 138 | 16 | Ranged, Crush | Yes |
| Ghost of bouncer | 160 | 15 | Stab | Yes |
| Black Knight Titan | 120 | 15 | Crush | Not until spoken to. |
| Tyras guard | 110 | 15 | Stab | No |
| Terror dog | 110 | 15 | Crush | Yes |
| Treus Dayth | 95 | 15 (Ranged), 8 (Crush) | Ranged, Crush | Yes |
| Minotaur (Meat and Greet) | 193 | 14 | Melee, Magic | Yes |
| Moss Guardian | 84 | 14 | Crush, Magical melee | Yes |
| Bouncer | 137 | 13 | Stab | Yes |
| Slash Bash | 111 | 13 | Ranged, Crush | Yes |
| Ranalph Devere | 92 | 13 | Slash | Yes, when not holding the respective heart piece |
| Fragment of Seren | 494 | 12+12 (standard), 3+3 (Protect from Missiles), Max HP minus 1 (special) | Slash, Ranged | Yes |
| Dire Wolf Alpha | 113 | 12 | Stab | Yes |
| San Tojalon | 106 | 12 | Stab | No |
| Dagannoth mother | 100 | 9 (Melee), 12×2 (Ranged) | Melee, Ranged | Yes |
| Irvig Senay | 100 | 12 | Slash | No |
| Tanglefoot | 111 | 11 | Slash | No |
| Ulfric | 100 | 11 | Slash | Yes |
| Fire giant | 86 | 11 | Slash | Yes |
| Khazard warlord | 112 | 10 | Crush | Yes, when talked to. |
| Ice Queen | 111 | 10 | Crush | No |
| Tree spirit | 101 | 10 | Crush | Yes |
| Agrith-Naar | 100 | 10 (Crush), 10 (Magic) | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| Bandit champion | 70 | 10 | Slash | Yes |
| General Khazard | 142 | 9 | Slash | Yes, after killing Bouncer and talked to. |
| Nazastarool | 93 | 9 | Slash | Yes |
| Othainian | 91 | 9 | Slash | Yes |
| Doomion | 91 | 9 | Slash | Yes |
| Holthion | 91 | 9 | Slash | Yes |
| Kalrag | 89 | 9 | Stab | Yes |
| Me | 79 | 9 | Crush | Yes |
| The Kendal | 70 | 9 | Crush | Yes |
| Mutant tarn | 69 | 9 | Crush, Magic | Yes |
| The Illusive | 108 | 8 | Crush | Yes |
| Fire Warrior of Lesarkus | 84 | 8 | Magic | Yes |
| Lesser demon | 82 | 8 | Slash | Yes |
| Armoured zombie (Defender of Varrock) | 82 | 8 | Crush | Yes |
| Knight of Varlamore | 81 | 8 | Slash | Yes |
| Khazard Ogre | 63 | 8 | Crush | Yes |
| Tough Guy | 75 | 7 | Crush | Yes |
| Ice giant | 53 | 7 | Slash | Yes |
| Koschei the Deathless | — | 7 | Melee | Yes |
| Possessed Priest | 91 | 6 | Magic, Crush | Yes |
| Ice warrior | 57 | 6 | Slash | Yes |
| Ithoi the Navigator | 35 | 6 | Magic | Yes |
| Dark wizard | 20 | 6 | Magic | Yes |
| Witch's experiment | 53 | 5 | Stab | Yes |
| Mercenary Captain | 47 | 5 | Slash | No |
| Khazard Scorpion | 44 | 5 | Stab | Yes |
| Sir Mordred | 39 | 5 | Slash | No |
| Black Knight | 33 | 4 | Slash | Yes |
| Count Draynor | 34 | 3 | Crush | Yes |
| Delrith | 27 | 3 | Crush | No |
| Sir Leye | 20 | 3 | Crush | Yes |