Kalphite King Guide






Kalphiteking Banner

This boss has been rated as EXTREMELY HIGH-RISK. You should never attempt to fight the kalphite king with items you are not willing to lose, and while there you should expect your death as a possibility at all times. Your grave will appear inside the exiled kalphite hive, south of the entrance near aggressive exiled kalphite marauders and guardians.

Overview

Kalphite King Basics (Bestiary Profile)
Combat Level: 230 kalphite king Lifepoints: 240,000 Maximum Hit: 24,000 Attack Style(s): Melee, Ranged and Magic
Experience Summary
The kalphite king is not an effective standard training method, however he does count as two kalphites for a kalphite slayer task. This can provide an extremely high slayer experience rate.
Drops Summary
The Kalphite King drops drygore weaponry, level 90 main-hand and off-hand melee weapons. Additionally the kalphite king drops noted herbs, seeds, and other high level supplies.
Special Notes
A team is required to kill this boss. The bandit camp lodestone, ancient pyramid and camulet teleport are recommended nearby teleports to the hive.
Recommended Levels
90+ attack and strength (80 if using chaotic weapons)
80+ defence, magic and ranged
70+ prayer (95 recommended)
88+ summoning
Drygore weapons highly recommended
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Getting There

There are three main routes to the exiled kalphite hive, noted below and colour coded on the map:

Kalphiteking Getting There

Once inside the exiled kalphite hive proceed south along the tunnel and then north to reach the entrance to the kalphite king lair. The obstruction to the west of the entrance can be cleared to create a shortcut. This requires 23 agility to pass.

Kalphiteking Entrance
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Setting Up

Tank

The tank takes the majority of the damage from the kalphite king. The tank wears high melee and ranged defence armour - this role should be taken by the highest level or most experienced player in the group. The tank draws aggression by using the provoke ability, however the incite ability is not recommended. A shield is not required, however less experienced players can use it as a safety net in conjunction with shield abilities to reduce damage. Below is a sample action bar for a tank using dual drygore weapons.

Kalphiteking Actionbar Tankvoke
Tank setup
kalphiteking_tanksetup
Helm: Torva full helm* > Tetsu helm > Bandos helmet
Amulet: Saradomin's whisper > Amulet of fury
Body: Torva platebody* > Tetsu body > Bandos chestplate
Legs: Torva platelegs* > Tetsu legs > Bandos tassets
Gloves: Torva gloves* > Culinaromancer's gloves 10
Boots: Torva boots* > Steadfast boots > Ragefire boots > Glaiven boots > Ganodermic boots
Cape: Completionist cape > Tokhaar-kal > Max cape > Ardougne cloak 4
Ring: Warrior ring (i) > Onyx ring (i) > Sixth-age circuit
Aura: Vampyrism > Penance
Scrimshaw: Scrimshaw of vampyrism > Scrimshaw of strength
Mainhand weapon: Drygore mace > Drygore rapier > Drygore longsword
Off-hand weapon: Off-hand drygore rapier > Off-hand drygore mace = Off-hand drygore longsword
Inventory shown: Overload flasks, prayer renewal flasks, super restore flasks, rocktails

Additional information: A pack yak or war tortoise familiar should be pre-summoned and filled with sharks or rocktails. If not using the torva set, the helm, gloves, and boots slots should be used to improve your ranged defence.

*All 5 torva items (helmet, body, legs, gloves, and boots) should ideally be worn to gain the torva set damage bonus.

Provoker

The provoker is essentially a warrior with a shield. At least one is REQUIRED to kill the kalphite king. This class is used to save the tank from the instant-death attack, meaning it is a highly risky job. The shield should be worn during the melee and ranged phases and an off-hand weapon switch used during the magic phase. Experienced provokers may use an off-hand weapon for the majority of the kill and only switch to their shield when needed. Seen below is a sample action bar for a provoker.

Kalphiteking Actionbar Tankvoke
Provoker setup
kalphiteking_vokersetup
Helm: Void melee helm* > Torva full helm** > Death lotus hood > Pernix cowl > Armadyl helmet
Amulet: Saradomin's whisper > Amulet of fury
Body: Elite void knight top* > Torva platebody** > Tetsu body > Bandos chestplate
Legs: Elite void knight robe* > Torva platelegs* > Tetsu legs > Bandos tassets
Gloves: Void knight gloves* > Torva gloves** > Culinaromancer's gloves 10
Boots: Torva boots** > Glaiven boots > Ragefire boots > Steadfast boots > Ganodermic boots
Cape: Completionist cape > Tokhaar-kal > Max cape > Ardougne cloak 4
Ring: Warrior ring (i) > Onyx ring (i) > Sixth-age circuit (Ring of vigour when using ultimate abilities)
Aura: Vampyrism > Penance
Scrimshaw: Scrimshaw of vampyrism = Scrimshaw of strength
Mainhand weapon: Drygore mace > Drygore rapier > Drygore longsword
Shield: Chaotic kiteshield > Divine spirit shield > Blessed spirit shield > Bandos warshield

Inventory shown: Overload flasks, prayer renewal flasks, super restore flasks, adrenaline flasks, rocktails, healing aura scrolls, off-hand weapon switch.

Additional information: A unicorn stallion familiar should be pre-summoned and use of its healing prioritised. If not using the torva or void sets, the helm, gloves, and boots slots should be used to emphasise magic defence.

*All four void items (helmet, body, legs and gloves) must be worn to gain the void melee set effect
**All 5 torva items (helmet, body, legs, gloves, and boots) should ideally be worn to gain the torva set damage bonus.

Warrior

The easiest role is that of the warrior. The kalphite king should never target a warrior, meaning that the void armour set and dual drygore weapons can be used to increase damage. Seen below is a sample action bar for a warrior using dual drygore weapons. A warrior's action bar should include the freedom and anticipation abilities to escape from stuns, with the rest of the action bar dedicated to dealing maximum damage.

Kalphking Actionbar Warrior
Warrior setup
kalphiteking_warriorsetup
Helm: Void melee helm* > Torva full helm** > Armadyl helmet = Bandos helmet = Ganodermic visor
Amulet: Saradomin's whisper > Amulet of fury
Body: Elite void knight top* > Torva platebody** > Tetsu body > Bandos chestplate
Legs: Elite void knight robe* > Torva platelegs* > Tetsu legs > Bandos tassets
Gloves: Void knight gloves* > Torva gloves** > Culinaromancer's gloves 10
Boots: Torva boots** > Glaiven boots > Ragefire boots > Steadfast boots > Ganodermic boots
Cape: Completionist cape > Tokhaar-kal > Max cape > Ardougne cloak 4
Ring: Warrior ring (i) > Onyx ring (i) > Sixth-age circuit
Aura: Vampyrism > Penance
Scrimshaw: Scrimshaw of vampyrism = Scrimshaw of strength
Mainhand weapon: Drygore mace > Drygore rapier > Drygore longsword
Off-hand weapon: Off-hand drygore rapier > Off-hand drygore mace = Off-hand drygore longsword
Inventory shown: Overload flasks, prayer renewal flasks, super restore flasks, adrenaline flasks, rocktails, healing aura scrolls.

Additional information: A unicorn stallion familiar should be pre-summoned and use of it's healing prioritised. If not using the torva or void sets, the helm, gloves, and boots slots should be used to improve your weakest defence rating.

*All four void items (helmet, body, legs and gloves) must be worn to gain the void melee set effect
**All 5 torva items (helmet, body, legs, gloves, and boots) should ideally be worn to gain the full torva set damage bonus.

Non-drygore users

While drygore weapons give the fastest kalphite king kills they are not required. Chaotic melee weapons can be used in place of drygore weapons in many of the above setups, however a ranged style switch is required as chaotic melee weapons are not effective enough during the magic phase. A zaryte bow, dual chaotic crossbows (with royal bolts) or a royal crossbow (with royal bolts) are all good ranged weapon choices. Pernix, armadyl and karils armours are all good additional armour switches.

The void set is especially good for a non-drygore user, as it allows the player to hybrid with minimal switches. A melee weapon, ranged weapon, and the melee and ranged void helms are the only switches required in this case. However the void set is not recommended for tanks, and more conventional armours should be used should as bandos, torva, armadyl or pernix.

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Kalphite King Mechanics

As the kalphite king is an instanced boss many teams can fight him separately on one world. To create an instance, interact with the entrance tunnel within the exiled kalphite hive. Choosing "start a new battle" presents the player with a number of options to customise the fight:

  • Maximum number of players (1-20)
  • Minimum combat level requirement
  • Entry key - a number from 1 to 999,999 which acts as a password to your instance. Choose 0 to start an instance with no key.
  • How fast the kalphite king spawns on entry or after death - Fast, average or slow.

After the instance has been created the remainder of the team can join. The creator of the instance should make sure their private chat is set to "on", or to "friends" if all team members are on their friends list. Interact with the entrance and type in the name of the player who created the instance and entry key if applicable to join the fight.

See below for a summary of the king's melee, ranged, magic and special abilities, along with tactics to avoid or reduce the damage of these attacks.

Melee - Orange wings - Weak to fire spells
Name Description Tactics
Slice Deals damage with a 10% chance of a critical hit. None.
Punish Deals damage, increasing to 135% of the original damage if the player is stunned. Escape from a stun quickly if you are targeted by the king.
Quake Hits all adjacent players to the king and drains defence slightly. Attack at ranged if possible.
Slaughter Deals damage to the target player over 10 seconds. If the player moves location the damage is tripled. Remain in the same location or use the freedom ability to cancel damage-over-time effects.
Hurricane Deals damage to all adjacent targets. Attack at ranged if possible.
Ranged - Green wings - Weak to stab attacks
Name Description Tactics
Binding shot Fired at a number of players and has a chance to stun. Use freedom or anticipate to escape stuns.
Fragmentation shot Fired at a number of players and inflicts a damage-over-time effect. Damage is tripled if the target player moves location. Stay in the same location and withstand the damage, or use the freedom ability to cancel the effect.
Ricochet Hits multiple targets at once. Spread out around the kalphite king to minimise damage taken.
Bombardment Deals damage to the target player and players around them. Spread out around the kalphite king.
Incendiary shot Targets multiple players and explodes after a few seconds for high damage. The protect from ranged prayer reduces damage taken.
Magic - Blue wings - Weak to arrows
Name Description Tactics
Chain Hits the target player and up to 2 players near to them. Spread out around the kalphite king.
Wild magic Deals high damage. None.
Blue orbs Targets many players. First stuns the player and then deals high damage. Freedom or anticipation should be used before running to escape the blast range of the orb.
Combust orbs Used immediately after the blue orb attack. Looks identical to an orange orb attack. Orbs are fired which inflict a damage-over-time effect if they hit, lasting 6 seconds. Deals low damage so focus your attacks on the king at this point.
Orange orb/s Targets many players and may stun. Deals very high damage within a large blast radius. Run to escape the blast radius of the orbs. The freedom or anticipation abilities should first be used if stunned. The resonance ability can activate on damage from a single orb.
Special - Used on more than one phase
Name Description Tactics
Instant death (ranged and melee phases) The kalphite king marks its current target for death with an attack that turns them completely green. The target is bound, stunned, tele-blocked and unable to use abilities or items. After a few seconds the kalphite king hits the player with an attack that deals up to 24,000 lifepoints of damage. See the tactics section for information on avoiding this attack.
Summon minions (all phases) Summons many exiled kalphite marauders to the battlefield, dealing minor damage to any players nearby. If there are minions nearby use of the resonance ability to avoid the instant death attack is not recommended.
Charge (all phases) The king will glow for a few seconds and then charge in the direction he is facing, hitting and dragging any players in his path. Move out of his way.
Burrow (all phases) The kalphite king digs underground and appears elsewhere. Any players caught above him when he emerges will be damaged. The kalphite king will emerge underneath the player he was targeting before he dug underground. His horn is visible when he is about the appear so avoid this area.
Healing auras (all phases) A red or green healing aura appears around the king. The red aura will heal him for the damage he deals on each attack, however the green aura will heal him for the damage you deal. Continue to attack while the red aura is active.
Stop attacking while the green aura is active.
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Tactics

Some of the kalphite king's stronger attacks require careful use of abilities if the player wishes to survive. This section addresses these attacks, along with a few other survival tips.

Provoking - avoiding the instant death attack

The instant death attack is by far the biggest threat when fighting the kalphite king. It is only used during the melee and ranged phases and will instantly kill the target player if not avoided. Firstly, the kalphite king stuns the target player. Then he glows for a few seconds before firing an orb that turns the target player green. This helps the player to anticipate the attack. Once the target turns green they are stunned, bound, and all defensive abilities are cancelled, meaning it is impossible to survive the attack alone. Below is the survival strategy:

  1. The instant death attack is fired and the kalphite king's target turns green.
  2. A designated player wearing a shield (the provoker) uses the provoke ability to draw the king's aggression.
  3. The provoker must then use one of the following abilities to block the incoming attack: resonance, barricade or immortality.
  4. After the king attacks the provoker and the attack has been successfully avoided, the designated tank uses the provoke ability to regain the kings aggression.
Kalphiteking Instantdeath

Note: The resonance ability can fail to block the instant death attack if it is triggered by a successful minion hit. For this reason the barricade or immortality abilities are preferred, however they are ultimate abilities that require 100% adrenaline. The provoker should make a point of staying near maximum adrenaline for this reason.

Magic phase - orb attacks

The magic phase is by far the most dangerous phase for many players, the orb attacks can easily kill an entire team at once if unprepared. Each orb has a large explosion range so maintaining your distance from them is recommended.

  • Standard orange orbs - One or two are fired at every player in the room, these explode after a few seconds and deal high damage. Two or more orbs hitting a player will often result in death.
  • Blue orbs - Hits immediately for unblockable damage and can stun the player. Use of the freedom or anticipate ability is suggested if stunned.
  • Orange combustion orbs - Only fired after a set of blue orbs. Explodes after a few seconds and inflicts any player hit with a small combustion effect, however this is not very dangerous.
Kalphiteking Orbsattack

During the magic phase there is a need to move around the room constantly into safer areas that are free of orbs. If the player is stunned it can often be fatal, so stuns should be broken quickly. The best point for attack during the magic phase is directly after a blue orb attack as the imminent combustion orbs are the least dangerous.

Protection prayers

The two most dangerous attacks when fighting the kalphite king have been detailed above, but proper prayer use and awareness of all attacks can help to mitigate damage further. Boosting prayers such as piety or turmoil should be used at all times, and the suggested protection prayers for each phase and class are listed below:

Protection prayer use by phase and class
Phase Tank Provoker Warrior
Melee Protect from Melee Soul split* Soul split
Ranged Protect from Ranged Protect from Ranged Protect from Ranged
Magic Soul split Soul split Soul split

*Provokers with low magic defence could use the protect from magic prayer on this phase to improve the success rate of the resonance ability.

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Rewards

Occasionally the kalphite king will drop drygore weapons, level 90 main and off-hand melee weapons. These require 90 attack to wield and their accuracy makes them a valuable weapon for use against high-level bosses. Drygore weapons degrade and can be repaired using chitin scraps or on the armour stand at a player owned house.

Basic Info Stats
Pic Item Level Damage Offhand damage Accuracy Style Type Speed Prayer bonus
Drygore Rapier Drygore rapier 90 1102 - 4957 Stabbing Melee Fast 0
Drygore Longsword Drygore longsword 90 1102 - 4957 Slashing Melee Fast 0
Drygore mace Drygore mace 90 864 - 4957 Crushing Melee Fastest +9
OH drygore rapier Off-hand drygore rapier 90 - 551 4957 Stabbing Melee Fast 0
OH drygore longsword Off-hand drygore longsword 90 - 551 4957 Slashing Melee Fast 0
OH drygore mace Off-hand drygore mace 90 - 432 4957 Crushing Melee Fastest 0
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Credits

Original Guide by: Octarine

Thanks to: Ambler3, Dragonkng198, Teemupets, Thanorpheus

Last Updated by: Octarine

Last updated: 08-Apr-2013


RuneScape 2007
Find this page on the Internet Archive with a date as close to Aug 10, 2007 as possible.

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