Special attacks

Special attacks are stronger or unusual attacks that some weapons can make on top of their normal attacks. Each one costs part of your special attack energy, a bar that goes from 0% to 100% and refills by itself over time. Most special attacks are one powerful hit, such as the Armadyl godsword's, while others drain the target's stats, freeze or stun it, heal you, or boost your own levels. A few weapons in the table below also need a certain armour set or only work against certain targets. Killing another player close to you refills your bar straight away, and other ways to refill it early are listed under Restoring special attack energy.

Using a special attack

• Wield a weapon with a special attack and click the special attack bar in the combat options tab, or use Use Special Attack on the special attack orb next to the minimap. The text on the bar turns yellow, and your next attack with that weapon is the special attack. Click again to turn it off.
• If you do not have enough energy left when you attack, you make a normal attack instead and get the message "You don't have enough power left."
• Some special attacks happen as soon as you click the bar instead of with your next attack: the Dragon battleaxe, the Staff of the dead and Staff of light, the Noxious halberd, the Soulflame horn and the dragon, infernal and crystal skilling tools.
• The Granite maul and Dragon thrownaxe special attacks do not wait for your attack timer, so they can follow another attack straight away.
• The Soulreaper axe does not use special attack energy. Its bar shows your soul stacks instead.
• Cosmetic versions of a weapon, such as the (cr) and (or) versions, the Blazing blowpipe and Dinh's blazing bulwark, have the same special attack as the weapon. The holiday Christmas Voidwaker (2024) and Easter Voidwaker (2026) share the Voidwaker's special attack, and the Easter whip (2023) and Pumpkin whip (2025) share the Abyssal whip's.

List of special attacks

"Max hit" and "accuracy" are your normal max hit and attack roll with that weapon; for example "+50% max hit" means the special attack can hit 1.5 times as high as a normal hit. Click a column heading to sort the table.

Weapon	Style	Energy	Effect
Abyssal bludgeon	Melee	50%	One crush hit. Your max hit rises by 0.5% for every Prayer point you are below your Prayer level.
Abyssal dagger	Melee	25%	Two hits at once, each with 85% of your max hit and double accuracy. Against players the second hit only lands if the first one does.
Abyssal dagger (bh)	Melee	35%	The same two hits, but each with 95% of your max hit.
Abyssal tentacle	Melee	50%	One normal hit. If it deals damage, the target is bound in place for 9 ticks (5.4 seconds).
Abyssal whip	Melee	50%	One hit with your normal accuracy and max hit.
Ancient godsword	Melee	50%	+10% max hit and +70% accuracy. A player it damages takes 25 damage 7 ticks later, and you heal 15, unless they get 5 or more tiles away from you.
Ancient mace	Melee	100%	2.5 times the accuracy, checked against crush defence. Against players it drains Prayer points equal to the damage and gives them to you.
Arclight	Melee	50%	One normal hit. If it deals damage, the target's Attack, Strength and Defence drop by 5% (10% for demons).
Arkan blade	Melee	30%	+50% max hit and +50% accuracy. If it deals damage, the target is set on fire.
Armadyl godsword	Melee	50%	+37.5% max hit and 2.5 times the accuracy.
Bandos godsword	Melee	50%	+21% max hit and +70% accuracy. The target's levels drop by the damage dealt, Defence first.
Barrelchest anchor	Melee	50%	Double accuracy. If it deals damage, the target's Attack, Defence, Ranged and Magic each drop by a tenth of the damage.
Barrelchest anchor (bh)	Melee	50%	The same, with +25% max hit.
Blue moon spear	Melee	50%	Only with the full Blue moon armour on. It ends the target's freeze, and the hit gets +1% accuracy and max hit for every tick of freeze the target had left.
Burning claws	Melee	30%	Three accuracy rolls at 3.25 times the accuracy. The more rolls succeed, the more damage (up to 175% of your max hit in three hitsplats) and the higher the chance to set the target on fire.
Dinh's bulwark	Melee	50%	A crush hit with +20% accuracy. In multi-combat areas it also hits up to nine other targets within 10 tiles. The main target's highest offensive level drops by 5%.
Dragon 2h sword	Melee	60%	One hit with your normal accuracy and max hit.
Dragon battleaxe	Melee	100%	Used as soon as you click the bar. Your Strength is set to your base level plus 15% (113 at level 99).
Dragon claws	Melee	50%	Four accuracy rolls at 3.25 times the accuracy. Up to twice your max hit, split into four hitsplats of a half, a quarter, an eighth and an eighth.
Dragon dagger	Melee	25%	Two hits at once, each with +15% max hit and +35% accuracy.
Dragon halberd Crystal halberd	Melee	30%	One hit with +10% max hit, at the halberd's 2-tile reach.
Dragon longsword	Melee	25%	+15% max hit and +25% accuracy.
Dragon longsword (bh)	Melee	25%	+25% max hit and +25% accuracy. Against players your next attack comes one tick sooner.
Dragon mace	Melee	25%	+50% max hit and +25% accuracy.
Dragon mace (bh)	Melee	25%	The same, and the target's crush defence roll is cut to 60%.
Dragon scimitar	Melee	55%	+50% accuracy. A player it damages loses their protection prayers and cannot turn on overhead prayers for 5 seconds.
Dragon spear Zamorakian spear Zamorakian hasta	Melee	25%	Players only, and it deals no damage. The target is pushed one tile back and stunned for 4 ticks (2.4 seconds).
Dragon sword	Melee	40%	+25% max hit and +25% accuracy, checked against stab defence.
Dragon warhammer	Melee	50%	+50% max hit. If it deals damage, the target's Defence drops by 30%.
Dual macuahuitl	Melee	25%	Only with the full Blood moon armour on. +25% max hit and your next attack comes one tick sooner, but it costs you a quarter of your current Hitpoints.
Elder maul	Melee	50%	+25% accuracy. If it deals damage, the target's Defence drops by 35%.
Emberlight	Melee	50%	One normal hit. If it deals damage, the target's Attack, Strength and Defence drop by 5% (15% for demons).
Granite maul	Melee	50%	Hits as soon as you are in range without waiting for your attack timer, with +25% accuracy. Click the bar twice in the same tick for two specials at once.
Korasi's sword Voidwaker	Melee	50%	Never misses and deals 50–150% of your max hit. Against players, Protect from Magic lowers it but Protect from Melee does not.
Noxious halberd	Melee	50%	Only while you are poisoned or venomed. It cures you straight away, and your next melee hit deals at least as much as the poison or venom was doing.
Osmumten's fang	Melee	25%	+50% accuracy. Against players it can hit up to your full max hit instead of 85% of it.
Saradomin godsword	Melee	50%	+10% max hit and +70% accuracy. A hit of 20 or more heals you half the damage and restores a quarter of it as Prayer points.
Saradomin sword	Melee	100%	Two hits with your normal max hit, both checked against the target's magic defence.
Saradomin's blessed sword	Melee	65%	+25% max hit and double accuracy, checked against the target's magic defence.
Soulreaper axe	Melee	1–5 soul stacks	Needs at least one soul stack. Heals you 8 Hitpoints for every stack and resets them; each stack also makes the hit 6% stronger.
Statius's warhammer	Melee	35%	+25% max hit. If it deals damage, the target's Defence drops by 30%.
Ursine chainmace	Melee	50%	Double accuracy. A player hit by it bleeds 4 damage every other tick five times, cannot run for 7 ticks and loses 20 Agility levels.
Vesta's longsword	Melee	25%	The target's stab defence roll is cut to a quarter. Against players the hit deals 20–120% of your max hit.
Vesta's spear	Melee	50%	If the stab deals damage, a second hit of 50–75% of it lands 2 ticks later. For the next 8 ticks, melee and ranged attacks deal no damage to you.
Zamorak godsword	Melee	50%	+10% max hit and +70% accuracy. If it deals damage, the target is frozen for 33 ticks (about 20 seconds).
Armadyl crossbow	Ranged	40%	One bolt with double accuracy.
Dark bow	Ranged	55%	Two arrows with +50% max hit (up to 48 each) that almost never miss. Each deals at least 8, or 4 against Protect from Missiles.
Dark bow (bh)	Ranged	45%	The same, but each arrow deals at least 10, or 5 against Protect from Missiles. It cannot be used at level 10 Wilderness or deeper.
Dragon crossbow	Ranged	60%	One bolt with +20% max hit and double accuracy.
Dragon knife	Ranged	25%	Two knives at once, each with +25% accuracy.
Dragon thrownaxe	Ranged	25%	One axe with +25% accuracy, thrown without waiting for your attack timer.
Eclipse atlatl	Ranged	50%	Only with the full Eclipse moon armour on. A hit with +50% accuracy that lands straight away and adds the target's remaining burn damage to your max hit (at least half of it is dealt), then puts the burn out.
Heavy ballista Light ballista	Ranged	65%	One javelin with +25% max hit and +50% accuracy.
Magic longbow	Ranged	35%	One arrow that almost never misses.
Magic shortbow Magic shortbow (i)	Ranged	50%	Two arrows at once, each with 2.5 times the accuracy.
Morrigan's javelin	Ranged	50%	A player it damages then bleeds for the same amount again, 5 damage every 4 ticks.
Morrigan's throwing axe	Ranged	50%	+20% max hit. A player it hits is hamstrung for one minute, so their run energy drains 6 times faster.
Scorching bow	Ranged	25%	Demons only. +30% accuracy; the demon is bound in place for 20 ticks and set on fire.
Tonalztics of ralos	Ranged	50%	Each of its two throws that deals damage lowers the target's Defence by a tenth of the target's current Magic level.
Toxic blowpipe	Ranged	50%	One dart with +50% max hit that heals you half the damage dealt.
Webweaver bow	Ranged	50%	Four arrows, each with 40% of your max hit and double accuracy.
Zaryte crossbow	Ranged	75%	One bolt with double accuracy, and the effect of your enchanted bolts always triggers.
Accursed sceptre	Magic	50%	+50% accuracy and max hit. The target's Defence and Magic drop to 85% of their normal level.
Dawnbringer	Magic	35%	Only found in the Theatre of Blood. Against Verzik Vitur's first phase it always hits, for 75–150 damage.
Eldritch nightmare staff	Magic	55%	A hit that needs no runes (max hit 39–50 depending on your Magic level) and restores your Prayer by half the damage, up to 120 points.
Eye of ayak	Magic	50%	+30% accuracy and max hit. The target's Magic level drops by the damage dealt. The special takes 5 ticks instead of 3.
Staff of the dead Toxic staff of the dead Staff of balance Staff of light	Magic	100%	Used as soon as you click the bar. For one minute, melee attacks from other players against you have their max hit halved (not the Voidwaker and Korasi's sword special attacks).
Volatile nightmare staff	Magic	55%	A hit that needs no runes, with +50% accuracy (max hit 50–66 depending on your Magic level).
Soulflame horn	Other	25% per player	Used as soon as you click the bar, and needs another player nearby. You and up to three nearby players are empowered for 11 ticks: the next melee attack always hits a monster, or gets +100% accuracy against a player.
Dragon, infernal and crystal axes	Other	100%	Used as soon as you click the bar. Your Woodcutting level is boosted to 3 above your normal level.
Dragon, infernal and crystal pickaxes	Other	100%	Used as soon as you click the bar. Your Mining level is boosted to 3 above your normal level.
Dragon, infernal and crystal harpoons	Other	100%	Used as soon as you click the bar. Your Fishing level is boosted to 3 above your normal level.

Each weapon's own page explains its special attack in more detail.

Special attack energy

• Special attack energy goes from 0% to 100%. It refills by 10% every 50 game ticks (30 seconds), so an empty bar is full again after 5 minutes. It keeps refilling while you fight.
• Wearing a Lightbearer ring doubles the speed: 10% every 25 ticks (15 seconds), or 2.5 minutes from empty to full. The ring costs 15,000 PK points in the PK Point Shop. Taking it off starts the 30-second timer again.
• When you die, your special attack energy is refilled to 100%.
• When you kill another player, your energy is refilled to 100% as long as you are within 15 tiles of them. This also resets your Vengeance and Surge potion cooldowns and the cooldown of your Dragonfire shield, Dragonfire ward or Ancient wyvern shield attack. It does not happen in the Clan Cup.
• Duels in the Duel Arena and games of Last Man Standing start you with 100%.

Restoring special attack energy

Way to restore	Who can use it	How much
Pools of restoration: use Restore Special on a Pool or Large Pool of restoration. There are five at ::home.	Everyone	100%
Altars: some altars have a Restore-special option.	Everyone	100%
::spec command (also ::special), see Commands	Legendary, Royal and Divine Donators	100%
Restore Special Attack on the special attack orb, or the Restore Special keyboard shortcut	Royal and Divine Donators	100%
Surge potion	Everyone	25% per dose

• Shared cooldown: the pools, the altars, ::spec, the orb and the shortcut all share one cooldown, which starts when you restore. It lasts 2 minutes, or less with a donator rank: 90 seconds for Donators, 60 for Super, 45 for Extreme, 30 for Legendary, 15 for Royal and 9 for Divine Donators. While your clan has the Special Restore clan perk active, it lasts at most 90 seconds.
• Where: none of these can be used in a PvP area. ::spec, the orb and the shortcut also cannot be used in minigames, raids, duels, dangerous PvM areas or Barrows, or while you are under attack. Within 16 ticks (about 10 seconds) of leaving a PvP area, ::spec waits and restores your energy as soon as it can.
• Restoring at a pool or altar, or with ::spec, also resets your Surge potion cooldown. Royal and Divine Donators also get their Dragonfire shield, Dragonfire ward or Ancient wyvern shield attack back.
• Surge potion: each dose restores 25% special attack energy, after which you have to wait 5 minutes before the next dose. You cannot drink it with a full bar or above level 10 Wilderness.

Special attacks against players

• Special attack immunity: in single-way combat in the Wilderness and other PvP areas where you lose items, once you use a special attack on a player, nobody else can use a special attack on that player for the next 20 ticks (12 seconds). You can keep using special attacks on them yourself. This does not apply in multi-combat areas.
• Teleporting after a special attack: in those same areas you cannot teleport for 8 ticks (4.8 seconds) after you use a special attack on a player, or 30 ticks (18 seconds) near the Bloodlust event.
• Duels: a duel with the special attack rule turned off blocks every special attack, including the ones used on click. The Staff of the dead and Staff of light special attacks cannot be used in the Duel Arena or in tournaments.
• Wilderness limits: the Dark bow (bh) special attack cannot be used at level 10 Wilderness or deeper, and Morrigan's javelins and Morrigan's throwing axes cannot be used against players above level 10 Wilderness (except in the Clan Cup).

Boosting special attacks

• Ancient Warriors' armour: a full set of Vesta's or Statius's armour makes melee special attacks 15% more accurate, a full set of Morrigan's armour does the same for ranged special attacks and a full set of Zuriel's armour for magic special attacks. This only works outside PvP areas and in the Wilderness up to level 10. See Ancient Warriors' equipment and Corrupted Ancient Warriors' equipment.
• Soulflame horn: its special attack also empowers the next melee special attack of you and the players around you (see the table).

See also

• Attack speed
• Donator ranks
• Surge potion
• Vengeance