Children of the Sun must first be completed to access Varlamore. The Civitas illa Fortis Teleport or quetzal whistle can be used to reach the quetzal transport system, which can be used to fly to Tal Teklan to reach the Tlati Rainforest for the first time. From there, run south to the crab nest. Each gemstone crab nest has a cave that leads to the location of the fight, or the next respawn location if between fights. If there is no crab at the location you arrive at, simply use the cave to reach the correct area. After each fight, this is also used to reach the next crab respawn point.
Other methods to reach the gemstone crab include:
A charged Pendant of ates can be used to teleport just north of Kastori after activating the Statue of Ates located there. From here, the player can run north to reach the eastern gemstone crab site.
The Quetzal landing site that must be built at Kastori, which is about the same distance to the eastern crab nest as the Tel Teklan quetzal is to the southern crab nest.
The Hunter cape teleport to the Hunter’s guild is also next to a Quetzal landing site
Fairy ring code AIS to Auburn Valley. From here, the player can run south west to Achilka, who can take them to both Tal Teklan or Kastori, with both boat endpoints being close to gem crab nests to their north.
If lacking any of the methods above, walking from Civitas illa Fortis to the Quetzacalli Gorge is safe and there is a mountain guide who will take you to Nemus Retreat. From there you can walk south to Achilka and take her boat.
Strategy
Unlike most monsters, the crab does not die. It has effectively infinite health and remains in its nest for 10 minutes before burrowing. As a result, fighting it serves as an idle training method, allowing players to gain combat experience with minimal interaction and little to no downtime.
Almost any equipment can be used effectively, and players of all levels can participate. The crab has no defensive stats, but and can only hit for 1 damage to players it is facing. Strength bonus should be prioritised to maximise experience gain.
Players may wish to consider using low level prayers like Burst of Strength which will always increase max hit, while draining prayer extremely slowly.
Although reduced by 12.5%, experience rates at the crab are still generally favourable, especially for mid level and higher level players. Melee is the most effective combat style when training against the gemstone crab. Ranged training may be worthwhile at the crab at lower levels, especially before unlocking better methods such as chinchompas. Magic isn’t recommended, as it is inefficient at all levels. A low level player is recommended to read the section on magic further down the page for more information.
The gemstone crab does not count as a crab for the sake of slayer tasks, and so the slayer helmet (i) provides no benefit here.
Equipment
When selecting gear, the primary consideration is maximizing damage to increase experience gain. The crab’s minimal defensive stats and high health make nearly all weapons viable for consideration; players should be able to use whatever their best weapon is already.
At very low combat levels, weapons like the goblin paint cannon can still perform well due to their fast attack speed.
For higher levels, blood moon armour set with the dual macuhuitl is often best-in-slot.
Melee
For lower levelled players, some of the other armour sets may be too expensive, or not yet able to be equipped due to current levels or quest progression. The main stat to prioritise is still Strength bonus, although at a lower level not as many items exist for increasing it. Wearing Prayer bonus gear like Monk’s robes is best if you are unable to get anything else for that slot, if planning to use offensive prayers like Burst of Strength or Ultimate Strength. Prioritise your budget towards the most effective weapon first, as it will have the largest effect on your damage. Most weapons will work, although it is recommended to use faster weapons like scimitars or swords.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Melee (Low level) – Item (most effective → least effective)
The blood moon armour set with the dual macuahuitl provides some of the highest damage-per-second and the best experience rates for melee. Using any other weapon, head, torso, or leg slot item will not allow usage of the set effect that increases your attack speed however, so they cannot be changed for gear with better or worse stats without losing a large portion of your DPS. It will cost the most to upkeep however, at 100,000 gp/hr if repairing the armour with an NPC such as Bob.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Melee – Item (most effective → least effective)
If using offensive Prayers, and if it doesn’t lose a max hit
Will damage the player, but not below 4 HP, so it is safe to use.
To save on using Super strength potions.
To reduce prayer potion usage.
The obsidian set is a solid choice that can match up to max gear. The strategy centres around combining obsidian armour, the berserker necklace and the Toktz-xil-ak. These items synergise to grant the player a set bonus, which increases damage output by 30%. The base damage for this set is relatively low, due to its low strength bonus. It therefore relies on other boosts to increase damage output; its 30% damage increase allows other strength boosts to scale much better. With other boosts, such as Ultimate Strength/Piety and super strength potions, the damage output can rival that of much more expensive gear sets. The accuracy penalty is negligible when fighting the gemstone crab, as it has no defensive stats. This setup does not consume charges, unlike with Blood moon armour and Dharok’s equipment. This can save a considerable amount of gp, as blood moon costs 100,000 per hour to use, and dharok’s costs 22,000 per hour, assuming that one repairs using an NPC such as Bob.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Melee – Item (most effective → least effective)
Obsidian helmet
Void melee helm[a]
N/A
N/A
N/A
Berserker necklace
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Infernal cape
Fire cape
Mixed hide cape / Mythical cape
Soul cape[b] > Ardougne cloak 4[b]
Trimmed skill cape[b]
Obsidian platebody
Void knight top[a]
N/A
N/A
N/A
Obsidian platelegs
Void knight robe[a]
N/A
N/A
N/A
Toktz-xil-ak
Toktz-xil-ek[c]
N/A
N/A
N/A
Avernic defender
Dragon defender / Antler guard[b]
Dragonfire shield
Rune defender / Toktz-ket-xil
N/A
Rada’s blessing 4
God blessing
N/A
N/A
N/A
Ferocious gloves > Void knight gloves[a]
Barrows gloves > Rune gloves
Regen bracelet / Granite gloves
Combat bracelet > Shayzien gloves (5)
Red spiky vambraces / Steel gauntlets
Avernic treads (max)
Primordial boots
Dragon boots (or:)
Guardian boots / Echo boots[b]
Mixed hide boots / Climbing boots
Ultor ring
Berserker ring (i)
Brimstone ring
Ring of shadows / Ring of the gods (i)[b]
Lightbearer
Dragon dagger / Dragon claws
Burning claws > Abyssal dagger
Dragon battleaxe[d]
Crystal halberd > Dragon halberd
Ancient mace[e] / Saradomin godsword[e]
With void armour. See the “lower level” tab for weapons to use with this set.
If using offensive Prayers, and if it doesn’t lose a max hit
May be worse than using another set, check DPS rates before using
To save on using Super strength potions.
To reduce prayer potion usage.
Dharok’s equipment can provide the best damage output, but requires the player to remain at very low Hitpoints. It is recommended to have at least level 90 or more Hitpoints to gain the full effect of the armour set, as with less than this blood moon or obsidian armour sets are likely to be more damage, although it is best to calculate with your own gear and levels. To maximise the effect of the armour, the player should remain between 2-4 Hitpoints for the whole encounter, although players with 99 Hitpoints can still maintain higher damage than other sets while only resetting their Hitpoints between each crab fight. You can prevent Hitpoints from regenerating by turning on and off the Rapid Heal prayer at least once per minute, and damage yourself down with the use of any item that can deal damage to yourself, namely the locator orb or dwarven rock cake. While not often, the gemstone crab can deal lethal damage, so do not drain your Hitpoints all the way to 1. It is good to take some food that heals a small amount multiple times, such as cooked crab meat, guthix rest, or sacks of vegetables, in order to restore Hitpoints in case of accidentally draining them to 1, or getting hit down from 2. Just like the obsidian armour set, due to the Dharok’s set boosting damage by a percentage, Strength bonus gear in the remaining slots is especially potent for boosting damage output.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Melee – Item (most effective → least effective)
Dharok’s helm
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Amulet of rancour
Amulet of torture
Amulet of strength
N/A
N/A
Infernal cape
Fire cape
Mixed hide cape / Mythical cape
Soul cape[a] > Ardougne cloak 4[a]
Trimmed skill cape[a]
Dharok’s platebody
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Dharok’s platelegs
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Dharok’s greataxe
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Rada’s blessing 4
God blessing
N/A
N/A
N/A
Ferocious gloves
Barrows gloves > Rune gloves
Regen bracelet / Granite gloves
Combat bracelet > Shayzien gloves (5)
Red spiky vambraces / Steel gauntlets
Avernic treads (max)
Primordial boots
Dragon boots (or:)
Guardian boots / Echo boots[a]
Mixed hide boots / Climbing boots
Ultor ring
Berserker ring (i)
Brimstone ring
Ring of shadows / Ring of the gods (i)[a]
Lightbearer
Dragon dagger / Dragon claws
Burning claws > Abyssal dagger
Dragon battleaxe[b]
Crystal halberd > Dragon halberd
Ancient mace[c] / Saradomin godsword[c]
If using offensive Prayers, and if it doesn’t lose a max hit
To save on using Super strength potions.
To reduce prayer potion usage.
Melee inventory
Fighting the gemstone crab does not require any items, although some may be brought to increase damage dealt at the cost of reducing AFK time:
Super strength potions, or Strength potions. Black warlock mixes can also be used, and will share the Strength buff to other nearby players, but have low trade volume. Several black warlocks spawn to the east of the southern and northern crab nests, and south of the eastern nest; with 55 Hunter they can be caught before initiating combat with the crab to boost Strength.
Bring a method to reach the crab, such as a Pendant of ates, quetzal whistle, or runes for Civitas illa Fortis Teleport. Banking can be done in Tal Teklan, so holding onto it isnt necessary.
(Optional) Prayer restoring items such as prayer potions if using offensive prayers to increase damage. Moonlight moth mixes can be used to restore your own Prayer and that of 3 other nearby players fighting the crab, and at lower levels can provide more Prayer restoration than potions. If fighting the crab with a group of friends, or multiple of your own accounts, the moths can be coordinated to maximise their effectiveness across the recipients of the restoration.
If using prayer potions, bring a Holy wrench or other items which share its effect.
If only using the lowest tier of Prayers, it can be more efficient to just restore Prayer at the altar in Tal Teklan, as it would only need to be done every 5-10 crabs.
(Optional) A special attack weapon, such as the dragon claws or dragon dagger to use up special attack energy for bonus damage.
A defender will be beneficial if using a two-handed main weapon with a one-handed special attack weapon. Ideally a dragon or Avernic defender.
If looking to conserve supplies or not worry about using special attacks frequently, using a Dragon battleaxe special attack at the start of each new crab fight can replace the need for Strength potions.
(Optional) a pickaxe, to mine the boss after defeat and loot a gem.
A Gem bag may be brought to hold additional gems, or simply a chisel to cut them for Crafting experience and then dropped or alched.
While Blowpipe has the highest damage output of any weapon, it’s also much more expensive to use for training. Void ranged or Masori are both effective for training on the gemstone crab. Void will typically perform better, but masori can be purchased right away from the Grand exchange, without needing to be unlocked. Due to the crab’s low defences, the 2-tick attack speed of knives and darts allows for consistent hits, resulting in relatively high idle experience close to that of the blowpipe when paired with a high ranged strength shield like the twisted buckler. Rune knives and darts relatively low cost and good DPS make them the most cost effective means of training usually.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Ranged – Item (most effective → least effective)
Void ranger helm
Masori mask
N/A
N/A
N/A
Necklace of anguish
Bonecrusher necklace / Dragonbone necklace
Stole
Unholy symbol
N/A
Dizana’s quiver
Ava’s assembler
Ava’s accumulator
Ava’s attractor
N/A
Elite void top / Masori body
Void knight top
N/A
N/A
N/A
Elite void robe / Masori chaps
Void knight robe
N/A
N/A
N/A
Toxic blowpipe[a] ( > > )
Rune knife[b] / Rune dart[c]
Adamant dart[d] > Mithril dart[d]
Hunters’ sunlight crossbow
Magic shortbow (i)
Twisted buckler
Dragonfire ward
Odium ward
Antler guard
Book of law
Rada’s blessing 4
God blessing / Rada’s blessing 3/2
Moonlight antler bolts > Sunlight antler bolts
Amethyst arrow > Rune arrow
Broad arrows
Void knight gloves / Zaryte vambraces
Holy wraps
Barrows gloves
Blessed vambraces
N/A
Avernic treads (max)
Devout boots
Holy sandals
Blessed boots / Aranea boots
White boots / Ancient ceremonial boots
Venator ring
Ring of the gods (i)
Ring of suffering (i)
Ring of shadows
Explorer’s ring 1
Zaryte crossbow[e]
Dragon thrownaxe
Magic shortbow (i)
N/A
N/A
Costs between 361,400gp and 1,105,400gp per hour. Amethyst darts in the blowpipe cost 575,000gp per hour if using Ava’s assembler
Cheaper and superior with void, cost efficient
Held in hand, slightly superior with masori
Cost efficient. Darts and knives cost between 4,800gp and 29,400gp per hour to fire with an Ava’s assembler
With Ruby bolts (e). Will only deal 66 damage rather than 110
Due to the crab’s low defence, ranged accuracy is not very impactful, and faster weapons like darts and throwing knives excel here. However, when the adamant crossbow is unlocked at 46 Ranged, it is strongly recommended to consider using it with ruby bolts (e) due to the passive effect which allows players to hit up to 60 on the crab at the cost of some of their current hitpoints. Although this can never kill the player, it is recommended to keep distance from the crab to avoid taking damage from it also. Bringing some food just in case and using Rapid heal can also offset the damage taken. The usefulness of offensive prayers will vary depending on the specific weapon used, and the Ranged level you are currently at, as whether a max hit is gained from activating prayers is not consistent until higher levels, unlike melee. If using a standard Ranging potion, it will usually be worthwhile to have Sharp eye or Hawk eye enabled, as while the buff decays over time you will pass over some level thresholds where the prayers increase damage.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Ranged – Item (most effective → least effective)
Mitre
Hueycoatl hide coif
Archer helm
N/A
Stole
Unholy symbol
Amulet of accuracy
N/A
Ava’s assembler
Ava’s accumulator
Ava’s attractor
N/A
Monk’s robe top
Hueycoatl hide body > Blessed body
Black d’hide body
Studded body
Monk’s robe
Hueycoatl hide chaps > Blessed chaps
Black d’hide chaps
Studded chaps
Adamant crossbow
Highest tier knives available
Highest tier darts available
Highest tier shortbow available
Odium ward
Antler guard
Book of law
Unholy book
Ruby bolts (e)
God blessing / Rada’s blessing 3/2
Amethyst arrow > Rune arrow
Broad arrows
Holy wraps
Barrows gloves / Regen bracelet
Blessed vambraces
Green d’hide vambraces
Devout boots
Holy sandals
Blessed boots / Aranea boots
White boots / Ancient ceremonial boots
Ring of the gods (i)
Ring of suffering (i)
Ring of shadows
Explorer’s ring 1
Magic shortbow (i)
N/A
N/A
N/A
The atlatl is very potent for training Ranged if you have already trained Strength quite a bit past it, and can compete with rune knives or darts with much cheaper accompanying armour. The hunter’s spear functions similarly, and although it is much worse it can still outperform other available options closer to level 55 Ranged, when it is unlocked.
Slot
Recommended equipment for Ranged – Item (most effective → least effective)
Torva full helm
Neitiznot faceguard / Oathplate helm
Serpentine helm
Inquisitor’s great helm
Helm of neitiznot (or:)
Amulet of rancour
Amulet of strength
Amulet of fury
N/A
N/A
Infernal cape > Dizana’s quiver[a]
Fire cape > Ava’s assembler[a]
Ava’s accumulator[a]
Mixed hide cape[b] / Mythical cape[b]
Ava’s attractor[a]
Torva platebody
Bandos chestplate (or:)
Eclipse moon chestplate / Obsidian platebody
Mixed hide top / Blue moon chestplate
N/A
Torva platelegs
Bandos tassets (or:)
Obsidian platelegs (or:)
N/A
N/A
Eclipse atlatl
Hunter’s spear[c]
See other strategies
N/A
N/A
Avernic defender[d]
Dragon defender[d]
Antler guard[d]
N/A
N/A
Atlatl dart
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Ferocious gloves
Barrows gloves > Rune gloves
Regen bracelet > Granite gloves
Red spiky vambraces
N/A
Avernic treads (max)
Primordial boots
Aranea boots (or:
Mixed hide boots (or:
N/A
Ultor ring
Berserker ring (i)
Brimstone ring
Ring of shadows
N/A
Dragon battleaxe
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
If wanting to conserve ammo
If it will give a max hit
Only better than other strategies at low levels with disproportionally higher Strength and with decent melee Strength gear.
With hunter’s spear
Ranged inventory
Ranging potions, Divine ranging potions, or Lizardkickers
If using the Eclipse atlatl or hunter’s spear, also bring Super strength potions, or instead use special attack energy with the Dragon battleaxe.
Teleport to the crab, such as a Pendant of ates, quetzal whistle, or runes for Civitas illa Fortis Teleport
Food, especially if using ruby bolts (e)
(Optional) Prayer restoring items such as prayer potions or Moonlight moth mixes, if not using the altar in Tal Teklan
(Optional) A special attack weapon, such as the magic shortbow (i)
(Optional) a pickaxe, to mine the boss after defeat and loot a gem.
A Gem bag may be brought to hold additional gems, or simply a chisel to cut them for Crafting experience and then dropped or alched.
Low level magic is different to many of the other sets in that magic accuracy bonus increases accuracy significantly, magnifying damage and therefore experience rates. The reduction in experience at the gemstone crab along with the lack of an elemental weakness means that, at very low levels, the experience simply isn’t as good as many other options. For exmple, rock crabs have a 20% elemental weakness to earth spells, and allow the player to idle for 10 minutes at a time with a quick reset in between (the same as the gemstone crab). For even faster experience rates, the player may safespot fire giants with water spells, or ice giants with fire spells, for a 100% damage and accuracy increase.
Void knight magic equipment is a strong option at mid levels, offering a 5% magic damage bonus alongside increased accuracy; however obtaining the set requires a significant time investment. Alternatively, Elder chaos robes provide a 3% magic damage bonus (1% per piece) in addition to solid accuracy, and require only 40 Magic and 1 Defence, making them more accessible.
While training melee, the player can cast spells. High Level alchemy is the most accessible spell, and can be cast in between melee hits. This does take a lot of effort, but can be done without losing any ticks. Alching yew longbows profits 119gp per cast, granting the player an additional 59,500gp per hour along with 32,500 magic experience per hour. Additionally, the player can cast magic imbue on the Lunar spellbook. This can give passive magic experience at a cost of 190 per cast. Magic imbue costs the player 2.21gp/xp. The spell, granting 86 experience every 12.6 seconds, adds an additional 8,600 magic experience per hour to the players total experience without taking much effort.
Helm of neitiznot / 
Berserker helm
Mitre / 
Proselyte sallet
Any helmet
Amulet of strength
Fire cape
Mixed hide cape / 
Mythical cape
Ardougne cloak / 
Vestment cloak
Fighter torso
Obsidian platebody / 
Eclipse moon chestplate
Mixed hide top
Proselyte hauberk > 
Monk’s robe top
Any defensive body
Obsidian platelegs (or:
)
Proselyte cuisse
Monk’s robe
Any defensive legs
Abyssal whip[a] /
Saradomin sword[b] >
Zamorakian hasta[c]
Sarachnis cudgel >
Colossal blade
Dragon scimitar / 
Arkan blade /
Sulphur blades (or:
)
Dragon mace / 
Granite hammer >
Leaf-bladed sword / 
Dragon dagger
Goblin paint cannon
Dragon defender
Antler guard
Rune defender / 
Toktz-ket-xil
Book of war
Barrows gloves > 
Rune gloves
Regen bracelet / 
Granite gloves
Combat bracelet > 
Shayzien gloves (5) /
Dragon boots (or:
)
Climbing boots (or:
)
Adamant boots
Berserker ring (i)
Brimstone ring
Lightbearer
Dragon battleaxe
