No, we’re not talking about Grimesquit and Phingspet – we’re talking about Scurrius the Rat King, a rodent of most unusual size. Are you tough enough to deal with him? Let’s find out…
Scurrius The Rat King is designed to introduce core PvM mechanics and help newer players get to grips with combat. This rambunctious rodent and his pack will test your knowledge of overhead Prayers, your dodging skills, and your ability to manage multiple monsters during a fight – all things you’ll need to master if you plan to take on tougher bosses later in your adventuring career.
We recommend that players have at least 43 Prayer to unlock Protect from Melee before venturing into Scurrius’ lair, but there are no other requirements. This encounter is designed for combat levels 60-90 – although it’s more about mastering mechanics than relying on chunky stats.
Players can choose to face Scurrius alone or group up with friends to take him down. If you’ve got mates who are new to Old School, this is the perfect way to introduce them to the joys of boss combat – or, if you’re new to the game yourself, this encounter serves as an opportunity to learn alongside other players at the same skill level.
On that theme, we’ve made it super easy to gear back up and get back into the action. We don’t want newer players to feel too frustrated while they’re trying to learn!
To be absolutely clear, if you already have PvM experience you’re unlikely to find Scurrius to be much of a challenge – but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing here for you! Let’s look at what magnificent treasures Scurrius is hiding…
Given that Scurrius targets an extremely broad level range, it’s difficult to pinpoint a reward that’s exciting for both level 60 beginners and level 90 players about to take on tougher foes. That’s why we’re trying something totally new (and a bit scary!) – the primary reward from the Rat King will be Combat XP.
We’re not talking Lamps or other trade-ins. We said we’re trying something new, and we meant it!
Usually, players gain the bulk of their combat XP (except Prayer) passively while training Slayer, or at AFK spots like Sand, Rock, Ammonite or Swamp Crabs and the Nightmare Zone. This boss represents a big departure from that model and provides an opportunity to train combat in a more engaging, rewarding, and exciting way. You’ll be able to track your gains during the fight, and you’ll be rewarded for choosing more intensive combat methods.
As a ballpark, you can expect low-level players using Rat Bone weaponry (ooh!) while fighting Scurrius to receive significantly more XP than passive options like Nightmare Zone and Crabs. Higher-level players will likely be better off training combat as they always have – Slayer, other bossing, and other more efficient methods.
We’re still in the process of fine-tuning the balance for XP rates and Rat Bone weaponry, so while the aims outlined in the paragraph above are what we’re working towards, we’re going to steer clear of including any specific XP rates at this stage since they’re very likely to change.
Now, you’re probably wondering what on earth ‘Rat Bone weaponry’ refers to. If you are, thanks for setting up the perfect segue!
Rat bone weaponry
In short, Rat Bone weaponry lets you double down on those XP rewards – but you’ll need to get a bit crafty first. Please note: these weapons can only be used against Scurrius and won’t work against any other NPCs.
Defeat Scurrius, and you may obtain the uncommon, untradeable Rat Spine. Lovely! Combine that with a Rune Mace, Yew Shortbow, or a Battlestaff and 1,000 Chaos Runes to create the Rat Bone Mace, Bow, or Staff. You’ll need 35 Smithing, Fletching or Crafting, respectively.
The Rat Bone Mace is a faster version of the Dragon Mace. The Rat Bone Bow is essentially a Magic Shortbow, where Ranged strength depends on the tier of ammo you’re using all the way up to Rune. The Rat Bone Staff has a Magic bonus equivalent to the Mystic Staff, and its own built-in spell that requires 1 Chaos Rune per cast.
These icky armaments are specifically designed for fighting a huge rat as you’ll have the potential to add up to 10 damage to your current max hit when using the Rat Bone weaponry against this critter! If you were smacked with a giant version of your own spine, you’d feel pretty demoralised too! This shakes out to significantly more XP per hour. You’ll want to grab yourself a spine and start swinging as soon as possible!
Each Rat Bone weapon requires 50 in either Attack, Ranged, or Magic to wield. You can see their stats in the image below:
But wait… there’s more. Upon creation, each Rat Bone weapon gains 1,000 charges, and can be recharged by using another Rat Spine to spruce them up. The Rat Spine is not especially rare, although it’s not a guaranteed drop. The odds are in your favour that you’ll obtain a spare long before you run out of charges, which means in theory you can infinitely sustain them. If you ever do run out, the other drops on offer ensure you’ll still have a healthy handful of spending cash to go improve your gear – a great incentive to go try some other content before descending into the sewers again.
Scurrius will also drop Rat Spine Fragments which would give you smaller charges for the weaponry. Other drops include the odd Rune item, your bog-standard supply drops, and plenty of Magic and Ranged ammunition suitable for the level range this encounter is designed for.
Aw, rats! That’s all we’ve got for you today. We’ll be polling the Rat Bone weaponry in the near future, so keep your eyes boggled for that. As always, we look forward to your feedback – but do remember that Scurrius is aimed at mid-level players with zero combat experience. Fight Caves, he ain’t!
With this in mind, we’re especially interested to hear from lower-level players, or those of you who aren’t yet comfortable with PvM. If the thought of Jad has you quivering behind a boot-shaped rock or the idea of venturing out into the Wilderness to face the multitude of bosses and players alike terrifies you, we want YOUR feedback!
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a sudden hankering for a big block of cheese…
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