This week, Jagex brought us the first dragon weapon that is obtained by a drop, and also, the first dragon item used for non-combat skills; namely the dragon axe. Those hoping for some new dragon armour were gravely disappointed. Aside from the hardcore woodcutters, most people were let down by the dragon axe. It is no better in combat than any other dragon weapon. Most anybody, whether in PvP combat or battling NPCs, would choose the dragon dagger special four times rather than use a whole special bar to lower the opponent's defence and magic minimally.
As for the Seercull bow and mud staff, they are nice additions. The Mud staff makes cursing and dragon amulet enchanting MUCH more efficient, a very nice addition. The seercull bow special brings a whole new threat to magic PvP combat. Magic is the only combat class in which having your level knocked down prevents you from using your best attacks (e.g. if you lower a target's attack below 60 they can still use dragon weapons). Personally this bias against mages angers me. Certainly our effectiveness should take a hit, but not our ability to cast spells, for the sheer sake that high level spells use different runes than low level spells. The only spells left for mages after this seercull special will be snare or bind, if you had entangle runes. This special makes a mage unable to retalliate with damage inflicting spells unless they have a (super)restore potion or other weapons. Why should mages be the only ones to face this risk?.
However the most exciting update saw the expansion to Waterbirth island dungeon which holds new challenges for those brave enough to face level 300+ monsters. Namely, the Dagganoth kings Supreme, Prime and Rex on the sixth sublevel of the dungeon. The challenge is not killing the monsters. The challenge is getting a group smart enough to make it worth the time. I've seen many people die, even level 125s. I've seen clan groups go and only last for about 5-10 kills.
Anyway, I'm sure anybody who goes wants to get some kills, so the merchants can buy your axes for 5m+ and sell them for more. Even the new rings are going for millions for a mere +4 bonus. I will gladly stick to my ring of wealth, even after getting one of these rings as a drop.
If you aren't already aware, the room in which you are fighting contains 3 level 303 Dagannoth kings. Do not underestimate them as I've seen people get hit for over 50 damage just from one hit, and the area is multi-combat. The arena is circular, and surrounded by a moat holding level 76 rangers and mages that hit you as well. Generally they are an annoyance more than anything, and you'll usually be praying against one of their types of attack.
This arena is set up so that you enter from the west side via a ladder. Note - Everybody in the group should enter together, or at least enough at a time so that not all three kings go after the same person. Each of the three kings represents a combat class. Rex is melee, Supreme is range (he's green with spikes), and Prime is a mage (he's red with spikes). For some reason, many people in clans just protect pray from magic the whole time and just attack anything that moves.
I can not emphasise enough how huge a waste of time this is. A group of ten (Mostly rangers, 2-3 mages and 2-3 meleers) doing things tactically can last just as long as a clan of thirty who pray from mage the whole time and swing their weapons without thinking.
Fighting Rex (melee)
I estimate that my group gets around 30-40 kills whenever I go, maybe more. I tend to get 8-12 of them myself. It doesn't matter who you kill, the drops can come from any of them. Your Dagannoth kings always respawn in the same area, and Rex (melee) is the only one who will move around while being attacked. This means you can fight them very safely, and the only really risky moment is when you first enter. Pre-determine which king is your target, and pray accordingly as soon as you enter. If you are going to fight Rex, use range or mage prayer as you enter and get to the (east) of the arena.
Fighting Supreme (ranger)
If you're fighting Supreme (the ranger) you should range or melee. Stay as southwest as you can, so that the Prime (the mage) doesn't hit you. All you have to do is protect from range and eat as you need from the lower levels hitting you. He dies fairly easy, but can hit really hard if you're not praying right.
Fighting Prime (mage)
Have rangers fight Prime (the mage). First thing upon entering, rangers need to get far northeast. This way you're in the opposite side of room as Prime, and you can just use protect from mage and be fairly safe. This saves a LOT of food, as you are almost only ever hit by what you're praying against.
Mages, get to the far east of the room, and go north and south as necessary. Wear something with decent defence from range and/or mage, as that is what will be hitting you the most. It is really helpful if you have somebody with ice spells or entangle so that you stay away from rex.
Generally, not all three kings will be alive at once. Pay attention to which is going to respawn next if you're going to move around the room, and pray accordingly. These things will attack as soon as they spawn. While you're primary target is dead, help finish off the other type. Change your prayer and move to the right side of the arena accordingly.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you start fighting Dagannoth Supreme from the northeast side of the room, or Dagannoth Prime from the southeast side of the room. When people do this, people get nailed hard when the other respawns. The ABSOLUTE LAST thing you want is for both Prime and Supreme to hit you at once, unless you have a death wish.
Cannons are not advised for this reason, but done with caution they can be effective. Place it on the edge of the moat, and try to position yourself so that only one of the kings will be hitting you, even with your cannon fire going. Don't commit suicide to reload it. Also, you never want to fight from the northwest or center of the arena. Doing so is an invitation for Prime and Supreme to both hit you. Big waste of food.
The combat triangle applies VERY heavily to these guys. Melee hurts Supreme the most, Range hurts Prime the most, and Magic hurts Rex the most. Good luck to you and your group in battling these kings for their prized drops!
Further reading:
Did You Know...
...that the super restore potion also restores prayer?? Yes, it restores 25 prayer, so unless your 74 prayer or above, it even does better than a prayer pottion. It also restores combat stats, agility, range, and magic levels. It does not restore hitpoints. The super restore pot requires snapdragon which is only available from farming herbs (62 farming) and you can also purchase them from the agility tickets guy in Brimhaven. The secondary item is red spider eggs.
Tip provided by Leesters1.
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