A Guide to Ancient Magicks-UPDATED-Triple Stack Combination

[FinsToTheLeft]

A Guide to Ancient Magicks for PvP combat
Written by Warrior5024

My friend Warrior5024 asked me to post this here. I think you'll like it

Edited to change the hide tags appropriately.

2/08/09 Added the Triple Stack combination (3 damage splats in one attack). Max hit is believed to be 80 or so.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a guide that will explain what levels are which spells, where the teleports take you to, or how to complete “Desert Treasure.” This is a guide of advanced tactics, dealing with bringing out the full potential of these devastating spells, to blow your opponent out of the water. It is not a pictorial guide, containing only a handful of screenshots, but is mostly pages of pure text. Weaponry and armor also have their place within this guide, but all of this information is centered around using ancient magicks to kill your enemy, no matter who he is, her level, or how many team-mates they have.

Index:
I. The Spells
- 1.1 Overview of useful spells
- 1.2 “Slow,” and “Instant.”
- 1.3 Spell Choice
II. Weapons and Armor
- 2.1 Armor
- 2.2 Weapons
- 2.2.1Primary
- 2.2.2 Aid/ Secondary
- 2.2.3 Melee Weapons
III. Tactics
- 3.1 Safe-spotting
- 3.2 Multi-combat
- 3.3 Triple-Stack Combination
IV. Mini-Games
- 4.1 Fists of Guthix
- 4.2 Castle Wars
- 4.3 Duel Tournaments
- 4.4 Fight Pits
- 4.5 PvP Worlds
V. Magic Aid
- 5.1 Prayer
- 5.3 Other Players
VI. Closing Words and Thank you’s

I. The Spells:
Here are explanations of the spells you will be using in combat. Note that a freezing/ice spell greatly aids your combat abilities, so the BARE MINIMUM magic level you should have in order to use these tactics effectively would be 82, but 88 will allow you to access all corners of this guide. Barrages and their multi-combat uses will be discussed in section 3.2.

1.1 - Overview of useful spells

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-Ice Blitz (82): This is a fairly accurate spell, and, like all blitzes, very slow as well, giving it the ability of hybrid KO’s. It has a max hit of 26, and freezes your opponent for up to 15 seconds. Basically a poor-man’s ice barrage. Don’t use this if you can Ice Barrage.

Smoke Barrage (86): Smoke barrage is a great spell, as it poisons your opponent (4 damage for poison), has a max hit of 27, and is a slower spell. Also, this spells, when cast, will either splash or hit consecutively, but is mostly very accurate, even against dragonhide.

Shadow Barrage (88): Shadow spells are very devastating, lowing attack by 15%. They are also instant spells with a max hit of 28, and also rather accurate. Combined with Ahrim’s set effect, these spells can lower up to 15 attack levels, and 5 strength. (See more under section 2.2.1)

Blood Barrage (92): This in a rather inaccurate spell, but it is still very useful. It heals you by ¼ of the damage you inflict with it. This won’t be enough to sustain you in 1vs1 duels, but it can help avoid KO’s, especially in large group battles. It is an instant spell with a max hit of 29.

Ice Barrage (94): A fairly accurate spell, hits a max of 30 seconds, and freezes your opponent for up to 20 seconds, so they cannot move, but they can attack. It is also fairly accurate. Never move to far away from your enemy, as they will become unfrozen if you do. Also note that your opponent cannot be re-frozen right after they thaw out, you must wait one or two attack turns.

Miasmic Barrage (97): With the introduction of PvP worlds, Magicians were granted a new set of spells. They require Zuriel’s staff, either corrupt or normal, which, as for now, carries a hefty price tag. (More Information in Section 2.2) I have not tested this new spell myself, but I do have reliable information. It is a slow spell, about blitz speed, fairly accurate, and has the devastating effect of making your opponent’s weapons twice as slow. This effect lasts for 48 seconds. This spell is amazing, but it isn’t the most practical to use.

1.2 - Slow and Instant.

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While reading about the spells, you might have noticed “Slow,” and “instant,” used to describe the spells. These mean how long the damage from the spells takes to register on a player. For example, when you cast an ice barrage, there is a slight delay from when you cast to when the damage shows up on your opponent, while, when you use an instant spell, such as shadow barrage, the damage shows up directly after you click. This leads to a very deadly outcome – The ability to cast 2 spells in roughly the same time it would take to cast one ice barrage, then another. Also, this is the only way to potentially KO a person, using only magic.
In order to use these spell combinations, all you have to do is cast a slow spell (Blitz, Smoke Barrage, Ice barrage, Miasmic Barrage) and quickly follow up with an instant spell (Blood Barrage, Shadow Barrage). With Barrage slow spells, you must be some distance away from your opponent for the stack to effectively work, unlike the blitz.

1.3 - Spell Choice

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- Now, onto which spells you should use, and when you should use them. All spells are useful, and each has their own place. When Inventory space is not a problem, all runes needed for the four barrages should be accessible. Ice barrage freezes, one of the best uses of any spell, and blood barrage makes for a cheap and damaging instant spell for those knock outs, so stick with those two primarily. Shadow barrage and smoke barrage are still very viable options, as smoke can be used to lure rangers (See section 3.0) and shadow basically un-pots any warrior. Miasmic spells are very deadly, but aren’t the most practical, because of the staff costs.

II. Weapons and Armor
I’m not going to post any pictures, stating,” This is the perfect set-up.” I won’t do this simply because there is no perfect set-up. I’ll show you some weapons, guidelines, and uses for everything, but decide for yourself.

2.1 - Armors

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While a high magic attack bonus is important, don’t let it take precedent over all your defensive bonuses. Here is a good thing to remember: If your opponent is frozen, they cannot hit you. This means keep your magic high, as focusing on defensive items, such as dragon boots, could cause you to splash less, and letting your opponent hit you more. Inversely, if you fail to freeze your opponent, you don’t want to be left completely defenseless. Ahrim’s robe top and bottoms are one of the best choices out there, as they add both great magic offensive stats, as well as defensive melee stats, better than that of Karil’s armor. Amulet spots are pretty specific: if you are risking anything, use Magic Amulet, other than that, Fury, but 3rd Age also has its place (read on). When it comes down to the helmet and shield spots, it varies a lot. These will be the only sources of range defense, which is very important, but also, these play a big part in magic attacks. The difference between Ahrim’s Hood and Torags/Veracs/Guthans Helm is +11 magic bonus, but nearly +60 defense in all melee stats. A Little known fact is that Dharok’s Helm is actually best for maging with a defensive helm, as it has less magical penalties then the other Barrows Helms.

The same goes for the Mage’s Book, and the Dragonfire Shield. If a Dragonfire Shield is out of your reach, the crystal shield shines in its place. It does have a minus ten to magical attacks, but, when fully charged, its range defense trumps that of the Dragonfire Shield, making it a great choice to use against rangers. If you do not own a Mage’s Book, and have no desire to earn one, stick with either a crystal or Dragonfire Shield, as the next best item for magic attack would be unholy book, and it’s +8 magic bonus is to little to compensate for huge defense losses. But, if the usage of an Arcane Shield is optional, use it in all cases, as it’s balance of defense and attack bonuses make it the greatest item in a Magician’s shield slot. Another alternative is full Ahrim’s, staff included (see more under Section 2.2.1). If you are lucky, or rich, enough to afford the 3rd Age Armors, the Amulet and Mage Hat actually have the best magic offensive magic bonuses. However, because the amulet and Hat provide no defense against other weapons, use them wisely, and don’t leave yourself completely open to attack.

Rings are one of the few things that come cheaply for magicians. The Seers Ring is the best magical ring to use, at a +4 Magic attack and defense boost, and is very reasonably priced, so you should always use one as a serious mage. However, alternatives for different risk levels can be used, mainly the Lunar Ring and Beacon Ring. The Beacon Ring is from “What Lies Below,” can be retrieved from Zaff for no charge, and has a +2 magic attack boost. The Lunar ring has the same bonuses as the Beacon, but costs 2,000 coins to replace, and is obtained from “Lunar Diplomacy.” Stick with the Beacon if you can. In terms of gloves, Barrows Gloves from “Recipe for Disaster,” is your best choice, as it provides the best magic attack and the best bonuses for your secondary weapons. Infinity gloves are tied with Dragon Gloves for 2nd place, and Rune Gloves are the bare minimum you should use. The cape is the final slot, and there is only 1 option a good magician should use: God Capes from Mage Arena. Now, the Fire Cape does provide great defenses, but, the +10 Magic Attack the God Cape provides is to much bonus to be lost to a measly 11 Defense points. You’ll freeze more often with the extra magic bonus.
It is up to you which one to pick. As we get more into tactics, and things become more situational, there will be obvious better items, but for now, it all falls onto personal preference.

2.2 - Weapons
Because this is such a wide subject, I will split it into two sections. “Primary weapons” deals with normal mage-friendly, while “Secondary weapons” focuses on more unorthodox items.

2.2.1 - Primary Weapons

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I’m not going to make this introduction fancy or anything, I’ll just list and explain average weapons that a mage should and shouldn’t use.

Staves/Wands
- Ancient staff: Never use this weapon, it truly is horrid. While it can auto-cast, but, since you are using combinations, you do not need this feature. It drains your prayer, and, while it does have a +15 magic attack, it is trumped by the master wand. Only use this if you are in very crowded areas, such as Fists of Guthix (Section 4.1). Other then that, keep this in the bank.
- Master Wand: With the highest magic attack of any weapon in game, this should be owned by any serious magician. The +20 magic attack and defense make it very reliable for doing a lot of damage.
- Ahrim’s Staff: On its own, this weapon is seriously lacking. It is two handed, has only a +15 magic attack, and degrades. However, when combined with the rest of the Ahrim’s set (Hood, Robe Body, Robe Bottoms) it has the effect of lowering your enemies’ strength level by 5% EACH TIME IT HITS. This is very devastating to a warrior, especially if shadow barrage is cast with it, lowering them a further 15 attack levels. This is most effective in long fights, such as PK’ing, or when food is being used, as the strength drain is much more deadly when it hits 3-4 times, while, in short fights, the -5 strength is negligible. Be careful when using this weapon though, as it leaves you very open to rangers.
- Elemental Staves (Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Mud, Steam, Lava): The runes these can save don’t make these worth using, as you are only using 4-6 elemental runes per cast. Never go into combat with these.

Range Weapons
- Rune Crossbow – Very accurate, decent speed, and power behind it, as well as it being long range make this one of the best options for any mage.
- Obsidian Rings (Tok-xil-ul) – Against low defense opponents, these work wonders. They aren’t the most accurate of weapons, but they hit hard, and fast. Great to use on rangers who are safe spotted. (See section 3.1)
- Crystal bow – With the introduction of crossbows, this formerly great bow has been left behind. However, it still has one great attribute: it’s distance. The crystal bow hits further than any other range weapon, and is the only weapon to hit at the same distance as magic hits.
- Magic Short Bow – When using rune arrows, this can deal damage as fast as an opponent can eat, plus, with it’s snap-shot special, it can make your opponent start sweating. However, it can be either very accurate, or never hit, so use this weapon smartly.

2.2.2 – Secondary Weapons

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These are weapons used to help, or aid, your normal weapons, tactics, and spells.
- Seercull – While “Seercull” does mean “Mage death,” it has a very useful special. It lowers your opponent’s magic level by what you hit. Since Magic level also determines your magic defense, if you lower your opponents, you will splash less, if you manage a good spec.
- Dragon Spear – This weapon shines when you are attempting to lure an opponent to a safe spot (See section 3.0) but you froze them in the wrong spot. If you are quick enough, you can simply use this special attack, and push your opponent into the safe spot. You must be quick with this though; you don’t want your freeze to run out before you can attack.
- Dark Bow – This slow, inaccurate, and expensive weapon deals one of the most powerful special attacks in-game, dealing at least 16 damage, and up to 96 damage. However, it takes time to switch to this weapon, equip arrows, shoot, and put your shield/wand back on. Also, because you are maging, you cannot utilize the Void Knight set efficiently, which will decrease your damage output by a good chunk. I’d stay away from this weapon, even though it can land a few good hits.
- Zuriel’s Staff – This staff, if you choose to use it, decays within an hour of wielding it. Only equip this staff to cast a single Miasmic spell, and then switch back to your primary.

2.2.3 - Melee Weapons

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Melee has the distinct disadvantage of not being able to hit your opponent from a long distance, nullifying one aspect of magic, but they can deal massive damage within a short amount of time, especially against rangers. However, when using melee weapons, magic seems to become more of a secondary skill, so I won’t delve to far into them, only give you an overview.
- The Godswords – These mighty weapons can be conjoined with magic to quickly decimate your enemies. Their high hit rates, accuracy, and specials make them very powerful. The most common, and effective, technique to Ko’ing your opponent, quickly and easily, revolves around casting a slow spell, mostly Ice Blitz, then running up to your opponent, and, hopefully, delivering the killing blow. The Armadyl and Bandos Godswords shine with this, as their special attacks increase the damage they do, meaning bigger hits. The Saradomin Godsword can heal what your opponent hits on you, but that can also be done with a Blood Barrage. However, the greatest tactical use for a Godsword would have to be the Zamorak Godsword’s special, which is basically an Ice Barrage, freezing your opponent for up to 20 seconds. Now, this might seem pointless if you can Ice Barrage, but, if that pesky ranger in Armadyl armor won’t be frozen, you can pull this out, freezing him with the special, and safe-spot him (Section 3.1)

III. Tactics
Here comes the meat of this guide, and what you will actually use in battle. While I cannot explain every aspect and trick (Would make this even longer than it already is) I can give you great approaches to eliminating your foes. First, one of the coolest tricks in the arsenal…

3.1 - Safe-spotting

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Anybody can lure a swordsman into a cluster of rocks, freeze him, and shoot him down, but what about those pesky, deadly rangers? Well, using obstacle, good timing, and a bit of ice, that Void Dark Bower could turn into nothing more than a dummy to shoot into. In order to successfully “Safe-spot” a ranger/mage, you must first find an obstacle you cannot shoot through, such as barricades in Castle Wars, trees, or viewing orbs in Fight Pits and Bounty Hunter. Then, have the ranger attack you, whether you hit him first, or he attacks you. If you are going to attack first, I’d suggest smoke barrage, as you don’t want to freeze him until he is in place, and you want to keep your wand/staff equipped because you will need all the magic offense you can get to not splash on his/her armor. Then, move around the obstruction so it is directly in between you and the ranger. Once he is in place, freeze him as quickly as you can, so he is stuck directly on either the north, south, east or west side of the obstacle. You must then move 2 spaces left/right of him, and 3 spaces down, then fire/cast away. You’ll be able to hit him, but he cannot hit you until he thaws out. If you froze him a square away from the safe spot, simple “shove” your enemy with the Dragon Spear (Section 2.2.2) Here are some pictures of luring, safe-spotting, and the actual spot.




Here is a little table of where to stand when your opponent is trapped:



The Magic Short Bow represent where you should stand after your target, the Rune Long sword, is frozen. The numbers on the bows correspond which enemy you should shoot. The checkered flag in the middle represents the obstacle.
If you cannot remember these positions, in some cases, if you freeze your enemy on “1” or “3” (referring to swords) you can attack them from “2” or “4.” This only works if your opponent is north or south of the obstacle.
Another way to prevent damage to yourself and buy yourself some time when there are no obstacles around is to, when your opponent is frozen, move onto the same space he is in. So long as he is unable to move, he cannot attack you. This can allow you time to switch armors or weapons if need be. Also, when fighting against an enemy that prayer/armor swaps often, it might be best to keep the staff in the inventory, and use your other weapons. However, be ready to cast when he swaps prayer/armor again.
Besides trapping people behind obstacles and safespotting them, you can stand adjacent to an obstacle if you can't manage to freeze them and if you see them pull out a DDS or something or your health starts getting low, you can just run around the obstacle and they'll have to click "attack" on you again in order to follow you around the obstacle.

3.2 – Multi-Combat

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The usefulness of these barrage spells peak in multi-combat areas. Each barrage spell can hit up to 9 enemies at once, if they are clustered tightly together, or if they are stacked. This makes all the barrages much more deadly: Blood Barrage can heal over 70 hp, ice barrage can stop clans, shadow barrage greatly handicaps everybody, and smoke can poison each enemy, causing a lot of secondary damage. However, because you have many people on you, the risks are higher, and you can’t safe spot everybody. Landscape, good hits, opponents, are formations are all major factors when fighting against many players, and I can’t cover them all, so here are a few key points.
First thing is first, make sure your opponents are in a position so that you can attack them all at once. This may seem hard, as many people like to spread out, but it is very simple to get people clustered. Mostly a team of people, when they see you, will all rush towards you. If they are close-range fighters, they will all stack around you, then cast ice barrage, followed by blood, then run away. Easy. If rangers are involved, freeze them first, then move out of their range, while the warriors follow you, and just cast against them. Blood and Ice barrage are the choices for fighting many people, as it restricts the amount of people who can reach you, and also can heal you in large quantities, if you are casting on a large number of people. You can use walls, trees, and other landscape features to further prevent rangers from hitting you, as well as people who might be chasing you. Remember, always try to keep groups together; don’t let them split off. Try to freeze the whole bunch before running off. It is easier for you to cast one ice spell on 5 people, then 5 ice spells on 5 people. If you can, try to lure them into small crevices, or doors, for easier freezing.
Also, when grouping and clustering doesn’t work, hit-and-run is a less attractive alternative. Basically, you freeze opponents as they come at you, run back, and keep casting them or others that come towards you. This is bad however, because, as you move away from your targets, they become unfrozen if you move a certain distance away, leading to more running. Eventually, everybody will catch up to you, but you’ll have done some damage.

3.3 - Triple Stack Combination

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I stumbled onto this deadly combination completely by accident. I do remember watching a video several years ago of a player managing some type of Obsidian Ring + Blitz combo, and did try to duplicate it, but wasn’t successful, and quickly dispelled the idea. However, after my attention was drawn toward it again by one of my friends, I decided to grab some runes, Karil’s Cross, and try again. Lo-and-behold, I figured out how to effectively turn this technique into one of the most deadly attacks I’ve ever delivered. Because it both uses magic and range in a varying sequence, it cannot be completely negated by prayers or armor. It works best when only fighting one person, but this can be adopted to use multi-combat spells and Chinchompas, however I do not recommend it.
Well, onto the actual Combination. You will need at least 88 Magic and a decent Range level to pull it off. You will need either Karil’s Crossbow or Obsidian Rings, and it is imperative that they are set on RAPID. These should be equipped, and you should be wearing magic armor. I prefer to keep my Mage Attack boosted as much as possible, but remember, Ahrim’s Robes reduce Ranged attack. If you aren’t hitting accurately enough with range, swap Ahrim’s Robe Bottoms with Chaps.
This combination utilizes Slow and Instant spells (Section 1.2) WITH an additional range attack, to add extra damage, and make this combo impossible to completely defend against. Throw on the Eagle Eye prayer, and cast an Ice Blitz, and start to click on your target until you throw a ring or shoot a bolt rack. Once you raise your arm/weapon to fire, cast an Instant spell on your opponent, either Blood Barrage or Shadow Barrage. This will result in all three attacks hitting in quick succession, almost without delay between them. This leads to potentially massive damage (Up to, and maybe even over 80 hp) and also freezes and weakens you opponent, should you cast Shadow Barrage.
Another devastating side-effect of this is that, because it uses both magic and range quickly and alternates, it is impossible to pray against, and you will nearly always penetrate your enemies armor. Metal armors will be hammered by the spells, magical armor cannot defend against the crossbow, and even Dragon Hide cannot defend itself against all magic or range attacks.
The ability to inflict massive damage, the speed in which this works, the fact that it can be cast in quick succession, and its accuracy make it some-what of a Dragon Claw equivalent, without the special bar needed.

IV. Mini-Games
Here are some direct examples and ideas of how to use these tactics in actual, specific situations, and what to use in each different game. These are not written in stone, as it varies from person to person, and use what you find most efficient.

4.1 – Fists of Guthix

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In this Mini-Game, there is no reason to bother with a shield or defensive bonuses focus only on offensive items, to boost your magic accuracy. This is the only case that I recommend the usage of an ancient staff, as, with so many people in one area, you will only want to have to click on your enemy once to attack him many times. When hunting your target, make sure to have your staff is auto-casting a slow spell, such as Ice Barrage or Smoke Barrage. You do this because: Ice spells freeze your opponent, making it harder to run and hide, Smoke spells poison, a very deadly effect in Fists, as, if your target does manage to elude you, they will still take damage, but also because, if you auto cast a slow spell, directly afterwards, you can manually cast an instant spell, resulting in the damage stack (Section 1.2). You cannot use these spells as the prey, so not much else to say on that matter. Just remember, kill your opponent quickly. If they pray or have dragonhide, freeze them and switch to your other weapon(s). Always keep your eye out for your prey, as a few of them will carry Seercull bows, and can take away your spells using it.

4.2 Castle Wars

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Ice Barrage is the main spell of choice within this game, as it holds Flag Holders, allowing them to be surrounded, stops swarms of people to help defend either your castle, your teams Flag-Holder, or yourself. Smoke Barrage is a useless spell here, despite the fact that the damage it inflicts is great, as poison is cured by bandages. Shadow Barrage really does cut deep wounds in the opposing team however, as a few well placed spells can cost a team a chunk of their Attack, and, therefore, their weapon accuracy. Blood Barrage is a commonly used spell, as many mages will simply go to the enemy’s castle, up to the respawn room, and kill all the men they can, to distract the team, so that the Flag Catchers can get by more easily. Blood Barrage, combined with bandages and a good number of enemies, can keep the mage sustained for long periods of time, even under constant attack. If you intend to do this however, Verac’s Brassard is a good chest option, as it provides prayer bonus and great defense. You need this, as you cannot use a helmet, which would provide much of your defense that your Robe’s do not. Another aid to the mage in this game is the barricades: You cannot shoot over them, making them perfect for safe-spotting rangers (Section 3.1), as it portable, and can be used anywhere at nearly anytime.

4.3 Duel Tournaments

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Duel tournaments are rather fun, enjoyable, and require the usage of smarts and tactics to outwit and beat those who would kill you in three hits with their Godswords and Dragon Daggers. Basically, you have to fight through many rounds of combat, each time 1vs1 with an opponent, until all opponents are gone. The rules set for each tournament is different, sometimes food and potions are activated, on occasion prayer is allowed, obstacles can be on the terrain, and all armor can be taken off. But these are decided by the game coding, so be ready to wait for the rules that you desire. In order to mage and emerge victorious within the Tournaments, you must utilize every spell that you have, as well as bring a change of combat clothes, and weapons. Before the tournament starts, try to stay away from the register, as if players see that you are a magician, they will rush to the bank to retrieve their bows and Dragonhide, not exactly what you want. When it starts, be prepared to cast Ice Barrage, followed by a Shadow Barrage. This is incase your target does not become frozen, his accuracy is down, so you will be hit less. Continue to cast Ice Barrage until he/she is frozen, then run out of their range, and continue casting. If you can quick, you can get up to 3 spells on your opponent before they start switching armor/weapons, if they brought them. If your opponent did bring a bow and magic-resistant armor, make sure they are frozen, and move under them, as discussing in Section 3.1. Swap armors to resist their weapons, change weapons, and move out to attack them. This should be the main tactic for beating hybrids, just be ready to swap armor/weapons fast, and cast spells swiftly. In obstacle fights, use this same tactic, as there are no spots you can safe-spot rangers with like in Section 3.1, as you can shoot over all the walls. Blood Barrage would be a good idea in no-heal fights when you opponent has only melee armor, but it will not be enough to keep you alive throughout all the rounds of fighting. Use a crystal bow here as well, as, if you’ve frozen a ranger who has a different bow, you can hit them, but they cannot hit you

4.4 Fight Pits

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This game makes you fully utilize the multi-target spells and tactics, as, if people see you are a magician, you WILL be teamed. Just stay clam, and make them cluster, and cast an Ice Barrage, with a Blood/Shadow afterwards. Make sure to time it right, as there are usually 2-3 groups of people, so make sure that the first group you attack will die, then you can focus on the others. Rangers are a problem, as you have little defense, and they can tank mage hits, but, thankfully, there are columns that you can dash around, to avoid damage from them. Also, the Viewing Orbs within the Pit can be used as safe-spots against the rangers (Section 3.1). Once the group thaws out, they should be rather weak, poisoned, but spread out. Hit and run from this point on, especially if there are only a few men left. Once the level 22’s start spawning, you can cast Blood Barrage on them to both kill them and keep your prayer points, and also heal yourself for the rest of the fighters to come and get you. Use the landscape to your advantage: Sulfur vents can be used as safe-spots to shoot over if the swordsmen are trying to rush you, and the walls can prevent rangers from hitting you, as well as the Viewing Orbs. Also, if using hit-and-run method of multi-combat (3.2), make sure to utilize the walls. Just run around them so you aren’t off screen, but those frozen will have to move a long ways before they can attack you, making them vulnerable to more freezing.

4.5 PvP Worlds

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When it comes to Ancient Magicks on these worlds, best of luck. Without the usage of “Teleblock” many of your enemies will simply teleport for safety. Even if no teleport was brought, it isn’t hard to run into a bank once the first Ice spell wears off. Also, with random loot generators, you have no idea if your loot will be worth the hassle or the runes used. There are places in deep wild were people do train, and that is where your focus should be. Lava Maze dungeon, Fire Giant’s Dungeon, on occasion, the Chaos Elemental and Mage’s Bank. If you are going to kill trainers, focus on ice spells to prevent them from retreating, and make sure to keep your bonuses up, but watch out; some people are ready to defend themselves. To kill other Player Killers, Ahrim’s is a good option, and its set effect, combine with Shadow Spells, can ware down on an enemies offensive stats.

V. Magic Aid
These are skills beside the obvious (Defense, Hit Points) that help an ancient magician, but not his enemy. They should be used whenever possible, but used smartly, as not to waste them.

5.1 Prayer

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Prayer is very important to a magician, as it acts as an additional defense that your armor may not provide. The “Protect from Missiles,” prayer is one of the most useful, as it will decrease the amount a ranger will hit on you by around 40%, making them much less deadly to you. Also, damage reduction means less chance to die, more time to attack, and a better chance of safe-spotting or killing them. Another great addition that comes with prayer is “Mystic Might,” which increases your accuracy by 15%, which is good, while, as it doesn’t increase your max hit, it will aid your consistency. Use these when fighting and there is a ranger anywhere around: Three lucky diamond bolts can destroy you.
“Protect from Melee,” is a great prayer to reduce damage when fighting many stacked opponents, especially in places like Fight Pits and Castle Wars. Just slap it on, and cast away. As melee can deal a lot of damage, this is great to avoid quick KO’s after they thaw out as well. Don’t feel dishonorable for turning on protection prayers. Odds are your opponent has them on if you are maging, and they will save your life.

5.2 Other Players

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Strength in numbers is nullified to an extent when it comes to the 3x3 hits of the barrages, but it is always helpful to have another man behind you. In clans, stay back for a bit, and let meleers take the first hits, as, hopefully, this will lead them to cluster, leaving you a good opportunity to shoot off some barrages. With your spell damage plus the damage of your fellow players, your opponents ought to fall quickly. Also, warriors, while great for distracting enemies, can also destroy any ranger that might be plaguing you. Mages that fight alongside you will greatly help in the freezing of the oncoming enemy, and can double your damage output if you work well together, rangers can pick off the stranglers that are low on Hit Points, shoot the unfrozen people as they charge towards you, and take care of any other mage that might try and immobilize you with an ice spell. Good communication with your teammates is the greatest factor here, so keep clan chats open, and make sure everybody understands the plans.

VI. Closing Words
Magic is a very versatile skill, one which cannot all be explained and dissected within one guide. This is only a small portion of information, having to do with combat, and using these spells to their full potential. A massive part of this guide is up to how you perceive and use it. Magic and combat are very flexible, and can be altered to aid you in the best way for you. Test it out for yourself, make yourself familiar with using these combat tactics. Experiment, do-it-yourself, and have fun.

I would like to thank the following people for their hand in creating this guide:
Death_Dude74 (Max) (FinsToTheLeft) – Provided pictures and gave me extra ideas/input while writing the guide,
Muggiwhplar - Gave me inspiration to use ancient magicks in combat, gave me feedback for the guide, and introduced me to the original guidelines for magic.
Compfreak847 – Provided information regarding Miasmic spells.

[Teh1andonly1]

Wow.....Very Nice!

Shall have to try some of this out soon

[Boa1891]

When it comes to Ancient Magicks on these worlds, best of luck. Without the usage of “Teleblock” many of your enemies will simply teleport for safety. Even if no teleport was brought, it isn’t hard to run into a bank once the first Ice spell wears off. Also, with random loot generators, you have no idea if your loot will be worth the hassle or the runes used. There are places in deep wild were people do train, and that is where your focus should be. Lava Maze dungeon, Fire Giant’s Dungeon, on occasion, the Chaos Elemental and Mage’s Bank. If you are going to kill trainers, focus on ice spells to prevent them from retreating, and make sure to keep your bonuses up, but watch out; some people are ready to defend themselves. To kill other Player Killers, Ahrim’s is a good option, and its set effect, combine with Shadow Spells, can ware down on an enemies offensive stats.

Your friend is very wise.

[MotherBrainII]

I don't think I even need to comment here.

Simply amazing. I have learned a lot from this. I'll nitpick a little, but don't let that detract from what is an awesome guide.

You say Blood Barrage can heal 70+. I believe the max healing on any single opponent is 7, making the maximum possible total healing in a single cast 63.

Also, it has been mentioned here on TS that autocasting with the Ancient Staff increases your attack speed. Can you comment on whether this is true, and if so, whether the same applies to Zuriel's Staff?

And also, is Zuriel's Staff worth using as a primary weapon in a situation where you have already inflicted all the effects you can on your opponent and simply want high damage output (though, of course, you could just use a range weapon, but very accurate 32s probably wouldn't go amiss), or where cost is not considered to be an issue (because of the staff's defense bonuses)?

Finally, I have heard that other range weapons can match the attack distance of magic spells, but only on the longrange setting (which of course, most people are too stupid to use ). Can you confirm or refute this?

EDIT: The difference between Ahrim's Hood and Guthan's/Torag's/Verac's Helm is +12 magic attack, not +11. Also note that Verac's Helm loses 6 range defense in exchange for +3 prayer.

FURTHER EDIT: I notice you not recommending Dragon Boots - may I assume from this that infinity boots are the best boot slot items for maging?

And what are the best items for each slot in high risk situations where welfare gear is called for, in your opinion?

YET MORE NITPICKING (I'll stop soon - I am critiquing this because I intend to refer to this guide often, and so I want to help make it perfect!): Beacon is at one point spelled "Beaken", and on the list of elemental staves, you missed lava. (And why on earth - no pun intended - would anyone use an earth staff ancienting anyway, since the only Ancient Spells that require earth runes require a specific staff to be wielded anyway?)

[Sadukar123]

If you go somewhere dangerous you might want to use Explorer's ring. +1 Magic attack and Prayer, with free 3 charges of run restore+teleport.

[FinsToTheLeft]

I don't think I even need to comment here.

Simply amazing. I have learned a lot from this. I'll nitpick a little, but don't let that detract from what is an awesome guide.

You say Blood Barrage can heal 70+. I believe the max healing on any single opponent is 7, making the maximum possible total healing in a single cast 63.

Also, it has been mentioned here on TS that autocasting with the Ancient Staff increases your attack speed. Can you comment on whether this is true, and if so, whether the same applies to Zuriel's Staff?

And also, is Zuriel's Staff worth using as a primary weapon in a situation where you have already inflicted all the effects you can on your opponent and simply want high damage output (though, of course, you could just use a range weapon, but very accurate 32s probably wouldn't go amiss), or where cost is not considered to be an issue (because of the staff's defense bonuses)?

Finally, I have heard that other range weapons can match the attack distance of magic spells, but only on the longrange setting (which of course, most people are too stupid to use ). Can you confirm or refute this?

EDIT: The difference between Ahrim's Hood and Guthan's/Torag's/Verac's Helm is +12 magic attack, not +11. Also note that Verac's Helm loses 6 range defense in exchange for +3 prayer.

FURTHER EDIT: I notice you not recommending Dragon Boots - may I assume from this that infinity boots are the best boot slot items for maging?

I believe my friend would say that infinity are the best boots for maging.

And what are the best items for each slot in high risk situations where welfare gear is called for, in your opinion?

YET MORE NITPICKING (I'll stop soon - I am critiquing this because I intend to refer to this guide often, and so I want to help make it perfect!): Beacon is at one point spelled "Beaken", and on the list of elemental staves, you missed lava. (And why on earth - no pun intended - would anyone use an earth staff ancienting anyway, since the only Ancient Spells that require earth runes require a specific staff to be wielded anyway?)

I added lava; probably not necessary as the point is made: don't use elemental staves, but it doesn't hurt to have it in there. Earth is in there I believe to emphasize the point of not using elemental staves.

The rest of the stuff I'll have to get back to you on (I'll ask my friend, or maybe I'll make him join TS )

Beaken fixed.

[Teh1andonly1]

Tried some of this at FoG while I got myself some D Slayer gloves, only 85 mage but Ive gotta say, Mystical Might, Ice blitz + whip spec combo owns, and this guide helped alot.

Gonna hafta try PKing again soon

[Boa1891]

You say Blood Barrage can heal 70+. I believe the max healing on any single opponent is 7, making the maximum possible total healing in a single cast 63.

Correct. They heal 1/4 of the damage dealt, max 29 gives you a max healing of 7 per target. If all your spells hit, you'll heal an average of 35HP or so on a group of 9.

Also, it has been mentioned here on TS that autocasting with the Ancient Staff increases your attack speed. Can you comment on whether this is true, and if so, whether the same applies to Zuriel's Staff?

Sadly, Jagex lied on this one, and I fell for it. It does not increase your attack speed.

And also, is Zuriel's Staff worth using as a primary weapon in a situation where you have already inflicted all the effects you can on your opponent and simply want high damage output (though, of course, you could just use a range weapon, but very accurate 32s probably wouldn't go amiss), or where cost is not considered to be an issue (because of the staff's defense bonuses)?

If cost is not an issue, there's no reason not to use it and its spells. In regular cases, I would tell you to max out your damage with a crossbow.

Finally, I have heard that other range weapons can match the attack distance of magic spells, but only on the longrange setting (which of course, most people are too stupid to use ). Can you confirm or refute this?

Crossbow, Long Bow, Ogre Bow (I think), Ogre Compound (I think), and Crystal. I do believe crystal bow on long range can hit a frozen mage without them being able to attack you back, from the right distance.

And what are the best items for each slot in high risk situations where welfare gear is called for, in your opinion?

Give me a price range and I'll give you a set-up. I'm great at welfare.

[MotherBrainII]

Correct. They heal 1/4 of the damage dealt, max 29 gives you a max healing of 7 per target. If all your spells hit, you'll heal an average of 35HP or so on a group of 9.

Just checking. Is it possible that it works based on 1/4 of cumulative damage rounded down, rather than the sum total of each individual target's hit/4 rounded down?

Sadly, Jagex lied on this one, and I fell for it. It does not increase your attack speed.

I wouldn't say they lied, just mislead. But nonetheless, my own tests confirmed this. The Game Mechanics Encyclopedia needs fixing.

If cost is not an issue, there's no reason not to use it and its spells. In regular cases, I would tell you to max out your damage with a crossbow.

Okay, because I like to have fun in the Duel Arena throwing tons of cash at my opponents, and I've also noticed that Miasmic spells are atypically accurate, even when potted to the bare minimum level - I potted to 97 magic, and with half an hour of Miasmic Barrage casting, I can only ever recall splashing twice, even on Karil's. It is also worth noting that having an autocast set can be useful in situations where you might otherwise accidentally melee your opponent with your staff, even if you don't intend to use it - this is another advantage of Zuriel's Staff, given the negligible +2 loss in magic attack.

What bolts for the crossbow? Would diamond or dragon be better (disregarding cost here too)?

Crossbow, Long Bow, Ogre Bow (I think), Ogre Compound (I think), and Crystal. I do believe crystal bow on long range can hit a frozen mage without them being able to attack you back, from the right distance.

This is correct - and of course, another reason to bring your own Crystal Bow! I believe the Dark Bow can also cross the distance, possibly without longrange.

Give me a price range and I'll give you a set-up. I'm great at welfare.

Well, I'd like setups for a variety of price ranges, really. Say, 10k(:P), 50k, 100k, 200k, 1m, unlimited, disregarding rune costs? Basically I'd like a variety of items for each slot that are easy to replace or obtain in bulk.

EDIT: Final question - is Ahrim's set effect decided by target or caster? That is, when it activates with multi target spells, does it activate on all targets, or will it activate on each target at random with every cast? If it is the former, a trick similar to that employed with chinchompas to negate part of the opponent's defense could be useful.

[Boa1891]

Well, I'd like setups for a variety of price ranges, really. Say, 10k(:P), 50k, 100k, 200k, 1m, unlimited, disregarding rune costs? Basically I'd like a variety of items for each slot that are easy to replace or obtain in bulk.

10k- Monk's robe bottom, wizard top, wizard hat, barrows gloves (protect item- no cost), mystic boots, water staff, magic amulet, Beacon Ring, unholy book, god cape.
50k- not much difference.
100k- mystic bottom, splitbark top, mystic hat, barrows gloves (protect item), mystic boots, water staff, etc
200k- mystic bottom, top, hat, boots; carry the rest over from the previous ones
1m- Ahrim's top and bottom, farseers helm (or neitiznot if hybriding), fury (protects), barrows gloves, mystic boots, etc. This actually costs closer to 1.2m.
Unlimited- zuriel's, 3a mage ammy, arcane shield, blah blah it's not hard.

EDIT: Final question - is Ahrim's set effect decided by target or caster? That is, when it activates with multi target spells, does it activate on all targets, or will it activate on each target at random with every cast?

I am fairly sure it activates only on the person you are attacking, and not the people hit by the "splash effect".

[MotherBrainII]

I assume the splitbark is only for cost efficiency, and that mystic is better. I suppose full lunar minus staff, ring and helm could help, since I can't find any other situation where the other items are actually useful.

Also, why 3a mage ammy? I'm sure the +15 defense boots and +5 prayer bonus trump the extra +5 mage bonus from the 3a ammy, even when not hybriding.

[Dragonlordjl]

I've seen somebody do 99 damage in one turn using an AGS spec + Ice Blitz. It was magnificent.

[Boa1891]

I've seen somebody do 99 damage in one turn using an AGS spec + Ice Blitz. It was magnificent.

Barrage+Claws can manage a one-turn, too. In fact, I almost had one on my claws video, right at the beginning, someone in black hides. Had barrage hit 30 instead of what it did, it would have been a one-hit. I love mage rushing.

[FinsToTheLeft]

Warrior is signing up for TS, though as of yet Boa's been doing a nice job answering questions.

All of this isn't my forte but I will throw in that the Ogre Composite Bow mentioned earlier has terrible range. It definitely can't reach a magician.

[MotherBrainII]

I've just thought. He mentions that Dharok's Helm is better because of its lower mage penalty, but has he factored in that Dharok's Helm also has lower defense bonuses? I'd assume so, but I just want to check.

[FinsToTheLeft]

for any multi-millionaires, use Zuriel's as often as you want, but, for the best cost-efficiency, swap the staff out.
She/he is right about blood barrage, i'll fix that alter.
Karils' Cross on long range can hit as far as magic, but hits a few spaces shorter than crystal bow. Those are the only 2 bows i know of.
Boa gave a list of welfare gear, so no need for that.
I'll look more into the barrows helms, the stat graphs i used showed they were close enough in defensive stats not to make an earth-shattering difference.

[FinsToTheLeft]

UPDATE

2/08/09 Added the Triple Stack combination

The 'Triple Stack combination' allows one to do 3 damage-splats in one. The technique uses range, ice blitz, and shadow/blood barrage. As such, I'm told its extraordinarily hard to defend against using prayer or otherwise. I'm told the max damage is somewhere around 80.

More details in the guide itself under 3.3.

Edit: This video demonstrates this tactic and also some similar combos (e.g. combining ice blitz with dds specs, etc.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jfsmp0AfG8
Note: Warrior did not create this vid. This is just some guy's YouTube Video. I am not held accountable for anything shown/said on the video if there's anything inappropriate.

[Dragonlordjl]

Why does he Ice Burst in the vid? Is that instant?

[FinsToTheLeft]

Why does he Ice Burst in the vid? Is that instant?

That's not Warrior in the vid, just some other guy.

It is possible to use blitz's and bursts, but it is no-where near as effective. Blitz act as the slow spells, and ice burst is an instant.
Still, I highly recommend against this. Grab some runes and get infinity boots from Mage Training to get both exp and money. At lvl 88 magic, you can effectively 1-0n-1 fight with Mage.

I think he just used ice burst instead of shadow/blood to save inv space and/or because he was lazy.

[Boa1891]

You can do 4 splats PLUS an invisible one, if you combine Ice Blitz and claws.