The short version
30-second read- ToA scales with the raid level you pick. Every 5 raid levels adds 2% to enemy hitpoints, defence, accuracy and damage, so start low and raise it later.
- Small Theatre of Blood teams are normal. Boss HP drops to 75% for teams of three or fewer and 87.5% for four, so a steady trio works.
- Bring coverage in at least two combat styles. A Twisted bow will not save a learner who does not know when to eat, pray or reset.
- Review two deaths after every session. Fix one habit at a time, and only raise the difficulty once your clears are consistent.
Quick Take
Learn Chambers of Xeric or Tombs of Amascut first and leave Theatre of Blood for third. ToA lets you set the raid level anywhere from 0 to 600, so a new team can start in Entry mode and push it up later. CoX has no difficulty dial, but a death only costs you 40% of your personal points and the raid carries on.
ToB is the hard one to learn. Teams cap at 5, Entry mode is the only setting below Normal, and a player who dies sits out until the rest of the team clears the room. Most groups pick it up after they already raid comfortably somewhere else.
| Detail | CoX | ToA | ToB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 5 January 2017 | 24 August 2022 | 7 June 2018 |
| Entry requirement | No quest, you only need to reach Mount Quidamortem | Beneath Cursed Sands | Priest in Peril |
| Team size | 1 to 100 | 1 to 8 | 1 to 5 |
| Difficulty options | Normal or Challenge Mode | Raid level 0 to 600 (Entry 0-149, Normal 150-299, Expert 300+) | Entry, Normal, and Hard mode after one Normal clear |
| What a death costs | 40% of your personal points, then you rejoin | 20% of your reward points (min 1,000); unlimited attempts unless an Attempts invocation limits them | You sit out until your team clears the room |
| Final boss | Great Olm | Elidinis' and Tumeken's Wardens | Verzik Vitur |
| Headline uniques | Twisted bow, kodai insignia, elder maul | Tumeken's shadow, Osmumten's fang, Masori | Scythe of vitur, Sanguinesti staff, Ghrazi rapier |
If CoX is your pick, the Chambers of Xeric guide covers every room, the points system and the Great Olm. Requirements and mechanics above are from the OSRS Wiki and change with updates.
Which Raid Fits Your Account
- 1
No quest done for it yet:
CoX has no entry quest at all. ToA needs Beneath Cursed Sands, ToB needs Priest in Peril.
- 2
No regular team:
all three allow solo runs. ToA lets you drop the raid level as low as 0, ToB has Entry mode, and CoX has no easier setting, so solo CoX is a slow way to learn.
- 3
A big clan or friends group:
CoX is the only raid that takes more than 8 players, up to 100 in one instance.
- 4
A steady trio or quad:
this is where ToB opens up. Boss HP drops to 75% for teams of three or fewer and 87.5% for four, so small teams are normal there.
- 5
Short on supplies:
death costs differ a lot. In CoX you lose points, not your run. In Normal or Hard ToB, a full team death sends your unprotected items to a reclaim chest that costs 100,000 coins; Entry mode reclaims are free.
Ask the people you raid with what they can teach. A friend who knows ToB well is worth more than any tier list, because they can explain each room before it kills you.
Practical Step-By-Step Plan
First-raid onboarding:
- 1
Pick one raid based on your team and your gear.
- 2
Watch one full room-by-room learner video, not a tick-perfect speedrun.
- 3
Write a short checklist for each room:
prayer, gear swap, what kills you.
- 4
Do entry-level runs focused on survival, not loot.
In ToA that means Entry mode or a low raid level.
- 5
Review two deaths per session and fix one habit at a time.
- 6
Raise the raid level, move to Challenge Mode, or try ToB Hard mode only once your clears are consistent.
Gear Expectations (Learner)
Bring solid mid or late game gear with coverage in at least two combat styles. A Twisted bow will not save you if you don't know when to eat, when to pray and when to reset. Keep a cheaper learner kit if you are short on supplies. See the BiS guide for upgrade order.
- Prayer and food discipline first
- Plan your special attack energy before the room starts
- Bring the utility the raid needs: a pickaxe and fire runes for CoX, freeze spells, thralls where you have them
Solo vs Team Learning
You can learn all three raids solo, but a patient team gets you there faster. Stay out of groups that kick for one mistake while you are new. Learner-friendly clan teams exist for every raid, and they expect you to say you are learning.
Common Mistakes
- Joining an experienced team for your first ever raid
- Blaming gear for mechanic mistakes
- Learning three raids in one week
- Skipping room checklists because you watched a video once
- Running ToA at a raid level your team can't clear yet
Raid fluency comes from repetition and reviewing what killed you.
When Paid Help Makes Sense (Optional)
If you want clears without learning every room first, our CoX raids page is the place to start. Tell support if you want to learn or just want the completions, since that changes how the runs are set up. For the hiring question itself, see Can you hire someone for OSRS raids?.
FAQ
Is CoX harder than ToA?
It depends on the raid level you run ToA at. Every 5 raid levels adds 2% to enemy hitpoints, defence, accuracy and damage, so a 300 Expert raid is far harder than normal CoX while an Entry raid below 150 is easier. Normal CoX has one difficulty that scales with team size, and its room order changes every run, so you can't prepare for one fixed layout the way you can in ToA.
Is ToB harder than ToA?
At Normal mode, yes for most teams. ToB runs six bosses in a fixed order with teams of 1 to 5, and a dead player can only come back once the others clear the room. ToA lets you lower the raid level until it fits your team, and it only limits deaths if you pick an invocation that does.
CoX or ToA first?
ToA if you have Beneath Cursed Sands done and want to control the difficulty. CoX if you have a group to raid with or haven't done the quest, since it has no entry requirement and takes up to 100 players.
When is ToB realistic?
When you have a steady team of three to five and stay calm under pressure. Start in Entry mode, move to Normal, and Hard mode unlocks after your first Normal completion.
Which raid is Raids 1?
Chambers of Xeric. It came out on 5 January 2017, so players call it Raids 1. Theatre of Blood (7 June 2018) is Raids 2 and Tombs of Amascut (24 August 2022) is Raids 3.
Still stuck on a mechanic? Ask the team on our Discord, it is free.
Bottom Line
The best first raid is the one you will practise twice a week. For most players that is ToA at a low raid level or CoX with a learner team.
Learn rooms. Budget supplies. Raise the difficulty last.
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