Xarpus OSRS Guide: Exhumes, Poison Phase and the Screech

Xarpus at a Glance

Xarpus is the fifth room of the Theatre of Blood: the Yarasa King, last of his kind, at level 960 with 5,000 hitpoints in a five-player Normal Mode raid. He starts weakened and passive and tries to heal by absorbing exhumed remains. Then he spits poison that stays on the floor for the rest of the fight. At 25% he screeches and starts punishing anyone who attacks from the quadrant he is staring at.

His attacks are typeless, so protection prayers do nothing here. The fight is about where you stand: on exhumes in phase 1, off poisoned tiles in phase 2, and out of his gaze in phase 3.

Requirements and Getting There

Xarpus has no requirement of his own. You reach him after the Maiden, Bloat, the Nylocas and Sotetseg, and the Theatre itself only needs Priest in Peril for access to Morytania. The second supply chest opens after Sotetseg, so restock there. On the way in, drop a few potions to make room for two-handed weapons; you normally use no supplies in this room.

The yarasa were bat-like predators from Vampyrium that even the vampyres feared, and Xarpus is the only one left. Lowerniel Drakan caught him and handed him to Verzik Vitur for the Theatre. Yarasa means bat in Turkish, but Xarpus does not count for a bat Slayer task.

Phase by Phase: Exhumes, Poison and the Screech

Phase 1: exhumes

Xarpus starts at 75% health and does not attack. Exhumed skeletons rise across the arena and launch their energy at him to heal him. Standing on an exhumed's tile stops it until it sinks back into the ground, so group near the centre where you can reach any of them quickly. Phase 2 starts after 15 exhumed have been used up (12 in a trio). In four- and five-player raids they spawn fast enough that some heals always get through.

Before phase 2 begins, have your Defence-draining weapon in hand, and meleers should switch on Redemption.

Phase 2: poison

Xarpus picks targets in orb order and spits poison that splashes a 3x3 area. The splatter stays on the floor for the rest of the fight. Standing on or crossing a poisoned tile deals 4 to 8 base damage per tick, scaled up by how many exhumed he absorbed, and running over one gives a delayed hit. Standing directly under him gets you pelted for up to 9 a tick.

He has 250 Defence and +160 against all ranged, so this is the phase where specials decide the kill. Land at least two hammer or maul specials before anyone uses a godsword. Rangers stand on the back two rows. Meleers can stand next to him if they step back for one tick each time he spits, which keeps the poison off the tiles beside him.

Phase 3: the screech

At 25% health he screeches once, stops spitting poison and stares at one quadrant of the room. He looks at a new quadrant every 8 ticks and never at the same one twice in a row, so move to where he last looked. Attack from the quadrant he is facing and he retaliates with a poison hit that prayer cannot block, a base of 50 to 75 per hitsplat that scales up with the exhumed he absorbed. With a multi-hit weapon that is often instant death.

One 8-tick look fits two attacks from a 4-tick weapon or four from a 2-tick weapon. A 5-tick weapon gets one attack in one quadrant, then two in the next. In Hard Mode a successful hit makes him turn to face the attacker straight away, so teams attack from different quadrants to force his rotation.

Recommended Gear

Once he is fully drained, the weapon order is the scythe of vitur, then the toxic blowpipe or twisted bow with elite void, the Soulreaper axe at 5 stacks, and the blade of saeldor ahead of the abyssal tentacle.

Inventory and Supplies

• A Defence drain: a dragon warhammer or another hammer or maul special, plus a Bandos godsword.
• Redemption for meleers in phase 2. With it on, the poison's small ticks can never kill a player sitting at 90+ hitpoints.
• Very few supplies. Drop potions on entry for space and pick them up after the kill.
• No protection prayer setup. Nothing Xarpus does is blocked by one.

Mechanics: Attack Styles, Max Hits and Immunities

Hard Mode changes

Xarpus has 6,000 hitpoints but his Defence drops to 200. At the start he splatters poison over the two outermost rings of the arena, except six tiles (two rows of three) at the entrance. That pushes the exhumed into the smaller clean area, where they are easier to intercept. Phase 2 is unchanged, and in phase 3 he turns to face whoever just hit him.

Entry Mode changes

Xarpus has 3,400 hitpoints, a max hit of 6 with a 38+ retaliation, and 100 Defence. A wipe sends the team back outside the room with unlimited attempts.

Where Xarpus Sits in the Theatre

Xarpus is room five of six. Before him come the Maiden of Sugadinti, the Pestilent Bloat, the Nylocas and Sotetseg; after him is Verzik Vitur. Your hitpoints, prayer and spec bar refill when he dies. Pick up your potions and have one player grab the Dawnbringer before Verzik.

Fight Strategy, Start to Finish

1. 1

   Drop potions for space, then group in the middle of the arena for phase 1.

2. 2

   Step on every exhumed you can reach.

   In four- and five-player raids some will get through regardless.

3. 3

   Switch to your Defence drain before phase 2, and meleers turn on Redemption.

4. 4

   Phase 2: land hammer or maul specials first, then godsword specials, then damage.

5. 5

   Keep the poison tidy.

   For the Perfect Xarpus task, start together in one corner so fewer splatters cover the arena, and stay two tiles from each impact.

6. 6

   Phase 3: watch where he is looking, attack from a quadrant he is not facing, and move to where he last looked.

7. 7

   After the kill, pick up your potions and grab the Dawnbringer for Verzik.

Drops and What Xarpus Is Worth

Xarpus drops one item of his own, the book The Wild Hunt, and stops dropping it once you have read it. The only other item you pick up on the way out is the Dawnbringer, from the skeleton next to Verzik's door; it breaks her shield in phase 1 and is destroyed if it leaves the raid. The uniques you are raiding for come from the chest after Verzik, and the Theatre of Blood guide lists them.

Combat Achievements

Perfect Xarpus is the Master-tier task for this room: kill Xarpus without anyone in the team taking damage from his attacks and without letting an exhumed heal him more than twice. Try it as a trio, because exhumed spawn much faster in four- and five-player raids, and make sure the Bandos godsword and dragon warhammer specials land.

Task lists change with updates, so check the current list in game. The Combat Achievements guide covers how the tiers fit together.

Ironman Notes

Ironmen get full Theatre rewards when they raid with other players, and the chest's uniques exist nowhere else in the game. A Hardcore Ironman loses the status on any death in the Theatre, Entry Mode included. Most of Xarpus is about where you stand, but his 250 Defence makes a dragon warhammer or another hammer special close to essential.

Common Mistakes and Death Causes

• Leaving exhumed unclaimed because nobody stood near the middle.
• Standing under him in phase 2, where he pelts you for up to 9 a tick, or cutting across poison to save a step.
• Splattering poison on the tiles next to him, which ruins melee spots and the safe paths for phase 3.
• Skipping the hammer specials and trying to range through 250 Defence and +160 ranged defence.
• Attacking from the quadrant he is facing in phase 3, worst of all with a multi-hit weapon.
• Turning on a protection prayer and assuming you are safe. Nothing he does is blocked by one.

FAQ

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