OSRS Nex Guide

Lots of challenges in OSRS will put you and your friends to the test in OSRS. However, perhaps none is going to be more challenging than Nex. This boss has put many players out of commission and if you don't want to be a part of that list of victims, you're right to come to us for help. Let's talk about who Nex is first.

Who Is Nex?

Nex stands as one of Zaro's formidable adherents, held captive within the Ancient Prison beneath the God Wars Dungeon. This powerful being hailing from Freneskae, a nihil by nature, exhibits a fusion of physical attributes reminiscent of icyene, demons, aviantese, and vampyres, making her a potent weapon in Zaro's arsenal of war.

Situated behind the frozen door in the southern expanse of the God Wars Dungeon, Nex's Ancient Prison remains securely sealed. Access to this chamber requires the assembly of the frozen key, obtained by defeating the generals and bodyguards of the warring factions within the dungeon: General Graardor, K'ril Tsutsaroth, Commander Zilyana, and Kree'arra. Assembling the key necessitates a base level of 70 in Hitpoints, Ranged, Strength, and Agility, without the possibility of using any boosts. A group of up to 60 players can engage in the formidable encounter with Nex.

Famous for her array of Zarosian-affiliated drops, Nex yields coveted items such as torva armour, zaryte vambraces, the ancient hilt, and the nihil horn, instrumental in crafting the powerful zaryte crossbow.

How To Get To Nex?

The God Wars Dungeon is positioned north of Trollheim. To gain entry, you must have partially completed Troll Stronghold or fully completed the Easy Combat Achievements, unlocking the ability to use the teleport on Ghommal's hilt 1. Additionally, a Strength level of 60 or an Agility level of 60 is required. On your initial visit, a rope is essential. Without 61 Magic and the completion of Eadgar's Ruse (enabling the Trollheim Teleport), climbing boots are necessary for each subsequent visit. While Strength potions can boost your Strength, they won't grant access to the Bandos area. Equipping items aligned with the gods before entering is crucial; otherwise, followers of these gods will become aggressive, posing a threat to your character.

If you've completed Eadgar's Ruse and have at least 61 Magic, you can use the Trollheim Teleport (or an equivalent teleport tablet) to arrive at the mountain's peak east of Troll Stronghold. Upon landing, descend to the mountain's base and head north. Along the mountain, you'll find Agility shortcuts ranging from level 41 to 47, significantly reducing your journey. For those who've completed Making Friends with My Arm, a stony basalt can be used to teleport to Troll Stronghold, albeit with a slightly longer run.

Players can reach Trollheim without sacrificing extra inventory slots for teleports by using two scrolls of redirection on house teletabs, creating two Trollheim teletabs. After using the first tab, you can revert the second one back into a house teletab, eliminating the need for the drop trick.

For those unable to use the Trollheim Teleport, consider teleporting to Burthorpe using a games necklace. This route requires climbing boots, a rope, the initiation of Troll Stronghold, and a stamina potion or some super energy potions for a faster journey. Follow the blue route either upwards, passing the wounded soldier and Death Plateau while activating Protect from Range, or head southwest at the fork toward Tenzing's house. Progress north and follow the route to Dad's location. Depending on your progress in the Troll Stronghold quest, you may either engage in combat with him or find him absent. Enter the cave to the north and follow the map's path leading north.

Upon reaching Trollheim through either method, proceed to the mountain's northern side, encountering thrower trolls. It's advisable to use Protect from Missiles near them. Head to the small alcove in the north, passing either the boulder or a wall crack. Continue north toward the entrance, which is a hole in the ground. The area has a chill effect, draining your stats and depleting your run and special energy. This effect can be negated by lighting the fire pit southwest of the dungeon entrance, requiring the completion of Making Friends with My Arm. High-level ice wolves are present, so activate Protect from Melee. If it's your first time entering, use a rope on the hole and descend.

Note that the Agility shortcuts, especially those involving climbing the rocky stoneholds northeast of the entrance and to the east of Trollheim, are one-way routes into level 22 and 31 Wilderness. However, you cannot use the shortcut from the Wilderness to access the GWD area.

The Ancient Prison of Nex is concealed behind the frozen door in the southern region of the God Wars Dungeon. Unlocking this formidable prison necessitates the assembly of the frozen key, crafted from pieces obtained during The Frozen Door miniquest. These crucial components are dropped by the generals and bodyguards representing the warring factions within the dungeon, including General Graardor, K'ril Tsutsaroth, Commander Zilyana, and Kree'arra. Achieving this requires a baseline level of 70 in Hitpoints, Ranged, Strength, and Agility. Notably, none of these requirements can be boosted. Each encounter with Nex allows up to 60 players to engage in battle.

The Ancient Prison of Nex is concealed behind the frozen door in the southern region of the God Wars Dungeon. Unlocking this formidable prison necessitates the assembly of the frozen key, crafted from pieces obtained during The Frozen Door miniquest. These crucial components are dropped by the generals and bodyguards representing the warring factions within the dungeon, including General Graardor, K'ril Tsutsaroth, Commander Zilyana, and Kree'arra. Achieving this requires a baseline level of 70 in Hitpoints, Ranged, Strength, and Agility. Notably, none of these requirements can be boosted. Each encounter with Nex allows up to 60 players to engage in battle.

Nex Guide OSRS

On this next section, we're going to talk about the strategies and techniques that you can use to bring down Nex. To better understand how she works, let's talk about the fight mechanics first.

Nex Fight Overview

The confrontation with Nex unfolds within a circular room featuring a cross-bridge resembling the symbol of Zaros. Nex exhibits remarkable agility, capable of matching a player's speed, leaping across the room in two ticks, and swiftly traversing pits. The battle comprises five distinct phases: Smoke, Shadow, Blood, Ice, and the Zaros phase. Positioned at the four corners of the room are level 285 mages-Fumus, Umbra, Cruor, and Glacies representing the elements of Ancient Magicks used by Nex in the initial four phases.

Nex, possessing considerable health but modest combat stats and defensive bonuses for her level, demands cautious engagement. Although she is most susceptible to stab attacks, ranged becomes essential during the shadow and Zaros phases and when dealing with her bodyguards. Nex's defense can be lowered by a maximum of 10 levels. The bodyguards, with varying defense bonuses, favor melee or ranged attacks, making it advisable to bring both combat styles for efficient kills in smaller teams.

Throughout the battle, Nex employs Ancient Magicks aligned with the mage of the current phase, with an attack range of 10. In addition to her magical assaults, Nex wields a standard melee attack capable of inflicting up to 30 damage within melee range. Nex targets the nearest player for her melee attack, prioritizing the one with the lowest defensive bonus against the current style in case of multiple equidistant players. Correctly using protection prayers can significantly reduce the damage from Nex's attacks.

To prevent disengagement, Nex employs a maneuver where she flies ahead of her target if not in combat for at least 8 ticks. Depending on the player's position, she may dash to the center of the room or to one of the cross-bridges, interrupting ongoing attacks. It is crucial to time this maneuver strategically for the team's benefit, considering Nex's immunity to hits during the process.

Access to Nex's chamber is restricted when the battle is ongoing, as indicated by a glowing red barrier. The chamber becomes accessible when not in combat or when glowing purple. Exiting the chamber involves using the altar across the room to teleport out, ensuring prior Zarosian protection.

Praying at the altar, while wearing at least one Zarosian item, offers restoration of Hitpoints, Prayer, Special attack, and Run energy. Lack of Zarosian items results in the altar only restoring Prayer, with a cooldown of once every 10 minutes.

In case of death during the Nex battle, item reclamation can be done through the chest in the safe rooms after entering the frozen door or before Nex's chamber. A fee of 100,000 coins applies, irrespective of the total item value. Bringing Saradomin and Zamorak-affiliated items is recommended. If intending to re-engage Nex immediately, a Zarosian item not held in the chest should also be brought.

Nex Phases

Smoke Phase:

During this phase, Nex employs Smoke Rush, a poison-inflicting magic attack. Players use a strategy known as melee distancing, standing within melee range to prompt Nex's melee attack, reducing overall damage. Special attacks in this phase include Choke, Infected players spreading the virus, Drag, pulling players towards Nex, and Smoke Dash, Nex darting down an aisle.

Shadow Phase:

The shadow phase sees Nex using shadow shots, considered ranged attacks. Players maintain a distance to reduce damage, with Protect from Missiles cutting damage in half. Special attacks include Shadow Smash, erupting deadly shadows, and Embrace Darkness, dealing damage based on proximity to Nex.

Blood Phase:

In the blood phase, Nex employs Blood Barrage, healing a percentage of damage dealt and draining prayer. Special attacks include Blood Siphon, healing Nex and summoning blood reavers, and Blood Sacrifice, marking a player for sacrifice and damaging others.

Ice Phase:

Nex utilizes Ice Barrage in the ice phase, freezing players without Protect from Magic and lowering prayer points. Special attacks include Containment, creating an icy area, and Ice Prison, freezing a targeted player.

Zaros Phase:

In the final Zaros phase, Nex calls on Zaro's power, healing herself and using melee and non-attuned magic attacks. Ruinous Powers, Zarosian prayers, include Turmoil, Soul Split, Deflect Melee, and Wrath. Players should minimize damage by staying within melee distance.

Nex's battle is a complex encounter with dynamic strategies required for each phase, demanding coordination, and adaptability from the team.

Nex Strategy Guide

Having a fundamental grasp of Nex's mechanics allows for the implementation of advanced strategies aimed at minimizing personal and team damage. It's crucial to reduce team damage, especially in team-oriented boss fights like Nex, where the loss of a team member can lead to mission failure. This becomes even more significant in split teams, where loot distribution is contingent on individual damage percentages.

Follow-stalling is a tactic employed during the Smoke, Ice, and Zaros phases. In this technique, Player 1 initiates a stall by stepping under Nex and promptly attacking. Player 2 then follows, exploiting game pathing mechanics to briefly hide under Nex, switching to Protect from Melee, and contributing damage to Nex. The ideal follow-stall cycle is no less than 5 ticks, aligning player's 5-tick-cycle weapons with Nex's 4-tick-cycle attacks. It's crucial to avoid follow-stalling just before Nex's Choke special attack to prevent infection. Nex usually attacks with four hits during normal encounters but reduces it to three hits during follow-stalling. Consuming food or potions during follow-stalling interrupts the action, necessitating a stall reset.

5-tick stalling is a more advanced technique performed by positioning oneself one tile under Nex just before her attack, immediately attacking on the next tick. This aligns Nex's 4-tick-cycle attacks with player's 5-tick-cycle weapons, providing an effective way to return quickly to dealing damage. While more challenging to master, 5-tick stalling is more efficient than follow-stalling once mastered, offering a higher average number of hits for players to be on the correct protection prayer.

Melee P2, an unorthodox strategy during Nex's shadow phase (P2), involves using melee attacks. This method requires a deep understanding of boss mechanics and entails higher risks. With proper execution and the use of stalls, meleeing Nex during P2 in full Torva armor can mitigate damage. However, players must swiftly switch to ranged weapons after Nex announces "Embrace darkness" to avoid significant damage during the Darkness special attack. Maintaining distance during this phase is crucial. Flicking Protect from Ranged 1 tick before Nex's projectile attacks can further minimize damage, as the damage registers upon impact rather than upon firing.

These advanced strategies are particularly beneficial for well-equipped players aiming to maximize kills per hour, and certain teams may require players to be proficient in these techniques for participation.

Nex Rewards

To secure drops from Nex, players must contribute a minimum specified amount of damage, and obtaining a drop is registered as a kill in the player's log. Upon Nex's demise, a substantial assortment of items is dispensed, the quantity of which is contingent on the team size. Each player's share is determined by their cumulative damage inflicted on Nex, her minions, and any reavers throughout the encounter. Two standard drops are guaranteed with every kill.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) is entitled to a 10% increase in common drops and an augmented likelihood of acquiring unique loot.

Drop rates are approximated using data from the Drop Rate Project, consisting of 158,203 samples, unless explicitly referenced otherwise.

100%

Big bones are only dropped for the MVP, the player who dealt the most damage to Nex.

Uniques

Runes & ammunition

Resources

Consumables

Other

Tertiary

Nex Combat Achivements

For Nex, there are a total of 11 combat achievements to do.

Time To Take Down Nex

The Nex fight is a lot more difficult than others simply because it requires a lot more coordination between players. With this guide, you'll at least know how you should play your role while taking down this beast. Hopefully, you start getting those combat achievements from Nex soon.