Godsword

AKA?	GS, AGS, BGS, SGS and ZGS (depending on the hilt attached)
Release date	28 August 2007 (Update)
Members?	Yes
Quest item?	No
Tradeable?	Yes
Lendable?	Yes
Equipable?	Yes
Stackable?	No
High Alch	750,000 coins
Low Alch	500,000 coins
Destroy	Drop/Dismantle
Store price	Not sold
Exchange price	Armadyl: 5,282,098 coins Bandos: 1,472,764 coins Saradomin: 28,345,246 coins Zamorak: 2,521,290 coins
Examine	Armadyl: A beautiful, heavy sword. Bandos: A brutally heavy sword. Saradomin: A gracious, heavy sword. Zamorak: A terrifying, heavy sword.
Weight	10 kg

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Godswords are powerful two-handed swords that were released on 28 August 2007, along with the God Wars Dungeon. Requiring 75 Attack to wield, they are among the strongest melee weapons to be found outside Daemonheim. A godsword consists of a godsword blade, to which a godsword hilt is attached. There exists one hilt for each of four of RuneScape's gods: Armadyl, Bandos, Saradomin, and Zamorak. Consequently, there are four different godswords: the Armadyl godsword, the Bandos godsword, the Saradomin godsword, and the Zamorak godsword. Each godsword has a different passive effect as well as a different appearance, but all four have the same stats.

The godsword is created by smithing the three different godsword shards into a godsword blade at an anvil. Doing so requires 80 Smithing, though the Assist System can be used, and gives a total of 200 Smithing experience. A godsword hilt is then attached to the godsword blade, which requires no stats and can be done by any player. Hilts can be attached or removed at will, at any time. Godsword hilts are dropped exclusively by the generals within the God Wars Dungeon (aside from Nex) and godsword shards are dropped by their bodyguards.

Historical contextEdit

Somewhere near the end of the God Wars, during the Third Age, Zamorak had gathered armies so powerful that his victory seemed inevitable. In a last-ditch effort to oppose him, Saradomin formed an alliance with Armadyl and Bandos. They created the godsword, a weapon meant to ensure Zamorak's final defeat.

A group of Armadyl's aviantese was given the task of delivering the godsword to the army of Saradomin, which stood ready to do battle with Zamorak's forces. However, an aviantese had previously been captured by Zamorak's rangers, and it is believed that K'ril Tsutsaroth himself tortured the hapless aviansie for information. Having learned of the godsword's existence as well as its destination, Zamorak laid an ambush for the aviantese transporting the godsword. At the same time, he launched an attack against Saradomin's army with his own forces.

Upon coming under attack, the aviantese carrying the godsword retreated into a temple beneath the mountains, and set up a defence against Zamorak's forces in an attempt to protect the godsword. Bandos and Saradomin sent portions of their armies into the temple as reinforcements for the aviantese, and for a time the three groups fought as allies against Zamorak's minions. However, as the battle wore on, old distrust between the forces of Armadyl, Bandos, and Saradomin resurfaced, and the forces of the three gods turned on one another, dissolving the alliance. The battle in the temple became a four-way free-for-all for control of the godsword; it is believed that during this great melee, the godsword was shattered into four pieces.

Not long after the battle in the temple began, Zamorak took the Stone of Jas to Forinthry, a region that once belonged to Zaros, and used the Stone's immense power to lay waste to the entire region, creating the Wilderness. This act caused Guthix to awaken; furious, he ended the God Wars, expelled the young gods from Gielinor, and enacted the Edicts of Guthix to prevent any more catastrophic conflict. A follower of Guthix sealed the God Wars Dungeon and froze its combatants into timeless ice, where they would remain undisturbed for thousands of years, their battle - and the godsword - long forgotten.

However, during the Fifth Age, a combination of tectonic movements within the Wilderness and long rows of fires lit by adventurers thawed the dungeon and the armies within it. Unaware that the God Wars have ended, the followers of Armadyl, Bandos, Saradomin, and Zamorak continue to wage war for control of the godsword. Adventurers are now able to enter the dungeon for themselves and do battle with the armies within. Those who are powerful enough to defeat the mighty leaders can obtain the pieces of the godsword, and reconstruct it for themselves.

BonusesEdit

Combat Stats
Class Slot Melee Weapons Main Off Damage 1676 - Accuracy 1694 - Type Slash - Attributes Armour rating0 Life bonus+0 Prayer bonus4 Critical bonuses 0% 0% 0% Attack speed AverageInterval: 3.6 seconds
Compare item	A player wielding a godsword
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Grand Exchange prices and effectsEdit

The godsword's passive effect varies depending on which hilt is attached to the blade.

Image	God	G.E. Price	Passive effect (27.5% chance on hit)
	Armadyl	5,282,098	Boosts Attack and Strength by 1 level, up to a maximum of 10% of the wielder's level. Does not stack with potion boosts.
	Bandos	1,472,764	Decreases target's Defence by 1 level if they are above a certain base Defence level.
	Saradomin	28,345,246	Heals 3% of the wielder's life points and prayer points.
	Zamorak	2,521,290	Briefly stuns and binds the target.

UsesEdit

Armadyl godswordEdit

The Armadyl godsword has the effect of raising the wielder's Attack and Strength levels by 1, up to 10% of the wielder's level. Potions do not stack with the effect, so this effect's use is limited to holding (most of the times very few) inventory space during combat training, but even this use is questionable as the player has to detriment his damage per second by not using offensive potions, most of which give a better boost than the Ags. Also, the Saradomin godsword is far superior at saving inventory space or cutting down on combat supplies and so is downright superior. While the Armadyl godsword is considerably cheaper than the Saradomin godsword, the considerable difference in cost between the Armadyl godsword and the Bandos godsword (along with some super potions) doesn't realistically justify the former's use in any likely PvM or PvP situation a player chooses to engage in.

Bandos godswordEdit

General Graardor is commonly killed in the God Wars Dungeon so there is a large supply of Bandos hilts, resulting in the Bandos godsword being the cheapest of the four godswords. However, as the Bandos godsword has a chance to drain Defence, the usefulness of its passive effect is directly proportional to the amount of time spent to kill an enemy. This means the Bandos godsword's passive ability is not useful for Slayer training, or any sort of combat activity in which monsters are killed rapidly. The passive effect is most useful against high-level boss monsters, as it has the greatest chance to drain the greatest amount of Defence during long battles.

Saradomin godswordEdit

The Saradomin godsword is most effectively used in monster-killing situations since it has a 25% on hit to restore life points. Its passive effect can be useful to players who are training Slayer, doing the Barrows activity, or attempting the TzHaar Fight Cave. Along with healing effects such as bunyips, Guthan's set of Barrows equipment, a regen bracelet, and Soul Split, the Saradomin godsword can act as a replacement for food. Its prayer restoration can also save players doses of prayer potions. The effect is also very useful at fighting high level bosses, as the time a player can last at bosses without banking is usually limited by the amount of food or healing methods available to the player and so its effect will allow the player to last considerably longer.

Zamorak godswordEdit

While the Zamorak godsword's passive effect is not particularly useful for general monster killing; it is very effective in a few special cases. One popular use is to stun Commander Zilyana, who has devastating melee and Magic attacks that she will use only at melee range. Additionally, the effect has a few uses during PvP situations, such as freezing players in place either to prevent their escape or to make it easier to escape them. This is especially useful in PvP when fighting against rangers who use the Binding Shot ability to 'farcast' players who use melee. During Castle Wars, the Zamorak godsword can be used to freeze players who are carrying the flag, or players who are attempting to capture the flag.

Additionally, as the godsword's freezing effect disables Auto Retaliate on players, players can freeze their target, step away, attack once, then immediately step away again before their opponent can retaliate. This works even against faster weapons such as an abyssal whip.

GalleryEdit

A player wielding an Armadyl godsword.

A player wielding a Bandos godsword.

A player wielding a Saradomin godsword.

A player wielding a Zamorak godsword.

An up close view of the Armadyl godsword.

An up close view of the Bandos godsword.

An up close view of the Saradomin godsword.

An up close view of the Zamorak godsword.

Click an image to enlargeClick an image to enlarge

TriviaEdit

• Prior to the Evolution of Combat, all four godswords had different special attacks. To compensate for the loss of their special attacks, each godsword was given a passive ability that is meant to mimic its old special attack.
• Although Nex is a leader within the God Wars Dungeon, she does not drop a hilt; as such, there is no such thing as a Zaros godsword. Before her release in January 2011, many players speculated that she would drop a Zaros hilt.
• For a time after their release, godswords were controversial among players, as the strongest available melee weapons at the time were the abyssal whip and Barrows equipment. As such, godswords represented an enormous increase in power over Ranged and Magic, and a common complaint on the forums was that godswords excessively unbalanced the combat triangle.
• All godswords have become available as a 'lucky' reward from the Squeal of Fortune activity. These are not tradeable.

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