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Greater runic staff detail

The greater runic staff is a reward from the Runespan. It costs 25,000 points and requires level 75 Magic and 90 Runecrafting to wield. It can hold spell charges and absorb hostile spells, including all elemental spells and all Ancient Magicks.

When the staff is charged with a spell, it casts the spell as if the runes are in your inventory. It is also possible to manually charge the staff with up to 1,000 casts of the chosen spell. Charging the staff will require players to use the exact type of runes required to cast it; combination runes such as dust runes, steam runes or lava runes will not work. The staff can save inventory space taken up by runes if you are willing to sacrifice the better accuracy of alternatives like the chaotic staff.

The staff can only be charged with one type of spell at a time, and must be emptied of its current charges in order to switch spells. Emptying the staff will return all the runes to your inventory. You must be on the same spellbook as the spell with which the staff is charged. The staff can also be manually charged with skilling spells and teleports, so it is potentially useful in certain situations in which inventory space is at a premium.

Once the staff is charged with runes for the chosen spell, the runes in the staff cannot be used to cast another spell; e.g. astral, nature and earth runes used to charge Fertile Soil cannot be used to cast Remote Farm even though they have the same required runes. However, players can simply uncharge the staff to retrieve the runes in order to do so if they wish.

When the staff absorbs a spell, the message "Your runic staff absorbs the spell, charging it slightly" appears in the chatbox.

If obtained exclusively by buying unstable air runes from the Travelling Merchant's Shop, the greater runic staff would cost 1,250,000 coins.

Combat Stats
RequirementsGreater runic staff equipped
75 Magic 90 Runecrafting
ClassSlot
Magic Magic2h slot
Tier
75
WeaponsMainOff
Damage--
Accuracy1694-
StyleSpell-casting
Range8
Speed
Average (3.6s)
AttributesDamage reduction
DefenceArmour0PvM: 0%PvP: 0%
ConstitutionLife points0Style bonuses
PrayerPrayer0Strength0Ranged0Magic0
[FAQ][doc]

Potential uses[]

  • NPC Contact - keep staff with you on slayer to get a new task upon finishing one, either saving two inventory spaces or saving time withdrawing runes; you only have to open your bank once between tasks.
  • Spiritualise Food - Prolong your familiar's timer without wasting space for the required runes.
  • High Level Alchemy - Turn mid-level drops that would otherwise not be picked up, into coins, without wasting inventory space for nature runes and fire runes.
  • Make Leather - Easily tan dragonhide while killing dragons, making more money per trip. The leather can be crafted into dragonhide bodies, saving even more space and granting Crafting experience.
  • Bones to Peaches or Blood Barrage - A one-slot infinite healing item. However, bones to peaches tablets also take up just one inventory space, albeit more expensive.
  • Cure Me - An expensive but endless way to cure poison. However, the anti-poison totem is free to use once bought with Dungeoneering tokens, and prevents poisoning completely.
  • Remote Farm or Fertile Soil - Cure disease or supercompost farming patches during a farm run when space is essential.
  • Repair Rune Pouch - Repair Runecrafting pouches up to giant without taking a break to withdraw the runes.
  • Space saving - For spells like Plank Make, Humidify or Superglass Make where a full inventory of spells are cast, the extra space from wielding the staff instead of holding runes in your inventory can save banking time. Still, this benefit is often less than the money saved from using an elemental staff.
  • No chance to cast the wrong spell—Because the staff can only be used to cast the spell that it is aligned to, you can not accidentally cast the wrong spell and waste runes or items; e.g. accidentally casting high alch on something you meant to superheat.
  • House Teleport for Construction training. Storing the runes for House Teleport can greatly speed up Construction training when paired with another teleporting method that's close to a bank, while also allowing a full inventory of 28 planks per trip.
  • House Teleport for Prayer training. Storing the runes for House Teleport can save two spaces (if previously wielding an Air staff or Earth Staff and carrying the opposite rune and Law rune) or one space (if previously using Teleport to house tablets) and a fair amount of coins. Having those additional spaces will increase bones per trip and expedite training.
  • Prism of Dowsing for Divination training. Storing the runes for Prism of Dowsing gives you more inventory space for collecting memories.

Comparison with other magical weapons[]

Two-handed[]

Name Levels Cost Accuracy (Tier) Notes
Staff of Sliske Staff of Sliske 92 Magic 816,692,650 2577 (92)
Noxious staff Noxious staff 90 Magic 165,149,827 2458 (90)
Superior Zuriel's staff Superior Zuriel's staff 88 Magic 23,421,675 2343 (88)
  • Has a special attack, Miasmic Barrage, consumes 100% adrenaline and 100 charges on the staff (0.1% of maximum charge). A magic attack is launched at the opponent dealing up to 200% weapon damage, reduces their attack speed by a tick for 15 seconds, and halves their adrenaline gain for 15 seconds.
  • Degrades: has 100,000 charges of combat (a minimum of 16.7 hours), and when it runs out of charges degrades to dust.
Obliteration Obliteration 87 Magic 61,297,046 2287 (87)
Camel staff Camel staff 85 Magic 43,174,962 2178 (85)
  • Reduces an opponent's accuracy by 5%, and has a damage over time effect
  • Provides fire runes when wielded
  • Degrades: has 30,000 charges of combat (a minimum of 5 hours), and costs 4,125,000 coins to repair via a Repair NPC, or discounted at an armour stand
Staff of darkness Staff of darkness 85 Magic 39,751,481 2178 (85)
Staff of limitless air
Staff of limitless water
Staff of limitless earth
Staff of limitless fire
Staff of limitless lava
Staff of limitless mud
Staff of limitless steam
Staff of limitless air
Staff of limitless water
Staff of limitless earth
Staff of limitless fire
Staff of limitless lava
Staff of limitless mud
Staff of limitless steam
82 Magic 12,071,143
(Air)
12,070,835
(Water)
12,071,310
(Earth)
12,071,199
(Fire)
12,095,087
(Lava)
12,104,674
(Mud)
12,102,037
(Steam)
2023 (82)
Second-Age staff Second-Age staff 80 Magic 174,481,830 1924 (80)
  • Most accurate non-degrading staff outside of Daemonheim
Chaotic staff Chaotic staff 80 Magic
80 Dungeoneering
Dungeoneering token 200,000 1924 (80)
Attuned crystal staff Attuned crystal staff 80 Magic
50 Agility
Attuned crystal weapon seed and 2000 harmonic dust 1924 (80)
  • Has a chance (up to 12%, based on Agility level) to deal +25% damage
  • Degrades: has 50,000 charges of combat (double charges used outside of Prifddinas; a minimum of about 8 hours inside), and can be repaired by Eluned/Islwyn for a minimum of 200,000 coins
Zuriel's staff Zuriel's staff 78 Magic 12,452,747 1829 (78)
  • Degrades to nothing after 100,000 charges
  • Has a special attack, Miasmic Barrage, which deals up to 200% spell damage to the target whilst also temporarily reducing their attack speed and applying the Confuse effect
Sunspear (magic) Sunspear (magic) 78 Magic
River of Blood
Free after River of Blood quest
600,000 to reclaim
1829 (78)
Armadyl battlestaff Armadyl battlestaff 77 Magic 17,828,844 1783 (77)
  • Second most accurate non-degrading staff outside of Daemonheim, next to the Second-Age staff
  • Increases the damage of auto-attacks with Storm of Armadyl by 10%
  • Provides air runes when wielded
  • Has a special attack, Tempest of Armadyl, that deals rapid magic damage
Greater runic staff Greater runic staff 75 Magic
90 Runecrafting
25,000 Runespan points 1694 (75)
  • Can hold up to 1,000 casts of any single spell, including non-combat spells, saving inventory space
Staff of light Staff of light 75 Magic 1,842,145 1694 (75)
  • 1/8 chance to save all runes when autoattacking; this chance increases to 1/5 when wearing combat robes and 1/2 when wearing battle robes
  • Can cast the Slayer dart spell
  • Has a special attack, Power of Light, which reduces all incoming melee damage by 50% for one minute; effect lost if the staff is unequipped
Polypore staff Polypore staff 75 Magic 2,363,490 1694 (75)
  • Can cast Polypore Strike, which is available on any spell book
  • The charges for this spell (up to 3000) are stored in the staff, preserving inventory space
  • Each charge is effectively 799 coins (1 polypore spore and 5 fire runes)
  • Requires 80 Farming to recharge the staff; this is assistable

Dual-wield[]

Name Levels Cost Accuracy (Tier) Notes
Wand of the praesul Imperium core Wand of the praesul and Imperium core 92 Magic 519,656,294 (wand)
403,732,158 (core)
2577 (92)
Seismic wand Seismic singularity Seismic wand and singularity 90 Magic 67,589,092 (wand)
153,199,328 (singularity)
2458 (90)
Elite seasinger kiba Elite seasinger makigai Elite seasinger kiba and makigai 88 Magic
92 Runecrafting
1 Seasinger kiba
1 Seasinger makigai
2 Seasinger weapon upgrade kit
15 Chi
2343 (88)
Wand of the Cywir elders Orb of the Cywir elders Wand of the Cywir elders and orb 85 Magic 18,908,508 (wand)
13,479,231 (orb)
2458 (90)
Seasinger kiba Seasinger makigai Seasinger kiba and makigai 85 Magic
92 Runecrafting
150 Chi
75 Koi Scales
2 Gemstone kaseki
2178 (85)
Virtus wand Virtus book Virtus wand and book 80 Magic 7,504,024 (wand)
7,862,184 (book)
1924 (80)
  • Book can be substituted by a shield for greater defensive stats, but at a cost to damage dealt
  • Degrades: has 30,000 charges of combat (a minimum of 5 hours), and costs 3,000,000 coins to repair via a Repair NPC, or discounted at an armour stand
Attuned crystal wand Attuned crystal orb Attuned crystal wand and orb 80 Magic
50 Agility
Attuned crystal weapon seed and 2000 harmonic dust 1924 (80)
  • Like other attuned crystal weapons, has a chance based on the user's agility level to deal 25% more damage on any given attack (12% at 99 agility)
  • Degrades: has 50,000 charges of combat (double charges used outside of Prifddinas; a minimum of about 8 hours inside), and can be repaired by Eluned/Islwyn for a minimum of 200,000 coins each
Abyssal wand Abyssal orb Abyssal wand and orb 75 Magic 273,696 (wand)
268,162 (orb)
1694 (75)
  • Highest levelled non-degrading dual wielding Magic weapons outside Daemonheim
  • 1/8 chance to save all runes when autoattacking; this chance increases to 1/5 when wearing combat robes and 1/2 when wearing battle robes
  • Can cast the Slayer dart spell

Trivia[]

  • There is currently a glitch where if you try to create Tablets using the staff, you will get a message stating: "You need 4 Water runes to make this tablet." Or which ever respective rune you are not currently carrying and the spell will not cast despite the staff being aligned and charged to the spell.
  • There is currently a glitch where if you try to put the runes for the spell Air Bolt, you get a message stating: "You do not have the correct runes for any type of spell." but it will still work.
  • There is currently a glitch where if you try to put the runes for the Earth, Water, or Fire Wave, you get a message stating: "You do not have enough Air Runes to cast this spell." and it will not work in battle.  However, it appears that if you have the correct runes in your inventory and set your autocast to the spell you want, you can redeposit your runes and the staff will work correctly.
  • There used to be a glitch where the spell you have chosen (e.g. a teleport) will show you lack the runes to cast it, but will work upon clicking it. This was fixed on 21 January 2014.
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