OSRS Blood Moon Rises Guide: Maggot King, Requirements & New BiS
Quick Decision Snapshot
Blood Moon Rises quest guide covering Maggot King boss strategy, Combat Achievements and pet rates, Vampyrium skilling XP rates for Bloodwood Woodcutting, Leechfin Fishing, and Stymphike Hunter, plus new BiS gear: Necklace of Rupture, Crimson Kisten, and Seeker Arrows.
- Blood Moon Rises quest guide covering Maggot King boss strategy, Combat Achievements and pet rates, Vampyrium skilling XP rates for Bloodwood Woodcutting, Leechfin Fishing, and Stymphike Hunter, plus new BiS gear: Necklace of Rupture, Crimson Kisten, and Seeker Arrows.
The Blood Moon Rises is Old School RuneScape's newest Grandmaster quest - the long-awaited finale of the Myreque saga and one of the largest content drops in OSRS history. Released 30 June 2026, it adds an entirely new region (Vampyrium), a repeatable solo boss (Maggot King), four new skilling activities, and multiple best-in-slot combat upgrades.
If you are trying to figure out what gear to bring, which XP rates are worth your time, or how the new rewards stack up against existing gear, this guide covers everything.
Quest Requirements
The Blood Moon Rises is a Grandmaster quest. All skill requirements are not boostable unless stated otherwise.
Skill Requirements
| Skill | Level | Boostable? |
|---|---|---|
| Slayer | 74 | No |
| Woodcutting | 74 | No |
| Smithing | 72 | No |
| Cooking | 72 | No |
| Fletching | 70 | No |
| Mining | 66 | No |
| Hunter | 65 | No |
| Crafting | 64 | No |
| Herblore | 64 | No |
| Magic | 57 | No |
Quest Prerequisites
- A Night at the Theatre
- Sins of the Father (which chains back through Darkness of Hallowvale, In Aid of the Myreque, In Search of the Myreque, Nature Spirit, Priest in Peril, and The Restless Ghost)
Recommended Gear & Supplies
- Combat level 110+
- Best melee strength gear (Bandos, Inquisitor, Torva)
- Saradomin Brews, Super Restores, Super Combat Potions
- High-healing combo food (Manta rays + Karambwans)
- Ranged and Magic switches for specific encounters
- Blisterwood flail (or 40,000 coins to obtain one during the quest)
- Vyre noble clothing
- Stamina potions
- Drakan's Medallion
Use our Combat Calculator to check your combat level before attempting, and our Gear Picker to build your quest loadout.
Vampyrium: Post-Quest Region
After completing the quest, you gain access to Vampyrium - a hostile new region with unique death mechanics. Deaths in Vampyrium are not safe for Hardcore Ironmen, but regular players respawn there with all items kept. Bank withdrawals are unavailable (deposits work), so come prepared.
The region contains four skilling activities, one Slayer creature, and a repeatable solo boss.
Skilling Activity #1: Bloodwood Woodcutting
Requirement: 77 Woodcutting
Bloodwood trees are a new Woodcutting method balanced across a full engagement spectrum - from semi-AFK to high-intensity play that rivals tick manipulation methods.
XP Rates
- Low-intensity (semi-AFK): ~60–75k XP/hr
- High-intensity (optimised): Can compete with top-end methods (90k+ XP/hr). Jagex deliberately increased high-intensity rates from the original proposal after playtesting revealed deeper mechanics than expected.
Output
Bloodwood trees yield Bloodwood sap, an untradeable resource used to create Seeker arrows. Sap can be applied to existing logs, arrows, or arrow shafts to upgrade them. Higher-tier logs yield more arrow shafts per bucket (Redwood logs provide 105 shafts vs 30 from Oak).
Strategy
The activity rewards attention - if you click actively and engage with the mechanics at a high level, the XP output scales meaningfully. At lower engagement, it remains a viable semi-AFK alternative.
Use our Woodcutting Calculator to plan your 77–99 path and estimate total sap production.
Skilling Activity #2: Leechfin Fishing
Requirement: 78 Fishing
Leechfin Fishing uses a big net and plays similarly to the Fishing activity in Perilous Moons. Leechfin swim downstream in waves, and you align your net to catch them as they pass.
XP Rates
- XP-focused path: Competitive rates with active play - no tick manipulation required
- Blood vial path: Slower XP but produces marketable Blood vials
Two Activity Paths
- Pure Fishing XP - Catch and drop Leechfin repeatedly for stronger XP rates. Leechfin are untradeable and cannot be cooked, eaten, or stored in a Fish barrel.
- Blood Vial Production - Cut Leechfin with a knife for Blood sacs (small Cooking XP), then squeeze 50 Blood sacs into an empty vial to create Blood vials. This path trades XP for valuable output.
Note: The activity ends automatically if you step away for too long - this is not fully AFK.
Use our Fishing Calculator to map your route from 78 to 99 and compare Leechfin XP against alternatives like Tempoross.
Skilling Activity #3: Stymphike Hunter
Requirements: 76 Hunter (Letvek), 82 Hunter (Stymphike)
This two-stage Hunter activity involves capturing Letvek (small creatures) as bait, then using them to lure and spear Stymphikes (large predatory birds).
XP Rates
- Stage 1 (Letvek, 76 Hunter): Active Hunter XP while building bait supply
- Stage 2 (Stymphike, 82 Hunter): Two modes:
- Manual spear: Larger Hunter XP chunk when you spear the Stymphike yourself
- Auto-attempt: Stay hidden and let your character attempt the kill automatically after a short delay - lower XP but more relaxed
Strategy
Main accounts can buy Letvek from the Grand Exchange to skip Stage 1 and focus on Stymphike hunting. Stymphike Feathers (collected during the activity) can be exchanged for off-task Venator kills at 100 feathers per 3 kills.
Use our Hunter Calculator to plan your progression and our Bird House Run Calculator to supplement XP between active sessions.
Skilling Activity #4: Venator Slayer
Requirement: 74 Slayer
Venators are vampyric pack beasts that offer an alternative to standard Vampyre Slayer tasks. When assigned Vampyres, you can kill Venators in Vampyrium instead.
Key Differences vs Standard Vampyres
- Higher intensity, primarily single-combat
- Higher Blood shard drop rate compared to standard Vampyres
- Drops tarnished equipment and jewellery, polishable at 60 Crafting for Crafting XP + a random item of the same type
- Lower Slayer XP - rewards skew toward drops over XP
- Superior Venators can spawn (on-task rolls for Imbued Heart and Eternal Gem)
Off-task kills are possible using Stymphike Feathers (100 feathers = 3 kills).
Use our Slayer Task Calculator to compare task profitability and unlock priorities.
Boss: The Maggot King
The Maggot King is a repeatable solo boss unlocked after completing The Blood Moon Rises. It is an instanced fight designed to test precision, endurance, and prayer management. For the full phase-by-phase kill method, gear and inventory, see our dedicated Maggot King OSRS Boss Guide.
Getting There
- Teleport to Castle Drakan via Drakan's Medallion (new teleport option)
- Enter the portal to Vampyrium
- Build your bank chest near the blood fountain and gear up
- Use the NPC to teleport closer to the boss
- Head north through the forest, squeeze through the bush, and enter the Darkwood Trees
Fight Mechanics
The Maggot King cycles through Ranged, Magic, and Melee phases:
| Phase | Mechanic | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Ranged attack | Protect from Missiles |
| Green spit | Ranged-style, poison interaction | Pray Ranged, move from pool |
| Yellow spit | Magic-style, attack delay | Pray Magic, avoid pool |
| Screech | Triple-hit wave | Turn off overhead prayers - overheads increase punishment |
| Larvae | Heal the boss on contact | Kill early or reposition |
| Melee slam (980 HP) | 3x5 AoE in front | Dodge front area, punish with crush during head extension |
At ~65% HP (980 health), the boss switches to melee phase. During the head slam, you can time an attack for a bonus hit with no cooldown - this is your primary damage window. Bring a crush weapon for this phase.
Recommended Gear
- Best crush weapon (Inquisitor's Mace, Elder Maul)
- Defence-lowering special attack weapon (Dragon Warhammer, Elder Maul, Accursed Sceptre)
- Protect from Missiles on start, swap based on spit colour
- High-healing food and prayer potions
- Stymphike Tartares (common boss drops) restore HP and prayer while providing a combat stat boost
Use our DPS Calculator to compare crush weapon setups against the Maggot King's Defence stats and find your best damage output.
Rewards: New Best-in-Slot Gear
Necklace of Rupture (BiS Ranged Amulet)
The Necklace of Rupture is a direct upgrade to the Necklace of Anguish and the new best-in-slot Ranged amulet.
| Stat | Necklace of Rupture | Necklace of Anguish |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged Attack | +20 | +15 |
| Ranged Strength | +8 | +5 |
| Prayer | +3 | +2 |
| Hitpoints Requirement | 90 | 75 |
How to create:
- Obtain an untradeable Elder venator fang from the Maggot King
- Etch it with 84 Crafting to create a tradeable Etched elder venator fang
- Combine with a Necklace of Anguish requiring 84 Crafting
This guarantees +1 to +2 max hits across high-tier Ranged setups including Twisted Bow, Bow of Faerdhinen, and full Masori. Use our Max Hit Calculator to see exactly how much damage you gain with your specific gear.
Crimson Kisten (Crush Special Attack Weapon)
A tier-60 Attack / tier-85 Strength crush weapon with the Brutal Swing special attack (50% spec energy).
Brutal Swing mechanics:
- Rolls four independent accuracy checks simultaneously
- Damage scales based on successful rolls:
- 1 hit: 70–110% of max hit
- 2 hits: 90–130% of max hit
- 3 hits: 110–150% of max hit
- 4 hits: 130–170% of max hit (capped at max hit −1, like Dragon Claws)
This weapon excels against crush-weak targets (Phosani's Nightmare, Grotesque Guardians, Araxxor). It rewards high crush accuracy - the more rolls you land, the harder it hits.
Use our DPS Calculator to run Brutal Swing damage simulations against different boss Defence profiles and see if it outperforms Dragon Claws or Voidwaker in your setup.
Seeker Arrows (Ammunition Upgrade)
Seeker arrows apply an upgrade layer to existing standard arrows (Bronze through Dragon, including Broad).
| Stat | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Ranged Accuracy | +20 |
| Minimum Hit | 3 (raises minimum from 1 to 3) |
Minimum hit mechanic: Damage rolls normally, then is raised to 3 if the result was 1 or 2. Seeker arrows can still miss, but successful hits never land as 1s or 2s. For the Venator Bow, this minimum applies to every bounce.
How to create:
- Gather Bloodwood sap from Bloodwood trees in Vampyrium
- Option A: Treat logs with sap, fletch into Seeking arrow shafts, add feathers and tips
- Option B: Apply sap directly to existing arrows, headless arrows, or arrow shafts (15 per bucket)
Seeker arrows are tradeable once completed. Sap-treated logs cannot be burned.
Post-Launch Updates (July 22 & Aug 5)
The Blood Moon Rises has received two rounds of updates since launch:
Maggot King Combat Achievements (Live July 22)
The Maggot King's Combat Achievements went live in the Summer Sweep-Up batch 1. No Grandmaster tasks were added — Jagex couldn't land a design they felt added real challenge without feeling contrived. The list runs Hard through Master:
| Difficulty | Type | Task | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard | Killcount | Maggot Squasher | Kill the Maggot King |
| Elite | Killcount | Maggot Exterminator | Kill the Maggot King 25 times |
| Elite | Restriction | Trying to fit in | Kill using only weapons found in Vampyrium |
| Master | Restriction | Digging In | Kill without moving more than 40 tiles |
| Master | Restriction | Cordoned Off | Kill without moving beyond the back row of tiles |
| Master | Speed | Speed Chaser | Kill the Maggot King 5 times in 9 minutes |
| Master | Stamina | Camping the King | Kill 12 times without leaving the arena |
| Master | Mechanical | King-Sized Clobbering | Kill without missing a single melee punish |
| Master | Perfection | Perfect Maggot King | Kill without avoidable damage or the boss being healed |
Note: the Speed Chaser task is being moved from Master to Grandmaster in the August 12 update — Jagex agreed the 9-minute time is too tight for a Master-tier task.
Pet Drop Rates Revealed
- Bloodwood trees: 1/969,283 pet chance per chop swing
- Engorged (AFK method) trees: 1/319,283 per successful cut
- Leechfin Fishing: small chance of the Heron pet on a successful catch
Neither activity is designed as a main pet source — treat them as bonus rolls while training.
Other Tweaks
- Maggot King added to the in-game HiScores panel
- Engorged Bloodwood trees occasionally require an extra click — a Letvek crawls into your bucket and you release it (keeps the method semi-AFK)
- Chatbox messages for fletching Seeker Arrows now show correct quantities
- Maggot King sacrifice messaging clarified: sacrificing replaces the standard pet roll with a chance at an egg — the overall pet chance across egg rarities is slightly more than double the normal rate (unchanged from launch)
- Fixed a bug where two players entering the Vampyrium portal one tick apart could cause visibility issues
Worth Your Time? What to Prioritise
If you are chasing GP/hour:
The Maggot King's common loot table is similar to Nightmare - you will lose money on supplies unless you hit a unique. The Crimson Kisten and Elder venator fang are the payouts. Treat this as a pet/unique grind, not a consistent money maker.
If you are training skills:
- Bloodwood Woodcutting is the standout - high-intensity rates compete with tick manipulation methods, and Bloodwood sap feeds valuable Seeker arrow production
- Leechfin Fishing is a solid active alternative to tick manipulation for Fishing XP
- Stymphike Hunter is worth trying if you enjoy multi-stage Hunter content
- Venator Slayer is for Blood shard hunters who want faster shards at the cost of lower Slayer XP
If you are upgrading gear:
- Necklace of Rupture is a mandatory upgrade for any serious Ranged setup - a direct Anguish replacement with no downside
- Crimson Kisten fills the crush special attack niche that the game previously lacked
- Seeker Arrows are a low-cost DPS upgrade for any content where you use standard arrows
Compare your current gear against these new items using our Best-in-Slot Finder and Gear Picker.
Related Tools & Guides
- DPS Calculator - Compare Crimson Kisten spec, Seeker arrows, and Necklace of Rupture DPS against any target
- Max Hit Calculator - See exact max hit changes with Necklace of Rupture and Seeker arrows
- Best-in-Slot Finder - Check where new BiS items fit in your progression
- Gear Picker - Build your Blood Moon Rises quest setup and Maggot King loadout
- Combat Calculator - Verify your combat level meets quest and boss requirements
- Slayer Task Calculator - Plan Venator task profitability
- Woodcutting Calculator - Route 77–99 with Bloodwood trees
- Fishing Calculator - Compare Leechfin XP against other methods
- Hunter Calculator - Plan Stymphike progression from 76–99
- Drop Rate Calculator - Estimate kills needed for Elder venator fang and Crimson Kisten
- Pet Odds Calculator - Calculate your Maggot King pet chances with loot sacrificing
Ready to apply what you learned?
Plug your stats into our free OSRS calculators to see exact XP, GP costs, and time estimates before you commit to a training method.
Sources & methodology
XP rates, requirements, and drop data in this guide are cross-checked against the OSRS Wiki and verified against in-game behaviour. Grand Exchange prices move daily, so treat GP/hr figures as estimates and confirm current prices with the OSRS Wiki price tracker before committing to a method.
Darren started playing the original RuneScape 2 back in the day and came back when Old School RuneScape launched. He's played on and off over the years and built OSRSToolkit to give players a single place to find reliable tools, calculators, and guides — all informed by real in-game experience.