The staff of the dead is a one-handed bladed staff that needs 75 Magic and 75 Attack to wield. It swings as melee on a 4-tick (2.4s) attack and casts spells at speed 5 (3.0s), giving +15% magic damage plus unusually high melee stats for a mage weapon. It is dropped by K'ril Tsutsaroth in the God Wars Dungeon at 1/508, and its Power of Death special halves an opponent's melee damage. It typically trades around 5.8M.
Equipment bonuses
The staff of the dead pairs a magic-weapon's +17 magic attack and +15% magic damage with melee stats that are unusually high for a mage weapon — +70 slash, +55 stab and +72 strength, plus +17 magic defence.
Attack bonuses
Defence bonuses
Other bonuses
It swings on a 4-tick (2.4s) cycle when meleeing and casts at speed 5 (3.0s), and requires 75 Attack and 75 Magic.
Grand Exchange price history
How to get the staff of the dead
The staff of the dead is a drop from K'ril Tsutsaroth, the Zamorak boss of the God Wars Dungeon, at a rate of 1/508. The rate is the same across all four God Wars Dungeon boss hilts and staves.
Because it is fully tradeable, most players simply buy it on the Grand Exchange rather than farm K'ril directly — you can track its live price on the GE price tracker. As a Zamorakian item, the staff also counts toward your protection in the God Wars Dungeon and at the Kharidian Desert Bandit Camp.
Power of Death special attack
The staff's special attack, Power of Death, consumes 100% of your special attack energy and halves all of the opponent's melee damage. On activation your chatbox reads "Spirits of deceased evildoers offer you their protection."
The effect lasts one minute, but ends instantly if you take damage while the staff is not equipped. It stacks with the Protect from Melee prayer in PvP, but it does not stack with itself — recasting before the first minute expires does not extend it. Because the block is counted as a Magic attack, it cannot be used in legacy Emir's Arena duels if Magic is disabled. The same special is shared by the staff of light, staff of balance and toxic staff of the dead.
Passive effects & autocasting
When you cast a combat spell with the staff equipped, there is a 1/7 (~14.2%) chance the rune cost for that spell is negated. The staff can autocast Flames of Zamorak, Crumble Undead, Magic Dart, the elemental combat spells from the Standard spellbook, and the combat spells from the Arceuus spellbook — but it cannot autocast Ancient Magicks.
As a bladed staff its melee stats slightly surpass a dragon scimitar while sharing the same melee attack speed, so it doubles as a credible melee weapon. It can be upgraded into the toxic staff of the dead (with a magic fang), the staff of light (with Saradomin's light) or the staff of balance (with a Guthixian icon) — the latter two upgrades are irreversible.
Is the staff of the dead worth it?
For a magic weapon around 5.8M, the staff of the dead earns its place: the +15% magic damage bonus is shared by only a handful of one-handed staves, and the Power of Death special makes it a staple defensive switch in PvP and at melee-heavy bosses where halving incoming melee damage is valuable. See where mage weapons sit in our magic gear guide.
If you want venom on your magic hits, upgrade it to the toxic staff of the dead with a magic fang for an extra +8 magic attack (it then needs Zulrah's scales to charge). For pure single-target magic DPS, dedicated weapons like the tumeken's shadow pull ahead — but those cost vastly more, so the staff of the dead remains a strong, affordable all-rounder.
Staff of the dead FAQ
What level do you need for the staff of the dead?
You need 75 Magic and 75 Attack to wield it.
How do you get the staff of the dead?
It is dropped by K'ril Tsutsaroth in the God Wars Dungeon at a rate of 1/508. It is also fully tradeable, so most players just buy it on the Grand Exchange.
What is the staff of the dead's special attack?
Its special is Power of Death: it uses 100% special attack energy and halves all of the opponent's melee damage for one minute. The effect ends early if you take damage while the staff is unequipped, and it stacks with Protect from Melee but not with itself.
Does the staff of the dead give free runes?
Yes. When you cast a combat spell with it equipped, there is a 1/7 (~14.2%) chance the spell's rune cost is negated.
What can the staff of the dead autocast?
It can autocast Flames of Zamorak, Crumble Undead, Magic Dart, the Standard spellbook's elemental combat spells, and Arceuus combat spells. It cannot autocast Ancient Magicks.
How much is the staff of the dead worth?
It trades for roughly 5.8M on the Grand Exchange. Check the live price and history on the GE price tracker above.
Can the staff of the dead be used as a melee weapon?
Yes. As a bladed staff its melee stats — +70 slash, +55 stab and +72 strength — slightly surpass a dragon scimitar at the same 2.4-second attack speed, making it a usable melee weapon as well as a mage staff.
What can you upgrade the staff of the dead into?
It can be turned into the toxic staff of the dead (attach a magic fang), the staff of light (use Saradomin's light) or the staff of balance (use a Guthixian icon). The staff of light and staff of balance upgrades are irreversible.
Update history
The staff's special attack effect is now cleared when using a rejuvenation pool.
The toxic staff of the dead, a level 75 Attack/Magic bladed staff, was added to the game by attaching a magic fang to the staff.
Fixed a bug where the special attack code occasionally read uninitialised memory, which could have caused the special attack to malfunction.
The special attack (blocking some of the melee damage you take) is now counted as a Magic attack, so it cannot be used in Clan Wars or legacy Emir's Arena duels if Magic is forbidden. The staff can now also autocast Flames of Zamorak.
Source: OSRS Wiki — Staff of the dead (Changes).
