Greater Demon Best in Slot Gear & Strategy Guide

Greater demons appear in a wide spread of locations, so you can almost always pick one that suits your account and your task. The Wiki lists the following spots:

• Demonic Ruins in the Wilderness (level 92) — the only place free-to-play players can fight them.
• Brimhaven Dungeon upper level (level 92).
• Catacombs of Kourend (levels 100, 101, and 113).
• Chasm of Fire (level 92).
• Karuulm Slayer Dungeon (level 92).
• Wilderness Slayer Cave (level 104).
• Entrana Dungeon, Sisterhood Sanctuary, Lava Maze Dungeon, Isle of Souls Dungeon, and the Ogre Enclave (all level 92).

For safe, efficient kills most members players head to the Catacombs of Kourend or Karuulm Slayer Dungeon, where there is no PvP risk and plenty of demons clustered together. The Wilderness locations (Demonic Ruins, Lava Maze, Wilderness Slayer Cave) carry the risk of being attacked by other players, so only take what you are willing to lose there.

There are no quest requirements to fight most Greater demons, and no Slayer level is needed to be assigned them. A few specific spots have access requirements: the Ogre Enclave requires the Watchtower quest to be completed up to the point where you can enter the enclave.

For free-to-play players at the Demonic Ruins, the key requirement is Prayer level 43 so you can use Protect from Melee. The Ruins slowly restore your Prayer, so this protection prayer can effectively be kept on permanently without draining your points.

Greater demons have the demon attribute, and the Wiki names Silverlight as a cheap weapon option for free-to-play players (alongside a rune scimitar). For exact best-in-slot loadouts at your stats and budget, use our Boss Gear Finder above rather than guessing item by item.

The most important number to know is the 40% weakness to water spells, added in the 29 May 2024 Project Rebalance update. That makes Magic — specifically water spells — a strong damage option, and the demons also have a -10 Magic defence bonus. Melee works well too thanks to their single Slash attack and predictable behaviour. Ranged shines when you want to use a safespot (see below). Whatever style you bring, the priority is gear that maximises your damage while letting you survive the one melee attack.

Greater demons hit for a maximum of only 8 to 10 depending on the version, and just 9 on the level-92 type, so you do not need a heavy supply load. The Wiki's free-to-play advice is to bring as few items as possible at the Demonic Ruins to avoid losing them to a PKer — just a weapon, a Mooleta, and a strength or power amulet.

In members areas with no PvP risk, a standard slayer trip works: your weapon and gear, food, and a few Prayer potions if you intend to keep a protection prayer running. As an alternative F2P setup, the Wiki suggests a monk's robe top and bottom plus a holy symbol, which lets you run Superhuman Strength or Improved Reflexes alongside Protect from Melee without draining many Prayer points.

Greater demons have a single attack: an aggressive melee Slash attack with an attack speed of 4. There are no phases, no special attacks, and no projectiles to dodge. Because of this, Protect from Melee completely negates their offence — with it active and topped-up Prayer, you can fight them indefinitely without taking damage. This is the core of every Greater demon strategy.

For free-to-play at the Demonic Ruins, train Prayer to 43 first, keep Protect from Melee on (the Ruins restore your Prayer), and bring minimal gear. The Wiki also notes safespots at the Demonic Ruins from which you can take a demon down with sustained ranged attacks within a few minutes.

For members, the Wiki lists many ranged or magic safespots where the demon cannot reach you, including:

• Brimhaven Dungeon: at the end of the vine north-west of the stairs, on the fungus west of the stairs, and the south-east corner of the plateau.
• Catacombs of Kourend: under the arch dividing the Greater Demon area, and the far north-east corner behind the rope exit.
• Chasm of Fire: behind the pillars and narrow pathways.
• Karuulm Slayer Dungeon: at the entrance of the Greater Demon chamber.
• Wilderness Slayer Cave: stalagmites at the chamber entrance (halberds also work).

If you are meleeing, simply stand in melee range, keep Protect from Melee active, and attack until the demon dies — then move to the next one.

The Greater demon's headline drop is the rune full helm, which is part of why they are so commonly farmed (1/128 from the regular versions; the rate differs in the Wilderness Slayer Cave). They are also a reliable source of hard clue scrolls — 1/128 normally, improving to 1/64 if a ring of wealth (i) is worn while fighting in the Wilderness.

Other valued drops include the brimstone key, dropped only when the demon is killed on a Konar quo Maten Slayer task, and the ensouled demon head at 1/40. Every kill also gives vile ashes (since the 16 June 2021 update they drop vile ashes in place of regular ashes). The full drop table, with exact rates per version, is shown above.

• Fighting at the Demonic Ruins with valuable gear. The Ruins sit in high-level multicombat Wilderness, so other players can attack you. Bring as few items as possible and only what you are willing to lose.
• Skipping Protect from Melee. Greater demons have only one attack — a melee Slash — so this prayer negates all their damage. Free-to-play players need Prayer 43 to use it; not training it first means taking avoidable hits.
• Ignoring the water-spell weakness. Since the 2024 rebalance they take 40% extra damage from water spells, so casting non-water Magic leaves a lot of damage on the table.
• Not using a safespot when ranging or maging. Most members locations have a documented safespot where the demon cannot reach you — standing in the open instead just wastes food.