Abyssal tentacle

“A weapon from the Abyss, embedded in a slimy tentacle.”

The Abyssal tentacle is the upgraded Abyssal whip: you attach a kraken tentacle to a whip and get a 4-tick slash weapon with +8 slash and +4 strength over the plain whip. It needs 75 Attack, it cannot be traded, and it wears down after 10,000 attacks. For a one-handed 4-tick weapon its slash bonus is beaten only by the Blade of Saeldor.

Equipment bonuses

The numbers that matter are +90 slash attack and +86 strength on a fast 4-tick swing. It has no defensive bonuses at all, so the shield slot does that job. Each hit also has a 25% chance to poison the target, starting at 4 damage.

Attack bonuses
0
+90
0
0
0
Defence bonuses
0
0
0
0
0
Other bonuses
+86
+0
+0%
+0
Slot
Weapon

Requires 75 Attack to wield · one-handed · attack speed 4t / 2.4s · attack range 1 · members. The +90 slash and +86 strength above are the reason to make one.

How to get the Abyssal tentacle

You cannot buy a finished tentacle. You make it yourself from two parts, and both parts can be traded.

Ways to obtain it
Abyssal whip — the base weapon. Any whip works, and it is used up when the tentacle runs out of charges.
Kraken tentacle — dropped by cave kraken and the Kraken boss in Kraken Cove. Killing them needs a Kraken Slayer task, which needs 87 Slayer and 50 Magic. The kraken tentacle is tradeable, so you can also buy one on the Grand Exchange.
Combine them — use the kraken tentacle on the whip. The game warns you first: the result is untradeable and you cannot take the whip back out.

See Abyssal whip for the base weapon on its own.

Charges, special attack and death

The tentacle lasts for 10,000 attacks, and misses count. When the charges run out the whip is gone and only the kraken tentacle is left, so you put it on a new whip to keep going. Charges are not used on free-to-play worlds. Two tentacles can be merged for up to 20,000 charges, but that destroys one tentacle and its whip, so it only makes sense in rare cases.

The special attack, Binding Tentacle, costs 50% special energy. It freezes the target for 8 ticks whether it hits or not, and it has about a 50% chance to poison.

Be careful on dangerous deaths. If the tentacle is not one of your protected items, it turns back into a kraken tentacle and the whip is lost.

Abyssal tentacle vs the alternatives

Against the plain whip the tentacle is a straight upgrade: same speed, more slash accuracy and more strength. The cost is the whip you burn every 10,000 attacks.

The Blade of Saeldor has the higher slash bonus of the two among one-handed 4-tick weapons. For other melee choices by level, see melee gear.

Abyssal tentacle FAQ

What level do you need for the Abyssal tentacle?
75 Attack to wield it. Making it has no skill requirement, but you need a kraken tentacle and an Abyssal whip.
How do you make an Abyssal tentacle?
Use a kraken tentacle on an Abyssal whip. The kraken tentacle drops from cave kraken and the Kraken boss, or you can buy it on the Grand Exchange.
Can you trade the Abyssal tentacle?
No. Once combined it is untradeable, and you cannot split it back into a whip and a tentacle.
Does the Abyssal tentacle degrade?
Yes. It lasts 10,000 attacks, misses included. After that the whip is used up and you keep the kraken tentacle to put on a new whip.
Is the Abyssal tentacle better than the Abyssal whip?
Yes. It has +8 slash and +4 strength more than the whip at the same 4-tick speed, plus a poison effect.
Abyssal tentacle or Blade of Saeldor?
The Blade of Saeldor has the higher slash bonus (+100 against +90) among one-handed 4-tick weapons, but it needs 80 Attack and an enhanced crystal weapon seed, while the tentacle needs 75 Attack, a whip and a kraken tentacle.
What happens to the Abyssal tentacle when you die?
If it is protected, you keep it as it is. If it is not protected, it turns back into a kraken tentacle and the whip is lost.

Update history

21 Jun 2023Ultimate Ironmen can now store the tentacle in the STASH unit near Miss Schism in Draynor Village.
23 Mar 2022The examine text was changed to capitalise the Abyss.
3 Aug 2017A warning now appears when 100 charges remain.
31 Mar 2016Two tentacles can be combined for up to 20,000 charges.
3 Sep 2015The tentacle no longer loses charges on free-to-play worlds.

Source: OSRS Wiki — Abyssal tentacle (Changes).