Serpentine helm

“Protects the wearer from poison and venom, and helps envenom monsters.”

The Serpentine helm is a 75 Defence helm made from a serpentine visage, a Zulrah drop. While charged with Zulrah's scales it makes you immune to poison and venom, and it can venom monsters you hit. With the Toxic blowpipe or the Trident of the Swamp, every successful hit on a monster applies venom. The cost is the scales it burns for as long as you are in combat.

Equipment bonuses

Defensively it is close to the Barrows helms: +52 stab, +55 slash, +58 crush and +50 ranged defence, but no magic defence and no prayer bonus. It adds +5 strength, the fifth highest of any helmet, and has −5 magic and −5 ranged attack penalties. An uncharged helm keeps the penalties and loses everything else.

Attack bonuses
0
0
0
−5
−5
Defence bonuses
+52
+55
+58
0
+50
Other bonuses
+5
+0
+0%
+0
Slot
Head

Requires 75 Defence to wear · head slot · members. The bonuses above are for the charged helm.

Grand Exchange price history

Grand Exchange daily average
3.4M
90-day high—
90-day low—
90-day change—
Grand Exchange daily average prices (source: prices.runescape.wiki). Tap the chart for any day’s price.

How to get the Serpentine helm

The helm is crafted from a Zulrah drop.

Ways to obtain it
Serpentine visage — a unique drop from Zulrah, and tradeable.
Craft it — use a chisel on the visage at 52 Crafting (boostable) for 120 Crafting experience.
Grand Exchange — the uncharged helm is tradeable, and that is the form priced on this page.

An uncharged helm can also be dismantled into 20,000 Zulrah's scales. You cannot equip it while uncharged.

Venom immunity, envenoming and scale cost

When charged and worn, the helm makes you immune to poison and venom. Putting it on does not cure venom or poison you already have.

It also gives each successful hit a chance to venom monsters. It never works on players.

  • 1 in 6 with a normal (non-poisoned) melee weapon
  • 1 in 2 with poisoned weapons or the noxious halberd
  • Always with the Toxic blowpipe, Trident of the Swamp or toxic staff of the dead

Scales: a full charge is 11,000 scales and lasts 16 hours 30 minutes of combat. The helm takes 10 scales when you enter combat, and another 10 for each 90 ticks (about 54 seconds) you stay in combat. When you uncharge it, you get all unused scales back.

Zulrah's magma and tanzanite mutagens recolour it into the magma helm or tanzanite helm. They change the look only, not the stats.

Is the Serpentine helm worth it?

It is worth it where venom matters. Against poison- or venom-heavy bosses it replaces anti-venom potions, and with a venom weapon it applies venom on every successful hit.

For general training it is a harder sell, because its running cost makes other helmets the more practical choice. The Helm of Neitiznot is the much cheaper melee helm that players compared it with when its offensive bonus was cut in 2017. See melee gear for the other head slot options.

Serpentine helm FAQ

What level do you need for the Serpentine helm?
75 Defence to wear it. Making it from a serpentine visage needs 52 Crafting, which can be boosted.
How do you make a Serpentine helm?
Use a chisel on a serpentine visage, a Zulrah drop, at 52 Crafting. Then charge it with Zulrah's scales.
Does the Serpentine helm cure venom?
No. It makes you immune while it is charged and worn, but equipping it does not remove venom or poison you already have.
How long does a fully charged Serpentine helm last?
A full charge of 11,000 scales lasts 16 hours 30 minutes of combat. It uses 10 scales when you enter combat, then 10 more every 90 ticks in combat.
What is the Serpentine helm's venom chance?
On monsters only: 1 in 6 with a normal melee weapon, 1 in 2 with poisoned weapons or the noxious halberd, and every successful hit with the Toxic blowpipe, Trident of the Swamp or toxic staff of the dead.
Can you equip an uncharged Serpentine helm?
No. It can only be worn when charged. If it runs out while you are wearing it, it stays on but loses its bonuses except the attack penalties.
What happens to the scales if you die in PvP?
If the helm is not protected, the scales used to charge it drop on the floor along with the uncharged helm.
Can you recolour the Serpentine helm?
Yes. A magma mutagen turns it into a magma helm and a tanzanite mutagen into a tanzanite helm. Both mutagens come from Zulrah, and the change is cosmetic only.

Update history

5 Mar 2025A bank option was added for changing the helm's charges.
7 Feb 2019The strength bonus was restored to +5 from +3.
16 Nov 2017Envenoming was improved: 50% with poisoned weapons and 100% with venom weapons while the helm is worn.
18 Feb 2016An uncharged helm can now be dismantled into 20,000 Zulrah's scales.

Source: OSRS Wiki — Serpentine helm (Changes).