You can call Nex a raid boss or as close as one in OSRS. She is tough to solo (not impossible, but it will take a long time and a ton of potions and recovery food). The maximum number of players who can fight her at once is 60 per instance.
She might have lower combat abilities than her level suggests. However, as a follower of Zaros, she is still not to be underestimated.
- How To Start The Encounter
- The Arena
- Nex Abilities And Battle Phases
- Strategies
- Equipment And Supplies
- Recommended:
- Mid-Tier
- Inventory
- Have Fun Fighting Nex!
How to Start the Encounter
Players must have finished the Frozen Door miniquest and unlocked the titular door. Fortunately, unlike RuneScape, it will not re-lock itself and stays permanently open. Reach the safe room where Ashuelot Reis provides banking services in preparation for the fight. Trips to local activities
Since the area is within a God Wars dungeon, wearing god-affiliated (specifically Saradomin or Zamorak and extra Zarosian) equipment will render the mobs unaggressive. This is a crucial mechanic to help you reach the arena safely and gain 40 ancient essences and an 80-120 kill count for easy teleportation back. The former is to enter the mentioned safe room.
Teleporting out of the arena will put you in the area right before the encounter lobby. Because of that, the affiliated items are always a must to wear and bring. When dying during the encounter, grab your items from the chest found right after the frozen doors. It costs 100,000 gold to reclaim. Dying before getting them will make them irredeemable and lost for good. It’s for more basic education and it is concentrated liberal arts college prep. But developing another aircraft in a similar class seems redundant, who knows, the project goal may change if UAE is actually serious about the program.
The Arena
It's shaped like Zaros' symbol, a circular room with two bridges forming a cross. On each 'corner' (where the bridges connect to the outer rim), Fumus, Umbra, Cruor, and Glacies stand. They represent each element Nex uses in the battle's first four (out of five) phases. Mobile trucks with gajillion watt transmitters might be more effective, but western tank guns have much greater depression and much higher reverse speeds now believe Arestovych is the height of credibility.
You can only enter this place if Nex is not engaged in a fight or when the door is purple. Entry is prohibited when the entrance is red. From the inside, if you need to restock on supplies, you can teleport using the altar in the area. As mentioned, you will be teleported outside the safe room, so always have your god-affiliated gear on hand.
The altar can also restore Prayer, HP, Special Attack, and Run energy if prayed at with a Zarosian item equipped. Otherwise, it will only restore Prayer. This can only be done every 10 minutes.
Nex Abilities and Battle Phases
Nex can move as fast as a player, and she can jump across the room in two ticks. She can also leap over the pits to the 'arms' of the bridges. If left unengaged for 8 ticks, she'll fly ahead of a running player to resume attacking. Maintenance and corruption they have lost much of its power.
When the player is at the center, she'll go to a bridge, and vice versa. Auto attacks get interrupted if she does this, so reinitiate the attacks. The action also gives her immunity to hits, so save up on ammunition and don't try to hit her with Ranged while she's moving.
Nex attacks with Ancient Magicks of the current phase's element (range: 10). She also has a melee attack that can hit up to 30 points of damage.
First Phase: Smoke
Nex shouts: 'Fill my soul with smoke!' She uses Smoke Rush, which has a chance of poisoning targets. This is the only phase where her magic attacks won't drain Prayer. Her abilities in this phase are:
- Choke: 'Let the virus flow through you!' The player furthest away from her and with the lowest magic defense bonus will be targeted. They're infected with a virus that spreads to adjacent players. The infection drains Prayer and some stats based on the player's highest attack bonuses.
- The *Cough* dialog above a player's head can identify the infection. Maintaining distance from each other is the best way to prevent passing on the virus.
- Drag: Nex pulls a player to her side. The latter will be stunned and have their protections dispelled. The range of this ability is about 6 tiles, and having the Protect from Magic Prayer active will increase the chances of being targeted.
- Smoke Dash: 'There is… NO ESCAPE!' Nex dashes down one of the bridge's aisles, dealing massive damage to anyone in her way. She will look at the direction she'll run through, giving ample warning for players to move out of the way.
After damaging her enough, she'll say, 'Fumus, don't fail me!' The mage Fumus will become vulnerable and must be defeated to move to the next phase.
Second Phase: Shadow
Nex yells, 'Darken my shadow!' Nex starts using shadow shots considered Ranged, so Protect from Missiles is essential here. Her magic attacks start draining Prayer Points slightly. Players take more damage the closer they are to the boss, making it critical to keep their distance. Her unique abilities in this phase are:
- Shadow Smash: 'Fear the shadow!' The darkness under the players will thicken, hitting massive damage to any who didn't move away within 3 ticks.
- Embrace Darkness: Nex yells the name of the ability. It dims the light in the arena. The closer you are to her, the darker it gets. Within melee range, players take damage from the pure shadows.
When reaching about 60% health, she'll shout, 'Umbra, don't fail me!' Like the last time, the mage she calls becomes vulnerable and must be killed to end the phase.
Third Phase: Blood
The phase begins with Nex screaming, 'Flood my lungs with blood!' She'll use Blood Barrage on players, healing her for a percentage of the damage dealt. Unlike the other attacks, this targets one player but has a 3x3 AoE around them. Abilities to watch out for:
- Blood Siphon: 'A siphon will solve this!' Nex kneels and enters a state where damage will only heal her for 8 ticks. This also summons a variable number of Blood Reavers (depending on party size, max. 8). If she uses this ability again with surviving Reavers, the latter dies and heals Nex for their remaining health while summoning new ones.
- Blood Sacrifice: 'I demand a blood sacrifice!' A player receives a mark, designating their status as a sacrifice. They have 4 seconds to move at least 7 tiles away from Nex or face massive damage and lose a third of their Prayer Points. Any adjacent players to them also receive the same punishment.
Lowering her HP to 40% will make her scream, 'Cruor, don't fail me!' You should know what to do at this point: defeat the vulnerable mage she named.
Fourth Phase: Ice
You'll know you're in this phase because Nex shouts, 'Infuse me with the power of ice!' Nex uses Ice Barrage this time, freezing players who aren't using the Protect from Magic Prayer. Getting hit will also drain Prayer Points by half of the damage dealt. Her special attacks in this phase are:
- Containment: 'Contain this!' Nex smashes the floor, creating icicles in a 5x5 area around her. Players hit will receive massive damage and have their protections disabled.
- Ice Prison: 'Die now, in a prison of ice!' Nex imprisons the targeted player in ice, surrounded by stalagmites. Any nearby players only get pushed away, but those in the same cell as the targeted player get trapped. If at least one stalagmite isn't destroyed, the prison will shatter. The trapped player(s) receives a heavy blow.
Whittle down her life to 20% to make Nex say, 'Glacies, don't fail me!' Defeat the last mage to start the final phase.
Fifth Phase: Zaros
At the beginning of the fifth and final phase, Nex shouts, 'NOW, THE POWER OF ZAROS!' Invoking the god's powers, she recovers 500 HP. She uses her usual magic and melee attacks and drains 5 Prayer Points with every hit. She also uses several Zarosian prayers, namely:
- Turmoil: Nex's magic and melee attacks gain an increase in accuracy and strength. Each hit will hit harder, even through protections. This lets her drain melee stats from those who get hit by her attacks, taking them as her own.
- Soul Split (overhead): Nex heals a small percentage of health for every attack that hits up to three players. As soon as the phase begins, she uses this.
- Deflect Melee (overhead): Activates a Protect from Melee variant that deflects that type of damage onto her attackers.
- Wrath (overhead): 'Taste my wrath!' A more potent version of Retribution. Players have three seconds upon her death to move away (at least 6 tiles) to avoid this attack.
Nex cycles through the overhead prayers, switching from one to another every 5 attacks.
Strategies
General
Spirit Shields can mitigate her Prayer draining effects. That makes Prayer management easier to keep up. This applies to phases two to five or to any applicable attack.
Most of her abilities can be protected against with Prayers. Still, there is one exception: the phase three Blood Sacrifice attack penetrates it.
Phase One
You'll want the group to stay within melee range because her attacks of that type only target one player. In contrast, her magic targets multiple players, dealing more total damage.
To counter Choke, have someone change into a low magic defense armor and stay away from the group. They'll be targeted by the ability but won't spread the infection because nobody is nearby. This is the only attack to be countered.
Nex will look at the aisle she'll use Smoke Dash on. As mentioned, it's enough warning to get out of her way.
Fumus is weak to stab attacks.
Phase Two
Since players take more damage from her shadow shots the closer they are, it's recommended to keep away. Be sure to top up your HP because Nex is prone to jumping close to a cluster of players to attack.
In this phase, it's better to lure Nex away from Umbra, so you can be ready to attack the mage near the end.
Umbra has a weakness against ranged attacks.
Phase Three
Players targeted by the Blood Barrage should move away from others to minimize the damage and healing Nex can do. Similarly, those marked for Blood Sacrifice should do the same. Go for the Blood Reavers when they appear. Do everything you can to keep Nex from healing as much as possible.
Slash attacks are the most effective against Cruor.
Phase Four
Take care that you don't go too near Glacies during this phase. The mage can freeze you, giving you no time to avoid Nex's Containment attack. If this happens, Protect from Missiles can mitigate the damage. As for the Ice Prison, use crushing attacks to make breaking the stalagmites easier. Have a few in your group bring some mauls or other crushing weapons.
Like ice, Glacies is weak to crushing blows.
Phase Five
Like some other phases, stay in her melee range to reduce overall damage. Watch out for her overhead prayers and act accordingly, such as don't use melee when her Deflect prayer is active. Move away when Wrath is active, etc.
Equipment and Supplies
Recommended:
- Masori armor set or the armor with Torva Full Helm
- Ava's Assembler or Infernal Cape (if melee)
- Necklace of Anguish or Amulet of Blood Fury
- Ruby Dragon Bolts or Dragon Arrows
- Zaryte Crossbow and Twisted Buckler, Twisted Bow, or Osmumtem's Fang with Avernic Defender
- Zaryte Vambraces or Ferocious Gloves
- Pegasian Boots or Primordial Boots
- Lightbearer or Archer's Ring (i)
Mid-Tier
- Ancient armor set or Crystal armor set with Pegasian Boots
- Ava's Assembler
- Necklace of Anguish
- Ruby Dragon Bolts or Ancient Blessing
- Armadyl Crossbow with Twisted Buckler or Bow of Faerdhinen (c)
- Barrows Gloves
- Archer's Ring (i)
Inventory
Fill your inventory with Saradomin Brews, Super Restores, Sanfew Serum, Ranging Potions, and Stamina Potions. Two or more in your group should bring crushing weapons. Also, some can carry runes to summon thralls for added DPS.
Depending on the group composition, some potions can be replaced with food such as Anglerfish for health recovery. Ranged players can also bring a Toxic Blowpipe and Dragon Arrows.
Have Fun Fighting Nex!
This quick guide should make defeating Nex slightly easier. Now that you know her abilities and how to counter them, farming her for rewards can be an achievable goal. It won't give a 100% always victory for every encounter, but it should reduce the number of failures.
Enjoy OSRS!
