Old School RuneScape Smoke Devils Slayer Guide (Regular Variant)

In Old School RuneScape, Smoke Devils are a high-level Slayer monster that offer fast experience rates and solid loot when approached correctly, making them a popular choice for players looking to maximize efficiency or even build wealth to support goals like buy OSRS gold alternatives through in-game grinding. This guide focuses specifically on the regular Smoke Devils-not the boss variant-and walks through requirements, optimal combat methods, gear setups, and efficient in-combat strategies.

Requirements and Basics

To kill Smoke Devils, you must be assigned them as a Slayer task and have at least level 93 Slayer. Without an active task, they cannot be damaged. Additionally, face protection is mandatory. This can be achieved by wearing a Slayer helmet or a face mask-without it, your stats will be rapidly drained by the dungeon’s smoke effect.

Smoke Devils attack exclusively with a magical ranged attack. Fortunately, this is fully countered by using Protect from Missiles, which negates all incoming damage when active. This makes survivability straightforward and allows you to focus entirely on maximizing damage output.

Understanding Their Weaknesses

Despite having relatively high defensive stats, Smoke Devils are extremely weak to Magic. Most magic setups can achieve near 90% accuracy, making Ancient Magicks-specifically bursting or barraging-the most effective combat method.

While Ranged is a viable alternative, especially with chinchompas, it tends to be less reliable due to the monsters’ high defense, which results in more missed hits. Melee is the least efficient method unless supplemented with a dwarf multicannon, as kill speeds drop significantly. A typical 180-kill task may take over an hour with melee compared to around 30 minutes using Magic or optimized Ranged setups.

Recommended Combat Styles

Magic is the dominant strategy. Ice Burst or Ice Barrage allows you to hit multiple targets simultaneously, dramatically increasing experience rates and kill speed. Ranged setups using chinchompas can also hit multiple enemies but are slightly less consistent. For players seeking a more relaxed task, standard weapons (like a trident or blowpipe) can be used, though they sacrifice efficiency.

Gear Setup

Regardless of your combat style, always prioritize wearing a Slayer helmet (imbued, if possible) for its accuracy and damage bonuses. For Magic, aim for gear that boosts magic damage and accuracy. For Ranged, prioritize high accuracy and ranged strength. Melee setups should focus on strength bonuses, but again, this method is not recommended for efficiency.

Getting There

The fastest route to the Smoke Devil Dungeon is via the Fairy Ring network using code BKP, followed by a short run northeast. Alternatively, you can teleport to Castle Wars using a Ring of Dueling and travel from there. Once inside the dungeon, most players position themselves near the central pile of bones, which is ideal for grouping enemies.

Inventory and Preparation

Your inventory should include prayer potions, combat potions (or magic potions), runes or ammunition, and food if needed. A dwarf multicannon is highly recommended for speeding up kills and helping stack enemies. Optional items may include rune pouches, teleport tabs, or stamina potions for extended trips.

Before starting, set up your quick prayers. Typically, this includes Protect from Missiles and damage-boosting prayers such as Augury (Magic) or Rigour (Ranged).

Combat Strategy

Once inside the dungeon, you can right-click the entrance to disable the smoke visual effect for better visibility. Move to the central area near the bones and set up your cannon.

The key strategy is stacking Smoke Devils into a tight cluster. To do this, walk in circular patterns around the central area, allowing enemies to follow and group together. Once a sufficient number are stacked, attack them using burst or barrage spells (or chinchompas for Ranged).

Continue refilling your cannon and re-stacking enemies as the group thins out. Efficient movement and positioning are critical to maintaining high kill speeds. You can also flick offensive prayers like Augury or Rigour during attacks to maximize damage output while conserving prayer points.

Conclusion

Smoke Devils are one of the most efficient Slayer tasks in Old School RuneScape when handled correctly. By leveraging their weakness to Magic, using proper gear, and mastering stacking techniques, you can significantly reduce task time while maximizing experience gains. While some players discuss topics like “cheap RS gold” in broader community conversations around progression efficiency, the most reliable way to improve results is through optimized gameplay methods. Whether you're aiming for fast Slayer XP or simply a smoother grind, this method ensures consistent and effective results.