Contents
- 1.0 - Introduction
- 2.0 - Location
- 3.0 - Monsters
- 3.1 - Brutal Green Dragons
- 3.2 - Mithril Dragons
1.0 - Introduction
The Ancient Cavern is one of the most dangerous dungeons in all of RuneScape, all players that enter the area should be well prepared to face dragons and high level monsters that can attack in more than one way.
To access the dungeon you will need to have got to funeral pyre burning instructions with Otto Godblessed in his Barbarian Training camp. You access the dungeon by jumping into the whirlpool off the jetty, at the edge of the lake on top of Baxtorian falls. If you need to escape the dungeon and have no teleport, the only way out is by canoeing on logs down an underground river out of the caves that takes you downstream.
On the lower level the biggest danger is the Brutal Green Dragons, whilst on the upper floor the only threat is the Mithril Dragons. On the lower level there are also wondering undead barbarians and Waterfiends. Lower leveled players visiting the cave should be focusing more on the barbarians and avoiding the dragons if they intend to get chewed bones from corpses. Chewed bones can also be obtained easily from dragons.
Remember, the caves are very dangerous so it is recommended to pack good combat gear, an anti-dragonfire shield, anti fire-breath potions, super sets, teleport runes and high-healing food.
The Dragon Full Helmet can only be earned from the Ancient Caverns (unless you buy it from another player). There are two methods of obtaining the dragon full helm: being dropped by Mithril Dragons (level-304), or receiving it as a reward when you burn chewed bones with pyre ships. The latter is much less likely, as it's much safer.
The Dragon full helmet is the strongest helmet in the game, however the third age melee helmet(s), and the barrows helmet(s) have slightly higher bonuses. It doesn't have the downfall of needing to be repaired.
| Picture | Requirements | Attack Bonus | Defence Bonus | Other Bonuses | |||||||||
| Stab | Slash | Crush | Magic | Range | Stab | Slash | Crush | Magic | Range | Strength | Prayer | ||
 | 60+ Defence | +0 | +0 | +0 | -6 | -2 | +45 | +48 | +41 | -1 | +46 | +0 | +0 |
2.0 - Location
As mentioned earlier, the Ancient Cavern can be found south-west of the Barbarian Outpost near Baxtorian Falls.
The most efficient way to arrive at the whirlpool, is to use a Games Necklace to teleport to the barbarian outpost, then head southwest and jump off the pier.
| Ancient Cavern dungeon ,.::;' full map |
 |
3.0 - Monsters
The cavern hosts several different high level monsters, they are Barbarians (level-132), Skeletons (level-132), and Waterfiends (level-115) that all wander the lower level. However, they are not that difficult, sticking to one style of combat that can easily be defended against with Prayer.
All three have fairly high hitpoints and attack but they aren't the main interest of the dungeon! That would be the dragons, and they will be explained in detail below. Just remember whilst being in the cave that if you are running from the dragons, the other creatures can be dangerous while you are weaker - especially Waterfeinds that are just near the logs by the river.
3.1 - Brutal Green Dragons
| Brutal green dragon | ||
 | ||
| Combat: | 227 | |
| Hitpoints: | 175 | |
| Max Hit: | 56 | |
| Race: | Dragon | |
| Members: | Yes | |
| Quest: | None | |
| Nature: | Aggressive | |
| Attack Style: | Magic and Melee | |
| Examine: | It appears intelligent and savage. | |
| Where Found: | Ancient Cavern, lower floor |
| Drops: | Dragon bone (100%), Green dragonhide (2), Coins (200-700), Steam rune (37), Lava rune (35), Rune throwing axe (8), Blood rune (20), Mithril hasta, Adamant knife (8), Adamant dart (p) (25), Mithril ore (5), Nature rune (25-30), |
| Top Drops: | Rune chainbody, Rune sq shield, Rune full helm, Dragon spear, Shield left half |
| Recommendations: | Equipment: Range: Bring full black dragonhide, a rune crossbow with mithril bolts or better, an archer's helm, and Ava's Accumulator if you have one. An anti-dragonfire shield is a must, as their breath can hit you from several spaces away. In your inventory, have 3-4 antifire potions, 4-8 pieces of good food, and the rest of your inventory should be prayer potions (range potions and teleport runes are optional, but strongly recommended). Melee: Strong armour is a must - it is recommended that you use full Torag's. You will need an antifire shield. Your inventory should consist of 2-3 antifire potions, a super set, 16-20 pieces of food (sharks strongly recommended), and the rest prayer potions. Teleport runes are optional but strongly recommended. Tactics Melee: Attack the dragon in close range and use protect from melee prayer. Drink potions as necessary. It is recommended that you keep autoretaliate off, as other dragons may attack you after you have killed a dragon, causing you to run away from the loot. Use the cover provided by the alcove to shelter if needed. |
| Notes: | It is recommended that you range them, although melee also works reasonably well. It is strongly recommended that you not mage them, as they have very high magic defence. As with most dragons, crush attacks are effective against Brutal Green Dragons. |
3.2 - Mithril Dragon
| Mithril dragon | ||
 | ||
| Combat: | 304 | |
| Hitpoints: | 250 | |
| Max Hit: | ? | |
| Race: | Dragon | |
| Members: | Yes | |
| Quest: | None | |
| Nature: | Aggressive | |
| Attack Style: | Melee, Mage and Range | |
| Examine: | Experimenting with mithril gone bad! | |
| Where Found: | Ancient Cavern, upper floor |
| Drops: | Mithril bar (3) and Dragon bones (100%), Chewed bones, Ancient page, Nature Talisman, Coins (600-3000), Adamant dart p (14), Rune med helm, Soul runes (10), Blood runes (27), Nature runes (67), Super attack mix, Super strength mix, Super defence mix, Prayer mix, Uncut gems, Runite bar (1-2), Shark (1-6), noted Silver ore (100) |
| Top Drops: | Dragon full helm, Dragon med helm, Dragon spear, Shield left half, Draconic visage, Clue scroll (level-3), Half keys, Rune battleaxe, Rune full helm, Rune arrows (8), Rune darts p (13-21), Rune javelin (8-14), Rune mace, Rune spear, Rune knife, Rune 2h sword, Rune bolts (11-21) |
| Recommendations: | This is monster dangerous to fight, in the past players were able to fight wearing Veracs and using antifire potions with prayer, however Mithril Dragons' firebreath can now penetrate through Protect from Magic Prayer. Players are advised to have a super set, about 4 prayer potions, a fast teleport out (an ectophial or a teleport tablet), and the rest of their inventory full of high healing food such as sharks. Also of course, an antifire potion is a must since it will suppress the dragon's strong fire attacks. Equipment: Melee: As with Brutal Green Dragons, strong armour is a must - it is recommended that you use full Torag. You will need an antifire shield. Your inventory should consist of 2-3 antifire potions, a super set, 16-20 pieces of food (sharks strongly recommended), and the rest prayer potions. Teleport runes are optional but strongly recommended. Tactics Melee: Attack the mithril dragon in close range and use protect from magic prayer. Drink potions as necessary again, but always ensure you are doing the best you can. It is recommended that you keep auto-retaliate OFF, as other dragons may attack you after you have killed a dragon, causing you to run away from the loot. |
| Notes: | Be sure to be wearing an Anti-dragonbreath shield when near these dragons, and also remember that Mithril Dragon firebreath is not affected by the Protect from Magic Prayer! As with most dragons, crush attacks are effective against Mithril Dragons. Mithril dragons have much stronger attack than Brutal Green Dragons, so watch out! |
