Cerberus/Strategies

Cerberus is high level Slayer boss. A slayer level of 91 is required to inflict damage and a slayer task of Cerberus or hellhounds. Wild pies can be used to boost the player's Slayer level, but only if they have a minimum of 86 Slayer.

It is the only monster to drop primordial, eternal and pegasian crystals, which can be attached to the Dragon boots, Infinity boots and Ranger boots respectively, providing best-in-slot boots for melee (the Primordial boots), magic (the Eternal boots), and ranged (Pegasian boots).

In addition, it is also able to drop a Smouldering stone, which when combined with a dragon axe, pickaxe or harpoon to turn them into their respective infernal counterparts; the infernal axe, pickaxe and harpoon respectively.

How to get There

Cerberus' lair can be found in Taverley Dungeon, at the hellhounds area. There will be a small opening that players can crawl into to enter the lair.

There are two ways of getting there:

• Players can go through Taverley Dungeon to reach the hellhounds area. This will require a dusty key.
  • Alternatively, players can crawl through a pipe shortcut (70 Agility) or run through mysterious flooring (80 Agility). Regardless of the shortcut used, it negates the need of bringing a dusty key on every trip. Both obstacles can be boosted with a Summer pie, meaning that you only need 65/75 Agility to use the shortcuts with the assistance of the pie. Drinking an antipoison potion is useful incase the poison spiders nearby manage to poison.
• Use a Key master teleport, which teleports players straight into the lair. These can only be obtained from Cerberus itself (cannot be traded), in quantities of 3 and at a rate of 1/64.

General Strategy

While fighting Cerberus, it is recommended to activate Protect from Magic.

Cerberus can use all three forms of combat against the player, all having a max hit of 23. Cerberus' magic attack is a transparent, almost smooth-looking ball; her ranged attack is also a transparent ball, but spiked. Cerberus' melee attack consists of a bite at the player.

Cerberus also has a unique attack mechanic, where it will attack the player with a magic attack, followed up quickly with a ranged and melee attack regardless of the player's distance from her. They are simply normal attacks, and can be easily blocked by quickly switching your overhead prayers to the corresponding attack. She will use this immediately during the start of the fight, and it has a 40 second cooldown, after which she will use it again.

In addition, a fire wall also blocks the way between Cerberus and the exit when the fight begins. This wall will persist until the player dies; if the player attempts to cross the fire wall when it is up, they will take 5 damage both ways. If no one is in Cerberus' lair and she was hurt, she will recover all of her health immediately.

Summoned souls

A player flicking the correct prayers against the Summoned Souls.

A summoned soul using magic

A summoned soul using melee

A summoned soul using ranged

If Cerberus is below 400 hitpoints she occasionally rears up howling Aaarrrooooooo, causing three Summoned souls to appear from behind the archaic skull.

Each one attacks using a different combat style:

• Blue is magic
• Red is melee
• Green is ranged

The order is random, but always goes from west to east. The souls cannot be attacked, and will only attack the player once in their respective combat style. Their attacks will always hit for 30 damage regardless of the player's armour bonuses if the player does not use the right protection prayer. You should have at least 65+ health whenever they appear as it is very easy to get comboed out by the spirits and Cerberus' attacks.

If the right protection prayer is used, 30 prayer points are drained instead. Since the spirits follow up very quickly, the player is most likely to be smited unless they have a prayer level of 95+. Equipping a Spectral spirit shield when the spirits appear will reduce this prayer drain to 15 (50%) instead. You do not need to bring it, but it is helpful anyways as you will most likely be smited if you pray through all three attacks.

To deal with the spirits, put your overhead prayers to whatever the first spirit in the west is using; switch to the next protection prayer while the first spirit is in its attack animation. If you switch just as the first spirit's animation is over, the second one will deal damage onto you. If the spirits deal too much damage to you, go under Cerberus to heal up and restore prayer.

Note: If Cerberus dies when she calls the spirits, they will continue to attack.

Area of Effect attack

If Cerberus is below 200 hitpoints she occasionally growls Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, throwing out three exploding markers onto the ground: One under the player and two nearby.

10-15 damage is dealt from the marker if the player is on top of it. Seven damage is dealt if the player is next to a marker or next to the location where a marker previously spawned. After a short period of time, the markers will explode, and it is safe to go to those tiles again.

Cerberus can, and often does, use the AoE attack in conjunction with the summoned souls. Quickly move under Cerberus, identify the spirits quickly and pray accordingly, as a simple panic can end up killing the player.

Setup

As Cerberus is a Slayer monster, a black mask (i) or slayer helmet (i) is essential for its accuracy and damage bonuses against the boss.

Cerberus is also weak against crush attacks and slightly stronger against stab attacks, albeit still weak against it.

• Melee

Optimal setup

Recommended skills:

• 85+ Attack

• 85+ Strength
  

• 85+ Defence
  

• 70+ Prayer (for Piety)

Equipment
Slot	Most effective -> Least effective
	Slayer helmet (i)	Black mask (i)	Guthan's helm
	Amulet of fury		Amulet of glory
	Fire cape	Ardougne cloak 4	Ardougne cloak 3	Trimmed skillcape
	Bandos chestplate	Guthan's platebody	Torag's platebody / Dharok's platebody	Proselyte hauberk (prayer bonus)
	Bandos tassets	Verac's plateskirt	Guthan's chainskirt	Torag's platelegs / Dharok's platelegs
	Spectral spirit shield	Dragon defender	Dragonfire shield	Crystal shield (i)
	Barrows gloves	Dragon gloves	Rune gloves	Combat bracelet
	Primordial boots	Dragon boots	Rune boots	Bandos boots
	Abyssal bludgeon	Zamorakian hasta	Saradomin sword (on crush style)	Leaf-Bladed Battleaxe
	Berserker ring (i)	Tyrannical ring (i)	Treasonous ring (i)	Ring of wealth
	Saradomin godsword	Crystal halberd (i)	Bandos godsword	Dragon dagger

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Inventory:

• Special attack weapon (e.g. saradomin godsword or crystal halberd (i))
• Spectral spirit shield (switch between a dragon defender during the fight)
• House tablet or desert amulet 4
• 1-2 Super combat potions
• 6-8 Prayer potions or super restores
• Guthan's warspear (if bringing the full set for healing)
• Sharks for remaining inventory space

References