OSRS God Wars Dungeon (GWD) Guide: An Overview

The God Wars Dungeon, a remnant of the ancient God Wars, is one of Old School RuneScape's most iconic and dangerous PvM locations. It houses powerful generals and their armies, representing Armadyl, Bandos, Saradomin, Zamorak, and the ancient god Zaros (in the lower level). This guide provides an overview of accessing the dungeon, understanding its mechanics, and navigating its factions.

Getting to the God Wars Dungeon

Reaching the GWD entrance north of Trollheim requires some effort:

  1. Trollheim Teleport (Recommended): Requires 61 Magic and completion of Eadgar's Ruse. Teleports you near the mountain summit. Run north/downhill, using Agility shortcuts (Lv 41-47) if possible.
  2. Walking from Burthorpe: Requires climbing boots and partial completion of Troll Stronghold. Follow the path north past Tenzing/Death Plateau (use Protect from Range near Thrower Trolls).
  3. Ghommal's Hilt: Earned via Combat Achievements, provides direct teleports to the GWD entrance (Tier 1+). See the Ghommal's Hilt Guide.
  4. Stony Basalt: Requires completion of Making Friends with My Arm. Teleports to Troll Stronghold, slightly longer run than Trollheim Teleport.

The Entrance: The entrance is a large hole in the ground in a snowy area north of Trollheim. This area drains stats, run energy, and special attack (negated by lighting the fire pit post-Making Friends with My Arm). Use Protect from Melee against Ice Wolves. A rope is needed on your first entry. Speak to the Dying Knight nearby on your first visit to learn about the dungeon's backstory.

For more detailed travel options, see our GWD Shortcuts Guide.

God Protection: Staying Safe

The GWD is filled with aggressive followers of different gods. To prevent being attacked by every monster, you must wear items affiliated with the gods whose followers are present in your current area.

  • Requirement: Only one item per god is needed for protection from that god's followers.
  • Stacking: Wearing items from multiple gods provides protection from each respective faction simultaneously.
  • Main Dungeon: The large central area has pockets where certain factions are more prevalent. Zamorak followers are found almost everywhere. A common setup for the main area might include items for Armadyl, Bandos, Saradomin, and Zamorak.
  • Encampments: Inside a specific god's area (e.g., Bandos's Stronghold), you primarily need protection for that god and Zamorak (as Zamorakians often infiltrate other areas). You can often swap out protection for other gods once inside a specific encampment.
  • Ancient Prison (Nex): Requires Zarosian protection. No other factions are present here.

Examples of God Items: (Refer to the extensive table in the provided data for a full list)

  • Saradomin: Holy symbol, Monk robes, Saradomin cape/sword/etc., Holy book, Justiciar armour.
  • Zamorak: Unholy symbol, Zamorak cape/spear/etc., Unholy book, Staff of the Dead.
  • Bandos: Ancient mace (surprisingly!), Book of War, Bandos boots/armour/godsword.
  • Armadyl: Armadyl pendant/cloak/crossbow/armour, Book of Law.
  • Zaros: Ancient staff/kiteshield/etc., Book of Darkness, Torva/Virtus armour (Nex drops).

Dungeon Layout & Factions

The GWD consists of a large central chamber with four main encampments leading off it, plus the Ancient Prison below.

  1. Armadyl's Eyrie (South-West):
    • Requires: 70 Ranged, Crossbow + Mithril Grapple.
    • Inhabitants: Aviansie, Armadylean Spiritual creatures, Zamorakian infiltrators.
    • General: Kree'arra (Level 580).
  2. Bandos' Stronghold (North-West):
    • Requires: 70 Strength, Hammer.
    • Inhabitants: Goblins, Orks, Ogres, Jogres, Cyclopes, Bandosian Spiritual creatures, Zamorakian infiltrators.
    • General: General Graardor (Level 624).
  3. Saradomin's Encampment (South-East):
    • Requires: 70 Agility, 2 Ropes (first time only).
    • Inhabitants: Knights of Saradomin, Priests, Saradominist Spiritual creatures, Zamorakian infiltrators.
    • General: Commander Zilyana (Level 596).
  4. Zamorak's Fortress (North-East):
    • Requires: 70 Hitpoints (drains Prayer on entry, darkens area).
    • Inhabitants: Imps, Icefiends, Pyrefiends, Hellhounds, Bloodveld, Goraks, Werewolves, Zamorakian Spiritual creatures. (Only Zamorak followers here).
    • General: K'ril Tsutsaroth (Level 650).
  5. Ancient Prison (South-Center, via Frozen Door):
    • Requires: Frozen Key (assembled from pieces dropped by the 4 generals), 70 Agility/Hitpoints/Ranged/Strength.
    • Inhabitants: Zarosian Spiritual creatures, Blood Reavers.
    • Features: Bank access via Ashuelot Reis, Ancient Forge.
    • General: Nex (Level 1001).

Entering Boss Rooms

Each of the four main generals resides in a chamber at the end of their respective encampment.

  • Kill Count (KC): You need 40 KC for the specific faction (e.g., 40 Bandos followers for Graardor) to open the door. This requirement is lowered by completing Hard (35), Elite (30), Master (25), and Grandmaster (15) Combat Achievements.
  • Ecumenical Keys: Dropped by monsters in the Wilderness GWD, these keys bypass the KC requirement entirely. You can hold 3-5 keys depending on Wilderness Diary completion.
  • Instances: Completing Hard+ Combat Achievements allows you to pay a coin fee (decreasing with higher tiers) to create a private instance of the boss room.
  • Altars: Inside each boss room is an altar that restores Prayer points (slightly above max depending on god items worn) once every 10 minutes (out of combat). Altars also serve as an exit teleport.

Conclusion

The God Wars Dungeon is a cornerstone of OSRS PvM content, offering challenging encounters and some of the game's most iconic gear. Understanding how to get there, how god protection works, and the layout of the different factions is the first step to conquering its powerful generals. Prepare your gear, gather your courage, and step into the fray!

Ready to challenge the generals but need help with the KC grind or the fights themselves? Our OSRS PvM Services cover everything GWD. Don't forget to stock up on supplies with OSRS Gold!