OSRS Pest Control Guide: Earning Void Knight Gear

Pest Control (PC) is a popular, safe, combat-focused minigame in Old School RuneScape run by the Void Knights. Players team up to defend a central Void Knight from waves of monsters ("pests") while strategically destroying the portals spawning them. Success yields Void Knight Commendation points, the currency used to purchase the powerful Void Knight equipment set.

Getting Started

  • Location: Void Knights' Outpost. Accessed via the Squire at the southern docks of Port Sarim.
  • Fastest Travel: Grouping Teleport (Minigames tab, 20min cooldown), Pest Control Teleport scrolls (Tradable). Alternatively, Amulet of Glory (Draynor) or Fairy Ring (AIQ) + run.
  • Requirements: 40+ Combat Level to board the Novice lander.
    • Intermediate Lander: 70+ Combat Level.
    • Veteran Lander: 100+ Combat Level (Offers the most points per win).
  • Team Size: 5-25 players per game. Games start automatically when full (25) or after 2 minutes if 5+ players are waiting.
  • Official World: W344 (Germany) is the designated Pest Control world, ensuring active games are always running.

Gameplay Overview

The objective is to protect the Void Knight in the center of the island while destroying the four portals (Purple - West, Blue - East, Yellow - SE, Red - SW).

  • Winning:
    1. Destroy all four portals (Fastest & most common way).
    2. Survive for 20 minutes with the Void Knight alive (Rare).
  • Losing: The Void Knight's HP reaches 0.
  • Activity Bar: You MUST maintain activity throughout the game (by damaging pests/portals or repairing barricades) to receive points. If the bar depletes fully, you get 0 points for that round.
  • Portals:
    • Spawn Pests continuously.
    • Have shields initially, becoming vulnerable over time in a set rotation (see below).
    • Have high defence but specific weaknesses (see below).
    • Destroying a portal heals the Void Knight by 50 HP.
  • Safety: PC is a safe minigame. Death results in respawning on the lander with no item loss (except for HCIM status loss). HP, Prayer, Run Energy, and Special Attack are fully restored after each game.

The Pests

Various monsters spawn from the portals, each with different behaviours:

  • Brawler: Large melee pest, blocks movement and line of sight.
  • Defiler: Ranged pest, targets Void Knight/players.
  • Ravager: Melee pest, prioritizes destroying gates/barricades.
  • Shifter: Melee pest, teleports, often directly to the Void Knight.
  • Spinner: Melee pest, heals nearby portals rapidly. High priority target. Explodes on death if its portal is already destroyed, poisoning nearby players.
  • Splatter: Melee pest, explodes upon death or reaching gates, dealing AoE damage.
  • Torcher: Magic pest (uses Ranged Magic), targets Void Knight/players.

Strategy: Attack & Defence

Efficient games require balancing portal destruction with defending the Void Knight. On busy official worlds, most players focus on attacking portals.

Attacking Portals (Offense):

  1. Follow the Shield Drops: Portals become vulnerable in a sequence. Follow the Void Knight's announcements or learn the rotation (see data dump) to attack portals as soon as they are vulnerable.
  2. Target Weaknesses: Attack portals with their specific weakness for maximum damage:
    • Purple (West): Weak to Ranged.
    • Blue (East): Weak to Magic.
    • Yellow (SE): Weak to Stab/Slash.
    • Red (SW): Weak to Crush.
  3. Kill Spinners FIRST: Always prioritize killing any Spinners near an active portal before attacking the portal itself, as they heal it very quickly.
  4. Close Gates: As you move between the island center and the portals, close the gates behind you to slow down pests heading towards the Void Knight.

Defending the Void Knight (Defence):

  1. Stay Central: Remain near the Void Knight.
  2. Prioritize Threats: Kill Shifters that teleport in, and Defilers/Torchers attacking from range. Kill Ravagers attacking the gates.
  3. Repair (Optional): Repairing gates/barricades (requires Hammer + Logs obtained on island) grants Crafting XP and high activity, but is often less efficient than killing pests/portals on busy worlds.

Maintaining Activity: Consistently attacking pests or portals is the easiest way to keep your activity bar up. Repairing structures also gives good activity.

Rewards: Commendation Points & Void Knight Gear

  • Points: Awarded upon winning, based on the lander used and Combat Achievement completion.
    • Novice: 3 base (+1/+2/+3 for Easy/Med/Hard+ CAs)
    • Intermediate: 4 base (+1/+2/+3 for CAs)
    • Veteran: 5 base (+1/+2/+3 for CAs)
  • Spending Points: Talk to a Void Knight Squire on the outpost.
    • Void Knight Equipment: The main reward. Requires 42+ in combat stats & 22 Prayer. Offers set bonuses. See our Void Knight Gear Guide.
      • Full Set (1 Helm): 850 points
      • Elite Void Upgrade (Top + Robe): +400 points (Requires Hard Western Diary)
    • Experience: Points can be traded for XP in combat skills (Attack, Strength, Defence, HP, Ranged, Magic, Prayer).
    • Herb/Seed/Mineral Packs: Packs containing random resources.

Conclusion

Pest Control is a popular and accessible minigame offering valuable rewards, particularly the powerful Void Knight equipment set. By understanding the objective, prioritizing portal destruction (especially Spinners), defending the Void Knight when necessary, and maintaining activity, players can efficiently earn Commendation Points and contribute to team victories.

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