For a first Nex completion, join a team with an agreed method, bring reliable ranged damage and a way to break ice prisons, and learn the five phases in order: Smoke, Shadow, Blood, Ice and Zaros. Stop attacking during Blood Siphon, escape the red sacrifice mark and move away from her death blast after the kill.
This guide covers the normal team encounter, with a ranged learner role and the responsibilities needed in smaller organised teams. It is not a solo method or a promise that entering a crowded world with any crossbow will produce a useful contribution.
Unlock the Ancient Prison and its bank
Complete The Frozen Door miniquest by assembling the key pieces from the four original God Wars generals. The God Wars Dungeon access guide covers the wider dungeon preparation. Each general’s area has its own access requirements; Nex is not unlocked merely by reaching the central dungeon.
Enter the frozen door on the southern side and gain Ancient Prison essence to reach the safe room. The base requirement is 40, with Combat Achievement reductions and an ecumenical key alternative. This is separate from the ordinary generals’ killcount, and different Zarosian enemies award different essence amounts.
Wear appropriate god protection on the approach and a Zarosian item in the prison. The safe room provides banking through Ashuelot Reis. Gather a sensible essence reserve if planning repeated restocks, rather than spend the entire first visit’s access and discover the next entry requires another collection.
The chamber barrier is open only between fights. Wait for the current encounter to end before joining; you cannot simply enter a team already midway through Blood phase. Agree the team, loot arrangement and learner expectations before crossing.
Bring a working ranged role and prison tool
A suitable crossbow and compatible ammunition make a practical learner damage role. Use ranged armour with useful magic defence, boosts, food, Saradomin brews where appropriate, super restores and poison treatment. Brews lower combat stats, so plan restoration and reboosting rather than repeatedly attack with suppressed levels.
Bring a stab or crush weapon for breaking an ice prison. A predominantly ranged setup still needs a way to rescue a trapped teammate. Do not assume ranged attacks on the prison spikes perform the same job.
Smaller teams often expect melee damage, a cough tank and additional methods such as melee distancing. Ask the group’s stated role requirements before joining that format. Good ranged damage in a mass is not proof you can safely perform an unfamiliar tank role in a trio.
Ironmen can receive group drops, but Group Ironmen lose prestige if entering with a player outside their group. Death is unsafe for Hardcore accounts. These account rules should be checked before the trip, not after accepting an invitation.
Phase | Default prayer focus | Progression target |
|---|---|---|
Smoke | Magic; recognised melee tank responds with Melee | Kill Fumus when called |
Shadow | Missiles and distance from Nex | Kill Umbra when called |
Blood | Magic; follow agreed close-range team method | Stop for siphon, escape sacrifice, then kill Cruor |
Ice | Magic; watch prisons and containment | Rescue prisoners, then kill Glacies |
Zaros | Magic or Melee according to actual target/role | Range through Deflect Melee; escape death Wrath |
Smoke: isolate the cough and dodge her aisle
Nex begins with Choke. An infected player coughs above their head and can spread the effect to adjacent players, draining useful stats and Prayer. Give that player space rather than cluster around them because everybody is trying to reach the same attack tile.
In an organised team, a designated cough tank takes the initial role with an appropriate positioning and gear plan. Follow that assignment and keep room for a drag to reposition someone. A face covering can shorten the infection, but it does not make spreading it harmless.
Nex can drag a nearby player and turn off their overhead. Re-enable the appropriate protection and check health before returning to damage. Watch the target and your actual position instead of assume the prayer remained on after the stun.
When she announces NO ESCAPE and faces an aisle, leave its path before the dash. Once Fumus is called and becomes vulnerable, switch to that mage and kill it. Continuing to hit Nex while the required mage is active does not advance the phase.
Shadow: range from distance and leave the shadow tile
Use Protect from Missiles for shadow shots. Correct prayer reduces their damage but does not fully block it, and closer positions take more. Attack from useful weapon range while avoiding clicks that drag you towards Nex.
On Fear the shadow, move off the dark patch under your character before it erupts. Check the destination as well, because other players also receive shadows. Remaining in place to finish a special attack is an avoidable large hit.
Embrace Darkness makes proximity especially dangerous. If Nex approaches the team, follow the group’s coordinated reposition or shadow-reset plan; do not invent a solo run through the centre while everyone else expects a reset. The essential learner action is to restore distance.
When Umbra is vulnerable, attack the mage while keeping Nex away from that corner. A player directly targeted by Umbra may need Magic protection against its accurate attacks while the others retain their phase responsibilities. Read the actual attacker rather than camp one prayer solely because the phase name has not changed.
Blood: stop the healing before chasing damage
When Nex kneels and announces a siphon, stop attacking her. Damage dealt into the siphon heals her. This includes delayed attacks already travelling, so avoid starting another shot just as the kneel begins. Return to damage after the siphon window ends.
Blood reavers can heal Nex if left for a later siphon. Deal with them according to the team’s plan, particularly if the phase is slow enough to repeat. Damaging reavers can also provide healing to the player, but it is not permission to ignore the next sacrifice.
If marked red for Blood Sacrifice, move at least seven tiles away from Nex promptly. Do not wait at the edge of your weapon’s range if it is still too close. A failed sacrifice causes damage, drains Prayer and helps her recover health.
Spread sufficiently to reduce shared barrage damage, or use the organised team’s assigned melee-distance positions. Once Cruor becomes vulnerable, finish that mage. A rising boss health bar usually calls for checking siphon attacks and missed sacrifices before buying a stronger crossbow.
Ice: rescue the prisoner and keep containment clear
Protect from Magic against ordinary ice attacks, while tracking Nex’s close-range position. On Contain this, move out of the area around her before the icicles form. Glacies can freeze players near the corner, so preserve space instead of stand beside Nex while attacking the mage.
Ice Prison traps a targeted player and turns off protection. Teammates should attack a prison stalagmite with stab or crush to open an escape, then the prisoner moves out before the shatter. Know which weapon performs that rescue before the first prison appears.
If trapped with no opening in time, restore health and use Protect from Missiles to reduce the prison or containment damage. That is an emergency mitigation, not a replacement for the team breaking a spike. Re-establish the appropriate ordinary protection afterwards.
When Glacies becomes vulnerable, attack it while staying conscious of Nex’s containment range. A teammate frozen beside the mage may need urgent help or space. Finishing the corner target does not cancel every hazard already in progress.
Zaros: respect Deflect Melee and the death blast
The final phase begins with Nex healing and using stronger attacks. Continue to follow the actual tank and protection responsibilities; Magic and Melee protection reduce damage without providing complete immunity. Keep health and stats high enough for the remaining pressure.
Nex cycles through Soul Split, Deflect Melee and a period without an active curse. Switch to ranged while Deflect Melee is active. An expensive melee weapon does not bypass the reflection and makes continuing through it a poor damage decision.
When she dies and announces Wrath, run away from the body before the delayed blast. Do not stand on top of the loot location waiting for a drop. A kill is not safely complete until the death effect has resolved.
Collect drops according to the agreed arrangement and restock deliberately. Rare rewards include Torva pieces and other signature Nex uniques, but individual contribution and luck matter; no personal item is guaranteed by joining a successful group.
Repeated problem | First correction |
|---|---|
Cough spreads through the group | Separate the infected player and follow the cough-tank plan |
Shadow drains supplies | Maintain range and move off every targeted patch |
Blood health keeps rising | Stop siphon attacks and resolve sacrifices/reavers |
Prison kills a teammate | Carry the rescue weapon and act immediately |
Death after the health bar ends | Run from Wrath before collecting loot |
Leave and recover with the correct protection
The chamber altar is an exit to the prison area. Have Zarosian protection available before using it, and remember that re-entering the bank can consume further essence. An altar reset is not unlimited unrestricted banking.
If you die, reclaim from the Ancient Prison recovery chest for 100,000 coins. Any further unsafe death before reclaiming can delete the stored items. Bring safe return gear and god protection rather than rush back exposed through the dungeon.
A first learner target is a complete fight with no siphon healing, successful sacrifice movement and an immediate Wrath escape. Once those responses are stable, learn the group’s additional tanking and damage methods one at a time.
Choose the next account upgrade
Use the OSRS PvM progression guide to connect this encounter to your next unlock. Improve the repeated mechanical error first, then choose equipment that solves a specific damage, range or sustain problem.
Independent guide: Onyx Services is an independent service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Jagex Ltd. RuneScape and Old School RuneScape are trademarks of Jagex Ltd.