Updated 24 October 2026 · Onyx Services
The Fractured Archive is Old School RuneScape’s fourth raid, released on 20 October 2026. It is a combat-focused expedition beneath Lumbridge: fight the opening guardian, choose three encounters, then face Ocellus. There are no puzzle rooms between the bosses. Official raid introduction.
This is the starting point for Onyx’s raid series. Use it to check access, plan your route and understand what a failed attempt costs before moving on to boss strategies, rewards and equipment.
Requirements and team size
Check | What you need to know |
|---|---|
Quest access | Complete While Guthix Sleeps. |
Team scaling | 2–8 players; Jagex recommends 3–5. |
Solo attempts | Use the two-player minimum scale. There is no separate easy solo version. |
Encounters | Five fights per clear from a roster of eight encounters. |
Quest completion is an access requirement; an expensive loadout is not a substitute for it. The community strategy reference suggests high combat levels, including 90+ Hitpoints, 95+ in the melee stats and Ranged, and 96+ Magic. These are learning recommendations, not the raid’s entry checks.
Getting to the entrance
The entrance is in the Chasm of Tears near the Guthixian Temple. A Games necklace teleport to Tears of Guthix is one approach; bring a sapphire lantern for the chasm route. A Guthixian temple teleport is another option. Follow the introductory sequence when you first arrive. After obtaining an Archivist’s Folio, you can charge it for direct return trips. Access and transportation reference.
Entrance preview from Jagex’s launch-systems announcement.
In the lobby, use the grouping board on the eastern side to organise the party. You can also allow spectators. The bank is your last opportunity to check the complete inventory before the run; the strategy board provides spectating options for parties that permit it.
Plan your five-encounter route
Stage | Encounter |
|---|---|
1 · Opening | Archive Guardian |
2 · Choose one | Bork and Smorks / Ezekiel |
3 · Choose one | Dreadnoth the Jellied / Moia |
Resupply | Return to the atrium quartermaster |
4 · Choose one | Xarth / Dagon’hai Trio |
5 · Final | Ocellus |
The middle choices are fixed, so you do not need to scout random layouts. Both options in a pair offer the same total reward contribution. Pick the route your group handles consistently; a theoretical time advantage is lost if the team repeatedly fails its mechanic.
Before entering: name your opening tank, assign special-attack calls and agree on the three middle bosses. If you choose Dagon’hai, plan access to all four elemental spell types for the ritual interrupts. Boss-specific preparation is documented in the encounter strategy reference.
Deaths, full wipes and Hardcore accounts
A full team wipe ends the attempt and returns the team to the lobby. Items are recovered through a normal gravestone rather than a Theatre of Blood-style storage chest. Surviving teammates can continue after an individual death; party-orb spectating helps you follow their attempt. Official death and spectating systems.
Hardcore warning: deaths here are unsafe for HCIM and HCGIM accounts and remove their status. Jagex states this explicitly in its release announcement. Do not treat a learner run as a safe practice activity.
The raid reference documents a 75% reclaim-fee reduction until five completions. Check the displayed reclaim fee when recovering your items rather than assuming every wipe has the same cost.
Supplies: what can you replace during a run?
After the third encounter, the quartermaster provides Alliance Supplies in exchange for Supply Credits earned in the raid. Use that stop to replenish what the team needs before the fourth boss. It is a shop with a defined stock, not access to your bank.
Bring your own initial food, potions, ammunition and runes.
You cannot bank or deposit supplies mid-run.
There are no Overloads or Smelling Salts equivalents to build your setup around.
Check weapon charges before entering; do not assume the resupply shop replaces them.
Official supply rules · Quartermaster reference.
Rewards: equipment, prayer and utility
Obligator, Ascension crossbows, Zorya’s tome and Rondache cover different equipment roles. The Horn of Bran leads to Zeal, an upgrade to Piety. Elemental Fragments improve corresponding elemental spells, while Ascension shards support equipment, ammunition and Folio teleports. Orion is the raid pet. Full reward reference.
Compare the reward’s requirements and running costs with your next account goal. An exciting new drop is not automatically the best next purchase for every activity.
What changed after launch?
Early footage may show bosses with Defence reduced below their intended limits. Jagex corrected those limits and changed Ocellus’s phase-three Defence behaviour. Use current-patch equipment comparisons; our preparation article explains the affected boss groups. Read the official hotfix notes.
Quick answers before your first attempt
Can I choose an easier invocation?
The raid does not use a Tombs of Amascut-style invocation selector. Choose a coordinated team and a route you have prepared.
Is Practice Mode available?
Jagex announced it for after launch, covering bosses or phases already reached. We have not confirmed activation for this update. Check current announcements before relying on refunded practice supplies.
Are the exact drop rates known?
The reward-chest reference is the place to check current evidence. We are not presenting community estimates as official rates or quoting guaranteed profit.
What should my team decide first?
Choose a route, assign the opening roles, check the spells required by that route and agree on clear movement calls. Then focus on completing one encounter reliably before chasing a faster run.
Continue the Fractured Archive series
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.