Xarpus has three different tasks: stand on exhumeds to limit its healing, place poison without ruining the room, then attack only from a quadrant it is not watching. A learner should change behaviour at each phase instead of repeating the same attack-and-move pattern from start to finish.
This guide covers the fifth encounter in Normal Theatre of Blood. It gives a conservative ranged option and explains what a melee learner must coordinate. A Scythe speed cycle, deliberate poison damage and advanced Redemption methods are not prerequisites for understanding the fight.
Before entry: agree on poison placement
Use the supply chest after Sotetseg before entering. There is no supply chest between Xarpus and Verzik. Check stamina, brews, restores, combat boosts and the team’s Dawnbringer plan now. If anyone drops supplies for inventory space, remember exactly where they are and collect them before leaving.
Agree which players will melee, which will range and where each group should stand. Ranged players should leave space beside the boss for melee movement rather than following the same close tiles. If you do not know the group’s poison route, ask before the encounter, not after your first splatter covers someone’s return tile.
Defence reduction is important because Xarpus begins with high Defence. Coordinate hammer or maul specials followed by godsword damage as appropriate to the team’s equipment. Call hits so the group knows what has landed. Do not describe a particular weapon purchase as mandatory for every raider; the requirement is a team plan for the defence drain and the damage style you can execute.
Phase one: cover exhumeds until they disappear
Xarpus begins weakened and does not attack during the opening exhumed phase. Exhumeds appear on the floor and send healing to the boss if left uncovered. Stand directly on an exhumed to block it, remaining there until it sinks back into the ground.
Spread coverage sensibly. If another player already occupies a spawn, take a different one rather than stacking on them. Stay where you can reach new spawns quickly and keep watching for the next opening. Clicking an exhumed once and immediately leaving does not complete the job.
Some healing is difficult to prevent in larger teams because spawns arrive quickly. A missed spawn is not a reason to abandon all remaining coverage. Keep covering the next available ones, then be ready with the agreed defence-draining weapon when the damage phase begins.
Phase two: poison is a room-planning mechanic
Cue | Learner response | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Exhumeds finish | Land the assigned defence specials and begin the agreed damage method | Avoid wasting the opening with an uncoordinated switch |
Poison is spat towards your position | Move on the agreed timing to a clear tile | Keep the impact away from the next useful position |
Your intended route is already covered | Choose a clear alternative and call it | Prevent teammates following you into poison |
Xarpus screeches | Stop attacks and identify the watched quadrant | Begin the final phase safely |
Poison splashes affect a 3×3 area around their landing tile and can spread towards other players. The danger is not limited to the visible centre. Standing beside a fresh splatter can still deal repeated damage. Moving across poison may also hurt, so do not treat every ground tile between two clear spots as harmless.
The targeting follows the team’s order, which is one reason a shared movement plan matters. Randomly changing sides can spread poison into the area another player was about to use. Move deliberately and preserve space for later in the fight. If you are ranging, use the back area assigned by your caller so melee players have room close to Xarpus.
Poison protection does not grant immunity to the room’s floor damage. Similarly, protection prayers do not make standing in splatters safe. Do not remain in a bad spot while searching for a potion. Move onto clear ground first, then heal and restore stats as needed.
Melee: learn the movement before adding speed
Melee can deal strong damage, but the step-back timing determines whether poison lands beside the boss. The basic idea is to step away as Xarpus attacks, then return in a way that preserves the next clear tile. Learn that with a caller before adding a weapon-specific cycle.
A four-tick weapon and a five-tick weapon do not use identical attack sequences. Copying a Scythe player’s clicks with a whip, or copying a whip rhythm with a Scythe, can leave poison on the wrong tiles. Use a method for your actual weapon and accept missed attacks while learning it.
The tile image distinguishes outer phase-two positions from inner phase-three positions. It is a positioning aid, not a complete movement script. Orient the room and understand which set applies before using imported markers. A marker does not remove poison if your team has already covered that tile.
Advanced teams may deliberately damage themselves or place a splatter on a chosen tile to gain attacks. Those methods rely on health, timing and an agreed route. Do not use the phrase “it cannot kill me” as a learner rule: multiple splatters, a different health level or a mistimed movement change the situation.
Screech: stop, look, then attack
At roughly 25% health, Xarpus screeches and stops producing new poison. It begins watching one quadrant and turns every eight game ticks. Attacking from the quadrant it is watching causes a severe retaliatory hit. Multi-hit weapons can trigger multiple punishments and kill a player very quickly.
Stop attacking as the phase changes. Identify where its face is directed, move into a quadrant it is not watching, then attack. When it turns, reassess before the next hit. Turning off automatic retaliation can help avoid unintended attacks; you remain responsible for deliberately stopping your own attack sequence.
Xarpus does not watch the same quadrant on consecutive turns. Moving towards the quadrant it just left is a useful principle when the route is clear. It is not permission to run blindly through poison. Existing splatters remain relevant even though new ones stop appearing.
Weapon speed changes how many attacks fit before a turn. A learner should begin with fewer deliberate hits and leave room to move. Do not force a fixed two-hit pattern with a slower weapon or after arriving late. A missed attack costs time; an attack into the watched quadrant can cost the raid.
Recovering a messy room
Problem | Better response |
|---|---|
Poison occupies the intended melee route | Stop forcing the cycle; use a clear position and tell the team |
You lose sight of the face after screech | Pause attacks until you identify the watched quadrant |
Health falls while moving | Leave the damaging tile before opening a longer healing sequence |
Your weapon retaliates unexpectedly | Check auto-retaliate and stop the current target when the phase changes |
If a teammate dies, preserve the clear space the remaining group needs. The fight does not become safe simply because fewer people can spread poison. Keep using the right phase behaviour, and do not spend all your remaining Verzik supplies trying to save one extra Xarpus attack.
Finish with a Verzik checkpoint
After the kill, collect any dropped supplies and make sure the assigned player picks up Dawnbringer before the final encounter. Confirm the phase-one handover, pillar order, phase-two sides and phase-three tank plan. This short discussion prevents mistakes that cannot be fixed by buying another potion.
Normal ToB deaths are dangerous, including for Hardcore accounts. Keep the group’s escape and retrieval plan in mind before entering, rather than interpreting a low-damage opening phase as a safe encounter. Your Xarpus goal is a clean transition into Verzik with the team alive, enough supplies and a room plan everyone understands.
For equipment functions, team assignments and raid-wide death rules, use our Normal ToB preparation guide alongside this encounter walkthrough.
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