LOCAL OSRS REFERENCE

Multicannon

Source revision 15356213 · Saved 2026-09-27 · Sources & credits

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NormalNormal, baseNormal, standNormal, barrelsNormal, brokenOrnamentedOrnamented, baseOrnamented, standOrnamented, barrelsOrnamented, broken
Dwarf multicannon
Released27 May 2003 (Update)
MembersYes
QuestDwarf Cannon
LocationN/A
OptionsFire, Pick-up, Empty, Load X
ExamineA powerful ranging device that fires metal balls.
Advanced data
Object ID6
LinkMOID

The dwarf multicannon (or simply cannon) is a unique type of Ranged weapon that acts as a deployable turret using steel cannonballs or granite cannonballs as ammunition. Once deployed and loaded with ammunition, the cannon will fire at targets within its line-of-sight and range. The cannon acts as a supplemental source of damage alongside the player, and is commonly used to speed up Slayer tasks. Damage with the cannon gives reduced experience. The cannon's accuracy depends heavily on the player's current equipment, attack style and levels.

The cannon has four parts which it can be assembled from. A player may only have one cannon assembled at a time. There are many locations where setting up a cannon will be automatically prevented, as well as bosses which will destroy the cannon. If a cannon is destroyed, Nulodion will provide a free replacement.

Parts

Note: you can buy all four parts for cheaper (750,000 GP) by using the "Talk" option on Nulodion and asking to buy the entire set, rather than buying the parts individually.

Cannon
Item GE Price
Cannon barrels 164,136
Cannon base 192,812
Cannon furnace 195,753
Cannon stand 192,093
Total 744,794
Dwarf cannon set 768,628
Difference 23,834
Ammo
Item GE Price
Steel cannonball 268
Granite cannonball N/A

Note that the cannon parts are rather heavy, and carrying them will make a player's weight extremely high. Bringing a few Super energy or Stamina potions can compensate for the more rapid energy loss.

Assembly

Setting up the cannon

To assemble a cannon the Dwarf Cannon quest must first be completed and you must have four pieces of the cannon in your inventory: the base, the stand, the barrels, and the furnace. The full set is purchasable from Nulodion, when entering dialogue, south of Ice Mountain, for 750,000 coins. This includes the four parts, an ammo mould for use in the creation of cannonballs, and the cannon's instruction manual. If buying through the trade screen, each piece can be bought separately for 200,625 coins, costing more than buying a full set.

Place the cannon base on a vacant square surrounded by eight more vacant squares, and the other pieces will be automatically assembled alongside the base. The cannon will be assembled in this order: base, stand, barrels, then furnace. Load the cannon with ammunition by clicking the deployed cannon with the ammunition in your inventory. If players have both steel and granite cannonballs in their inventory, granite cannonballs will be inserted first. If a player has a cannon filled with granite cannonballs and only steel ones in their inventory, the granite ones within the cannon must be fully used before the cannon can be reloaded with steel cannonballs. The cannon may hold a maximum of 30 cannonballs and can be reloaded at any time by clicking on the cannon again. This capacity can be increased by completing tasks from the Combat Achievements system, reaching a maximum of 60 for the elite tier. The cannon will also require repair after 25 minutes of use.

If the cannon runs out of cannonballs, the player will need to reload the cannon in order for it to begin firing again. If the player loads cannonballs onto an empty cannon and moves away a tick later, they will be forced to run to the cannon's south-west tile to "push" the cannon to begin firing.

Mechanics

The cannon in operation

These are the mechanical aspects of the cannon. This section includes the rotation, targets, and decay of the cannon's parts.

Damage and experience

The cannon has a static max hit of 30 with steel cannonballs and 35 with granite cannonballs, regardless of the player's Ranged level or any other bonuses to the player's ranged damage.

Damage with the cannon yields 2 Ranged experience per damage rather than the standard 4, and does not yield any Hitpoints experience.

Accuracy

The cannon's accuracy is affected by the player's accuracy bonus,[1] which can be boosted[2] and is calculated differently depending on weapon type and attack styles.

  • When using ranged weapons, the cannon uses the player's ranged accuracy, taking into account their ranged bonus. This includes ranged accuracy boosting prayers, such as Rigour.
    • When wearing Crystal equipment alongside the Bow of Faerdhinen, the accuracy bonus is applied to the cannon's accuracy. Giving 5%, 10% and 15% for the helm, legs and chest, respectively. Making full crystal the best accuracy possible for the cannon. [3]
  • When using melee weapons, the cannon uses the player's melee accuracy, taking into account their stab, slash, or crush bonus depending on their currently selected attack style, as well as their Attack level and other melee accuracy bonuses. This includes melee accuracy boosting prayers, such as Piety.[4]
    • Note that the cannon uses the player's crush bonus when no weapon is equipped, as all unarmed attack styles are crush.
  • When using Powered staves, such as the trident of the seas, the cannon uses either the player's ranged or melee accuracy, whichever is higher.[5]
    • Note that other magical staves, such as the staff of air, are treated as melee weapons even when autocast is on.[6]

The cannon's accuracy, while derived from the accuracy of the player's selected attack style, will use the target's heavy ranged defence[7]. Additionally, the cannon's accuracy will not benefit from passive effects that require the target to have certain attributes, e.g. a slayer helmet will not boost the cannon's accuracy when used against monsters that are part of the player's current Slayer task.[8]

Revolutions

After the cannon has been set up, loaded, and fired, the barrel will rotate and fire at targets within its line-of-sight and range. The cannon barrel rotates in discrete intervals; there are eight directions the barrel may face, and the barrel makes a 45-degree turn every 0.6 seconds (one game tick), completing a full revolution in 4.8 seconds. The cannon fires up to one cannonball while facing each direction, so it fires up to eight cannonballs per revolution. The cannon may fire up to 6000 cannonballs per hour.

In a single-combat zone, the cannon fires at the monster the player is being attacked by. If the player is not being attacked by any monster – not being hit by any monsters – the cannon fires at multiple monsters. This means that a player can range, mage, or halberd from a "safespot" in a single-combat zone and have the cannon shoot at multiple monsters, as long as the player is never attacked by a monster, in which case that monster will be the only target the cannon attacks. However, the player may need to regularly come out of cover to reload the cannon if it is unreachable from the safespot.

Targets

For each direction the cannon faces during its rotation, there is a specific set of squares relative to the cannon's location that a cannonball may be shot into at that time. This target region can be visualised by a triangle emanating from the cannon barrel. Squares may be cut off from the target region by an obstacle.

Green represents double shots. Red means no fire. For 1x1 monsters, players should lure them onto the green area.

Target regions for different directions overlap slightly. This may result in shooting multiple cannonballs at one monster in one cannon revolution, even one that is standing still. Up to two cannonballs may be shot at a monster that takes up a single square per rotation. If it is not in the proper location however, only one, or even zero cannonballs may be shot per rotation.

Target standing adjacent to, or one non-diagonal space away from the corner of the 3x3 area the cannon is set up in will be shot twice. Players should aim to lure targets to this space.

For monsters larger than 1x1, only the south-western tile is shot. That being said against 1x1 - 2x2 targets, the worst possible spot to stand is in the middle of the cannon or any corner under the cannon. The best way to slay those is to lure them into a multi-hit spot, or stand far from the cannon. For 3x3 monsters (e.g. Black demons), one should stand under the cannon in the north-east tile (1,1).

Players cannot control what target is chosen, thus it may fire at anything around it. However, if a player is already engaged in single combat, the cannon will only fire at the current opponent and targets between player's cannon and target may prevent the cannon from shooting your target.

Breaking/Decay/Death

Once a cannon has been continually set up for 25 minutes, a message will appear that the cannon has broken (regardless of how many cannonballs have been fired), and the cannon will stop firing. Players can simply click on the cannon to repair it and restore functionality.

If an additional 10 minutes pass without repairing the cannon, it will disappear. Cannons that disappear may be re-obtained for free from Nulodion via the dialogue option "I've lost my cannon", even if the cannon was originally bought from another player. Replaced cannons come loaded with cannonballs equal to the amount loaded in the cannon when the cannon disappeared.

Otherwise, cannons will remain set up until the player retrieves it. Even if the player switches worlds, it will remain where it was on the previous world until returning to pick it up or until 35 minutes have passed and decay occurs. If a player dies, even to another player in the wilderness, the cannon will remain in place and can be safely reclaimed after it has decayed.

Most bosses, such as the King Black Dragon, destroy cannons set up near them. Cannons destroyed this way can still be reclaimed from Nulodion at no cost.

Prohibited areas

Within the following areas, a cannon cannot be placed down. A message will often appear in the player's chatbox explaining why it cannot be done. A non-exhaustive list of these prohibited areas are:

  • Abyssal Area - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Abyssal Nexus - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Ancient Cavern - It's far too damp for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Ancient Guthixian Temple - A strange magical force won't let you set up a cannon here
  • Ancient Prison - An ancient power won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Barbarian Assault
  • Black Knights' Fortress (in and around) - It is not permitted to set up a cannon this close to the Dwarf Black Guard.
  • Brutus arena - It's far too muddy for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Bryophyta's lair - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Callisto's Den - It doesn't seem safe to set up a cannon here.
  • Catacombs of Kourend - An ancient power won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Castle Wars
  • Cerberus' Lair - Your cannon would melt if you set it up here.
  • Chambers of Xeric - An ancient power won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Clan Hall - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Dwarven Mine - The dwarves won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Enchanted Valley - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Entrana
  • Feldip Hills jungle hunter area - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Fight Arena interior - The dwarves won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Forthos Dungeon - A mysterious presence won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Fossil Island bank chest island - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Fremennik Slayer Dungeon - The air is too dank for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Near Gilbert, south-east of Barbarian Village - A colourful magical force won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Gemstone Crab's current location - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Grand Exchange - The Grand Exchange staff prefer not to have heavy artillery operated around their premises.
  • Hair of the Dog - Roavar won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Hespori - It's far too damp down here to set up a cannon.
  • Ice Mountain (except on the western tiles of the mountain) - The dwarves won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Jiggig - The ogres won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Jiggig Dungeon - The ground is too soft for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Jormungand's Prison basilisk areas - The ground is too soft for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Karuulm Slayer Dungeon (wyrm and Alchemical Hydra areas) - The electricity bursting through this part of the cavern would render the cannon useless.
  • Killerwatt Plane - The electricity is too powerful for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Kraken Cove
  • Lair of Tarn Razorlor - This temple is ancient and would probably collapse if you started firing a cannon.
  • Lizardman Caves - The ground is too marshy here.
  • Lizardman Temple - This ancient structure is too unstable to handle the idea of a cannon firing at its walls.
  • Mogre Camp - It's just a little too damp for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Nightmare Zone - Dominic won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Ourania Cave bank area - Eniola won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Pest Control - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Player-owned houses - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Realm of Memories - The creatures of this realm are neither truly canonical nor cannonable. (during the 20th Anniversary event); The archaic atmosphere won't let you set up a cannon here. (during the 25th Anniversary event)
  • Red chinchompa hunting ground - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Revenant Caves - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Ruins of Tapoyauik (including Doom of Mokhaiotl) - An ancient magical force won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Sailing boats - The boat is too damp and unstable for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Scabaras Dungeon
  • Scurrius' Lair - It's far too damp for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Sorceress's Garden - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Mort'ton and Shades of Mort'ton (you can however set up a cannon in the Shade catacombs, but beware of the fact that the shades heal themselves to full health if they are not in combat anymore) - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Shellbane Gryphon Cave - The ground is too unstable to set up a cannon here.
  • Silk Chasm - It doesn't seem safe to set up a cannon here.
  • Slayer Tower - A strange magical force won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Smoke Dungeon (task-only area) - Dusty Aliv won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Theatre of Blood - The vampyres won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Tombs of Amascut - An ancient power won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Tonali Cavern - An ancient magical force won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Tower of Magic (during quest only)
  • Mor Ul Rek, TzHaar Fight Cave and TzHaar Fight Pit - The TzHaar won't be happy if you set up a cannon here.
  • Ungael (Vorkath area) - The intense cold threatens to crack the metal of your cannon. You probably shouldn't put it down here.
  • Uzer Mastaba - An ancient magical force won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Vanstrom Klause (Boss fight area in the Sins of the Father quest) - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Vet'ion's Rest - It doesn't seem safe to set up a cannon here.
  • Water mill cellar (Death to the Dorgeshuun area) - It is too damp for the cannon to function here.
  • Warriors' Guild - You can't set up a cannon here.
  • Wintertodt - It's far too cold for you to set up a cannon here.
  • Wyvern Cave - Fungi start eating into the legs of your cannon; you quickly decide not to set it up here.
  • Zemouregal's Base - A strange magical force won't let you set up a cannon here.
  • Zulrah's Shrine - It's far too damp for you to set up a cannon here.

In other locations, the cannon may be set up but may be destroyed by an NPC almost instantly, or is almost useless due to limitations:

  • Certain quest bosses: For example, the Giant Roc will destroy a cannon if the player sets it up within its attack range
  • The Kalphite Queen, King Black Dragon, Thermonuclear smoke devil, and inhabitants of the God Wars Dungeon may also destroy a cannon if a player attempts to use it
  • Demonic gorillas, immune to cannon damage
  • Emir's Arena, it can be set up, though it will not fire on players and may be lost if not picked up
  • Sand crabs and Ammonite crabs will not be targeted at all, as it would disrupt other players training.
  • Iorwerth Dungeon in the kurask area because they are immune to cannon damage

Usage

Cannons are commonly used by players training Slayer to speed up tasks. With the average price of cannonballs, the use of a cannon is often considered to be quite expensive. However, the cost is often considered to be justified by the bonuses of using a cannon. A player doing a Slayer task can melee almost the entire time getting nearly as much Melee experience as they would without using a cannon. The cannon will also attack several targets even in a single-way combat area as long as the player is not under attack (e.g. in a safespot).

Players should be diligent when using a cannon in multicombat areas, as the cannon can attract large numbers of monsters to attack the player, and continual reloading of the cannon will likely be required due to the number of cannonballs used.

Outside of Slayer, using the cannon can speed up kills on lizardman shamans and Wilderness bosses. Ironman mode accounts may also find it useful when taking on Corporeal Beast, as the dark energy core will not return for the rest of the kill if the cannon kills it while it is midair. Players may also use a cannon to obtain champion's scrolls faster, one of which is required to obtain a music cape, while players that complete the full champions' challenge are awarded with a champion's cape.

Common cannon spots

  • Generally, players prefer to use their cannons in multicombat areas, due to the mechanics of the cannon. If the player can safespot the monsters they are attacking, they can treat single combat areas as multicombat areas for the cannon, but if the player is actively being attacked in a single combat area the cannon will only fire at the NPC the player is currently fighting.
  • Green dragons in the Wilderness is a common cannon area, as they yield significant profit. Once the cannon is placed, the only risks are losing the cannonballs the player has brought, as the cannon can be recovered from Nulodion without further risk.
  • The Combat Training Camp is the most common low risk spot for cannoning, but is significantly busier than other common spots. Players set their cannon up facing the caged Ogres, and are free to do other tasks like Fletching as they cannot be damaged. These spots are extremely hard to get at peak hours, as players generally will stay at these spots for hours to train ranged and other skills simultaneously.
  • Hill Giants in the Edgeville Dungeon are a less common target, due to the lack of rare drops other than the Giant key. They can be easily safespotted, and have a large amount of health, allowing the cannon to hit hard enough per cannonball to justify training here. Moss giants are also common cannon targets.
  • Rock Crabs are a very common cannon target, due to their low attack and the multicombat areas they inhabit. Sand Crabs cannot be targeted by cannons and as such are not suitable for cannon training.

Ornament kit

The ornamented cannon in operation

The cannon parts can be ornamented using the shattered cannon ornament kit which converts it into a cannon resembling one from RuneScape Classic. All four parts must be ornamented to allow the cannon to actually be set up; ornamented and non-ornamented parts cannot be mixed and matched. If any number of pieces are lost, they will be returned in their ornamented state.

Comparison between other ranged weapons

Ranged weapons comparison table [
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Name Ranged level required Ranged attack Ranged strength
(Max ammo)
Price Notes
Twisted bow Ranged 85 +70 +20
(+80)
1,382,643,871
  • Has a passive effect where the higher the target's Magic level or Magic attack bonus is, the more accurate and damaging it becomes.
  • Against high magic levels, it is usually the strongest ranged weapon in the game.
  • Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon.
  • Has the maximum attack range of 10.
  • Attack speed of 5 ticks on rapid.
Zaryte crossbow Ranged 80 +110 (+122) 353,031,031
  • The strongest crossbow in the game.
  • Has a special attack which provides double accuracy on the next shot and guarantees the special effect of any enchanted bolts used if it hits, costing 75% special attack energy.
  • Its passive effect strengthens the effects of enchanted bolts by 10%.
  • Can fire up to dragon bolts.
Bow of Faerdhinen Ranged 80 +128 +106 104,646,292
  • Has the highest ranged bonus of any ranged weapon, including a +106 Ranged Strength bonus.
  • Receives significant damage and accuracy bonuses if worn alongside pieces of crystal armour.
  • When created, the bow starts off at 10,000 charges and degrades.
  • The bow can be upgraded to the Bow of Faerdhinen (c) for 2,000 crystal shards to stop it from degrading - usage contributes to this cost.
  • Has the maximum attack range of 10.
Venator bow Ranged 80 +90 +25
(+85)
62,574,940
  • Has a passive effect when charged with ancient essence that allows arrows to ricochet to nearby targets when in a multicombat area.
  • Poor single target performance but excels in multicombat.
  • Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon.
  • Has an attack speed of 4 ticks on rapid, between that of a shortbow and a longbow.
Scorching bow Ranged 77 +124 +40
(+100)
39,375,238[n 1]
  • Untradeable; created from a tormented synapse and magic longbow (u) with 74 Fletching.
  • Has a passive effect that increases accuracy and damage by 30% against demons, making it incredibly strong against them.
  • Offers a special attack that binds demonic creatures in place for 20 ticks (12 seconds) and deals burn damage.
  • With an innate 40 strength bonus, it performs decently well against non-demonic targets.
  • Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon.
  • Has the maximum attack range of 10.
Toxic blowpipe Ranged 75 +30 +20
(+55)
10,552,927
  • The strongest blowpipe, with an innate ranged strength of 20.
  • Relatively weak accuracy but fast, high damage, making it great against low defence targets.
  • Requires Zulrah's scales and any unpoisoned darts to charge.
  • Ranged strength bonus stacks with the darts that are used to charge the blowpipe (up to +55 ranged strength with dragon darts).
  • Offers a special attack where accuracy is increased by 100% and damage is increased by 50%, and heals the user by half of the damage dealt. Costs 50% special attack energy.
  • Has 25% chance per shot to inflict venom on an opponent.
  • Has an attack speed of 2 ticks on rapid (non-pvp; 3 ticks in pvp).
Heavy ballista Ranged 75 +125 +15
(+165)
993,822
  • Has the second highest ranged bonus of any ranged weapon, including a +15 Ranged Strength bonus.
  • Slow-firing but very high damage, with low average DPS, but good KO potential.
  • Only accepts javelins as ammunition.
  • Offers a special attack which increases accuracy and damage by 25% each for one shot. Costs 65% special attack energy.
  • Requires completion of Monkey Madness II to equip.
Eclipse atlatl Ranged 75 +87 +40 (Melee) 661,594
  • Uniquely uses the player's melee strength bonuses when determining the amount of ranged damage dealt to a target. The max hit is based off of visible boosts to melee stats (eg. super combat potion) and ranged boosting prayers (eg. Rigour).
  • Only accepts atlatl darts as ammunition.
  • If worn with the rest of the eclipse moon armour set, it offers a set effect which has a 20% chance to inflict a stackable burn effect on the targets.
  • Offers a special attack which consumes the remaining burn effect in exchange for increasing the player's minimum and maximum hit. Costs 50% special attack energy.
Armadyl crossbow Ranged 70 +100 (+122) 33,985,694
  • Offers a special attack where the player's accuracy and enchanted bolts activation chance for that shot is doubled. Costs 50% special attack energy.
  • Along with the Zaryte crossbow, has a slightly longer attack range than other crossbows.
  • Can fire up to dragon bolts.
Dragon hunter crossbow Ranged 70 +95 (+122) 30,895,831
  • Similar base stats to the Armadyl and dragon crossbows.
  • Increases accuracy and damage by 30% and 25% respectively when fighting draconic creatures.
  • Can fire up to dragon bolts.
Crystal bow Ranged 70 +100 +78 494,813[n 2]
  • Does not use ammunition, instead uses charges, provided either with crystal shards or by purchase for GP.
  • Available as a quest reward and becomes cheaper to charge with usage.
  • Has an attack speed of 4 ticks on rapid, between that of a shortbow and a crossbow.
  • Has the maximum attack range of 10.
  • Receives noticeable damage and accuracy bonuses if worn alongside pieces of crystal armour.
Webweaver bow Ranged 70 +85 +65 14,584,324
  • Upgraded version of the Craw's bow, which requires the fangs of Venenatis to create.
  • Must be charged with revenant ether to be fired, and does not require ammo, similar to the crystal bow.
  • While charged, an additional 50% ranged accuracy and damage boost is applied when attacking any NPC in the Wilderness. This effect will stack with a Slayer helmet or a Salve amulet, making it the strongest ranged weapon in the Wilderness.
  • Has a special attack that hits an enemy four times in succession with increased accuracy, each dealing up to 40% of the player's max hit, along with a chance to inflict poison, starting at 4 damage. Costs 50% special attack energy.
Karil's crossbow Ranged 70 +84 (+55) 97,580
  • One of the fastest crossbows, together with the hunters' crossbow.
  • Can only fire bolt racks, which cannot be retrieved by an Ava's device.
  • If worn with the rest of Karil the Tainted's equipment, it offers a set effect which lowers the target's Agility level (only works on players).
  • Wearing an Amulet of the Damned together with the whole equipment set grants a 25% chance for an attack to hit twice, in which case the second hit will inflict half the damage of the first.
  • Like all Barrows equipment, it degrades and will fully degrade after 15 hours of combat. It is repairable.
Hunters' sunlight crossbow Ranged 66
Hunter 50
+79 (+60) 5,021
  • Significantly cheaper than other options while still being quite strong, especially against lower-defence targets.
  • Unlike most crossbows, it has an attack speed of 3 on rapid, making it comparable to a Magic shortbow (i) but with a slightly higher range (8 tiles) and accuracy, along with being one-handed.
  • It is also easier to obtain for Ironmen, requiring Fletching 74 Fletching to make. However, Ironmen can only obtain the ammunition via Hunter.
  • Uses Sunlight antler bolts or Moonlight antler bolts as ammunition, giving +55 and +60 ranged strength which are equivalent to Amethyst arrows and Dragon arrows, respectively.
Dragon crossbow Ranged 64 +94 (+122) 506,467
  • Has similar base stats to Armadyl and Dragon Hunter crossbows, while being markedly cheaper.
  • Offers a special attack where the player can hit any target in a 3x3 area, while in a multicombat area, making it one of three range weapons that can hit multiple targets. Costs 60% special attack energy.
  • Can fire up to dragon bolts.
Rune crossbow Ranged 61 +90 (+115) 9,273
  • Considerably cheaper than dragon-bolt firing crossbows, but of course weaker.
  • Good low-budget option for higher defence/HP enemies, compared to a Magic shortbow (i).
  • Can fire up to runite bolts.
Craw's bow Ranged 60 +75 +60 14,378,389
  • Must be charged with revenant ether to be fired, and does not require ammo, similar to the crystal bow.
  • While charged, an additional 50% ranged accuracy and damage boost is applied when attacking any NPC in the Wilderness. This effect will stack with a Slayer helmet or a Salve amulet and their variants. This makes it the second strongest ranged weapon in the Wilderness.
  • Shares the same bonuses as the magic shortbow (i) with the ranged strength of dragon arrows.
Dark bow Ranged 60 +95 (+60) 562,658
  • Has the ability to shoot two arrows at a time.
  • The slowest weapon in the game, with an attack speed of 8 ticks on rapid - at 4 ticks per arrow, this makes it worse than other bows for raw DPS, but has much stronger KO potential.
  • Offers a powerful special attack, which if used with dragon arrows increases damage dealt by 50% with a minimum hit of 8 (30% with any other arrow type with a minimum. hit of 5). Costs 55% special attack energy.
Magic shortbow Ranged 50 +69 (+55) 766
  • Remarkably cheap, even when imbued.
  • Weaker accuracy than the rune crossbow but the fast firing makes it good budget DPS.
  • The only shortbow to offer a special attack, which fires 2 shots in rapid succession but with reduced accuracy. Costs 55% special attack energy.
  • Can be imbued with a magic shortbow scroll, increasing its ranged attack bonus to +75 and lowering the special attack cost to 50%.
  • Can fire up to amethyst arrows.
Magic shortbow (i) +75 48,789
Magic comp bow Ranged 50 +71 (+55) 1,124
  • The only composite bow to offer a special attack, which is guaranteed to hit the target but is not boosted by damage-boosting prayers or the Slayer helmet (i). Costs 35% special attack energy. Shares this special attack with the magic longbow.
  • Is slightly more accurate than the magic longbow and 1 tick faster (1 tick slower than the shortbow), while keeping the same attack range of the longbow.
Seercull Ranged 50 +69 (+55) 44,298
  • Has slightly less accuracy but otherwise identical stats to the magic comp bow.
  • Has a special attack that targets mages by lowering their Magic level, costing 100% special attack energy.
Magic longbow Ranged 50 +69 (+55) 1,150
  • The only longbow to offer a special attack, which is guaranteed to hit the target but is not boosted by damage-boosting prayers or the Slayer helmet (i). Costs 35% special attack energy. Shares this special attack with the magic comp bow.
  • Like all longbows, is 2 ticks slower than the magic shortbow, in exchange for 3 additional attack range.
  • Unlike the magic shortbow, cannot be imbued.
Adamant crossbow Ranged 46 +78 (+100) 896
  • Similar to the rune crossbow with slightly less ranged accuracy.
  • Can fire up to adamant bolts.
Chinchompas Ranged 45
(Grey)
+45 N/A Varies[n 3]
  • One of the four ranged weapons that offers the ability to hit more than one opponent at a time (similar to burst or barrage Ancient Magicks), the others being the special attack of the dragon crossbow (with a similar attack), the rune thrownaxe (with a ricochet special type attack), and the Venator bow with a passive ricochet attack.
  • Excels against multiple close-together targets, where at least one has a low defence.
  • Regarded to be the best way of training Ranged, but at a very high cost.
  • Has an attack speed of 3 ticks on rapid/medium fuse.
Ranged 55
(Red)
+70 +15
Ranged 65
(Black)
+80 +30


Salamanders Attack Ranged Magic 30
(Green)
+20 (+16) 102
  • Unique and versatile two-handed weapons that facilitate the use of all three combat styles.
  • Notably lower DPS than other options.
Attack Ranged Magic 50
(Orange)
+29 (+22) 156
Attack Ranged Magic 60
(Red)
+47 (+31) 40
Attack Ranged Magic 70
(Black)
+69 (+49) 330
Attack Ranged Magic 80
(Tecu)
+87 (+60) 393,893
Dorgeshuun crossbow Ranged 28 +42 (+49) 2,439
  • Is one tick faster than most other crossbows and it is able to fire bone bolts, which are significantly cheaper than most other ammunition of similar strength.
  • Popular for low-cost ranged training.
Shortbows Ranged 40
(Yew)
+47 (+49) 367
  • Offer slightly less damage output than using rune knives, but are a lot cheaper.
Darts Ranged 30
(Adamant)
N/A +17 Varies[n 3]
  • Are cheap, deal decent damage and are easy to buy from the Grand Exchange.
  • Adamant darts have comparable damage output to using a shortbow with rune arrows, so players should use whichever is cheaper.


Dwarf multicannon N/A N/A N/A 744,794
  • Can be set up and used alongside other weapons for passive Ranged damage and experience.
  • Cannot be set up in all areas.
  • Has a static max hit of 30 with steel cannonballs and 35 with granite cannonballs.
  • Derives accuracy from player's current attack style (Ranged while ranging, Melee while meleeing, and whichever is higher with powered staves) while rolling against the target's heavy Ranged defence.
  1. ^ Untradeable; cost is of the tormented synapse and magic longbow (u) required to craft it.
  2. ^ Cost of having Ilfeen charge a crystal weapon seed after obtaining minimum cost.
  3. ^ 3.0 3.1 Cost of thrown weapons is only that of the ammo.

Changes

Date Changes
23 April 2026
(Update)

Buying more cannon parts from Nulodion no longer prevents you from picking up a cannon that you'd already set up.

18 March 2026
(Update)
  • The dwarf multicannon no longer fires at sea creatures.
  • Fixed an issue where attempting to assemble a dwarf multicannon without all the required parts could incorrectly display a message stating that your cannon had decayed and should be reclaimed from Nulodion.
20 November 2025
Hotfix

The dwarf multicannon was re-enabled when fighting sea creatures, with it now dealing lower damage than normal against them.

19 November 2025
Hotfix

The dwarf multicannon has been temporarily disabled when fighting sea creatures.

24 September 2025
(Update)
  • There is now a "Load X" option when adding cannonballs into the cannon allowing players to add a custom amount.
  • The amount of cannonballs added by the "Load X" option can be set in the settings menu.
29 May 2024
(Update)

The cannon now uses the Heavy Ranged attack type.

12 July 2023
(Update)

The cannon will also now automatically decay if a Forestry event spawns where it is placed.

30 November 2022
(Update)
  • The cannon can now hold 35, 45, and 60 cannonballs after completing the respective combat achievements: medium, hard, and elite.
  • The cannon can no longer be set up on Fossil Island's small island with the bank chest.
4 April 2019
(Update)

Firing a cannon with an extremely low accuracy bonus will now have a chance to deal 1 point of damage instead of hitting 0.

31 March 2016
(Update)

Cannons can no longer be set up in the Blast furnace.

24 March 2016
(Update | poll)

Cannons which decay no longer suddenly disappear. Instead, they are now given a repair option which allows you to reset your cannon timer without having to pick it up and put it back down!

24 September 2015
(Update)

The cannon should no longer produce the message "Someone else is fighting that".

10 September 2015
(Update)

NPC's will no longer sometimes turn invisible on the south-west tile of a Dwarf Cannon.

20 August 2015
(Update)

The dwarf cannon now checks ownership correctly when firing.

11 June 2015
(Update)
  • You can no longer place a cannon by the start of the Seers' agility course.
  • Fixed an issue with prayer draining and the cannon.
23 April 2015
(Update)

Fixed a no interface fake log (NIFL) bug where by setting up your cannon, hopping worlds, reclaiming your cannon and setting it up in the same spot you set up the previous cannon could allow a fake logout to be performed, resulting in the player entering an untargetable state where both monsters and players could not attack you.

15 January 2015
(Update)

The cannon no longer works on the Mage Arena mages and Kolodion.

20 November 2014
(Update)

Nulodion will now return your cannon if someone else has one setup on the same tile where yours decayed.

26 June 2014
(Update)

The dwarf multicannon no longer always hits zero when wielding a trident of the seas.

15 May 2014
(Update)

Cannons can no longer be set up on PvP worlds due to griefing issues.

1 May 2014
(Update)

Cannons can no longer be setup within the Party room and can now be placed where the Party room used to be.

20 February 2014
(Update | poll)

Left-clicking on your cannon will now let you reload it, even if it isn't currently firing.

3 October 2013
(Update)

The message notifying you that your cannon has decayed no longer appears five minutes too early.

11 July 2013
(Update | poll)

The dwarf multicannon can now be constructed and reloaded with a single click, instead of requiring you to use items on it repeatedly. Also, its decay warning message has been made more visible.

4 April 2013
(Update)

The cannon ownership system has been improved to be more robust.

Trivia

  • The only ammunition for cannons that players can use is cannonballs made from steel and granite. However, Dondakan from the quest Between a Rock... fires adamant, rune, and gold cannonballs from his cannon.
  • If the cannon is fired in a single-combat area the chat will say, "I'm currently under attack" along with an occasional, "Someone else is fighting that" depending on the combat status of the player-character.
  • If a player drops the components of the cannon set, they will discover that the items are 1x1 size, despite the cannon being 3x3.
  • The cannon may sometimes shoot through walls.
  • Despite being called a multicannon, it only has one barrel to fire cannonballs. The name comes from the dwarf cannon in RuneScape Classic, which had 8 barrels and would fire in all directions instead of spinning.

References

  1. ^ Bitterkoekje. "Combat Formulas." 10 March 2015. Old School RuneScape Forums.
  2. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 17 April 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Mod Ash: "Yes, it would help."
  3. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash on Discord. 3 September 2025. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Mod Ash: "[@JagexAsh does the crystal armour + bowfa accuracy boost get applied to the cannon accuracy roll? and while you're checking maybe you could just send the formula? 😉] Yes, increasing your effective accuracy by (5 x C)% where C is your crystal armour bonus. A helm adds +1 to that, body armour adds +3 and legs add +2."
  4. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 22 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Mod Ash: "[If it's calculating accuracy from your slash bonus, for instance, will rigour help there or would you want to be using piety?] Piety, as it's looking at a melee accuracy rather than a ranged accuracy."
  5. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 15 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Mod Ash: "That one picks a plausible melee/ranged accuracy based on whether your Attack or Ranged is higher."
  6. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 15 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Mod Ash: "If you have a melee weapon equipped, it looks at your melee accuracy. Autocasting is irrelevant."
  7. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 1 June 2024. Archived from the original on 7 April 2026. Mod Ash: "[With the new combat update, what type of ranged ammo are cannonballs?] It uses the heavy ranged defence."
  8. ^ Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 22 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Mod Ash: "Yes, boosts that apply to any target will help with the cannon. The boosts that tend not to help are the target-specific ones, e.g. boosts that require the target to be undead or require it to be your Slayer assignment."

Sources & credits

“Dwarf multicannon” by Old School RuneScape Wiki contributors, revision 15356213. Text adapted under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; adapted text is shared under the same license. Formatting and navigation changed; Wiki scripts and editing controls omitted. Game imagery © Jagex Ltd. Imported image-file descriptions retain their own credits and licensing statements.

Original source address: https://oldschool.runescape.wiki/w/Dwarf_multicannon?oldid=15356213

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