The arrival of the Noxious Halberd in Old School RuneScape has completely reshaped how melee combat is used in PvM. As a tier 80 halberd, it doesn’t just compete with ranged and magic setups—it actively challenges them in content where melee was previously impractical or outright impossible.

The reason is simple: halberds can attack from two tiles away, allowing players to safely hit bosses that normally force distance-based combat. With the Noxious Halberd’s massive strength bonuses and venom effects, melee suddenly becomes viable—and sometimes even optimal—where it never was before.

To test its true potential, this challenge follows a bold goal: start with the Noxious Halberd, make as much GP as possible in 10 hours, then attempt a full Theatre of Blood raid using only the gear earned.

The Weapon That Changes Everything

The Noxious Halberd comes packed with impressive stats. It offers a 142 melee strength bonus, 80 stab attack, and 132 slash attack, along with its defining feature: a two-tile melee range. It also applies venom, making it one of the few melee weapons that adds damage-over-time pressure in PvM.

Most of the time, players will use it on slash stance, where its damage output is strongest.

It also includes a special attack called Virulence, which converts poison into a stronger attack. However, this is rarely practical in real gameplay since content that allows venom usually also requires anti-poison or anti-venom.

Still, the real power of the weapon isn’t the special attack—it’s the combination of range and melee damage that breaks traditional combat limitations.

Phase 1: Zombie Pirates – Early GP Explosion

The run begins at Zombie Pirates in the Wilderness, one of the fastest early-game money-making spots available.

The strategy is straightforward: use Protect from Magic, abuse the Wilderness altar for infinite prayer, and take advantage of the halberd’s two-tile range to safely safespot enemies.

This area quickly becomes a chaotic but profitable starting point, especially due to Zombie Pirate Keys, which add extra RNG-based loot potential.

Even within the first 10–15 minutes, early upgrades start rolling in—rune weapons, helmets, and adamant armor pieces. After roughly an hour, the total profit surpasses 1 million cheap OSRS gold.

Early Upgrade Power Spike

Once a small cash stack is built, early reinvestment drastically improves efficiency.

Key upgrades include strength-boosting armor pieces, basic melee gloves, and low-cost but impactful items like an Infernal Cape. These upgrades push strength bonuses past 150+, noticeably increasing kill speed.

At this stage, the Noxious Halberd already feels far stronger than expected for its price range.

Phase 2: Vorkath – Consistent High-Value Farming

Next comes Vorkath, one of the most reliable bosses in Old School RuneScape for consistent GP generation.

Its appeal lies in guaranteed valuable drops such as superior dragon bones, alongside an average loot value of around 161k per kill. It also synergizes well with undead bonuses.

Gear adjustments are made to optimize efficiency, including a Salve amulet (e) for increased undead damage, a Slayer staff for utility, dragon boots for upgrades, and a bone dagger for defense reduction.

Even with limited melee experience at Vorkath, the halberd performs well thanks to its reach advantage, allowing safer positioning and consistent damage output.

Profits quickly scale into the millions, funding further boss progression.

Phase 3: Desert Treasure II Bosses

With stronger gear secured, the challenge moves into higher-tier PvM content, including Vardorvis, Duke Sucellus, and other Desert Treasure II encounters.

These bosses demand mechanics awareness and strong DPS, but the Noxious Halberd continues to perform impressively.

Vardorvis – Bleed and Burst Damage

The halberd shines here due to its ability to maintain uptime during low-defense phases. Its bleed synergy and high burst damage allow for efficient kills even without perfect execution.

Drops like Awakener’s Orbs and dragon gear further boost progression.

Duke Sucellus – Fast Kill Potential

Recent quality-of-life updates allow stacked preparation phases, making Duke fights more efficient. The halberd’s venom and ranged melee reach ensure constant damage uptime.

One standout result is a sub-60-second kill, demonstrating how powerful melee has become in this setup.

Phase 4: Soulreaper – Unexpected Efficiency

Soulreaper-style encounters become one of the biggest surprises of the challenge.

With the halberd, kill times drop to around one minute or less, and multi-kill trips become highly efficient. Despite minimal optimization, the weapon delivers consistent high-value loot per run.

At this stage, it’s clear the halberd is no longer just viable—it’s genuinely competitive.

Final Phase: Theatre of Blood Preparation

After 10 hours of grinding, total wealth reaches approximately 17 million GP, with around 14.4 million in liquid cash available for upgrades.

Final gear setups are assembled for all combat styles:

Melee uses the Noxious Halberd with Elite Void, Infernal Cape, Fury Amulet, and Dragon Boots.

Ranged is built around a blowpipe setup.

Magic uses a Trident setup with Void mage gear.

With preparations complete, the ultimate test begins: the Theatre of Blood.

Theatre of Blood – First-Time Chaos

Despite limited experience, the raid team pushes through. The halberd contributes heavily during melee phases, and even early mistakes are offset by team coordination.

The run is messy but successful, ending with a valuable, unique drop that includes a Verac’s Defender split worth millions.

Final Thoughts

The Noxious Halberd doesn’t just improve melee—it fundamentally changes where melee can be used in Old School RuneScape PvM.

Across the 10-hour challenge, it enabled:

Strong early-game OSRS gold generation

Efficient mid-game bossing

Viable late-game raid preparation

Its two-tile reach, venom application, and high strength scaling allow it to compete in content where melee once struggled.

In practice, the weapon doesn’t just fit into the meta—it actively bends it.