Skip to content

Fortis Colosseum

This article is compiled from the videos of GnomonkeyRS. It records what Gnomonkey said, with sources, not verified game fact. See About.

Fortis Colosseum

Fortis Colosseum

Type Activity
Videos 25 (first 2023-11-06, latest 2026-06-25)
Main source Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS)

The Fortis Colosseum is the wave-based Varlamore combat encounter that Gnomonkey describes as the "Blue Inferno"1. He held its world record in 2024, wrote a series of guides on it, and regards it as an excellent, fast-paced encounter and a strong money-maker, while repeatedly criticising its rewards and invocation RNG.

Overview

  • Announced as a shorter wave-based encounter than the Inferno, paying out both GP and untradable unlocks1. The Blue Inferno was sold as a 12-wave encounter, with waves 9 through 12 aimed at players capable of obtaining an Infernal cape1. Gnomonkey says the last boss, Sol Heredit, fight is Inferno mixed with Tombs of Amascut2.
  • Each wave rolls a modifier that buffs enemies, debuffs the player or modifies terrain, and enemies stack through the whole encounter1. See Colosseum invocations.
  • Endless mode lets the player re-run every wave with all accumulated modifiers plus new ones, with the reward being Glory34. Per the announcement blog Glory is not a currency but a representation of personal best performance, higher for finishing faster with fewer mistakes, and untradeable rewards need a Glory threshold54. In March 2024 he said he did not know exactly how Glory works and thought it also depends on wave speed6.
  • The Colosseum came out on March 20th, 2024, the last high-level update before the Doom of Mokhaiotl, roughly ten months before January 20257.
  • Gnomonkey likes that it feels like being dropped in at around Inferno wave 50: fast paced, short and unique, though without the Inferno's chip damage through prayer8. He says it has unique monster design and an excellent boss encounter9.

Waves and enemies

  • Spawns arrive roughly every 30 to 40 seconds through the gate10. After exactly 40 seconds (40.2 seconds according to the plugin timer) reinforcements spawn from whichever of two gates is closest, so every spawn has reinforcements and there is time pressure111213. From wave 6 onward shockwave colossi appear and the reinforcements then include a Minotaur14. There is a delay at the start of each wave to turn prayer on15.
  • Javelin colossi / Fremennik: throw a javelin every five attacks that falls from the air, cannot be prayed against, and hits very hard1617. Shockwave colossi also throw a spear every five attacks, hitting for about what they would off prayer but guaranteed18.
  • Jaguars: standard melee with three hit splats of max 47, which Gnomonkey says can kill in one hit19.
  • Manticores: attack tick after tick in the order mage, range, melee from the tick they see the player; flicking them is a major skill20. They do not always keep the same attack style21.
  • Shamans / Minotaurs: shamans stop moving on seeing the player (mage block), Minotaurs keep moving22. The shaman has a ten-tile range and the shockwave colossus fifteen23. A Colossus always hits harder than a Shaman, though the Shaman is more likely to be tanked24.
  • Minotaur healing: it has a five-tick melee and heals any damaged target in its line of sight that was not attacked, by his estimate over about 25% of the target's health25; in April 2024 he estimated a heal cap of about 20 percent, so chipping each target avoids healing26.
  • Sol Heredit: 800 ranged and mage defence, weak only to slash, so the Scythe of Vitur is a must27. Equal defence on everything except stab being worse than slash28. It teleports the player to the arena centre, so everything should be picked up and special attack should be full beforehand29. Double-hammering saves about 11 seconds if the spec lands30.
  • Hardest waves: wave 6 is where learners die most22, wave 11 is the hardest with two manticores, a javelin and a shockwave colossus31. In March 2025 he said wave 8 is the hardest and wave 11 very dangerous32; in December 2025 (pillarless) he called wave 8 and wave 11 by far the two hardest33. See Pillarless Colosseum.

Strategy

Setup and gear

  • Recommended first-run setup (March 2024): max melee, with a mace and Ellie34; roughly seven brews and as many restores35. Used 4-way Shadow to one-shot the melee Fremennik and a Webweaver bow to 2-shot the mage, SGS specs on the ranger (specs count as max hits), a mace for small targets, and thralls with soul runes for Death Charge to keep SGS specs up2736.
  • Budget (March 2024): about 180 million gp, which he calls the minimum he would recommend; he suggests grinding GP rather than learning in worse gear3738. A Shadow is not needed; the scythe is 30 percent better than the whip2839. Without the scythe, a tent whip run is about 30% worse40.
  • Updated (June 2024): after the Soulreaper axe spec changes it is within 10% of Scythe; the suggested budget setup swaps the Tent Whip for the axe, adding a Sanguinesti staff, a hammer, an SGS for specs and an Attle weapon that two-shots the Mage41. The hammer can be skipped with the staff but is worth bringing; an Elder maul is better if owned42. Runes: death, fire, soul and cosmic, with Arceuus spells and blood runes pulled from the staff43. See also Fortis Colosseum setup.

Pillars and positioning

  • March 2024: the only useful tiles are the two B5 tiles44; standing between the two key green tiles prevents close spawns, and he preferred the South pillar start because a melee enemy exiting that side gets corner-trapped4546.
  • July 2024 (updated guide): the guide is titled the SW Pillar Master Guide, and he says he sees a lot of misinformation about which pillar is best47. Spawn points within about five tiles are blocked; the B5 tile is named after a Reddit user and G5 after himself, which opens one far spawn, blocks only two and puts him behind the pillar instantly484950. Tile markers were shared via a chat command47. See Fortis Colosseum pillars.
  • Spawn manipulation forces spawns toward the middle51; if patched, he says invocations would need rebalancing51. See Spawn manipulation.

Tips

  • Start each wave from the same tile, kill the Berserker first, then the lowest-HP target to flick less; do not ignore the Shockwave Colossus (~120 health, hits around 50s)525354.
  • Off-ticking makes waves easier but is rarely used, and on wave 11 he stays at the bottom of the pillar rather than rotating when the off-tick is obvious55. On pillarless wave 11 he went to the bottom corner so the shockwave goes around the manticore56.
  • Take Blasphemy first among invocations; otherwise take or finish an invocation already offered, which removes it from the pool5758. Without Blasphemy early there is less flicking59.
  • Divine before the end of a wave to get Blood Fury health back60. The Saradomin godsword spec meter is not shown, so check it18.
  • Do not panic after a mistake: put gear back and keep going61.

Speedrunning and records

Date Record
2024-03-22 World record claim, best time 26:22 (global best 26:22)27
2024-04-01 Video titled "16:10 WR"; wave two skip took 39 seconds, since reinforcements spawn at 40 seconds both targets must die before then62
  • Going for the record needs a wave two skip and a wave four skip62. Methods: off-ticking a mage to sync with the Manticore, starting on the dangerous side before reinforcements, killing the target next to the Minotaur spawn first, and keeping the archer alive to finish simultaneously63646566. See Fortis Colosseum speedrun.
  • The wave 1 clear takes about 15 seconds and guarantees 80 Sunfire splinters, making it common for bots67.

Rewards and profit

Rewards

  • Announced rewards: Dizana's Quiver, the Glaive of Ralos, Sunfire runes, Sunfire Fanatic armour and an Echo crystal for boots with recoil in a 3x3 area, all created or charged with Sunfire dust368.
  • Pre-release Gnomonkey found them lacking apart from the quiver and felt mid-tier prayer ranged armour was out of place69. In April 2024 he said all rewards aside from the quiver and the Colosseum cape are dead content70. Echo boots recoil one damage per hit splat taken per four ticks, about one-fifth as effective as a recoil ring71. He said the Glaive is outclassed by the Dragon warhammer and Bandos godsword except at Maiden and mega-scale Chambers, and its defence drain of 20 percent total should be higher72. Sunfire armour was called fashion scape, though good that it was obtainable in early waves73.
  • January-February 2025: he repeated that the rare drops are poor (the prayer armour is useless once obtained, the quiver amazing but untradeable, the Tonalztics of Ralos niche), Sunfire armour does not fit, and buff suggestions were ignored74757677. He thought Jagex was scared to give upgrades with the Colosseum but is much less scared now78.
  • He also asked Jagex to fix NPC hitboxes73 and criticised invocation RNG, wanting Relentless but being offered otherwise79. In March 2024 he called the system broken, with more resetting than playing due to Doom, Doom Scorpion and Totemic80.

Profit

Date Claim
2024-07-07 About 12 to 15 million GP per hour from splinter and quiver trade-ins plus occasional 10 million uniques81
2025-01-30 Three kills an hour is the best realistic rate; three quivers convert to 7.6 million in splinters plus about 6,000 splinters worth 3.7 million, so about half the profit is splinters82
2025-10-01 About 6m per hour, due to the low value of Sunfire splinters83
2026-01-23 A good run is at least a million, a really good one around two million, excluding quiver splinters worth about 500k; wave 10 loot of 75 onyx bolts is about 650k848586
  • Current position: the profit now estimated at about 6m per hour (October 2025), down from 12 to 15m per hour in July 2024. Earlier (January 2025) he said the splinter currency was the only thing that kept the Colosseum profitable87.

Order and who should do it

  • Gnomonkey would not recommend the Colosseum before the Inferno, because the Inferno cape is too good and each Colosseum death costs 500k8847. He considers them equal in difficulty on a beta world but the Colosseum harder in a normal world89. It is a higher-skill money-maker and the source of the best ranged cape, not for new players81.
  • He would not suggest grinding unless maxed or very comfortable81. Rushing it on his group hardcore ironman skips the Vorkath grind90; he completed it there and received the quiver91 and later did a Hardcore Ironman clear with 38k glory, rank 19 on the hardcore high scores92.

Other appearances

  • Group hardcore ironman: plan to rush with moons gear using all five lives, 75 Ranged needed for thralls939495. A wave 10 retry used a six-pillar rotation and Frailty on wave 119697.
  • Leagues 5: he could clear it depending on wave and invocation RNG98.
  • 2025-10-29: he used the Colosseum to get dragon arrows for the Doom of Mokhaiotl, and described a wave 11 plan99100101.
  • DMM Allstars (2026): he chose it for GP because it is basically safe102.

Revision history

Date Video Change
2026-06-25 PVM to PVP: My DMM Allstars Experience Added use as a safe GP source in DMM.
2026-01-23 Finally Trying PVP with Odablock Added current run values (about 1 to 2 million per run, 5% death chance).
2025-12-12 I Completed Colosseum WITHOUT Pillars Added pillarless wave difficulty ratings.
2025-10-29 RIP HCIM 6thBrother Added wave 11 plan and note on dragon arrows.
2025-10-01 Sunfire Splinters are NOT the Problem Updated profit to about 6m per hour (was 12 to 15m in 2024); added wave 1 splinter guarantee.
2025-03-21 Golden Gnome vs Sol Heredit Added HCIM clear (38k glory) and changed hardest wave to wave 8 / wave 11.
2025-02-04 VOTE NO to Varlamore Part 3 Added criticism of rewards and ignored buff suggestions.
2025-01-30 No Rewards and Dead Content Added reward criticism and splinter profit breakdown.
2025-01-09 New Inferno + Rewards Added comparison with Doom of Mokhaiotl rewards.
2024-11-28 World's First Sol + Echo Sol Added Leagues 5 notes.
2024-09-12 Extreme Hardcore Ironman Quiver Added hardcore ironman wave 10 and 11 approach.
2024-08-17 Journey to the Colosseum Added requirements for thralls.
2024-08-08 High Risk PvP Firecape on GHCIM Added group hardcore clear.
2024-07-30 Group Hardcore Ironman Big Dawgs V1 Added rush plan.
2024-07-26 Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide Changed pillar recommendation to SW / G5 tile (was South pillar start); added enemy mechanics and wave notes.
2024-07-07 Ultimate Account Building Guide Added profit estimate of 12 to 15m per hour.
2024-06-15 Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide Changed budget weapon to Soulreaper axe (was Tent Whip).
2024-06-13 Inferno Teaching Stream Added recommendation to do Inferno first.
2024-04-12 New Invos Colosseum Added reward assessments.
2024-04-01 Insane 16:10 WR Colosseum Added speedrun record and skips (was 26:22 on 2024-03-22).
2024-03-26 Budget Colosseum Guide Added budget setup (about 180m gp).
2024-03-25 Colosseum Guide Teaching Stream #1 Added first-run setup, enemy stats and tips.
2024-03-24 Colosseum Invo Guide Added opinion on invocation system.
2024-03-22 World Record Colosseum + Mini Guide Added world record 26:22 and mini guide.
2023-11-06 Colosseum: Glory or a Waste of Dev time? Page created: announcement blog overview, Glory, rewards.
## See also

References


  1. Colosseum: GLORY or a Waste of Dev time?, 2023-11-06. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩↩↩

  2. WORLD RECORD COLOSSEUM + Mini Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-22. ▶ 1:24 ↩

  3. Colosseum: GLORY or a Waste of Dev time?, 2023-11-06. ▶ 0:31 ↩↩

  4. Colosseum: GLORY or a Waste of Dev time?, 2023-11-06. ▶ 6:24 ↩↩

  5. Colosseum: GLORY or a Waste of Dev time?, 2023-11-06. ▶ 5:54 ↩

  6. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 23:03 ↩

  7. No Rewards and Dead Content - New Enrage Boss (OSRS), 2025-01-30. ▶ 21:04 ↩

  8. WORLD RECORD COLOSSEUM + Mini Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-22. ▶ 8:34 ↩

  9. Colosseum Invo Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-24. ▶ 4:57 ↩

  10. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 10:08 ↩

  11. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 5:19 ↩

  12. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 22:37 ↩

  13. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 4:28 ↩

  14. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 29:29 ↩

  15. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 7:38 ↩

  16. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 8:40 ↩

  17. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 28:29 ↩

  18. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 3:28 ↩↩

  19. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 9:05 ↩

  20. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 24:30 ↩

  21. GOLDEN GNOME vs SOL HEREDIT (OSRS), 2025-03-21. ▶ 18:58 ↩

  22. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 26:44 ↩↩

  23. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 38:34 ↩

  24. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 5:02 ↩

  25. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 29:59 ↩

  26. INSANE 16:10 WR Colosseum (OSRS), 2024-04-01. ▶ 9:29 ↩

  27. WORLD RECORD COLOSSEUM + Mini Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-22. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩↩

  28. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 19:12 ↩↩

  29. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 22:10 ↩

  30. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 23:35 ↩

  31. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 42:05 ↩

  32. GOLDEN GNOME vs SOL HEREDIT (OSRS), 2025-03-21. ▶ 9:32 ↩

  33. I Completed Colosseum WITHOUT Pillars (OSRS), 2025-12-12. ▶ 10:03 ↩

  34. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  35. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 0:56 ↩

  36. WORLD RECORD COLOSSEUM + Mini Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-22. ▶ 0:29 ↩

  37. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  38. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 3:53 ↩

  39. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 25:13 ↩

  40. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 25:11 ↩

  41. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  42. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 0:56 ↩

  43. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 1:56 ↩

  44. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 3:32 ↩

  45. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 6:50 ↩

  46. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 7:23 ↩

  47. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩↩

  48. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 17:31 ↩

  49. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 17:59 ↩

  50. Colosseum SW Pillar Master Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-26. ▶ 18:49 ↩

  51. WORLD RECORD COLOSSEUM + Mini Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-22. ▶ 9:00 ↩↩

  52. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 6:42 ↩

  53. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 2:59 ↩

  54. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 9:00 ↩

  55. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 20:35 ↩

  56. I Completed Colosseum WITHOUT Pillars (OSRS), 2025-12-12. ▶ 21:35 ↩

  57. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 2:27 ↩

  58. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 5:56 ↩

  59. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 29:43 ↩

  60. BUDGET COLOSSEUM GUIDE (OSRS), 2024-03-26. ▶ 40:09 ↩

  61. Colosseum GUIDE Teaching Stream #1 (OSRS), 2024-03-25. ▶ 40:52 ↩

  62. INSANE 16:10 WR Colosseum (OSRS), 2024-04-01. ▶ 2:35 ↩↩

  63. INSANE 16:10 WR Colosseum (OSRS), 2024-04-01. ▶ 3:01 ↩

  64. INSANE 16:10 WR Colosseum (OSRS), 2024-04-01. ▶ 4:07 ↩

  65. INSANE 16:10 WR Colosseum (OSRS), 2024-04-01. ▶ 7:27 ↩

  66. INSANE 16:10 WR Colosseum (OSRS), 2024-04-01. ▶ 9:58 ↩

  67. Sunfire Splinters are NOT the Problem (OSRS), 2025-10-01. ▶ 1:25 ↩

  68. Colosseum: GLORY or a Waste of Dev time?, 2023-11-06. ▶ 1:04 ↩

  69. Colosseum: GLORY or a Waste of Dev time?, 2023-11-06. ▶ 4:54 ↩

  70. NEW INVOS COLOSSEUM (OSRS), 2024-04-12. ▶ 7:41 ↩

  71. NEW INVOS COLOSSEUM (OSRS), 2024-04-12. ▶ 7:55 ↩

  72. NEW INVOS COLOSSEUM (OSRS), 2024-04-12. ▶ 8:05 ↩

  73. NEW INVOS COLOSSEUM (OSRS), 2024-04-12. ▶ 9:04 ↩↩

  74. No Rewards and Dead Content - New Enrage Boss (OSRS), 2025-01-30. ▶ 10:56 ↩

  75. No Rewards and Dead Content - New Enrage Boss (OSRS), 2025-01-30. ▶ 11:06 ↩

  76. VOTE NO to Varlamore Part 3 (OSRS), 2025-02-04. ▶ 2:06 ↩

  77. VOTE NO to Varlamore Part 3 (OSRS), 2025-02-04. ▶ 15:36 ↩

  78. NEW INFERNO + REWARDS - Varlamore Final Dawn (OSRS), 2025-01-09. ▶ 19:40 ↩

  79. EXTREME Hardcore Ironman Quiver (OSRS), 2024-09-12. ▶ 27:07 ↩

  80. Colosseum Invo Guide (OSRS), 2024-03-24. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  81. Ultimate Account Building Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-07. ▶ 8:45 ↩↩↩

  82. No Rewards and Dead Content - New Enrage Boss (OSRS), 2025-01-30. ▶ 11:59 ↩

  83. Sunfire Splinters are NOT the Problem (OSRS), 2025-10-01. ▶ 0:56 ↩

  84. FINALLY TRYING PVP WITH @Odablock (OSRS), 2026-01-23. ▶ 50:46 ↩

  85. FINALLY TRYING PVP WITH @Odablock (OSRS), 2026-01-23. ▶ 51:16 ↩

  86. FINALLY TRYING PVP WITH @Odablock (OSRS), 2026-01-23. ▶ 59:38 ↩

  87. No Rewards and Dead Content - New Enrage Boss (OSRS), 2025-01-30. ▶ 10:59 ↩

  88. Inferno Teaching Stream - Mage Rebalance (OSRS), 2024-06-13. ▶ 28:05 ↩

  89. Inferno Teaching Stream - Mage Rebalance (OSRS), 2024-06-13. ▶ 36:43 ↩

  90. GROUP HARDCORE IRONMAN - BIG DAWGS V1 - DAY 1 (OSRS), 2024-07-30. ▶ 2:47 ↩

  91. HIGH RISK PVP FIRECAPE ON GHCIM (OSRS), 2024-08-08. ▶ 5:31 ↩

  92. GOLDEN GNOME vs SOL HEREDIT (OSRS), 2025-03-21. ▶ 34:36 ↩

  93. GROUP HARDCORE IRONMAN - BIG DAWGS V1 - DAY 1 (OSRS), 2024-07-30. ▶ 6:45 ↩

  94. Journey to the Colosseum - GNOMONKEY DEATH (OSRS), 2024-08-17. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  95. Journey to the Colosseum - GNOMONKEY DEATH (OSRS), 2024-08-17. ▶ 22:28 ↩

  96. EXTREME Hardcore Ironman Quiver (OSRS), 2024-09-12. ▶ 4:45 ↩

  97. EXTREME Hardcore Ironman Quiver (OSRS), 2024-09-12. ▶ 27:10 ↩

  98. WORLD'S FIRST SOL + ECHO SOL (OSRS), 2024-11-28. ▶ 1:00 ↩

  99. RIP HCIM 6THBROTHER - OFFSTREAM DEATH - (OSRS), 2025-10-29. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  100. RIP HCIM 6THBROTHER - OFFSTREAM DEATH - (OSRS), 2025-10-29. ▶ 1:34 ↩

  101. RIP HCIM 6THBROTHER - OFFSTREAM DEATH - (OSRS), 2025-10-29. ▶ 2:03 ↩

  102. PVM to PVP: My DMM Allstars Experience (OSRS), 2026-06-25. ▶ 13:22 ↩