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Perilous Moons

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

Perilous Moons

Perilous Moons
Type Boss group
Requirements Moons of Peril quest (around 50 Slayer); 55 Herblore wanted, 70 Herblore helpful12
Kill order Eclipse, Blue Moon, Blood Moon3
Rewards Eclipse, Blue moon and Blood moon sets, Atlatl456
Release/Update Perilous Moons7
Videos 3 (first 2024-08-17, latest 2025-02-22)
Main source Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS)

The Perilous Moons (Moons) are three bosses whose drops Gnomonkey considers the best early and mid-game gear on an Iron Man. He says the update has completely changed the ironman meta: players do Moons instead of getting Bandos, and all of the drops are super good7. It replaced the tedious early and mid-level grind, so ironmen no longer farm Barrows or Bandos, and with dupe protection players get stronger armour in less time7. Barrows is not dead content but is becoming dangerously close if Jagex keeps releasing extremely overpowered early and mid-game content like this7. Moons supercharges the mid-game with no supply use and incredibly good drops that train skills, so players should come as early as possible8. Everything from Moons is useful, so it is really good to rush on an ironman9.

In February 2025, after grinding Moons on his hardcore ironman, he concluded that the Atlatl is Old School's most underrated mid-game weapon and that he would pass on the Bofa grind10. Moons is extremely easy to kill compared with the Corrupted Gauntlet, and far less kill count is needed to get the Eclipse set than a Bofa11.

Contents

Requirements and preparation

  • The Moons of Peril quest (around 50 Slayer) is needed. Gnomonkey wants 55 Herblore before coming, since supplies are made on site and 55 Herblore gives the super strength effect; 70 Herblore gives the extreme defence effect from the Moons potions, which is really helpful12.
  • Hunter and Cooking also help. Hunter is easy with Hunter contracts, and Cooking is trained with Trouble Brewing, which was recently buffed to over 200k Cooking XP an hour2.
  • Get Sulphur blades and Glacial hammers from the sulphur and frost nagas beforehand. Sulphur blades are slash and best until a whip on Blood Moon, Glacial hammers are best until Boppers, and Boppers are best until the scythe12.

Gear

Moons is the one place in the game where tank armour is needed, because each moon's negative effect when hit matters. All the moons attack with slash, so slash defence is key13.

  • Rune kite shield: surprisingly good with over 50 slash defence; a Crystal shield is about six higher14.
  • Amulet of glory for defence, although strength is a bit better for DPS; Mixed hide boots are tankier than climbing boots15.
  • Blood moon helmet, which has higher slash defence than a Neitiznot faceguard, is plenty good if the player has none. He recommends a tank top and bottom from Barrows, or at least Dragon platelegs16.
  • Thralls are really good, with the Ghostly grasp spell used to keep the thrall attacking. With no thralls, bring no spells17.

Supplies and strategy

  • Kill order: Eclipse, then Blue Moon, then Blood Moon, which speeds up looting the chest and getting back in3.
  • Run energy: right-clicking at the campsite to make cuppa gives full run energy each time, so no stamina potions are needed18.
  • Food: he catches lizards rather than fish, because lizards cook into multiple food (up to three depending on Cooking level), whereas fish heal only 33% of the lower of Fishing or Cooking level and take longer19. He collects six lizards, enough for about two rounds of kill count, and cooks more after fights, since only enough food for the current encounter is needed20. Five food should be good for Eclipse21. Food heals for half the Hunter level or a third of the Cooking level, whichever is lower, so with both in the 70s it heals about 2522.
  • Potions: grind up herbs with a pestle and mortar and decant. He grabs eight and decants them, covering quite a few kills; the doses are random, possibly based on Herblore level21.
  • Dupe protection: a roll for a Blood moon item after getting the armour will be a missing piece. Once a full set is obtained from one moon, stop killing that moon and kill the other two, which does reduce common loot23.

Drops

  • The chest drops super compost (easy to make into ultra compost), Irit and Harralander herbs for Herblore training, and bones including Wyrmling bones, Bone shards and Sunkist bones for passive Prayer training of about 10k Prayer XP per hour24. Bone shards are always the best Moons drop, and 300 from a combat achievement is really good XP25.
  • Water orbs are really good Crafting training through battlestaves, and also give profit26.
Set Notes
Eclipse The Atlatl is amazing as effectively a mini blowpipe and the ranged option until a blowpipe is owned. The Eclipse set gives a burn chance on Atlatl hits for an extra 10 damage; he has used it at Tombs of Amascut and Chambers of Xeric4.
Blue moon Basically Ahrim's with a strength bonus and not as heavy; super good at Tombs of Amascut. The spear gives 5% magic damage early5.
Blood moon Bandos armour; the helmet gives one more strength than a Neitiznot faceguard. Dual macuahuitl (Boppers) are an amazing main hand weapon, best until very late, with the full set giving roughly 3.5 tick attack speed instead of four6.

Early stream

At 12 kill count on his first Moons stream (August 2024) he received an Atlatl and a Blood moon chestplate, which a viewer calls essentially a Bandos chestplate27. He says the Perilous Moons are coded, and that one of the drops is his best helmet for Tombs of Amascut for now28. The plan for the rest of that stream was to reach 75 Ranged for the Colosseum27.

Revision history

Date Video Change
2025-02-22 No More Bofa Rush! (OSRS) Added Atlatl as most underrated mid-game weapon and comparison to the Bofa grind.
2024-10-20 Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS) Added full guide, requirements, strategy and drop analysis; opinion that Moons changed the ironman meta.
2024-08-17 Journey to the Colosseum - GNOMONKEY DEATH (OSRS) Page created: first stream drops and early opinion on the gear.
## References

  1. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 0:27 ↩↩

  2. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 0:55 ↩↩↩

  3. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 5:06 ↩↩

  4. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 19:01 ↩↩

  5. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 19:28 ↩↩

  6. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 19:59 ↩↩

  7. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩↩↩

  8. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 22:47 ↩

  9. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 20:29 ↩

  10. No More Bofa Rush! (OSRS), 2025-02-22. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  11. No More Bofa Rush! (OSRS), 2025-02-22. ▶ 7:40 ↩

  12. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 3:50 ↩

  13. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 1:30 ↩

  14. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 1:59 ↩

  15. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 4:30 ↩

  16. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 5:05 ↩

  17. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 5:46 ↩

  18. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 6:06 ↩

  19. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 6:22 ↩

  20. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 7:21 ↩

  21. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 7:48 ↩↩

  22. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 1:25 ↩

  23. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 21:29 ↩

  24. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 17:56 ↩

  25. Journey to the Colosseum - GNOMONKEY DEATH (OSRS), 2024-08-17. ▶ 22:00 ↩

  26. Perilous Moons Boss Guide (OSRS), 2024-10-20. ▶ 18:31 ↩

  27. Journey to the Colosseum - GNOMONKEY DEATH (OSRS), 2024-08-17. ▶ 21:27 ↩↩

  28. Journey to the Colosseum - GNOMONKEY DEATH (OSRS), 2024-08-17. ▶ 24:56 ↩

Items

Inferno gear • Bow of Faerdhinen • Burning claws • Tumeken's shadow • Toxic blowpipe • Atlatl • Dagannoth Kings • Scythe of Vitur • Soulreaper axe • Confliction gauntlets • Mixed hide armour • Voidwaker • Perilous Moons • Twisted bow • TzHaar-Ket Breaker • Osmumten's fang • Eclipse atlatl • Oathplate armour • Eye of Ayak • Venator bow • Bone dagger • Emberlight • Heka of Tumeken • Rubium • Sanguinesti staff • Dark crab • Eldritch veil • Void Knight equipment • Avernic treads • Crossbow bolts • Blood fury • Daeyalt Essence Mine • Noxious halberd • Torva armour • Divine potion • Soulflame horn • Surge potion • Ascension crossbow • Dharok's armour • Amulet of rancour

Category: Items