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Soulreaper axe

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

Soulreaper axe

Soulreaper axe
Type Item
Slot Weapon (slash axe)
Obtained from Vardorvis (a piece of the axe)1
Acquisition time About 3,000 Desert Treasure II boss kills on average2
Strength bonus +125 (was +121)3
Stack limit 54
Best used at Maggot King, Theatre of Blood, Colosseum5
Videos 8 (first 2023-12-22, latest 2026-07-22)
Main source Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS)

The Soulreaper axe (also written Soul Reaper axe) is a stack-building slash weapon dropped in pieces by Vardorvis. Gnomonkey originally judged it a niche item: it takes roughly as long to acquire as a Scythe of Vitur yet was useful at only one location, Vardorvis, and he personally thought it should never have been added because the game already has many slash weapons and the axe does not fit in easily11.

A string of changes has moved his verdict from sceptical to positive. Project Rebalance in April 2024 made the stacks far more forgiving, and he called the changes massive and said they made the axe usable in almost every location67. By June 2024 he rated it quite good because the stacks decay so slowly8, and after the July 2026 Summer Sweep-up rework he considers it far better and mainly much more usable5.

Contents

Mechanics

The axe builds stacks as the wielder attacks, and each stack adds to damage. Stack handling has been changed several times:

Date Stack decay Health effect Source
Dec 2023 Stacks lost instantly when switching weapons; start decrementing after 10 ticks (6 seconds) Taking stacks costs 8 hitpoints per swing for up to five swings (up to 40 health) 69
Apr 2024 (Project Rebalance) No longer lost on switching; decrement after 20 ticks (12 seconds) without attacking Natural decay heals the player for the damage taken while building the stacks; 8 health refunded per stack lost 6710
Jul 2026 (Summer Sweep-up) Stacks start decrementing after 50 ticks, slightly longer than a Bloat down Stacks no longer drain HP 1112

In the 2024 version the refund meant the wielder never lost health from decaying stacks, and the stacks keep decaying between Colosseum waves, which heals the player back1010. After the 2026 update the special attack does not give health back, as a trade-off for the stacks no longer draining HP12.

The Summer Sweep-up gave the axe +4 strength bonus; the stack limit stays at five with 6% damage per stack4. A 4 June 2026 announcement had listed a strength bonus rise to +125 from +121, +10% damage per stack (up from 6%) and a stack cap of 3 (down from 5). Gnomonkey read that as the same damage increase with a faster ramp time and less HP loss, and noted the axe has higher accuracy than the scythe313. The July 2026 claims, which keep five stacks at 6%, supersede the stack figures from that earlier announcement4.

Special attack

The special attack now gains 12% accuracy per stack (up from 6%), reaching 60% accuracy at full stacks instead of 30%, and gains a 6% minimum hit per stack14. With five stacks it guarantees a hit of 30% of the wielder's max hit, which Gnomonkey says makes it a very good finisher on Vardorvis. If the special fails to kill, the next hit builds a new stack that can be used immediately for a guaranteed 6% minimum hit14.

Earlier, he found he got somewhat less use out of the Saradomin godsword special while keeping the axe's stacks up, though he still considered the spec very useful15. A Spec Overlay plugin shows special attack energy while the axe is equipped, since the weapon otherwise hides it; he kept the plugin on16. Before the rework he had asked that the axe not hide current special attack energy17.

Uses

  • Vardorvis. Near best in slot, with Torva armour basically the only other upgrade18. When Vardorvis first came out some people used the Inquisitor's mace because nobody had the axe yet and best in slot was not known19. A kill with the budget setup took 125 seconds, around average for the axe20. Players who spec at 50 health could previously not hit afterwards21.
  • Colosseum. After the update the axe no longer triggers Blasphemy or Doom, so it becomes completely usable as a second fist22. In June 2024 Gnomonkey placed it between the Abyssal tentacle (tent whip) and the Scythe: 11% better than the tent whip but costing about 400 mil, making it usable there23. It drains run resources more slowly than the Scythe, and even less than the four-tick tent whip24. Because stacks decay and heal between waves, the Sanguinesti staff's start-of-wave healing is rarely needed10. It is very close to the Scythe on Sol Heredit25. After the 2026 update, stacks are not lost between Colosseum waves11.
  • Theatre of Blood. The slower decay means stacks are not lost in Sotetseg maze phases or Bloat downs11.
  • Ulm. Stacks will probably still be lost between phases on Ulm's melee hand, but quick-switching to melee between mage hits on the next mage hand can maintain them12.
  • Tick-eating. The 2024 changes opened setups such as one axe swing on the P1 obelisk to tick eat the orbs7.
  • Phantom Muspah. In September 2025 he said the wiki-gear setup using the axe was not as bad as expected and that he was impressed it works better than expected, though he noted the axe is extremely expensive and did not know who would use the setup2627.

The Frailty invocation is noticeably worse than usual with the axe, because it prevents banking health from stacks, so he avoided taking it as long as possible2816.

Gnomonkey's opinion

At release he said the axe should not be buffed to stomp on the Scythe's toes, yet arguably should be given how rare it is; at the least he wanted stacks not lost on weapon swaps and the weapon not to hide special energy17. Both requests were addressed by Project Rebalance and later changes6. In May 2026 he noted that the axe takes about 3,000 Desert Treasure II boss kills on average to obtain, almost as long as a scythe, and that it is worse than the Noxious halberd in many situations2. He suggested the axe reach full power at two charges instead of five while still banking up to five, so bosses with downtime such as Bloat or Sotetseg's maze do not wipe its stacks, and so using the special for quick HP is less punishing221.

After the July 2026 rework he names the best places to use it as the Maggot King and now also Theatre of Blood and the Colosseum, where it was questionable before5. He wondered whether it would beat the scythe at places like the Duke or Vardorvis13.

Revision history

Date Video Change
2026-07-22 SUMMER SWEEP-UP CHANGES ARE HERE (OSRS) Updated stacks (50-tick decay start, no HP drain, +4 strength, 12% accuracy per stack in the special), keeping the five-stack, 6% limit; changed opinion to the axe being far better and more usable.
2026-06-04 The New Summer Sweep Update is CRAZY (OSRS) Added the 4 June 2026 announced changes (+125 strength, +10% per stack, cap of 3).
2026-05-27 Summer Sweep up WISH-LIST (OSRS) Added the 8 HP per swing cost, about 3,000 kill acquisition time and the two-charge suggestion.
2025-09-03 WIKI GUIDES - MELEE MUSPAH (OSRS) Added Phantom Muspah wiki-gear result and the cost caveat.
2024-06-15 Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS) Added Colosseum placement between tent whip and Scythe, 11% over tent whip, about 400 mil cost, 8 health refunded per stack lost, and Frailty advice.
2024-05-13 WIKI GUIDES - VARDORVIS Added Vardorvis best-in-slot notes and a 125-second kill.
2024-04-17 REBALANCE DISASTER (OSRS) Added Project Rebalance changes (stacks kept on switching, 20-tick decay, healing on decay) and changed opinion to the axe being usable almost everywhere.
2023-12-22 Death to Voidwaker and Fang - Weapon Rebalance (OSRS) Page created: acquisition time, single-location use and Gnomonkey's view that it should not have been added.
## See also

References

  1. Death to Voidwaker and Fang - Weapon Rebalance (OSRS), 2023-12-22. ▶ 5:02 ↩↩↩

  2. Summer Sweep up WISH-LIST (OSRS), 2026-05-27. ▶ 41:34 ↩↩↩

  3. The New Summer Sweep Update is CRAZY (OSRS), 2026-06-04. ▶ 34:34 ↩↩

  4. SUMMER SWEEP-UP CHANGES ARE HERE (OSRS), 2026-07-22. ▶ 3:27 ↩↩↩

  5. SUMMER SWEEP-UP CHANGES ARE HERE (OSRS), 2026-07-22. ▶ 5:03 ↩↩↩

  6. REBALANCE DISASTER (OSRS), 2024-04-17. ▶ 1:32 ↩↩↩↩

  7. REBALANCE DISASTER (OSRS), 2024-04-17. ▶ 1:59 ↩↩↩

  8. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 17:30 ↩

  9. Summer Sweep up WISH-LIST (OSRS), 2026-05-27. ▶ 41:03 ↩

  10. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 0:27 ↩↩↩↩

  11. SUMMER SWEEP-UP CHANGES ARE HERE (OSRS), 2026-07-22. ▶ 3:32 ↩↩↩

  12. SUMMER SWEEP-UP CHANGES ARE HERE (OSRS), 2026-07-22. ▶ 4:01 ↩↩↩

  13. The New Summer Sweep Update is CRAZY (OSRS), 2026-06-04. ▶ 35:06 ↩↩

  14. SUMMER SWEEP-UP CHANGES ARE HERE (OSRS), 2026-07-22. ▶ 4:29 ↩↩

  15. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 1:25 ↩

  16. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 3:56 ↩↩

  17. Death to Voidwaker and Fang - Weapon Rebalance (OSRS), 2023-12-22. ▶ 5:33 ↩↩

  18. WIKI GUIDES - VARDORVIS, 2024-05-13. ▶ 8:35 ↩

  19. WIKI GUIDES - VARDORVIS, 2024-05-13. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  20. WIKI GUIDES - VARDORVIS, 2024-05-13. ▶ 9:34 ↩

  21. Summer Sweep up WISH-LIST (OSRS), 2026-05-27. ▶ 42:01 ↩↩

  22. REBALANCE DISASTER (OSRS), 2024-04-17. ▶ 2:30 ↩

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

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

  25. Soulreaper Axe Colosseum Guide (OSRS), 2024-06-15. ▶ 34:10 ↩

  26. WIKI GUIDES - MELEE MUSPAH (OSRS), 2025-09-03. ▶ 2:33 ↩

  27. WIKI GUIDES - MELEE MUSPAH (OSRS), 2025-09-03. ▶ 11:26 ↩

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

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