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Tumeken's shadow

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

The proposed weapon was first called the "Shadow of Tumeken".

Tumeken's shadow

Tumeken's shadow
Type Weapon (mega rare)
Slot Two-handed powered staff1
Attack speed Flat 5 ticks1
Magic attack 35, no inherent magic strength1
Base max hit 34 at 99 Magic (Sanguinesti staff: 32)1
Passive Triples magic accuracy and strength bonuses from gear; quadruples in the Tombs of Amascut23
Gear cap 100% damage bonus from gear4
Videos 11 (first 2022-05-18, latest 2026-03-05)
Main source The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS)

Tumeken's shadow is a two-handed powered staff with a flat five-tick attack speed. Its unique passive, like the Twisted bow's, multiplies the magic accuracy and magic strength bonuses of the wearer's gear, so packing many magic switches raises its effectiveness dramatically.12 Gnomonkey considers it the most used mega rare in the game, though he says the scythe is the most useful and expensive.5 His view has shifted over time from enthusiastic approval at its proposal (2022) to the argument, by 2025, that its scaling is too strong and needs to be reworked.67

Contents

Stats and passive

Property Value
Attack speed Flat 5 ticks
Magic attack 35
Inherent magic strength None
Base max hit at 99 Magic 34 (compared with 32 for the Sanguinesti staff)
Gear multiplier 3x accuracy and strength bonuses (4x in Tombs of Amascut)
Gear damage cap 100%

1234 The multiplier applies to bonuses from the Slayer helmet and Salve amulet too.2 Its base max hit rises with magic level boosts such as overload and salts, and it punches through magic defence.3 It travels very slowly, so the player needs to click early when casting at the jug.8 Without powerful magic gear equipped it is extremely weak, though it is decent in some unconventional places like Zebak.3

The shadow multiplies max hits tremendously, so all available magic damage bonus is needed.9 In the Tombs of Amascut, dropping from Ancestral to Virtus armour while using it loses about five max hits of damage, across the roughly 80% of the raid spent mageing; swapping in only Ancestral pieces gets back two max hits for one.910

Use and strategy

Initial reception (2022)

When the weapon was proposed, Gnomonkey liked that it does not take 30 minutes to read about and understand, unlike the Heka.6 He liked that it encourages max-mage switches (where players usually skimp), gives major benefits to normally worthless items such as the Ancestral hat, Seers ring and Brimstone ring, and encourages less tanky gear, making places like the God Wars Dungeon interesting: take more damage but deal much more.6 He expected it to be best in slot at a multitude of bosses; where the Harmonised nightmare staff was best in slot it would be better by roughly four percent, based on calculations assuming best gear for each style (best-in-slot ranged, Torva melee, and Ward with Sanguinesti).11

He called the design much simpler than the Heka but deceptively complex: there would be times it is not wanted even when best in slot, because of worse defence and the many switches required.12 He loved the idea of a glass-cannon meta for magic, expected Heal Other to become much more important for solo bossers like himself, and liked that the weapon mostly avoids regular defence, which is why it is good at undrainable bosses like Armadyl.12

Players worried that it would devalue the Twisted bow and Scythe, in his view wrongly: it is better than Twisted bow in about four locations, better than Scythe in about two, and equal in a few.13 He called it a tactical choice that keeps everything relevant: amazing where bosses do not have a high magic level, but requiring a decision on which switches to bring and whether defence matters, as Ancestral is paper thin.14 The devaluation is small and calculated enough to be balanced: Scythe still shreds large, melee-weak bosses, Twisted bow still annihilates anything with a high magic level and lower defence, and the shadow shreds bosses with lower magic level where the gear can be brought.15

Where it is used

  • Tombs of Amascut: The 5-tick cast speed is why Butterfly Tech works best with it.16 It seems to be the best possible DPS on Akkha himself, while being a bit worse than the Toxic blowpipe on Akkha's shadows.17 It is disgusting for Wardens phase 1 and a huge boost on the final row.18 It is a hard-to-use weapon with a learning curve at Ulm, like Butterfly Akkha, which makes sense for an extremely expensive item, in contrast to the forgiving Sanguinesti staff.19
  • Chambers of Xeric: Roughly a five-minute time save in challenge mode and insanely strong in addition to the Twisted bow, but not a replacement for it.20 It is useful on very tanky bosses such as the Abyssal portal and Mystics.21 At Olm, Sanguinesti staff can be brought in addition to make the fight easier for those who have not learned Shadow running, but the shadow is much faster.22 At Crabs, Sang should be used since the shadow is really slow there.23 In his 2023 naked run he used it against several Chambers bosses, such as Mystics, for accuracy and damage without any gear.24
  • Zebak: The Twisted bow is still best in slot; the shadow only beats it if the player has salts and max magic.25

On the 2023 comparison with the Twisted bow, chat could not calculate it properly, with the shadow stated as 20-55 percent better depending on the calculator.26

Gnomonkey's recommendations

  • He does not recommend using the shadow without Ancestral.25
  • He would never recommend a Shadow rebuild: a Twisted bow rebuild is better, and the setup is aimed at people who were spooned a shadow, which he says is common on ironman accounts.27
  • Ancestral robes are extremely overinflated in value because of the shadow. Without one they are not worth the money: one max hit over Virtus for the whole set and two over Ahrim's, so buying them before a shadow is "simply trolling".28
  • Dumping one's bank for a shadow would mean being locked at Tombs of Amascut 300s for around six months to get the gear back.29

Balance concerns

By January 2025 Gnomonkey argued that the way the shadow scales with magic damage bonus is too powerful, which is why tiny 1% magic damage buffs like the new Mage cape feel pitiful for anything but the shadow.30 He suggested knocking its multiplier in Tombs of Amascut down to about 2x or maybe 3x, one multiplier lower, and making its base damage solid, which would make players less reliant on magic gear.10 He says it scaled too hard from the get-go, which is becoming obvious as tiny magic damage increases need trade-offs, and that it should keep its power under a different scaling system.7

In March 2025 Jagex said it is good across the entire game but its slow attack speed means it is not always the right tool, which the Eye of Ayak is meant to complement.31 Shortly after, Jagex said there are fundamental issues with the shadow that dictate what can be done around magic rewards, but it could not adjust the weapon alongside its other Varlamore work. It committed to adjusting the shadow before discussing any future best-in-slot magic reward space, without a firm timeline.3233 Gnomonkey said the shadow definitely needs help and holds magic in a vice grip, and was glad Jagex said so.34

He finds the damage cap lame, because mage upgrades stop helping once it is hit, and would prefer proper scaling. People bring the cap up as if it solves everything, but once new mage upgrades do nothing for the shadow it will feel bad.3536

As of March 2026 the Jagex blog describes the shadow as an outlier because it is good everywhere, which has brought no shortage of problems.37 Gnomonkey says it now needs rebalancing because it is impossible to add new gear items alongside it; a 3 percent mage damage bonus, for example, cannot be added to an item at Mocha without the shadow becoming too powerful.3839 Jagex said it may change the shadow if it explores the magic reward space, and he says a potential rework could come fairly soon and would get its own video.40

Revision history

Date Video Change
2026-03-05 Megarare Rewards for Raids 4 (OSRS) Updated: shadow now blocks new magic gear; rework may come soon.
2025-03-28 Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS) Added Jagex's commitment to adjust the shadow, and the damage-cap criticism (100% from gear).
2025-03-11 Shadow EVERYTHING - Mohka Rewards #4 (OSRS) Added Jagex's March 2025 comments and Gnomonkey's view of the learning curve.
2025-01-12 NEW MAGE CAPE - Tradable vs Untradeable? (OSRS) Changed opinion: scaling now considered too powerful; proposed lowering the Tombs multiplier.
2024-11-08 SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS) Added Chambers of Xeric notes.
2024-07-07 Ultimate Account Building Guide (OSRS) Added 3x/4x multiplier detail and Ancestral value comments.
2024-07-01 500 TOA Shadow Rebuild Guide (OSRS) Added Zebak notes, Ancestral requirement and no-rebuild recommendation.
2023-09-12 Naked Man Triathlon (OSRS) Added calculator disagreement (20-55 percent better than Twisted bow) and use in the naked run.
2022-08-30 Raids 3 TOA Akkha "Butterfly Tech" OSRS Added Tombs of Amascut notes (Butterfly Tech, Akkha).
2022-05-25 Why Power Creep is NECESSARY (OSRS) Added view that the shadow does not devalue the Twisted bow and Scythe.
2022-05-18 The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS) Page created: stats, passive, design opinions and expected best-in-slot status.
## See also

References

  1. The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS), 2022-05-18. ▶ 0:32 ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS), 2022-05-18. ▶ 0:59 ↩↩↩↩

  3. Ultimate Account Building Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-07. ▶ 16:25 ↩↩↩↩

  4. Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS), 2025-03-28. ▶ 11:57 ↩↩

  5. Shadow EVERYTHING - Mohka Rewards #4 (OSRS), 2025-03-11. ▶ 25:18 ↩

  6. The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS), 2022-05-18. ▶ 1:27 ↩↩↩

  7. NEW MAGE CAPE - Tradable vs Untradeable? (OSRS), 2025-01-12. ▶ 14:24 ↩↩

  8. 500 TOA Shadow Rebuild Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-01. ▶ 8:22 ↩

  9. 500 TOA Shadow Rebuild Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-01. ▶ 35:20 ↩↩

  10. NEW MAGE CAPE - Tradable vs Untradeable? (OSRS), 2025-01-12. ▶ 13:57 ↩↩

  11. The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS), 2022-05-18. ▶ 2:01 ↩

  12. The NEW Raids 3 Twisted Bow is INSANE (Shadow of Tumeken OSRS), 2022-05-18. ▶ 6:06 ↩↩

  13. Why Power Creep is NECESSARY (OSRS), 2022-05-25. ▶ 9:57 ↩

  14. Why Power Creep is NECESSARY (OSRS), 2022-05-25. ▶ 10:16 ↩

  15. Why Power Creep is NECESSARY (OSRS), 2022-05-25. ▶ 10:46 ↩

  16. Raids 3 TOA Akkha "Butterfly Tech" OSRS, 2022-08-30. ▶ 0:28 ↩

  17. Raids 3 TOA Akkha "Butterfly Tech" OSRS, 2022-08-30. ▶ 1:28 ↩

  18. 500 TOA Shadow Rebuild Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-01. ▶ 36:40 ↩

  19. Shadow EVERYTHING - Mohka Rewards #4 (OSRS), 2025-03-11. ▶ 13:30 ↩

  20. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 1:11:50 ↩

  21. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 1:12:10 ↩

  22. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 1:12:40 ↩

  23. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 1:13:20 ↩

  24. Naked Man Triathlon (OSRS), 2023-09-12. ▶ 1:24:10 ↩

  25. 500 TOA Shadow Rebuild Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-01. ▶ 0:20 ↩↩

  26. Naked Man Triathlon (OSRS), 2023-09-12. ▶ 1:14:00 ↩

  27. 500 TOA Shadow Rebuild Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-01. ▶ 7:42 ↩

  28. Ultimate Account Building Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-07. ▶ 18:25 ↩

  29. Ultimate Account Building Guide (OSRS), 2024-07-07. ▶ 20:12 ↩

  30. NEW MAGE CAPE - Tradable vs Untradeable? (OSRS), 2025-01-12. ▶ 13:28 ↩

  31. Shadow EVERYTHING - Mohka Rewards #4 (OSRS), 2025-03-11. ▶ 3:53 ↩

  32. Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS), 2025-03-28. ▶ 3:59 ↩

  33. Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS), 2025-03-28. ▶ 4:30 ↩

  34. Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS), 2025-03-28. ▶ 3:03 ↩

  35. Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS), 2025-03-28. ▶ 10:55 ↩

  36. Final Reward Blog - Delve Boss Mokha (OSRS), 2025-03-28. ▶ 11:29 ↩

  37. Megarare Rewards for Raids 4 (OSRS), 2026-03-05. ▶ 3:01 ↩

  38. Megarare Rewards for Raids 4 (OSRS), 2026-03-05. ▶ 17:59 ↩

  39. Megarare Rewards for Raids 4 (OSRS), 2026-03-05. ▶ 22:37 ↩

  40. Megarare Rewards for Raids 4 (OSRS), 2026-03-05. ▶ 34:52 ↩

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