Lately, I have heard of more and more people avoiding Terror dogs tasks – either skipping them, or permanently banning them all together – due to their poor location. These beasties are actually quite easy, and with the assistance of the Ring of Slaying, a medium or high-leveled slayer can finish a task of these fiendish pups in a mere twenty minutes. With this guide, I hope to dispel many of the rumours associated with the Terror dogs while simultaneously helping you to conserve your Slayer points.
Note: This guide assumes the player has a medium Combat level of 85-95 and that he or she is planning on meleeing the Terror dogs. It also assumes that the player has completed both the Haunted Mine quest, as well as the Lair of Tarn Razorlor miniquest. Obviously, better equipment than what I have listed below will help the player to attain kills more quickly while conserving food.
The coveted Granite Helm, the drop unique to Terror dogs.
Items NeededRing of Slaying
Armour with high melee Defense bonuses (Rune or better)
One-handed weapon with a decent slash bonus (Dragon Scimitar or better)
Food (monkfish or better)
Super Attack, Super Strength, and Super Defense potions OR a Combat Potion
Rune/Dragon Defender OR Shield with good melee Defense
Slayer Helm OR Helm of Neitiznot
R.F.D. Gloves (highest you can wear) OR Regen Brace
Amulet of Glory
Dragon Boots
Enhanced Excalibur OR Elite Enhanced Excalibur
A one-click teleport can be very useful if you find yourself in a bind.
A Dragon Halberd can be used to “safespot” Terror dogs after they lose their aggression towards you. See “safespotting”, below.
A healing familiar such as a Bunyip can help to extend your trip.
Note: Though the room is in a multicombat area, a Dwarf Multicannon cannot be used here.
Here is the Granite Helm as it appears on a player's Adventurer's Log.
The helm is one of the lowest valued items that appears on the log.
PrerequisitesCompletion of Haunted Mine quest (gives access to Salve Amulets)
Completion of the Lair of Tarn Razorlor miniquest (note: you will not receive Terror dogs as assignments until you have completed the Haunted Mine quest and Tarn’s Lair miniquest)
BestiaryTerror dog (110) - large
Terror dog (100) - small
Getting to the LairThe easiest way to get to Tarn’s Lair is by teleporting using the Ring of Slaying. You can also access the lair through the Haunted Mine, but this route can be time consuming and a drain on your supplies, so the former option is the recommended choice. It is not necessary for you to run the Haunted Mine gauntlet in order to use the Ring of Slaying teleport to Tarn’s Lair.
In the LairTarn’s Lair is similar to the domain of the Barrows Brothers in that your prayer is drained very quickly upon entering. Do not rely on protection prayers to defend you against the attacks of the Terror dogs. That being said, starting the task with full prayer points will allow you to use the “protect from melee” prayer or “deflect melee” curse for a few seconds before it drains completely. The time spent under protection can be used to reach the area you’ll use to slay the Terror dogs while they are aggressive. The lair is in a multicombat zone, so it is imperative that you do not allow the Terror dogs room to pile you.
StrategyAvoid being piled by moving to one of the jail cells on either side of the room. The cells in the northeast and northwest corners of the room are ideal due to their size. From these cells, it is only possible for two dogs to attack you at once (one level 110, one level 100). You can arrange your kills in such a manner as to force the smaller Terror dog to prevent the larger dog from getting to you. Once the Terror dogs become tolerant to your presence, you can move into the open area and attack them at will. It is possible to safespot the Terrordogs with a halberd by simply placing a pillar between you and your target. Keep in mind that Terror dogs have the potential to hit high (into the 100's), but that their defense is quite low for their combat level (similiar to Hellhounds). Drink your super set upon arriving in the lair to maximize your hits.
Here is the location of the area that should be used to fight the Terror dogs at, initially. Note
the location of the large Terror dog and bones from the recently deceased small Terror dog.
Notable DropsGranite Helm (unique to Terror dogs)
Starved Ancient Effigy
Blue Charm (slightly higher rate than average for oher slayer assignments)
SummaryAll in all, Terror dogs are a relatively easy assignment and one that shouldn't be cancelled without some serious consideration. Put away your banhammer and save yourself some points.
Paper Chair
nice guide