Nearly 20 years old, the Kalphite Queen is one of the oldest bosses in Runescape. But how has she held up as a moneymaker boss? And if you intend on farming here, what do you need to know about the Kalphite Queen fight and her minions? Let's find out.
Skill, Quest, and Achievement Recommendations
There are no complex requirements for fighting the Kalphite Queen, but this is not a fight you want to go into unprepared. Whether you are on a Kalphite task, farming her for GP, or hunting for the Kalphite Queen pet, efficiency is everything in OSRS.
Level 70-80 Combat Stats
Level 70-80 Combat stats will allow you to kill the Kalphite Queen more efficiently. You can kill her with lower stats, but doing so will likely require using the flinch method. That's fine for a couple of kills, but if on Slayer task, hunting the pet, or other rare drops, I'd recommend increasing your levels.
Melee, Ranged, and Prayer are the most critical stats here, but you can also use Magic if you can access Thralls.
Hard/Elite Desert Diary Completion
If on a Kalphite Slayer task or intending to farm the Kalphite Queen in general, I recommend at least completing the Hard Desert Diary. Without the Hard Diary complete, you'll need to bring two ropes to the Kalphite Lair every time. Completing the Hard Diary will make your ropes permanent.
Completing the Elite Diary will give you access to the crevice shortcut at the entrance to the Kalphite Lair and take you to the final antechamber before the Kalphite Queen Lair. You need level 86 Agility to use this shortcut.
Beneath Cursed Sands
Completing Beneath Cursed Sands rewards you with a Keris partisan. The Keris partisan is the best Melee weapon to use against Kalphites. Along with a 33% bonus damage increase, it has a 1/51 chance of doing triple damage to Kalphites.
Tombs of Amascut for Breach of the Scarab
The Keris partisan of breaching is the strongest variant of the Keris partisan. To use it, you must first obtain a Breach of the Scarab jewel from the Tombs of Amascut and attach it to your Keris partisan.
Along with the 33% bonus damage and a chance to deal triple damage, the Keris partisan of breaching also gives you a 33% accuracy increase.
Runelite
If you plan on using the flinch method, I recommend using Runelite for the menu entry swapper ( For customizable left and shift-click) and NPC Highlight plugins. These make the flinch method much easier to pull off.
Fairytale II - Cure a Queen
Completing Fairytale II - Cure a Queen will give you access to the fairy ring network. One fairy ring, code b*i*q, puts you near the Kalphite Lair.
A Kingdom Divided
Completing A Kingdom Divided will reward you with a Book of the Dead. You need to equip the Book of the Dead, have it in your inventory, and be on the Arceuus spellbook to cast Thrall spells. If only using Melee/Ranged, you don't need to do this.
Dragon Defender
The Keris partisan of breaching doesn't have the highest Melee Strength bonus, so combining it with the Dragon Defender will improve its performance significantly.
Gear & Inventory Recommendations
Best-in-slot Melee/Ranged Gear
Use your best-in-slot Melee/Ranged gear for this fight. If on a Slayer task, I recommend bringing a Slayer helmet. The Keris partisan of breaching + Dragon Defender and a toxic blowpipe work wonders here. You can also get away with just using Melee.
The Kalphite Queen does Protect Melee in her second phase, but you can power through it. I recommend prioritizing your Melee Strength over anything else.
Best Food & Karambwans
The Kalphite Queen can hit very hard, even through Protection Prayers. I recommend healing whenever between 40-45 HP. Use your best food available and bring several karambwans in case of a pinch.
Best Potions & Miscellaneous Items
I recommend bringing one divine super combat potion, one divine ranging potion, one anti-venom potion, several Prayer potions (If farming her for an extended period. Otherwise, you can get away with none), and maybe one stamina potion for extended trips. I recommend using your divine potions in your POH and immediately using a rejuvenation pool
to regain your lost HP. As a just-in-case and for quick banking, bring an emergency teleport (Preferably POH teleport).
You need two ropes to get to the Kalphite Queen's Lair. Complete the Hard Desert Diary, so you only need to do this once, giving you two extra inventory slots.
OSRS Kalphite Task
Given the recommendations for fighting the Kalphite Queen and her drop table, I don't recommend fighting the Kalphite Queen if not on Slayer task unless you're hunting the Kalphite princess pet. All Slayer masters except Krystilia can assign Kalphite tasks, and starting with Vannaka, these tasks can exceed 100 kills. They're also common tasks to receive.
You can kill any of the Kalphites for a Kalphite task. Unless you’re hunting for the Kalphite princess pet, the Kq head, or the dragon pickaxe (If an Iron Man), I recommend not killing the Kalphite Queen during Kalphite tasks.
Kalphite Lair OSRS
Before we can fight the Kalphite Queen, we must make our way through the Kalphite Lair first.
The Kalphite Lair is northeast of Bedabin Camp. The fastest way to get there is via the b*i*q fairy ring, then head northwest. Alternatively, you can run west from Shanty Pass.
Once outside the entrance to the Kalphite Lair, use a rope to climb down. When you're inside the Lair, run through the cavern to the northeast antechamber (Unless you've completed the Elite Diary and can use the crevice shortcut). Use Protect from Melee while running through the Kalphite Lair to mitigate damage from the Kalphite Soldiers and Kalphite Guardians.
After reaching the northeast antechamber, use another rope to descend to the lower level of the Kalphite Lair.
Kalphite Worker OSRS
Kalphite Workers are virtually harmless. They only attack you if you attack them first on the first level. The Kalphite Queen will spawn aggressive Kalphite Workers during the fight, but they only attack with Melee and have a low max hit of 3. Unlike every other Kalphite minion, Kalphite Workers cannot inflict poison. You can safely ignore them.
Kalphite Soldier OSRS
Kalphite Soldiers are a significant step up from Kalphite Workers. They reside on the first floor of the Kalphite Lair.
They attack with Melee, have a max hit of 8, and a respectable HP pool of 90. They can inflict poison which ticks for 4 damage. Since they're in a multicombat area, they can be dangerous if you're careless.
Kalphite Guardians OSRS
Kalphite Guardians are the strongest Kalphite minions. Two stand guard at the Kalphite Queen's Lair entrance, and two reside within the Lair itself.
Kalphite Guardians have 170 HP, attack with Melee, have a max hit of 12, and can inflict poison frequently, which ticks for 6 damage. Avoid hits from them as much as you can.
Kalphite Queen OSRS
The Kalphite Queen has two forms, both of which have 255 HP. She attacks using Melee, Ranged, and Magic, with Magic and Ranged being more dangerous due to having 100% accuracy. She has a max hit of 31.
The Kalphite Queen is not poisonous but will spawn aggressive Kalphite workers periodically throughout the fight.
Kalphite Queen Boss Fight OSRS
Kalphite Queen First Phase
In her first phase, the Kalphite Queen will attack in her beetle form and use Protect from Magic and Protect from Ranged. Use your Melee weapon for this phase. Feel free to use Thralls as well.
Try to position yourself so that the two Kalphite Guardians in the room are behind the Kalphite Queen and unable to attack you. Since you're using Melee in this phase, you'll be using Protect from Magic, not Protect from Melee. Limit the damage you take as much as possible.
Kalphite Queen Second Phase
After defeating her first phase, the Khalphite Queen will collapse to the ground. She will then emerge from her beetle husk as a wasp, and the second phase will begin.
In her second phase, the Kalphite Queen uses Protect from Melee, so using Ranged or Magic is ideal. You can still kill her in this phase with Melee, provided you are strong enough and have the accuracy.
One important thing to note about her second phase: Don't take too long to kill her. She will revert to her beetle form if the second phase lasts too long. After depleting her HP to zero, she will enter her second phase again, and you'll need to do the second phase all over.
After she's dead, collect your loot and bank, or repeat until you need to retreat.
Kalphite Queen Flinch Method OSRS
Due to her high max hit and 100% Magic and Ranged accuracy, the Kalphite Queen is a very dangerous boss. Attempting to fight her normally at a lower level is not recommended for multiple reasons.
It is possible, however, by using the flinch method.
Using Runelite with the menu entry swapper and NPC Highlight plugins, click on the Kalphite Queen, select the 'Swap shift-click' option, and change it to ‘walk here.’ Doing so will allow you to shift click, and walk under the Kalphite Queen.
Once you're ready, walk underneath the Kalphite queen. As with the normal method, position yourself so the Kalphite Guardians cannot hit you.
While standing under the Kalphite Queen, she cannot attack you. Pop out, hit her once, then walk underneath her again. If you’re fast enough, this rotation will flinch-lock the Kalphite Queen, and she should barely get off any attacks.
If you trap the Kalphite Queen in a corner, she will rarely move around, making it easier and faster to kill her. The flinch lock method works in both phases. If you're a lower-level or an Iron Man, this method is your best option for getting some Kalphite Queen kills.
I don't recommend this method if you intend to farm the Kalphite Queen, as it is slower. You will need to make adjustments depending on how much she moves around.
Is The Kalphite Queen Worth Farming?
In 2023? No.
Once upon a time, the dragon chainbody and dragon pickaxe were worth a fortune. Those days are long gone, and the dragon chainbody is pitifully worthless now.
If you're hunting for the Kalphite princess pet, you have no choice but to farm the Kalphite Queen. If you're an Iron Man, the Kalphite Queen is among the few non-Wilderness bosses to drop the dragon pickaxe. She drops it at a 1/400 drop rate, which isn't terrible. Being outside the Wilderness makes her the optimal dragon pickaxe farming candidate for Iron Man accounts.
Besides those two scenarios, the Kalphite Queen is a skip. She's not a good moneymaker. Even with optimal stats and gear, you're looking at around 500-600K GP/hour. If you have level 80 Combat stats, you can do way better than that.
You need to interact with a Kq head in your POH to complete the Elite Desert Diary, so I would farm her until you get that done (The Kq head drops at a 1/128 rate), but that's it.
Conclusion
The Kalphite Queen is an iconic OSRS boss monster, so it's a shame she's fallen from grace, especially considering how dangerous she used to be. I'd argue she deserves a drop table buff for that reason alone, but I won't hold my breath on that one. Nevertheless, you're now equipped with all the knowledge you need to deal with the Kalphite Queen and her minions.
