Gear progression
Magic weapons
What's my best magic weapon upgrade?
See your position on this path. Mark what you own — or connect RuneLite — and this page shows what you own, what's next, and what's already superseded.
Open gear checklistThe core progression
- Iban's staff
- Trident of the seas
- Sanguinesti staff +
- Tumeken's shadow
Magic weapons range from cheap, reliable damage to some of the most powerful items in the game. This ladder starts with the Trident of the seas — a staple for slayer and early bossing — and climbs to Tumeken's Shadow, which triples magic bonuses and defines many endgame setups.
When to move up a tier
A Trident (or its swamp variant) covers most magic training and mid-game bossing, so there's rarely a reason to rush past it. Big jumps like the Shadow only pay off once you're doing content built around magic damage and already have the magic gear and levels to make it hit.
Iban's staff
UntradeableA cheap, self-contained magic attack from Underground Pass — the first real magic damage before a trident.
Unlocked by: Underground Pass
Trident of the seas
A self-contained spell with no rune cost beyond charges — the standard first magic weapon.
Obtained from: Kraken / cave krakens (Slayer)
Sidegrades — pick by content, not a strict upgrade
Sanguinesti staff
Best-in-slot magic weapon short of the Shadow, with a built-in heal that sustains long fights.
Obtained from: Theatre of Blood
Trident of the swamp
A stronger trident than the seas variant — the standard charge-based magic weapon before the Sanguinesti.
Obtained from: Uncharged toxic trident (Kraken) + Magic fang (Zulrah)
Tumeken's shadow
Triples the magic bonus of worn gear — the definitive magic weapon, transformative wherever magic is best.
Obtained from: Tombs of Amascut
Nightmare staff
~28.6mThe base staff that combines with an orb into the Harmonised/Volatile/Eldritch variants.
Obtained from: The Nightmare
Sidegrades — pick by content, not a strict upgrade
Eldritch nightmare staff
Its Invocate special restores prayer from magic damage — the prayer-sustain orb variant, ideal for long Slayer/Inferno trips.
Obtained from: Nightmare staff + Eldritch orb (The Nightmare)
Harmonised nightmare staff
Halves standard-spell cast time — the best magic weapon for standard spells short of the Shadow.
Obtained from: Nightmare staff + Harmonised orb (The Nightmare)
Volatile nightmare staff
Adds a strong magic special attack that scales with Magic level — the DPS-spec orb variant of the Nightmare staff.
Obtained from: Nightmare staff + Volatile orb (The Nightmare)
Staff of the dead
~5.4mA magic-boosting staff that also hits as a strong melee weapon, with a 50% melee-damage-reduction spec.
Obtained from: Staff of light + Kril'tsutsaroth hilt (K'ril Tsutsaroth)
Toxic staff of the dead
A Staff of the dead fused with a magic fang — the same spec plus a stronger melee profile. Degrades.
Obtained from: Staff of the dead + Magic fang (Zulrah)
Other weapon options
Blue moon spear
The Blue moon set weapon — a hybrid spear that casts a bound spell; a niche set item.
Obtained from: Moons of Peril (Lunar Chest)
Master wand
~6.9mA cheap high-magic-bonus wand — the standard offhand before the Kodai.
Obtained from: Mage Arena II (miniquest)
Ancient sceptre
Unknown valueBoosts Ancient Magicks damage and freeze effects — the best staff for barrage and freeze-reliant content.
Obtained from: Ancient staff + Nightmare orb (The Nightmare)
Kodai wand
~57.4mBest-in-slot magic wand — bonus magic damage plus an infinite water-rune and cost-saving effect.
Obtained from: Kodai insignia (Chambers of Xeric) + Master wand
Eye of Ayak
A powered magic staff from the Doom of Mokhaiotl — a specialist single-target ALTERNATIVE to Tumeken's shadow, not a step below or above it.
Obtained from: Doom of Mokhaiotl (delve level 3+)
Strict upgrades stack vertically; sidegrades are shown as branches — one is not simply better than another, they solve different problems. Independent families are kept separate rather than forced into a single ladder. Values are illustrative; composite items are valued from their components.
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Where this gear is used & dropped
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How to read this magic weapons progression
ScapePath maps this category as an upgrade graph, not a single price ladder. A strict upgrade replaces the item below it — it does everything the earlier piece did and more, so owning it makes the earlier one redundant. A sidegrade sits beside its peers because it solves a different problem, and independent familiesare kept apart because they aren't on the same line at all.
This page holds 8 separate families, topping out at Tumeken's shadow. Buy the next rung on the line you're actually on rather than the most expensive item on the page — the goal is the upgrade that changes your kills.