[RS3] Shadow Reef (ED3) Guide

Ulthven Kreath, popularly known as The Shadow Reef, stands as the third Elite Dungeon in the world of Dungeoneering. This thrilling adventure accommodates 1 to 3 players, offering a perfect blend of combat and narrative exploration. The dungeon promises exclusive rewards, Dungeoneering experience, and tokens that can be earned throughout the journey.

Situated along the eastern shore of Daemonheim, the entrance to The Shadow Reef beckons daring adventurers. Assembling a formidable team is made possible through the Grouping System, where players can form teams of 2 to 3 members to embark on this treacherous expedition.

What sets this dungeon apart are its immersive achievements, a total of 16 miniboss encounters, and three formidable bosses: The Crassian Leviathan, Taraket the Necromancer, and The Ambassador. These powerful adversaries will test the skill, coordination, and teamwork of any group daring enough to confront them.

The beauty of The Shadow Reef lies in its accessibility, as there are no stringent prerequisites to enter the dungeon. Thus, both seasoned veterans and newcomers to the world of Dungeoneering can venture forth and embrace the challenges that await within.

Getting there

To access The Shadow Reef and begin your adventure, you have various teleportation methods at your disposal:

1. Ring of Kinship: Activate the Ring of Kinship to teleport directly to Daemonheim. From there, make your way east to the Fremennik ship, which will serve as your entry point to The Shadow Reef.

2. Boss Portal in War's Retreat: If you have unlocked War's Retreat, use the Boss Portal to teleport directly to the entrance of The Shadow Reef.

3. Boss Portal in the Max Guild: For those who have achieved mastery in all skills (level 99 in every skill), use the Boss Portal in the Max Guild to access The Shadow Reef.

4. Fremennik Shipmaster: Speak to the Fremennik shipmaster, located on the bridge west of the Al Kharid bank. The shipmaster can transport you directly to the Fremennik ship at Daemonheim.

5. Taverley Lodestone Teleport: If you have unlocked the Taverley Lodestone, teleport there and then run south to set sail from the Fremennik ship.

6. Shadow Reef Teleport: Obtain a Shadow Reef teleport from Bryll Thoksdottir at Daemonheim, which can whisk you directly to The Shadow Reef.

7. Teleport from Treasure Chests: If you have completed the quest "Impressing the Locals," you can use the teleport option on the treasure chest outside the Dragonkin Laboratory, the Temple of Aminishi, or The Zamorakian Undercity to reach The Shadow Reef.

8. Dungeoneering Cape: If you have achieved level 99 in Dungeoneering, use the Dungeoneering Cape to teleport to Daemonheim woodcutting island dungeon (resource dungeon 5). From there, head north to access The Shadow Reef.

Recommended levels and equipment

Cycle target

Cycle Target is useful to have keybound for the Shadow Reef. It allows the player to reliably target smaller NPCs without having to click, as well as allowing the Sinister Fragments during the Ambassador boss fight to be targeted significantly sooner than they have spawned visually. It will be referenced a few times throughout the following guide.

Melee can be an effective choice for dungeon exploration due to its ability to capitalize on the style's strengths when facing various enemies and bosses. The use of a noxious scythe allows for efficient clearing of groups of enemies, while the Berserk ability provides access to significant burst damage against bosses.

However, it is essential to mention that The Ambassador fight can prove to be more challenging when using melee. Beginners may encounter difficulties in learning the mechanics of this fight with melee weapons. Therefore, it might be advisable for less experienced players to tackle The Ambassador in a group setting, where coordination and teamwork can offset the challenges posed by using melee.

For those aiming to complete the dungeon solo within a time frame of 19-26 minutes, it is essential to carefully adjust supplies and equipment to ensure success. Preparation and strategic planning are key to making a successful solo run.

Ultimately, the choice of combat style in the dungeon should be based on individual preferences and experience level. Melee can be a potent option, particularly for group play and efficiently handling most enemies and bosses, but it's crucial to acknowledge the specific challenges and adapt accordingly.

1. Saradomin brew flasks, blue blubber jellyfish, and sailfish for healing, adjust as you see fit although melee may need more food than other styles

2. Ring of vigour

3. Any shield or defender

4. Enhanced Excalibur and any mainhand Melee weapon for Bladed Dive

5. Cinderbane gloves are best-in-slot for the dungeon

6. Undead Slayer abilitycan constantly be used within the dungeon

7. Salve amulet (e) for massive bonuses against undead

8. Noxious scythes to deal area-of-effect damage

9. Armour spikes for free damage

10. Pouch 1 =   

11. Pouch 2 =  

Ranged may not be the most optimal choice for the dungeon, but it serves as a safe option for learners to familiarize themselves with the challenges and mechanics. Despite its limitations, ranged can still deal more damage than magic without relying on 4-tick auto attacks.

Mechanised chinchompas can be a valuable asset during the dungeon run, allowing players to speed up their progress by efficiently clearing groups of enemies. However, it's worth noting that the effectiveness of ruby bakriminel bolts (e) is diminished in this dungeon due to the majority of enemies having low hitpoints, making the extra damage less impactful.

To maximize the benefits of ranged, players might consider using onyx or hydrix bakriminel bolts (e) instead. Onyx bolts provide an additional source of healing, which can be valuable for sustaining health during extended fights. On the other hand, hydrix bolts offer an adrenaline boost, allowing for more frequent use of powerful abilities and enhancing overall combat performance.

Overview

The Shadow Reef, also known as Ulthven Kreath, serves as the third installment in the Elite Dungeons series. This dungeon encompasses an expansive underwater city located above the ritual site utilized by Kranon, The Ambassador.

The dungeon consists of three instanced map areas, guiding players deeper into the reef, leading through an ancient temple, and eventually reaching a deep abyss. Much like the other elite dungeons, the Shadow Reef incorporates chests to store players' loot automatically and magical barriers that obstruct progress. These barriers can only be dispelled by defeating enemies associated with each specific barrier, often located nearby.

The layout of the Shadow Reef makes it particularly friendly to melee combat, as most mobs are grouped closely together and predominantly employ melee attacks. However, ranged combat with mechanised chinchompas and magic with Detonate and barrage spells are also effective throughout the dungeon, providing a balanced experience for all three combat styles.

It is highly recommended to equip the Undead Slayer perk and salve amulet (e) due to the significant presence of undead opponents in the middle section of the dungeon, including Taraket, the second boss.

The dungeon features a diverse array of enemies, with a focus on undead and crassian creatures such as crassian scouts and sea horrors. Additionally, familiar foes from the Temple of Aminishi, like cloaked zealots, reappear in this dungeon. Kal'gerion demons, though present as slayer targets, are generally not recommended unless pursuing Yor'Ger the Deceiver if he appears as a boss encounter.

It is crucial to acknowledge that the Shadow Reef is renowned as the most challenging of the elite dungeons, with The Ambassador, the final boss, being significantly more difficult than Seiryu and the black stone dragon from previous dungeons. Mastering high-level PvM (Player vs. Monster) skills is advantageous for achieving consistently fast runs, while less experienced players may face a steep learning curve initially. Proper knowledge and utilization of defensive abilities are essential for success within the dungeon. Additionally, techniques like 4-tick auto attack and Soul Split flicking can significantly enhance boss kills, and adept use of AoEs (Area of Effect attacks) and Bladed Dive can expedite navigation between sections of the dungeon.

Bosses 

The Crassian Leviathan

The Crassian Leviathan serves as the first of the three bosses in the Shadow Reef dungeon. The battle commences with the Leviathan idling in the northern part of the arena, boasting 380,000 life points.

The boss's attack rotation unfolds as follows:

1. Poisonous Breath: The Leviathan releases a torrent of poison in a conal shape down the middle of the arena as the first mechanic. This attack can deal up to 6,500 typeless damage per tick to those caught in the blast. The middle of the arena becomes unsafe to stand on, causing gradually increasing poison damage. Players should position themselves off to the side of the boss to avoid this attack.

2. Auto-Attacks: The Leviathan bites one player during its melee attack. Additionally, it spits acid at all players as part of its Ranged attack. Both auto-attacks deal around 3,000 damage. The boss's attack speed can occasionally vary between 4 and 3.

3. Head Sweeps: Following one auto-attack after the Poisonous Breath, the Leviathan rears its head towards one side and sweeps across the arena from that direction. The direction of the head sweep is random. Getting caught in this attack results in up to 4,000 soft typeless damage per tick, potentially lethal if not avoided. Players can move to the side the head is moving towards to evade this attack effectively.

4. Regeneration: The Crassian Leviathan regenerates 3,000 life points every few seconds for every player in the arena (6,000 in duo and 9,000 in trio). However, this healing is reduced to 1,000 per player if the Leviathan is poisoned. Players are advised to poison the boss to accelerate the kill and prevent unnecessary delays caused by healing.

5. Many Heads: Several holes located on the sides of the arena allow the Leviathan's other heads to appear, which cannot be attacked. Running past these heads when they lunge results in up to 1,500 poison damage and a 6-second stun. Players should use abilities like Dive and Surge to move from one side of the arena to the other, with Freedom available as a contingency in case of a stun.

6. Tactical Retreat: After completing its attack rotation, the Leviathan temporarily retreats and reappears on the opposite end of the arena, resuming its attack rotation from that point. The Leviathan can be targeted with the Flanking ability when it is on the southern end of the arena.

To maximize efficiency during the fight, players should set up their ultimate abilities directly in front of the Leviathan at the beginning. Mage and melee players should apply their respective affinity debuffs using the Guthix Staff and Quake, respectively, as the boss has high defense. Vulnerability should be maintained throughout the entire fight for optimal damage output.

In group settings, the most critical mechanics to watch out for are the poison breath and head sweeps, as they possess the most significant potential to cause KO (knockout). Once players comprehend and manage the mechanics, the fight becomes a straightforward positioning challenge. With effective DPS and execution, the fight should conclude in under a minute.

Necromancer's Amphitheater

Taraket, the second boss in the Shadow Reef dungeon, is a grotesquely mutated Dragonkin and the right-hand man of The Ambassador. He possesses 400,000 life points, but his mechanics effectively grant him 600,000 health. As an undead dragonkin, he is susceptible to Undead Slayer equipment, such as the Undead Slayer perk and the salve amulet (e), which can enhance damage output against him.

Mechanic 1: Auto-attacks Taraket alternates between standard magic and ranged attacks, dealing up to 3,000 damage to all players in the arena. He periodically switches to ranged attacks, dealing higher damage (up to 4,200) during this phase.

Mechanic 2: Rift of Undeath Taraket summons a Rift of Undeath, which periodically spawns three skeletal minions. These minions include one melee skeleton with a combat level of 116 and two ranged skeletons with combat levels of 98. The rift itself has 15,000 health, with additional health based on the number of players in the arena at the start of the fight. If the rift is not destroyed before its timer runs out, it will explode and deal 7,500 damage to all players. The rift does not provide any Ruthless stacks.

Mechanic 3: Death's Swiftness Taraket temporarily changes his attack style to ranged and deals higher damage (up to 4,200) after yelling "Be my puppet and bind yourself with my strings" or "Let death take you, fall and rise again as my plaything." He becomes partially static during this phase.

Mechanic 4: Absorb Undead After summoning the rift, Taraket yells "I shall not fall. Death is bound by the chains I forge," destroying all summoned skeletons in the arena and healing himself for 4,000 life points for each skeleton killed by this attack.

Mechanic 5: Death Crystals When Taraket reaches 200,000 life points, he flies to the nearest crystal based on his location, and all damage dealt to him is reduced to one (Soul Split still heals normally). He heals 100,000 life points when he destroys a crystal. The eastern crystal causes a bloated monstrosity to spawn, increasing Taraket's auto-attack damage while it is alive. The western crystal causes a corpse carrier to spawn, essentially a moving version of the Rift of Undeath. Taraket's damage reduction is lifted upon landing.

Mechanic 6: Spirit Wall After reaching 200,000 life points for the third time, Taraket gains a final ability, indicated when he yells "Your efforts are meaningless, witness the fury of the dead" or "I am the master of death!" He creates a wall of ghosts that moves across the room, dealing up to 2,000 typeless damage per tick if it touches a player. Additionally, he slams the ground in front of him, dealing 4,000-5,000 melee damage to players standing there. The placement of the ghosts is based on the player's position to Taraket.

For effective group strategies, teams with high DPS can focus solely on the boss and save ultimate abilities until after the second giant spawn. In this case, the meleers should use Berserk and another player should position to tank the giants. Undead Slayer abilities and Salve amulet (e) can be utilized to maximize damage output.

For learner groups, it is crucial to manage secondary enemies, such as the Rift of Undeath and the giant spawns. Dealing with these during the boss's phasing is recommended, and proper coordination is necessary to prevent the rift from causing problems and healing the boss.

The Ambassador's Reception

Kranon, the Ambassador, is the final boss of the Shadow Reef dungeon. He has a total of 1,000,000 life points and has three phases during the fight.

Phase 1:

Phase 1 lasts until Kranon's life points reach 550,000. During this phase, he follows a specific attack rotation:

Mage/Melee auto-attack

5 auto-attacks

Black Stone Flames

5 auto-attacks

Unstable Black Hole

5 auto-attacks

Black Stone Flames

5 auto-attacks

Tri Beam/Sinister fragments

Pulse of Erebus

The special attacks go through this rotation, but they can be interrupted by other special attacks. If the energy beam attack hasn't started yet when Kranon reaches 650,000 life points, he will use it before any further damage can be done. However, if his life points are brought down to 550,000 before the energy beam attack can begin, it will be automatically skipped.

Mechanic 1: Auto-attacks Kranon uses all three forms of combat (melee, ranged, and magic). Every 5 ranged attacks, he uses either a melee or magic attack on a random target. The magic attack deals 4,000-5,000 damage and has an area of effect (AoE) property similar to the Black Stone Dragon's magic attacks. If players stand near the targeted player, they can also take damage from the AoE. If a player stands within melee distance of Kranon, he uses a melee attack, dealing up to 3,000 damage. Kranon starts the fight with these intermittent attacks and resumes his auto-attack pattern after any special attack.

Mechanic 2: Black Stone Flames Kranon selects a random player and sends a current of shadowy energy towards them. When filled, a 5x5 patch of shadow flame appears on the player, dealing damage (starting at 200 and ending at around 2,000). Players should place these flames on the edges of the arena unless there are no melee players in the team, in which case they should be placed near Kranon instead.

Mechanic 3: Unstable Black Hole Kranon spawns unstable black holes for every player in the room. These black holes have 500,000 life points and explode if not destroyed in time, dealing 8,000 to 10,000 typeless damage to players nearby. The black holes can be stunned with abilities like Backhand, Kick, Binding Shot, Demoralise, Impact, or Shock to destroy them.

Mechanic 4: Tri Beam + Sinister Fragments After the second set of shadow flames, Kranon becomes invulnerable and stops attacking. Sinister fragments are deployed around the arena, and players must destroy them before Kranon finishes charging his beam attack. Players need to move around the arena within the areas not covered by the beams to avoid taking damage. The fragments are unaffected by debuff spells and do not attack but can be bound, stunned, poisoned, or forcibly moved. Kranon absorbs all surviving fragments after completing a full rotation.

Mechanic 5: Pulse of Erebus Each absorbed sinister fragment triggers a shockwave attack dealing up to 9,000 soft typeless damage, with a delay between each shockwave. Players should block or reduce this damage.

Phase 2:

Phase 2 begins when Kranon reaches 550,000 life points. He periodically summons Crassian Ritual Keepers, who have 50,000 life points and use ranged attacks. The damage they take is greatly reduced, but Soul Split heals normally. Players need to continue DPSing while dealing with the ritual keepers.

Phase 3:

At 400,000 life points, Seiryu the Azure Serpent intervenes, fully restoring the life points of all players. Kranon then summons black hands that encircle the arena while subduing Seiryu. The hands slam the ground one at a time and send white orbs towards Kranon. Players must stand between Kranon and the healing hands to prevent him from being healed.

Shadow Onslaught Every 10 auto-attacks in the final phase, Kranon targets a random player and unleashes a barrage of black energy, dealing up to 9,000 magic damage per hit for five hits. Players need to block or reduce this damage.

During the fight, players should use defensive abilities strategically and focus on DPSing effectively to defeat Kranon, the Ambassador.

Rewards

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