The Blood Moon Rises - Overview

The Blood Moon Rises - Overview
The Blood Moon Rises

Before the vampyres became one, they were many.

Scattered clans ruled beneath Vampyrium’s scarlet skies, locked in endless rivalry where blood was currency and strength was law. From this chaos rose the Drakan clan - supreme through brutality, bound by a single sacred rite.

The Night of the Blood Moon.

A trial of slaughter where one warrior emerged above all others, crowned not by lineage, but by carnage. To bear the title Blood Moon was to rule Vampyrium through fear alone.

Centuries have passed since that final coronation - yet its legacy endures.

Now, Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan, last to hold the title, stirs once more. His aim is simple: reclaim Vampyrium, restore vampyric dominion, and drain the living world in the process.

Morytania trembles as the night deepens.

For Drakan, this is the endgame.

And the moon… is already rising.


If you can’t see the video above, click here!


The End of the Myreque Saga

At long last, the saga that began with In Search of the Myreque reaches its epic conclusion. The Blood Moon Rises is the darkest Grandmaster quest yet, pitting players against the full fury of the vampyric lord himself, Lord Lowerniel Drakan.

You’ll rally the last remnants of the Myreque, uncover hidden secrets, and journey beyond the veil into the realm of Vampyrium, where the fate of both humans and vampyres will be decided once and for all.

Do you have what it takes to end the vampyre dominion? Or will the Blood Moon rise over your corpse?

A Note on Release Timing

Some of you eagle-eyed players may have noticed that The Blood Moon Rises is now scheduled for a Summer 2026 release, rather than early in the year as previously discussed.

With Deadman kicking off in January, and with The Blood Moon Rises serving as the climactic finale to the Myreque saga, we want to make sure we’re giving this quest (and the world it unlocks) the time and care it deserves.

Rather than rushing to hit an earlier window, this additional development time lets the team focus on polish, pacing, and ensuring the experience lives up to the scale and significance of the story we’re closing out. From the quest itself to Vampyrium’s post-quest activities, our goal is to deliver something that feels worthy of the journey players have been on since In Search of the Myreque.

Quest Requirements

To undertake this challenge, you’ll need to have completed both Sins of the Father and A Night at the Theatre, along with several skills at 70+ and a recommended combat level of 110+. As always, we’ll confirm the full list of requirements closer to release.

Spoiler Warning!

The sections below discuss quest rewards and post-quest content in detail.

We’ve included these details so you can make an informed decision in the polls, but if you’d prefer to avoid spoilers, consider skipping the sections below until after release.

Quest Reward Items

While we won't reveal any spoilers here for the quest itself, every Grandmaster Quest needs worthy treasures to match its challenge - and The Blood Moon Rises is no exception.

Progressing through the quest will earn you not just renown, but tools shaped from blood and vengeance. Let’s take a look at them!

Flail Upgrade

Forged from the remnants of your Blisterwood Flail, this Flail Upgrade is the ultimate weapon against Vampyric kind. Created during the quest itself, this sacred, untradable weapon represents the culmination of the Myreque’s struggle - and your commitment to their cause.

While some of its base stats differ from the Blisterwood Flail, the Upgraded Flail’s speed and vampyre-specific accuracy make it the definitive best-in-slot option for vampyre slaying.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Question #1:
Should the Flail Upgrade, a faster and more powerful version of the Blisterwood Flail unlocked during the quest, be added to the game as described in the blog?

New Spec Weapon

A new Special Attack weapon is granted to you at the end of the quest as an untradeable two-handed weapon. However, where it really shines is in its special attack - Seeking Lunge.

This attack costs 50% spec energy and always deals 70% of its maximum damage on a successful hit. If the target’s remaining HP is lower than that value, the attack will instead roll exactly 70% of its maximum accuracy, making it a reliable way to finish off tougher targets.

In practice, this weapon excels at landing consistent finishing blows, making it a handy way to speed up Blood Shard hunting. Paired with the Flail upgrade for your regular attacks, this Special attack rewards players willing to pay a little more attention by swapping out at the end of a fight - securing dependable final hits and shaving time off the grind overall.

Outside of Vampyre combat, the weapon can still see situational use as a reliable finishing tool, but its primary value is as a more active option for players tackling Vampyre Slayer tasks.

If lost, the weapon can be reclaimed for a fee comparable to other high-level untradeable weapons.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Question #2:
Should a new two-handed special attack weapon, rewarded at the end of the quest, be added to the game as described in the blog?

The Land of Vampyrium

During the quest, players will finally set foot beyond the limits of Gielinor itself, crossing into Vampyrium - the Vampyres’ ancestral homeland. A world steeped in blood, ruled by hunger, and untouched by humanity… Until now.

Within its depths, you’ll encounter strange and unsettling forms of flora and fauna, each designed to breathe a twisted spark of life into this long-forgotten world.

The images shown here are intended to capture the atmosphere of Vampyrium - you may not encounter every creature or sight pictured during a single visit, but they reflect the kinds of threats and lifeforms that inhabit the region. If you can’t see the image above, click here!

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Vampyrium is slightly larger than the Stranglewood from Desert Treasure II, brimming with danger, mystery, and new ways to train your skills for those brave enough to venture there.

Let’s take a closer look at what powerful new resources you might be able to extract from this unsettling frontier...

Bloodwood Trees

Amid the crimson forests rise the Bloodwood Trees, their bark seeping with a potent iron-rich red sap beneath Vampyrium’s eternal night. Harvesting these trees will require a new Woodcutting method, intended for players in the mid-to-high 70s Woodcutting range, designed first and foremost around producing a valuable resource rather than offering top-end XP rates.

At lower click intensity levels, Bloodwood Trees will offer roughly 50-60k Woodcutting XP per hour, making them a more relaxed option for steady progress. For players who want to engage more actively, higher intensity interactions will be available, with the potential to push XP rates closer to the 80-90k range through increased attention and optimisation.

This activity is intentionally built around a spectrum of engagement, similar in spirit to systems like Oathplate smelting. You can approach Bloodwood Trees in a relatively low-intensity, semi-AFK way, or opt into a more click-intensive style that rewards focus and effort. Neither approach is mandatory, and both are equally valid ways to interact with the content.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Woodcutting and PvM

While Woodcutting is the core way to obtain Bloodwood sap, PvM in Vampyrium will be designed to meaningfully support, but not replace, this process.

Certain encounters will drop items that enhance your Woodcutting output rather than bypass it entirely. For example, some rewards may allow you to multiply the sap gathered from Bloodwood Trees, turning a smaller haul into significantly more when processed. Bosses may also provide limited amounts of sap directly, acting as a supplement rather than a standalone source.

This interconnected design ensures that players who engage with both skilling and combat will see faster overall progress, while still keeping Bloodwood Trees firmly at the heart of sap production. PvM is intended to accelerate your gains, but not eliminate the need to engage with the Woodcutting activity itself.

Question #3:
Should Bloodwood Trees be added to Vampyrium, as described in the blog? Rewards will be locked in via poll at a later date.

Regardless of what you choose, Bloodwood Trees remain the primary source of Bloodwood sap, a key ingredient used in crafting one of Vampyrium's most coveted rewards: Seeker Arrows.

Seeker Arrows

Seeker Arrows have been updated in the dedicated Rewards blog! Check it out here.

If Vampyrium is going to demand blood, bark, and a bit of suffering, it should probably give something back.

That something starts with Seeker Arrows - a powerful upgrade to ranged ammunition.

Rather than replacing existing arrows outright, Seeker Arrows act as an upgrade layer. They can be fitted to any standard arrowhead (including Dragon, Amethyst, Rune, and others), enhancing the base arrow rather than competing with it.

When applied, Seeker Arrows provide:

  • +23 Ranged Accuracy.
  • A minimum hit bonus of +2, raising your minimum damage from 1 to 3.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

The additional accuracy, combined with the boosted minimum hit, means you’ll land hits more consistently and see fewer low rolls - making Ranged combat feel more reliable wherever standard arrows are used.

Obtaining Seeker Arrows

At a top level, the process looks like this:

  • Harvest Bloodwood sap from Bloodwood Trees.
  • Optionally multiply your sap using materials obtained through Vampyrium PvM.
  • Treat logs with sap, and then fletch them into Seeker Arrow Shafts - applying any Arrowtips you like.
    • Higher-tier logs (such as Redwoods) will yield more shafts - helping boost their value as a late-game resource.
  • Alternatively, apply the sap to existing arrows to convert them at the same rate as standard logs - allowing you to upgrade your current ammunition without starting from scratch.
  • You'd also be able to apply sap to Arrow Shafts - at the same rate as standard logs.
  • Note: Seeker Arrows will be incompatible with poison.

Taken together, these systems are designed so that Seeker Arrows can be obtained naturally and quickly through general play in Vampyrium.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

We feel this approach ensures that:

  • Players at all stages of progression benefit.
  • Existing arrow tiers retain their relevance.
  • The upgrade still feels earned.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on feedback around Seeker Arrows before moving toward any polling, and we’ll share further details once we’re confident this design hits the right balance.

Stymphikes

Circling high above Vampyrium’s twisted canopy are the Stymphikes - predatory birds that descend only when the conditions are just right.

Catching them introduces a new Hunter method built around a two-part hunting process that reflects Vampyrium’s brutal food chain.

The activity begins with gathering smaller creatures to use as bait, using box traps in a similar fashion to existing Hunter methods. This initial step requires 76 Hunter and is more hands-on, requiring active engagement to build up a supply of bait. If you'd prefer to skip this higher-intensity stage, main accounts will have the option to purchase these creatures from the Grand Exchange, allowing you to focus solely on the second part of the hunt.

With bait in hand, you can then lure Stymphikes from the sky, which requires 82 Hunter. This phase is designed to be lower intensity and more relaxed, offering a steady, rewarding Hunter XP without constant attention.

In terms of XP, the more active box-trapping stage is intended to offer XP rates comparable to Red Chinchompas, with the Stymphike luring phase offering slightly lower rates in exchange for a more relaxed, AFK-friendly experience.

Stymphikes are not currently designed around major item rewards. Instead, the focus is firmly on Hunter XP, with room for small thematic bonuses and flavourful touches that enhance the experience without overshadowing its role as a training method.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Question #4:
Should Stymphikes be added as a new Hunter creature and post-quest activity in Vampyrium?

Leechfins

Beneath the surface of its scarlet rivers swim the Leechfins, lamprey-like creatures that feed on the blood of anything foolish enough to enter their waters.

Leechfin Fishing is designed for players in the low-to-mid 70s Fishing range, introducing a resource-focused Fishing method that deliberately trades peak XP rates for access to a unique and unsettling new food source.

In terms of XP, you can expect roughly 60k Fishing XP per hour, keeping the method competitive without overtaking any existing high-efficiency training methods.

When it comes to interaction, Leechfin Fishing sits firmly in the medium-interaction space. If you’ve tried the Fishing activity in the Moons of Peril dungeon, you can expect something broadly similar here - steady progress without constant clicks, paired with a distinct Vampyrium-themed twist that keeps the activity engaging.

This balance allows Leechfin Fishing to feel rewarding without becoming either fully AFK or overly click-intensive, making it a strong option for players who value resources, flavour, and atmosphere over raw XP rates.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Question #5:
Should Leechfins be added as a new Fishing method in Vampyrium, as described in the blog? Rewards will be locked in via poll at a later date.

The food obtained from this activity is not intended to be universally useful. Instead, it’s designed to be particularly powerful in specific situations, rewarding players who understand where and how to use it.

What waits at the end of Vampyrium’s scarlet rivers is not comfort, but opportunity: The Leechfin Sandwich.

Leechfin Sandwich

Once caught, Leechfins can be prepared into a new food item: the Leechfin Sandwich - a high-impact, niche food designed to push the limits of what non-potion healing can offer.

The Leechfin Sandwich is intended to sit between traditional hard food and Saradomin brews, offering powerful healing in specific scenarios without replacing existing options or becoming a one-size-fits-all solution.

When eaten, the Leechfin Sandwich:

  • Heals you for 16 HP immediately.
  • Increases your next attack delay by 2 ticks (similar to a Karambwan).
  • Sets your next eat delay to 9 ticks (three times longer than standard food).
  • Causes your next successful melee hit to heal an additional 16 HP.

This secondary heal must be triggered within 12 seconds. If you fail to land a successful melee hit in that time, the additional healing is lost. The effect does not stack, and the Leechfin Sandwich cannot be used as combo food.

The result is a food that rewards planning and commitment, shining in scenarios where sustained melee combat and delayed healing can be played around - but punishing careless use.

Creating the Leechfin Sandwich

Leechfin Sandwiches are created using:

  • Leechfin (captured from the Vampyrium Fishing activity)
  • Bread
  • Premium or Fine Fish Offcuts

Preparation stations would be available in familiar locations, including the Lumbridge Kitchen, Hosidius Kitchen, and the Cooks’ Guild. These stations can be stocked with bread using bank notes, then activated with a single click to set your character to preparing Leechfin Sandwiches - keeping the focus on planning and resource management rather than constant inventory juggling.

This approach is intended to make Leechfin Sandwiches practical to create in bulk, without undermining the role of complex foods in the wider game economy. By tying preparation into existing kitchens and supply chains, these foods can remain impactful while still helping preserve the value of high-tier fish and related activities.

As with all Vampyrium rewards, we’re keen to hear feedback on how this food feels in practice before moving toward any polls.

PvM & Slayer

Of course, no new land in Morytania’s shadow would be complete without creatures eager to tear you apart.

Venators

Among Vampyrium’s deadliest inhabitants are the Venators - vampyric pack beasts bred for blood sport and relentless pursuit.

Venators require level 74 Slayer and are designed as a task alternative for players assigned Vampyre Slayer tasks, rather than a brand-new Slayer assignment. If you’re happy fighting traditional Vampyres, nothing changes - Venators simply offer a different way to approach the task.

This also addresses a long-standing pain point. Vampyre Sentinels are often heavily crowded, particularly for players hunting Blood shards. Venators provide a dedicated, task-based alternative, giving players more breathing room without forcing anyone to change how they prefer to engage with Vampyre Slayer.

While final details are still being refined, Venators are currently envisioned as:

  • Primarily single-combat encounters.
  • More reward-focused than XP-focused.
  • A higher-intensity alternative to standard Vampyres.

In exchange for their increased danger and attention, Venators are intended to be a more generous source of blood shards, making them an appealing option for players who want to take a more active approach to Vampyre Slayer tasks.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Hunting Venators Off-Task

For those eager to hunt Venators without waiting on a Slayer assignment, there may be a way to earn that privilege.

Vampyrium has been abandoned for centuries, and as Vampyres return, Venators are once again being brought back into the fold. Unfortunately for them, Stymphikes prey quite heavily on Venator young, threatening local populations. Players who help control Stymphike numbers may find the local Vampyres more willing to look the other way - granting access to limited off-task hunting opportunities.

This system is designed to offer flexibility without undermining Slayer itself. Engaging with Vampyrium’s wider ecosystem can speed up your progress, but Slayer tasks remain the primary way to hunt Venators.

Question #6:
Should Venators, a new Slayer creature requiring level 74 Slayer, be added to the game, as described in the blog?

Ur-Maggots

Of all Vampyrium’s abominations, none are more grotesque than the Ur-Maggots - parasitic horrors that blend the worst traits of maggots, leeches, and isopods into one vile lifeform.

These creatures exist in a disturbing cycle of infestation and rebirth. Their eggs cling to corpses, waiting for scavengers to feed. Once consumed, the larvae hatch within their new hosts, feeding on blood from the inside until only one survivor remains. As it grows, the creature weakens, sickened by its unseen invader.

When the surviving larva matures, it anchors itself to the host’s nervous system and pupates. The creature’s body appears to recover, even thrive - but beneath the surface, something unspeakable stirs. Eventually, the Ur-Maggot emerges from its chrysalis, killing its host… Yet never truly leaving it.

Using its tendrils, it puppeteers the corpse, twisting it into a ghastly mockery of life. In this stage, known as the Progenitor, the Ur-Maggot hunts, kills, and lays its eggs anew before its short, horrific existence ends.

Most adventurers will never glimpse these parasites; they spend their lives hidden, festering within other beasts. However, there is one exception...

The Maggot King

Deep within Vampyrium lies an Ur-Maggot unlike any other: a Progenitor of immense power...

The Maggot King.

This monstrous beast is a solo instanced fight that tests precision, endurance, and sheer resolve against Vampyrium’s most twisted predator.

If you’re the sort of player eyeing up the Inferno or in the middle of your Phosani grind, you’ll feel right at home here.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

   

Question #7:
Should the Maggot King, a new solo boss encounter, be added to the game as described in the blog? Rewards will be locked in via poll at a later date.

Overcome the Maggot King, and you won’t leave unchanged. What remains are weapons born of the same corruption that sustained it...

The Maggot King Rewards

The Cimson Bludgeon (now kisten) and Necklace of Pursuit (now Rupture) have been updated in the dedicated Rewards blog! Check it out here.

In the wake of the Maggot King’s demise lie the Crimson Bludgeon and the Necklace of Pursuit - weapons of pure brutality, forged from Vampyrium’s most grotesque depths and repurposed for destruction.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

The Crimson Bludgeon

Obtained as a rare drop from the Maggot King, the Crimson Bludgeon fills a long-standing gap as a true Crush-focused 2H special attack weapon, offering a powerful alternative to Dragon Claws and the Voidwaker when brute force is the answer.

With a fast 4-tick attack speed, high Strength, and exceptional Crush accuracy, the Crimson Bludgeon is designed to excel against enemies that are particularly weak to Crush - while still remaining competitive elsewhere.

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Where it really comes into play, though, is with its Special Attack - Brutal Swing.

Costing 50% spec energy, this manoeuvre rewards accuracy with escalating damage.

When activated, the attack makes four separate accuracy rolls in a single hit. Each successful roll increases the attack’s damage, allowing skilled players to push for devastating results against appropriate targets.

  • If at least one roll succeeds, the attack deals 70-110% of your maximum hit.
  • Each additional successful roll increases both the minimum and maximum hit by 20%.

In practice, the damage scales as follows:

  • 1 successful roll: 70-110%
  • 2 successful rolls: 90-130%
  • 3 successful rolls: 110-150%
  • 4 successful rolls: 130-170%

This scaling means the Bludgeon performs best against Crush-weak targets (think Nightmare, Vet’ion, Araxxor), where accuracy is more likely to succeed multiple times.

Against very low-defence enemies, such as those found in Chambers of Xeric and Theatre of Blood, the Bludgeon remains competitive - but not dominant.

To preserve this balance, a small cap has been applied:

When all four accuracy rolls succeed, the Bludgeon’s maximum hit is reduced by 1. This mirrors how Dragon Claws calculate their own damage cap (2 x max hit - 1), ensuring the Crimson Bludgeon doesn’t outperform Claws against 0-defence targets.

The result is a weapon with a clear, powerful niche - devastating where Crush matters, without invalidating existing special attack options elsewhere.

Necklace of Pursuit

Born from the remains of Vampyrium’s deadliest creature, the Necklace of Pursuit embodies unrelenting focus and precision.

As a new best-in-slot Ranged necklace, this necklace offers a meaningful upgrade wherever standard Ranged combat is used, surpassing all existing options and giving endgame Ranged setups a long-awaited capstone.

The Necklace of Pursuit provides:

  • +22 Ranged Accuracy
  • +8 Ranged Strength
  • +3 Prayer bonus

If you can’t see the image above, click here!

Designed as a direct progression from the Necklace of Anguish, this upgrade brings the Ranged necklace slot in line with recent endgame improvements across other combat styles.

Creating the Necklace of Pursuit

The creation process mirrors that of the Amulet of Rancour, with a single additional refinement step designed to keep Crafting relevant without adding unnecessary friction.

The process is as follows:

  1. Obtain an untradeable Alpha Venator Tooth from the Maggot King boss.
  2. Etch the tooth with 84 Crafting, creating a tradeable Etched Alpha Venator Tooth.
  3. Combine with a Necklace of Anguish (84 crafting required).

This additional crafting step preserves the importance of high Crafting levels while avoiding the need to sacrifice extra Zenyte jewellery simply to trade or store the item - a pain point we’ve seen raised with similar rewards in the past.

As part of this, we’re also interested in hearing whether players would like similar functionality applied to existing items like the Araxyte Fang and Amulet of Rancour.

What Happens Next?

The Blood Moon Rises represents a true finale to the Myreque saga, and the beginning of something far darker beyond Morytania’s borders.

Polls for the skilling activities and Maggot King boss will open at the end of The Winter Summit livestream.

In the coming months, we’ll be sharing a follow-up blog that dives deeper into feedback changes from:

  • Rewards from Vampyrium’s skilling activities.
  • Drops and uniques from the Maggot King.

Before any of these rewards go to a poll, we want to hear your thoughts.

Your votes, along with the discussion that leads up to them, play a vital role in shaping what ultimately makes it into the game.

Let us know what you think, and we’ll see you beneath the Blood Moon.

You can also discuss this update on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.

Mods Abe, Abyss, Acorn, Ape, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Asherz, Ayiza, BigRig, Blighted, Blossom, Boko, Brooksie, Bruno, Chilly, Criminal, Curse, Daizong, Ed, Elena, Enigma, Entropi, Freddie, Fuzz, Gecko, Gizmo, Goblin, Grace, Grub, Halo, Harold, Hend, Hornet, Husky, Ivory, Jalo, Jamesy, Jerv, Keyser, Kieren, Kirby, Kurotou, Leebleh, Lenny, Light, Liron, Lykos, Lotus, Mack, Manked, Markos, Maylea, Mobius, Moogle, Morty, Moz, Necro, Nin, Nixon, Nox, Nylu, Ori, Other, Otter, Philomel, Pork, Pumpkin, Puppi, Rach, Redfield, Rice, Romy, Roq, Roy, Ry, Saiyan, Sarnie, Schmidt, Shogun, Shroom, Sigma, Skylark, Smithy, Sova, Spyro, Squid, Starry, Stilrush, Suharun, Surma, Sween, Tide, Titania, Titus, TJ, Tomb, Tsourorf, Tyran, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy, Yozora & Yume


The Old School Team.