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Vanguard

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MagicMeleeRangedMagic (Challenge Mode)Melee (Challenge Mode)Ranged (Challenge Mode)Moving
Vanguard
Released5 January 2017 (Update)
MembersYes
Combat levelN/A[1]
Size3x3
ExamineFormerly a member of Xeric's elite tactical unit.
League regionKourend Kourend✓
Combat info
AttributeXerician
XP bonus+27.5%
Max hit22
AggressiveYes
PoisonousNo
Attack styleMagic
Attack speed4 ticks (2.4 seconds)
Combat stats
180150150160150150
Aggressive stats
Monster attack bonusMonster strength bonusMonster magic strength bonusMonster ranged strength bonus
+0+0+40+25+0+0
Melee defence
+315+340+400
Magic defence
No elemental weakness
+110No elemental weakness
Ranged defence
LightStandardHeavy
+50+50+50
Immunities
Poison100% resistance
Venom100% resistance
Open in DPS calculator
Advanced data
Monster ID7529
LinkMOID

The Vanguard are a trio of Xeric's former commanders encountered in the Chambers of Xeric.

Each Vanguard is weak to a specific attack style, following the combat triangle:

  • The ranged Vanguard is weak to Melee attacks and can be identified by the rocks gathered beneath its tentacles.
  • The melee Vanguard is weak to Magic attacks and can be identified by the tentacles raised up in front of it.
  • The mage Vanguard is weak to Ranged attacks and can be identified by the lack of tentacles.
A group of players battle against the Vanguard.

History

The Vanguard, whose real names are unknown, were a trio of elite officers that served under Xeric during his reign. Each officer specialized in a specific combat style, and when the three were together, it was said that they were unstoppable. Their skill quickly caught Xeric's attention, and he appointed them as commanders of his army.

When disloyalty was suspected amongst the populace, the Vanguard would order their troops into the dissidents' homes at night. Being authorized to employ any tactic to make the suspects talk, the Vanguards soon developed a reputation for their cunning on the battlefield, ruthlessness in interrogation, and loyalty to Xeric.

Despite their abilities, when the people of Great Kourend rose against Xeric's tyranny, the Vanguards fled to save their own lives, which Xeric and an aide took note of. The Vanguard later discovered Xeric's camp at Mount Quidamortem, apologizing to Xeric for their failure and promised to serve him again, with Xeric treated them with respect in return, which initially confused the aide, knowing of their cowardice. At some point, Xeric brought the trio down to the caves to grant them more power, lowering their guard. They realized the deceit too late as Xeric, fuming at their betrayal, melted their bodies down and reforged them into crustacean-like creatures, their souls completely destroyed. Xeric coldly scolded the trio and ordered them to stand guard in the caves until the end of time. The follower, who accompanied Xeric as a witness, was traumatized by the event and recorded it so others who came would learn of the fate of those who betrayed Xeric.

Mechanics

The three Vanguards originally spawn underground. When a player gets near one of the holes, all three will burst from the ground.

All Vanguards attack three times with each attack; however, the magic and ranged Vanguards use AoE attacks (one always hitting the main target while two are launched elsewhere). The melee Vanguard simply attacks its target three times for every attack it performs. Protection prayers will not nullify their damage, but they will reduce it by a significant amount.

The swirling mass around a Vanguard, indicating that the difference between the three's health is approaching the maximum threshold.

To harm the Vanguards, damage must be spread equally to all three Vanguards. If just one of the Vanguard is heavily damaged while the others have much higher health (a difference of 40% in groups of four or less, and 33.3% in groups of five or more), the Vanguards will immediately shuffle and restore their health to full. As a warning indicator, a swirling mass of energy will appear around the Vanguards, which brightens in colour the closer they are to a forced heal.

To stop this from occurring, the Vanguards' health must be within similar range of the other Vanguards by the time they shuffle positions. Vanguards will shuffle every 20 to 36 ticks on their own.[2] The Vanguards cannot be attacked while in their shell, but any damage dealt just before they shuffle will still count. When shuffling, they will lose aggression over their current target. If the damage is fatal but hits after the Vanguard goes into its shell, it will survive the hit and restore 1 health.

As uncontrolled high damage is detrimental, weapons with low damage per hit such as toxic blowpipe are highly recommended. It may also be worthwhile to not activate damage boosting prayers and unequip gear that increases damage if there is a risk of dealing too much damage. Knowing the maximum hit for each weapon used is helpful.

Stat drains are not recommended for Vanguards, as they will restore all drained stats upon retreating into their shell. Instead, opt for damaging specials.

Drops

100%

Item Quantity Rarity Price High Alch
Vanguard judgement.png: Vanguard drops Vanguard judgement with rarity Always in quantity 1Vanguard judgement1Always; Never[d 1]Not sold0
Elder (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Elder (+)(4) with rarity Always in quantity 1Elder (+)(4)1Always[d 2]Not sold24
Twisted (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Twisted (+)(4) with rarity Always in quantity 1Twisted (+)(4)1Always[d 2]Not sold24
Kodai (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Kodai (+)(4) with rarity Always in quantity 1Kodai (+)(4)1Always[d 2]Not sold24
Xeric's aid (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Xeric's aid (+)(4) with rarity Always in quantity 1-2Xeric's aid (+)(4)1–2Always[d 3]Not sold24–48
Revitalisation (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Revitalisation (+)(4) with rarity Always in quantity 2Revitalisation (+)(4)2Always[d 4]Not sold48
Prayer enhance (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Prayer enhance (+)(4) with rarity Always in quantity 1Prayer enhance (+)(4)1Always[d 5]Not sold24
  1. ^ The book is dropped once all Vanguards are dead. No longer dropped after reading the book.
  2. ^ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Vanguard's combat style determines which potion is dropped.
  3. ^ 2 from the melee, 1 from the other two.
  4. ^ Only from the ranged vanguard.
  5. ^ Only from the magic vanguard.

Other

Item Quantity Rarity Price High Alch
Overload (+)(4).png: Vanguard drops Overload (+)(4) with rarity 1/3 in quantity 1Overload (+)(4)11/3[d 1]Not sold30
  1. ^ At least one Overload (+)(4) is given per Vanguard room, up to a maximum of 3.

Changes

Date Changes
26 June 2024
 Hotfix

Fixed an issue where the Vanguards were not appearing consistently due to a recent engine change.

29 November 2023
(Update | poll)
28 May 2020
(Update | poll)
  • Vanguards now have a visual cue that indicates whether their health is too high or low.
  • The Vanguards will now heal themselves when their health differs by 40% in groups of four or less rather than 33%.
21 May 2020
(Update | poll)
  • Vanguards' defence levels were lowered and their hitpoints were increased.
  • The melee Vanguard's magic and melee defences were swapped to better suit the combat triangle.
  • The Vanguards' aggression range was reduced and one of the spawn positions was shifted.
  • At least one overload drop is guaranteed from a Vanguard room.

References

  1. ^ DISCLAIMER: The stats displayed on this page can vary based on the player with the highest combat level. The stats shown are scaled for a player with maxed combat stats.
  2. ^
Chambers of Xeric
Mount Quidamortem
NPCs (inside)
Regular
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Scenery
General scenery
Storage units
Items
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Ancestral robes
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Other
Challenge Mode
Twisted ancestral kit
Pet transmogs
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Bosses
World bosses
The Barrows Brothers
The Dagannoth Kings
God Wars Dungeon
Moons of Peril
The Wilderness bosses
Instanced bosses
Sporadic bosses
The Forgotten Four
Slayer bosses
Minigame bosses
Skilling bosses
Raids
Chambers of Xeric
Theatre of Blood
Tombs of Amascut

Source

Content from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (operated by Weird Gloop), licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.

Source siteOld School RuneScape Wiki
Canonical sourceVanguard
Content licenseCC BY-NC-SA 3.0
License statusdeclared
PictureVanguard (magic) · file details

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