Pest Control
Written By Blyaunte
Original Guide By Neo Avatars
Special Thanks To Neo Avatars, Colinross, Full Mith777, Roy, Virus, Eman1051, iToast, Annabeth, Rivel, Lol, Far Quie, Marux, Blyson, Reissued, Honey Quad, Danowar7, exaphy

Pest Control is a combat-oriented safe multi-player team mini-game for 5 to 25 players, that requires both teamwork and co-operation from all of the participants in order for the team to be successful.


Requirements

The only requirement to play Pest Control is 40 combat. That said, the higher your combat level, the more successful you will be in your game, and you will achieve more experience and receive better rewards.

Pest Control is a safe mini-game. You will not lose any items if you die.


Getting There

Pest Control can be played on designated activity worlds 53, 69, 115 and 144. However, you and four other friends can play Pest Control on any non-pvp members world.

You need to speak to the Squire on the dock in Port Sarim in order to go to the Void Knights’ Outpost.

Map of routes to Pest Control

Amulet of Glory
You can teleport to Draynor Village and then travel West to the docks in Port Sarim.

Explorer Ring (3)
You can use the Cabbage Teleport and travel South to the docks in Port Sarim.

Charter a Ship
You can charter a ship from Catherby to Port Sarim for 1000 coins - 500 if you have completed the Seers Achievement Diary. Also, when using a Ring of Charos (a), the cost of the charter is halved. The ship will take you to the Port Sarim dock, and you can walk along the dock to the Squire.

Falador Teleport
Using the level 37 Falador Teleport, or a Falador Teleport tab, you can teleport to Falador and travel South to the docks in Port Sarim.

Rimmington Player Owned House
Teleport to your house in Rimmington and travel East to the docks in Port Sarim.

Port Sarim Jail
Talk to Shantay and be thrown in jail. Talk to him again, and you will be transported to Port Sarim. Pick the lock on the door and head to the docks.

Void Familiar
If you have 34 summoning, any of the 3 Void Familiars can teleport you directly to Pest Control with their scroll.

When you arrive in Port Sarim, walk to the docks and talk to the Squire.

Talk to the squire

Ask if you can go to their outpost.

I'd like to go to your outpost

You can also right click on the Squire and choose the “Travel Squire” option.


The Void Knights' Outpost

After a short boat trip, you will arrive at the Void Knights’ Outpost:

A map of key location in the Void Knights' Outpost

Points of Interest:

  1. Void Knight Dock:- Your point of arrival and departure from and to the Port Sarim Docks.
  2. Void Knight General Store:- A standard form of General Store.
  3. Void Knight Smithy:- The Squire in the smithy will repair your armour for you -- including Barrows armour -- for a fee.
  4. Void Knight Magic Store:- You can buy runes here.
  5. Void Knight Archery Store:- You can buy arrow heads and javelins here.
  6. Void Knight Bank.
  7. Void Knight:- You can exchange your Commendation Points with the Void Knight here.
  8. Novice Lander.
  9. Intermediate Lander.
  10. Veteran Lander.

Recommended Equipment

Pest Control is a safe mini-game. You will not lose any items if you die. As such, it is recommended that you wear the best equipment you own. You will not need food.

If you like, you can use potions or weapon specials (such as the Dragon Battleaxe, or Excalibur) to boost your statistics and maximize your damage.

It is strongly recommended that you use your best prayer boosters to maximize your attack, strength, defence and/or mage or range.

It is also strongly recommend that players fight with their “auto-retaliate” mode turned off, in order that they can focus on either killing the Pests that are affecting the Void Knight, or the Portals, as the case may be.

It is very important that players pay attention to the Pests around them. It is important to make sure that you are not wasting your time attacking Pests that are not affecting the Void Knight in any way, but rather attack those pests which are doing damage to the Void Knight. This will keep the Void Knight alive much longer.

It is recommended that players be aware of what equipment provides bonuses for which statistics, and equip themselves accordingly.

For those who wish to maximize their potential in training combat skills, it is recommended that some part of your equipment include a Sacred Clay Component.

Melee

Melee is the most common combat style use at Pest Control, mainly because it is easy, effective and inexpensive to use. Melee fighters are most effective against Portals and Pests, alike.

Suggested melee equipment
  • Helm: Fremennik Warrior or Berserker Helm, Helm of Neitiznot Barrows, Rune, Sacred Clay
  • Body Armour: Bandos Plate, Fighter Torso, Rune Plate, Sacred Clay
  • Leg Armour: Bandos Tassets, Dragon Legs/Skirt, Rune, Sacred Clay
  • Shield: Dragonfire, Obsidian or Defender, Prayer Book, Rune Kite
  • Boots: Dragon, Rune, Adamantite, Climbing Boots
  • Weapon: Godsword, Saradomin Sword, Whip, Scimitar, Halberd, Dragon Dagger, Sacred Clay
  • Ring: Berserker Ring, Warrior Ring, Explorer’s Ring
  • Gloves: Recipe for Disaster Gloves, Dragon Gauntlets, Combat Bracelet, Cooking Gauntlets
  • Amulet: 3rd Age, Fury, Glory, Strength
  • Cape: Fire Cape, Cape of Achievement, Obsidian Cape, Legends Cape or Team Cape

Range

Rangers are very effective against most pests, in particular Spinners, as ranger attacks distract them from healing the portals.

Suggested ranging equipment
  • Coif: Armadyl Helm, Archer’s Helm, Robin Hat, Karil’s Coif, Fist of Guthix Coif, Blessed Coif, Sacred Clay
  • Body Armour: Karil's, Armadyl, Blessed Dragonhide, Dragonhide (Black, Red, Blue or Green), Sacred Clay
  • Leg Armour: Karil's, Armadyl, Blessed Dragonhide, Dragonhide (Black, Red, Blue or Green), Sacred Clay
  • Shield: Unholy Book, Book of Balance
  • Boots: Ranger boots, Snakeskin Boots
  • Weapon: Rune Crossbow, Crystal Bow, Karil’s Crossbow, Magic Bow, Sacred Clay
  • Missiles: Any type of bolt or arrow will be sufficient.
  • Ring: Archer’s Ring, Explorer’s Ring
  • Gloves: Recipe for Disaster Gloves, Blessed Vambraces, Dragonhide Vambraces (Black, Red, Blue or Green)
  • Amulet: 3rd Age, Fury, Glory, Accuracy
  • Cape: Ava’s Accumulator or Ava’s Attractor, Team Cape

Mage

Mages using Ancient Magic are especially effective at Pest Control, as the Pests tend to “bunch up”, making the Ancient’s multi-target spells particularly devastating.


That said, because you go through so many runes, using magic at Pest Control can get a little expensive.

Like range, magic attacks also distract the Spinners from healing the Portals.

Suggested maging equipment
  • Helm: Farseer, Ahrim’s, Infinity, Dagon'hai, Mystic, Sacred Clay, Moonclan
  • Body Armour: Ahrim’s, Infinity, Dagon'hai, Mystic, Sacred Clay
  • Leg Armour: Ahrim’s, Infinity, Dagon'hai, Mystic, Sacred Clay
  • Shield: Mage’s Book, Unholy Book, Holy Book, Book of Balance
  • Boots: Infinity or Mystic
  • Weapon: Ancient Magicks + Runes for Castings, Mystic Staff, Battlestaff
  • Ring: Seers Ring, Beacon Ring, Explorer’s Ring, Lunar Ring
  • Gloves: Recipe for Disaster, Infinity or Mystic
  • Amulet: 3rd Age, Fury, Glory, Amulet of Magic
  • Cape: Fire Cape, God Cape, Cape of Achievement, Obsidian Cape, Legends Cape or Team Cape

For more information on equipping your character, see the Winning Strategies Section below.

After you have accumulated sufficient points, you can trade pest points for Void Armour, which is more effective in producing damage against the Pests. For more information on Void Armour, see the Rewards Section, below.


The Landers

There are three landers at Pest Control: Novice, Intermediate and Veteran. Each lander will launch every five minutes, or sooner, if there are 25 players on board.

The Novice Lander

Required Combat Level: 40+

The Pests encountered from this Lander are lower level and the shields on the Portals do not last as long.

The novice lander

The Intermediate Lander

Required Combat Level: 70+

As expected, the Pests encountered from this Lander are a more difficult, and the Portals’ shields last a little longer.

The novice lander

The Veteran Lander

Required Combat Level: 100+

On the Veteran Lander, the Pests are much more powerful, and the Portal shields last a full two minutes before all of them are down.

The veteran lander

When 5 minutes have passed, or there are 25 players on board the Lander, it will launch and deliver you to the Pest Control Island.


The Interface

The Pest Control interface
  1. Void Knight’s Current Health: The Void Knight has 200 hitpoints. Killing a portal will heal the Knight’s hitpoints. If this number reaches zero, the Void Knight is dead and the game ends in failure.
  2. Zeal: This number indicates the amount of damage (“zeal”) you have dealt in the current game. For you to get any reward, your team needs to win the game, and you need to get at least 50 zeal. Zeal is attained by attacking Pests and Portals.
  3. Time Remaining: The maximum time limit for a game is 20 minutes. This number represents how much time is left before the game ends. There are two ways to end the game: destroy all the portals, or keep the knight alive for 20 minutes. Few teams elect to play the whole 20 minutes, as it is easier to simply destroy all the portals.
  4. Portals: This area provides information on the status of the four portals: West (Purple), East (Blue), South East (Yellow), and South West (Red). The number over top of each of the Portals represents the amount of health that each of the four portals have remaining. Each portal starts out with 250 hitpoints and they are all protected by a force shield. The portals’ shields are indicated by the gray semi-circle underneath each portal. When the shield goes down, the gray semi-circle will disappear and a message will appear in the chat box indicating which portal is now vulnerable. As each shield goes down, it is the team’s job to attack the portals and destroy them.

Game Map

Map of the PEst Control field

Points of Interest:

  1. Lander - this is the launch spot for your team.
  2. West (Purple) Portal.
  3. West Gate.
  4. Void Knight location.
  5. East Gate.
  6. East (Blue) Portal.
  7. South Gate.
  8. South West (Red) Portal.
  9. South East (Yellow) Portal.

The Pests

Brawlers

Brawler

Brawlers are large creatures that attack using melee attacks. Their large size makes them difficult to get around, however this can also be used by players to their advantage - see below. They are combat levels 51, 76, 101 and 129, depending on which Lander you deploy from.

Defilers

Defiler

Defilers attack using a range attack. They are combat levels 33, 50, 66, 80 and 97, depending on which Lander you deploy from.

Shifters

Shifter

Shifters can teleport anywhere on the Pest Control Island. They use a melee attack. They are combat levels 36, 57, 76, 90 and 104, depending on which Lander you deploy from.

Spinners

Spinner

These jelly-fish-like creatures heal the Portals. They are combat levels 37, 55, 74, 88 and 92, depending on which Lander you deploy from.

Splatters

Splatter

Splatters bounce around the Island. When they collide with a solid object, they explode, causing damage to barriers, gates, players and fellow Pests. They are combat levels 22, 33, 44, 54 and 65, depending on which Lander you deploy from.

Ravagers

Ravager

Ravagers attack stationary objects: barriers and gates, as well as players, using their large claws in a melee attack to cause damage. They are combat levels 36, 53, 71, 89 and 106, depending on which Lander you deploy from.

Torchers

Torcher

Torchers attack using a mage attack. They are combat levels 33, 49, 67, 79.91 and 92, depending on which Lander you deploy from.


The Winning Strategy

It is highly recommended that you use a Clan Chat in order to facilitate communication amongst all the players. That way, players can tell each other where they need to be, in order to coordinate their attack, control the pests and destroy the portals.

Whether you are playing with five or twenty-five players, the winning strategy remains basically the same. You need to protect the Void Knight while destroying the four portals. In order to be rewarded, each player needs to achieve 50 zeal.

In order to do this effectively and quickly, you should use the following method:

Gate Management

It is best to both enter and exit the combat zone by using only the South (center) gate. This will limit the Pests' access to the Void Knight. Each gate you open will allow Shifters to immediately teleport to the Void Knight. If all the gates are opened simultaneously, the number of Shifters arriving at the Void Knight will be overwhelming, immediate and lethal.

Using the only the South Gate will give everyone access to the Pests and Portals, and it will also limit the number of Shifters that will arrive at the Void Knight. Furthermore, it is IMPERATIVE that you keep the gates CLOSED at all times. The Pests are drawn to open gates. If the gates are left open, they will overwhelm the Void Knight in short order.

If given sufficient time, Ravagers and Splatters will destroy the gates. However, a player may repair the gates using a woodcutting axe, to chop the trees, and a hammer. This is useful but not necessarily a priority. It is more important to distract or kill those Pests that are attacking the Void Knight, and to destroy the Portals as soon as possible.

Brawlers are also effective gate blockers and can be lured to fill in the open spaces of destroyed gates. The technique of Brawler Blocking is explained later.

Deployment

Groups:

You will need players to deploy into three groups:

(1) Void Knight Protectors:

Commonly known as “Babysitters” these players have three tasks:

  • To protect the Void Knight from the Shifters that teleport to the immediate location of the Void Knight.
  • To watch the gates and inform the gate keepers when a gate goes down.
  • To attack anything that breeches a gate, if the gatekeeper(s) is overwhelmed.

In essence, the Babysitters’ job is to act as the “quarterback” for the team. They will call out to the other players over the clan chat channel, informing them of which gates need to be attended to, either repaired, or carefully watched, or whether there are too many Torchers and Defilers at a certain location, causing too much damage to the Void Knight.

It is advised that Babysitters equip themselves with a weapon having a fast attack rate, such as a whip or scimitar or dagger, and armour that will maximize their strength bonus -- be it Void Armour or a Fighter Torso, etc.

Suggested equipment for "Babysitters"

A mage using Ancients is also every effective here, as the mage can stand on the corner, just to the East and beside the Void Knight, and attack the Shifters as they “bunch up” behind the Knight.

(2) Gatekeepers:

The Gatekeepers' job is to kill the snipers (Torchers and Defilers) that fire upon the Void Knight from outside the compound walls. It is best if the Gatekeeper intercepts the Torchers and Defilers before they get close enough to the wall to commence their attack on the Void Knight. Attacking the Torchers and Defilers before they start attacking the Void Knight will distract them and draw their fire upon the Gatekeeper.

As a result, it is best that the Gatekeeper be a tank-type player, using a weapon with a high attack rate, and armour with good defence. Guthan's, Torag's or Dharok's armour, an obsidian shield and a whip or dragon scimitar for a fast attack rate are best.

Suggested equipment for gatekeepers

It is best if the Gatekeepers position themselves roughly half-way between the portals and the gates. That way they can intercept the snipers before they get within range of the Void Knight.

In a smaller game, there may not be not enough Gatekeepers to stand between all the portals and the gates. As such, it is best for the Gatekeeper(s) to start at the South Gate, minding all the snipers from the Red and Yellow Portals first. Then, once these snipers have been neutralized, they should quickly try to attend the crowds of pests forming on the West and East Gates. The East Gate will always be less crowded, because there is a barrier directly in front of the gate, which will slow down the Pests' progress. So it is better to head to the West Gate second, after the South Gate has been secured.

The key is not necessarily to "kill" all the Torchers and Defilers, but rather to distract them instead. Attacking these Pests while they are en route to the Gate will draw their attention to the Gatekeeper, and keep them from attacking the Void Knight. Attack one Pest, then another and another -- do not stop to simply kill one Pest at a time. This will draw a lot of attention to the Gatekeeper, so it is best if the Gatekeeper is well armoured and using prayer to protect against both the Defilers' range and Torchers' magic attacks.

The Gatekeepers should ignore the Brawlers, Splatters and Ravagers, as they do not pose any immediate threat to the Void Knight. If attacked by a Brawler, however, the Gatekeeper should bring the Brawler to the Babysitter, so the Babysitter can use it for Brawler Blocking, as explained below.

(3) Portal Killers:

Portal Killers should gear up with armour and weapons that maximize their strength bonus in order to do the most damage in the least amount of time. They should work as a group and attack as a group. That way, they can eliminate the portals in as short a time as possible.

The Portals’ shields will go down in any one of the following orders:

  • Purple Blue Yellow Red
  • Purple Yellow Blue Red
  • Blue Purple Red Yellow
  • Blue Red Yellow Purple
  • Yellow Purple Red Blue
  • Yellow Red Purple Blue

Also, it is very important to watch for Spinners loitering around the Portals and eliminate them immediately. Spinners will heal the portal and slow the process of its destruction. If too many Spinners remain unchecked, you will not be able to destroy the portal at all.

Range attacks and magic attacks on Spinners will distract them and keep them from healing the Portal. As such, if numbers permit, it is always useful to have a Ranger and or a Mage join the portal attackers, and keep the Spinners busy.

Suggested equipment for portal killers

Winning Ratios:

The number of players you need to deploy in each role, depends on the total numbers of players involved and, of course, their combat level. That said, the general rule of thumb for deployment is as follows:

Winning Ratios
Number of Players Babysitters Gatekeepers Portal Killers
5-8 1 1 3-5
8-11 2 2 4-7
12-16 2 3 7-11
16-20 3 4 9-13
21-25 4 5 12-16

Brawler Blocking:

A very useful tactic for smaller Pest Control groups is to use the Brawlers’ large size to their advantage. When a Brawler attacks a player (usually a Gatekeeper), the player can lure the Brawler to follow them through the gates, and up onto the Void Knight’s pyramid. Stationing a Brawler, or Brawlers, in front of the Void Knight will effectively block out all of the attacks of the other Pests, and give the Portal Killers sufficient time to destroy all the portals.

an example of "Brawler Blocking"

Brawler Blocking is best arranged when a Gatekeeper is attacked by a Brawler and lures it to the Babysitter. Directing the Brawler through the gate and up the stairs is a little tricky, but once the Brawler climbs the stairs, it is best for the player who lured it to immediately run behind the Void Knight. That way the Brawler will stand directly in front of the Void Knight and block any attacks from the other Pests. If the luring player is needed elsewhere, then the player should wait behind the Void, until the Babysitter has attacked the Brawler and caught its attention. Once distracted, the former luring player can return to the battle, leaving the Brawler in the control of the Babysitter.


Rewards

You are rewarded for each victory.

Squire: Congratulations! You managed to destroy all the portals!

You will receive coins in an amount equal to ten times your combat level, plus Commendation Points. The number of Commendation points you receive is determined by which Lander you use. Those using the Novice Lander will receive two Commendation points for each victory, with Intermediates and Veterans receiving three and four respectively.

You may hold up to a maximum of 250 points and your Commendation Points can be spent on a variety of options:

Combat Skills

Void Knights' combat skills rewards options

Combat skill experience is the main reason most people play Pest Control, as it is a great way to raise your combat skills safely and quickly. When you spend 10 points on a combat skill, you receive a 1% bonus on the experience granted. When you spend 100 points on a skill, you will receive a 10% bonus.

You must have at least a level of 25 in the combat skill in order to be able to spend points on it.

Void Armor

Void Knights' armor reward options

Void Armour has the following requirements:

Attack: 42
Strength: 42
Defense: 42
Hitpoints: 42
Range: 42
Magic: 42
Prayer: 22

Void Knight armor equipment screen

Void Melee gives a 10% bonus to Attack and a 10% increase to maximum damage.

The Void Range set gives a 10% bonus to Range as well as a 10% increase in maximum damage.

The Void Mage Set gives 30% increase in accuracy when casting spells.

The Void Knight Mace can autocast: Crumble Undead, Air Wave, Fire Wave and Claws of Guthix.

The Void Knight Seal can be equipped in the amulet slot and is activated when you operate it during the game. It will cause damage to all nearby monsters. It has 8 uses. Damage done by the Seal is not included with your Zeal total.

Herbs, Ores and Seeds

Void Knights' herb, ore  and seed rewards options

For 30 points an Herb Pack will provide you with a variety of grimy herbs - a common combination would include: 2 Harralander, 3 Ranarr, 1 Toadflax, 3 Irit, 4 Avantoe and 2 Kwuarm.

For 15 points, the Ore pack will provide you with 25 Coal and 18 Iron ore.

For 15 points, the Seed pack will give you, for the most part, 3 sweetcorn seeds, 6 tomato seeds and 2 limpwurt seeds.

Charms

Void Knights' charm rewards options

Charms can be bought and used to make Void Familiars which require 34 Summoning to make and summon. These Summoned familiars will heal you, in the case of Spinners. provide a mining boost, in the case of a Ravager, teleport you to the Void Outpost if your hitpoints fall too low, in the case of a Shifter or a Torcher.

All of the Void Familiars will teleport you to the Void Outpost using their "Call to Arms" Special Ability.

 

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