OSRS Hydra Slayer Task Guide: Strategy & Gear

Hydras are one of the highest-level Slayer monsters in Old School RuneScape, requiring 95 Slayer to kill. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to take down Hydras efficiently, including strategy, gear, XP rates, and profit potential.

If you want to see more about Alchemical Hydra, the boss version of Hydras, you can also check out our OSRS Alchemical Hydra Guide

Requirements

•   Slayer Level: 95
•   Quest: No quest required for regular Hydras (Sins of the Father required for Alchemical Hydra boss)
•   Boots of stone, Brimstone boots, or Karamja Elite Diary (to safely walk in the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon)

Location

Karuulm Slayer Dungeon (north-west of Mount Karuulm)

Wear boots of stone, boots of brimstone, or granite boots to avoid the dungeon's damaging floor.

How to Get There

Hydras are found exclusively in the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon, located in the northern Kourend region.

Travel Options

•   Slayer Ring to Mount Karuulm
•   Rada's Blessing (if you've completed Kourend & Kebos Diaries)
•   Fairy Ring Teleport Staff (if you have it unlocked)

Once inside, Hydras are located in the northern section of the dungeon. Make sure you bring the right boots, or you will take damage from the hot floor.

Gear

This is just an example gear set-up. If you have better gear, please don't be shy about using it. This is to give you a rough idea of what you need to carry. Keep in mind that there will always be better options in terms of armor and weapons.

Best Ranged Setup

• Weapon: Twisted bow (best) / Dragon Hunter crossbow
• Head: Verac's helm / Armadyl helmet
• Body: Masori body / Armadyl Chestplate
• Legs: Masori chaps Armadyl chainskirt  
• Shield: none / Twisted buckler
• Amulet: Necklace of anguish
• Boots: Pegasian boots
• Gloves: Barrows gloves / Zaryte vambraces
• Ring: Venator ring / Archer's ring (i)
• Ammo's Slot: Dragon Arrows / Diamond Dragon Bolts (e)
  
  

Ranged Budget Setup

• Ammo slot: Rada's Blessing
• Shield slot: None
• Glove slot: Barrows gloves
• Boot slot: Boots of Stone /  
• Ring slot: Venator ring / Archer's ring (i)
• Head slot: Slayer Helm (i) / Ancient coif
• Neck slot: Amulet of Fury / Necklace of Anguish
• Cape slot: Ava's assembler  
• Body slot: Ancient D'hide Body
• Leg slot: Ancient chaps
• Weapon slot: Blowpipe (any darts)

Inventory

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Combat Strategy

• Prayer Switching: Hydras alternate between Magic and Ranged every three attacks. You must switch protection prayers accordingly.
• Avoid Poison: Bring anti-poison or Antidote++.
• Safe Area: Fight in open space to avoid being cornered. Use corners to reset aggro if needed.
• AFK? Not here! Hydras require full attention; you'll take unnecessary damage if you mistime your prayer switches.

Experience Rates

•   Ranged XP: ~80,000 XP/hr
•   Slayer XP: Moderate (~15k-20k/hr depending on focus and efficiency)

You can hit over 90k+ Ranged XP over a long grind, making this an efficient option for 90-99 Ranged if you want good XP with some profit.

Profit

• Average GP per Kill: ~11,700 GP
• Main Drop: Hydra Bones (worth ~5k each)
• Gross Profit: ~775k GP/hr
• Net Profit (after supplies): ~350k GP/hr

Hydras may not be the most profitable for their level requirement, but they're a great option for XP.

Profit Tips

• Bring High Alch runes to maximize GP per trip.
• Pick up only high-value loot like bones, hydra parts, and runes to maximize efficiency.

Cannon Usage

Cannon cannot be used inside the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon.

Drops

Unique Drops

  Hydra's Eye

  Hydra's Heart

  Hydra's Fang

  Hydra's Tail

   Dragon Knives

  Dragon Thrownaxe

Clue scroll (hard) (1/128)

  Clue scroll (elite) (1/512)

  100%
Hydra bones (Always)

  Weapons and armour
Fire battlestaff (1/25.6), Water battlestaff (1/25.6), Black d'hide chaps (1/42.67), Rune kiteshield (1/42.67), Battlestaff (1/64), Rune platebody (1/128), Mystic robe bottom (1/128), Dragon longsword (1/128)

  Runes
Blood rune (1/14.22), Chaos rune (1/14.22), Death rune (1/14.22), Fire rune (1/14.22), Law rune (1/14.22), Water rune (1/14.22)

  Herbs
Grimy guam leaf (1/128), Grimy marrentill (1/170.7), Grimy avantoe (1/192), Grimy tarromin (1/227.6), Grimy ranarr weed (1/240), Grimy harralander (1/292.6), Grimy snapdragon (1/320), Grimy torstol (1/320), Grimy ranarr weed (1/372.4), Grimy irit leaf (1/512), Grimy avantoe (1/682.7), Grimy kwuarm (1/819.2), Grimy cadantine (1/1,024), Grimy lantadyme (1/1,365.3), Grimy dwarf weed (1/1,365.3)

  Seeds
Toadflax seed (1/160.7), Irit seed (1/236), Belladonna seed (1/243.6), Poison ivy seed (1/343.3), Avantoe seed (1/343.3), Cactus seed (1/359.6), Potato cactus seed (1/503.5), Kwuarm seed (1/503.5), Snapdragon seed (1/755.2), Cadantine seed (1/1,079), Lantadyme seed (1/1,510), Snape grass seed (1/1,888), Dwarf weed seed (1/2,517.3), Torstol seed (1/3,776)

  Bolt tips
Diamond bolt tips (1/256), Ruby bolt tips (1/284.4), Emerald bolt tips (1/284.4), Dragonstone bolt tips (1/365.7), Onyx bolt tips (1/853.3), Sapphire bolt tips (1/1,280)

  Other
Monkfish (1/11.64), Super restore(1) (1/21.33), Super combat potion(1) (1/32), Dragon bones (1/42.67)

  Gem drop table
Uncut sapphire (1/512), Uncut emerald (1/1,024), Uncut ruby (1/2,048), Nature talisman (1/5,461), Uncut diamond (1/8,192), Loop half of key (1/16,384), Tooth half of key (1/16,384), Rune javelin (1/16,384), Rune spear (1/262,144), Shield left half (1/524,288), Dragon spear (1/699,051)

  Tertiary
Brimstone key (1/65)

Conclusion

Hydras are challenging but rewarding for players who enjoy focused, high-effort Slayer training. They offer:

• High XP rates
• Moderate profit
• Good for Ranged training

But beware: this task is not AFK and demands full attention to be efficient and safe. If you want a high-XP task with solid GP and don't mind some intensity, Hydras are a solid choice.