Hydra best in slot gear setup

Ranged · 14.988 DPS · 300 hp
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Best-in-slot gear

Pick a monster and get the highest-DPS gear for each combat style - computed by searching every item against our exact DPS engine, not a hand-made list. Salve, Slayer helm and Dragon hunter auto-apply from the target. This is max-DPS gear, not fight strategy (no spec cycles or defensive swaps).
HydraCombat 194 · 300 hp· dragon· weak to earth
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Best style vs this target: ranged (14.988 DPS).
DPS14.988incl. thralls +0.625
Max hit42
Accuracy91.85%
Time to kill20.0s
Buy cost1.33b+
Attack styleRanged · Rapid
Attack style: Ranged · Rapid
Slayer helmet (i)Blessed Dizana's quiverNecklace of ruptureDiamond ascension bolts (e)Ascension crossbowsMasori body (f)
Masori chaps (f)Zaryte vambracesAvernic treads (max)Venator ring
Rune pouch · Greater thrall
1051
Buffs: Divine ranging / bastionRigourThrallsSlayer helm (on task)
Auto-applied: Slayer helm (i) (on task)
weapon765.00m
head893.2k
body87.00m
legs67.48m
hands70.13m
feet140.99m
capeuntradeable
neck159.08m
ring37.02m
ammo628
Tap a piece for what it adds and what else could go there.
My Setups →
Special attacks Spec: Dragon knife +0.18 DPS·Opener: Tonalztics of Ralos (+6.9%)
Spec weapon to bring

Switched in with this gear. Energy comes back 10% every 30 seconds, plus a surge potion dose every five minutes.

  • Dragon knife · 25% energy avg 28.4 a spec (max 62), 99.25% to hit · 113.5 per full bar +0.18 DPS
  • Rosewood blowpipe · 25% energy avg 28.3 a spec (max 62), 99.21% to hit · 113.2 per full bar +0.18 DPS
  • Zaryte crossbow · 75% energy avg 64.1 a spec (max 66), 96.84% to hit · 85.4 per full bar +0.12 DPS
  • Toxic blowpipe · 50% energy avg 25.9 a spec (max 54), 95.69% to hit · 51.7 per full bar +0.07 DPS

With the top one: 15.17 DPS over a trip (from 14.988).

Defence opener

Landed at the start of a kill from a full bar; this gear then hits a weaker target.

  • Tonalztics of Ralos × 2 92.39% to land the first of 4 throws, 95.28% the last · 16.079 DPS if all land 16.018 (+6.9%)
  • Bandos godsword × 2 87.91% to land the first, 92.79% the last · 15.948 DPS if all land 15.853 (+5.8%)
  • Elder maul × 2 78.72% to land the first, 85.55% the last · 15.61 DPS if all land 15.515 (+3.5%)
Setups players use for Hydra none shared yet

No one has shared a setup for Hydra yet. Save one from this page or your game, then press Share on it in My Setups.

How this is worked out
Every combination of gear you could wear is scored with the same damage maths as the OSRS Wiki's DPS calculator, and the highest sustained DPS wins, with the buffs above applied.
  • Built in: what can reach the target (halberds only for melee on Kree'arra, Zulrah and other flying bosses; no melee where it can't land, like the Kraken), each boss's damage caps, reductions and immunities (Corp, Zulrah, Verzik, Olm, Tekton, the Duke and more), and the bonuses the target's type turns on (salve, slayer helmet on task, dragon, demon and other banes).
  • Real gear only: items you can't take to the fight (PvP Arena, Nightmare Zone and minigame copies, League rewards) are never picked. When two pieces are within 0.2% DPS of each other, the sturdier one is shown.
  • Your levels: only gear the levels above can wear is searched (Bandos needs 65 Defence, Torva 80), and each style prays the best prayer they allow: Piety needs 70 Prayer and 70 Defence, so a 1 Defence pure prays Ultimate Strength with Incredible Reflexes.
  • One phase at a time: bosses with phases or forms (Zulrah, Vorkath, Hydra, Yama) are scored for the one picked above.
  • Not in the DPS above: special attacks (listed separately under Special attacks), prayer switching and hitting several targets at once. This is the gear for your steady damage, not a full kill plan.
Every style vs Hydra Ranged 14.988·Melee 13.231·Magic 10.084
StyleDPSMax hitAccuracyTime to killWeaponBuy cost
Rangedbest14.9884291.85%20.0sAscension crossbows1.33b
Melee13.23110174.71%22.7sScythe of Vitur1.51b
Magic10.0847575.65%29.7sTumeken's shadow1.03b
At 99 stats with the best buffs for each style.

Hydra ranged gear setups: top 5

One per weapon, the rest of the gear searched around it; outlined pieces differ from #1.
#WeaponDPSvs bestMax hitAccuracyGearBuy cost
1Ascension crossbows Rapid14.988-4291.85%1.33b+
DPS calc
2Toxic blowpipe Rapid14.353-4.2%3691.38%562.59m+
DPS calc
3Twisted bow Rapid13.94-7.0%8494.95%2.03b+
DPS calc
4Rosewood blowpipe Rapid12.415-17.2%3191.1%562.59m+
DPS calc
5Dragon hunter crossbow Rapid12.321-17.8%7095.18%607.37m+
DPS calc

Hydra melee gear setups: top 5

One per weapon, the rest of the gear searched around it; outlined pieces differ from #1.
#WeaponDPSvs bestMax hitAccuracyGearBuy cost
1Scythe of Vitur Slash · Aggressive13.231-10174.71%1.51b+
DPS calc
2Obligator Crush · Thrust11.736-11.3%6873.26%4.18b+
DPS calc
3Soulreaper axe Slash · Aggressive11.707-11.5%8875.54%804.44m+
DPS calc
4Dragon hunter lance Slash · Controlled11.703-11.5%6878.16%413.42m+
DPS calc
5Inquisitor's mace Crush · Aggressive11.191-15.4%6775.66%948.72m+
DPS calc

Hydra magic gear setups: top 5

One per weapon, the rest of the gear searched around it; outlined pieces differ from #1.
#WeaponDPSvs bestMax hitAccuracyGearBuy cost
1Tumeken's shadow Accurate10.084-7575.65%1.03b+
DPS calc
2Dragon hunter wand Casts Earth Surge9.265-8.1%7574.09%365.89m+
DPS calc
3Eye of Ayak Accurate7.483-25.8%4752.48%390.65m+
DPS calc
4Harmonised Nightmare staff Casts Earth Surge7.431-26.3%5762.54%358.56m+
DPS calc
5Sanguinesti staff Accurate6.991-30.7%6451.59%372.33m+
DPS calc
Full drop table and combat stats on the Hydra bestiary page. Roll its loot in the Hydra loot simulator.

Hydra gear setup: best in slot for every style

The highest-DPS setup against Hydra in Old School RuneScape is ranged, built around the Ascension crossbows, at 14.988 damage per second - about 20 seconds a kill. That beats the best melee setup by 13%. The tradeable pieces come to roughly 1.33b gp, plus untradeables. Every slot is searched against the same combat engine the DPS calculator uses, at 99 stats with the buffs listed below - drop your own levels in to see what actually changes.

Hydra gear - frequently asked questions

What are the best alternatives to the Ascension crossbows against Hydra?

In ranged, the next best setups are built around the Toxic blowpipe (14.353 DPS), the Twisted bow (13.94 DPS) and the Rosewood blowpipe (12.415 DPS), with the rest of the gear searched again around that weapon. Each style's top setups are listed above, one per weapon.

What is the best gear for Hydra in OSRS?

Ranged is the highest-DPS style against Hydra, with the Ascension crossbows as the weapon. The full loadout is above, slot by slot, with live Grand Exchange prices totalling about 1.33b gp.

What combat style should I use against Hydra?

Ranged 14.988 DPS, Melee 13.231 DPS, Magic 10.084 DPS - so ranged wins by 13%. Reach and mechanics still matter: a style listed here may not be usable on every phase.

How long does it take to kill Hydra?

About 20 seconds per kill with the best-in-slot loadout at 99 stats, from Hydra's 300 hitpoints and the sustained damage of that setup. No spec cycles or prayer switching are modelled.

What is Hydra weak to?

Hydra is weak to earth (40%), which the loadout search already accounts for.

What is the best ranged setup for Hydra?

Ascension crossbows, with Slayer helmet (i), Masori body (f) and Masori chaps (f): 14.988 DPS (max hit 42). The rest of the slots, the next best ranged setups and the special attack to bring are above.

What is the best melee setup for Hydra?

Scythe of Vitur, with Slayer helmet (i), Oathplate chest and Oathplate legs: 13.231 DPS (max hit 101). The rest of the slots, the next best melee setups and the special attack to bring are above.

What is the best magic setup for Hydra?

Tumeken's shadow, with Slayer helmet (i), Ancestral robe top and Ancestral robe bottom: 10.084 DPS (max hit 75). The rest of the slots, the next best magic setups and the special attack to bring are above.

More boss gear setups

Vorkath·Zulrah·Cerberus·Alchemical Hydra·Vardorvis·Duke Sucellus·The Leviathan·The Whisperer·Phantom Muspah·Nex·Corporeal Beast·General Graardor·K'ril Tsutsaroth·Commander Zilyana·Kree'arra·The Nightmare ·every monster A-Z

Game data on this page comes from the OSRS Wiki: Hydra, used under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Damage formulas follow the wiki's DPS calculator, osrs-dps-calc by Weird Gloop (GPL-3.0).