Miasmic Barrage (historical)
| Miasmic Barrage | |
| Members only? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Level | 97 |
| Runes | 4 Soul 4 Blood 4 Earth |
| Spellbook | Ancient |
| Base experience | 54 |
| Quest | Desert Treasure |
| Lectern | None |
Miasmic Barrage requires a Magic level of 97 and can do a maximum of 352 damage (without boosts except for the necessary staff), or 2912 damage if cast on nine opponents at the same time (the 10% damage boost given by Zuriel's staff only applies to the main target), making it the strongest spell in the game. In addition, any players affected by the spell will have their melee or ranged attack speeds reduced by 50% (weapon attack speed cut in half) for 48 seconds. It can hit multiple targets in a 3x3 square area. As with all Ancient Magicks spells, the quest Desert Treasure must be completed to cast this spell. The spell also requires Zuriel's staff to cast, making it one of the first Ancient Magicks to require more than just runes (along with the other Miasmic spells). It also had the highest level requirement of any spell, before the Lunar spell called Borrowed Power came with an update on 23 August 2011.
Under perfect conditions, Miasmic Barrage can hit a maximum of 484 damage on a player (not including a castle wars brace), using an Extreme magic potion, or an Overload potion, or the Magic focus special move of a Wolpertinger, with an arcane stream necklace or 596 on a monster if you add a hexcrest and a ferocious ring.
Due to the high accuracy of magic, this could be one of the most effective ways of fighting warriors. However, the extremely high cost and the high level requirement are major drawbacks. However due to a recent update by Jagex, you will continue to autocast a spell as long as your base magic level meets the requirement for the spell prior to it being lowered.
Remember, you cannot use Lunar Spells or Standard spells if you are using Ancient Magicks.
Cost
| Spell Costs | |
|---|---|
| Runes | Cost |
4 4 4
|
 2,076
|
| Staff | Cost |
| N/A | N/A
|
| Combination runes | Cost |
| N/A | N/A |
Due to the fact that Zuriel's staff degrades over time, an extra 739.2 coins should be added to the cost of each spell (assuming the non-corrupt version of the staff is used) for a total of 2,815.2.
In terms of rune costs, Miasmic Barrage is the fourth most expensive combat spell, behind Blood, Shadow and Smoke Barrage, and fifth most expensive if you include non-combat spells, as Heal Group has a higher cost. However, if the cost of the Zuriel's staff is taken into consideration, Miasmic Barrage would be the second most expensive spell in the whole game.
Usefulness
Miasmic Barrage, along with all other Miasmic spells, is very potent for PvP situations, however there are a few limitations that apply to its use. For most types of PvP, opponents will not fight a player using Miasmic spells due to the halved attack speed. In addition, since Teleport Block is not available on Ancient Magicks, players usually will simply teleport if they are attacked with Miasmic spells.
In team situations, this spell can have other complications. This spell attacks multiple targets, which can result in hitting, and thus temporarily nerfing the ability of one of your teammates. This can be avoiding by telling people to avoid the "Barrage Pile" for the first few hits, although sometimes you will still hit them. This can be further avoiding by using Miasmic Blitz, although this will reduce the time of the effect.
Trivia
- The word "Miasmic" probably comes from "miasma", the gas that was believed to be responsible for plague and other diseases in 1700 Britain which actually didn't exist; plague was due to rats and other vermin.
- "Miasmic" could also refer to the Ancient greek word 'miasma' which referred to blood pollution from killing those taking shelter in a temple, or killing family.
- Since it is a weapon-based spell, the polypore staff's attack is also affected by miasmic spells.
