By popular demand, i've decided to make a complete summoning guide. This guide covers everything you'll ever need to know about this extremely useful, yet potentially complicating skill.
Table Of Contents
The Basics
Collecting Charms
Pouches
Familiars
Pets
Summoning Gear
FAQ
.:Sources:.
Tip.it
Runescape Website
Runescape Wiki
Summoning Calculator: Click Here
Charm Pattern
The Basics
Before you’re even able to begin summoning, you need to complete the Wolf Whistle quest. It’s an extremely easy quest that should take you no longer than 10 minutes tops. To begin this quest, talk to Pikkupstix in his house, at Taverly.
Buttons/Controls
This is your main summoning interface. This is basically the control center for your familiar or pet. Here, you can call it to you, dismiss it, and even make it perform scroll specials.
This one’s common sence. This button is the one you’d click to get to your summoning interface. Click on it just like you would with your inventory button.
These display your summoning points. Your summoning points go down just like prayer does while you have a familiar out. Some familiars drain your summoning points faster than others, but your familiar does not vanish until it’s out of time, regardless of your summoning points. Your summoning points only effect your ability to use scrolls, and to summon familiars. You can restore your summoning points by drinking a summoning potion, super restore potion, or using a summoning obelisk.
This displays the time left on your familiar. When this time runs out, your familiar will vanish. Keeping track of this is always a good idea.
This button is used to call your familiar back to you. This is mainly used when it gets stuck. You’ll also use this button if you want your familiar to attack an enemy that’s hit your character at least once (must be in a multi-combat zone).
If you’re using a familiar that’s carrying your items for you, you can use this button to have your familiar give you as many items from it’s pack as it possibly can.
If you don’t need your familiar anymore, this button is used to dismiss it (make it vanish). Be careful not to mistake your pet for a familiar.
Click on this button to have your familiar use a scroll special. you must have scrolls in your inventory to do this, or you can have your familiar perform them automatically, if you’re wearing summoning gear charged with the correct scroll (only for combat familiars).
This bar displays how much special energy your familiar has. hover over the bar with your mouse to see the exact number of energy your familiar has left. The amount of energy your familiar has, and uses, depends on which familiar it is. Typically, a familiar regains 15 special points every 30 seconds. This may vary from familiar to familiar. Some familiars also have an added ability that you can use by right clicking them.
Infusing Pouches/Scrolls
Infusing pouches is what you’ll be doing to train your summoning level. You can try and raise it by summoning countless numbers of pouches, but that only gives you a fraction of an experience point, where as infusing the pouch gives you 100’s of experience points.
To infuse a pouch, you need to collect specified materials for different familiars, and infuse them into a pouch, using a fully charged obelisk. For example, if I want to make a Fire Titan pouch, I’ll need an empty pouch, 198 spirit shards, a blue charm, and a fire talisman.
Once I have those ingredients, I need to go to a full obelisk, right click it, and click on ‘Infuse Pouch’. Clicking that brings me to the window shown below.
Simply click on the picture of a Fire Titan pouch, your character will make it, and the pouch will appear In your inventory.
Now, lets turn it into a scroll. I don’t recommend doing this while training your summoning, unless you’re going to use the scrolls. You get half of your money back if you keep them as pouches, and high alch them. Every pouch in the game alchs for over 300gp.
To turn a pouch into it’s corresponding scroll, simply go to a fully charged obelisk, just like you would If you were to infuse a pouch. Go to the ‘Infuse Pouch’ window, but this time, click on the second tab in the top left corner of the window.
Now, just find your pouch in the window, as shown in the picture, and click on it to turn it into 10 scrolls. Every pouch will always turn into 10 scrolls.
Note that certain scrolls only work for certain familiars. The pouch you use up to turn into a scroll, turns into the scroll compatible with the familiar pouch you used.
There are many more aspects of summoning we have yet to get into, but these are the main basics of summoning useful familiars.
For a more detailed explanation about the basics of summoning, Click Here.
Pouches
Pouches and Familiars are essentially the same thing. A summoning pouch is a pouch containing the summoning familiar. You’ll use them to train your summoning level, and summon your familiars (For more information, read The Basics).
As you already know, from reading The Basics, summoning pouches require specific ingredients to create. Here’s a quick list of what ingredients each pouch requires to be made. This list can also be found in-game by clicking on your summoning level in your stats interface.
REMEMBER, when training your summoning level, DO NOT turn the pouches into scrolls, as every pouch in the game high alchs for over 300gp each.
For a full chart containing shard costs, experience lists, and high alch amounts, Click Here.
Familiars
Familiars are the product of a used pouch. They’re the main purpose of having summoning, and have proven themselves useful with skilling, combat, and even as extra inventory space. I’ll be going over familiars I’ve found to be useful in combat, as that’s mainly what a pure aims for.
Smoke Devil, Level: 61
The Smoke Devil’s scroll enables it to deliver a constant barrage of hits (ranging from about 1-5) to all enemies around it. It also has a right-clickable attack called ‘Flames’, which is a ranged attack that hits the closest enemy to the Smoke Devil, without effecting it’s attack time. It could do some decent damage in an extremely clustered area, but otherwise needs a lot of attention to do anything somewhat significant. It’s the best option for somebody with under 66 Summoning.
Barker Toad, Level: 66
The Barker Toad’s scroll is a ranged attack that deals up to 18 damage to the enemy closest to it. It also has a right clickable attack called ‘Cannon’, which deals up to a whopping 30 damage to the closest enemy to it, and can be used as fast as your mouse can go. The only downside to this attack is it requires one cannonball each attack, and the toad can only carry one at a time. None of these two attacks interrupt it’s normal attack speed. If used right, this is a very dangerous familiar to go up against, specially for it’s level. It’s a very fun familiar to have. I’ve had my Barker Toad 3 hit people before
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Ravenous Locust, Level: 70
The Ravenous Locust isn’t a heavy hitter, nor does it have a right-clickable attack, but it’s scroll takes away a random piece of food in the opponent’s inventory. I personally prefer the Barker Toad for it’s heavy hits, but others like to use the Locust, as it doesn’t need constant attention to be used at it’s full potential.
Praying Mantis, Level: 75
The Praying Mantis is still one of my favorite combat familiars. It’s scroll is a magic based attack that binds the enemy for 5 seconds, rendering him unable to eat, change prayers, move, or attack, and drains his prayer. Never underestimate this familiar. I’ve killed teams on my own just because of this thing’s scroll.
Forge Regent, Level: 76
The Forge Regent’s scroll is a magic based attack that un-equips the opponent’s shield or weapon slot. When used against mages, it can make a significant impact on a war, as it will often un-equip their ancient staff, and sometimes they won’t even realize it. The Forge Regent also has a right-clickable attack called ‘Fireball’ that deals up to 8 damage without interrupting it’s normal attacking speed.
Talon Beast, Level: 77
Talon Beasts are very good familiars to bring to any fight. It’s normal attacks are 3 fast hits of up to 8 damage, and it delivers these sequences of hits with the speed of a dagger. Not to mention it also has a short-range magic based attack that hits 3 times for up to 8 damage as well, without interrupting it’s attacking speed. Talon Beasts don’t hit high, but they hit fast. Many people get attacked by it and only see a small numbers, so they don’t panic, and suddenly their HP’s been drained by like 40 points in a matter of seconds. Too many people underestimate this familiar, and that’s why it’s such a threat in any type of fight.
Ice-Fire-Moss Titans, Level: 79
At lvl 79 you can use the Ice Titan, Fire Titan, or Moss Titan. They all do the same thing, but they look different. They have a scroll which increases your hp (11 per scroll) and significantly raises your defence temporarily, without effecting your attacking speed, or your eating speed (better tanking). They also hit up to 10 damage normally, and are very intimidating to people that don’t know what it does. I like to use mine in mini-wars to lure in the beginning XD. I put it in front of me, and barragers looking to one click me hit the titan, and the barrage only hits the titan. You could do this with any of the titans. I prefer the Ice Titan
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Lava Titan, Level: 83
Lava Titans are intimidating, and they pack a pretty decent punch. They can hit up to 14 damage with a normal attack, as well as deliver 5 extra damage randomly, giving it a max hit of 19. It doesn’t sound like much, but it does add up. you can also use this Titan to teleport you to the lava maze.
Swamp Titan, Level: 85
The Swamp Titan’s scroll poisons everybody within a certain area, much like a barrage. it’s normal attack also hits 16. It’s scroll doesn’t interrupt it’s attack speed.
Geyser Titan, Level: 89
The Geyser Titan is a pure’s best friend. It’s scroll hits higher depending on the opponent’s defence, and has been known to hit up to 29. it’s normal attacks are ranged, and have a max hit of 21. It also gives you a range bonus of 1 lvl +3% of your own ranged lvl. This thing’s a beast, and does high amounts of damage fast, and It also recharges your glories for ya
Wolpertinger, Level: 92
Wolpertingers are perfect for mages. They give you a +5% defence against mage attacks, and it’s scroll gives you a magic boost of 7 levels. The Wolpertinger’s normal attack is magic based, and hits up to 22 damage. The Wolpertinger’s scroll offers the highest magic boost in the game.
Steel Titan, Level: 99
Here it is, the Steel Titan. The mother of all titans. This beast can deal up to 24 damage with a normal attack, and it’s scroll enables it to hit it’s opponent with 4 range based attacks instead of one with it’s next attack, and can be used 5 times in a row. Level 138’s have loads of trouble trying to kill this thing 1v1, and the Steel Titan often wins. It can KO a pure with just one of it’s scroll attacks. The Steel Titan is extremely lethal. The first pure to get this titan was Gf_Mike.
You may be wondering why I left out the Obsidian Golem, and the Abyssal Titan.
I left out the Obsidian Golem because it’s max hit is only around 5, and it’s scroll that boosts your strength by 9 lvls doesn’t add onto a super str pot. The Obsidian Golem is garbage for it’s level, though it does look cool.
I left out the Abyssal Titan because it’s max hit is the same as the Wolpertinger (22), and it has no other specials that effect combat. The Wolpertinger is far better than the Abyssal Titan as far as combat goes, but the Abyssal Titan is a beast when it comes to runecrafting
.For more information on all familiars, check out Tip.it or The Runescape Wikipedia.
Summoning Gear
What Summoning Gear does, is save you the trouble of having to manually use a scroll, and relieves you of losing one inventory spot, from your scrolls. When a piece of summoning gear is charged with the scroll matching your familiar, the familiar will use it at random against enemies. This doesn’t work for all familiars howhever, as you’ll learn through trial and error.
Pure Summoning Gear:
Level 10: Antlers – Can Fit 40 Scrolls
Level 20: Slayer Helmet – Can Fit 50 Scrolls
Level 30: Lizard Skull – Can Fit 65 Scrolls and looks hilarious
Level 50: Feather Headdress – Can Fit 150 Scrolls and looks badass
You’ll also notice they’re all helms, which is perfect for a pure. I strongly suggest using these if you’re in a war and using a familiar that requires a scroll for attack. You can focus more on the task at hand if your familiar is using it’s scroll on its own.
For a full chart on all summoning gear, including pictures, Click Here
FAQ
* What’s the fastest and most efficient way to train Summoning?
** The quickest way to train your summoning is to collect and use crimson charms, and the most effective way of collecting them is by ice bursting Rock Lobsters. Howhever, this method can be dangerous and pricey. The alternative to Rock Lobsters are Waterfiends, which are dangerous as well, but don't cost as much. Of course the downside to this is you get less crimson charms than you would at Rock Lobsters. Don’t forget to study up on these things before you decide to go and kill them, there’s certain ways they need to be killed.
-- Credit goes to my friend Birdman
