RuneScape Guide; Hexcrest, Focus Sight, and Staff of Light

Three new items were introduced to RuneScape with the new slayer creatures, Strykewyrms. Two items, Hexcrest and Focus Sight, are used in Slayer and are the magic and ranged counterparts to the Black Mask. Staff of Light, the third RuneScape item, is a high level melee-mage staff and is considered to be one of the best weapons in the game.

Jungle Strykewyrms drop Hexcrest as a rare drop. Focus Sight is obtained from Desert Strykewyrms and Staff of Light from Ice Strykewyrms.

Black Masks have always given melee stats against slayer monsters in RuneScape, now Hexcrest and Focus Sight give a respective magic and ranged bonus. Hexcrest requires a RuneScape magic level of 20, defense level of 10, and combat level of 40 to wear. Focus Sight has similar requirements as Hexcrest, with level 20 ranged instead of magic. Hexcrest and Focus Sight are tradable and both debuted on the Grand Exchange at 1.5m.

Black Masks provide a 15% melee bonus when fighting a current slayer assignment, now Hexcrest provides a 15% magic bonus and Focus Sight a 15% ranged bonus during slayer assignments.

Outside of slayer monsters, Hexcrest grants a +3 magic attack and +5 to attack, strength, defense, and magic defense. It carries a -5 ranged defense as well. Focus Sight grants a +3 boost to ranged attack. Focus Sight also provides a +5 defense against ranged and mage. It has a -5 defense against melee.

Slayer helms, made of Spiny helmet, earmuffs, face mask and nose peg in addition to the Black Mask, so by adding a Hexcrest and Focus Sight to the slayer helmet, RuneScape players can assemble a full slayer Helmet which has the combined stats and features of all seven items.

Expect both Hexcrest and Focus Sight to increase dramatically in price due to the fact that all Strykewyrms can only be attacked when given as a slayer assignment.

Staff of Light is a rare drop from Ice Strykewyrms. Because Strykewyrms can only be killed if assigned and require level 93 slayer and a fire cape, Staff of Light is a rare item. Staff of Light debuted on the Grand Exchange at 10m coins and probably will be subject to price inflations as rich players hoard them as a semi-rare item.

Staff of Light requires level 75 in attack and magic to use. It grants a 15% boost to magic damage dealt and grants the RuneScape player a one in eight chance of retaining the runes used to cast a spell. Staff of Light has a special attack that, when activated, protects the RuneScape player from half the damage dealt to him from melee for a minute. Perhaps Jagex overbalanced the combat triangle now to make magic too dominant.

Staff of Light grants a +17 Magic defense. When used as a melee weapon, Staff of Light has a stab of +55 and slash of +70, comparable to most good dragon weapons.

Staff of Light breaks a recent RuneScape trend of new weapons and armor being introduced to RuneScape as non-tradable items from either a quest or from a RuneScape minigame.

Sources: RuneScape slayer item guide, Hexcrest, RuneScape slayer item guide, Focus Sight, and RuneScape weapon guide, Staff of Light by Hartford RuneScape Examiner.