Barbarian Assault can be one of the most daunting experiences for new players in Old School RuneScape, especially if you're aiming for the coveted Fighter Torso or achieving level five in all roles for the Hard and Elite Diaries. Running with a team of randoms can often feel frustrating, but joining a group of knowledgeable players can make the activity significantly more manageable—and even enjoyable.

In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know to succeed at Barbarian Assault: activity summary, requirements, plugins, arena layout, team setup, role guides, and rewards.

What is Barbarian Assault?

Barbarian Assault is a team-based activity requiring five players to complete 10 waves of enemies. Points earned during each run can be spent in the Barbarian Assault shop for rewards, including gear useful for diaries and training.

Although there are five players in a team, only four roles must be fulfilled:

1. Attacker: Focuses on killing fighters and rangers, ideally using ranged attacks for efficiency.

2. Defender: Lures runners to traps in the arena, a role that requires coordination and timing.

3. Healer: Poisons enemy healers and keeps teammates' HP up throughout the waves.

4. Collector: Picks up eggs dropped by enemies and loads them onto the cannon.

A new role, called “Maning”, is designed for players assisting main attackers, particularly during cannon use, but more on that later.

Wave 10 features the Penance Queen, where each role must manipulate eggs to create an Omega Egg, the only method capable of damaging her.

Requirements and Gear

To start Barbarian Assault, the following minimum stats are recommended:

-50 Defense, 50 Hitpoints, 50 Ranged

-Equipment-wise, beginners can use:

Full rune armor for defense

-Magic shortbow (or best short bow available for Ironmen)

-Best ranged armor you can equip

If you're an Ironman, you can reach the outpost by running from Ardougne, but having a Games Necklace for teleportation makes things faster.

Before starting, talk to Captain Kane to complete the tutorial and learn the basics. A chest in the lobby serves as a small bank for prepping runs.

Setting Up Your Team

When assembling a group, you have two options:

1. Joining a team: Wait for members to recruit you into your desired role.

2. Forming a squad: Grab a scroll, select your role, and assign remaining roles to others.

Recommended team compositions:

-Two attackers: Attacker, Attacker, Healer, Collector, Defender

-Two healers: Attacker, Healer, Healer, Collector, Defender

This ensures optimal efficiency during later waves.

Useful Plugins and Arena Tiles

Certain RuneLite plugins significantly enhance the Barbarian Assault experience:

BA Miniame: Simplifies wave tracking and call execution.

BA Call Highlight: Highlights necessary calls to avoid mistakes.

Ground Markers: Marks important tiles in the arena for coordinated movements.

A pre-configured tile layout can be imported via RuneLite, which is essential for defenders and collectors.

Roles Explained

Defender

The defender role is one of the most complex, but it can be mastered with a proper strategy:

-Collect food from the dispenser (tofu, crackers, worms).

-Place good and bad food on specific tiles to guide runners into traps.

-Grab a hammer and logs to repair traps during waves.

-Coordinate with the healer for timely calls.

Multi-kills are possible by stacking runners and stepping off the trap tile at the correct timer mark, usually 3 or 9.

Healer

Healers focus on:

-Poisoning enemy healers using food obtained from the dispenser.

-Healing teammates when their HP drops below a threshold.

-Using the healing pool in later waves to restore HP.

Healers are click-intensive but essential for point maximization.

Attacker

Attackers kill fighters and rangers using:

-Best available ranged gear, preferably Elite Void or Anguish.

-Magic shortbow for single-target or Ven'y Bow for multi-target waves.

-Arrow colors correspond to elemental calls: White for Air, Blue for Water, Green for Earth, Red for Fire.

Attackers stay left of the yellow-marked tiles to avoid interfering with the healer. After clearing enemies, move to the cannon to shoot healers and runners.

Collector

Collectors pick up eggs and load them into the cannon:

-Right-clicking eggs ensures correct selection even if items condense on the ground.

-Prioritize red and green eggs for cannon use.

-Conversion success rates improve with higher collector levels.

Maning (New Role)

Maning is primarily for helping others efficiently:

-Stalls animations to allow repeated cannon shots without reloading.

-Supports the healer and attackers during high-intensity waves.

-Ensures minimal eggs are needed to defeat enemies and the Penance Queen.

Wave 10: The Penance Queen

The final wave requires coordination across all roles to create the Omega Egg:

-Collector picks up the yellow egg, passes it to the healer

-Healer poisons the egg, passes it to the attacker

-Attacker uses spikes, passes to the defender

-Defender dips the egg into lava, passes it back to the collector

-Collector loads it into the cannon for a single, efficient kill

Using this method, only one egg may be needed if the team is coordinated, saving time and effort.

Rewards and Points

Barbarian Assault points can be spent to:

Level up roles (Attack, Collector, Healer, Defender) for bonuses

Purchase BA-exclusive items

Gamble for elite clue scrolls and rare Penance items

Leveling up improves performance:

Attack: Extra damage

Collector: Higher egg conversion success

Healer: More HP restored

Defender: Extended lure range (note: wiki states bug beyond level 2, but level 5 is required for Elite Diary)

Final Thoughts

Barbarian Assault is challenging but rewarding. Whether you're a new player or revisiting this activity, with the right team, plugins, and strategy, Barbarian Assault can go from intimidating to incredibly satisfying.