OSRS Xarth guide: Fractured Archive boss phases, HP and strategy

Xarth is the optional tormented demon boss in The Fractured Archive, Old School RuneScape’s raid that launched on October 20, 2026. In a given run your party picks either Xarth or the Dagon’hai Elder and Monks as the fourth encounter. This page covers what the fight does, how hitpoints scale, and the two-phase plan players use today.

What Xarth is

Unlike most tormented demons, Xarth has control over the flames that burn its body. General Montoya describes it as an unusually capable demon that the Dagon’hai were fending off near the old Stone of Jas site. It still counts as a demon for demonbane weapons, but it resists 20% of that bonus. Attack styles in the fight cycle through magic, then ranged and melee. The OSRS Wiki lists defence bonuses that favour crush and heavy ranged over stab and slash, plus a hard water-spell weakness.

Hitpoints by team size

Source: OSRS Wiki – Xarth.

Phase 1: magic, burns and pillars

Xarth only uses magic in phase 1. Each hit applies a stacking burn, so the designated tank (usually by orb order) needs to swap or mitigate before the stacks get out of hand. After five magic attacks, Xarth binds the party, fires two searing projectiles and charges an arena blast. Hide behind a pillar as soon as the projectiles leave – the blast is about 45 damage if you are exposed. After the first explosion, its shield drops.

The whole party should path to the same pillar and the same side. If people split, multiple pillars get destroyed and later blasts have nowhere to hide. In a pinch, one player can tank the blast in front while the rest stand behind them (~7 damage), but they cannot stack on the same tile. Vengeance recoils the explosion. The October 28 update capped offensive stat reduction on Xarth (and Ocellus and Dreadnoth) at 50%, so Emberlight special spam no longer shreds the fight the way it did in week one.

Phase 2: flames, corpses and melee/ranged

When the pillars are gone, Xarth seeds the floor with flames that spread to adjacent tiles and inflict burns. Magic attacks stop; ranged and melee take over, and Xarth stays in the centre. It prioritises the closest player. Throughout the phase it reanimates corpses from the edges. If a corpse reaches Xarth, it heals for its remaining health. Freeze them, or hit them with water spells to douse them so melee and light ranged land max hits. Undead Grasp under Mark of Darkness freezes corpses for 24 ticks. Do not use fire spells here – that summons more corpses.

If two or more corpses heal Xarth, it answers with a heavy arena-wide blast and another burn. Same trick as phase 1: one player takes the front, the rest stand behind. A Venator bow does strong overall damage when corpses are frozen next to Xarth. Common reduced-defence setups lean on Twisted bow, Ascension crossbows, Toxic blowpipe, Zaryte or Scorching bow, then Armadyl or Dragon crossbow.

Xarth or the Dagon’hai?

You choose one of the two fourth encounters per raid. Xarth is the single-target demon check with heavy movement and corpse management. The Dagon’hai Elder and Monks are a multi-target mage fight. Pick based on what your group gear and roles handle better; both sit at the same point in the raid. For access, team size and loot, see our Fractured Archive guide. Brand new to OSRS? Start with the beginner’s guide.

Sources

• Xarth and The Fractured Archive/Strategies – Xarth, Old School RuneScape Wiki (community pages grounded in Jagex game data).
• Halloween Event 2026, TFA Tweaks & More!, Old School RuneScape news (October 28, 2026) – 50% offensive stat reduction cap.