The Twisted bow and the Scythe of Vitur are the two weapons every OSRS player eventually saves for — and the two most expensive mistakes you can make if you buy the wrong one first. Both cost more than a billion gold. Only one of them earns its price back at your current bosses. This guide ranks them for a first purchase, with live 2026 Grand Exchange prices, real damage mechanics, and the exact content where each one pays for itself.
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Quick answer: which to buy first?
Buy the Scythe of Vitur first if you want a do-everything melee weapon that carries slayer, most bosses, and Theatre of Blood — it's the safer, more universal pick and it's ~194M gp cheaper right now. Buy the Twisted bow first only if your main goal is Chambers of Xeric, high-Magic bosses like Commander Zilyana or TzKal-Zuk, or ranged-heavy endgame PvM where nothing else comes close. (Note: it is not the go-to at Zulrah — the toxic blowpipe is the standard ranged weapon there.)
- Twisted bow: ~1.395B gp (2026-09-14, OSRS Wiki real-time prices) — best-in-slot ranged vs high-Magic targets.
- Scythe of Vitur (uncharged): ~1.201B gp (2026-09-14, OSRS Wiki real-time prices) — best-in-slot melee vs large/multi-target monsters.
- Price gap today: ~194M gp in the Scythe's favour.
For most accounts stepping into endgame PvM, the Scythe is the correct first megarare. It requires no ammo, slots into far more trips, and its multi-target hits crush the content you'll actually be farming while you save for the second weapon.
What each weapon actually does
These aren't just "big damage sticks" — they win in completely different situations, and that's the whole decision.
Why is the Twisted bow so strong?
The Twisted bow is a rare reward from the Chambers of Xeric requiring 85 Ranged to wield. Unlike normal bows, its damage and accuracy scale with the target's Magic level or Magic accuracy — whichever is higher. Per the OSRS Wiki, the accuracy multiplier caps at 140% and the damage multiplier caps at 250%, which is why it obliterates high-Magic enemies like Commander Zilyana, the Great Olm's mage hand, and TzKal-Zuk.
The flip side: against low-Magic monsters, the Twisted bow is not your best weapon — it can even be outperformed by a cheaper bow. It's a specialist that happens to be the single strongest ranged weapon in the game against the right targets.
Why is the Scythe of Vitur so strong?
The Scythe of Vitur is a two-handed slash weapon from the Theatre of Blood requiring 80 Attack and 90 Strength. Its signature mechanic: each swing can hit up to three targets, and against large monsters it lands multiple hits on the same target. Per the Wiki, "these attacks' accuracy and strength rolls are rolled independently on each target, though each hit will deal 50% less damage than the preceding hit."
That multi-hit is why the Scythe is best-in-slot against nearly every large monster in the game — Verzik, the Great Olm's melee hand, monkeys at bossing-adjacent slayer, and stacked NPCs. It's the most universally useful weapon of the two.
Live 2026 prices and true cost of ownership
Sticker price is only half the story — the Scythe also burns gold every hour you use it.
| Weapon | GE price (2026-09-14) | Requirement | Ongoing cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twisted bow | ~1.395B gp | 85 Ranged | Arrows only (dragon arrows optional) |
| Scythe of Vitur (uncharged) | ~1.201B gp | 80 Attack / 90 Strength | ~916,068 gp/hr in charges |
The Scythe is only tradeable uncharged. To use it, you charge it at a vyre well with vials of blood and blood runes: each vial + 200 blood runes = 100 charges, and a full 20,000-charge fill costs 15,267,800 gp (40,000 blood runes + 200 vials of blood) and lasts 16.66 hours of continuous combat — roughly 763.39 gp per attack, or ~916,068 gp/hour (OSRS Wiki). Charges are only consumed when a hit deals damage.
The Twisted bow has no per-hour drain beyond arrows, so its lifetime cost is closer to its sticker price. Factor this in if your bank is tight: the Scythe's ~194M lower entry price is partly offset by its running cost over hundreds of hours.
When the Twisted bow wins
Buy the bow first if your endgame is built around these:
- Chambers of Xeric — the raid that drops it; the bow is the fastest way to farm more of its own value.
- High-Magic bosses — Commander Zilyana, Sarachnis, and mage-heavy encounters where the scaling caps out.
- TzKal-Zuk (the Inferno) — the bow shreds Zuk and the Inferno's higher-Magic enemies. If the Infernal cape is your goal, the Twisted bow is a real accelerant. If you'd rather skip the grind entirely, our OSRS Infernal Cape Service gets it done for you.
- Ranged-DPS group content where you're not the one tanking.
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When the Scythe of Vitur wins
Buy the Scythe first — the more common right answer — if you do any of these regularly:
- Slayer — the Scythe carries high-level slayer tasks (large NPCs, stacked monsters) better than anything.
- Theatre of Blood — it's best-in-slot on Verzik and most of the raid.
- General bossing — Vorkath, Corp-style large monsters, and most solo PvM where you're in melee range.
- You want ONE weapon that does most things — the Scythe is the "if you're unsure, buy this" answer.
Which should a first-time megarare buyer pick?
Rank order for a typical main heading into endgame:
- Scythe of Vitur — cheaper today, no learning curve, best-in-slot at the widest range of content, immediately useful the day you buy it.
- Twisted bow — buy second unless CoX/Inferno/high-Magic content is your specific goal.
The exception: if you are specifically grinding Chambers of Xeric or the Inferno, the bow first is defensible because it directly accelerates that content.
Both weapons take a serious bank — over 1.2B gp — and most players close that gap by buying OSRS gold rather than grinding for months. At today's rates that's roughly 105–122 bonds worth of value, so most buyers top up their bank instead. If your real bottleneck is the Inferno for that Twisted-bow-tier setup, the OSRS Fire Cape Service clears the Fight Caves prerequisite fast.
Not sure you can afford either one yet? Skip the months of grinding and top up your bank at the best rate:
- OSRS Gold — instant delivery — safe, best rate, fast top-ups toward your first megarare.
- OSRS Infernal Cape Service — beat Zuk without the 2-hour Inferno grind.
- OSRS Fire Cape Service — Jad done for you by pro players.
FAQ
Is the Twisted bow or Scythe better for the money? For most accounts the Scythe of Vitur is the better first buy — it's ~194M gp cheaper today (~1.201B vs ~1.395B on 2026-09-14) and it's best-in-slot at far more content. The Twisted bow only wins if your endgame is Chambers of Xeric, the Inferno, or other high-Magic targets.
Why is the Twisted bow more expensive than the Scythe? Both are extremely rare raid drops, but the Twisted bow's demand is driven by being the single strongest ranged weapon against high-Magic bosses with no substitute, while the Scythe faces more melee alternatives. Prices float daily on the Grand Exchange — check the live OSRS Wiki real-time prices before you buy.
Does the Scythe of Vitur cost gold to use? Yes. It's only tradeable uncharged, and you charge it with vials of blood and blood runes. Per the OSRS Wiki, that's about 763.39 gp per attack, roughly 916,068 gp per hour, or 15,267,800 gp for a full 20,000-charge fill lasting 16.66 hours. The Twisted bow has no such drain — only arrows.
How much gold do I need to buy a Twisted bow or Scythe? As of 2026-09-14, about 1.395B gp for a Twisted bow and 1.201B gp for an uncharged Scythe of Vitur — plus charge money for the Scythe. Many players close the gap by buying gold rather than grinding for months.
Can I use the Scythe of Vitur without any quests? Yes — you can charge it at the vyre well in Ver Sinhaza without completing any Darkmeyer-series quests. Completing Sins of the Father adds a second, more convenient vyre well in Darkmeyer.
