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Mini-Game GuideWritten by Blyaunte
Special Thanks to Far Quie, Marux, Blyson, Reissued2 and Honey Quad for their patience and assistance
Pest Control is a combat-oriented safe multi-player teamplay mini-game for 5 to 25 players, that requires both teamwork and co-operation from all of the participants in order for the team to be successful, to win games and to earn the much coveted Commendation Points.
The only requirement to play Pest Control is Level 40 Combat. That said, the higher your Combat level, the more successful you will be in your game, and you will achieve more experience and receive better rewards.
Pest Control is a safe mini-game. You will not lose any items if you die.
Pest Control can be played on designated activity worlds 53, 69, 115 and 144. However, you and four other friends can play Pest Control on any non-player vs player (PVP) members world.
You need to speak to the Squire on the dock in Port Sarim in order to go to the Void Knights’ Outpost.
Amulet of Glory
You can teleport to Draynor Village and then travel West to the docks in Port Sarim.
Explorer Ring (3)
You can use the Cabbage Teleport and travel South to the docks in Port Sarim.
Charter a Ship
You can charter a ship from Catherby to Port Sarim for 1000 coins - 500 if you have completed the Seers Achievement Diary. Also, when using a Ring of Charos (a), the cost of the charter is halved. The ship will take you to the Port Sarim dock, and you can walk along the dock to the Squire.
Falador Teleport
Using the level 37 Falador Teleport, or a Falador Teleport tab, you can teleport to Falador and travel South to the docks in Port Sarim.
Rimmington Player Owned House
Teleport to your house in Rimmington and travel East to the docks in Port Sarim.
Port Sarim Jail
Talk to Shantay and be thrown in jail. Talk to him again, and you will be transported to Port Sarim. Pick the lock on the door and head to the docks.
Void Familliar
If you have 34 summoning, any of the 3 Void Familiars can teleport you directly to Pest Control with their scroll.
When you arrive in Port Sarim, walk to the docks and talk to the Squire.
Ask if you can go to their outpost.
You can also right click on the Squire and choose the “Travel Squire” option.
After a short boat trip, you will arrive at the Void Knights’ Outpost:
1. Void Knight Dock:- Your point of arrival and departure from and to the Port Sarim Docks.
2. Void Knight General Store:- A standard form of General Store.
3. Void Knight Smithy:- The Squire in the smithy will repair your armour for you -- including Barrows armour -- for a fee.
4. Void Knight Magic Store:- You can buy runes here.
5. Void Knight Archery Store:- You can buy arrow heads and javelins here.
6. Void Knight Bank.
7. Void Knight:- You can exchange your Commendation Points with the Void Knight here.
8. Novice Lander.
9. Intermediate Lander.
10. Veteran Lander.
Pest Control is a safe mini-game requring combat. You will not lose any items if you die. As such, it is recommended that you wear the best equipment you own. You will not need food.
If you like, you can use potions or weapon specials (such as the Dragon Battleaxe, or Excalibur) to boost your statistics and maximize your damage.
It is strongly recommended that you use your best prayer boosters to maximize your attack, strength, defence and/or mage or range.
It is also strongly recommend that players fight with their "auto-retaliate" mode turned off, in order that they can focus on either killing the Pests that are affecting the Void Knight, or the Portals, as the case may be.
It is very important that players pay attention to the Pests around them. It is important to make sure that you are not wasting your time attacking Pests that are not affecting the Void Knight in any way, but rather attack those pests which are doing damage to the Void Knight. This will keep the Void Knight alive much longer.
It is recommended that players be aware of what equipment provides bonuses for which statistics, and equip themselves accordingly.
For those who wish to maximize their potential in training combat skills, it is recommended that some part of your equipment include a Sacred Clay Component. That said, players will find that, once they have acquired full sets of the Void Armour (see below), they will achieve better results, and produce more experience per game.
Melee is the most common combat style use at Pest Control, mainly because it is easy, effective and inexpensive to use. Melee fighters are most effective against Portals and Pests, alike. It is recommended that you always wear equipment that will maximize your strength bonus and allow you to attack quickly and efficiently. Choosing a weapon with a fast attack rate is preferable.
Helm: Fremmenik Warrior or Beserker Helm, Helm of Neitiznot Barrows, Rune, Sacred Clay
Body Armour: Bandos Plate, Fighter Torso, Rune Plate, Sacred Clay
Leg Armour: Bando’s Tassets, Dragon Legs/Skirt, Rune, Sacred Clay
Shield: Dragonfire, Obsidian or Defender, Prayer Book, Rune Kite
Boots: Dragon, Rune, Adamandite, Climbing Boots
Weapon: Godsword, Saradomin Sword, Whip, Scimitar, Halberd, Dragon Dagger, Sacred Clay
Ring: Beserker Ring, Warrior Ring, Explorer’s Ring
Gloves: Recipe for Disaster Gloves, Dragon Gauntlets, Combat Bracelet, Cooking Gauntlets
Amulet: 3rd Age, Fury, Glory, Strength
Cape: Fire Cape, Cape of Achievement, Obsidian Cape, Legends Cape or Team Cape
Rangers are very effective against most pests, in particular Spinners, as ranger attacks distract them from healing the portals. It is best to choose gear that will enhance your range bonus and a weapon with a reasonably high attack rate.
Coif: Armadyl Helm, Archer’s Helm, Robin Hat, Karil’s Coif, Fist of Guthix Coif, Blessed Coif, Sacred Clay
Body Armour: Karils, Armadyl, Blessed Dragonhide, Dragonhide (Black, Red, Blue or Green), Sacred Clay
Leg Armour: Karils, Armadyl, Blessed Dragonhide, Dragonhide (Black, Red, Blue or Green), Sacred Clay
Shield: Unholy Book, Book of Balance
Boots: Ranger boots, Snakeskin Boots
Weapon: Crystal Bow, Karil’s Crossbow, Magic Bow, Rune Crossbow, Sacred Clay
Missiles: Any type of bolt or arrow will be sufficient.
Ring: Archer’s Ring, Explorer’s Ring
Gloves: Recipe for Disaster Gloves, Blessed Vambrances, Dragonhide Vambrances (Black, Red, Blue or Green)
Amulet: 3rd Age, Fury, Glory, Accuracy
Cape: Ava’s Accumulator or Ava’s Attractor, Team Cape
Mages using Ancient Magic are especially effective at Pest Control, as the Pests tend to “bunch up”, making the Ancient’s multi-target spells particularly devastating.
That said, because you go through so many runes, using magic at Pest Control can get a little expensive.
Like range, magic attacks also distract the Spinners from healing the Portals.
Helm: Farseer, Ahrim’s, Infinity, Dagon'hai, Mystic, Sacred Clay, Moonclan
Body Armour: Ahrim’s, Infinity, Dagon'hai, Mystic, Sacred Clay
Leg Armour: Ahrim’s, Infinity, Dagon'hai, Mystic, Sacred Clay
Shield: Mage’s Book, Unholy Book, Holy Book, Book of Balance
Boots: Infinity or Mystic
Weapon: Ancient Magics + Runes for Castings, Mystic Staff, Battlestaff
Ring: Seers Ring, Beacon Ring, Explorer’s Ring
Gloves: Recipe for Disaster, Infinity or Mystic
Amulet: 3rd Age, Fury, Glory, Amulet of Magic
Cape: Fire Cape, God Cape, Cape of Achievement, Obsidian Cape, Legends Cape or Team Cape
For more information on equipping your character, see the Winning Strategies Section below.
After you have accumulated sufficient points, you can trade pest points for Void Armour, which is more effective in producing damage against the Pests. For more information on Void Armour, see the Rewards Section, below.
There are three landers at Pest Control: Novice, Intermediate and Veteran. Each lander will launch every five minutes, or sooner, if there are 25 players on board.
Required Combat Level: 40+
The Pests encountered from this Lander are lower level and the shields on the Portals do not last as long.
Required Combat Level: 70+
As expected, the Pests encountered from this Lander are a more difficult, and the Portals’ shields last a little longer.
Required Combat Level: 100+
On the Veteran Lander, the Pests are much more powerful, and the Portal shields last a full two minutes before all of them are down.
When 5 minutes have passed, or there are 25 players on board the Lander, it will launch and deliver you to the Pest Control Island.
1. Void Knight’s Current Health: The Void Knight has 2000 hitpoints. Killing a portal will heal the Knight’s hitpoints. If this number reaches zero, the Void Knight is dead and the game ends in failure.
2. Zeal: This number indicates the amount of damage ("Zeal") you have dealt in the current game. For you to get any reward, your team needs to win the game, and you need to get at least 500 zeal. Zeal is attained by attacking Pests and Portals.
3. Time Remaining: The maximum time limit for a game is 20 minutes. This number represents how much time is left before the game ends. There are two ways to end the game: destroy all the portals, or keep the knight alive for 20 minutes. Few teams elect to play the whole 20 minutes, as it is easier to simply destroy all the portals. On average most games last less than 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Portals: This area provides information on the status of the four portals: West (Purple), East (Blue), South East (Yellow), and South West (Red). The number over top of each of the Portals represents the amount of health that each of the four portals have remaining. Each portal starts out with 2500 hitpoints and they are all protected by a force shield. The portals' shields are indicated by the gray semi-circle underneath each portal. When the shield goes down, the gray semi-circle will disappear and a message will appear in the chat box indicating which portal is now vulnerable. If you are standing next to the Void Knight, he will tell you when the portal shield goes down. As each shield goes down, it is the team’s job to attack the portals and destroy them.
1. Lander - this is the launch spot for your team.
2. West (Purple) Portal.
3. West Gate.
4. Void Knight location.
5. East Gate.
6. East (Blue) Portal.
7. South Gate.
8. South West (Red) Portal.
9. South East (Yellow) Portal.
Brawlers:
Brawlers are largeslow moving creatures that use melee attacks. Their large size makes them difficult to get around, however this can also be used by players to their advantage - see Brawler Blocking below. Brawlers come in a variety ofcombat levels 51, 76 on the Novice Lander, 76 and 101 on the Intermediate Lander and 101 and 129 on the Veteran Lander.
Defilers:
Defilers attack using a range attack. These creatures, along with their mage counterparts, the Torchers, pose the greatest threat to the Void Knight, as they will lurk outside the fences and gates and use their range attacks to snipe at the Knight. They need to be dealt with immediately and should never be left unattended, as the Void Knight is particularly susceptible to their range attacks. Defilers are combat levels 33, 50 on the Novice level, combat levels 50, 66 at the Intermediate level and combat levels 80 and 97 on the Veteran level.
Shifters:
Shifters are melee-only Pests that can teleport anywhere on the Pest Control Island. When a gate is left open, these creatures will teleport directly from the portal from which they are spawned to the Void Knight. While their melee attacks are not particularly affective against the Void Knight by themselves, if too many Shifters are left to swarm the Knight, they will bring the Knight down in short order. Shifters are combat levels 36 and 57 on the Novice level, 57, 76 and 90 for Intermediate, and 90 and 104 for Veterans.
Spinners:
These jelly-fish-like creatures heal the Portals. If left unchecked, a Portal will generate several of these annoying creatures and you will not be able to destroy the Portal. Furthermore, if a Portal is destroyed while a Spinner is healing it, the Spinner will explode and poison everyone in the immediate area. Spinners are combat levels 37 and 55 on the Novice Lander, levels 55 and 74 on the Intermediate boat, and 55, 74, 88 and 92 on the Veteran.
Splatters:
The bouncing pumpkin shaped Pests will bounce around the Island. When they collide with a solid object, in particular a Gate or a Barrier, they will explode, causing damage to barriers, gates, players and fellow Pests. They are not aggressive and pose no real threat to the Void Knight directly, but they will bring a gate down and open a path for other Pests to gain access to the Knight. Splatters are combat levels 22, 33, and 44 on the Novice Lander, and 33, 44, 54 from the Intermediate, and 44, 54 and 65 from the Veteran boat.
Ravagers:
Ravagers are melee oriented Pests that attack stationary objects: barriers and gates, as well as players, using their large claws to cause damage. As with Splatters, Ravagers are likewise non-aggressive, and mainly function to clear paths for the other Pests to gain access to the Void Knight. They are combat levels 36 and 53 on the Novice level, 53 and 71 on the Intermediate level, and 71, 89 and 106 from the Veteran Lander.
Torchers:
Torchers attack using a mage attack. Like their ranger cousins, the Defilers, these Pests will lurk outside the fences and gates and use their mage based attacks to kill the Void Knight from a distance. They should not be left unattended and should not be left to wander off from a Portal heading in the direction of the Void Knight. They are combat levels 33 and 49 on the Novice Lander, levels 49, 67 and 79 on the Intermediate lander and levels 79, 91 and 92 on the Veteran Lander.
It is highly recommended that you use a Clan Chat in order to facilitate communication amongst all the players. That way, players can tell each other where they need to be, in order to coordinate their attack, control the pests and destroy the portals.
Whether you are playing with five or twenty-five players, the winning strategy remains basically the same. You need to protect the Void Knight while destroying the four portals. In order to be rewarded, each player needs to achieve 500 Zeal – which means they need to inflict 500 "lifepoints" of damage to pests and/or portals.
In order to do this effectively and quickly, you should use the following method:
First of all, it is best to both enter and exit the combat zone by using only the South (center) gate. This will limit the Pest's access to the Void Knight. Each gate you open will allow Shifters to immediately teleport to the Void Knight. If all the gates are opened simultaneously, the number of Shifters arriving at the Void Knight will be overwhelming, immediate and lethal.
Using the only the South Gate will give everyone access to the Pests and Portals, and it will also limit the number of Shifters that will arrive at the Void Knight.
Furthermore, it is IMPERATIVE that you keep the gates CLOSED at all times. The Pests are drawn to open gates. If the gates are left open, they will overwhelm the Void Knight in short order.
If given sufficient time, Ravagers and Splatters will destroy the gates. However, a player may repair the gates using a woodcutting axe, to chop the trees, and a hammer.
Brawlers are also effective gate blockers and can be lured to fill in the open spaces of destroyed gates. The technique of Brawler Blocking will be explained below.
You will need players to deploy into three groups:
[1] Void Knight Protectors:
Commonly known as "Babysitters" these players have three tasks:
[a]To protect the Void Knight from the Shifters that teleport to the immediate location of the Void Knight.
[b]To watch the gates and inform the gate keepers when a gate goes down.
[c]To attack anything that breeches a gate, if the gatekeeper(s) is overwhelmed.
In essence, the Babysitters' job is to act as the "quarterback" for the team. They will call out to the other players over the clan chat channel, informing them of which gates need to be attended to, either repaired, or carefully watched, or whether there are too many Torchers and Defilers at a certain location, causing too much damage to the Void Knight.
It is advised that Babysitters equip themselves with a weapon having a fast attack rate, such as a whip or dragon scimitar, and armour that will maximize their strength (or attack) bonus -- be it Void Armour or a Fighter Torso, etc.
It is important that the Babysitter focuses attention on killing those Shifters and Pests that are attacking the Void Knight directly, first. There is no sense, whatsoever, in mindlessly killing Shifters that are only attacking you, when other Shifters are killing the Void Knight. Pay attention to what you are doing here, and be sure to eliminate the threat to the Void Knight, first. You are expendable, the Void Knight isn’t.
A Mage using Ancient Magicks is also very effective here, as the mage can stand on the corner, just to the East and beside the Void Knight, and kill groups of Shifters as they "bunch up" behind the Knight.
[2] Gatekeepers:
The Gatekeepers job is to kill the snipers (Torchers and Defilers) that fire upon the Void Knight from outside the compound walls. It is best if the Gatekeeper intercepts the Torchers and Defilers before they get close enough to the wall to commence their attack on the Void Knight. Attacking the Torchers and Defilers before they start attacking the Void Knight will distract them and draw their fire upon the Gatekeeper.
As a result, it is best that the Gatekeeper be a tank-type player, using a weapon with a high attack rate, and armour with good defence. Guthans, Torags or Dharoks armour, an obsidian shield and a whip or dragon scimitar for a fast attack rate are best.
It is best if the Gatekeepers position themselves roughly half-way between the portals and the gates. That way they can intercept the snipers before they get within range of the Void Knight.
[3] Portal Killers:
Portal Killers should gear up with armour and weapons that maximize their strength bonus in order to do the most damage in the least amount of time. They should work as a group and attack as a group. That way, they can eliminate the portals in as short a time as possible. Running off and standing idle in front of a Portal with its shield up is not helping anyone and it is not protecting the Void Knight. You're only wasting everyone's time.
The Portals' shields will go down in any one of the following orders:
Purple Blue Yellow Red
Purple Yellow Blue Red
Blue Purple Red Yellow
Blue Red Yellow Purple
Yellow Purple Red Blue
Yellow Red Purple Blue
It is important to note that the RED (Southwest) portal NEVER goes down first. There is no point heading towards it at the start of the game, unless you're trying to intercept Defilers and Torchers on their way to the Void Knight.
Also, it is very important to watch for Spinners loitering around the Portals and eliminate them immediately. Spinners will heal the portal and slow the process of its destruction. If too many Spinners remain unchecked, you will not be able to destroy the portal at all.
Range attacks and magic attacks on Spinners will distract them and keep them from healing the Portal. As such, if numbers permit, it is always useful to have a Ranger and or a Mage join the portal attackers, and keep the Spinners busy.
Winning Ratios:
The number of players you need to deploy in each role, depends on the total numbers of players involved and, of course, their combat level. That said, the general rule of thumb for deployment is one Gatekeeper and one Babysitter for every five Players in the game -- i.e. with five players, you would use, one Babysitter, one Gatekeeper and three Portal Killers.
Brawler Blocking:
A very useful tactic for smaller Pest Control groups is to use the Brawlers’ large size to their advantage. When a Brawler attacks a player (usually a Gatekeeper), the player can lure the Brawler to follow them through the gates, and up onto the Void Knight’s pyramid. Stationing a Brawler, or Brawlers, in front of the Void Knight will effectively block out all of the attacks of the other Pests, and give the Portal Killers sufficient time to destroy all the portals.
An example of Brawler blocking
The best way to lure the Brawler is for the lurer to simply hit the Brawler to gain its attention, and then to walk up to the Void Knight. Once at the Void Knight, move behind the Void Knight -- this will separate the lurer from the Brawler. Once the lurer is separated from the Brawler, the Babysitter can distract the Brawler by hitting it, and drawing its attention. Once the Brawler has been distracted by the Babysitter, the Babysitter can then run to the other side of the Void Knight and position the Brawler directly in front of the Knight, effectively blocking out all snipers and Shifters from attacking the Void Knight. With the Brawler in place and the Void Knight protected, the lurer can then return to his/her assigned task (i.e. Gatekeeping or Portal Killing).
Positioning two or more Brawlers in front of the Void Knight will effective block out any and all of the Pests from attacking the Void Knight and ensure victory.
You are rewarded for each victory.
You will receive coins in an amount equal to ten times your combat level, plus Commendation Points. The number of Commendation points you receive is determined by which Lander you use. Those using the Novice Lander will receive two Commendation points for each victory, with Intermediates and Veterans receiving three and four respectively.
You may hold up to a maximum of 250 points and your Commendation Points can be spent on a variety of options:
Combat skill experience is the main reason most people play Pest Control, as it is a great way to raise your combat skills safely and quickly. When you spend 10 points on a combat skill, you receive a 1% bonus on the experience granted. When you spend 100 points on a skill, you will receive a 10% bonus.
You must have at least a level of 25 in the combat skill in order to be able to spend points on it.
Void Armour has the following requirements:
Attack: 42
Strength: 42
Defense: 42
Hitpoints: 42
Range: 42
Magic: 42
Prayer: 22
Void Melee gives a 10% bonus to Attack and a 10% increase to maximum damage.
The Void Range set gives a 10% bonus to Range as well as a 10% increase in maximum damage.
The Void Mage Set gives 30% increase in accuracy when casting spells.
The Void Knight Mace can autocast: Crumble Undead, Air Wave, Fire Wave and Claws of Guthix.
The Void Knight Seal can be equipped in the amulet slot and is activated when you operate it during the game. It will cause damage to all nearby monsters. It has 8 uses. Damage done by the Seal is not included with your Zeal total.
For 30 points an Herb Pack will provide you with a variety of grimy herbs - a common combination would include: 2 Harralander, 3 Ranarr, 1 Toadflax, 3 Irit, 4 Avantoe and 2 Kwuarm
For 15 points, the Ore pack will provide you with 25 Coal and 18 Iron ore
For 15 points, the Seed pack will give you, for the most part, 3 sweetcorn seeds, 6 tomato seeds and 2 limpwurt seeds.
Charms can be bought and used to make Void Familiars which require 34 Summoning to make and summon.
Pest Control is a great way for players to train combat skills quickly, safely and cost efficiently, without having to need food or expensive gear. It has been, and remains, a popular and standard tool that many high-level players use to train their combat levels, particularly at the 92+ level, when the large amounts of experience required to train these skills using ordinary methods become tedious, and the higher experience rewarded for Commendation Points becomes more appealing.
Using the strategy as outlined above, a team of only 5 players can easily challenge and win with regularity on any boat.
