Old School RuneScape players grieve loss of “busted” Slayer monster after huge nerf
JagexOne of the strongest Slayer monsters in Old School RuneScape has been nerfed just two weeks after they were initially buffed, leaving the community to grieve the loss of such an easy money-making method.
On May 8, 2024, OSRS developer Jagex gave Fever Spiders a massive buff to their drop table. Before the update, the low-level Slayer monster had been practically useless. After the buffs though, killing them became one of the best money-makers in the game, especially for Ironman accounts.
The surprise buff saw several valuable items added to the Fever Spider drop table. This included loot that could be Alchemised for coins like Rune Battleaxes, Rune Medium Helms, and Water Battlestaves. Using a Dwarf Cannon at maximum efficiency, it was possible to earn 2.5 million profit per hour, more than some end-game bosses like Corporeal Beast, K’ril Tsutsaroth, and The Nightmare.
However, this drop table was heavily nerfed on May 23, 2024. The Rune Medium Helms and Rune Battleaxes were changed to Adamant, while Water Battlestaves were switched out for Limpwurt Roots. This nerf cut profits by a staggering 72%, with maximum efficiency players now earning just 700,000 profit per hour instead.
Old School RuneScape players have been grieving the loss of this money-making method, with one highly upvoted thread on Reddit expressing, “You Will Be Missed,” while one of the top replies said, “Probably best for the game but I will miss it lol.”
Others thought the drop table was unbalanced, and were happy it was nerfed, commenting, “Their new loot table was so ridiculous that I started suspecting someone at Jagex to be making content for bots,” and, “It was insanely busted.”
Now that Fever Spiders have been nerfed, OSRS players must return to other AFK methods to make money. Some popular methods to make low-effort money include killing Gargoyles or Zombie Pirates and fishing Infernal Eels.