If you’ve rolled a Shades Slayer task in Old School RuneScape, the goal is usually speed, not profit. Shades are low-value, low-mechanics enemies that exist primarily to fill Slayer task requirements rather than generate meaningful GP, which is why many players choose to buy OSRS gold to speed up their overall progression instead of grinding inefficient tasks for money. This guide focuses on completing the task as quickly and efficiently as possible while avoiding common mistakes that waste time.

Getting There Quickly

The most important requirement for this method is access to a Morton teleport, which can be purchased cheaply from the Grand Exchange. This teleport is the core of the entire strategy because it eliminates the long and inefficient travel routes that typically make this task annoying.

Once you teleport into Morton, you’ll immediately be in proximity to multiple shade spawns. This removes the need for long runs through swamp terrain or inefficient detours through lower-level areas. The entire efficiency of this method is built around minimizing downtime between kills.

Where to Kill Shades

In Morton, you’ll encounter Afflicted and lower-tier shades, which are the primary targets for this Slayer task. These enemies are low combat level and do not require specialized gear setups or high-end protection prayers. A basic melee or ranged setup with minimal food is more than sufficient.

You may also encounter alternative shade locations in other parts of the game, but none of them offer a better balance of speed and accessibility than Morton. Other areas either require longer travel times or introduce unnecessary competition or navigation complexity.

Should You Use a Cannon?

Technically, you can use a Dwarf Multicannon, but in this specific task, it is not recommended. The cannon placement is extremely limited in this area, and the time spent setting it up often outweighs the benefit it provides.

From an efficiency standpoint, the task is better handled by simply running between spawns and manually killing shades. Even players who normally prioritize optimal DPS setups will find that the cannon adds more friction than value here.

Combat Strategy and Safespotting

Shades are not mechanically difficult. Their attack patterns are simple, and their damage output is manageable with basic food supplies. If you want to reduce damage intake further, you can safely safespot them across the pond in certain areas of Morton.

This allows you to range or mage them without taking damage, but it does slightly slow down your kill rate depending on positioning. Most players will find that simply tanking minor hits while maintaining constant aggression is faster overall.

The key principle here is uptime: you want to minimize movement interruptions and keep killing continuously until the task is complete.

Loot Expectations

It’s important to set expectations correctly before starting this task. Shades are not a profitable Slayer assignment. The primary drop you will receive is lore shade remains, which are worth roughly 300 GP each depending on current Grand Exchange prices.

Other drops are minimal, and you should not expect any meaningful rune drops, alchables, or high-value items. Even after completing a full task—such as 60+ kills-the total profit is generally negligible.

This is strictly a “check the box” Slayer task rather than a money-making opportunity.

Efficiency Mindset

The biggest mistake players make with Shades tasks is overthinking them. Some players attempt to optimize routes through higher-level shade areas such as the Stronghold of Security or other dungeon environments. These approaches almost always slow completion time significantly.

Morton remains the fastest and most consistent method because it reduces travel time and keeps you near dense spawn points. The goal is not optimization for profit or XP per hour-it is task completion speed.

Final Notes

If you approach this task correctly, Shades become one of the fastest Slayer assignments in the game to complete. Bring your Morton teleport, carry a small amount of food, and focus purely on killing efficiency. Many players who want to save even more time also look for cheap RS gold so they can skip unnecessary grinding and gear up faster for higher-level Slayer content.

Avoid unnecessary setups like cannons, avoid long travel routes, and ignore profit expectations entirely. Treat it as a quick Slayer checkpoint, and you’ll be done in minimal time.

Shades are not meant to be rewarding-they’re meant to be completed quickly so you can move on to better tasks.