Clearing the Fight Caves in Old School RuneScape is traditionally a high-focus activity that demands constant attention, especially when progressing through the later waves toward the iconic boss TzTok-Jad. However, players have discovered a surprisingly relaxed strategy that dramatically reduces the amount of active gameplay required.

Known as the Halberd Method, this approach allows players to clear most of the Fight Caves with low-intensity, mostly AFK gameplay, requiring attention only during the final waves. By combining the reach of a halberd weapon with passive healing and careful plugin setup, players can safely progress through waves while only clicking occasionally.

Below is a complete breakdown of how the method works, including setup, gear choices, plugin configuration, and how to finish the fight against Jad.

What Is the Halberd AFK Method?

The Halberd Method revolves around AFK clearing the Fight Caves using a halberd weapon, most notably the Noxious Halberd, while relying on Blood spells or healing effects to offset incoming damage.

The strategy works because halberds can attack two tiles away, allowing you to safely attack enemies while avoiding melee distance. With the run turned off, your character will walk instead of running, preventing accidental movement into the melee range of dangerous enemies.

Key characteristics of this method include:

· Low-intensity gameplay

· Around 12 minutes between clicks

· Approximately 1.1 completions per hour

· Up to 1.2 completions per hour on the Slayer task

While having a Slayer assignment for Jad can slightly improve efficiency, it is not required for the method to work.

Combat Achievements Interaction

Players who have completed Grandmaster Combat Achievements gain an additional perk. Even without an active Slayer task, you can still receive the Slayer damage bonus if you show the Inferno boss Zuk to the NPC outside the Inferno. This unlocks the bonus while completing the Fight Caves, giving a small but noticeable improvement in kill speed.

Gear Setup Options

The gear you choose determines how AFK-friendly the run will be.

High Prayer AFK Setup (Recommended)

This setup focuses on maximum prayer bonus and survivability, allowing longer AFK periods and fewer interruptions.

Benefits include:

· Longer AFK windows

· Less frequent potion usage

· Higher safety during waves

This is the most relaxed version of the method.

Faster Alternative Setup

If you're willing to sacrifice some AFK potential, you can run a more aggressive setup with less prayer bonus.

Advantages include:

· Faster kill speeds

· Higher potential kills per hour

However, the downside is that you will need to pay attention more frequently due to increased prayer drain and lower sustain.

Alternative Combat Styles

Several combat styles are technically viable, including:

· Max Mage setups

· Shadow-based builds

· Range setups

However, max ranged with a Twisted Bow is generally considered the best option for fighting Jad, particularly if you are on a Slayer task.

Required Combat Settings

Before entering the caves, make sure the following settings are active:

· Auto-Retaliate ON

· Combat style set to Swipe

· Run turned OFF

These settings ensure your character automatically fights enemies while preventing accidental movement into dangerous positions.

Entering the Fight Caves

After entering the Fight Caves:

· Run to the center of the arena

· Enable your AFK setup

· Let auto-retaliate handle the early waves

At this stage, many players jokingly describe the strategy as “letting Jesus take the wheel.” You can turn off immediately or wait until later waves. Turning it off early prevents forgetting later, but slightly slows the first waves since your character will walk to enemies instead of running.

Recommended RuneLite Plugin Setup

Because the method is AFK-heavy, plugins are essential for notifying you when attention is required.

Chat Notifications

Set chat notifications for upcoming dangerous waves so you receive alerts when important enemies are about to spawn. Ideally, the notifications should warn you three waves in advance of major spawns.

Idle Notifier

Configure Idle Notifier with:

· 30 HP warning

· 5 Prayer warning

This ensures you receive alerts before dying due to low resources.

Since Watchdog does not work in Fight Caves, these two plugins are the only reliable warning systems.

Custom Menu Swaps

For RuneLite users, adding custom menu swaps allows you to:

· Left-click Jad healers through Jad

· Tag healers more easily

This makes the final fight far less stressful.

Spawn Predictor (Optional)

The Fight Caves Spawn Predictor plugin marks the tiles where enemies will appear in the next wave. While not required, it can help you quickly move if a dangerous enemy spawns directly next to you.

The First Major Threat: Wave 31

Until Wave 31, protection prayers are generally unnecessary. However, bats can drain your prayer completely before this point, so some players prefer to activate:

· Preserve

· Ultimate Strength

Once your plugin notifications trigger before Wave 31, do the following:

1. Drink a Super Combat potion

2. Sip a Prayer regeneration potion

3. Restore prayer to full

4. Activate Protect from Magic

5. Ensure run is OFF

Then you can safely return to AFK gameplay. Turning run off prevents enemies like the Ket-Zek mage from pulling you into melee range, which could quickly kill you.

Rare AFK Issues

Occasionally, auto-retaliate may cause your character to walk behind a wall while safespotting an enemy.

In this situation:

· You won’t die

· But the wave will not finish

Simply click the enemy once to continue progressing.

Preparing for the Final Waves

Eventually, your notifications will trigger between Wave 60 and Wave 62, indicating the approach of Jad.

At this point you must decide:

· Whether you can focus for the next few minutes

· Or whether you need to pause the activity

Pausing the Fight Caves

One major benefit of this method is that you can pause the minigame at almost any time.

To do this:

1. Click “Click here to log out”

2. Auto-retaliate finishes the current wave

3. Your progress pauses

When you log back in, you can resume exactly where you left off.

Fighting TzTok-Jad

Once you reach Wave 62, switch into your dedicated Jad gear.

Boost your stats using:

· Saturated Heart

· Bastion Potion

· Super Combat Potion

Then proceed to fight Jad normally by switching between:

· Protect from Magic

· Protect from Missiles

Handling Jad Healers

If you're using ranged or magic setups, you should tag the healers when they spawn. However, tagging healers is often unnecessary when:

· Using high DPS magic setups like Shadow

· On a Slayer task

· Meleeing Jad with the halberd

Players unfamiliar with halberd positioning may prefer bringing a long-range weapon just to safely tag healers.

Death Safety: Karamja Elite Diary

One safety net comes from completing the Karamja Elite Diary, which provides a free daily revive inside the Fight Caves.

If you die due to:

· Running out of prayer

· Going AFK too long

You can revive and continue the fight. Your chat notifications will alert you when you revive so you can immediately reactivate your protection prayers.

Banking After Each Kill

Unlike barrage-based strategies, the Halberd Method consumes many Super Combat potions, which take up multiple inventory slots. Because of this, it is typically best to bank after every successful Jad kill rather than chaining runs together.

Final Thoughts

The Halberd Method transforms the Fight Caves from a high-stress challenge into a relaxed, semi-AFK activity. With proper plugin configuration and gear choices, players can spend most of the run doing other tasks while auto-retaliate handles the waves.

You will still need to focus during the final moments against TzTok-Jad, but everything leading up to that point can be completed with minimal interaction.

For players grinding OSRS FireCape runs, Slayer tasks, or combat achievements, this strategy offers one of the most comfortable ways to farm the Fight Caves in Old School RuneScape.