Summoning

[nuttydoctor]

Can someone help me with directions to a good guide to actually using familiars?...one with tips,ideas or suggestions on appropriate situations or examples of the effective use of these wee beasties would be great... thanks folks

[Jadinko]

What summoning level are you?

 

You have you're beast of burdens. AKA BoB's. These will allow you to carry more stuff when needed, either on the way, or on the way back. Obvious examples are camping green/all dragons, god wars dungeon and some skills like training prayer and gathering (mining etc.)

 

Then you have healing familiars which, well, heal you. Some more than others and the amount they heal greatly increases with level. Always use the bet healing familiar you can when using one (except titan's as they are pretty expensive to use casually)

 

The next set of familiars are the fighting ones which are rarely used till level 90 + (except of course titans.)

 

Finally you have the stat boosting familiars and interact familiars. These will help you with skills such as hunter (artic bear) and mining (Golem). The teleports of the Kyatt and Grahkk familiars can take you to the clostest summoning obelisk and nature altar respectively.

 

If there's anything I've missed out please query.

[Iamfarming]

The only thing missing is the scavengers that make you passive money while you do something else. Examples are macaws, magpies and fruit bats. These are great when you're skilling and don't have a use for any other familiars that would help in said stat.

[Quyneax]

To use a familiar, you need a pouch (and sometimes scrolls). Your summoning level is just like your prayer level, if you summon a familiar (right-click the pouch, second option) you will lose a number of points and your level will drain slowly afterwards. The total number of points lost while having a familiar out is equal to the level required for the pouch, so a spirit terrorbird drains 52 points total over the course of it's life (if you log out you lose a minute of the counter and you'll drain less overall). If you don't have the number of points you lose when summoning a pouch, you can't summon it, but if your points run out afterwards it continues working (some exceptions).

 

tl;dr if you are going to use lots of familiars without visiting an obelisk, bring super restores/summoning potions.

[nuttydoctor]

To use a familiar, you need a pouch (and sometimes scrolls). Your summoning level is just like your prayer level, if you summon a familiar (right-click the pouch, second option) you will lose a number of points and your level will drain slowly afterwards. The total number of points lost while having a familiar out is equal to the level required for the pouch, so a spirit terrorbird drains 52 points total over the course of it's life (if you log out you lose a minute of the counter and you'll drain less overall). If you don't have the number of points you lose when summoning a pouch, you can't summon it, but if your points run out afterwards it continues working (some exceptions).

 

tl;dr if you are going to use lots of familiars without visiting an obelisk, bring super restores/summoning potions.

Tanks every body...that's a little clearer...but one more thing...how do you put things into yr BOB ??

[JPMC Mate]

Right click it and select Store, then select all.

[bladekill133]

Right click it and select Store, then select all.

 

Or if you are in combat or maybe just storing one item, use the item on the BoB.