OSRS Ezekiel and Bork and the Smorks are the two alternatives for the Fractured Archive’s second encounter. Ezekiel is built around tank positioning, charging flying swords and avoiding lightning, while Bork requires you to manage a stomping boss and the Smorks’ cannonballs. You fight one of these options per run, so knowing both helps your team choose a reliable route.
The rewards are not a reason to force one choice. Jagex has said the paired rooms have the same maximum contribution points, and neither boss guarantees a different unique drop. The better choice is the fight your party can execute with its equipment and communication. Here’s how each encounter works, with the post-launch Defence changes included.
How to choose OSRS Ezekiel or Bork
Beat the Archive Guardian, then use the first branching doors. The Ezekiel room centres on one tank holding the boss away from everybody else; Bork and the Smorks share a room and each has separate attacks. No other route prerequisite is needed, and you’re free to choose the other fight on your next attempt. After this encounter comes a choice between Moia and Dreadnoth.
Players attempting OSRS Ezekiel need to know who enters first because that person initially receives his attention. Players heading into Bork should instead establish who is kiting the large boss and which side of the Smorks’ cart offers cover from his stomps.
OSRS Ezekiel tank positioning and cleave
The first player entering Ezekiel’s room takes his attention until that player dies. The boss’s melee cleave covers almost everywhere around him except the space directly behind him. Have the tank face the boss away from the rest of the party, and place the non-tanks behind Ezekiel rather than beside the tank. A teammate standing on the wrong side can take significant damage even if they are not the primary target.
After two melee attacks, OSRS Ezekiel follows with area lightning and summons flying swords. Move at least a couple of tiles to dodge the lightning, but don’t drag Ezekiel out of position without warning everyone else. A boss that turns unexpectedly can sweep the supposedly safe side of the room.
How the OSRS Ezekiel flying swords work
The swords can be attacked to build a charge. When fully charged, they travel in a straight line, and your team wants that line to intersect Ezekiel. A successful hit damages and stuns him, preventing a substantial heal. If the swords miss, he can recover a large amount of health and extend the fight. Air Magic is particularly effective against the swords, making a spell option valuable even for a group mainly using melee.
For OSRS Ezekiel, choose one person to call sword alignment while other players charge them. The tank should hold a stable boss position long enough for the charged swords to reach him. Chasing maximum personal damage while allowing repeated healing is slower than sacrificing an attack to aim the mechanic correctly.
OSRS Ezekiel enrage: lightning on a small arena
Later Ezekiel draws players into a small area and sends lightning volleys. The swords indicate which positions will be struck, and players must move away from the marked path. Don’t try to memorise an unsupported fixed order: read the visible lightning and move to the opposite safe section. Keep enough supplies for this final stretch instead of using every brew early.
The OSRS Ezekiel fight is most manageable when the tank remains predictable and the others call hazards clearly. Once he stops healing, the encounter becomes much more straightforward to finish.
Bork and the Smorks: stomps, cannonballs and cover
Bork targets and chases a player while making area stomps. The Smorks sit in a cart and attack other players with Ranged or Magic projectiles, along with incendiary and heavy cannonballs. Oil splashes from incendiary attacks continue dealing damage on the floor. The cart can block Bork’s huge shockwave, so run to its far side when you see a heavy slam coming.
A heavy cannonball can stun Bork if you position him in its landing area, opening a short damage window. Afterward he can become angry and stomp across much of the arena, which is another reason to keep track of the cart. When Bork calls out a player’s name, the tank may change; the party should react rather than assuming the same person stays targeted all fight.
Should you kill Bork or the Smorks first?
Whichever enemy dies first, the other enters an enraged state. If Bork dies first, the Smorks attack more quickly and target the full party. If the Smorks die first, Bork’s stomps reach across the arena. Early community strategy favours defeating Bork first because the remaining ranged attacks may be easier to manage than a fully enraged Bork, but it’s still worth changing plans if your group handles the opposite order better.
Is OSRS Ezekiel or Bork easier after the hotfix?
Jagex’s October 21 update set a 60% of starting Defence floor for Ezekiel and Bork, while the Smorks can still be reduced all the way to zero. That makes pre-hotfix damage tests unreliable for predicting which route is quickest. A group comfortable with sword positioning may finish Ezekiel consistently, while teams who prefer using cover and targeting separate enemies may feel more comfortable against Bork.
The best OSRS Ezekiel route decision is the one that gets your party through with enough food for the remaining stages. Our raid overview explains all five encounters, the rewards guide lists the new gear, and the launch issues guide tracks known problems.
Official source: Jagex’s Fractured Archive release and October 21 changes.
