The heavy ballista is a two-handed ranged weapon that uses javelins as ammunition, requiring level 75 in Ranged and the completion of the quest Monkey Madness II to wield. While there is no actual defence requirement for the Heavy Ballista, completing the pre-requisite, Monkey Madness I, provides a minimum of 20,000 defence experience. This corresponds to an effective requirement of 33 defence.
The speed on accurate is one tick slower than a godsword, but when put on rapid it matches the speed of a godsword. The ballista has an attack range of 9. Longrange increases attack range by 1.
A player performing the heavy ballista's special attack, Concentrated Shot.
The heavy ballista has a special attack, Concentrated Shot, which it shares with the light ballista. It performs an attack with 25% increased accuracy and damage.
The special attack consumes 65% of the player's special attack energy.
Offers a special attack where the player can hit any target in a 3x3 area, while in a multicombat area, making it one of three range weapons that can hit multiple targets. This costs 60% of special attack bar.
Offers the third highest Ranged attack bonus in the game, behind the Heavy ballista, which offers +125 ranged attack, and the crystal bow and armadyl crossbow, both offering +100 ranged attack.
It is the slowest weapon in the game, offering only an attack speed of 2.
Offers a powerful special attack, where if used with dragon arrows, it increases damage dealt by 50% with a minimum hit of 8 (30% with any other arrow with a minimum hit of 5). Costs 55% special attack energy.
It is the only shortbow to offer a special attack. The special attack fires 2 shots, but with reduced accuracy in rapid succession. Costs 55% special attack energy.
The bow can be imbued by using a magic shortbow scroll on a normal magic shortbow. The imbued version increases accuracy to +75 and lowers the special attack cost to 50%.
It is the only one of three ranged weapons that offers the ability to hit more than one opponent at a time (similar to burst or barrage ancient spells), the others being the special attack of the dragon crossbow, with a similar attack, and Rune thrownaxe, with a ricochet type attack.
Regarded to be the best way of training Ranged at the cost of it being expensive.
If a player dies with chinchompas equipped or in their inventory, they will disappear as they are live animals. Dying with black chinchompas to a player in the wilderness does not make them disappear.
Trivia
Upon release, the heavy ballista's Ranged Attack bonus was +120. However, this was changed on 31 October 2016 to +100 due to it being "simply too strong" when paired with ranged Void Knight equipment in PvP[1]. Furthermore, the ranged strength of javelins was also reduced, lowering the max hit of the heavy ballista.
It was changed again to +110[2] in an update on 3 November 2016, and once more to +125[3] in an update on 1 December 2016. The same update gave it a +15 bonus in Ranged Strength, and changed the requirements for equipping it, now requiring the completion of Monkey Madness II and 75 Ranged to wield.