Treasure Trails Guide

This mini-game has been rated as High Risk. See the Mini-Games page for a definition of high and low risk.

Basics

Treasure trails are one of things in RuneScape that will give you hours of fun. You don't have the slightest idea what kind of treasure you'll get, or when you'll get it. If you like adventures, be sure to do some treasure trails. Treasure trails are members only, but some of the rewards can be used by both F2P'ers and P2P'ers.

To begin a treasure trail, you'll need a clue scroll. Clue scrolls are dropped by certain kinds of monsters when you kill them. Below is a list of the monsters that drop clue scrolls. They are divided into three categories. Refer to the reward section below for more information about the different categories. The higher the category, the better the potential reward if you complete the trail.

Jagex has so many monsters that drop the three different level clues that it would be unwise to list them all here. Instead there are links below (to the bestiary) for you to click so you can see what monsters drop the level clue scroll you want.

There are also a couple of other ways you can get clue scrolls. These ways can sometimes be more fun, because when you DO get a clue scroll, it's always a nice surprise. Pickpocketing H.A.M. Members will often get you a level 1 clue, and if you're brave enough to venture into the Zogre Cavern West of Gu'Tanoth, it's possible to get a key from one of the monsters that inhabit these dim caves. Use the key on the coffins in the area, and maybe, you just might find....a clue scroll! If you're not up to the task of killing the nearby monsters, try thieving the coffins instead. You can occasionally find level 1 clues this way as well.

You can also get clue scrolls from Shade Chests. The kind of chest will determine which level clue scroll you can get, but in general, the higher the shade, the higher the clue level. For example, you may get a level 1 clue scroll from a chest requiring a brown key. But, if you have a silver key, you may end up getting a level 3 clue scroll. Here's a list of shade chests and the level of clue scroll you can get from each:

• Bronze chests - level 1
• Steel chests - level 1 and level 2
• Black chests - level 2
• Silver chests - level 3

Refer to our Splitbark Armour Guide for more information on burning shades, getting keys and accessing shade chests.

Clue scrolls can also be found in caskets while big net fishing, received as rewards from Manage Thy Kingdom and the Evil Tree, or bought with pieces of eight at the Trouble Brewing minigame.

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Rewards

The rewards from Treasure Trails can give you a wide assortment of items, including both commonly available items and more valuable items which are exclusively obtainable from Treasure Trails (or purchasing from players who have completed Treasure Trails).

There are far too many of these rewards to put them all here, so take a look at our Rewards Page for a complete list of the items you can earn by completing Treasure Trails.

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Anagrams

An anagram is a word where the letters of the original word are rearranged to make a new word. If you get an anagram clue, it will usually say that it's an anagram right on the clue. If it doesn't say that it's an anagram or that you need to unscramble the letters, if the words on the clue just don't make any sense, you can be pretty sure that the clue is, in fact, an anagram. Here's a list of all the known anagram clues:

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Challenges

Challenges will not be in a clue scroll like all the other clues, they will be in challenge scrolls. When you get a challenge scroll, you need to figure out the answer, return to whoever gave you the challenge, and give him/her your answer by speaking to him/her again. Here is a list of all challenge scroll questions currently in the game:

* if you have completed the Eagles' Peak quest, the answer to this question is 41 because you will be able to see the ferret in the zoo. If you have not done the quest, the answer is 40 - the ferret does not appear in the zoo until you have completed the quest.

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Coordinates

When you get a coordinates clue, it will say something like "04 degrees, 13 minutes North, 12 degrees, 45 minutes East". When you have a coordinates clue, you will need to get some navigation tools. These include a sextant, a watch and a navigation chart. Even if you know exactly where to dig, you still need to have the navigation tools in your inventory when you dig on a coordinates clue. If you don't, you can dig all day, and you'll never find anything. To get the navigation tools, take your clue and head to the house North of the Observatory. You'll find the Observatory north of Castle Wars (Southwest of Ardougne; it's on the other side of the river West of the Tree Gnome Maze). While you're making the trip there, be sure to "examine" your clue (right-click on the scroll and select "examine"). When you arrive at the house, you'll find a Professor and his assistant. Talk to the Professor, and ask him to help you with treasure trails. He will tell you to get a watch and a sextant.

• To get the watch go to the Clocktower (located South of Ardougne). Speak with brother Kojo and ask him for the watch.
• To get the sextant go to the Khazard Docks (located Northeast of Yanille). Speak with Murphy and ask him for the sextant.

When you have your watch and sextant, go back to the Professor and speak with him again. He will give you a long lesson on how to use the sextant. He will also give you a chart. If you didn't read his speech or didn't understand it, see below for instructions on how to use the sextant.

You cannot make your own watch and/or sextant if you've never had them before. But if you lose your watch and/or sextant and need replacements, you can make new ones yourself if you have level 28 crafting and you have access to a player-owned home with a workshop. To get a replacement chart, you must go back and visit the Professor again.

How to use the sextant to get locations:

Ok, when you have the sextant, click on it to 'look through' and get your location. However! Before it's able to tell you your position, you will need to click on the up and down arrows until you have the horizon in the middle of the eye piece. After that, use your right and left arrows to get the sun in the centre of the eye piece as well. When you have this, and your eye piece looks like the one to the right, click "Get location" under the sextant image (above your chat box).

How to use your location:

Now you know how to get your current location, but you still need to learn how to get to your desired location (the one on the clue scroll). First you want to find the right longitude (east-west). If your clue says something like 12 degrees, 56 minutes east, and you're at 6 degrees 12 minutes east, then you simply walk East until you hit 12 degrees. Once you do that, you can try to hit the minutes by going a little more East. Then you try to find the right latitude (South-North). Go North/South until you hit the right place. This can be tricky, and the first 5 times you'll have to think and try a lot to get it right.

To help you with finding the right location, you can use our handy dandy Treasure Locator Tool. Open it by clicking here. This is a pop-up, so it might not open if you have a pop-up blocker active. This locator is not 100% accurate, but it's pretty close, and it *should* give you an idea of where to go with your sextant for the right location. We have also compiled a list of known coordinates in text format, if you feel more comfortable using that. But remember! You must have your navigation tools with you when you dig. We have made the treasure locator and the list of coordinates available to you to make it easier for you to find the location of your coordinates -- but that doesn't mean that you can forget about getting the sextant, watch and chart. You can't. And these navigation tools are not tradeable, so you don't have any choice about getting them.

When you're at the right location, and you've double checked it, dig with a spade on the spot. If there's already something there, pick it up and dig.

One word of caution:

If you have a level 3 coordinates clue that leads to a spot in the wilderness, be prepared to fight a level 65 or 74 Zamorak Wizard. The wizard is very protective of any treasure that may be buried in the wilderness, and he won't let you get it without a fight. He will attack you with Flames of Zamorak, and your best defence is to use prayer and have Protect-from-Magic ON.

If your level 3 coordinates clue leads to a spot outside the wilderness, you'll have to fight and kill a level 108 Saradomin Wizard (except for the coordinate clue that leads you inside the duel arena) to get the casket containing your treasure/next clue. We have heard that for some coordinates clues outside the wilderness, you may get a Zamorak Wizard instead of a Saradomin Wizard. If this happens to you, count your blessings. If you DO get a Saradomin Wizard, he will attack you with a poisoned dagger if you use prayer and have Protect-from-Magic ON. If you have Protect-from-Melee ON, he will attack you with magic. The best way to defend yourself against this very strong wizard is to wear full dragonhide and attack him with Protect-from-Melee ON.

Once you've killed your wizard, dig again in the same spot to get the casket containing your treasure/next clue. If you're not sure which level clue you have, think of the monster that dropped the first clue scroll in your treasure trail, then refer to the Basics section and the monster table.

Important things to remember:

• When you have a coordinates clue to solve, you must have the sextant, watch, chart and clue in your inventory to dig up the casket containing your treasure/next clue. And don't forget to bring your spade with you! You can't dig anything up with your hands!
• If you lose or misplace your sextant, watch or chart, simply go back to the NPC that gave it to you in the first place to get another. For the sextant, see Murphy. For the watch, see Brother Kojo. For the chart, go see the Professor. And remember, you will need a coordinates clue in your inventory to get another chart from the Professor. It doesn't matter that you're only getting a replacement chart. You need to actually have a coordinates clue with you to get a new one. Murphy and Brother Kojo aren't so picky -- you don't need to have a coordinates clue with you to get a replacement sextant or watch.
  
  You can also make a replacement sextant and/or watch yourself if you have level 28 crafting and have access to a player-owned house with a workshop. You cannot make a replacement chart if you lose it. To get a replacement chart, you must go back and visit the Professor again.
• With certain clues, you might be asked to go to an area that is only accessible if you have completed or started a certain quest. This is particularly true for level 3 clues, but it can also happen for other level clues. For example, you may get a clue that leads you to the Kharazi Jungle, South of Shilo Village. To enter the jungle, you will need to at least start the Legends Quest. If your clue leads to the Canifis area in Morytania, you will need to have completed Priest in Peril and, depending on WHERE in Morytania the coordinates lead, you may also have to start Nature Spirit. There are other clues like this, so be aware that this CAN happen. In our Full List of Coordinates page, we have included the name of the quest next to the coordinates' location if a quest is required to access the location.
• If you're heading into the wilderness on a coordinates clue, bring only the basic necessities with you. This means bring only your clue, spade, sextant, watch, and chart, your weapon, and whatever food you need to survive an attack. If you get attacked by a monster or revenant or cannot survive the attack from the Zamorak wizard, drop everything except your clue scroll before you die. You can easily replace the lost items, but you will lose your clue scroll if you hang onto these other things. Of course, this only works if you do not have a skull hanging over your head...

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Uri's Emote Clues

Some clue scrolls will contain specific orders of where and how to perform an emote. Upon successful completion, a mysterious man named Uri will reward you with a chest as well as a humorous quip.

It is very important that you follow Uri's emote instructions specifically. When doing the clue, you must wear exactly what the clue says. This means that you must acknowledge the difference between enchanted/unenchanted jewelry, a staff/battlestaff, and likewise.

Also, some clues say, "Beware of double agents!" In these clues you will be attacked by a Double Agent (level 108 non-wild, 68 in-Wilderness) when you properly perform the emote. You can change into armour or weapons when fighting the Double Agent, but you must change back into the proper attire before doing the emote again to talk to Uri (in the wilderness you do not have to repeat the emote for Uri to appear).

Here are the known Uri Emote clues:

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Maps

Sometimes you might get a clue scroll, and when you open it to read it, all you see is a map. Your task is to find out where that place is, and then, like the pirates always do, take the steps shown on your map and dig where X marks the spot. To dig, you'll need your trusty spade. Here's a list of the different maps:

Maps
Map	Location	Map	Location
	West side of Champions Guild, South of the mining area. Two paces to the EAST of the tree		Draynor Village
	Lumberyard, Northeast of Varrock. You must have started the Gertrude's Cat Quest to enter the lumberyard		Between Falador and Barbarian Village, to the South of the path
	Varrock East Mine, halfway between the Northeast edge of the mine and the wall to the North		Goblin village near the Observatory
	West Ardougne, West side. Northeast house in the group of 12 houses in the middle near the Underground Pass entrance. You must have started the Plague City Quest to enter West Ardougne.		Inside the Dark Warriors' Fortress in the wilderness, Southwest corner of the interior open-air square
	Clocktower, South of the Ardougne Castle		McGrubor's Wood, to the West of Seers Village
	Sir Galahad's house, West of Mcgrubor's Wood		Hobgoblin area, on the island peninsula West of the Crafting Guild
	Behind the Anvil House in Yanille		West of the Necromancer's Tower, just to the North of the Tower of Life
	Building in West Rimmington		Wizard's Tower South of Draynor Village
	Level 50 wilderness, directly to the West of the larger volcano, to the Southeast of the Agility Course		On the road to Mort'ton, Southwest of the fishing spots and North of the Haunted Mine. You must have started the Nature Spirit Quest to enter Mort Myre Swamp to walk to Mort'ton.
	Island with the Lighthouse, to the Southwest of Rellekka. Take the second path that heads South		Miscellania, just to the East of the entrance to the Castle grounds. You must have completed the Fremennik Trials Quest to take the boat to Miscellania.
	Chaos Altar West of the Khazard Battlefield (south west of Ardougne), dig right behind the altar		On the Eastern side of the path that leads from Sinclair Mansion to the Fremennik Province (Rellekka)
	North of Falador, right near the statue		Just to the South of the Legends Guild entrance, to the Northeast of Ardougne
	Just to the East of the Ranging Guild	Reserved for future map clue	Reserved for future map hint

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NPC Locations

In treasure trails you will sometimes get a clue saying something like "Speak to ....". This is a little list of the different NPCs (non-player characters) that you can find on treasure trails. You can click on the link after each NPC's name to see a pop-up picture of them.

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Puzzles

Well, it's difficult to make a good guide for solving the puzzle boxes in treasure trails, since they always start randomly, but this might help you. Do the first row (Red) Do the second row (Yellow) Do the third row (Green) Get the 4 lower left squares done (Blue) Get the last 6 squares done (Purple)

**Note: you MUST complete your puzzle before you log out. If you log out of the game before you finish it, any progress you've made on solving it will be lost. The puzzle always resets itself when you log out of the game. When you finish your puzzle, return and speak to the NPC you got it from in the first place. Remember...do this BEFORE you log out!

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Riddles

Riddles are primarily to test your Runescape knowledge. If you remember most of the details you learned through quests and other information, you shouldn't have a problem with these. However, since there are usually one or two things that might have slipped your mind, here's a list of the current riddles. They are in alphabetical order after the first letter in the riddle (example: "My name is..." is under M).

**Note: When you go to some locations with chests or drawers, you may find that the chest/drawers is/are locked. If this happens, you will get a message giving you a hint about what to do next. The message might say "Beware of dog" or "It's a guard's life" or something similar when you try to open the chest/drawers. If you get a message like this, just look for it in the list that follows. Remember to have your clue scroll with you or else you will not get the key the monster drops.

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Search

In treasure trails you will sometimes to asked to search some crates, boxes or chests all over Runescape. Here's a list of the different places you may be asked to go to.

Note: When you go to some locations with chests or drawers, you may find that the chest/drawers is/are locked. If this happens, you will get a message giving you a hint about what to do next. The message might say "Beware of dog" or "It's a guard's life" or something similar when you try to open the chest/drawers. If you get a message like this, just look for message in the list of Riddles above. Remember to have your clue scroll with you, or else you will not get the key the monster drops.

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FAQ

1. I'm on the right locations, but I can't find anything! How come?
   If it's a coordinates clue, make sure you have the sextant, chart, watch and clue in your inventory, or else you will not find anything when digging. Keeping these items in the bank doesn't work. If you never received a sextant, watch and chart, go see the Professor in the house North of the Observatory. Refer to the Coordinates section at the beginning of this guide for more information.

   If it's a normal clue, make sure you have your clue with you.

2. I've been killing this monster for ages, and I STILL haven't gotten a clue! Why?
   First, check your inventory and bank. You will not get a clue scroll if you already have one in your bank/inventory, no matter how many monsters you kill.

   Also, make sure the monster you're killing actually drops clues. Check the Bestiary or the Basics section at the beginning of this guide for a list of monsters that drop clues. Otherwise, you'll just have to be patient! Clue drops are purely random; you may get 3 in one day by killing the same monster, or you may not get any for 3 weeks!

3. If I drop my clue because it's too hard or I can't figure it out, can I get another one?
   Yes. Dropping your clue does not prevent you from getting more clue scrolls. It's like you never had it in the first place.

4. What treasure trails rewards are F2P?
   All the trimmed and god armour is F2P. Non-members can buy these items from members and wear them like any other armour. The other special items that come from treasure trails (boots, hats, headbands etc.) are P2P only.

5. Can I have more than one clue at a time?
   No you can't. You cannot pick up another clue before you've either dropped or completed your current one. Monsters will not drop clues if you have one in your bank already.

6. Does the ring of wealth help with clues?
   We have confirmed this with Jagex, and the Ring of Wealth does not make the drop rate of clues from monsters any higher, and it does not help you on the reward you receive when doing a Treasure Trail. The Ring of Wealth only increases the chances you'll get a better/rarer drop from the monsters you're killing.

7. Can clue scrolls or the sextant, watch and chart be traded?
   No.

8. Do I keep my clue scroll if I die?
   No, unless your clue scroll happens to be one of the three most valuable items in your inventory when you die.

9. What do I do if I lose my sextant, watch or chart?
   If you lose your sextant, go back and ask Murphy in Port Khazard for another one. If you lose your watch, go speak to Brother Kojo at the Clocktower, and if you need another chart, go speak to the Professor in the house North of the Observatory. Make sure you have a coordinates clue in your inventory before trying to get a replacement chart, though. Otherwise, the Professor will NOT give you a replacement. You don't need to have a coordinates clue to get a replacement sextant or watch.
   
   If you have level 28 crafting and you have access to a player-owned home with a workshop, you can also make a new watch and sextant yourself. You cannot make a replacement chart. To get a new chart, you'll have to go back and visit the Professor again.

10. If I see someone drop a clue scroll, can I pick it up?
    No. Clue scrolls are not tradeable, nor can they be picked up from the ground if someone dies or drops it. Only the person that received the scroll in the first place can solve the treasure trail the scroll belongs to.

11. Do I have to do the Observatory Quest to get the sextant, watch and chart?
    No. Formerly, if you started the quest and never finished it, the Professor wouldn't talk to you about treasure trails until you completed the quest. This has been fixed - he now asks if you want to talk about the quest or Treasure Trails. Also, you do not have to do the Clocktower Quest before getting your watch from Brother Kojo.

12. I've tried speaking to the Professor over and over again about getting Treasure Trail help and the sextant, watch and chart, but all he talks about is his broken telescope and his planks. What's going on?
    First, you must have a coordinates clue with you when you first speak to the Professor. If you don't, he won't talk about treasure trails at all. If you have the coordinates clue with you, try examining the clue before you speak to him. If this doesn't work, then you may have started the Observatory quest at some time and not finished it. You should therefore finish the quest, then talk to the Professor again. Remember - if you choose the wrong option when you speak to him, that is, if you click on anything other than the Treasure Trails option, you end up starting the Observatory quest if you haven't started it yet.

13. Why won't Murphy and Brother Kojo give me the items I need?
    You must speak to the Professor in the house North of the Observatory BEFORE asking Murphy for the sextant and Brother Kojo for the watch. If you didn't get sent to Murphy and Kojo by the Professor, they won't help you. Also, make sure you have your coordinates clue in your inventory when you speak with them. If you've already spoken to the Professor, AND you have your clue with you and Brother Kojo STILL won't help you, refer to FAQ 9. above.

14. I know that members get trimmed armour from Treasure Trails, but I'm a non-member, and someone offered to trim my armour. How can I trim my armour myself?
    You can't trim armour. Members can't trim armour. Nobody can trim armour. There is no such skill as armour trimming. Trimmed armour, whether plain or gold, can only be obtained by completing a Treasure Trail or by burning Vyrewatch remains. You can, however, purchase trimmed armour from other players, even if you're not a member.
    
    If anyone offers to trim your armour, or they tell you they're a member and armour trimming is a new member skill, don't believe it. It's a scam, and they will steal your armour. You should report the person by using the "Report Abuse" button at the bottom of your playing screen.

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Credits

Original Guide by: Ks_Jeppe

Thanks to: click here for a full list of credits

Last updated by: Speedyshel

Last updated: 18-Nov-2009

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