Treasure Trails

Treasure Trails is a members-only Distraction and Diversion in which players follow a series of clues leading towards buried treasure. A Treasure Trail is started by finding a clue scroll, which may be dropped by various monsters, pickpocketed from H.A.M. Members and elven clan workers, received from a treasure chest decoration in an aquarium, or purchased with thaler.

Players will only be able to receive a new clue scroll if they do not already have one of the same type in their inventory or bank. Most unique rewards (with some notable exceptions) can be placed in the treasure chest in the costume room of a player-owned house. After completing a Treasure Trail, a message comes up in the chat box indicating how many Treasure Trails have been completed per difficulty: ""

Difficulty
The "level" of a clue scroll relates to its difficulty. There are four levels of clue scrolls: easy, medium, hard, and elite. An Easy clue is a low difficulty treasure trail, with a low reward yield. A Medium clue scroll is a medium difficulty treasure trail with a more substantial reward yield. A Hard clue scroll is a hazardous Treasure trail which can be very rewarding. An Elite clue scroll is the most dangerous clue scroll (both to receive and to complete.) Elite clue scrolls, however, require killing higher level monsters, which is rewarded by its greatest and most expensive rewards as compared to other levelled scrolls.

Clue scrolls are generated primarily by monster drops, but also can be generated through thieving, and as certain activity rewards. Each level of clue has a very different set of possible rewards and items, and hazards, so it is worth knowing what the player is in for.

Length
Clue scrolls can involve following maps, solving puzzles, finding coordinates, talking to various non-player characters, and fighting monsters.


 * Easy clues can be between 1 and 5 clues long, with few or no quest requirements.
 * Medium clues can be between 1 and 6 clues long, with some quest requirements.
 * Hard clues can be between 1 and 8 clues long, with multiple enemies to defeat and some high-levelled quest requirements.
 * Elite clues can be between 5 and 10 clues long, with multiple fights, puzzles in almost every step (if there is no fighting), and have high-levelled quest requirements.

That trails that have more clues and require a longer period of time to complete do not necessarily guarantee the chances of a more valuable prize. The prize obtained is determined when the casket is obtained at the end of the trail, and is not affected by the length of the clue trail.

Types of clues
There are twelve different types of clues that may be encountered during Treasure Trails. Click the buttons below for guides on solving them, or keep reading for a short description of each type.

Anagrams
An anagram is a string of letters which have been purposefully scrambled. For example: od olpe is, unscrambled, poodle. Anagrams can appear in level 2 and level 3 clues. The solution of an anagram is always the name of an NPC. When the player talks to the NPC in a level 3 trail, they will receive a challenge scroll or a puzzle box. Solve the puzzle box and talk to the NPC again, or tell the NPC the answer to the challenge scroll, to receive the next clue.

Celtic knot
Celtic knot puzzles are only found in level 4 trails. This puzzle consists of three knots; one red, one grey, and one blue. On each knot is a number of various runes. The goal of this puzzle is to match the runes on each knot with the underlying one below.

Challenge scrolls
Challenge scrolls are logical problems posed to the player by an NPC. Challenge scrolls appear in level 2 and level 3 clues. Challenge scrolls are 'step two' of a clue: first the player has to find the right NPC to speak to (when they get a cryptic or anagram clue), and then they have to solve the riddle, to advance along their trail. So, challenge scrolls don't count as a regular clue. To complete the scroll, view the question on the scroll, then speak to the NPC which gave it to provide the answer. When the correct answer is provided the challenge is complete, and the player will receive either the next clue, or the reward.

Chest keys
Chest keys are 'step two' of a clue. Sometimes, a clue will lead the player to a locked chest or drawer. A key will be needed to open it, which will be dropped by a specific, usually local, monster. A clue on the object you have been lead to will tell which monster to kill. Chest key clues are found almost exclusively on easy and medium level trails. The key will disappear when used to open the chest or drawer.

Monsters that drop treasure trail keys drop them only when the player is in possession of that clue. Notably, these keys are enabled in the various monsters' drop tables as soon as the player acquires the related clue step. This allows players to actually obtain the key without needing to receive the second half of the clue from the locked object, effectively bypassing half of the clue step and saving some time.

Compass
Compass clues are only found in level 4 trails. The inventory is replaced with an arrow which points to the spot where you need to dig. There are no clues which say where abouts the arrow will lead, and so you will have to walk across Gielinor following the arrow. If you are standing on top of where you need to dig, the arrow is replaced with an X. Sometimes, if you are in an area which is considered not in the RuneScape plane, the arrow will spin uncontrollably.

Coordinates


A coordinate clue is a clue scroll that contains a set of coordinates. Much like the real-world longitude & latitude geographic coordinate system, coordinates in RuneScape indicate a precise point somewhere on the surface where the next clue scroll, or potentially the treasure casket, is buried. Coordinate clues will only appear in Treasure Trails of medium difficulty or above.

Cryptics
Cryptic clues are found in all difficulties, especially in higher level clues. These clues demand a fairly wide variety of tasks, anything from leading the player to speak with an NPC, searching a designated crate, or directing the player to dig in some fairly obscure location. Higher difficulty clues which direct the player to speak with an NPC will almost always result in a puzzle box, effectively making them two part clues. For lower difficulty cryptics, the player may be required to obtain a key from a nearby monster to proceed.

Emote clues
Emote clues involve equipping certain items in a particular location and performing an emote. They were first introduced to treasure trails in August 2008. These types of clues are found in all levels of clue scrolls, and most (but not all) items required for the emote clues can be obtained in shops, even so using the Grand Exchange is the heavily preferred method. Once the emote has been performed, an extremely odd NPC called Uri will appear and usually give the player a casket (and an earful of nonsense). Level 1 clues require doing 1 emote, level 2 clues require doing 2, and level 3 clues require doing 1 emote and fighting the double agent.

For level 3 clues, doing the emote will not summon Uri but instead an aggressive doppleganger NPC known as the double agent, who must subsequently be killed in order to make Uri appear again. The double agent is level 77 when fought in the Wilderness, and level 98 if fought elsewhere. It uses only melee attacks and can easily be killed with any combat style, though magic is most effective. The player can change equipment to kill the agent, but they will have to change back into the original items from the clue in order to complete it.

Maps
Map clues are an image of the location the player needs to search to advance along their trail. Maps are found across all levels of clue scroll. They are rough pictures of a very local area, normally about the size of the Lumbridge Castle. If the map leads to an X, the player needs to take a spade to the place indicated on the map with the X and dig there. If the map leads to a crate, it must simply be searched. Sometimes players may find a small pile of crates, or a multitude of them. Search all of them until the next clue or the reward is found. Maps can include landmarks such as buildings, fish to indicate fishing spots, roads, rivers, bridges, and other things.

Puzzle boxes
When speaking to an NPC in a level 3 or 4 trail, the player may receive a puzzle box. Puzzle boxes are 'step two' of a clue: first the player has to find the right NPC to speak to (when they get a cryptic or anagram clue), and then they have to solve the puzzle, to advance along their trail.

Puzzle boxes contain a scrambled image that players must work to unscramble by clicking on tiles to move them to an empty space. Once the puzzle box is completed, players will need to talk to the NPC who gave the puzzle to receive the next clue or the reward.

Scans
Scan clues are only found in level 4 trails. This clue scroll scans an area of a specified amount of squares (or steps). The clue will say a place, for example 'Inside the walls of Varrock' and it will have some sort of range for the scan, such as a range of 16 squares. Once you have scanned over the target place to dig, an X will appear and this is where you will dig. The best method if you have no clue on how to find it, is to walk in a spiral. You would start at a corner and this will be known as corner 1. You would walk along the area of the scan, like along the walls of Varrock. As you walk, anything within range of 16 squares will be picked up as you keep clicking 'scan'.

Simple clues
Simple clues are exactly what it says on the tin. They are almost invariably found in level 1 trails. These clues tell precisely what to do; either the player has to talk to someone or search a specified location.

Rewards
Players receive various rewards when they complete a clue. The rewards are randomly picked, and usually three or more different rewards are given in return. Players automatically receive the rewards when they talk to someone (e.g. by completing a puzzle box). Otherwise, they will get a casket instead, which contains their rewards. Players may reroll their rewards if they are unsatisfactory, but they must complete three of the same difficulty of clues to reroll their rewards.

From any level
The items listed below are rewards that are possible to receive from all levels of Treasure Trails. These items are not guaranteed rewards, only possibilities.

From easy clue scrolls
The items listed below are the rewards you can get from level 1 Treasure Trails. 2 to 4 items are awarded from each Casket (easy) opened.

From medium clue scrolls
The items listed below are the rewards you can get from level 2 Treasure Trails. 3 to 5 items are awarded from each Casket (medium) opened.

From hard clue scrolls
The items listed below are the rewards you can get from level 3 Treasure Trails. 4 to 6 items are awarded from each Casket (hard) opened.

From elite clue scrolls
The items listed below are the rewards you can get from level 4 Treasure Trails. 4 to 6 items are awarded from each Casket (elite) opened.

Trivia

 * Flatpacked furniture pieces were a former reward from Treasure Trails. Level 1 scrolls would give oak, level 2 would give teak, and level 3 would give gilded furniture and opulent tables. These rewards were removed by request of players.
 * If players are in any place other than the surface of Gielinor, such as a player-owned house, the arrow on the compass will spin counter-clockwise.
 * If players try to open a casket from a trail in a player-owned house or player-owned port, the following message is displayed: You cannot open a casket or solve a clue in this area.
 * With the release of the Treasure Trails expansion, the following changes were made:
 * There used to be a bug where when talking to an NPC for a clue where the reward interface would not show up, causing players to be unable to see and reroll their drops if it was unsatisfactory.
 * Prior to the expansion, when doing hard coordinate clues outside of the Wilderness, Saradomin wizards attacked the player when they dug there. A Zamorak wizard has also been added to the Duel Arena coordinate clue, where previously no wizard would spawn at all.
 * On 18 May 2015, an update was made allowing players to hold one of each tier of clue scroll. Before, only one clue scroll of any type could be owned at once.