Treasure Trails/Guide

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 * For the main article, see Treasure Trails. For a full version of the page, see Full Treasure Trail guide

How to Use The Treasure Trails Guide
The Treasure Trails activity is very extensive, so this page has been split into multiple miniguides. This guide gives players a rough idea of what each clue is, does, and how it is to be dealt with, while providing a link to a specialized guide dedicated to each individual clue type. To find information on how to solve a specific clue, find the header for the type of clue that you wish to solve and follow the provided link. The majority of this page provides preparatory instructions for how to complete a Treasure Trail.

What is a 'Level'?
The 'level' of a clue scroll relates to its difficulty. There are only three levels of clue scroll, level 1, level 2, and level 3. A level 1 clue is a low difficulty treasure trail, with a low reward yield. A level 2 clue scroll is a medium difficulty treasure trail with a more substantial reward yield. A level 3 clue scroll is a Hazardous Treasure trail which can be very rewarding.

Clue scrolls do not identify their own difficulty level. Players must review the source from which the clue scroll was generated to identify the level of the clue they have. Generally, the harder it was to obtain, the higher the level it is. For example, a clue obtained via killing a level-2 goblin npc will be a level 1 clue scroll, where as a clue scroll obtained by killing a dragon will be a level 3 clue scroll. The only way to know for certain what level your clue scroll is, is to look up the method you used to get your clue scroll. 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 hazards, so it is worth knowing what the player is on for.

What to bring
The clue scroll itself is rarely all the player needs. Players will be traversing most of RuneScape, and performing tasks which range from amusing to downright dangerous. Following are baseline items that players will want to have with them at all times while doing a clue to avoid repeated bank runs, or purchasing of items which a player does not usually have.

For any level clue:

 * Your Clue Scroll. You will need to carry it with you. If you complete the action on your scroll without the scroll present, you will not advance along your treasure trail.
 * A Spade. You may need to literally dig for treasure at some point. However, It may be a good idea to leave a spade with a tool leprechaun until needed, as it's heavy and you will be doing a lot of running.
 * A set of Weight-reducing clothing. Items such as the Penance Gloves from Barbarian Assault, Boots of Lightness, and Spotted cape or Spottier cape will reduce the drain on your run energy as you move about RuneScape. This is highly recommended, but not needed.
 * All available Teleport methods such as Runes, Teletabs, and others. Players will often find that they receive clues which have very distant goals. Unless the player wants to walk from Sophanem to Lletya, teleports are heavily recommended. Other recommended items include the Ring of Duelling, and other teleport jewellery, as well as the Dramen/Lunar staff as use of the fairy-ring network will be useful, especially for level 2 clues.
 * Money, inevitably a clue will tell you to wear something that you don't have, and you will need to buy equipment. Also, for charter ships and other means of transportation.
 * Run restoration methods. Super/Energy potions, The Explorer's ring 1/2/3, or if the player has accessed it, they can take a dip in the salt water spring at Oo'glog before starting, or using a familiar such as the Spirit Terrorbird.
 * If using a Familiar when fighting a Double agent, Saradomin Wizard, or Zamorak Wizard Do not let them attack. Repeatedly press the "Call Familiar" button to stop them from attacking. If the familiar attacks the agent or wizard will flee, and the player will have to restart the fight.

For Level 2 clues
You will want, as well as the list above, to carry these:
 * A Watch
 * A Sextant
 * A Chart

Level 2 clues will often include coordinates, which level 1 clues do not. For further details on these items, see the coordinate clues header below.

For Level 3 clues
Including the above, the player should also carry the following:
 * Food, players can expect to take damage on a level 3 clue.
 * Antipoison, especially for coordinate clues.
 * Armour and Weapons, players will enter areas with hazardous foes.
 * Prayer potions are optional, but extremely helpful for difficult battles.
 * Forinthry brace, to counter the teleblock spells of revenants when players enter the wilderness.

Roadblock!!
There is a high chance that a player will run into a problem while following their treasure trail. Some level 3 coordinate clues may take a player into Kharazi Jungle, which requires the ability to start Legends' Quest. There are others that lead to similar areas. Many emote clues tell a player to equip green or blue dragonhide, or a Rune platebody, or other such items, which are variously locked by quests and/or have basic level requirements to wield.

If a player does not have, for example, level 40 ranged and hence cannot equip Green dragonhide chaps, then they have 2 options. 1) Train, and meet the requirement or do the quest. Or, 2) The unpleasant alternative is to abandon your treasure trail. NOTE:  Players cannot obtain another clue scroll while in possession of one . Unless you finish your clue, or drop/destroy it, you will  NEVER  get another.

The reward may be worth the training. Especially in the light of the fact that even if the clue scroll is discarded, the player will always have a chance of getting that same clue again some other day. Players are strongly encouraged to deal with their 'locked' clues as is necessary, or they will simply continue to be an annoyance. Unfortunately this means that any player which considers themselves a "pure" will be essentially incapable of completing a treasure trail.

Treasure Trails Rewards
Treasure trails can be the single most lucrative thing a player ever does. However it is akin to winning the lottery. A player may emerge from a clue with a willow shortbow and a leather coif, or they could gain a Zamorak page, a 3rd Age Armour Piece, and assorted Rune Armour all from the same clue. The rewards given by a clue are absolutely random and uneffected by any factor provided elsewhere in the game, such as the ring of wealth.

A clue scroll could generate well over 120 million gold pieces worth of items, depending on the current price of the 3rd age armour which is the most valuable thing that a player can get from a clue scroll. Other rewards include the Saradomin armour, the gilded and trimmed armours, the herildic shields and helms, as well as several unique items such as sleeping caps and boater hats.

For a complete list of the items which can only be obtained from a clue scroll see the Treasure Trails Rewards Guide. Be aware that there are items that can be obtained from a clue scroll that are not unique to treasure trails. These items are not detailed, but include items such as various bows, ranged and melee armour, and weapons.

Anagrams
This type of clue is an anagram, a line of scrambled letters which must be unscrambled to be made sense of. For higher level clues these will result in a challenge scroll or sometimes a puzzle box. All anagrams are the name of NPCs around RuneScape. The player must simply talk to the NPC whose name is scrambled, with the clue scroll in your inventory. It should be noted that anagrams may contain false spaces not found in the decoded name. Anagram clues only appear in level 2 and 3 clues. Follow the link above for a comprehensive list of the possible anagrams, their solutions, and other relevant information.

Preparation for this type of clue should include having teleports avalable, and in some cases wilderness readiness. The player may wish to bring a small supply of patience as well, as these clues often end in puzzles.

Challenge scrolls
Certain NPC's will give players challenge scrolls with some form of direct question on it, usually a mathematical problem. After reading the question, speak to the NPC again to give the answer. These only appear in level 2 and 3 clues, and usually are the result of completing an anagram clue. Follow the link above for a comprehensive list of the possible scrolls and their answers.

Players only need bring they're wits, as they will have already essentially completed their clue step upon receiving a challenge scroll.

Chest Keys
These clues are the second half of a lower level cryptic clue. The player will get a clue scroll that leads to a locked location (eg, locked drawers). When you find the location, you will receive a note from the locked item telling you, in some cryptic fashion, where to get the key. The key will be a drop from killing a random monster mentioned in the note, however if the player is familiar with the individual clue, it is possible to get the key first. The key will only be a drop while the player is carrying the clue scroll and will disintegrate into the lock when used to open the chest or drawer. These clues usually are a step in level 1 clue scrolls, and a player may have never had one before if they have only ever done level 3 clues. These are comprehensively reviewed in the 'cryptic clues' subguide.

This type of clue should be approached with at least a weapon as players will be asked to kill some monster local to the clues target. However The foes range from chickens to guards, never including a truely formidable foe.

Co-ordinates
A chart, sextant, watch, and a spade are required to complete co-ordinate clues. Players must already posess a coordinate clue to begin obtaining these three items, other types of clues will not work. The player must go to The Professor in The Observatory and ask him about Treasure Trails. The Professor will give a chart to the player once the player has obtained the watch and sextant, and send them to obtain those items first. To get the Watch, see Brother Kojo at the Clock Tower, simply talk to him and he gives it away freely. Note: No work on the 'Clock Tower' quest is needed. To get the Sextant, speak with Murphy on the docks at Port Khazard. Completion of the Observatory quest is not required to get these items. However, if the player has already started the 'Observatory' quest, The Professor will be absent. If The Professor is 'missing,' finish the 'Observatory' quest, and find him in the telescope room, in the observatory itself, in order to get the chart.

Preparation for the completion of a coordinate clue can vary greatly. Teleporting is recommended. Players will want to have access to harsh terrain gear. (desert, mort myre, wilderness, etc) Level 3 clues will be dangerous, so prepare with food and armour. Players must bring the chart, sextant, watch, and spade. If the player attempts to dig without these, they will not receive the casket.

Cryptics
Cryptics are common in higher level clues, they either lead you to a person, to crates, or to dig somewhere in RuneScape. They are essentially riddles that the player has to work out and then perform some action which the riddle requests. Level 3 cryptics that lead you to a person normally resulting in a Puzzle box, and some clues require you to obtain a key from a nearby monster to access the location you need. Follow the link above for a list of the cryptic clues and they're solutions if one has stumped you, or if you simply don't want to waste the brain power to figure it out in the first place.

For this type of clue, players will want to be teleport ready. Also, players will want to have access to harsh terrain gear (wilderness and desert especially.) Players are recommended to bring a small amount of patience, as these clues often result in puzzleboxes.

Emote clues
An emote clue will instruct a player to equip an list of random items which usually make the player look somewhat ridiculous, then perform an emote in a specific location. Most players will not have the items called for on hand, so a be prepared to buy some equipment. Once the player has done what the clue asks, a very strange NPC will appear out of thin air, wearing violent pink. His name is Uri, and after spouting a line of nonsense he will usually give you a casket. NOTE: For high level clues, an NPC visually identical to Uri will appear and attack. The 'double agent' is a serious threat, but only attacks via melee so prayers make him easy. Be prepared to fight him if you are doing a level 3 clue. Emote clues are common across all levels of clue, and most (but not all) items required for the emote clues can be obtained in shops. A list of all the items you could possibly need to solve every clue can be found by following this link to: the list of items needed for emote clues.

This kind of clue may be infuriating to some players. These clues usually require a visit to the grand exchange where a player is more often than not greeted by an item that no one is selling. If possible, players are urged to obtain these items through crafting them themselves or from specialty stores around runescape, then selling them on the exchange in order to increase the supply of these items on the market. Players will need money, and a variety of teleports to gather the items. Once the player has the items needed, they will want to teleport to the target location, or as close as possible. Players should have access to harsh terrain gear for these clues, (wilderness, desert, etc.) as well as be ready for combat.

Maps
Maps are found during all level of clue scrolls. These are images on the clue scroll itself which show very local landmarks around either an 'X' or a crate. Players are to follow the map to the designated location and, in indicated, dig with a spade, or search the crate to continue along the trail. The pictures will vary greatly, as there are many diverse locations throughout the game which host a map clues location. They may include a picture of a fish to note a fishing area, buildings, boulders/rocks, and x-steps-north y-steps-east style directions.

For this type of clue a spade is usually, but not always, required. When crates are indicated, which players simply need the crate itself. For All other map clues the player must dig at the indicated location. Players will want to be teleport ready, and have harsh terrain gear avalable ( High Wilderness, Desert, etc.)

Puzzle boxes
Certain NPCs will give a player a Puzzle boxes during level 3 clue scrolls in response to a simple clue or an anagram. These are only presant in level 3 clues. Puzzle boxes are another 'second half' clue, similar to challenge scrolls and chest keys. Players will have to complete them in order to fully complete the clue scroll step. These items can be seriously challenging for players who are misaligned with puzzlesolving.

That a puzzle box is, is a slider puzzle. A picture divided into 25 squares (5x5), with one removed, then scrambled. The player is tasked with unscrambling the picture by sliding pieces around, using the empty slot provided by removing the piece that would have been the bottom-right corner. Luckily, there are only 4 varieties of puzzle box (one is only seen during a quest though). However, the game engine will always generate a diffrent scramble pattern. Many players are audibly displeased when they are confronted with this type of clue.

Once properly solved, the game does not notify the player. There is no message to signify that all the pieces are indeed in the right places, so a nervous player will have to go 'on faith' that they did it correctly. Once the puzzle box has been completely solved, the player simply needs to close the interface and talk to the NPC who provided it again to complete the clue step. ' Progress on a puzzle box is not saved if you log out. ' However, if you just close the interface, your progress is saved. It is common for the difficulty of the puzzle boxes to go down once the player becomes familiar with them.

''' There is a guide to help players solve puzzleboxes if they struggle with them. '''

Simple clues
Simple clues are clues that will tell you exactly what to do. They are self explanitory, and as the name would suggest, simple. Ex: Search the drawers in the upstairs of a house in Catherby.

Players will usually be tasked with going to a location and searching, talking, or digging with a spade at some location. These clues are almost exclusivly level 1, but there are a few level 2 simple clues. They are not overly hazerdous in any way, the only possible exeption being the clue which leads the player into Mortanya, to the gates of Mort Myre.

To complete a simple clue, just follow the instructions on it. For an in depth guide on these clues and, for example, the drawers in which house in Catherby you are supposed to search, follow the link above.

Trivia

 * It Is possible, although trivially rare, to get the same clue step up to 3 times in a row. For example, a player could be asked to speak to Zeke in Al Kharid 3 times in a row, then get the clue scroll reward, or another clue step. Although this is sure to leave a player thoroughly confused, it is normal and should not be cause for alarm. (or bug reporting.)