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For the song, see Rocking Out (song).
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Rocking Out is a quest in the pirate quest series revolving around finding out the story of Rabid Jack and the Battle of the Archipelago from Young Ralph, who is incarcerated in The Rock prison. Like the other pirate quests, it is filled with humourous dialogue and scenes.

Official description[]

What do zombies, pirates, monks and evil plots have in common? Well, if you want to find out, it's time to start digging! Rabid Jack is back...but who is he? It's time to prove your pirate credentials and win the trust of the motleyest crew in RuneScape. The dark secrets behind This Albatross, Rum Deal and the Great Brain Robbery are yours to discover...if you dare!

Walkthrough[]

Start pointQuest map icon
Quest icon 5th age
Talk to Bill Teach in Mos Le'Harmless or Port Phasmatys
Member requirementP2P icon Members only
Official difficultyMaster Master
Official lengthLong to Very Long
RequirementsSkill requirements are not boostable unless marked with a [B] for boostable.
Quest Quests:
Items requiredItems from the tool belt are not listed unless they do not work or are not automatically added.
Recommended
Enemies to defeat

Getting on Rock Island Prison[]

Items needed: 3 pieces of pirate clothing, book o' piracy

Talk to Bill Teach in the Green Ghost inn, The Other Inn or on The Adventurous. Ask him about Rabid Jack. He does not want to tell you due to an oath, but will send you to Young Ralph, who is imprisoned on Rock Island Prison. If needed, ask for a book o' piracy.

Customs Office

The sleeping customs officer.

To get there, you must be arrested. For this, go to the Customs Sergeant in his little office in southeastern Rimmington. Tell him you're a pirate. To trick him, you need to wear at least 3 pieces of pirate clothing, purchasable at Dodgy Mike's Second-hand Clothing and the Grand Exchange. You will have a couple of conversation pieces to convince the customs officer to arrest you.

Read the notice board next to the entrance door for information on the answers to the trick questions. The answers to the trick questions are different for everyone. When answered correctly, you will be forced to deposit all of your items into the locker, which acts like a bank deposit box. You will be transported to jail immediately and into a humorous cutscene set in a small cell with an enormous hole in the wall by Heavy-Handed Harry, who forbids you to escape.

Communicating with Young Ralph[]

Rocking out 3

The jail...

Getting stew thrown in your face

Harry throws stew in your face, ruining your shirt.

When you first arrive at the prison cell, all you will be wearing is a prison uniform: prison uniform top and prison uniform trousers. You do not have any items and will have to find a way to talk to Young Ralph.

Shout through the barred window at Young Ralph in the next cell. Heavy-handed Harry will inform you that Ralph is deaf and cannot hear you. Pick up a tin cup in the cell, and use it on the jail door 3 times until Heavy-handed Harry throws stew on your shirt, which now leaves you with a fishy prison uniform top.

Right-click the pipe next to the jail window in your cell, select "Tap", and you'll have an amusing Morse code conversation with the prisoner in the cell below you. Eventually the pipes will break, and you will receive a pipe. Shout-through the door to talk to Heavy-handed Harry and say you wish to write a confession. You will receive a quill, an ink bottle, and a piece of paper to write on. You can use these to write a note to Young Ralph by dipping the quill in the ink to get an inky quill, then writing on the paper. However, do not attempt to give it to him by throwing it into his cell - it drops away and he doesn't see it. If you lose the paper, you can ask the guard for more.

Next, search for an accordion in the rubble just outside of the jail cell. Use the ink bottle on the note to make a piece of sticky inky paper. Now, use the empty ink bottle on the sharp rock outside the eastern wall of the jail. Use the resultant smashed bottle on the accordion, and it will cut a small hole in it. Use the pipe on the accordion, and the pipe will be pushed through the accordion. Finally, use the inky paper on the accordion, to transform it into a vacuum pump.

LureSeagull

Luring the seagull.

Use the Fishy prison uniform top on the perch rock, outside your cell, to draw a seagull to sit on the perch rock. Use the newly-made vacuum pump on the unsuspecting seagull, and it will be trapped in it. Now, use the vacuum pump and gull on Young Ralph's barred window. He will notice the seagull and turn around.

Talk to Young Ralph by shouting through the barred window. He will read your lips and conversation can proceed easily. At some point, Harry interrupts the conversation and you will need to whisper. You will ask about Rabid Jack, but he will only reveal information on him if you get marks from five captains:

Obtaining the marks of the five captains[]

Walk round to the pier on the east side of the island, and dive into the water. This will take you to Karamja next to Captain Klemfoodle, a glider pilot. You will leave behind everything you carried earlier. Alternatively, you can also use the Home teleport.

To obtain the marks of the five captains, you must visit each of them (in any order you like) and convince them to give you the mark.

Captain Braindeath[]

Items recommended: Ectophial
Captain Braindeath

Speak to Captain Braindeath on the ground1st floor[UK] of the 'rum' factory on Braindeath Island (to get there, talk to Pirate Pete on the dock just northeast of the Ectofuntus). He wants you to convince the Bartender of the Rusty Anchor in Port Sarim to stock his 'rum', and will give you a set of 5 disguises to wear: fake beard; fake moustache and nose; fake monocle, moustache and nose; curly wig; and straight wig.

Go to The Rusty Anchor, bringing a little cash along as you need to buy a few beers. Start by asking the bartender about the 'rum'. He will say they do not stock it and demand is too low to order any of it. He then explains that if 5 people were to ask for some 'rum' he would start selling it. You'll have to put on the disguises and pretend to be different people in order to make him think there is more demand for the 'rum'. However, if you do it now, he will recognise you.

Talk to him and start getting him drunk (select the "I'll have a drink ... and you have one too" option or use the beer you bought on him but make sure to have 1 inventory space open). After a few drinks (about 5 should do) he will be too drunk to recognise you in the disguises. Do not talk to him again until you have a different disguise on or you'll have to pay for another beer to get him drunk again.

Exit the pub and put on one of the 5 disguises, then talk to him again about the rum. Then, exit the pub and change disguises again. Do this with all 5 disguises and, on the fifth, he will say he wants to talk to you (meaning the original, undisguised you, who was trying to sell 'rum'). Go outside and take off your disguise. Talk to him yet again, and he will give you an order for some 'rum'.

To save time and a return trip, talk with Redbeard Frank on the docks south of the bar now to start his task.

Return to Captain Braindeath and give him the order. You will be given Braindeath's mark for your efforts (if you want, you can return to the Bartender to be reimbursed the 20 coins you spent on beer).

Captain Bill Teach[]

Items needed: Diving apparatus, fishbowl helmet, ghostspeak amulet, 2 bronze wires, and hammer (for Brass Hand Harry's task, tool belt does work).
Items recommended: Ectophial
Idol of many heads detail

The fabled idol, uncovered from the depths.

Speak to Bill Teach; he will give you an Introduction letter and tell you to find 50 Ships Mufassah who is up the ladder of The Other Inn on Mos Le'Harmless, which is the most northwestern building. Bill wants Mufassah's Idol of many heads.

Travel to Mos Le'Harmless. If you started Redbeard Frank's storyline, speak to Brother Tranquility to obtain a letter. Find 50 Ships Mufassah, located upstairs in the house north of the Inn. He will then tell you how to locate the Idol after you have joined his crew. Brass Hand Harry is in the same room as 50 Ships Mufassah. You can save yourself a second trip by completing Brass Hand's task after you are done talking to 50 Ships Mufassah.

The idol is in a shipwreck off the shore of Dragontooth Island. Get your diving apparatusfishbowl helmet (these can be obtained from Murphy in Port Khazard if you need replacements) and Ghostspeak amulet. Also make sure you are not carrying too much equipment or else you'll be told you are too heavy to go diving and need to bank. 28 kg is too much, <27 kg is fine. Do not bring a familiar or pet with you, since you will either have to dismiss the familiar or deposit the pet into the bank (it can't be in your inventory either) before diving.

Go to Port Phasmatys where the ghost captain will take you to Dragontooth Island. Remember there are 2 ghost captains - you want the one at the smaller rowboat at the south end of the docks, not the one at the bigger ship with the broken mini-ectofuntus.

Dragontooth Shipwreck chain location

The location of the chain

Catch the Karamthulhu!

Catching the Karamthulhu

On the island, find the diving chain, which is in the north-east part of the island, put your diving apparatus and fishbowl helmet on and dive down. Swim around until you find a Karamthulhu: catch it - it is the only fish swimming around that appears on the minimap as a yellow dot. You will get a key.

Go aboard the ship on its north side. There are aggressive level 70 Giant lobsters and non-aggressive Giant crabs on the ship. They aren't particularly tough, but be prepared to be attacked. Go west and climb-up the stairs and open the chest (with the key in inventory) to get a crowbar. You need this crowbar to dig later.

Climb down the stairs and climb the ladder to the east. Go west and dig the mess using the crowbar (Examine mess: A pile of planks). You will lever the worst of the rotten planking out of the way with the crowbar (Examine mess: A pile of sand). Dig on the pile of sand until you scoop away a load of silt 3 times to eventually expose the idol. Take the shiny golden Idol of many heads.

Climb up the chain to return to Dragontooth Island, and take the boat back to Port Phasmatys or use the ectophial.

You can use your Ectophial while in the water as long as you are on the wrecked ship so you do not have to swim all the way back to the dive chain. You may also teleport using a lodestone straight after recovering the idol.

Return to Bill Teach and give him the idol to get Bill Teach's mark.

Captain Brass Hand Harry[]

Items needed: Introduction letter and 2 bronze wires
Brass-hand

The Brass Hand

Talk to Captain Brass Hand Harry on the 1st2nd floor[UK] of the northern pub on Mos Le'Harmless - the same room as 50 Ships Mufassah. Show the Introduction letter from Bill Teach to Brass Hand Harry. He will say that a brass hand of his is needed for his mark to be made, but he won't use his current as it will become dirty and Smith is low on them. He gives 5 broken hands, and says that to make the brass hand requires five hand pieces, and 2 bronze wires.

Take apart the hands he gave clicking on them (Take-apart option). Then, with the wire in inventory, use one part of the hand with another. An interactive screen with an easy puzzle appears. Use the arrows to move the hand pieces to where they match on the left side (some will need to be rotated). Once it is completed, the interface automatically closes and a Brass hand appears in inventory. If it will not solve, try rotating the wrist piece.

Talk to Captain Brass Hand Harry and show him the hand. He will give you an Ink pad and some paper. Using the Brass hand on the ink pad makes it into an Inky hand. Now, use the Inky hand on the paper to make Brass Hand Harry's mark. Talk to Harry again, and he will affirm that his mark is satisfactory.

Captain Redbeard Frank[]

Items needed: At least three pieces of pirate clothing and a piece of charcoal. Ectophial and Explorer's ring 3 (or 4) for getting to Brimhaven faster help immeasurably. Also bring transportation to Brimhaven for the next part (i.e.: chartered ship, etc)

Go to Port Sarim and find Redbeard Frank located south of the pub on the docks. He will not believe that Jack has returned and will ask for proof - a letter from the terrorised monks to prove that Rabid Jack really is back.

Go back to Mos Le'Harmless and find Brother Tranquility around the dock area. Talk to him and he will give you a letter. Return to Redbeard Frank in Port Sarim and give him the letter. Bill Teach is on the ship on the way back, so you might as well start his task (if you haven't already done it) now.

Frank says he will need better proof as Tranquility never actually saw Jack, and wants proof from one of his captains. Get at least 3 pieces of Pirate clothing on and go to Pirate Pete north-east of the Ectofuntus; he will take you to Braindeath Island.

Exit the brewery by going down the stairs on the south side to find Captain Donnie nearby. Talk to him wearing Pirate clothing. You will say that you're a new zombie pirate just washed up from the sea and ask for plans. He will give some plans, but they're incomplete. Captain Donnie will tell that he accidentally carved the rest of the plans into 50% Luke.

Making a rubbing of Luke

Getting a rubbing from 50% Luke.

Take some charcoal (in crates behind 50% Luke) and go to 50% Luke, who is located north-west of Captain Donnie—near the fence by the bridge. You can get charcoal from searching the crates north of 50% Luke, if you go through the gate behind him. Use the charcoal with him to obtain a Charcoal rubbing. This will upset him, resulting in a rather humorous conversation.

Return to Port Sarim with the Charcoal rubbing, and give it to Redbeard Frank to receive Frank's mark.

Cap'n Izzy No-Beard[]

Rocking Out Wanda The Fish Filing Cabinet

Locker location

Travel to Brimhaven, and go to the Brimhaven Agility Arena, located south-east of the docks. Cap'n Izzy No-Beard can be found inside a small hut, the entrance to the arena. Cap'n Izzy will ask you to return to the Rock Island Prison and get a brooch from his friend that died there, Wanda the Fish.

Go back to Rimmington and get arrested once more. You still have to store all your items in the locker before you go, but you don't need pirate clothing. Izzy asked you to go back to the prison and search the mattress for some lockpicks to get into the other prison rooms. The storage room is where you need to go. Search the bed and you will find a crude lockpick. Use it on the jail door.

Kill a Customs Officer. Since you can't take in any weapons, it may be hard to do any damage. Protect from/Deflect Melee and Legacy Mode are recommended to make the fight much easier. You can also use potions before being arrested. Take his clothes (Customs hat, Customs shirt and Customs trousers) and the Mithril scimitar. Equip them, then go up two flights of stairs to arrive at the cabinet files room. Click on the door and tell the Locker Guard you're there to get some evidence.

Go into the storage room and search the cabinets until you find the file about "Wanda the Fish" and take it. The files are in alphabetical order. Talk to the Locker Officer, and he will give you Wanda's personal item, a brooch.

Either use Home Teleport or dive into the water (the cell door remains unlocked) to leave with Wanda's brooch. Go back to Captain Izzy No-Beard with Wanda's brooch and give it to him to receive Izzy's mark.

If you drop the mithril scimitar inside the jail cell and act quick enough, you can pick the scimitar back up for the next section to make killing the customs officer a lot easier. Do not equip the scimitar whilst inside the cell or the customs officer will take it away from you.

The Story of Jack[]

Items needed: The five marks from the captains
Rocking Out 8

Rabid Jack is seriously wounded by a flying cannonball.

Head back to Rimmington and talk to the Customs Sergeant. Tell him that you want to make a confession, and he will give you an empty file. Put the five marks of the captains in the file. Talk to him again, and he will take the file with the five marks.

After getting sent back to the prison, search the bed in the cell to get another lockpick, then open the door. After getting out, kill one of the customs officers and pick up their uniform and mithril scimitar. Equip these, and head upstairs to the top. Ask for 'your' file from the Locker Officer. Then, head back down to your cell and talk to Young Ralph. He will agree to tell of the Battle of the Archipelago, where the united pirates of Mos Le'Harmless defeated the fleet of Rabid Jack and how he was a crew member of Harry's ship.

The Battle of Rabid Jack

Avast yer' scrumby 'umans!

A cutscene will play. Rabid Jack's ship is on fire and his bosun, Giles, informs him that Captain Donnie and The Inebriated and Mi-Gor and The Hangman have fallen as well. A pirate, Lizzie, attempts to apprehend Jack, but is killed. Young Ralph fires a cannonball towards This Albatross: hit! Giles is killed and Jack severely damaged and blown away by the impact. Captains Izzy, Bill and Braindeath will approach him and command that he give in. However, Jack grabs his treasure chest and jumps off his ship, seemingly killing himself. The pirates are victorious! A disclaimer and some cute kittens follow.

Congratulations, quest complete!

Rewards[]

Rocking Out reward
Music unlocked

Achievement[]

  • Rusty Reward (RuneScore 15) - Claim the reward from The Rusty Anchor's bartender after taking the order to Braindeath.

Required for completing[]

Completion of Rocking Out is required for the following:

Transcript[]

Trivia[]

  • On the first day of release, the official quest spoiler showed: There be pirates in this here locale... it not be safe to unveil rewards just yet.
  • This was the last quest released before the RuneScape High Detail update.
  • If you have legacy combat on during the underwater section, the player will walk in water instead of swimming.

Cultural references[]

  • All the talk about the albatross being a curse, specifically when Jack says "I'll be an albatross around your necks!" is a reference to the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
  • When you release the gull into Young Ralph's cell, your character states "I love it when a plan comes together," a reference to the TV series The A-Team.
  • "The Rock" is the nickname of Alcatraz, a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay; it once housed an infamous prison.
  • When you use the Inky Quill on the Paper, your character says "I won't write a confession, I would die before I do that" may be a reference to a quote from John Proctor in The Crucible.
  • After you get the pipe, your quest log will say "I have a Pipe, When I see Prof. Plum, he's in for it." This is a reference to the board game Cluedo, which features both a character named Professor Plum and a lead pipe as a weapon.
  • Cap'n Izzy No Beard makes mention of a friend called "Wanda the Fish", a reference to the comedy film A Fish Called Wanda. This is furthered when the Locker Officer makes reference to it being a "Tragic case of food poisoning", which is the fate of one of the film's characters upon consuming an apparently poisonous fish.
  • Upon returning to Frank with the letter from Brother Tranquility, your character says "I hate those buts and I cannot lie," referencing the Sir Mix-a-Lot song "Baby Got Back".
  • The Idol of Many Heads may be a reference to The Idol of Many Hands from the point-and-click game The Secret of Monkey Island.
  • Several of the useless files found while searching the evidence room contain references to popular culture.
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