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This article is about the quest. For the building, see Tower of Life (building).
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Tower of Life is a quest in which a group of alchemists attempt to create a living being. It features some difficult choices about the future of this creature.

Official description[]

The construction of a mysterious tower is almost complete, but the builders working on it have gone on strike. Losing patience, the alchemists that hired them are looking for anybody to help them. When the world of magic and the world of logic combine you can expect dangerous results, but a true adventurer would cherish such things... wouldn't they?

Walkthrough[]

Start pointQuest map icon
Tower of Life icon
Talk to Effigy near the tower south of Ardougne, next to the Necromancer's tower.
Member requirementP2P icon Members only
Official difficultyNovice Novice
Official lengthMedium to Long
RequirementsSkill requirements are not boostable unless marked with a [B] for boostable.
Items requiredItems from the tool belt are not listed unless they do not work or are not automatically added.
Recommended
  • At least 14 empty spaces to carry items acquired during the quest.
Enemies to defeat
  • None

Builder of the Year[]

Effigy

Begin the quest by heading to the Tower of Life south of Ardougne and just south-west of the Necromancer's Tower. Once at the tower, talk to Effigy. Effigy, an alchemist, wants you to convince the builders, who are on strike, to complete the tower that he believes will change the world. He will tell you speak to Bonafido, the head builder, if you want to help.

Tower of Life map

The tower's location

Talk to Bonafido, near the tower's entrance, who prevents you access into the building. To be the man for the job, you need to look the part - Bonafido will let you in, if you suit up in a builder's outfit. You need a hard hat, some builder's trousers, a builder's shirt, and a pair of builder's boots. Talk to the other builders to get them.

  • Talk to Gummy and ask for trousers. He says that he was drying his trousers on a line by the shore, after which they went missing. Search the plants - the ones south-east of the tower, near the ocean - to find the Builder's trousers.
  • Talk to "The Guns", who wants a beer. If you do not have it already, you can buy beer from The Poison Arrow pub in East Ardougne. Return to The Guns, and exchange the beer for the shirt.
  • Talk to Black Eye, who is willing to part with his hardhat, if you can answer his questions based on construction correctly.:
    1. How many nails does it take to make a rocking chair? -- 3
    2. What takes 3 planks, 3 cloth and 3 nails to make, and help remove light from a room? -- Torn curtains
    3. I like fish and I want to put some in my garden, but I need a special water feature. What materials would I require? - 10 clay pieces
  • Finally, talk to "No fingers", who just flatly refuses to give you the boots. Pickpocket him to obtain them. This may take a while, but you will eventually be successful. Please note, you must talk to "No fingers" prior to pickpocketing him. If you try to pickpocket him first, you will only get triangle sandwiches.

Once you've acquired all the items, put them on and go talk to Bonafido. You must answer some questions from Bonafido, who wants to test your attitude as a builder.

  1. You've plenty of work to do, but you need a drink fast - what do you go for? - Tea
  2. Now, let's hear you whistle! - Whistle for attention
  3. What's a good sign that you need to repair your trousers? - Your legs are getting a bit cold
  4. What do you do if you cut your finger? - Carry on, it'll fix itself.

After answering these questions, Bonafido recognises you as a bonafide builder, and lets you enter the tower.

Playing God's Right Hand[]

Tower of Life ground floor map

A quick survey of the tower shows that it houses three important, but unfinished systems - a pressure machine, a pipe system, and a strange cage at the top. A hammer and saw (or crystal saw) are needed to fix these machines.

All the required items are on the ground floor in crates. Each crate contains one type of resource - search them multiple times to gather more of the same material.

Item Machine Amount
Valve wheel Pressure 4
Metal sheet Pressure 3
Coloured ball Pressure 4
Pipe Pipe 4
Pipe ring Pipe 5
Rivets Pipe 6
Metal bar Cage 5
Binding fluid Cage 4
Triangle sandwich - -

Under Pressure[]

Tol pipes1

Fixing the pipes

Items needed: 4 Coloured balls, 3 metal sheets, and 4 valve wheels

Climb up to the first floor, where you see the pressure machine on the north wall. The machine is broken and water is leaking from various parts. Using the items that you collected, repair it. The valve wheels are used to complete the water-flowing mechanism, whereas the coloured balls are being used to block the leaks in the pipes. To do this, follow the given instructions:

  1. Pull the right lever down and turn the 1st wheel left until the ball blocks the hole.
  2. Then pull the left lever down and the right lever up. Turn the 2nd wheel left until the ball blocks the hole.
  3. Then turn the 3rd wheel right until there's another leak, then turn it left to fill the ball into the hole.
  4. Pull the right lever down. Turn the 4th wheel right until a leak appears, then turn it left.
  5. Now turn the 4th wheel right, until the pipe is fully filled with water. Pull the right lever up and fill the 3rd pipe by turning the corresponding valve right.
  6. Turn the 2nd wheel right until it's filled and pull the left lever up. Finally, pull the right lever down and turn the 1st wheel right to fill the section with water.

After the dialogue states that you've fixed the leaks, make sure that there is water in every section. Once this happens the puzzle screen will disappear.

I Want to Play a Game[]

Tol pipes2

Initial puzzle

Items needed: 6 Rivets (stackable), 4 pipes, and 5 pipe rings.
ToL Pipe Puzzle

The completed puzzle

After fixing the pressure machine, move on to the second floor, where you stumble onto a broken pipe machine. Collect the required items from the ground floor, if you haven't already. Construct the machine using the pipes and rivets.

You will now need to solve a rather simple puzzle, similar to a jigsaw. Using the arrows at the bottom of the screen, move the pieces into their correct positions, as illustrated on the right. As soon as you put a pipe in the correct location it will lock in place. You only have to rotate the largest piece, the rest are in the correct orientation when you start.

Using the image on the right as a reference, move the pipes, one by one into their respective places.

The machine is now working!

Cradle of Life[]

Tower of Life cage fix

Fixing the cage

Items needed: 5 Metal bars, and 4 bottles of binding fluid

Once the machine starts working, collect the remaining items from the crates at the bottom floor. Finally, climb up to the top floor of the tower, where you will find an unfinished cage. Build the cage using the items, and a puzzle will appear.

Clicking the horizontal or vertical button will make a bar appear. The bars can be changed in size by using the '+' and '-' sign. The bars initially start off at size one. Click "place bar" to fit the bar at the broken areas.

  1. Click "Horizontal" and then "+" to scale it to size [2]. Click "Place bar". It should be placed now.
  2. Click Horizontal and scale it to size [3] and place it.
  3. Vertical - size [2] and place it.

That side of the cage is now complete. Now click the right arrow on the cage to turn the cage. As a precaution, an attempt to place another bar will give you the message "this side is complete" to let you know you are finished with that side.

  1. Horizontal - size [2]
  2. Vertical - size [2]
  3. Vertical - size [4]

That side of the cage is now complete. Turn the cage using the right arrow.

  1. Horizontal - size [4]
  2. Vertical - size [2]
  3. Vertical - size [3]

That side is complete; turn the cage.

  1. Horizontal - [2]
  2. Horizontal - [2]
  3. Vertical - [2]

Now that the cage is complete, the puzzle screen should disappear.

The Homunculus[]

Homunculus

The Homunculus

Homuncolus Birth

The Homunculus is born.

Once all the three machines are properly fixed, you must go back to the ground level and talk to Effigy. He will be delighted that you've finished the tower and disappear to the top of the tower, along with the other alchemists. You decide to join them.

Go back up to the top, where a long cut scene plays, in which a Homunculus is brought to life. To your player's surprise, the three alchemists mistreat the creature. They run away in fear when it proves able to cast a powerful magic spell.

Go back to the base of the tower and talk to Effigy. Unsurprisingly, he wants you to go back and confront the monster and hopefully calm it down, so that they can carry on with their experiment. Once again, return back up top.

Homunculus Magic or Logic

Helping Homunculus with magic or logic

You now need to push the Homunculus' mind towards magic or logic. All multiple-choice answers are either magical, logical or neither. You need to push the bar at the top of the screen either to fully magical or fully logical. It does not matter if you push the Homunculus's mind towards magic or logic, the outcome will be the same. Once committed to a certain belief, the Homunculus will feel okay.

There are 14 questions. Choosing a 'Magical' answer moves the arrow to the left, a 'Logical' answer moves the arrow to the right, and a 'Neither' answer stays put the progress. If you do not move the arrow all the way to one end, then the questions repeat. Likewise, you could finish before all the questions are asked.

  • How can I make fire appear at my fingertips?
    • Logic - Get some logs and a tinderbox.
    • Magic - With the aid of 5 fire runes.
    • Neither - That's impossible! No one can do that!
  • How do dragons breathe fire?
    • Neither - Not too sure, I've never seen it happen.
    • Magic - With the help of the magical dragonstones!
    • Logic - By ignition of gas in their belly as they exhale.
  • What do people do, day-in, day-out?
    • Magic - Runecraft, enchant jewellery, perform alchemy.
    • Neither - Eat, sleep, nothing that exciting.
    • Logic - Fletching, Crafting, Smithing.
  • What could I do with unwanted bones?
    • Logic - Bury them.
    • Neither - I'd like to think you wouldn't be carrying bones around.
    • Magic - Turn them into bananas or peaches!
  • What's the best way to travel?
    • Neither - I'm not really much of a traveller, sorry.
    • Logic - Run, run as fast as you can.
    • Magic - Depends where you are headed, but teleport spells are a safe bet.
  • I hear people whisper of potions...
    • Magic - Yes, you can make magic potions to boost your skills.
    • Logic - People mix together ingredients in vials. The nutrients will help you.
    • Neither - Yes, liquid-filled vials. Big deal.
  • How are rune stones created?
    • Magic - By harnessing the power of the gods!
    • Neither - Never seen one personally.
    • Logic - Take a rune stone to an altar and use a talisman.
  • Can people move things with the power of the mind?
    • Neither - Perhaps. I've never seen it myself, though.
    • Magic - Yep, you can use the Telekinetic Grab spell.
    • Logic - Sure. Use your brain to tell someone to move it!
  • How can I possibly exist?
    • Magic - Through the power of alchemy.
    • Neither - It's beyond me!
    • Logic - It's a simple case of combining materials.
  • Explain those flashing sparks that scared the alchemists.
    • Magic - You have special powers - no surprise seeing how you were created.
    • Logic - Coincidence - there is a lot of loose metal around.
    • Neither - Yeah, they were cool! Nice one.
  • I want to learn more - what should I study?
    • Logic - Try some Mining followed by Smithing.
    • Magic - How about Magic and Runecrafting?
    • Neither - That's up to you; depends on what you find interesting.
  • If I reach out far enough I can grab the sun.
    • Neither - Don't be silly! You'd get burnt!
    • Magic - Can't see why not, anything is possible.
    • Logic - Well the sun is not actually there, it's where it used to be!
  • Am I a creature of magic or a creature of logic?
    • Logic - Everything has a reason, even if you don't know what it is.
    • Neither - Probably a bit of both.
    • Magic - Your very existence speaks of mystical forces.
  • Which do you believe in?
    • Magic - Magic.
    • Neither - I'm too laid back to really care, mate.
    • Logic - Logic.

Punk'd[]

Alchemists leave

The Alchemists leave.

One last time, return to the ground floor and speak with Effigy. The Homunculus will appear and scare off the alchemists and will want to speak with you again and tell you to meet him in the basement of the tower. You can get in there by using the trapdoor on the south wall. Go into the dungeon and talk to the Homunculus once more to complete the quest. He is located north of the ladder by the experiments table.

Rewards[]

Tower of Life reward
Music unlocked

Required for completing[]

Completion of Tower of Life is required for the following:

Transcript[]

Cultural references[]

  • Bonafido states - "Hahaha, don't be a plonka!" which is a variation of the term plonker. It is a British and Australian derogatory slang for a very stupid person. This was made popular in the British TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses in which the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter often referred to his daft brother Rodney as "a right plonker".
  • Upon examining some floating vials, the player receives the message "Oh, oh, oh, it's magic!", a reference to the song Magic.
  • One of the responses you can give to Homunculus when he asks you, "What's the best way to travel?" A response you can give is, "Run, run, as fast as you can," which is based off the popular children's fairytale, The Gingerbread Man.
  • The Homunculus of alchemy were created by combining parts of different animals to create a hybrid.

Trivia[]

  • If you complete the quest Making History before talking to Effigy, he recognises the adventurer as the saver of the outpost and says the king was going to build a chemist lab there.
  • In the basement of the Tower of Life, there appears to be a symbol of Zamorak on the minimap, though in actuality there are just some machines in that formation. It is unclear if this is deliberate or purely coincidental.
  • When talking to Gummy about getting a pair of builder's trousers, he will refuse to give you them. The player will then say "Ah, come on. You know you want to give me free stuff". This may be a reference to the popular stereotype of new players asking for free items from veteran players.
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