OSRS Clue Scroll & Treasure Trails Guide: An Overview

Clue Scrolls are the starting point for Treasure Trails in Old School RuneScape – exciting treasure hunts that send players on adventures across Gielinor. Following a series of cryptic steps can lead to reward caskets filled with loot, ranging from common supplies to incredibly rare and valuable unique items. This guide provides a general overview of Clue Scrolls and the Treasure Trails system.

What are Clue Scrolls?

  • Start of a Trail: A Clue Scroll contains the first step of a Treasure Trail.
  • Obtaining Clues: Dropped by monsters (specific monsters drop specific tiers), obtained via skilling (Clue Nests from Woodcutting, Clue Bottles from Fishing, Clue Geodes from Mining), looted from Implings, or received as rewards.
  • Tiers: Clue Scrolls come in six tiers of increasing difficulty and reward potential:
    1. Beginner: 1-3 steps, F2P accessible, very basic rewards. (See Beginner Guide details in data dump)
    2. Easy: 2-4 steps, mostly F2P areas, low requirements, low-value uniques (e.g., Monk Robe Trimmed, Capes of Accomplishment (t)). (See Easy Guide details in data dump)
    3. Medium: 3-5 steps, requires P2P access/quests, moderate requirements, notable uniques (e.g., Ranger Boots, Wizard Boots, Holy Sandals). (See Medium Guide details in data dump)
    4. Hard: 4-6 steps, requires higher skills/quests, travel across Gielinor, chance at valuable uniques (e.g., Gilded items, 3rd Age Melee/Vambraces, Robin Hood Hat). Involves combat. (See Hard Guide details in data dump)
    5. Elite: 5-7 steps, high requirements, complex clues, chance at valuable uniques (e.g., Gilded Boots, 3rd Age Ranged/Magic/Druidic, Fury Ornament Kit). Involves combat. (See Elite Guide details in data dump)
    6. Master: 6-8 steps, highest requirements, most complex clues, chance at top-tier uniques (e.g., 3rd Age Pickaxe/Axe, Bloodhound Pet, Fancy/Fighting Boots (g)). Involves combat. (See Master Guide details in data dump)
  • Holding Limit: You can generally only hold one clue scroll of each tier at a time (in inventory, bank, or Death's office). Beginner clues obtained from skilling come in containers (bottle, nest, geode) which can stack, but opening one yields a scroll subject to the limit. Master clues require one of each lower tier (Easy, Medium, Hard, Elite) to be given to Watson. Drop juggling is a technique to hold multiple clues temporarily (see specific guides).

Common Clue Types

Treasure Trails feature a variety of step types:

  • Anagrams: Rearrange letters to form an NPC's name. Speak to the NPC.
  • Cryptic Clues: Riddles or descriptive phrases leading to an NPC, location (dig spot), or object (search crates/drawers). May involve key steps (Medium) or puzzle boxes (Hard+).
  • Map Clues: An image shows a location. Go there and dig at the 'X' or search the indicated crate/object.
  • Coordinate Clues: Provides coordinates (degrees/minutes North/South, East/West). Use a Sextant, Watch, and Chart (or online tools) to find the precise dig spot. Hard+ coordinate clues spawn combat encounters (Wizards, Guards).
  • Emote Clues: Require equipping specific items and performing one or two emotes at a designated location. Uri appears with the next step/reward. Hard+ emote clues often spawn a Double Agent (combat). STASH units can store emote items.
  • Fairy Ring Clues (Hard+): Use a Fairy Ring code, then step specific directions (N, E, S, W) from the ring's center and dig.
  • Falo the Bard (Master): Show Falo (near Sinclair Mansion) a specific item he sings about.
  • Sherlock (Elite/Master): Perform a specific skilling task given by Sherlock (near Seers' Village). Requires specific skill levels (often boostable).
  • Puzzle Boxes (Hard+): Solve a sliding tile puzzle.
  • Light Boxes (Master): Solve a light puzzle by flipping switches.

Rewards: The Casket

Completing the final step of a Treasure Trail awards a Reward Casket for that tier. Opening it provides a random assortment of loot from that tier's drop table, including:

  • Common items (runes, food, potions, resources, coins)
  • Unique cosmetic items (trimmed/heraldic armour, god pages, elegant clothing, etc.)
  • Rare, valuable unique items (Ranger Boots, Gilded Armour, 3rd Age items, Ornament Kits, Pets)

Higher tiers have a higher chance of valuable uniques and better common loot.

Conclusion

Treasure Trails offer a fun and potentially highly profitable diversion from standard skilling and PvM. They encourage exploration, test problem-solving skills, and provide the thrilling chance of obtaining some of the rarest and most valuable items in OSRS. From the simple Beginner clues to the demanding Master trails, there's a Clue Scroll challenge for every type of player.

Need help solving a particularly tricky step or want to complete clues faster? Our OSRS Clue Scroll Service can assist you with any tier!