Treasure Trails, also called Clue Scrolls, are fun treasure-hunting activities that take players all over the world of Gielinor.
Clue Scrolls drop from various monsters and enemies, sending players on a hunt for a chance at valuable rare cosmetic rewards. These rewards include 3rd Age and Gilded gear sets, which are some of the rarest and most valuable in the game.
Our OSRS Treasure Trails guide will show you some of the best setups and practices to complete your Clue Scrolls collection in the most efficient way.
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Treasure Trails Overview
First, let’s talk a little bit about how Clue Scrolls work. There are six tiers of Clue Scroll:
- Beginner
- Easy
- Medium
- Hard
- Elite
- Master
Each tier drops from various monsters that roughly fit that tier.
For example, a goblin in Lumbridge might drop a Beginner Clue Scroll, while bosses like Vorkath and Zulrah might drop an Elite Clue Scroll.
Additionally, you can only have one Clue Scroll of each tier in your possession at one time. Regardless of whether it’s in your inventory or your bank, if you have a Clue Scroll, you won’t get another of that tier until you finish the Trail or drop the Scroll.
Moreover, each tier gets progressively more complex, with steeper requirements than the last. Each Clue Scroll has several steps, and the steps themselves often require a level in a particular skill or a quest to be completed.
Beginner Clue Scrolls
OSRS Treasure Trails are completed in steps, with each Clue Scroll task being one step. Beginner clues can last one to three steps, with a few low-skill requirements and no quest requirements.
Prerequisites
To be eligible for all Beginner Clue Scroll steps, you need the following skills:
- 20 Cooking
- 18 Crafting
- 25 Fishing
- 15 Mining
- 15 Smithing
There are no quest requirements for Beginner Clues.
Clue Types
There are many types of Clue Scroll in Old School RuneScape. You may be required to decipher an anagram or do some math. Fortunately, there are only a few clue types within each tier.
In the Beginner tier, you may find:
- Anagram Clues – deciphering strings of letters into the name of an NPC
- Charlie the Tramp tasks – finding the NPC Charlie the Tramp in Varrock and doing what he asks
- Cryptic Clues – simple riddles leading to a variety of tasks
- Emote Clues – equipping certain items and performing certain emotes in a certain location
- Hot/Cold Clues – using a strange device to home in on a specific location
- Map Clues – images of the location you need to search
Easy Clue Scrolls
Easy Clue Scrolls in OSRS last two to four steps and have a few skill and quest requirements.
Prerequisites
Skills
To complete every Easy Clue step, you need the following skills:
- 20 Attack
- 20 Defense
- 20 Ranged
Quests
You also need to complete the following quests:
- Corsair Curse (partial)
- Priest in Peril
Music
Additionally, it helps if you had the following music tracks unlocked:
- Atone – unlocks at Ice Mountain
- On the Shore – unlocks at Corsair Cove
- Rugged Terrain – unlocks at the Shayzien Graveyard of Heroes
- Forlorn Homestead – unlocks at the Southern coast of Hosidius
- Tiptoe – unlocks in the cellar of Draynor Manor
- Vision – unlocks at the Wizards’ Tower
Clue Types
Easy Treasure Trails have the following possible Clue types:
- Emote Clues
- Cryptic Clues
- Map Clues
- Music Clues – playing specific in-game music tracks for an NPC in Falador park
Medium Clue Scrolls
Medium Clue Scrolls start to increase in complexity and last three to five steps. They have several requirements.
Prerequisites
Skills
To complete all Medium Clue steps, you need the following skills:
- 35 Agility
- 30 Attack
- 40 Defense
- 45 Farming
- 40 Magic
- 50 Ranged
- 15 Strength
- 42 Construction
Quests
You also need to complete these quests:
- Biohazard
- Bone Voyage
- Creature of Fenkenstrain (partial)
- Dragon Slayer I
- Fremennik Trials
- Horror From the Deep (partial)
- Jungle Potion
- Lost City
- Mountain Daughter (partial)
- Nature Spirit (partial)
- Ratcatchers (partial)
- Sea Slug (partial)
- Tourist Trap (partial)
Music
Make sure to have these music tracks unlocked, as well:
- Catch Me if You Can – unlocks during Ratcatchers
- Cave of Beasts – unlocks during Mountain Daughter
- Devils May Care – unlocks in the Smoke Devil Dungeon
- Faerie – unlocks during Lost City
- Forgotten – unlocks at the Ruins of Uzer
- Karamja Jam – unlocks inside the Brimhaven Dungeon and requires trading sticks
- Subterranea – unlocks in Crabclaw Caves or the Waterbirth Island Dungeon
You’ll also need at least 60% Hosidius favor to complete all Medium Clue steps.
Ironman Prerequisites
If you play an Ironman, there are a few additional requirements you need to complete all Medium Clue steps:
- 45 Crafting or 74 Hunter – to get snakeskin boots
- 71 Crafting or Combat stats to fight brutal blue dragons – to get blue dragonhide body
- 66 Magic/55 Slayer/83 Hunter – to get mystic robe bottoms
- 52 Slayer – to get mithril boots
- Regicide quest (partial)
Clue Types
Medium clues in OSRS have the following possible types:
- Anagram Clues
- Challenge Scrolls – logic puzzles, usually math problems, you must answer
- Cryptic Clues
- Emote Clues
- Coordinate Clues – a set of specific coordinates on the world map
- Cipher Clues – names of NPCs to speak to are encrypted using a Caesar Shift
- Music Clues
Hard Clue Scrolls
Hard Treasure Trails in Old School RuneScape are significantly more complex than Beginner, Easy, and Medium. They can be four to six steps long and are the first tier where steps may take you into the Wilderness.
Additionally, specific steps spawn powerful NPCs who must be defeated to continue the Trail.
They include the Saradomin Wizard, Zamorak Wizard, and Double Agent. Saradomin Wizards attack with both a poisoned Dragon Dagger and magic, while the Zamorak Wizard only uses magic, and the Double Agent only uses melee.
Prerequisites
In addition to the prerequisites listed below, you need at least 5% Shayzien favor to be eligible to complete all Hard Clue scrolls.
Skills
To complete every Hard Clue step in the game, you need the following skills:
- 56 Agility
- 40 Attack
- 40 Defense
- 68 Fishing
- 66 Magic
- 60 Prayer
- 50 Ranged
- 20 Strength
Quests
You also must complete the following quests, in addition to quests from previous tiers:
- A Kingdom Divided
- Cabin Fever
- Elemental Workshop I
- Fairytale II – Cure a Queen
- Fremennik Isles (partial)
- Giant Dwarf (partial)
- Grand Tree
- Holy Grail (partial)
- Icthlarin’s Little Helper (partial)
- In Aid of the Myreque (partial)
- Legends’ Quest (partial)
- Land of the Goblins
- Monkey Madness I (partial)
- Mourning’s End Part II
- My Arm’s Big Adventure
- Plague City (partial)
- Shadow of the Storm
- Regicide
- Shilo Village
- Swan Song
- Troll Romance
- Troll Stronghold
- Watchtower (partial)
- Zogre Flesh Eaters (partial)
Music
It would be best if you had the following music tracks to complete every Hard Clue step:
- Complication – unlocks at the Runecraft Chaos Altar
- Fossilized – unlocks in the Wyvern Cave on Fossil Island
- Hells Bells – unlocked when sledding down Trollweiss Mountain, usually during Troll Romance
- La Mort – unlocks at the Death Altar
- Little Cave of Horrors – unlocks during Cabin Fever
- Regal Pomp – unlocks during A Kingdom Divided
- Roc and Roll – unlocks during My Arm’s Big Adventure
- Scorpia Dances – unlocks in Scorpia’s Cave in the deep Wilderness
Ironman Prerequisites
If you play Ironman, there are a few more prerequisites:
- 58 Crafting – to make a diamond bracelet
- 68 Crafting or 50 Hunter – to get blue dragonhide chaps
- 83 Hunter OR 68 Magic AND 80 Crafting – to get an amulet of glory
- 80 Slayer – to get rune boots
- Lost Tribe quest – access the bone spear
Clue Types
Hard-tier Treasure Trails can have the following step types:
- Anagram Clues
- Challenge Scrolls
- Puzzle Boxes – an NPC will give you a slider puzzle to solve
- Coordinate Clues
- Cryptic Clues
- Emote Clues
- Map Clues
- Cipher Clues
- Music Clues
Elite Clue Scrolls
Elite Clues in OSRS are even more complicated than their Hard counterparts. They can be five to seven steps long. These scrolls may require venturing into the Wilderness, and you’ll have to defeat a Bandosian or Armadylean guard on coordinate clues.
The Guards are less powerful and easier to defeat than the wizards you’d fight during a Hard clue. Bandosian Guard only uses melee, so protect from melee.
The Armadylean Guard only uses Ranged so protect yourself from missiles. However, the Armadylean guard is an Aviansie, meaning he’s immune to melee.
Prerequisites
In addition to these recommendations, you should also have 40% Lovakengj favor. To complete all the Elite Clue steps in the game, you need to meet the following prerequisites:
Skills
- 70 Agility
- 70 Attack
- 70 Construction
- 70 Cooking
- 63 Crafting
- 65 Defense
- 70 Farming
- 60 Firemaking
- 76 Fishing
- 70 Fletching
- 70 Herblore
- 70 Hunter
- 70 Magic
- 70 Mining
- 60 Prayer
- 70 Ranged
- 59 Runecraft
- 65 Slayer
- 70 Smithing
- 50 Strength
- 72 Thieving
- 70 Woodcutting
- 99 Attack OR 99 Strength OR a combined Attack/Strength sum of 130+
Quests
On top of the quests from earlier tiers, you need the following quests completed:
- Another Slice of HAM
- Darkness of Hallowvale (partial)
- Death to the Dorgeshuun
- Desert Treasure I (partial)
- Dragon Slayer II (partial)
- Eagle’s Peak
- Elemental Workshop II
- Fremennik Exiles (partial)
- Great Brain Robbery (partial)
- Haunted Mine
- Heroes’ Quest
- Lunar Diplomacy
- Making Friends with My Arm (partial)
- Mourning’s End Part I (partial)
- Recipe for Disaster
- Sins of the Father (partial)
- Slug Menace
- Song of the Elves
- Spirits of the Elid
- Underground Pass
Music
It would also help to have these music tracks unlocked for Elite Clues:
- Lament for the Hallowed – unlocks during Sins of the Father
- The Pharaoh – unlocks during the quest Beneath Cursed Sands
If you play Ironman, there are no extra steps or prerequisites you must undertake for Elite clues.
Clue Types
Elite Treasure Trails can have the following step types:
- Anagram Clues
- Sherlock Clues – Sherlock is an NPC near Seer’s Village; he will ask you to perform a task for him
- Challenge Scrolls
- Puzzle Boxes
- Coordinate Clues
- Emote Clues
- Map Clues
- Cryptic Clues
Master Clue Scrolls
Master Clue Scrolls are the highest tier of Treasure Trails and have steep requirements. They can be six to eight steps long and often require Wilderness trips and fights against even more powerful foes.
These foes include a Brassican Mage who deals typeless damage, meaning you can’t pray against it, three Ancient Wizards in multi-combat areas, and the significantly weaker Double Agent.
Additionally, you acquire Master Clues differently.
Master Clues can drop from completing any of the previous tiers. Drop rates for a Master Clue depend on the tier of completed Clue.
Alternatively, you can bring one Clue Scroll of Easy, Medium, Hard, and Elite tiers to Watson, an NPC near the Forthos Ruins in Hosidius.
Prerequisites
To complete every possible Master Clue step, you need the following requirements:
Skills
- 80 Agility
- 75 Attack
- 70 Construction
- 72 Cooking
- 87 Crafting
- 70 Defense
- 85 Farming
- 90 Firemaking
- 87 Fishing
- 81 Fletching
- 87 Herblore
- 70 Hitpoints
- 70 Hunter
- 90 Magic
- 85 Mining
- 50 Prayer
- 70 Ranged
- 77 Runecraft
- 85 Slayer
- 88 Smithing
- 50 Strength
- 85 Thieving
- 90 Woodcutting
- 99 Attack OR 99 Strength OR a combined Attack/Strength sum of 130+
Quests
You’ll also need to do the following quests for Master Clues in addition to the ones listed for previous tiers:
- Cold War (partial)
- Curse of the Empty Lord
- Family Crest
- The General’s Shadow
- Making History
- Roving Elves
- Royal Trouble
- Shades of Mort’ton
- Swan Song
- Wanted!
Additional Prerequisites
While there are no music or Ironman-specific prerequisites for Master Clues, there are several miscellaneous requirements to be eligible for every possible step:
- 100% Arceuus Favor
- 75% Hosidius Favor
- 100% Piscarilius Favor
- 100% Shayzien Favor
- Complete Angler’s Outfit
- Complete Graceful Outfit
- Complete Lumberjack Outfit
- Complete Prospector Outfit
- Dragon Defender
- Fighter Torso
- Infernal Axe
- Fire Cape
Clue Types
Master Treasure Trails can have the following steps:
- Falo the Bard – Falo is an NPC who sings about specific items, which you must show him
- Sherlock
- Anagram Clues
- Coordinate Clues
- Puzzle Boxes
- Light Boxes – a 5×5 grid of lights and switches, solve the puzzle by lighting all the lights
- Cryptic Clues
- Emote Clues
- Hot and Cold Clues
Treasure Trail Best Practices
Of course, you can significantly improve your Clue Scroll efficiency by incorporating some best practices.
First, make sure to wear the Graceful Outfit or any other weight-reducing items. Less weight allows you to run more.
In that same vein, a stamina potion or two in your inventory speeds up Clue Scrolls massively.
Additionally, grab all the teleports you can from your bank, and keep them in your inventory while solving Clues. This way, you can teleport to the next location you need without delay.
You should also have a spade in your inventory to dig with. If doing Hard or above, fill the rest with food and prayer potions.
