Shield of Arrav

This is the quick guide for Shield of Arrav. For a more in-depth version, click here.

[[Category:Quick guides|]], ""

This article is about the quest. For the shield itself, see Restored shield.

For the book about the shield, see Book (Shield of Arrav).

Shield of Arrav (#3)

File:Shield of Arrav.jpg
Release date	4 January 2001 (Update)
Members only?	No
Quest series	Mahjarrat
Official difficulty	Novice
Official length	Medium
Developer	Greg V

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Official description

“

Varrockian literature tells of a valuable shield, stolen long ago from the Museum of Varrock, by a gang of professional thieves. See if you can track down this shield and return it to the Museum. You will need a friend to help you complete this quest.

”

Walkthrough

Start point:	Talk to Reldo, the Varrock palace librarian.
Members only:	No
Official difficulty:	Novice
Description:	None
Length:	Medium (15 - 20 mins)
Requirements:	A trustworthy partner (who joins the opposite gang) Ability to kill a level 2 or 23 enemy
Items required:	20 coins to join the Phoenix gang. Nothing to join the Black Arm gang.
Enemies to defeat:	Jonny the beard - Level 2 (if you join the Phoenix Gang.) Weaponsmaster - Level 23 (if you join the Black Arm Gang. Someone else can kill it for you.)

It is very important at this time to decide which gang you wish to join. This choice is important for two reasons:

1. You need a member of the opposite gang to cooperate with you in order to complete this quest.*
2. This choice will show up for future quests if you decide to become a member. Most notably, the Heroes' Quest has gang related activities where item trading between both gangs is also an important feature.
3. If you are a skiller/skill pure, you can choose the Black Arm gang and have someone else from the same gang kill the weapon master for you.

Being a member of the Phoenix gang is recommended if a player has lower combat levels, but requires 20 coins.

The Black Arm gang is less complicated to complete, but requires you to defeat a 23 level personality in close combat in order to obtain the Phoenix gang's crossbows so as to join the Black Arm gang.

To find a partner for the quest, it is recommended to check the Runescape Forums under Quests> Find a Shield of Arrav Partner section. Even if you can't post in the forum you can still see who's in the other gang and message them online.

Shared starting

Talk to Reldo, located in Varrock's library, in Varrock Palace, which can be found east of the Grand Exchange. Ask him for a quest and he will tell you there is probably a book on something in the library. You have to now search the bookcase with a blue book in the top shelf. When you've found it, read or skim through it. After you've read the book, speak with Reldo and ask him about the whereabouts of the Phoenix Gang.

Phoenix Gang

Baraek is located in the centre of Varrock. (To join the Black Arm Gang, go talk to Charlie the Tramp) He buys and sells furs, and his stall is marked with an icon of bear fur. Talk to him and ask about the Phoenix Gang. At first he will refuse, then he will want you to give him 20 coins for info. Give him 20 coins, and he will tell you it is located in the south-east corner of Varrock. Ask him all the questions available.

The hideout is near the south-east corner of Varrock between the two bars/pubs. It is a bit south of the rune shop. Look for a red exclamation mark (!) on your map to find the hideout. When you've found the red exclamation mark, you will see a ladder. Climb down it to enter the Phoenix Gang's hideout.

Inside the hideout, talk to Straven. If you ask to join, he will mention the Varrock Herald newspaper. This is a cover up. There should be an option to tell him that you know who he is, a member of the Phoenix Gang. If this option isn't there, go back to Baraek and ask him about the Phoenix gang again, as you missed getting all of the information about them.

Straven will want you to kill Jonny the beard (Combat level 2 and has 28 hit points). He is located in Varrock's Blue Moon Inn. This bar/restaurant is located near the south entrance of Varrock. Go inside the bar and find Johnny the Beard and kill him (he may need to respawn). It should be noted that some players attack Johnny "for fun" or to simply be annoying. If this occurs, you might want to switch worlds and find a world that doesn't have this happening.

Jonny will drop a report which Straven needs. Grab the report and bring it back to Straven. Talk to Straven while having the report in your inventory, and he will make you a Phoenix Gang member, allowing you to enter their hideout. Straven will also give you the Weapon store key, which you need to save for your partner. The thieves walking around are not aggressive to any players, but will retalliate if you attack them.

Look around for a chest in the south-west corner of the hideout to find one half of the Shield of Arrav. You can only grab one shield at a time.

Black Arm Gang

File:Black Arm Gang Map.png

To join the Black Arm Gang, talk to Charlie the Tramp located near the south entrance of Varrock. Ask him what’s down the alley, and he’ll tell you that it’s the Black Arm Gang’s hideout. Go down the alley and enter the building. Look for a woman named Katrine and talk to her.

Tell her you know about her gang and that you won't give your source. Ask her about what you should do to prove that you're trustworthy and she will give you a task to join her gang.

Katrine wants you to steal from the Phoenix Gang. She wants two of their crossbows. However, you will need a partner/friend in the Phoenix Gang for this part of the quest.

When your partner/friend has joined the Phoenix Gang, they will be given a Weapon store key. Ask them for this key and when you have it, go to the Phoenix Gang's hideout. The hideout is near the south-east corner of Varrock between the two pubs. Look for a door that is locked. When you've found it, use the key with the door and climb up the ladder.

You will have to kill the Weaponsmaster on this floor. If you try to pick up the crossbow without killing the Weaponsmaster first, he will prevent you from doing so. Once he is dead, take two Phoenix crossbows. When you have both of them, go back to Katrine, and she will make you a member of the Black Arm Gang. Go upstairs in the hideout and look for a cupboard, which contains one half of the Shield of Arrav.

Finishing Up

File:King Roald location.png

King Roald

Take your half of the shield to King Roald. He will say that you need a certificate for the reward and that you need see the Curator in Varrock Museum, which is east of the Varrock Palace. Go and see the Curator, then use your half of the shield on him.

File:Curator haig halen npc.png

Curator Haig Halen

When you talk to the Curator, he will give you 2 halves of the certificate. Your partner, who has the other half of the Shield of Arrav, will get the other halves of the certificate. Trade 1 half of the certificate with your partner for the other 1 half. When you have both halves, use one of them on the other half, to get a full certificate.

Take that certificate to the King Roald to get your reward. Quest completed.

Notes

• If a player cannot find someone to trade the certificates with, they cannot finish the quest.

• If a Phoenix Gang member tries to talk to Katrine, she spits on them and does not allow them to join the gang. If a Phoenix Gang member tries to kill the Weaponmaster to obtain the crossbows, the player is told that he or she cannot attack a fellow gang member.

• A Black Arm Gang member can enter the Phoenix Gang Weapon Storage with a key from a Phoenix Gang member.

• Phoenix crossbows can be obtained by Phoenix gang members by going in the weapon store and telekinetic grab them. However the crossbows must be traded to a Black Arm gang member in order to gain trust to Katrine.

• If working with additional players who want to get the half of a certificate from you, it would be wise to take the half certificates to the bank, store them, grab another shield half from your respective gang house and present it to the Curator. There is no practical limit to how many certificate halves you can have, but it is a tedious process going back and forth to the Curator and the gang stronghold. Note: Once you combine both halves of the certificates in your inventory you can no longer get spare shields. You can have only one shield half in your inventory at any given time. Also, keep in mind that once you have completed this quest, you can no longer obtain the shield half any more, although you can continue to keep certificate halves in your bank account indefinitely after you have completed the quest or trade for them with other players.
• The certificate says: The bearer of this certificate has brought both halves of the legendary Shield of Arrav to me, Haig Halen, Curator of the Varrock Museum. I have examined the shield and am satisfied as to its authenticity. I recommend to His Majesty, King Roald III, that the bearer is rewarded as per Proclimation 262 of the year 143 of the 5th Age, by King Roald II.
• The Phoenix Gang member can cast Telekinetic Grab on the Phoenix Crossbows and trade them to the Black Arm Gang member, this is especially useful if the other player is too low level to kill the Weaponmaster.

Rewards

• 1 Quest point
• 600 Coins
• If you are a member, you can talk to Historian Minas in the Varrock Museum to receive 5 kudos and an antique lamp that gives 1000 experience in a skill of level 20 or above.
• 2 extra spins on the Squeal of Fortune

Required for completing

Completion of Shield of Arrav is required for the following:

• Heroes' Quest
• Defender of Varrock

Trivia

• Upon completing this quest one's Adventurer's Log will read: "A friend and I managed to recover the Shield of Arrav from gang members and put it where it belongs - in a museum." This is reference to Indiana Jones.

• Shield of Arrav was one of the 6 quests available during RuneScape's launch.
• In the beginning, a bug allowed the player to join both gangs. Katrine would appear angry at the player, but the player would still be able to enter the Black Arm Gang. The Phoenix gang doorman would also attack the player.
• In the early days of RS2, it was possible to buy the certificate from the general store and skip the majority of the quest. This is no longer possible.
• After completing the quest, if you talk to Juna, your character will say, "...So that's how I helped return the Shield of Arrav."
• It's no longer impossible to receive the intel report to join the Phoenix gang if you use a Ring of recoil to kill Johnny the beard.
• In the early days, entering the Phoenix Gang's headquarters required a separate key. This was later changed, and the key was removed from the game.