The Curse of Arrav
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This is the quick guide for The Curse of Arrav. For a more in-depth version, click here.
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| File:Curse of Arrav.jpg | |
| Release date | 21 July 2009 (Update) |
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| Members only? | Yes |
| Quest series | Mahjarrat (#3) |
| Official difficulty | Master |
| Official length | Medium |
| Developer | Paul G |
The Curse of Arrav is the third quest in the Mysteries of the Mahjarrat quest series, where you must obtain the heart of Arrav from Zemouregal for your mysterious friend, Ali the Wise, in hopes of learning more about the magic enslaving Arrav.
Official description
| “ | The icy waste to the north of the troll country is as mysterious as any land in RuneScape, no less because of the interest the Mahjarrat take in it. Ali the Wise thinks that he might have found a way for you to discover more about this strange area to the north. Uncover more of the mysteries of the Mahjarrat and learn about the dark magic that was used to enslave Arrav for these last few millennia. | ” |
Walkthrough
| Start point: |  Talk to Ali the Wise in Nardah.
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| Members only: | Yes | ||
| Official difficulty: |  Master
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| Description: | None | ||
| Length: | Medium | ||
| Requirements: |
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| Items required: |
Recommended Items:
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| Enemies to defeat: |
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Getting to the Tunnels
- Items required for this section: Toolbelt -Pickaxe, Trollheim teleport (or climbing boots if you cannot use Trollheim teleport), Food and equipment for a level 180 monster, Several Mining boosts (if required), 7 empty inventory spaces.
To start, talk to Ali the Wise in his house in north-western Nardah, just north of the Temple of Elidinis. Consider using Fairy ring code D-L-Q. Then head south to get to Nardah.
After talking with him, your character learns of a tunnel on Trollweiss Mountain. Using the Trollheim teleport or another mode of transportation, go to Trollheim. Make your way off the mountain and go north-west along the path until a sub-path breaks off north. This is the path you take to get to the ice gate in Desert Treasure but keep going north to reach the cave. Go in through the cave entrance and make your way through the ice caves. These caves are populated with level 120+ ice trolls, and caution is recommended for lower level players. At the end of the tunnel, head through the crevice and continue east to the next cave entrance.
The Tunnels
Make your way through the tunnel, clearing the rubble as you go. Some pieces must be mined (once) from more than one side to clear them; this can be seen by their relative size—as a piece gets mined from each side it becomes smaller and eventually disappears. Most larger pieces will have to be mined from multiple sides to clear. You will receive 2 mining XP for each time you mine a rock. Note that your progress is saved, but if you leave the cave you will have to re-do the current clump of rocks you are mining, if you previously mined them partway.
Make your way to the room in the east of the cave. There are four tablets on the ground which you will need to pick up along the way: stone tablet, granite tablet, slate tablet, and shale tablet. It is recommended to bank the tablets at the next convenient point so you can give them to Ali the Wise after the quest.
Once you make it to the basement, search the bookcases to get Notes (a-j) about the Mahjarrat, and go up the stairs. You will appear in a castle with Arrav nearby. If boosting your mining, you may need to wait for your stats to return to normal or consume a restore potion or a super restore potion. Speak to him, but he cannot control his mind, so he starts to attack you. He has a combat level of 180 and attacks with Melee, so Protect from Melee is suggested. You will deliver a few attacks, with him talking in between each.
When Arrav has about 75% of his health remaining, he will temporarily regain some control over his body and he will tell you to search the flame tapestry in the southern room. Zemouregal will then call him and he will be teleported away. Head to the room directly south of where you currently are and search the tapestry on the western wall with the candles next to it. You must have 2 free inventory spaces to do this. You will receive a Base key and the Base plans. You can now teleport out of the castle.
The Security Plans to Zemouregal's Base
Return to Ali the Wise in north-western Nardah. Show him the base plans and see a cutscene of Ali explaining all the traps in the base and a walkthrough of where to go.
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Human detection spells
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Sewage system under the base
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Surges of energy sent through the waters
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Gas fills the area when alarm is sounded
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Five-inch thick runite-enforced steel door
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Fire ray enchantments
Preparing the Jar
- Items required for this section: Sacred oil, 3 Dwellberries, Ring of life, Base plans, waterskins/Enchanted water tiara (optional).
If you forgot to bring something, there is a bank in the south of the city. From Ali the Wise's house, head north-east to the Uzer Mastaba just south of the Ruins of Uzer, past the stone tiles to and speak to the Pharaoh Queen from Missing My Mummy. The queen is located on the lower level of the Uzer Mastaba (After entering the pyramid, run to the northwest, open the imposing doors, and go down the stairs to the south).
Talk to the Pharaoh Queen and she will tell you how to make a jar to preserve Arrav's heart and gives you an Empty canopic jar. The jar now has to be filled with some Sacred oil, three dwellberries, and a Ring of life in that order. Be careful when adding the dwellberries because their default left-click option is eat. The canopic jar becomes Oil in a canopic jar, Oil and berries in a jar, and a Full canopic jar when each item is added.
Once completed, return to Ali the Wise with the Full canopic jar. He will recommend that before you enter the base you wear insulation to stop electric shocks, have a form of surveillance, a grappling hook and a crossbow.
Saving Arrav's heart
- Items required for this section: Insulated boots, either a Macaw pouch or a Ravenous locust pouch, Mithril crossbow or better, Mithril grapple, Full canopic jar, Base key, Thieving, Strength, Agility, and Ranged boosts (if using any)
Climb the northwestern tower in Varrock castle and speak with Hartwin (he's in the same room as Captain Rovin from Defender of Varrock) who will guide you to the Chaos Temple safely. Go down the trap door into Zemouregal's base. While dodging the Armoured zombies, follow the tunnel around, going through two doors until you reach a third metal door. With the base key obtained earlier from behind the tapestry, this door will now open. Go east, to the small side room with a range.
Do not walk into the human detection spells because they will trigger and send you back to the entrance. Equip the Insulated boots and enter the pipe on the south side of the room. With the boots equipped, the sewers are completely safe (even if you sit in the water). If the boots are not equipped or taken off anywhere in the sewers, you will be sent back to the entrance of the sewer and be hit for around 150 damage.
File:Thecurseofarrav.jpg Walk until you reach the end of the sewers, where you will see a Killerwatt in a cage and another pipe. Try to enter the pipe and you will get a message saying that you should try using remote view. Summon a Macaw or a Ravenous locust, stand in front of the pipe, and interact with the summoning familiar to access remote view. A cutscene will occur where you wait for the zombies to leave (click continue), then enter the pipe.
Note: If you don't complete within 5 minutes, the zombie guards will come back and kick you out of the room.
Do not dismiss your familiar, as if you fail, you will need it again to enter the second pipe. Run into the room to the south of you and search the tables for Decoder strips and Notes (k-z). Pick the lock on the chest on the south wall of that room for the Code key (if needed, use the Abyssal stealth scroll to boost your thieving level). Then, read your pass key and make a note of the four-letter code. With the decoder strips, go back north to the big door and interact with the keypad next to the locked door.
Select strip #1 by clicking on it, and use the arrows at the top right of the screen to put strip #1 over the line indicated by the first letter of the code key. If you're using Mouse Keys to click, you may find that the strips move very slowly. Try using the buttons on the mouse as well to speed things up.
Enter the number shown in the hole of the strip. Repeat this for the other three strips and their respective pass code letter. For example, if your pass code is CGBE then you would place the decoder strip #1 over the C, by selecting the strip and using the arrows at the top-right, and the remaining number will be the first digit in the code to unlock the door. Repeat this for all the numbers, then you should hear a latch open. Now open the door and enter. You can hide in the room with the tables where you got the decoder strips if the zombies come back.
Click on the pipe on the roof to use your mithril grapple and crossbow to bypass the trap. This requires level 64 Strength, 64 Ranged, and 61 Agility. You should drink the necessary potions if you are below the required levels. Click on the pedestal and you will automatically place the heart in the Full canopic jar, turning it into a Heart in a canopic jar. Teleport out, withdraw the 4 tablets (if required), and go talk to Ali the Wise in Nardah to complete the quest.
Rewards
- 1 Quest Point
- 30,000
experience - 14,000
experience - 9,000
experience - 9,000
experience - 9,000
experience - 4,000
experience - 2,500
experience - If you talk to him again, and have all the requirements for Temple at Senntisten he will inform you that his buddy at the Digsite has some work for you. He will give you a Digsite Pendant to get you there.
- 2 extra spins on the Squeal of Fortune
Additional Research
You can talk to Ali the Wise after the quest and give him additional information, but there are no rewards for doing so. To give him all the information you will need to have gathered: The 4 tablets in the tunnel, and the two notes of Mahjarrat names: A-J and K-Z.
You can also give him information from the following quests (if you had not already following Missing My Mummy):
- Desert Treasure
- While Guthix Sleeps
- The Tale of the Muspah
- Defender of Varrock
- Hazeel Cult
- Temple of Ikov
- Enakhra's Lament
- Shadow Sword (miniquest)
Music unlocked
- Lamistard's Labyrinth - At the entrance to the Trollweiss cave
- The Heist - After entering the third gate in Zemouregal's base in level 13 Wilderness
Required for completing
Completion of The Curse of Arrav is required for the following:
Trivia
- When this quest was first released the spoilers read: "Like Arrav, the rewards are cursed! Please check back tomorrow - we have our best exorcists, soothsayers and alchemists working on the problem."
- When a player has the security systems within Zemouregal's base explained to them, they will respond "Well that sounds an awful lot to get past. It sounds like an impossible mission!" which is a reference to the Mission: Impossible television series and films.
- When a player returns to Ali the Wise after retrieving the heart, Ali says "So, how is the grand heart robbery coming along?" This may be a reference to the quest The Great Brain Robbery which, in turn, is a reference to The Great Train Robbery.
- Upon the completion of this quest, one's Adventurer's Log will read: "Good news at last: Arrav's heart has been reclaimed and we have a chance of freeing him from Zemouregal's clutches."
| Mysteries of the Mahjarrat |
1. The Tale of the Muspah • 2. Missing My Mummy • 3. The Curse of Arrav • 4. The Temple at Senntisten • 5. Ritual of the Mahjarrat |
| Rise of Lucien |
1. Temple of Ikov • 2. While Guthix Sleeps • 3. Ritual of the Mahjarrat |
| Rise of Zaros |
1. The Dig Site • 2. Desert Treasure • (Devious Minds) • 3. The Temple at Senntisten • (Ritual of the Mahjarrat) |
| Arrav |
1. Shield of Arrav • 2. Defender of Varrock • 3. The Curse of Arrav • 4. Ritual of the Mahjarrat |
| Other quests |
Hazeel Cult • Fight Arena • Enakhra's Lament • The Firemaker's Curse |
| Related miniquests | |
| Related lores | |