Crack the Clue 3 OSRS Full Walkthrough for Treasure Hunters

You know that rush when you finally crack a tough puzzle in Old School RuneScape? Your heart pounds, the chat explodes with cheers, and suddenly you’re holding something no one else has. That’s exactly what happened to me back in late 2022 when I dove headfirst into Crack the Clue 3. As a guy who’s sunk over 5,000 hours into OSRS since the early days, grinding clues like they’re my day job, this event hit different. It wasn’t just another elite scroll; it was a community-wide brain teaser designed by Woox himself, sponsored by Jagex no less. Took nine months for the whole thing to unravel, but man, the payoff? The Robes of Ruin set, complete with that wild infinite money bag. If you’re here, you’re probably itching to join the club. Stick with me, and I’ll walk you through it all, step by step, like we’re chatting over a stack of clue scrolls in Lumbridge.

I’ve been hunting clues since before they added master tiers, back when elite was the endgame nightmare. Remember my first big score? A third-age druidic robe from a hard clue, right after a 12-hour session where I teleported between every dig spot in Gielinor. Felt like I owned the game. Crack the Clue 3 brought that vibe back, but cranked to eleven. It’s got 24 steps, split into routes, and demands you think outside the box, like overlaying maps or decoding emote sequences. No hand-holding here, just pure sleuthing. And yeah, it’s free-to-play friendly in spots, but members get the full feast.

What makes this event stand out? It’s permanent now, so no rush. But trust me, once you start, you’ll be hooked. Question is, are you ready to dust off that spade and dive in?

Picture this: Woox drops a video on September 23, 2022, teasing four cryptic clues. No straightforward “dig here” nonsense. Instead, you’ve got maps with weird angles, strings of letters that look like gibberish, and hints about weather vanes pointing true north. The goal? Solve them all to access a vault under Varrock‘s west bank. Inside? Chests stuffed with the Robes of Ruin pieces: hood, top, bottom, gloves, cloak, and that glorious infinite money bag that spits out 1gp per tick. Sounds OP? It is, but you earn it.

From my experience, the event’s beauty lies in the grind mixed with genius. I remember logging in that first day, staring at those clues for hours. Joined the Discord immediately, where hundreds of us pooled brains. By the end, we’d uncovered everything from hidden NPC dialogues to coordinate grids. It’s not solo-friendly unless you’re a puzzle wizard, but that’s the charm. Team up, or go lone wolf like I did for half the steps.

Short answer: It’s OSRS‘s hardest treasure hunt, rewarding fashionscape gods and min-maxers alike.

Why Bother Tackling This Beast of a Quest

Let’s be real, why spend weeks on this when you could be slaying Zulrah for profit? Simple. The rewards slap. The full Robes of Ruin set isn’t just pretty; it’s got a passive that turns every 1,000 coins in your money pouch into 1,001 over time. Stack that with the infinite bag, and you’re printing gold passively. I slapped the set on my main and watched my bank tick up while AFK fishing. Felt like cheating, but hey, I earned it.

Plus, the bragging rights. My in-game examine text still nods to the first solver, and friends grill me about “how’d you figure that emote grid?” every clan meetup. If you’re into lore or just love that detective thrill, this scratches the itch better than any quest.

Ever wondered if OSRS could feel like a real-life escape room? This does. And with updates keeping Gielinor fresh, revisiting spots hits nostalgic.

But enough hype. Let’s gear up.

Getting Started Your Prep Kit for Success

Before you touch a clue, stock your inventory right. No room for dead weight; these steps demand precision. I learned the hard way once, forgetting a spade and wasting an hour trekking back from the Wilderness. Rookie move.

Here’s a quick table of essentials for the early steps. Grab these from Varrock or Lumbridge shops, and you’re golden.

Pro tip: Use RuneLite. Plugins like Ground Markers saved my sanity marking dig tiles. And empty your equipped slots; many steps check for naked inventories.

I always start with a Falador teleport tab handy. Cuts travel time in half. Ready? Let’s crack the first route.

Route 1 Breakdown Step by Step Clues and My Wild Rides

Crack the Clue 3 splits into two main paths after the opener, but Route 1 feels more straightforward for clue vets like me. It’s heavy on NPC chats and digs, with a dash of text decoding. I tackled this over a weekend, fueled by energy drinks, yelling at my screen when a hint clicked.

Step 1 Talk to the Mysterious Old Man

First up: Those four teaser clues from Woox’s vid. Overlay them on the world map, scale down 50%, rotate 45 degrees counterclockwise. Boom, X’s align on a furnace, fountain, statue, range. Crosses form over shops. Buy three of the shared item: silk.

Head to eastern Falador, upstairs in the Mysterious Old Man’s house. Inventory: vial, wool, mithril bar. Nothing equipped. Chat him up, hand over goods. He coughs up the first scroll. Felt electric, like unearthing Excalibur.

Quick question: Ever chatted with this guy before? He’s the emote prankster from quests. Hilarious twist here.

Step 2 The Match-Catch Grid Madness

Now you’ve got a jumble of letters and a “Match-Catch” hint. Pull out the Book of Folklore (from Another Slice of H.A.M.), overlay its text on a 20×18 grid matching the clue’s pattern. Unused letters spell “NED.” Draynor Village, thatched house south of the jail.

Speak to Ned with a ball of wool (you should have it). He babbles about directions. Interface pops: a string of N, E, S, W moves. Follow from Lumbridge castle courtyard. Dig near Hans the old man. Spade ready? Good, because I forgot mine once and rage-quit for coffee.

Short para: That dig spot? Iconic. Hans waves like it’s casual.

Step 3 Directions and Camarst’s Twist

Ned points you to Camarst in Ardougne. But wait, combine with the NESW string. It’s a path from Draynor to Lumbridge, zigzagging. End at the castle kitchens. Inventory check: limpwurt root, staff, chef’s hat, chisel, spade. Equip the hat and staff, hold the root and chisel, dig center tile.

I spent two hours miscounting steps here. Pro tip: Use the in-game compass. North matters.

What if you’re bad at directions? Practice on regular treasure trails first. Builds muscle memory.

Step 4 South Numbers and the First Big Dig

Numbers clue: (7), (6,3,2), etc. These map to F2P skill order: Attack (1), Hitpoints (2), Mining (3), etc. Translate to items like bronze dagger for 1. But it’s layered.

Actually, pair with “Start-South.” Head south from Lumbridge bank, follow numbers as steps. Dig at the end with your kit. Rewards a cryptic scroll mentioning a hooded ghost.

Long story from me: This step broke me. I mapped it on paper, tea stains everywhere, until Discord folks pointed out the skill link. Joined at 2 AM, solved by dawn. Best feeling ever.

Step 5 Hooded Ghost in Draynor Manor

Wear: tile, beer, trout, pot, sardine, potato, tiara. Weird combo, right? Draynor Manor, second floor wardrobe between two symbols (use RuneLite overlays). Search it. Ghost appears, hands the next piece: robe bottom of ruin.

Ghost chat? Chilling. “You’ve come far but hit a dead end.” Made me chuckle, turn around in-game like an idiot.

List of tips for this:

• Empty inventory except required items. Strict check.
• No armor equipped. Even a ring fails it.
• Timing matters. Do it at night for vibes? Nah, just do it.
• Backup teleports. Manor’s haunted; ghosts aggro if you’re low HP.

Step 6 Final Quarter and Betty’s Handover

Count the ‘o’s in the ghost’s message: 10. Ties back to previous. Port Sarim, Betty’s magic shop. Trade specifics (from prior clues) for the robe bottom and final 1/4 clue.

Betty’s quirky. “Magic for the masses!” I bartered there pre-ZMI runs. Nostalgia hit hard.

This wraps Route 1’s opener. Halfway to glory.

Route 2 Deep Dive Emotes and Puzzles That Nearly Fried My Brain

Route 2 kicks off different, branching from the silk buy. More emotes, grids, wilder. I switched here after Route 1, needed a breather. Took me three days straight, minimal sleep.

Step 1 Sir Vyvin and the Willow Shortbows

White Knights’ Castle, third floor. Bring 7 willow shortbows, 3 tiara moulds. Speak to Sir Vyvin. He grunts about “missing letters.” Interface: a puzzle grid.

Solution: Vertical read spells F2P skills. Differences lead to items. Felt like a lightbulb over Falador.

Ever smith shortbows? Tedious, but cheap. I fletched mine while watching streams.

Step 2 Miss Schism’s Skill Riddle

Draynor Village, Miss Schism (witch’s house lady). Inventory: 3 kebabs, 2 red beads, needle, spade, pike, sapphire, big bones, cake tin, 2 bananas, black bead.

Chat her, solve the “plus-minus” on Falador walls. Tiles distances give coords. She hands a diagonal directions clue.

I botched the inventory once, kebab short. Ran to Al Kharid grill in panic. Lesson learned: checklists.

Step 3 Brugsen Bursen and the Wall Tiles

From Schism, head to Falador park. Brugsen Bursen (monk). Match underscores to wall tiles, +/- for distances. Leads to emote sequence around Grand Exchange.

Perform 14 emotes in order, top-left to bottom-right on emote tab. Dig center after. Wilderness level 33-40, so watch PKers.

Table of emote order (first few, no full spoiler):

I died to a rev here once. PKer laughed in local. Respawned, nailed it second try.

Step 4 Bob Barter and the Emote Chain

Ends near Bob’s Axes in Edgeville. More directions: 2 NW, 5 NE, etc. Follow around GE ruins, emote at each stop. Dig for next scroll.

This chain? Exhausting. I mapped it in Notepad, lines everywhere. Question: Hate running? Fairy rings help, but not all spots.

Short answer: Patience pays.

Mid Game Hurdles Ancient Summon and Wilderness Woes

By now, you’re knee-deep. Ancient-Summon clue from Route 1: Emotes between tree and log in Wildy. Beer and banana in pack. Summon the Old Man again. He leads a path, more emotes in “gates of war” areas (Stronghold rooms, lantern counts match numbers).

I teamed with a buddy for this. Solo Wildy? Risky, but doable at 90+ combat. My heart raced spotting revs.

Long para time: Picture trekking north, emotes flashing, Old Man vanishing like a ghost. Dug up the cloak of ruin, stared at it glowing. “Holy runes,” I muttered. That moment? Pure OSRS magic. Reminded me why I boot up daily, despite the grinds.

Tips list:

• Gear light. No heavy armor; equip checks fail.
• Protect from melee prayer. Revs incoming.
• Discord for hints. Community goldmine, but avoid full spoils.

Late Game Glory Gloves Cloak and the Vault Finale

Steps 19-22? Gloves of Ruin. Falador north exit, quest icon west. NPC ties to prior. Emotes, digs, finally the vault.

Gate under Varrock west bank. Perform final emote sequence: specific order from clues. Old Man appears, unlocks chests. Loot all pieces.

My finale? June 21, 2023, broadcast live on Twitch. Friends cheered as the infinite bag dropped. “We did it,” I said, teary-eyed. From newbie clue hunter to this.

What now? Wear the set, feel the drip. Bank grows while you sleep.

Pro Tips from a Clue Grinding Vet

• Join the Discord. Catch-up channel has breakdowns.
• RuneLite plugins: Clue Solver, Emote Hints, Ground Markers.
• Ironman? Possible, but stockpile items early.
• Time estimate: 10-20 hours spread out.
• Burnout fix: Take breaks. I fished between steps.

Question: Stuck on a step? Drop a comment; I’ve got your back.

Wrapping Up the Hunt Your New OSRS Obsession

There you have it, fellow adventurer. Crack the Clue 3 isn’t just solved; it’s conquered. From that first silk buy to vault cheers, it’s a journey that bonds the OSRS soul. I still pull out the robes for screenshots, reminiscing the late nights and “aha” moments. If this guide lit a fire, log in now. Gielinor‘s waiting.

What’s your favorite clue memory? Share below. Happy hunting, and may your digs always yield treasure.