How to Farm Clue Scrolls in OSRS: A Comprehensive Guide

How to Farm Clue Scrolls in OSRS: A Comprehensive Guide


If you’re an Old School RuneScape (OSRS) player looking to dive into the thrilling world of Treasure Trails, farming clue scrolls is a fantastic way to score some exciting rewards. Whether you’re after beginner, easy, medium, hard, elite, or master clue scrolls, this guide will walk you through the best methods to farm them efficiently. From slaying monsters to cracking open impling jars, we’ll cover strategies for all skill levels and budgets, ensuring you can maximize your loot and adventure time in Gielinor. Let’s get started!

Clue scrolls are the backbone of the Treasure Trails activity in OSRS, offering players a treasure-hunting experience filled with riddles, puzzles, and combat challenges. They come in six tiers—beginner, easy, medium, hard, elite, and master—each with increasing difficulty and better rewards. Farming clue scrolls involves obtaining them through various methods like monster drops, skilling, or impling jars, then completing the trails for caskets packed with loot ranging from coins to rare items like 3rd Age gear.

Why Farm Clue Scrolls?

Farming clue scrolls isn’t just about the thrill of the hunt; it’s also a profitable and engaging way to play OSRS. Here’s why you should consider it:

  • Rare Rewards: Items like ranger boots, 3rd Age equipment, and the elusive Bloodhound pet can net you millions in GP.
  • Variety: Treasure Trails mix combat, skilling, and puzzle-solving, keeping gameplay fresh.
  • Accessibility: Options exist for free-to-play (F2P) and members, low-level and high-level players alike.

Clue Scroll Tiers Overview

Each tier has unique drop sources and requirements. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Tier Steps Common Sources Reward Value (Avg)
Beginner 1-3 Low-level F2P monsters, skilling ~100-5k GP
Easy 2-4 H.A.M. members, goblins ~5k GP
Medium 3-5 Guards, eclectic implings ~10-50k GP
Hard 4-6 Hellhounds, Skotizo ~100k GP
Elite 5-7 Barrows, bosses ~200-500k GP
Master 6-8 Watson trade-in, other clues ~400k+ GP

Best Methods to Farm Beginner and Easy Clue Scrolls

Best Ways To Get Elite Clue Scrolls Farming Clue Scrolls 2

For newer players or those in F2P, beginner and easy clue scrolls are the perfect starting point. They’re quick to obtain and complete, with minimal requirements.

Farming Beginner Clue Scrolls

Beginner clue scrolls are exclusive to low-level F2P monsters and skilling activities. Here’s how to farm them:

  • Kill Low-Level Monsters: Goblins, cows, and chickens drop beginner clues at a 1/64 rate. Head to Lumbridge or the Goblin Village for easy kills.
  • Skilling Drops: Fishing (clue bottles), mining (clue geodes), and woodcutting (clue nests) offer a chance at beginner clues. Higher skill levels boost drop rates—think Rune ore over Copper.
  • Impling Jars: Baby (1/50) and young (1/25) implings can be bought on the Grand Exchange (GE) and opened for clues, though this is costly for F2P rewards.

Farming Easy Clue Scrolls

Easy clues are members-only and slightly trickier but still beginner-friendly. Try these methods:

  • Pickpocket H.A.M. Members: In Lumbridge, H.A.M. members drop easy clues at a 1/50 rate. Wear H.A.M. robes to reduce kick-out chances.
  • Kill Thugs in Wilderness: With a Ring of Wealth (i), thugs in Edgeville Dungeon drop easy clues at 1/64. Be cautious of PKers!
  • Gourmet Implings: Buy and open gourmet impling jars (1/25 drop rate) for a fast but pricey method.

Efficient Farming for Medium and Hard Clue Scrolls

Moving up the tiers, medium and hard clue scrolls offer better rewards and require more effort. These methods suit mid-level players with some combat or skilling prowess.

Farming Medium Clue Scrolls

Medium clues introduce coordinate clues and light combat. Here’s how to farm them:

  • Kill Falador Guards: After the Falador Medium Diary, guards drop medium clues at 1/106. Use a cannon for faster kills.
  • Eclectic Implings: Catch them in Puro-Puro or buy jars (1/25 drop rate). They’re cost-effective due to ranger boots potential.
  • Scurrius: The rat boss in Varrock Sewers drops medium clues at 1/25—great for mid-level combat training.

Farming Hard Clue Scrolls

Hard clues bring Wilderness risks and bigger payouts. These are the top methods:

  • Hellhounds in Wilderness: With a Ring of Wealth (i), hellhounds drop hard clues at 1/32 in the Wilderness Slayer Cave. Use a cannon and prayer gear (e.g., Initiate) for efficiency.
  • Skotizo: This boss has a 100% hard clue drop rate but requires a Dark Totem (assembled from Catacombs drops). Farm totem pieces from low-HP monsters like skeletons (1/478 rate).
  • Magpie Implings: Open magpie jars (1/50 drop rate) for a quick but expensive option.

Advanced Techniques for Elite and Master Clue Scrolls

For high-level players chasing the rarest loot, elite and master clue scrolls are the goal. These methods demand skill, gear, and patience.

Farming Elite Clue Scrolls

Elite clues often involve bossing or high-risk areas. Here’s how to get them:

  • Barrows Runs: Killing all six brothers gives a 1/33 chance per chest. Stack runs for profit and clues.
  • Skotizo (Again): Alongside its 100% hard clue drop, Skotizo offers a 1/5 elite clue chance—double-dip potential!
  • Bosses like Zulrah or Vorkath: Zulrah (1/75) and Vorkath (1/65) drop elite clues. High combat stats and gear are needed.

Farming Master Clue Scrolls

Master clues are unique—they’re not dropped directly but earned through other clues or trading in scrolls:

  • Trade with Watson: Bring one of each lower tier (easy, medium, hard, elite) to Watson in Hosidius for a master clue.
  • Lower-Tier Rewards: Completing easy (1/50), medium (1/30), hard (1/15), or elite (1/5) clues can yield a master clue.
  • Stacking Strategy: Farm lower tiers in bulk, then roll for masters to maximize efficiency.

Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Clue Scroll Farming

To make your clue scroll farming as smooth as possible, here are some pro tips to boost efficiency and profits:

Gear and Inventory Setup

Optimize your loadout based on your method:

  • Combat: Use multi-target abilities (e.g., Chain, Dragon Breath) for monster farming. Bring a cannon where applicable.
  • Wilderness: Limit risk—wear cheap prayer gear and carry only essentials (e.g., food, teleport).
  • Implings: Stockpile jars and open them in bulk near a bank for speed.

Leveraging Updates and Mechanics

OSRS updates have made farming easier:

  • Drop Trick: Drop a clue scroll to pick up another without completing it. They stay on the ground for an hour in low Wilderness or safe areas.
  • Ring of Wealth (i): Boosts clue drop rates in Wilderness (e.g., 1/64 to 1/32 for hellhounds).
  • Combat Achievements: Completing easy, medium, hard, or elite tiers boosts respective clue drop rates by 5%.

Profit and Efficiency Hacks

Turn your farming into a goldmine:

  • Bank Clues: Store extras in your bank—one per tier allowed since the 2015 update.
  • Sell High-Value Implings: Dragon implings (elite clues) are better sold than opened due to their GE value.
  • Combine Activities: Farm hellhounds for clues and prayer XP, or Barrows for clues and gear.

Farming clue scrolls in OSRS is a rewarding journey, whether you’re a F2P newbie killing goblins or a maxed player tackling Skotizo. Pick a method that fits your playstyle—budget-friendly monster slaying, fast-paced impling jar openings, or high-stakes bossing—and watch the caskets roll in. With this guide, you’re equipped to hunt down every tier of clue scroll and claim Gielinor’s treasures. Happy hunting!