Are you a RuneScape adventurer looking to delve into the ancient tombs of Barrows but worried about the cost? You’ve come to the right place! This Barrows Guide Osrs is designed to provide you with a budget-friendly strategy to conquer the Barrows Brothers and claim their valuable loot. Let’s get started with the basics of Barrows in Old School RuneScape.
Understanding Barrows in OSRS
Barrows is a minigame in Old School RuneScape where players explore six burial mounds, each housing a powerful Barrows Brother. Your objective is to descend into each tomb, defeat the brother within, and then loot a central chest for rewards. This chest can contain valuable runes, equipment pieces from the Barrows Brothers themselves, and other useful items. Barrows is a popular activity for both early and mid-level players due to its potential for profit and engaging combat.
Requirements to Start Your Barrows Journey
Before you can begin your Barrows adventure, you’ll need to meet a few essential requirements. These are aimed at ensuring you can survive the challenges within the tombs:
- 43 Prayer: This is crucial for protection prayers, which significantly reduce the damage taken from the Barrows Brothers.
- Priest in Peril Quest: Completion of this quest is necessary to access the Mort’ton swamp area where Barrows is located.
- Ghost’s Ahoy Quest: This quest isn’t strictly required but is highly recommended as it grants access to the Ectophial, a teleport item that makes reaching Barrows much faster.
- Combat Stats (50+ Recommended): While you can attempt Barrows with lower combat stats, having at least 50+ in Range, Magic, and Melee will make your runs significantly smoother and more efficient. Higher levels are always beneficial!
Getting to Barrows: Efficient Travel Methods
Reaching Barrows efficiently is key to maximizing your profits per hour. Here are the most common methods to get to Barrows in OSRS:
- Barrows Teleport Tablet: The fastest method, these tablets teleport you directly to the Barrows mounds. They can be purchased from other players or obtained as a rare drop from Barrows itself.
- Myreque Shortcut Route: If you don’t have teleport tablets, using the Myreque shortcut is a good alternative. This route involves navigating through Mort Myre swamp and using shortcuts unlocked during the “In Search of the Myreque” quest.
- Canafis Route: Another accessible route starts from Canafis. This path is longer than the Myreque shortcut but doesn’t require any quest unlocks beyond Priest in Peril. The image below illustrates this route:
Alt text: Map showing the route to Barrows from Canafis in Old School RuneScape, highlighting the path through the swamp.
Budget Gear Setup for Barrows OSRS
For a budget Barrows setup, we’ll focus on affordable and effective gear. While expensive items can speed up your runs, they are not necessary to start making profit at Barrows. Here’s a recommended gear list, prioritizing budget options while mentioning more expensive upgrades:
Helm:
- Farseer Helm: A great budget option providing both offensive and defensive stats.
- Upgrade: Mystic Hat
Amulet:
- Glory Amulet: Offers a good balance of stats and a useful teleport.
- Upgrade: Fury Amulet
Body Armour:
- Rune Platebody: Solid protection for a reasonable price.
- Proselyte Hauberk: Offers excellent prayer bonus, helpful for longer trips.
- Upgrade: Torag’s Platebody (for melee defense)
Leg Armour:
- Rune Platelegs: Matching leg protection to the platebody.
- Proselyte Platelegs: Similar prayer bonus benefit as the Proselyte Hauberk.
- Upgrade: Torag’s Platelegs (for melee defense)
Boots:
- Dragon Boots: Decent melee stats and readily available.
- Mystic Boots: If you opt for mystic robes, these boots provide magic attack bonus.
- Upgrade: Infinity Boots
Gloves:
- Recipe for Disaster Gloves: Your best gloves obtained from Recipe for Disaster quest progression (e.g., Adamant gloves, Rune gloves).
Shield/Off-hand:
- Unholy Book & Dragon Defender: A strong combination offering prayer bonus, accuracy, and defensive stats.
- Rune Defender: Budget-friendly alternative to the Dragon Defender.
Cape:
- Skillcape (t): If you have a level 99 skill, a Skillcape (trimmed) offers good stats and a teleport.
- God Cape: Obtained from the Mage Arena, provides magic attack bonus and prayer bonus.
- Ava’s Accumulator: Useful for range setups if you choose to use range at Barrows.
Ring:
- Ring of Life: A safety net in case you get into trouble.
- Ring of Dueling: For quick teleport to Castle Wars to reset prayer at an altar (or use Ectophial). Keep one in your inventory.
Arrow Slot:
- Holy Blessing: Provides a small prayer bonus.
- Arrows: Bring appropriate arrows if using a ranged weapon.
Weapons – Choose Based on Your Combat Style:
- Magic:
- Iban’s Staff (u): A powerful and cost-effective magic weapon for Barrows. Use Iban Blast spell (autocast recommended).
- Upgrade: Trident of the Seas
- Melee:
- Dragon Scimitar: A fast and accurate melee weapon. Requires Monkey Madness quest.
- Abyssal Whip: Faster and more accurate than Dragon Scimitar, but more expensive.
- Dragon Dagger (p++): Use as a special attack weapon for extra burst damage.
- Range:
- Magic Shortbow & Rune Arrows: A solid ranged option for a budget setup.
- Dorgeshuun Crossbow & Bone Bolts: Another budget range option, bone bolts are cheap and effective against the brothers.
Inventory Setup:
- Spade: Essential for digging into the Barrows mounds. (A spade spawn is available near the Barrows entrance shack if you forget).
- Food (4x Sharks Recommended): Take food for healing during your runs. Sharks are a good balance of healing and cost.
- Ectophial: For fast teleportation back to Mort’ton/Canifis after Barrows runs.
- Runes for Iban’s Blast (if using): Ensure you have runes for your chosen magic spells.
- Prayer Potions (4-6 doses): Prayer potions are crucial for maintaining prayer points during your Barrows trips. 4-dose potions are more cost-effective.
- Holy Wrench (Optional): If you have completed the Rum Deal quest, a Holy Wrench can slightly increase prayer restoration from potions.
- Barrows Teleport Tablets (Optional): If you have them, use them to start your runs faster.
- Ring of Dueling (Inventory): As mentioned before.
- Special Attack Weapon (Dragon Dagger p++): For quick bursts of damage.
With this inventory, you should be able to complete multiple Barrows runs before needing to restock.
Barrows Brothers Guide: Combat Strategies
Here’s a breakdown of each Barrows Brother, their attack style, recommended protection prayer, and combat strategy:
Barrows Brothers Order (Example Route): While the order is flexible, many players prefer this route:
- Dharok the Wretched
- Guthan the Infested
- Karil the Tainted
- Torag the Corrupted
- Verac the Defiled
- Ahrim the Blighted
Brother Breakdown:
| Brother | Attack Style | Protection Prayer | Weakness (Recommended Attack Style) | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dharok | Melee | Protect from Melee | Magic | Damage increases as his health decreases (BEWARE!) |
| Guthan | Melee | Protect from Melee | Magic | Chance to heal himself when hitting you |
| Karil | Range | Protect from Missiles | Melee/Range (Melee is often faster) | Lowers your Agility level |
| Torag | Melee | Protect from Melee | Magic | Chance to drain your run energy on hit |
| Verac | Melee | Protect from Melee | Magic | Attacks can hit through prayer (BEWARE!) |
| Ahrim | Magic | Protect from Magic | Range | Lowers your Strength and Attack levels |
General Combat Tips:
- Prayer is Key: Always use the correct protection prayer against each brother to minimize damage.
- Magic for Melee Brothers: Iban’s Blast is highly effective against Dharok, Guthan, Torag, and Verac.
- Range for Ahrim: Use your Magic Shortbow or Dorgeshuun Crossbow against Ahrim.
- Melee or Range for Karil: Karil is vulnerable to both, melee is often faster if you are comfortable getting close.
- Be Aware of Specials: Pay attention to the special abilities of Dharok and Verac, as they can be particularly dangerous.
Barrows Brothers Loot Mechanics
Tomb Exploration and Looting:
After defeating all six brothers (or five if one isn’t accessible in a given run – it’s randomized), head to the central tomb. Inside, you’ll navigate a maze-like crypt. Your goal is to reach the chest room in the center.
Crypt Puzzles and Monsters:
- Puzzles: You’ll encounter simple door puzzles in the crypt. Solve these to progress.
- Skeletons, Bloodworms, or Crypt Rats: To maximize your reward potential, you’ll need to kill additional monsters in the crypt. Killing 5 Skeletons, 7 Bloodworms, or 8 Crypt Rats will ensure you reach 100% reward potential after defeating all brothers. You can track your reward percentage in the top right corner of the game interface.
Looting the Chest:
Once you reach the chest room, be prepared! If you haven’t encountered the last remaining brother in the tombs, they will spawn when you open the chest. Defeat them and then loot the chest to claim your rewards. Teleport out quickly after looting as the tomb will collapse shortly after.
Conclusion: Barrows on a Budget in OSRS
Barrows is a fantastic activity in Old School RuneScape that can be profitable even with a budget setup. By following this barrows guide OSRS, you’ll be well-equipped to start your tomb raiding adventures. Remember to prioritize prayer, use the correct combat styles against each brother, and practice your routes for efficient runs. Good luck, and happy looting!
