Shield of Arrav

This quest has a quick guide.

It briefly summarises the steps needed to complete the quest.

This article is about the quest. For the shield itself, see Broken shield. For the book about the shield, see Book (Shield of Arrav).

Shield of Arrav (#6)
Released		4 January 2001 (Update)
Members		No
Quest series		None
Lead developer(s)		Greg V

Shield of Arrav is a quest where the shield of the famous Arrav of Avarrocka has been stolen by organised crime syndicates in Varrock.

Details

Start point	Varrock Palace library. Talk to Reldo, the librarian, located at the northern end of Varrock Castle. Show on map
Official difficulty	Novice
Official length	Short
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.
Requirements	A trustworthy friend or partner. Players can join the official chat-channel "OSRS SOA" to look for a partner.
Items required	Phoenix Gang: 20 coins Black Arm Gang: 2 Phoenix crossbows (obtained during the quest)
Recommended	10 Combat level
Enemies to defeat	Black Arm Gang: Weaponsmaster (level 23) Phoenix Gang: Jonny the beard (level 2)

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Setting up

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

• You need a member of the opposite gang to cooperate with you in order to complete this quest.
• Being a member of the Phoenix Gang is recommended if a player has lower combat levels.
• Being a member of the Black Arm Gang is recommended if you do not want to gain combat experience.
  • It is also much easier to find Phoenix Gang members via the official chat-channel OSRS SOA.
• If your partner has previously combined the two half pieces to create the complete certificate or has completed the quest, they cannot obtain the half piece of the shield from their gang hideout - which means certificates cannot be obtained from them. If your partner is from Phoenix Gang, they can help you acquire the key to the weapon store only.

To find a partner for the quest, it is recommended to check the official chat-channel OSRS SOA, which can be used for finding another partner for this quest, in addition to Heroes' Quest. It's recommended to put off joining a gang until you can find a partner!

Warning: Although the majority of players in the OSRS SoA chat-channel offer their services for free, some players also charge in-game money. Players should always be aware of the possibility of getting scammed when engaging in trust trades with other players.

Walkthrough

Shared starting

Items required: None.

Note: If you wish to join the Black Arm Gang, you can start the quest by simply talking to Charlie the Tramp and asking what is down the alley.

Talk to Reldo, located in Varrock's library, in Varrock Palace. Ask him for a quest, and he will tell you there is probably a book on something in the library. You have to now check the bookcase with a blue and white book in the top shelf. The bookcase is on the east side of the short bookcases in the middle of the room. 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, but he tells you to go to Baraek, the fur trader in Varrock Square, because he doesn't know.

At this stage, you can either join the Phoenix Gang or the Black Arm Gang. If you wish to join the Phoenix Gang, speak to Baraek. Otherwise, talk to Charlie the Tramp, next to the southern gate of Varrock.

Black Arm Gang

Items required: food and a weapon (both optional but recommended).

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 headquarters. 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 in the Phoenix Gang for this part of the quest. Your partner must give you the weapon store key they obtained when they joined the Phoenix Gang.

Once you have the key, go toward the Phoenix Gang's hideout in the south-east corner of Varrock between the two pubs. Look for a small room directly south of the rune shop with a locked door and a ladder visible inside. 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 the right half of the Shield of Arrav.

Note: If you are worried about the battle or if you do not want to gain combat experience, you can ask any player except your Phoenix Gang partner to kill the Weaponsmaster and trade the Phoenix crossbows to you. Then you can both enter the store room and have the other player kill the weaponmaster while you get the crossbows. In some cases, Phoenix members have been able to kill the Weaponsmaster, this can be done by having your partner from the Phoenix gang drop-trick the weapon store key while talking to Straven to get a duplicate, and have them give that key to you. Then you are both able to enter the room and have your partner kill the Weaponsmaster and you will safely be able to pick up the crossbows.

Phoenix Gang

Items required: 20 coins, and a weapon (optional but recommended).

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.

The hideout is near the south-east corner of Varrock between the two bars. 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.

Straven will want you to kill Jonny the beard (combat level 2). He is located in Varrock's Blue Moon Inn. This bar is located near the south entrance of Varrock. Go inside the bar and find Jonny the Beard and kill him. Note: Killing him with a ring of recoil won't make him drop anything.

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 retaliate 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 half at a time, and you cannot obtain it after completing the quest.

Finishing up

Items required: Broken shield.

Take your half of the shield to Curator Haig Halen, located in the Varrock Museum. He will take your half of the shield and give you two copies of half the certificate. Your partner, who has the other half of the Shield, will receive the other half of the certificate. Trade one half of the certificate with your partner for the other half. When you have both certificate halves, use them on the other to obtain a completed certificate. If completing the quest as an Ironman you must 'use' the key/certificate on each other.

Take the certificate to King Roald in Varrock Palace to receive your reward. Congratulations, quest complete!

Rewards

• 1 Quest point
• 600 coins
• Additional rewards, which members can claim, when talking with Historian Minas in the Varrock Museum
  • 5 Kudos
  • Antique lamp awarding 1,000xp in a skill of at least level 20

Required for completing

Completion of Shield of Arrav is required for the following:

• Heroes' Quest
• Defender of Varrock

Transcript

This article on a quest has an associated dialogue page. Click here for a transcript of possible conversations encountered throughout the quest.

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.
• 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 either by going into the weapon store and telekinetic grabbing them, or by killing the weaponsmaster and picking up the two crossbows. However, the crossbows must be traded to a Black Arm gang member in order to gain trust to Katrine.
• If collecting crossbows, they can respawn three times before the weaponsmaster does.
• 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.
• New player trade restrictions apply to quest items but it is still possible to trade the items by using them on the other player.
• The player who joined the Phoenix Gang will receive 2 left halves, and the player who joined the Black Arm Gang will receive 2 right halves.

Trivia

• Shield of Arrav was one of the 6 quests available during RuneScape's launch.
• Once a player finishes the quest, they can no longer take any halves of the shield from their storage places. However, players can still acquire the halves of the shield from other players (via trading, drops, or general stores).
• 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, entering the Phoenix Gang's headquarters required a separate key. This was later changed, and the key was removed from the game.
• The shield is currently on display (display number 24) at the Varrock Museum after you speak to the curator on the second floor and tell him how you recovered the shield for the museum.
• Before the shield is put onto display in the Varrock Museum, it mentions "King Roald has offered a 1,200 coins bounty for the reward of the shield and we keep this display case empty in the hopes it will one day be returned." However, King Roald rewards the adventurer only 600 coins for quest completion - half of the advertised offer from the display case. During the final dialogue it is mentioned that this is due to the fact that your partner gets the other half.
• Although it's possible to start the quest with a complete certificate, attempting to turn it in to King Roald yields him saying, "The name on this certificate isn't yours! I can't give you the reward unless you do the quest yourself!"
• It is possible to "start" the quest multiple times by starting the quest with Reldo and then asking Charlie the Tramp about the alleyway, or by repeatedly asking Charlie the Tramp about the alleyway. When doing this, the "Start the Shield of Arrav quest?" prompt will appear each time Charlie the Tramp talks about the Black Arm Gang, although this will not reset any progress the player has made in the quest.