The Archaeology update was one of the biggest releases ever to grace RuneScape, which introduced a new gathering skill that allowed players to excavate and restore artifacts. This profession provides players with several essential features to help them in their RuneScape playthrough. This guide will help you reach level 99, so you can grind to 120 immediately.
Why You Should Get Archaeology
It might be apparent to few players what they will get from doing this specific profession. However, this life skill has some of the most significant advantages in the game and can be accessed by gamers. Here are some of the core reasons why you should get Archaeology:
- Skilling Off-hands
- Relic Powers
Two of the four craftable Skilling Off-hands available in the game require level 102 Archaeology to be created. The Artificer's measure provides bonuses to Crafting and Construction, and the Orthen Furnace Core gives buffs to Firemaking and Smithing. If you are involved in these four professions, you must level up your Archaeology to craft the corresponding Skilling Off-hand.
Access to Relic Powers is the main boon of investing in Archaeology. These bonuses provide significant boosts to your character stats that can help you in various situations. The powers obtained from Monoliths can significantly improve your skilling or bossing activities, and these buffs are only accessible if you have enough Chronotes and the required relic. Since you can have up to three powers simultaneously, ensuring you have access to the best ones will be in your best interests.
Core Features of Archaeology
Now that you know how significant Archaeology is, you can start your journey into becoming one, but you must understand how this profession works. The whole process has three steps, but only two are needed. Here are all the activities involved in Archaeology:
Excavating
This step is the primary step in Excavating. This is trying to salvage buried items by identifying the soil type, looking for a hotspot, finding materials to repair treasures, and recovering artifacts. Most of your Archaeology tools will be mainly used in this process, so you should aim to get the best equipment for this step.
Screening
This is an optional step in Archaeology but provides worthwhile rewards. During or after Excavating the hotspots, you could screen the soil to see if you missed any more loot. This is a good way of gaining materials for repairing artifacts. However, since this is not required, you can skip this part to go straight to Repairing.
Repairing
This step is where you attempt to repair artifacts you have collected from Excavating or Screening, and it is also where the bulk of your experience will come from. You will need suitable materials to fix these items, which is more challenging than it looks. You will be spending the majority of your time looking for enough components to repair the artifacts you recovered. After fixing the relics, you can turn them over to certain NPCs to get Chronotes, which you can exchange for various offers.
Getting to Level 99
Once you've gotten the core activities down, it is time to start grinding your levels. Before training in Archaeology, you must finish this profession's tutorial quest. It would help if you looked for Acting Guildmaster Reiniger, who can be found at the Archaeology Campus East of Varrock. She will provide you with essential tools, such as a Bronze Mattock, before she sends you to a series of quests. By the end of the tutorial, you will be recognized as an Intern for this profession.
After you finish the tutorial, you will travel to different locations to start Excavating. Players must spend a lot of time in other places at each level bracket. Here is how you progress from level 1 to 99:
Varrock Digsite (Level 1 to 5)
This zone is where you will complete your tutorial for Archeology. Finishing the whole guide quests will get you to level 5. After reaching this first milestone, you will be automatically moved to the Kharid-et in the Al-Kharid region. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Centurion's dress sword
Venator Remains in Kharid-et (Levels 5 to 12)
When you reach this area, you start excavating wherever possible. By level 10, you should be able to start digging out debris preventing you from accessing the doorway to more dig sites in Karid-et. Once you have unlocked the entrance, interact with Dr. Nabanik to obtain a jewel you need to repair. Finish excavating the door until you can place the gem on it, which should yield enough experience for you to reach level 12. If you need more experience, you should spend more time excavating nearby. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Venator Dager
- Damaged Light Crossbow
Legionary Remains in Kharid-et (Level 12 to 17)
After reaching level 12, you should proceed to the Legionary Remains and excavate there until you get 17. Make sure you have talked to Liam before you dig so that you can start collecting journal pages. The prison door next to this NPC requires four pages to be unlocked, leading to future excavation areas that you will work on. Once you have collected all the necessary items and got the broken dial from Liam, you must hit the following order to open the door: Shadow > Blood > Smoke > Ice. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Legionary Gladius
- Damaged Square Shield
- Damaged Primis Elementis Standard
Castra Debris in Kharid-et (Level 17 to 20)
By level 17, you should have access to another section of the Kharid-et dig site. The Castra Debris is just outside where you were grinding from rank 12. Continue to excavate in this area until you unlock the Infernal Source after reaching level 20. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Zaros Effigy
- Damaged Zarosian Training Dummy
Lodge Bar Storage in Infernal Source (Levels 20 to 24)
When you unlock the Infernal Source, a cutscene will occur, giving you access to the area. After the cinematic, head to the lift and down to the Lodge Bar Storage, which will be on your right. Continue to dig in this area until you reach 24. Make sure to hit chests because they can drop XP books, a Goldrune, and some Broken Dagon crest. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Hookah Pipe
- Damaged Zarosian Training Dummy
- Damaged Crest of Dagon
- Damaged 'Disorder' Painting
Administratum Debris in Kharid-et (Level 25 to 29)
Getting into this area will boost the experience you receive, but you should only move to this spot when you have obtained the necessary materials from the Lodge Bar Storage. You will need four Dagon Crests that you receive from the level 20 zone in Infernal Source to access the rank 29 area later. If you were blessed with RNG and got four Dagon Crests before hitting 29, you can farm in the Administratum until you reach the next milestone. If you weren't lucky enough to find four crests after getting level 25, you should stay in the Lodge Bar Storage and continue to look for them. Even if you get 29, only leave once you find all of them. Here are Artefacts you can see in this area:
- Damaged Legatus Maximus Figurine
- Damaged 'Solem in Umbra' Painting
Cultist Footlocker in Infernal Source (Levels 29 to 36)
After reaching level 29, ensure you have unlocked the entrance to the next area in the Infernal Source. You must use 4 Dagon Crests to open the passage by placing them on the fireplace. This will open the route downwards to the Cultist Footlocker, where you should grind until you reach 36. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Greater Demon Mask
- Damaged Imp Mask
- Damaged Lesser Demon Mask
Sacrificial Altar in Infernal Source (Levels 36 to 42)
After reaching level 36, you should start excavating at the Sacrificial Altar near the area you arrived at when you entered the fireplace. Your aim here is to get 42 and to collect four Cultist Diary journal pages, which you will need for the Embrace the Chaos mystery. There will be a ritual circle north of the Cultist Footlocker where you must perform a ceremony, which will open a portal to another zone. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Order of Dis Robes
- Damaged Ritual Dagger
Get Assistant Qualification
After reaching level 42, you should have satisfied all the requirements to gain an Assistant Qualification. Make sure to unlock this title first because it will allow you access to Researchers. These units can be sent out on missions to gain rewards. You can also start Researching particular objects of interest to accomplish specific tasks, yielding high EXP.
Make sure that you have sent your Researchers out for quests for a total of 24 hours. In addition, you should have completed five mysteries and five logs in preparation for the Associate Qualification step.
Prodomoi Remain in Everlight (Level 42 to 45)
At this level, you will finally unlock the Everlight site. You must continuously excavate in this area until you reach level 45. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged 'Frying Pan'
- Damaged Hallowed Lantern
Dis Dungeon Debris in Infernal Source (Level 45 to 47)
After reaching 45, you must return to the Infernal Source and excavate in the Dis Dungeon Debris area. This site will provide you with enough experience to get 48 quickly. Here are Artefacts you can find in this area:
- Damaged Branding Iron
- Damaged Manacles
Praesidio Remains in Kharid-et (Level 47 to 48)
By level 47, you must return to the Kharid-et and excavate in the Praesidio Remains, which you unlocked earlier by obtaining four Custodian's Log pages. In this area, you will need to farm to 48 and find a spare pendant, which you will need to access the level 58 zone in Kharid-et. Here are Artefacts you can see in this area:
- Damaged Ancient Timepiece
- Damaged Legatus Pendant