Difficulty:
Intermediate
Length:
Long
Quest Requirements:
Druidic Ritual (for the Herblore skill)
Skill/Other Requirements:
25 Thieving
10 Agility
10 Herblore
Items Needed at Quest Start:
Cup of tea, Pestle and mortar, 2 Ropes, Vial, Tinderbox, Uncut opal or Cut opal, Charcoal (obtainable during quest), Leather gloves, and Leather boots (wear gloves and boots at all times).
Items Needed to Complete Quest:
None.
Items Recommended for Quest:
Varrock and Digsite teleport methods.
Items Acquired During Quest:
Unstamped letter, Sealed letter, Animal skull, Specimen brush, Panning tray, Special cup, Teddy, Level 1 certificate, Trowel, Level 2 certificate, Level 3 certificate, Ancient talisman, Invitation letter, Book on chemicals, Specimen jar, Chest key, Chemical powder, Unidentified liquid, Charcoal, Ground charcoal, Ammonium nitrate, Nitroglycerin, Arcenia root, Mixed chemicals, Chemical compound, Vial, and a Stone tablet.
Quest Points:
2
Reward:
2 Gold Bars, 2,000 Herblore Experience, 15,300 Mining Experience, Ability to do Varrock Museum specimen cleaning to obtain a Digsite pendant, and Ability to create a Digsite pendant by using the Enchant Level 3 Jewellery spell on a Ruby necklace.

Extra: Show the Curator all Digging Certificates and you can choose between a free Snack (Chocolate Cake) or a Drink (Fruit Blast Cocktail).
Start Point:
All the way southeast of Varrock, (just north of Scorpion Pit mine) Go through gate, head east into building with red floor and talk to Examiners.
To Start:
Talk to an Examiner.
Instructions:
  1. Ask any of the Examiners at the Exam Centre, southeast of Varrock, if you can take the Earth Sciences exam. The Examiner will tell you that in order to be allowed to take the exam, you must get an Unstamped letter signed by Curator Haig Halen in Varrock.

    Step 1

  2. Take the Unstamped letter to the Curator Haig Halen at the museum in Varrock, north of the east bank. He will sign it and give you a Sealed letter, which you must return to any of the Examiners. Before leaving, go to clothes shop next to the general store and buy boots and gloves if you don't already have them and wear them.

    Step 2

  3. Go back to the Examiner and give her the Stamped certificate of recommendation, when you take the exam, you will fail no matter your answers. Follow the main road north until you come to two wooden walkways, take the northeast one to the top of the hill Next to the large urn are two bushes. Search the bush to the east for a Teddy.

    Step 3

  4. Continue following the walkway to the bottom of the hill. Take the panning tray from inside the large tent.

    Step 4

  5. Go southeast from the tent to the stream and use the panning tray on the panning points. Try to pan and the worker should ask you for a cup of tea. Give it to him and pan until you get a Special Cup and an opal, if you didn't bring one with you.

    Step 5

  6. Go northwest of the panning points to the dig area and pickpocket the workman until you get a Animal Skull and 2 ropes (unless you brought the ropes with you already) and a Specimen brush.

    Note: You can also get this rock sample by opening and searching the chest east of the examiners.

    Step 6

  7. Talk to a student in a green shirt, just north of the workman and he will take the Animal Skull and give you the following exam answer (*1). A bit north, talk to a male student in an orange shirt. He will take the Special Cup and give this answer (*2).Just a bit northwest of here, talk to a female student in a purple shirt. She will take the Teddy and give this answer (*3).

    1. The study of Earth sciences is the study of the Earth, its contents and history.

    2. The eligible people to use the digsite are all that have passed the appropriate earth sciences exam.

    3. The proper health and safety points are gloves and boots to be worn at all times, proper tools must be used.

      Step 7

  8. Go back to the Examiner and take the exam. (Note that the correct answers will not be offered until you have spoken to all 3 students and done what they have asked; there are no shortcuts in this quest!) She will give you a Level one certificate and a Trowel for completing the first of 3 exams. When you lose your trowel, you can get another one by asking the examiners for another one; or you can pickpocket a Digsite workman. You can take the certificate to the Curator at the museum for safekeeping or you can hold onto it until you get all three and then take them to him.

    Step 8

  9. Just like before, take the second exam and you will fail no matter what. Go speak to the students again to get the answers to the second exam. The green shirt student tells you correct rockpick usage (*1). The orange shirt student tells of correct sample transportation (*2). The purple shirt student explains finds handling (*3). You can take the certificate to the curator at the museum for safekeeping or you can hold onto it until you get all three and then take them to him.

    1. Always handle with care, strike the rock cleanly on its cleaving point.

    2. Samples taken in rough form, kept only in sealed containers.

    3. Finds must be carefully handled, and gloves worn. You will get a certificate for completing the second exam.

    Step 9

  10. Take the third and final exam, just like last time you will yet again fail no matter the answers. Go speak to the students again to get the answers to the third exam. The female student will ask for a opal in exchange for her help. Specimen brush use (*1). Proper technique for handling bones (*2). Sample preparation (*3). Take her answer and the guy's answers and go to the Examiner and take the third exam. You will get a certificate for completing the third exam. You now have graduated and can dig anywhere in the dig site. Take your certificate to the curator in the Varrock museum and you either get a Chocolate Cake or Fruit Blast as a reward for graduating.

    1. Brush carefully and slowly using short strokes.

    2. Handle bones carefully, and keep away from other samples.

    3. Samples cleaned and carried only in specimen jars.

    Step 10

  11. Go back to the Dig site and go to the northeast corner of the dig site (past a winch that you will use later) near the level 3 area with the buried skeleton. Search the sacks and find the Specimen jar.

    Step 11

  12. Go to the northeast corner to the level 3 area with the buried skeleton and use the Trowel on the soil until you find a Zaros Talisman. Next use the Talisman on the Archaeological expert (near the Examiner); he will reward you for your keen eye with a scroll saying you can use his personal mine shaft (which is the winch next to the area you got the Talisman from).

    Step 12

  13. Return to the digsite and use the letter with a workman. He will allow you to enter the shafts. Go to the northwest corner, then go south one level (sign reads level 2 digs only) to the area with the winch. Operate the winch and you'll be told you need something to help the bucket reach the bottom. Use the rope with the winch and operate it to lower yourself to the bottom. Take an Arcenia root and climb back to the surface.

    Step 13

  14. Go back to the tents. Search the specimen tray outside of the tent where you found the panning tray until you find Charcoal. Use Pestle and mortar on the charcoal to get another ingredient for the bomb.

    Step 14

  15. Go west of the tent where you got the panning tray; you will find 3 barrels. Use the Trowel on th one with the skull. Use the empty Vial on the skulled barrel to get an orange unidentified liquid.
    DO NOT drop the vial! You will take from 20 to 36 damage!

    Step 15

  16. Take vial and use it on Archeological expert (by the Examiner) to get it identified as Nitroglycerin.

  17. Search the bookshelves in the Examiner's room and find the Book on chemicals. Read this book. It has the ingredients to make a bomb you will need later on. Search the cupboard to find the Rock pick (Rock pick is not needed to complete the quest).

  18. Head to the winch in the northwestern area of the Digsite, near the Student dressed in purple. Climb down the rope and search the nearby bricks.

    Step 18

  19. Go back up to the surface and to the winch to the northeast. Attach the remaining Rope to the winch and climb down the rope into a small cave. Ask Doug Deeping, wandering around in the cave, how the rocks can be cleared. He will give you a Chest key and suggests that you blow the bricks up. Doug also refers to a former colleague who discovered what chemicals to use, but was scared away by his findings down the other shaft.

  20. Go to the tent where you got the panning tray. Use the Chest key on the locked chest and you'll receive an unidentified white chemical powder. Take the unidentified powder to the Archeological expert to get it identified as Ammonium nitrate.

    Step 19

  21. Go back to the Digsite and go back down the north west winch. Prepare yourself an explosive compound:
    1. Use the Ammonium nitrate on Nitroglycerin.
    2. Use Ground charcoal on the mixture
    3. Finally use the Arcenia root on the mixture.
    You now have an explosive compound.

  22. Go to the south fork and use the explosive compound on the bricks blocking the way. Then light the brick with your Tinderbox. Once the path has been cleared, go straight ahead and get the Stone tablet in the middle of the room (beware of the Skeletons in this room if you are a low level).

    Step 21

  23. Take the Stone tablet back to the Archeological expert to complete the quest and get your reward.

    Congratulations! Quest complete!

    Quest Complete

This Old School Quest Guide was written by Elyria1. Thanks to reigndragon, tortoisesr, Samurai5911, Raggs, Ghoulies, whitey21, Canada Eh895, havfunonline, Chaosblade77, Maverick2283, Arnar A, evilishies, FunkyMetal, king chazo, stormer, kevin rigby, Nitr021, ya sissy jrr, Ascalon70, The_pokemon_nerd, aaron0791, High Vortex, Nashandraa, x Jozhua x, Davids Biach, Jarkur, After Nine, Teekio, Stary Cat, TwentyBanana, and Rooskii for corrections.
This Old School Quest Guide was entered into the database on Wed, Jun 09, 2004, at 12:23:34 PM by Pirate Bob49 and CJH, and it was last updated on Wed, May 03, 2017, at 01:28:41 AM by Rooskii.

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