OSRS Ultimate Barrows Guide | Rpgstash

There are lots of challenges that you can partake in in Old School Runescape. Just the Ironman run alone is enough to give you your fair share of struggles and achievements in the game. However, if you want some of the toughest that the game has to offer, try the Barrows.

This particular challenge has pushed OSRS players to their limits for years. The rewards are great but the journey to get to those rewards isn't going to be easy. With this OSRS Barrows guide, you're going to understand the most important aspects of making this run successful for your account. All you need next is to gather your loot at the end.

What is OSRS Barrows?

The Barrows are a series of six burial mounds located on the east side of Mort'ton. As per the game's lore, this is where the Barrows brothers were buried after their demise during the Third Age. Gameplay-wise, the Barrows are a series of minigame-like dungeon-delving areas wherein the main goal is to get the chest at the center of the tunnels underneath the crypts.

As the player, you can try to rob valuable items from the crypts. However, there are various wights that dwell in the barrows and are tasked with protecting the treasures. That said, the main brunt of the challenge lies in surviving the onslaught of wights, to get the treasures that await.

The Barrows is a popular challenge mainly because of the valuable rewards from the crypts. One of the best rewards is the Barrows equipment but there are always better and better rewards for killing more monsters in the challenge. The rewards are more than enough to carry you well into the endgame of OSRS. We will talk about the rewards later on.

How to Get to The OSRS Barrows

There are a few ways to get to the Barrows so getting to the area shouldn't be that difficult once you achieve the prerequisites which we'll talk about later. The travel methods below are going to be listed from fastest to slowest. Still, you should choose the one that works best for you.

1. You can cast Barrows Teleport from the Arceuus spellbook. This will require 83 Magic and at least 60% Arceuus favor. You can also use the Barrows teleport tablet and portal to get yourself immediately transferred beside the entrance.
2. If you're not on an Ironman run, you can get to a player-owned house on a house party world that has a portal nexus. This is a quick and cheap way to get to OSRS Barrows.
3. You can use the Mort'ton teleport scroll to get to the area. Once the teleport is done, run to the east to get to the Barrows.
4. With the Grouping interface, you can teleport to Shades of Mort'ton. This requires you to beat the Shades of Mort'ton quest though. The method itself is free and doesn't require anything on your end. However, you'll need to wait for 20-minutes between uses.
5. If you have Drakan's medallion, you can use it to get to Ver Sinhaza. Once there, leave through the western door and then run southwest to board the boat to Burgh de Rott. Head north through Mort'ton to get to Barrows. You also need to beat the A Taste of Hope quest for this.
6. You can also use the Kharyrll Teleport but you'll need to beat the Desert Treasure I quest first. This will get you to Canifis. From there, you can get to the Myreque Hideout. Head to the south of the pub and then run south to get to the rope bridge. Continue running south until you get to the Swamp Boaty. From there, use the travel option to get to Mort'ton and then run east from there.
7. You can use the fairy ring code BKR and then run south-east until you reach Swamp Boaty. From there, use the travel option to get to Mort'ton and run east until you get to the Barrows.
8. At 50 Agility, you can also use the fairy ring code BIP, and then go east and south to get through Mort'ton.
9. From Canifis, run east and then south through the swamp. You'll then need to turn east and head to the northmost hunter spot. Loop around to the other nearby hunter spot, and then run southwest to the swamp exit.

OSRS Barrows Quest Requirements

While getting the Barrows is easy enough, there are a few quests that you need to do first before you can actually try out the challenge. While not exactly necessary, most of the quests here are going to be vital if you want to make your Barrows run much easier. Here's a list of the quests that you need to do.

1. Partial completion of Fairytale II - Cure a Queen so that you have access to fairy rings for quick teleports.
2. Full completion of Animal Magnetism so that you can use Ava's device.
3. Full completion of Shades of Mort'ton so that you can access the Shades of Mort'ton minigame teleport.
4. Full completion of In Search of the Myreque for the Myreque Hideout shortcut to get to Canifis from The Hollows.
5. Full completion of Making Friends with my Arm so that you can build a fire of dehumidification in the fire pit in the swamp. This can help negate the effects of the ghasts.
6. Full completion of In Aid of the Myreque so that you have full access to the bank in Burth de Rott.
7. Full completion of Underground Pass so that you can access Iban's staff just in case you don't have trident of the swamp or trident of the seas on your account.
8. Full completion of His Faithful Servants miniquest so that you have access to the Crypt map, letting you navigate the crypt area in the Barrows much easier.
9. Full completion of the Morytania Hard Diary so that you can have unlimited teleports to Burgh de Rott. You can also get 50% more runes from every chest that you open at the Barrows.

10. Must've claimed the medium tier rewards from the Combat Achievements system from the Ghommal's hilt 2 or higher. This can help prevent the Prayer-draining effect inside the Barrows.

OSRS Barrows Skill Requirements

Being the challenge that it is, you're going to need the right Skill levels for the Barrows too. These Skill levels are mostly based on what type of gear you might need to bring inside the Crypts. Again, these aren't necessary but it will make your Barrows run feel a lot easier.

OSRS Barrows Strategy Guide

With the prep work done, the next step would be to take on the challenge itself. It's going to be one of the toughest challenges in the game but given that you have the right equipment, skills, and strategy, it's going to feel like a walk in the park.

The Crypts

The layout of the Barrows is pretty simple. It's a large map with the above-ground portion featuring six burial mounds inside a stone fence. Each of the brutal mounds represents one of the Barrows. If you use a spade on top of the mound, you'll land inside the crypt.

• Ahrim's mound is located in the center.
• Dharok's mound is located northeast
• Guthan's mound is located southeast
• Karil's mound is located south
• Torag's mound is located southwest
• Verac's mound is located northwest

Once you're under the crypt, you'll need to search the sarcophagi inside. Doing so will spawn one of the Barrows brothers too. The goal is to kill each of the Barrows brothers to get their equipment in the rewards chest. Once you've done that, you can use the staircases to exit the crypts and then move towards another mound. It's a rinse-and-repeat process that's easier said than done.

Exploring the crypts, you might stumble upon a sarcophagus that leads to a secret passage leading to the Barrows tunnels beneath, where the prized Barrows rewards chest awaits. The crypt granting entry to these tunnels varies with each visit, adding an element of unpredictability to the adventure. If you chance upon this crypt before vanquishing all five brothers, it's advisable to proceed and defeat the remaining siblings unless you have a specific target in mind for their equipment.

To put it simply, it's no use trying to memorize how the map looks as with each visit, you'll be greeted with an entirely different layout. It's much better to prepare yourself by understanding how to beat each of the enemies inside the mounds rather than memorizing the entire map.

To traverse these tunnels, you'll need to navigate a series of doors, but caution is warranted. Opening any of these doors triggers the appearance of a foe, presenting a 12/128 chance of encountering a Barrows brother, 52/128 chance of facing a formidable skeleton, 32/128 chance of a bloodworm, and another 32/128 chance of a crypt rat crossing your path. Notably, some doors remain inaccessible, prompting players to discern the correct path to the central chamber housing the coveted rewards chest. When attempting to open a door leading to a room already populated by eleven or more enemies, the attempt will yield no new spawns.

If you're equipped with the Strange Old Lockpick, there exists a shortcut to bypass the capricious twists of fate within the tunnels. By using the lockpick, you can easily progress to the central room, expediting your trip. However, this convenience comes at the price of a charge each time a locked door is crossed. Given that maximizing rewards involves facing these monsters, employing the lockpick is generally discouraged unless speed takes precedence over loot acquisition.

Fighting The Barrows

The fight with each of the Barrows is arguably the most challenging of the Barrows challenge. To give you an idea of what you need to prepare for this fight, refer to this table to see what the attack style and vulnerability of each of the Barrows is.

Only Ahrim is the brother who isn't vulnerable to Magic. You'll have to deal with him using Ranged and melee attacks. Since the Barrows isn't a gauntlet-type challenge, you can easily fight each brother one at a time. It's safe to say that preparing your Magic skills is very important to beat this challenge.

Alongside the brothers are a variety of creatures that you'll have to face off with as well. The good news is that they aren't as dangerous as the brothers themselves but of course, it's easy to get overwhelmed if you're going up against a mob full of these weaker creatures.

While inside the crypts, you'll occasionally see one of the brothers' faces. This might seem like just a scare tactic but it can also drain a considerable amount of Prayer points every 18 seconds. The amount you get drained of starts at eight Prayer points and it increases for each of the brothers killed. In total, you can expect to get drained of 14 Prayer points with all brothers killed.

Aside from the equipment above which prevents this from happening, we also suggest speeding up your kills to minimize the time you have to spend inside the crypts. The faster you are below, the more chances you have at getting huge rewards at the end of each challenge.

If you plan on using combat-boosting Prayers like Mystic Might, know that it will only give you the boost you need if your Magic attack is too low to hit the brothers consistently. Such buffs will only increase your magical accuracy and not the damage itself.

When going up against Ahrim, make sure to use Ranged attacks to speed up kills. Partner this with prayers like Eagle Eye, Rigour, Chivalry, Piety, and Incredible Reflexes will be very effective. Since Ahrim is the only brother with a weakness to Ranged and melee attacks, he's the only one you need to face with a different strategy.

Using Protection Prayers is also recommended as compared to consuming food. This gives you more time to deal damage as opposed to wasting it while you're healing yourself. Remember, the longer you stay inside the crypt, the more your Prayer is going to get drained. Only eat your food and drink your Prayer potions while you're above ground so that you don't waste any time below.

Best Rotation For Barrows

Don't just go on and kill the brothers in any order on your Barrows run. The right rotation or pattern in killing the Barrows brothers will result in the most efficient way to the armor sets and the easiest way to get everything you need out of the crypts with minimal risk.

• Dharok Karil, Verac, and Ahrim all have high accuracy, thus resulting in very damaging hits. Dharok is the most dangerous to fight without Protection Prayers. Verac on the other hand, has a 25% probability of hitting you for Praying doesn't do a lot to mitigate the damage. Guthan and Torag can deal less damage if you have a high enough defense. That said, it's best to go after every brother and then save Verac, Guthan, and Torag for last to keep your Protection Prayer properly managed. They can be tanked easily with good defense.
• That said, the best order to get them would be Dharok → Ahrim → Karil → Verac → Guthan → Torag. If you want a different order that's also safe, try Dharok → Guthan → Karil → Ahrim → Verac → Torag.
• If you're planning on using a toxic blowpipe to kill Ahrim, kill Verac before him and then heal back some hit points so that you can use the blowpipe's special attack once again.
• All things considered, if you want the fastest rotation possible, you'll have to go with Dharok → Ahrim → Verac → Torag → Karil → Guthan. This gives you an average time of 32 game ticks or 19.2 seconds of travel time when running in between the brothers. When walking, you're looking at 66 game ticks or 39.6 seconds instead.

Of course, you can do the rotation in any way that you want. It's all going to depend on how you're planning to equip yourself for the fights ahead.

The Rewards For The Barrows

The sweetest reward of the Barrows challenge isn't the bragging rights for beating the brothers, that's just a bonus. The best reward of course is finding the pieces of the Barrows armor and weapon sets. Getting this loot requires even more planning though. The chances of you finding them are determined by the number of the Barrows brothers you've killed before opening the chest.

Obviously, the more you kill, the higher the chances. The other rewards will mainly consist of runes but that's going to be dependent on your reward potential too. A higher reward potential will give you even more expensive runes.

You can increase your reward potential simply by killing the Barrows brothers and the monsters that come with them inside the crypts. The increase in reward potential will depend on the combat level of the slain monster. Each of the Barrows will give you an extra 2 points for your rewards potential. In total, you can get at least 1,012 reward potential considering that there's a 1,000 cap on the monsters. You can refer to the table above to see how much you get for each of the monsters you slay.

Aside from the monsters, you'll also need to go through a door to get to the central room. Here, you'll need to complete a simple pattern puzzle. There are a total of four puzzles that you can be challenged with and it will change each time you try to go to the central door.

Getting the puzzle wrong will result in the doors and rooms within the tunnels to move around. What this means is that the exit ladder will be in a different room and every other door you opened will be in a different area as well. That means you'll need to look for the door to the central room once again since it will be in a different area.

Opening The Rewards Chest

Once you reach the central room and then open the chest, you'll have to fight the Barrows brother whose crypt you entered. They will immediately start attacking you if they didn't appear during your walk through the tunnels yet. Keep in mind that you don't need to beat the brother to loot the chest. If you can, you can loot the chest and then leave immediately.

However, since you get better rewards the more Barrows brothers you kill, it might be worth the trouble to get it done. Additionally, you cannot get the equipment of the Barrows if you don't kill them first.

Once you've looted the chest, the tunnels will shake and begin to collapse. This is your sign to quickly move since you're going to take damage as this happens. Similar to when you fail the puzzle at the door, the exit ladder and the doors will be moving to different locations as the tunnels shake.

To make matters worse, you have a chance of fighting the Barrows brothers you didn't face on that run in some of the doors that you open. The good news is that you don't need to exactly face them. Just escape and focus on getting to the exit as soon as you can. Killing the Barrows brothers as you escape won't count towards your reward potential in the next round.

After leaving the crypts, the Barrows will be reset. This means all brothers will be brought back to their crypts. Additionally, the location of the tunnels within the crypts and their layout will be randomized once again.

The next step would be to head to the bank to deposit your loot and heal. If you think you can do it, you can go do another run on a different brother this time around. Keep in mind that your progress is saved even if you log out or leave the area before opening the chest.

The Rewards In The Barrows

While there are many rewards to be acquired in the Barrows, it's no secret that the most important are the armor sets from the brothers themselves. Each of the sets is perfect for various combat situations, making them a must-have for all players. It's one of the reasons why people are willing to go through all of the trouble of completing the Barrows. Here are the sets you can get and what they do.

How to Maximize The Rewards In The Barrows?

Due to how the rewards potential system works, you'll need to carefully plan how you'll go about the Barrows to maximize the rewards you earn from it. This way, you're able to maximize the chances of getting the brother's set quickly, thus minimizing the amount of runs you'll have to do. Follow these tips to maximize the reward.

• It will be hard but to maximize the reward, you'll have to kill all six brothers. Every brother killed maximized the chance of getting Barrows equipment so do the hard work to make it easier on your end.
• Fully complete the Morytania Hard Diary to increase the amount of awarded runes you get from every chest that you open. It increases your rune gain by 50% so make sure to get it.
• The best way to maximize your Reward Potential is by capping your points at 880. This will show up as 86.8% in the game and this can maximize your rune gain while decreasing the chances of getting bolt racks, half keys, and dragon med helms which aren't your targets for this run. You can rack up 880 points by killing:

• 6 brothers, 1 giant crypt spider, 1 skeleton, and 1 crypt spider (880 points).
• 6 brothers, 1 giant crypt spider, 1 skeleton, and 1 bloodworm (876 points).
• 6 brothers, 2 skeletons and 1 crypt spider (878 points).
• 6 brothers, 2 skeletons and 1 bloodworm (874 points).
• 6 brothers, 3 bloodworms and 1 crypt spider (880 points).
• 6 brothers and 4 bloodworms (876 points).

Final Tips And Tricks For OSRS Barrows

To end, you'll need to prepare yourself immensely for the challenge ahead. If you want an easier time doing the Barrows, here are some final tips and tricks to consider.

1. Preparation is Key: Arm Yourself Strategically!

Before embarking on your journey to the Barrows, it's imperative to equip yourself with the finest gear you can afford. Tailor your gear based on the Barrows brothers' weaknesses and their minions. The sets you can get from the brothers are actually good to use inside the crypts but that means having to go through the challenges first.

Barrows is known for its intense battles, and preparing the right inventory is just as crucial as your gear. Ensure you carry an ample supply of prayer potions, emergency food items, and teleportation runes to swiftly escape if the need arises. Utilize the skill of Prayer flicking to conserve precious prayer points during intense battles.

The crypts aren't a timed challenge. Go through it at your leisure. If it's your first time exploring it, check out each of the common enemies and think of a good way to counter them.

2. Understanding the Barrows Brothers: Know Your Adversaries!

The Barrows brothers are six formidable foes, each possessing a unique combat style and distinct weaknesses. Understanding their weaknesses is essential to formulating a winning strategy:

• Dharok: Weak to Magic.
• Ahrim: Weak to Melee.
• Karil: Weak to Melee and Ranged.
• Guthan: Weak to Magic.
• Torag: Weak to Magic and Ranged.
• Verac: Weak to Magic and Ranged.

3. Facing the Minions: Beware the Support!

The Barrows brothers are not alone in the crypts; they are accompanied by their loyal minions. These minions can deal significant damage, making it crucial to eliminate them swiftly before focusing on the brothers. Utilize the 'Protect from Melee' prayer to mitigate their damage and proceed with a tactical approach.

4. Efficient Routing: Plan Your Path to Success!

To maximize efficiency, it's vital to optimize your route within the Barrows maze, minimizing the use of your prayer points. Familiarize yourself with the layout to reach each brother quickly, conserving your resources for the battles ahead.

While there are lots of opportunities to level up your combat skills inside the crypts, put your mind set on the goal to get to the center room and open the chest. You'll have a lot of opportunities to level up your skills later. The Barrows brothers are no pushovers themselves so you'll need all the health and resources that you need to stay alive when fighting them.

5. Prayer and Protection: Shields Up!

Prayer is your lifeline within the confines of Barrows. Activate the appropriate protection prayers based on the Barrows brother you're facing. Be vigilant and switch prayers promptly during fights to minimize incoming damage and increase your chances of survival.

Without the right gear, your Prayer points are going to dwindle down very quickly. As such, it's important to get the gear that prevents this from happening. Remember, the Prayer drain is only going to become worse over time so you'll need something to prevent a complete drain from happening.

6. Strategic Combat: Tactics for Triumph!

Adopt a strategic approach by focusing on one Barrows brother at a time. Dispatch them efficiently, and once defeated, shift your attention to the next adversary. Maintain a keen eye on your prayer points and health throughout to ensure a successful run through the crypts.

If you're having a hard time going through the crypts but you're already at a high enough level, consider switching up your gear as that may be what's causing the problem.

7. Don't Get Too Greedy And Bank Your Loot!

Inside, you may find an array of valuable loot, such as Barrows equipment, runes, and other riches. Teleporting after looting is always better than running through the maze again. This is why you must unlock the required teleports to have a smoother time.

It's always better to start freshening up after a Barrows run so that your health, Prayer points, supplies, and others are in the best condition possible.

8. Efficient Healing: Harness the Power of Guthan's Set Effect!

For those fortunate enough to possess Guthan's set, consider harnessing its unique set effect to heal during your Barrows runs. The special effect of the spear allows you to heal, reducing the need for excessive consumption of food items.

Of course, you'll need to get this from Guthan first. With that said, you should try to kill Guthan first so you have a shot at getting his set. This will help save you a lot of time inside the crypts as you no longer need to eat food to heal. This is one of the best sets in the game right now. Getting this first will make the rest of your Barrows run and the rest of OSRS feel like a breeze.

9. Practice and Patience: The Road to Mastery!

The Barrows may present a significant challenge at first, but remember that practice and patience are your greatest allies. Learn from each experience, adapt your strategies, and continuously upgrade your gear and techniques for triumphant Barrows runs.

Although each experience inside the Barrows is completely different due to the fact the crypts are randomized each time, you can still make things a lot easier on your end by understanding the right strategies to beat the monsters and to get the amazing loot in the center room.

Start Your Barrows Run Now!

The rewards that the Barrows hold are some of the best equipment sets that you can get in OSRS. The journey is obviously going to be hard but with this guide and the extra tips, running through the winding rooms and changing doors is going to be a lot easier on your end too. In time, you'll have the complete set of each of the brothers to bring with you as you journey deeper into OSRS.