Flash Powder Factory Guide



Skill Defence Logo The minigame (the factory) has been rated as Low Risk. Thieving the safes has ordinary Runescape risk as they randomly inflict damage. See the minigames page for a definition of high and low risk.
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Introduction

The Flash Powder Factory is an underground factory where your Agility, Thieving, and Herblore skills are put to the test. It is only accessible to members, via a trap door inside of the Pick and Lute Tavern, located in Taverley. The quickest way to reach the Flash Powder Factory is by running north of the Taverley Lodestone.

There are three men in the lobby area of the Factory. Brian O' Richard will let you into the factory. Emerald Benedict to the west will allow you to access your bank. Martin Thwait runs a lost and found store, selling rope, lockpicks, chisels, knives, throwing knives, and fighting claws. He will also sell the achievement cape to players with 99 Thieving.

FPF Shop

He also sells stethoscopes which can help to crack the safes in the middle of the entrance room. These safes can give uncut gems (up to diamond), 20 or 40gp, or else hit you for up to 60 damage. Cracking them will get you 70 Thieving XP. It is possible to die and lose your items, so keep an eye on your health. Thieving is not part of the safe factory minigame!

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The Factory

Speaking to Brian O' Richard will allow you to enter the Flash Powder Factory. You will need at least 75 Thieving, 75 Agility and 50 Herblore to enter the factory.

Flash Factory Map

Your goal in this minigame is to score points by creating as much flash powder as you can within fifteen minutes. This involves a relatively simple process: First, you need to fill your flasks with doses of reagent A and reagent B from their respective reagent machines within the factory. Once this is done, you need to mix them both together with a dose of catalytic powder in a mixer machine to create flash powder. Though this may sound rather straightforward at first, in practice it is much more tedious.

You can make use of the flashing arrows and status display to keep track of your progress and plan your route through the factory. The status display and its contents are explained below:

FPF Status
  • Time Remaining: How much time you have left in the factory.
  • Bonus charges: Your bonus modifier to your score from charge machines.
  • Reagents held: Keeps track of which reagents you have added to your flasks.
  • Catalyst held: The amount of catalytic powder in your inventory.
  • Apparatus: The number of refining apparatus in your inventory.
  • Score: Your score from creating flash powder.

Besides the status display, you may also find it helpful to use the factory map, which replaces your world map for the duration of the minigame.

Fpf Map

This map displays various useful locations. Your current position will be marked by a white dot and a targeting reticule, allowing you to orient yourself to the factory layout. Passageways linking each section of the factory will also be displayed on the map, so you can plot the fastest path to the various machines in the floor. The flashing diamonds marked A and B on the map show the location of active reagent dispensers, where you can fill your pressure flasks. These locations will also be reflected on your minimap by a blue arrow and yellow arrow, respectively. Flashing diamonds with a lightning symbol denote active charge machines, where you can charge your funnel to increase your bonus modifier. Refer to the Scoring section for more information.

It may be of interest to note that after you fill your pressure flasks from a reagent machine, the flashing diamonds for A and B will move to another section of the map. This indicates which reagent machines will be active in the next round of the minigame (i.e. after you make a batch of flash powder), so it may be helpful to keep this location in mind as you head towards a mixer machine to make your flash powder.

The minigame will automatically end when either your fifteen minutes are up, or you use up all of your catalytic powder. It may also end prematurely if you get caught in a chamber that is being de-pressurised (see the Machinery and Obstacles section for more information). You may also leave the factory at any time by abandoning any pieces of your equipment.

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Equipment and Items

When you enter the factory, you will have several items added to your inventory:

This section briefly explains the various tools you use in the Flash Powder Factory.

Factory Equipment
Image Name Notes
Empty Pressure Flask (a) Empty pressure flask (a) Holds Reagent A collected from Reagent machine (A). Reagent A is an ingredient of flash powder.
Empty Pressure Flask (b) Empty pressure flask (b) Holds Reagent B collected from Reagent machine (B). Reagent B is an ingredient of flash powder.
Refining Apparatus Refining apparatus Improves the quality of flash powder produced. Carrying more pieces of refining apparatus improves your apparatus score modifier (see this section for details).
Sealed Funnel Sealed funnel You can check the status of this item to view your current score modifiers. Can also be charged at a charge machine to improve your charge score modifier (see this section for details).
Catalytic Powder Catalytic powder An ingredient of flash powder. You can obtain more of this item from searching rubble in the factory, or by unlocking the Catalyst machine in the centre of the factory.
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Apparatus and Pickpocketing

Upon arrival in the factory, you will notice a number of vials shown over your (and other players') character. This indicates the number of refining apparatus that character is carrying at the moment. As explained by Brian O' Richard, carrying more pieces of the refining apparatus will allow you to further purify any flash powder you make, increasing your score gained from each batch. As such, you may wish to pickpocket other players for their apparatus. This can be done by simply left-clicking a player. If successful, you will steal one refining apparatus from that player; otherwise, you will fumble the pickpocket attempt, and be unable to do so again for a brief period of time.

Refining Apparatus

Note that while you may pick other players' pockets, they may pick yours too. It is worth noting that the difference between the amount of apparatus you and your target are carrying will influence your rates of success. Furthermore, several restrictions exist with regards to pickpocketing in the factory: You may not pick the pocket of your last thief or victim, and you may not pick pockets of players escaping through obstacles. Keep in mind that you cannot pick pockets if you are carrying six pieces of refining apparatus, and a player carrying none cannot have his pockets picked!

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Machinery and Obstacles

Found on the factory floor are various machines, each playing a part in the production of flash powder. Below is a table that shows each machine and describes what it does.

Factory Machinery
Picture Name Explanation
Reagent 
machine A Reagent Machine (A) Found on the outer rim of the factory floor, this machine dispenses Reagent A. The position of a filled machine is marked by a blue arrow on your minimap.
Reagent 
machine B Reagent Machine (B) Found within the inner areas of the factory floor, this machine dispenses Reagent B. The position of a filled machine is marked by a yellow arrow on your minimap.
Mixer machine Mixer Machine Found on the outer rim of the factory floor. Use this machine to combine your reagents and catalyst into flash powder. The position of the machines are marked by a red arrow on your minimap.
Fpf Charge 
Machine Charge Machine Found on the outer rim of the factory floor. This machine, when active, can be used to charge your sealed funnel, adding 10% to your charge bonus for the next 100 seconds.
Catalyst 
machine Catalyst Machine Found in the centre of the factory. This machine can be unlocked to collect two more units of catalytic powder. It replenishes itself each minute.

However, your progress through the factory floor is far from unhindered. Besides the other players who will attempt to steal your refining apparatus, you will also have to traverse the many obstacles found in the factory. Below is a table that shows each of the various obstacles.

Obstacles
Picture Name Explanation
Energy field Energy Field An obstacle found in the outer rim of the factory.
Gear wheels Gear Wheels An obstacle found in the outer rim of the factory.
Glowing void Glowing Void An obstacle found in the outer rim of the factory. This obstacle takes rather long to traverse.
Inconvenient wall Inconvenient Wall An obstacle found in the outer rim of the factory. This obstacle takes rather long to traverse.
Counterweights Counterweights An obstacle found within the inner sections of the factory.
Poorly 
stacked boxes Poorly Stacked Boxes An obstacle found within the inner sections of the factory. This obstacle takes rather long to traverse.
Unstable 
floor Unstable Floor An obstacle found within the inner sections of the factory.
Vent chamber Vent Chamber An obstacle found within the inner sections of the factory. This obstacle takes rather long to traverse.
Pressure Door Pressure Door An obstacle found within the inner sections of the factory. This door, when active, will block passageways. Players caught in a passageway between two sealed pressure doors risk being ejected from the minigame if they remain there for too long. These doors can be opened by operating a call button, usually found next to the doors.
Fpf 
Callbuttoncircle Call Button Usually found next to Pressure Doors. When operated, these will unlock the pressure doors next to them, but shut others within the factory. After being activated, they turn red in colour, and cannot be operated again for a period of time.
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Scoring

Scoring in this minigame is based on the value of the flash powder you create, which is determined by several variables. You can check the status of your sealed funnel at any time during the minigame to view your current score modifiers.

Fpf Funnel

Score Calculation

Firstly, each batch of flash powder made from the two reagents and a dose of catalytic powder is worth 100 points. This is then modified by three variables: bonus charges, apparatus and residue.

Bonus Charges

Bonus charge is accumulated by charging your funnel at active charge machines. Each time you charge up your funnel, you gain a +10% modifier to your score for the next 100 seconds. This bonus can be accumulated, and expires in a rolling manner. The maximum charge modifier you can achieve is +20%, and charging at an obelisk with a modifier of +20% will only reset your 100 second bonus timer and not increase your modifier any further.

Apparatus

Next, the amount of refining apparatus you are carrying will modify your score. It is worth noting that each subsequent piece of refining apparatus will provide a greater increase to your modifier, and hence having more of them is important if you wish to maximise your score. The values of the apparatus modifier are listed below:

  • No apparatus carried: +0%
  • 1 apparatus carried: +1%
  • 2 apparatus carried: +3%
  • 3 apparatus carried: +5%
  • 4 apparatus carried: +8%
  • 5 apparatus carried: +11%
  • 6 apparatus carried: +15%

Residue

Finally, the value of flash powder you create is increased based on the residue of flash powder you have already made in the same round of the minigame. For every 100 points of your score, your residue modifier increases by 1% .

Each of these three modifiers is taken into account separately when you mix flash powder in the mixer machines. If the value of the flash powder made in this process is worth more than 120 points, and you are wearing a full set of Factory gear, you will receive a final 10% bonus modifier for that batch of flash powder.

When you leave the factory, the amount of Brianpoints you earn will be calculated. For every 5 points scored in the minigame, you will earn 1 Brianpoint, up to a total score of 500 and 100 Brianpoints. For scores above 500, every 20 points scored in the minigame will earn 1 Brianpoint. Additionally, spending more than five minutes in the factory in a single run will earn you an additional 20 Brianpoints.

Finally, if you had left the factory for whatever reason with more than 2 minutes of time remaining, you will incur a penalty which will reduce the amount of Brianpoints you earn. The size of the penalty is listed below. If you have 2 or less minutes of time remaining when you leave the factory, you will not be affected by this penalty.

  • More than 7 minutes remaining: -50%
  • 7 minutes remaining: -46%
  • 6 minutes remaining: -40%
  • 5 minutes remaining: -33%
  • 4 minutes remaining: -26%
  • 3 minutes remaining: -20%
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Rewards

For creating flash powder in the Flash Powder Factory, you will be awarded Brianpoints based on your score in the minigame. These can be cashed in with Brian O' Richard for experience rewards and a variety of items, shown below.

XP Rewards
PointsAgility RewardThieving Reward
10950 XP1,200 XP
1009,500 XP12,000 XP
100095,000 XP120,000 XP
10000950,000 XP1,200,000 XP



Item Rewards
Points Image Reward Notes Full Set
2250 Factory Helmet Factory mask Reduces the chance of finding nothing in piles of rubble by 15%. Fpf Factory Set
3500 Factory Body Factory top Allows you to remain in the factory for 2 more minutes per game.
2750 Factory Trousers Factory trousers Gives you 50% more catalytic powder at the start of a game.
1750 Factory Gloves Factory gloves Improves your chance of successful pickpocketing in the factory by 10%.
1750 Factory Boots Factory boots Reduces failure rate on obstacles by 30%.
35 Rogue Kit Rogue Kit A stackable item that can be turned into a chisel, tinderbox, rope or spade.

If you are able to obtain pieces of the Factory gear, you will find that while wearing any three of them, you will be able to make 4-dose potions on occasion, and while wearing the full set, you will receive small amounts of Herblore XP for mixing herbs into vial of waters, equivalent to the experience gained from cleaning that grimy herb. Furthermore, wearing the full set of Factory gear in the Flash Powder Factory minigame will give you a 10% score bonus when you make batches of flash powder worth more than 120 points.

Finally, as you pick your way through the Flash Powder Factory, you may chance upon piles of seemingly worthless rubble. If you decide to search them, you may, with a bit of luck, find pieces of the old Rogues' Den equipment. They are all untradeable, and offer small increases to your Defence bonuses.

Furthermore, while worn in the Flash Powder Factory minigame, these pieces of rogue gear will confer upon you the benefits of the Factory gear. However, outside of the minigame, they will not provide any herblore related effects.

Rogue Gear
Image Name Full Set
Rogue Mask Rogue Mask Fpf Rogue Set
Rogue Top Rogue Top
Rogue Trousers Rogue Trousers
Rogue Gloves Rogue Gloves
Rogue Boots Rogue Boots
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Tips, Tricks and Additional Info

  • Make use of the factory map if you're not yet familiar with the layout of the factory. It shows you the paths between each section of the factory and allows you to keep track of your position.
  • Keep notes of which paths have obstacles that you can clear quickly, as opposed to ones that take longer to navigate. Use this information to plot the fastest routes between the machines in the factory.
  • If your path is blocked by a sealed pressure door, decide whether you might want to re-route your path in the event that the call button has already been used. It is sometimes faster to proceed along a different pathway than to wait for the call button to become usable again.
  • Look out for piles of rubble in the factory! Besides giving you a chance at a piece of Rogue gear, which enhances your gameplay in the factory, you may also find useful items such as refining apparatus, or even pre-made flash powder that will immediately be added to your score!
  • As the apparatus modifier has the potential to greatly increase your score, it is worthwhile to make pickpocketing attempts without wasting time, such as when waiting for a pressure door to open with other players or while passing other players en route to the next machine. However, it is usually not worth the time to actively go out of your way to pickpocket for more apparatus.
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Credits

Original Guide by: Saradomin_Mage

Special thanks to: ForsakenMage, Octarine19, Warriormonkx

Thanks to: Baffler, Lowspell, OrTradeMe, Saradomin_Mage, Sy_Accursed

Original Rogues' Den Guide by: Eeeeediot, Aperson and Adamskii

Last Updated by: Arceus

Last updated: 10-Nov-2014


RuneScape 2007
Find this page on the Internet Archive with a date as close to Aug 10, 2007 as possible.

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