Barrows Guide

Introduction

Barrows is a members only, combat-based minigame in which you do battle against six powerful brother spirits (seven if you have completed the Ritual of the Mahjarrat quest) for a chance to receive a piece of their armour. It can be played by adventurers of all levels and is not only quite enjoyable for many people but also profitable. As such, this guide will cater to all kinds of players.

During the Temple at Senntisten quest you are required to do a Barrows trip in order to obtain the Barrows icon.

Note: You cannot use Summoning familiars or the Dwarf multicannon during the Barrows minigame.

Requirements

Below is a list of requirements to play the Barrows minigame as well as some suggested requirements. Note that it is not necessary to bring a spade to enter the tombs of the brothers.

Required Quests

• Priest in Peril - Access to Morytania.
• Nature Spirit - Access to Mort Myre swamp and beyond.

Suggested Quests

• Ritual of the Mahjarrat - Access to the seventh brother, Akrisae the Doomed.
• Branches of Darkmeyer - Access to Drakan's medallion which can teleport you to the Barrows.
• Ghosts Ahoy – Access to the Ectophial
• Desert Treasure – Access to Ancient Magicks including Canifis Teleport and Ice Burst.
• In Search of the Myreque – Access to a short cut which shortens the journey from Canifis to Barrows.
• In Aid of the Myreque – Grants access to the bank in Burgh de Rott.
• Family Crest – Allows you to use Chaos gauntlets which are useful if your magic level is not very high.

Suggested Levels

Barrows can be attempted with levels below these, however you may find it difficult to do multiple trips without banking or even one trip without banking.

• 70 Attack, Strength, and Defence
• 70 Constitution
• 70 Range for Black dragonhide armour for tanking Ahrim
• 43 Prayer - Protection prayers are advised, particularly against Dharok
• 55 Slayer and 50 Magic for the Slayer Dart spell
• Optional: 70 Range, 70 Magic and 70 Attack if using the Black Salamander method
• Optional: 70 Magic for Ice Burst if using the Ancient Magicks method

Getting There

Although the Barrows are accessible on foot, the route is seldom used due to its length and the presence of ghasts throughout the swamp. A number of faster alternatives exist for those who have completed the suggested quests. These are shown on the following map.

Bank	Burgh de Rott or Canifis
Teleport	Drakan's medallion*, Games necklace** or Canifis Teleport.
Fairy Ring	DLS - Mort Myre Swamp, Swamp Boat

*After completing the Branches of Darkmeyer quest.
**After the total level of the NPCs in the Temple Trekking minigame has reached 500

The Barrows Brothers

Upon arrival at the Barrows you will notice there are six mounds which are home to the six (or seven) Barrows Brothers. In order to access the tombs under the mounds where the brothers reside you can use the spades provided at each mound to dig while standing atop the mound of the Brother you wish to fight. You should be aware that when you enter a brother's tomb, your prayer will start to drain at a speed dependent on the number of brothers you have killed.

Below are profiles of all seven of the brothers you can fight, including the special effect their armour set has and a very basic information for them. For more detailed information on how to fight them, see the tactics section.

Akrisae the Doomed

Akrisae the Doomed is the seventh Barrows Brother and is only available to players who have completed the Ritual of the Mahjarrat quest. Rather than having his own tomb, Akrisae shares one with Verac.

Akrisae the Doomed (Bestiary Profile)
Combat Level: 150	Lifepoints: 12000	Maximum Hit: 340	Attack Style(s): Melee
	Set Effect
	Doom: Akrisae's attacks have a chance of deactivating your own prayers and also draining your prayer points and adding them to his own if you do not have prayers active.
	Overview
	Unlike the other brothers, Akrisae uses protection prayers which alternate to protect against your chosen attack style every 150 damage he takes. Akrisae's melee and range defence is low so they are the most viable options to swap between. He can hit a lot harder than his brothers, however he is not very accurate or particularly fast so he is not overly dangerous.
	Armour Pieces

The Tunnels

Every time a Barrows run is started, a random brother's coffin will be chosen as the entrance to the underground tunnels. Instead of having the brother appear to fight you, you will be given the option to descend into these tunnels. It is here that the chest containing your rewards is located. Your goal will be to make your way to the centre room without the aid of a minimap while having your prayer be drained by the previously defeated brothers. Note that as long as you do not open the chest inside, you may enter and exit the tunnels freely without resetting your progress.

Opening doors will cause random monsters to spawn. These may either be a crypt rat (level 43), a bloodworm (level 52), a skeleton (level 77), or the Barrows Brother whose crypt you are currently in. Once defeated, the brother will not appear again. All the creatures that may be found in the tunnels are listed below.

• Crypt rat (level 43)
• Bloodworm (level 52)
• Crypt spider (level 56)
• Giant crypt rat (level 76)
• Skeleton (level 77)
• Giant crypt spider (level 79)

Three of the four doors leading to the centre room will be locked, while the remaining one will be a puzzle door. The puzzle must be solved in order to proceed to the chest room. Answering the puzzle incorrectly will reset which of the doors are locked. The answers to the puzzles are provided below:

Barrow Puzzle Answers

Click Here

If you did not already defeat him, the crypt's corresponding brother will appear when you attempt to open the chest. Once he is defeated, you may claim your prize. To leave, you may teleport or make your way back to the ladder. More detailed information on the rewards can be found in the rewards section.

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Suggested Set-ups

Barrows can be played by players of all levels and as a result there are many acceptable set-ups that can be used. For this section, set-ups have been split up into low level, mid level and high level. You can of course use any of the set-ups if you have the equipment for it, but you may find them less effective (particularly if you're a high level player).

Note: Players who have access to Akrisae the Doomed should bring at least two combat styles with them unless they are using the Salamander method.

Low Level/Beginners

These methods are the safest ways to kill the Brothers which is ideal for low levelled players or players new to the minigame, however some higher levelled players continue to use these methods due to their ease.

Low Level/Beginner Set-ups

Slayer Dart                Ancient Magicks

Helmet: Helmet of Neitiznot > Berserker helm > Proselyte sallet Amulet: Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory Body: Verac's brassard > Torag's platebody > Proselyte hauberk Legs: Verac's plateskirt > Torag's platelegs > Proselyte cuisse Boots: Steadfast boots > Dragon boots > Infinity boots Gloves: Culinaromancer's gloves 10 > Regeneration bracelet > Combat bracelet Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Fire cape > Soul wars cape > Ardougne Cloak 3/4 Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring > Ring of wealth Shield: Zamorak's unholy book Magic weapon: Staff of light > Slayer's staff Special Weapon: Korasi's sword > Dragon claws Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence As a result of the melee brothers' non-existent magic defence, you can get away with using melee armour and casting Slayer dart. The use of melee armour allows you to tank some of the weaker Brothers, such as Torag and Guthan. The advantage of this set-up, particularly for lower levelled players, is that you will more than likely get more Mind and Death runes back from the rewards chest than you use. You should bring a melee weapon, too, and possibly even a ranged weapon if you struggle with Ahrim. Bringing some high magic defence armour is a good idea if you do not want to pray against Ahrim. The Staff of light's special attack is useful if you struggle with Verac as it reduces melee damage by 50% for a period of time. Inventory shown: One-click teleport (Teleport to house), range top (Karil's top), range bottom (Karil's skirt), Mind runes, Death runes, melee weapon (chaotic rapier), Dragon defender, Enhanced excalibur, Korasi's sword, Sharks, Prayer potions, Ring of wealth and Drakan's medallion. Helmet: Ganodermic visor > Ahrim's hood > Akrisae's hood > Infinity hat Amulet: Arcane stream necklace > Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory > Amulet of magic Body: Ganodermic poncho > Ahrim's robe top > Akrisae's robe top > Infinity top Legs: Ganodermic leggings > Ahrim's robe skirt > Akrisae's robe skirt > Infinity bottoms Boots: Infinity boots > Wizard's boots > Mystic boots Gloves: Culinaromancer's gloves 10 > Infinity gloves Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Ardougne Cloak 3/4 Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring > Ring of wealth Shield: Mages' book = Tome of frost > Zamorak's unholy book > Celestial surgebox Magic weapon: Chaotic staff > Staff of light > Slayer's staff Special Weapon: Korasi's sword > Dragon claws Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence This set-up aims to give you high magic offence bonus at the expense of your defence, however as you will be using ice spells this should not be much of a concern. As previously mentioned, the melee Brothers have no magic defence, however it is still a good idea to have a high magic offensive bonus because if you fail to freeze the brother you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. You should also bring melee armour and a melee weapon with you for the tunnels and possibly Karil. Some players may want to bring a range weapon for Ahrim if they're having problems. Inventory shown: Ardougne cloak 3/4, Korasi's sword, Prayer potions, Drakan's medallion, Ring of wealth, melee weapon (Chaotic rapier), melee armour (Verac's brassard and plateskirt), One-click teleport (Teleport to house), Extreme magic potions, Sharks, Death, Blood* and Water** runes (for Ice spells), Special restore potions. *Depending on your magic level you may need to substitute Blood runes with Chaos runes. **The Tome of frost eliminates the need for Water runes.

Mid-Level/Skilled

Barrows is an easy minigame to pick up so after a few runs you will probably be confident enough to move to more aggressive set-ups, assuming you have the levels.

Mid-Level/Skilled Set-ups

Black Salamander                Polypore Staff

Helmet: Void mage helmet > Verac's helm > Helmet of Neitiznot Amulet: Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory Body: Elite void knight top > Void knight top > Bandos chestplate > Verac's brassard Legs: Elite void knight robe > Void knight robe > Bandos tassets > Verac's plateskirt Boots: Steadfast boots > Dragon boots Gloves: Culinaromancer's gloves 10 > Regeneration bracelet > Combat bracelet Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Fire cape > Soul wars cape > Ardougne Cloak 3/4 Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring > Ring of wealth Weapon: Black salamander Ammunition: Harralander tar Special Weapon: Enhanced excalibur > Dragon claws Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence This method is one of the best for any level at Barrows as it hits the brothers hard and is not affected by equipment bonuses and has high accuracy. If you are using Void armour, you should bring both the Void mage helm and Void melee helm and a melee weapon so you can swap to melee for Ahrim and Karil. Inventory shown: Ardougne cloak 3/4, Enhanced excalibur, Prayer potions, Drakan's medallion, Ring of wealth, melee weapon (Chaotic rapier), melee armour (Verac's brassard and Verac's plateskirt), One-click teleport (Teleport to house), Water runes, Blood runes, Death runes, Sharks, Void melee helmet. Helmet: Void mage helmet > Ahrim's hood > Ganodermic visor Amulet: Arcane stream necklace > Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory > Amulet of magic Body: Elite void knight top > Ahrim's robe top > Void knight top > Ganodermic poncho Legs: Elite void knight robe > Void knight robe > Ahrim's robe skirt > Ganodermic leggings Boots: Infinity boots > Wizard's boots > Mystic boots Gloves: Culinaromancer's gloves 10 > Void knight gloves > Infinity gloves Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > God cape > Ardougne Cloak 3/4 Ring: Seers' ring (i) > Seers' ring > Ring of wealth Shield: Arcane spirit shield > Void knight deflector > Mages' book > Tome of frost > Zamorak's unholy book Magic weapon: Polypore staff Special Weapon: Korasi's sword > Dragon claws Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence This set-up is the most cost effective means of doing Barrows and operates in a similar way to Slayer dart, however it hits a lot higher. As a result of your damage not being capped at 200 like it is with Slayer dart, offensive magic armour is a good option to use however you can still use melee armour if you would prefer the defence. Bringing runes for ice spells is also a good idea as it means you do not have to worry about praying against the melee Brothers. Inventory shown: Korasi's sword, Prayer potions, Drakan's medallion, Ring of wealth, melee weapon (Chaotic rapier), melee armour (Verac's brassard and Verac's plateskirt), One-click teleport (Teleport to house), Special restore potions, Death runes, Water runes, Blood runes, Extreme magic potions.

High Level/Expert

With experience and high levels a Barrows run can be very fast. With good gear, soul split, overloads and special restore potions it is possible to stay at Barrows for over an hour.

High Level/Expert Set-ups

Melee (Chaotic Weaponry)                Void Set-up

Helmet: Void melee helmet > Helmet of Neitiznot > Berserker helm > Proselyte sallet Amulet: Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory Body: Elite void knight top > Bandos chestplate > Verac's brassard > Torag's platebody Legs: Elite void knight robe > Bandos tassets > Verac's plateskirt > Torag's platelegs Boots: Steadfast boots > Dragon boots Gloves: Goliath gloves > Culinaromancer's gloves 10 > Regeneration bracelet > Combat bracelet Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Fire cape > Ardougne Cloak 3/4 > Soul wars cape Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring > Ring of wealth Shield: Void knight deflector > Dragon defender > Dragonfire shield Melee weapon: Chaotic rapier > Chaotic maul > Goliath gloves > Vine whip Special Weapon: Korasi's sword > Dragon claws Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence The aim of this set-up is to give you good offence while maintaining a good defence. The Chaotic rapier is your weapon of choice because of its speed and accuracy, however the brothers are very vulnerable to crush so the Chaotic maul is an option (not so much against Ahrim or Karil though). Overload or Extreme potions are highly recommended to make melee a worthwhile method. The advantage of this set-up over others is your ability to tank the melee Brothers and Karil. Inventory shown: Korasi's sword, Ardougne cloak 3/4, Prayer potions, Drakan's medallion, Ring of wealth, Special restore potions, Overload potions, One-click teleport (Teleport to house). Helmet: Void melee helmet Amulet: Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory Body: Elite void knight top > Void knight top Legs: Elite void knight robe > Void knight robe Boots: Steadfast boots > Dragon boots Gloves: Goliath gloves > Culinaromancer's gloves 10 Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Fire cape > Soul wars cape > Ardougne Cloak 3/4 Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring > Ring of wealth Shield: Void knight deflector Melee Weapon: Chaotic rapier > Goliath gloves > Vine whip > Abyssal whip Special Weapon: Korasi's sword > Dragon claws Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence This set-up aims to maximise damage, however it offers little in the way of defence which can cause problems if you do not have access to soul split. Inventory shown: Polypore staff, Arcane stream necklace, Overload potions, Korasi's sword, Ring of wealth, Ardougne cloak 3/4, Drakan's medallion, Special restore potions, One-click teleport (Teleport to house), Prayer potions.

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Tactics

The order in which you tackle the Brothers can have a significant effect on your trip, the wrong choice could slow you down considerably, or even permanently if you die. The most efficient means of doing Barrows is to start at either Dharok and work your way round clockwise or Verac and go anti-clockwise. If you find yourself struggling with a particular brother's attacks, you may want to tweak your kill order so you deal with him while you have prayer or consider drinking an extra dose of Prayer potion. Players using Void armour, may wish to use Soul split against Ahrim and Akrisae to maintain their health.

Slayer Dart Method Hide/Show:

Ancient Magicks and Polypore Staff Method Hide/Show:

Salamander Method Hide/Show:

Melee Method Hide/Show:

Void Method Hide/Show:

These set-ups are just suggestions and by no means definitive as skill levels can have quite a significant effect on fighting the brothers. It is therefore a good idea to experiment with orders and set-ups to find out which works best for you. With the right set-up, strategy and high skill levels it is possible to do a trip in under 5 minutes.

Restoring Prayer

Prayer is one of the most important tools in Barrows as without it, you will probably struggle to survive for more than a couple of trips. The obvious way to restore prayer is through prayer potions because they're convenient, however after completing the Branches of Darkmeyer quest a much better way of restoring prayer becomes available. For this method you will require the following:

• Drakan's medallion AND
• Ardougne cloak 1 or better OR
• Teleport to house (if you have an altar)

The idea here is that after opening the chest, you teleport to either the Monastery south of Ardougne using the cloak or teleport to your house if you have an altar there. Once you have recharged your prayer you can use the medallion to teleport you directly back to Barrows. The medallion permits 10 teleports from outside of Morytania and it can be recharged just south of the Burgh de Rott bank, which it can teleport you too.
In many cases this is actually faster than walking out of the tunnels and will save you money on prayer potions. You should still keep a prayer potion or two on you, just incase something goes wrong. You can also receive prayer potions as loot from the Barrows chest.

Safe-spotting the Brothers

The use of Ancient Magicks to freeze the melee Barrows Brothers is a good way to cut down on prayer usage and it makes it considerably safer for lower levels too. If you are using magic to attack the brothers then safe-spotting using ice spells is easy, however if you are using the Salamander method then it's slightly more risky as it is a close range weapon.
In order to safe-spot with a Salamander you need to cast the ice spell of your choice on the brother and then take one step to the side so you are on a diagonal to your opponent and attack.

The number of attacks you can get in before the brother is able to move again depends on the spell used:

• Ice Rush: 1.5 attacks (Experience for splashing = 34 XP)
• Ice Burst: 3 attacks (Experience for splashing = 40 XP)
• Ice Blitz: 4.5 attacks (Experience for splashing = 46 XP)
• Ice Barrage: 6 attacks (Experience for splashing = 52 XP)

Obviously, where the number of attacks is not a whole number you should round it down for safety, therefore the Ice Rush spell is not really worth using. Ice Barrage is also not worth using due to its high cost, instead you would be better off drinking a dose of prayer potion.

The exception to this method of safe-spotting is Dharok as during the short time he is un-frozen he can hit you hard. The safest way to freeze Dharok is to run around the other side of his sarcophagus and freeze him from there. It is therefore a good idea to count how many attacks you have landed so you know when to run for cover. When you cast your spell, your character will run back round the sarcophagus, but the spell will hit Dharok before he gets to you. Beware of your ice spells splashing; using the in-game XP tracker is a good way to see if they have hit or not.

Using the Barrows Amulet

The Barrows Amulet is a possible reward from the Barrows Chest, and can be used on a brother's sarcophagus to skip having to defeat their spirit. Once used, the amulet shatters, and the brother's name is added to the slain list. You may skip a maximum of three brothers per run through of the minigame. Thirty untradeable amulets are received upon completion of the Missing, Presumed Death quest.

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Rewards

The main target for people playing the Barrows minigame is an item of Barrows armour from the chest at the end. The likelihood of receiving a piece of Barrows armour from the chest is affected by how many of the brothers you kill before you loot the chest. It is worth noting for those that have access to Akrisae that your chance of receiving a piece of Barrows armour is not increased beyond killing the sixth brother, therefore you may want to skip the brother whose armour pieces are worth the least.

Contrary to popular belief, your kill count in the tunnels has no effect on your chances of getting a piece of Barrows armour. Instead it effects the runes and bolt racks you get from the chest, the higher the kill count the higher your chances are of getting better rune drops and more bolt racks. That being said, many players do not bother with kill count as the rewards do not usually warrant the time spent killing monsters.

You can obtain any of the following items from the rewards chest:

• Barrows armour
• Elite clue scroll
• Crystal triskellion fragments
• Coins
• Bolt racks
• Dragon med helm
• Half keys
• Runes: Mind runes, Chaos runes, Death runes and Blood runes
• Potions: Strength potion (2), Super defence potion (2), Prayer potion (2) and Restore potion (2)

Some items are only available once you have obtained a certain kill count, these are as follows:

Kill Count	Drops
0-1	Mind Rune, Chaos Rune, Death Rune, Coins, Potions and Barrow pieces only
2+	Blood Runes are possible drops
3+	Bolt Racks are possible drops
5+	Half keys are rare possible drops
6+	Dragon Medium helms are rare possible drops

Barrows Armour Basics

Barrows armour is some of the best armour for its price currently available in game, however unlike more conventional armours it does degrade after 15 hours of combat. Once it has degraded to 0 you will receive an in-game message and it will lose all its stats and you will no longer be able to equip it unless already doing so. In order to repair it you can visit one of the following four NPCs who will charge a small fee for each item:

• Bob in Lumbridge Axe shop
• Tindel Marchant in Port Khazard
• Squire by the anvil at the Void Knight's Outpost
• Dunstan in Northern Burthorpe

Alternatively, you can repair them in your own home using an armour stand but there is still a charge for this. The cost of repairing your armour depends on your smithing level, the higher you are the cheaper it is.
The repair costs at level 1 Smithing are as follows:

• Barrows Helmets: 180k
• Barrows Bodies: 270k
• Barrows Legs: 240k
• Barrows Weapons: 300k
• Total repair cost: 990k

At level 100 Smithing (using the Smithing skill cape), the cost of repairing your armour is half the price of repairing it at level 1 Smithing.

For more information on the Barrows armour, visit the Combat guide, Magic guide and the Ranged guide.

Good luck and happy hunting!

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Credits

Original Guide by: Deadman Andy & chenw

Revised Guide by: BloodAngel

Special thanks to: Quyneax, Warriormonkx

Thanks to: abomb67, Aurhora, BattleThingz, blacknabit, Bugzrip, carnivor0, chenw, Chitose, codguy, CookMePlox, Cowman_133, Dark_Aura, dcba41, Dragnfly, Dudecrush8, Eeeeediot, Ezkaton, fabo_fwend, fierc3 ltu, Futton, GeniusNL, Gouwenaartje, Hubbardman, Huge Brain, Iglw, Jonkletman, Juhniz, kingmickez25, Lalala7324, Leesters, LittleNobody, Lukeypro, Magib1, Mecokoda, Medead0, megadetha121, neoleolev, n_odie, nyosuht, Octarine19, oddfaery2, Paw_Claw PereGrin, pokemama, Profins, RemnantHope, SerpentEye, Shiva, spaz4010, Speedyshel, Sy Accursed Tact, Teemupets, Tetrisgod, tomgrill, Wachtwoord, Wingless, Zaaps1

Last updated by: BattleThingz

Last updated on: 2-Dec-2014