OSRS What Lies Below Quest Guide (2026 Walkthrough)

What Lies Below is a short, members-only quest that follows Rat Burgiss’s stolen papers to a plot by the Dagon’hai mage Surok Magis. To start, complete Rune Mysteries and reach 35 Runecrafting. The route includes five level-32 Outlaws and a level-47 King Roald. Bring a bowl, 15 chaos runes, combat gear, and food; a chaos talisman or tiara is only needed for certain routes to the altar.

This OSRS What Lies Below quest guide covers the full sequence, the optional 42 Mining entrance, the Beacon Ring timing, and the rewards. The 42 Mining level is not a quest-start requirement: it applies only if you excavate the Tunnel of Chaos entrance.

Requirements and items

Keep a few inventory spaces open for the folder, papers, wand, letters, diary, and history book. You receive several quest items along the way, so avoid bringing unnecessary supplies.

OSRS What Lies Below walkthrough

1. 1. Prepare your inventory

   Confirm Rune Mysteries is complete and your Runecrafting level is 35. Pack the bowl, 15 chaos runes, combat equipment, and food. Add a chaos talisman or tiara if you plan to enter through the Chaos Ruins or Tunnel of Chaos. If you are using the Abyss, make sure you can reach it before leaving the bank. You do not need to bring the wand; Surok gives it to you later.

2. 2. Start the quest with Rat Burgiss

   Find Rat Burgiss at the crossroads on the road just south of Varrock, toward Lumbridge. Talk to him and agree to help after he explains that Outlaws attacked his cart and took five papers. Rat gives you an empty folder. Keep it until you have recovered all five documents.

3. 3. Recover the five papers from the Outlaws

   Travel to the Outlaw Camp west of the Grand Exchange, east of Edgeville. Defeat level-32 Outlaws until you have all five of Rat’s papers. The camp can put several enemies near you at once, so eat between fights if needed. Use each paper on the folder to assemble the complete file; picking up the papers alone does not finish this step.

4. 4. Return the folder and take Rat’s letter

   Bring the full folder back to Rat Burgiss. After he reviews it, he gives you a letter for Surok Magis in the Varrock Palace library. Head to the palace and find Surok in the library on the southwest side of the building. Deliver the letter to continue the investigation.

5. 5. Speak with Surok and search the library

   Surok gives you a metal wand and a diary connected to the Dagon’hai and explains that the wand must be charged at the Chaos Altar. Search the library bookcases for the Dagon’hai history book mentioned in the clues. Keep the book after finding it: once the quest is complete, Historian Minas at the Varrock Museum can award 5 Kudos for it. Keep your bowl with you for the later return to Surok.

6. 6. Charge the wand at the Chaos Altar

   Take the metal wand and 15 chaos runes to the Chaos Altar. Pick one of these routes:

   • Abyss: If you have completed Enter the Abyss and can use the Abyss, take its chaos rift to the altar. This route does not require carrying a chaos talisman or tiara.
   • Wilderness: Use a chaos talisman or tiara at the Chaos Ruins northwest of Edgeville. This route crosses the Wilderness, so carry only what you need and be alert for player killers.
   • Tunnel of Chaos: With 42 Mining, excavate the Saradomin statue east of Varrock using a bronze pickaxe. Anna Jones is beside the statue and can give you one. Inside, use a chaos talisman or tiara to pass through the portal to the Chaos Altar.

   At the altar, use the wand on the Chaos Altar while the 15 chaos runes are in your inventory. When the wand is infused, return to Varrock with it and the bowl.

7. 7. Return to Surok, then tell Rat what happened

   Give Surok the infused wand and bowl. He says he needs time to prepare his spell and asks you to take another letter to Rat. Deliver it. Rat reveals that he is the commander of Varrock’s Secret Guard and suspects Surok is trying to control King Roald. He directs you to Zaff, the staff seller in central Varrock.

8. 8. Get the Beacon Ring and stop Surok

   Speak to Zaff at Zaff’s Superior Staffs. He gives you the Beacon Ring and instructions, then sends you back to the palace library. Talk to Surok to trigger the confrontation; he summons a mind-controlled King Roald, level 47.

   Fight Roald while keeping enough food to survive. When his health is nearly empty, your character signals that it is time to summon Zaff. Operate the Beacon Ring at that point, before you defeat the king. You can use the ring from your inventory; you do not need to wear it. Zaff intervenes and stops Surok. After the scene, return to Rat Burgiss and finish the conversation to complete the quest.

Rewards and useful follow-ups

• 1 Quest Point
• 8,000 Runecrafting experience and 2,000 Defence experience
• The Beacon Ring
• Access to the Tunnel of Chaos shortcut to the Chaos Altar
• Access to buy battlestaves from Zaff’s shop after the relevant quest progress; larger daily quantities depend on Varrock Achievement Diary tiers.

If you kept the Dagon’hai history book, take it to Historian Minas in the upstairs area of the Varrock Museum after finishing the quest for 5 Kudos.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not treat 42 Mining as a start requirement. It is only needed for the statue entrance to the Tunnel of Chaos; the Abyss and Wilderness routes are alternatives.
• Use every paper on the folder. Rat needs the completed file, not five loose papers.
• Keep the wand and bowl until Surok asks for them. You need to return both after charging the wand.
• Use the Beacon Ring before Roald is defeated. Wait for the low-health cue, then operate it to trigger Zaff’s intervention.

For a reference to the quest’s NPCs, items, and unlocks, see the OSRS Wiki page for What Lies Below. The Zaff reference explains how battlestaff access relates to Varrock Diary rewards. For game announcements, visit the official Old School RuneScape website.