This OSRS What Lies Below quest guide walks you through every step of the Dagon'hai conspiracy, from your first chat with Rat Burgiss to the climactic fight against a mind-controlled King Roald. It is a short, members-friendly quest that rewards a hefty 8,000 Runecrafting experience, making it one of the best early ways to push that skill toward the abyss and double-cosmic runes later on.
What Lies Below ties directly into Old School RuneScape's Runecrafting story. Surok Magis, a member of the secretive Dagon'hai mage order, is plotting to seize the Varrock throne, and you are the unlikely agent who exposes him. The whole quest can be finished in well under an hour once you have the supplies ready.
What you need before starting
- Quest prerequisite: Rune Mysteries must be complete.
- Skill requirement: Level 35 Runecrafting.
- Combat: You must defeat five level-32 Outlaws and a level-47 King Roald, so bring food and a decent weapon.
- Items: A bowl (about 5 gp from the Varrock general store), a chaos talisman or chaos tiara, and 15 chaos runes. If you can already access the Abyss, you can skip the talisman/tiara.
- Recommended: Varrock teleport runes or tablets to save time running back and forth.
OSRS What Lies Below walkthrough
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Step 1: Gather the requirements and supplies
Before you talk to anyone, make sure you meet the prerequisites and have your inventory sorted. You need Rune Mysteries finished, 35 Runecrafting, and enough combat power to handle the Outlaws and King Roald. Pick up a bowl, a chaos talisman or tiara, and 15 chaos runes. Sorting this out first means you can complete the quest in a single trip without restocking.
Check off the requirements and pack the bowl, chaos talisman, and 15 chaos runes. -
Step 2: Start the quest with Rat Burgiss
Speak to Rat Burgiss, who stands at the crossroads on the road south of Varrock, heading toward Lumbridge. He explains that a band of outlaws ransacked his trading cart and stole five important papers. He asks you to retrieve them and hands you an empty folder to keep the documents together.
Rat Burgiss waits at the Varrock-Lumbridge crossroads and gives you the empty folder. -
Step 3: Defeat 5 Outlaws and fill the folder
Head to the Outlaw camp located north-west of Varrock and east of Edgeville. Kill the level-32 Outlaws until you have collected all five stolen papers — each enemy can drop one. Once you have every paper, use each one on the folder to assemble the completed file. They are not dangerous, but bring a little food in case several aggro at once.
Loot five papers from the Outlaws, then combine them with the folder. -
Step 4: Deliver the letter to Surok Magis
Return the full folder to Rat Burgiss. He thanks you and asks you to deliver a letter to Surok Magis in the Varrock Palace library (the room on the south-west side of the castle). Hand Surok the letter and he gives you a wand and a research diary. He then asks you to bring back the bowl along with the wand once it has been infused with chaos magic.
Surok Magis hands over the wand and diary, then requests the chaos-infused wand. -
Step 5: Infuse the wand at the Chaos Altar
Take the wand to the Chaos Altar. You can reach it three ways: through the Wilderness mining tunnel (needs 42 Mining), by using a chaos tiara or talisman at the ruin north of Edgeville, or via the Abyss if you have done Enter the Abyss. At the altar, use the wand on it with 15 chaos runes in your inventory to charge the wand with chaos energy.
Use the wand on the Chaos Altar with 15 chaos runes to infuse it. -
Step 6: Get the Beacon Ring and beat King Roald
Return the infused wand to Surok, then take his new letter back to Rat Burgiss, who reveals the mind-control plot and sends you to Zaff at Zaff's Superior Staffs in central Varrock. Zaff gives you a Beacon Ring. Confront Surok and tell him he is under arrest; he summons a mind-controlled King Roald (level 47). Fight the king down to low health, then operate the Beacon Ring so Zaff can step in and end the battle. Finally, report back to Rat Burgiss to complete the quest.
Drop King Roald to low health, then activate the Beacon Ring to let Zaff finish him.
Tips and troubleshooting
- Bank before the boss. The fight against King Roald is short but he hits with melee, so bring food and stand back to use ranged or magic if you want an easier time.
- Don't drop the wand early. The infused wand is needed twice — once for Surok and again as part of the conspiracy reveal. Keep it until the quest tells you otherwise.
- Use the Beacon Ring at the right moment. If you defeat the king without activating the ring, you may have to repeat the encounter, so watch his health bar and operate the ring as it drops low.
- Wilderness warning. The mining-tunnel and Edgeville routes to the Chaos Altar pass through the Wilderness, where other players can attack you. Carry few valuables on that trip.
Frequently asked questions
What are the requirements for What Lies Below in OSRS?
You need to have completed Rune Mysteries, have level 35 Runecrafting, and be able to defeat five level-32 Outlaws and a level-47 King Roald.
What items do I need for What Lies Below?
Bring a bowl (around 5 gp from the Varrock general store), a chaos talisman or chaos tiara, 15 chaos runes, and your combat gear with some food. Abyss users can skip the talisman or tiara.
Where do I start the What Lies Below quest?
Talk to Rat Burgiss at the crossroads on the road just south of Varrock, on the way toward Lumbridge.
What are the rewards for What Lies Below?
You receive 1 Quest Point, 8,000 Runecrafting experience, 2,000 Defence experience, the Beacon Ring, a shortcut to the Chaos Altar, and access to buy battlestaves from Zaff's Superior Staffs.
Is What Lies Below worth doing?
Yes. The 8,000 Runecrafting XP is a strong boost for a short quest, and the Chaos Altar shortcut plus battlestaff access make it a popular early pick for Runecrafting and ironman accounts.
Conclusion
What Lies Below is one of the most efficient early Runecrafting quests in Old School RuneScape: a quick chain of fetch tasks, one altar visit, and a single manageable boss fight. Follow the steps above — gather your supplies, retrieve the papers, infuse the wand, and use the Beacon Ring on King Roald — and you will bank a big lump of Runecrafting XP plus a permanent Chaos Altar shortcut. For exact NPC positions or the latest patch notes, check the official Old School RuneScape website.
