"Arch" redirects here. For other uses, see Arch (disambiguation)

This article is about the Archaeology skill. For information on training Archaeology, see Archaeology training

This page is maintained in part by a collaboration with the Archaeology Discord server. You can join the (Learn more) This page is maintained in part by a collaboration with the Archaeology Discord server. You can join the Archaeology server on Discord for more help with this activity.

Archaeology level up jingle (1-49)

Archaeology level up jingle (50-120)

The logo used to tease Archaeology.

The image used to announce Archaeology.

Archaeology is a gathering skill and RuneScape's 28th skill. It has a maximum level of 120 with a normal experience curve and is available up to level 20 in free-to-play. The skill involves excavation and restoration of artefacts in five new dig sites, and features new powerful player effects in the form of relics. Upon release, players received an extra 50 free bank spaces to accommodate for the new items released with the skill.

During the six months following Archaeology's release, there is an embargo preventing the use of bonus experience, experience lamps, Wisdom aura, Wise perk, Refer a Friend, Clan Avatar, and other boosts to train it. There is a six-month grace period for new Archaeology related requirements for the completionist cape, trimmed completionist cape, and master quest cape. Level 99 in Archaeology is not part of the grace period; access to max cape and completionist cape is only lost until level 99 is reached. However, level 120 is part of the grace period for the completionist cape. Level 119 is required for the master quest cape. Archaeology’s daily challenges offer 50% less experience during the first six months. The grace period ends on 30 September 2020.

Archie, a child mummy, is Archaeology's skilling pet. The skill was revealed at RuneFest 2019, where a playable demo was featured.[1]

Archaeology featured unique global broadcasts for actions of players completing them for the first time, including the first player to solve each mystery, and the first player to solve all mysteries from each of the five dig sites.

The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 285,689) on the hiscores for Archaeology is level 15. As of 20 September 2020, there are 56,732 current members that have achieved level 99 in Archaeology. There are 14,723 current members that have achieved level 120 in Archaeology.

The Intern certificate.

Talk to Acting Guildmaster Reiniger at the eastern part of the Archaeology Campus. She will be your guide through the first steps of Archaeology. After receiving your first set of tools, you will begin by learning about excavating.

Dig sites [ edit | edit source ]

A dig site's manager can be found at the base camp of each dig site. Each of the below dig sites have excavation hotspots, research, mysteries, rewards, and artefacts unique to that dig site ranging in level from the level a dig site is unlocked to level 118/119.

An Orthen Dig Site, located on Anachronia, is planned for release in the second half of 2020.[2]

Dig Site Map

After completing the tutorial and receiving the Archaeology journal, players are given the option to travel to the Archaeology Campus by right-clicking and selecting the 'Teleport' option. Players also have a number of other options available to them.

Once at the Archaeology Campus, players can go into the house to the west where players can find a table with a map on it. Players are given the option to 'View Dig Sites Map'.

Viewing the dig sites map will open a map of Gielinor with the dig site locations shown. Selecting one of the dig sites and then confirming it, or by right-clicking a dig site and choosing 'fast travel', on the map will teleport the player to the chosen dig site.

A player excavating

After uncovering a hotspot, players will see a popup with the level requirement and different items that can be obtained by excavating the said hotspot. You may then start working on these hotspots to obtain soil, materials and artefacts.

Concept art of mattocks

To excavate in the areas above, players use a new tool called a mattock. In a similar manner to that of Mining, players can use better mattocks as they gain levels; there are smithable mattocks equivalent for each pickaxe tier. There are also augmentable mattocks obtainable through other means: dragon mattock, crystal mattock, imcando mattock, mattock of space and time, as well as Guildmaster Tony's mattock, the game's fourth hero item.

At the time of release, unlike pickaxes, you cannot put a higher level mattock on your toolbelt than you can wield at your current level. When you do add a steel or higher mattock to your toolbelt, the previous mattock is returned to your inventory. This does not affect the initial bronze mattock as that one is obtained for free during the tutorial.

Excavation hotspots [ edit | edit source ]

Excavation hotspots can be found at each of the five dig sites containing materials, damaged artefacts, soil, and occasionally other items. Each excavation requires a different Archaeology level.

Material caches [ edit | edit source ]

Material caches are scattered throughout Gielinor (not just at the dig sites) and offer one material type and soil (soil is only given at caches located at dig sites). Caches are not instanced and can be interacted with by multiple players, but deplete similar to trees; the higher level the cache, the longer it will take to respawn. Certain cache locations require quests to access. For a list of caches, see material cache.

When excavating at hotspots, soil is gathered along with any materials and artefacts. Soil can then be screened at the screening station in the eastern part of the Archaeology Guild at the Varrock Dig Site or sold on the Grand Exchange. When screening soil, any material (or rarely artefacts) can be obtained that your level (when screening) allows and that come from the same dig site as the soil. Therefore it is suggested to screen soil only when you have reached the maximum level needed for all possible artefacts and materials from a dig site.

The material storage container's interface.

Materials are used to restore artefacts. The number of different materials the player needed to restore an artefact, as well as the number of each material, varies on each artefact. These materials can be stored in the player's material storage container. Initially, up to 25 different materials can be stored in the container. The storage can be upgraded to hold up to 40 materials depending on player's qualification. Using signs of the porter will cause gathered materials to be sent straight to the storage container.

Various damaged artefacts can be found throughout the different hotspots; inspecting these will open an interface which shows what items are required to repair them as well as the amount of experience awarded for doing so, and the artefact's value in chronotes. Each hotspot can provide two or three different types of damaged artefacts. Each time the player receives one kind of damaged artefact, they are half as likely to receive that same kind of artefact again. If a player does get the same artefact, their chance halves again. This bad luck mitigation mechanic keeps track of the player's last five earned artefacts.

Damaged artefacts can be restored at archaeologist's workbenches; this is where the bulk of experience comes from. After restoration, players can bring artefacts to the respective collector who will award the player, after each collection is completed, with various rewards. Artefacts can also be handed in to the museum donation cart, just west of the museum guard near the archaeologist's workbench at the Archaeology Campus, for 40% of the chronotes that players could get from a collector.

Some artefacts have secondary uses, for example to unlock a researcher or continually used to access parts of the dig sites. It is recommended to check the list for their other uses before providing it to a collector or the museum donation cart.

For a list of all artefacts, see artefact.

Each dig site contains mysteries which can be found and completed with 'quest-like mechanics', puzzles, and more. Through training the skill, players will unlock new areas within the dig sites by completing these mysteries.

Archaeology collections [ edit | edit source ]

Players can turn in repaired artefacts at collectors who give the players rewards in turn which are mostly chronotes. For all collections and collectors, see Archaeology collections.

Player can obtain qualifications which give players access to more rewards within Archaeology. There are five qualifications in total that the player may achieve: Intern, Assistant, Associate, Professor, and Guildmaster. For the requirements and rewards, see qualification.

Archaeology Guild Shop [ edit | edit source ]

The Archaeology Guild Shop is run by Ezreal. The rewards are split into five categories, corresponding to five Archaeology qualifications. The shop sells several Archaeology related upgrades and consumables, as well as the regular and elite skilling outfits: archaeologist's outfit and the master archaeologist's outfit, respectively.

The relic interface.

Relics are one of the core reward spaces for the Archaeology skill. They're gained while training and provide a permanent passive buff when activated. Players can have up to 3 of their unlocked relic powers active at one time. Changing relic powers cost chronotes and monolith power, and is done via the mysterious monolith or at any bank if the player owns the Archaeology skill cape. Relics are unlocked by completing collections of collectors, dig site exploration, and various NPCs. Relics are untradeable, have no upkeep cost, and are permanently active. The chronotes cost to activate a relic is always equal to 20 times the monolith power required. Monolith power has a maximum limit of 500 which is unlocked at level 90.

Chronotes are the tradeable currency of Archaeology.

Ancient Summoning [ edit | edit source ]

After freeing Dagon the Gatekeeper at the Infernal Source dig site, players will be able to learn how to bind powerful demons to their will through the Summoning skill.

Ancient Invention [ edit | edit source ]

Concept art of new Invention tools

While training Archaeology at the Stormguard Citadel dig site players will be able to uncover the ancient technology and blueprints of Howl as an expansion for the Invention skill.

Ancient potion making [ edit | edit source ]

This article contains information about an upcoming update.

not speculation or predictions. For further details, see our It should consist only of facts from official Jagex releases andspeculation or predictions. For further details, see our future content policy

Ancient potion making will be high-level content for Archaeology, that will be learned in the Orthen dig site in Anachronia, which is planned to be released in late 2020.[2]

Artefact weapons [ edit | edit source ]

Two types of weapons can be found while excavating at the Kharid-et and Warforge dig sites respectively; the inquisitor staff, a powerful tier 80 staff which is more effective against physical opponents (the magic equivalent of the hexhunter bow and terrasaur maul), and the spear of annihilation, a powerful tier 90 spear. This spear can be further upgraded into the masterwork spear of annihilation, turning it into tier 92 and has a special effect to enhance bleeding abilities.[1]

Research is an activity within Archaeology that is similar to the player-owned port and the Anachronia base camp. Go to the Exam Centre (little south of the Archaeology Campus) and either talk to the NPC "Head of Research" or click on "research notes", which is the table immediately seen when you enter the Exam Centre.

Players can send off researchers for experience, materials, and other rewards. It costs chronotes to send off researchers. Some researchers may cost more chronotes than others. Each dig site manager is also a 'consultant' researcher; Dr Nabanik, Vanescula Drakan, Movario, Gee'ka, and Zanik.

Players can also unlock new researchers by obtaining qualifications. This is done by completing achievements within Archaeology, and also unlocks new chronote shop stock and other rewards. Unlocked researchers are always one qualification rank below the player. Players cannot unlock researchers that have the same or higher qualification rank than they have.

To hire researchers appropriate to your tier and view special research missions, visit the research page.

Research missions can be sent from the Exam Centre just south of the dig site after reaching the assistant qualification. Up to 3 students from the north side of the dig site can be recruited as interns if given certain restored artefacts.

Some researchers require certain quests or actions to unlock:

Temporary boosts [ edit | edit source ]

Currently, there are only two known ways to boost one's Archaeology level. Boosts can be used to excavate at excavation hotspots and material caches, as well as restore items above one's base level. Boosts will not work for research management. Many items that previously could boost the level of any skill, such as a God banner, cannot be used to boost Archaeology currently.

Equipping the Ring of Whispers provides an invisible boost of +3.

boost of +3. Drinking a Cup of soil tea boosts a player's level by +2.

Equipping the Archaeology cape boosts a player's level by +1.

Quests with an Archaeology requirement [ edit | edit source ]

50 - Desperate Measures

Archaeology has an achievements subcategory that is part of the Skills category. Archaeology itself also has five subsubcategories, one for each of the five dig sites.

Archaeology was first announced at RuneFest 2019. The planned release date was January 2020, later clarified by Mod Rowley to be the last Monday of January. However, the launch date of the skill was postponed in December 2019 to allow for extra development time. On 25 February 2020 it was confirmed that the final release date of the skill is 30 March. Starting from 25 February numerous teasers for the skill appeared in-game.

Varrock Dig Site

Kharid-et

Everlight

Infernal Source

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