Shield of Arrav

During this quest, you must choose one of two gangs to join. In order to fully complete it, you must have a partner, and they must choose the opposing gang. If your partner has already fully completed the quest, they may only assist if they both chose the opposing gang and chose to obtain additional certificate halves before completing the quest.

To find a partner, you may choose to ask in the official chat-channel OSRS SOA. Beware of scams, as you will be required to trade with the other player. Although the majority of players in the chat-channel offer their services for free, some players also charge in-game money. It is possible to avoid the trade interface by using the key and certificate halves obtained during the quest on your partner, allowing the quest to be completed by ironmen and players with new account trade restrictions.

Talk to Reldo in the Varrock Palace library, the northernmost room on the ground floor. Ask him for a quest, and he will suggest you look around for a book called the Shield of Arrav, which may have a quest for you. To find it, search the bookcase with a blue and white book in the top shelf, located on the east side of the short bookcases in the middle of the room. Read the book, then speak with Reldo again to tell him you have read it. The player will ask him about the whereabouts of the Phoenix Gang and the Black Arm Gang. At this stage, you can choose to join either gang. If you wish to join the Phoenix Gang, speak to Baraek, the fur trader in the market. Otherwise, talk to Charlie the Tramp next to the southern gate of Varrock.

When picking your gang, there are a number of considerations:

• It is much easier to find Phoenix Gang members via the official chat-channel.
• Phoenix Gang is recommended for lower combat levels.
• Black Arm Gang is recommended if you do not want to gain combat experience.

To join the Phoenix Gang, talk to Baraek in the centre of Varrock, whose fur stall is marked with an icon of bear fur. Ask him where you can find the Phoenix Gang, and he will ask for 20 coins before telling you. After giving him the coins, he will direct you to the southern gates of the city, down the alleyway past the Blue Moon Inn. Head there and look for a red exclamation mark (on your map) just past the inn to find the hideout. Enter the room to the south with a ladder inside, and climb down.

Inside the hideout, talk to Straven. Tell him you know who he is, then offer your services. He suggests that the Phoenix Gang would be very pleased if a Black Arm Gang contact called Jonny the Beard were to have an accident.

Exit the hideout and head to the Blue Moon Inn to the immediate west. Kill Jonny the Beard inside the inn.

Note: Jonny will not drop the report if killed with a ring of recoil.

Jonny will drop a report. Pick it up and bring it back to Straven. He will welcome you to the Phoenix Gang and hand you the Weapon store key, which you need to save for your partner.

You can now enter the rest of the hideout; the thieves walking around are not aggressive to any players, but will retaliate if you attack them. Look around for a chest in the south-west corner of the hideout to find one half of the Shield of Arrav. You can only grab one shield half at a time, and you cannot obtain it after completing the quest.

To join the Black Arm Gang, talk to Charlie the Tramp located just north of the south entrance of Varrock. Tell him you are looking for the Black Arm Gang, and he'll hint that their headquarters is down the alleyway. Enter the building to the south-west, then talk to Katrine.

Tell her you've heard about the gang and that you won't give your source. Ask her if you can join and if she'll give you a try, and she will ask you to steal two crossbows from the Phoenix Gang.

To steal the crossbows, you will need the weapon store key, obtained by your partner in the Phoenix Gang section of the quest, after they have successfully joined the gang.

Once you have the key, head towards the Phoenix Gang's hideout, located east of the southern entrance to Varrock. Directly south of the rune shop and attached to the chapel is a small room with a ladder inside. Climb it and you will enter a room with the crossbows. If you try to take them, the Weaponsmaster will prevent you and attack - you will have to kill him first.

Note: Another player with a second weapon store key may kill the weaponsmaster for you if you are low level or do not wish to gain combat experience. Your Phoenix Gang partner can obtain two keys with the drop trick when talking to Straven, so that you may both enter.

Once he is dead, take two Phoenix crossbows. Return to Katrine and she will make you a member of the Black Arm Gang. Go upstairs in the hideout and look for a cupboard, which contains the right half of the Shield of Arrav.

Take your half of the shield to Curator Haig Halen, located in the Varrock Museum. He will take your half of the shield and give you two copies of half the certificate. Your partner, who has the other half of the Shield, will receive the other half of the certificate.

Note: At this stage, players looking to help others in the future may talk to the Curator again to receive additional certificate halves. This is only possible before completing the following step. Using the drop trick is not required. There is no practical limit to how many certificate halves you can have.

Trade one half of the certificate with your partner for the other half. When you have both certificate halves, use them on the other to obtain a completed certificate. If completing the quest as an Ironman you must 'use' the key/certificate on each other.

Take the certificate to King Roald in Varrock Palace to receive your reward.

Congratulations, quest complete!