Varrock



Varrock (originally known as Avarroka) is one of the largest cities in RuneScape and the largest city available to free players. It is also one of the most popular cities in all of RuneScape. The city is also known as Avarrocka, in barbarian speech. Varrock is also the capital city of the kingdom of Misthalin.

Entrances
Varrock can be entered through the north gate from the Wilderness, through the east gate, through the south gate from Lumbridge, and through the west gate from Barbarian Village. Each entrance has level 21 guards surrounding it. Fortunately, the guards are not aggressive, meaning that if a low level player walks near them, the player will not be attacked. Although players entering through the south entrance may be attacked by level 7 and 20 dark wizards. Members can enter Varrock from Edgeville Dungeon through the sewerage. Varrock's location in relation to the Wilderness makes it the best spot for low-level player killers.

Transportation

 * Players with 25 Magic can cast the Varrock Teleport Spell.
 * Balloon transport system - south of Lumber Yard, north-east of Varrock.
 * There is also a Spirit tree and a fairy ring just north-west of Varrock.
 * The canoe transport system also has several landing points near Varrock, such as near the Champion's Guild and Edgeville.

The founding of Varrock
Avarrocka (later Varrock) came into being in the year 700 of the Fourth Age, when the races that survived the God Wars began to compete for land without the direct aid of gods. At the time, the world was dangerous, and most of humanity lived in small nomadic tribes intent solely on surviving.

One of these tribes, led by a small group of elders, was looking to settle in the forested territory that is now Misthalin. As they searched, they discovered a young boy, about two years of age, wandering near the River Lum, unable to remember his parents or speak. The boy was not ordinary, though, and stood nearly a foot taller than most his age. The wanderers, taking the boys' strength as a good omen, made a camp in the forest. It is said that, on that day, "both sun and moon were mingled in the sky."

Banks
Varrock's banks are located near the east gate and near the west gate. They are very large buildings and are easy to spot. They are great places to buy and sell items as many players tend to congregate at these two banks.

East bank
The east bank is a very popular place to buy and sell items to other players. This, added to the fact that the bank is very small, results in an overly populated bank on busy worlds, which slows down the game. Some of the most common items seen for sale here are rune essence, and player killing goods such as food, lower levelled weapons and armour, runes, and potions.

The east bank also has a. This floor is much quieter than the main floor, though holds nothing of value.

West bank
This was the first, and once the only bank in RuneScape. In its early days, this bank, the Bank of Varrock, stored only gold in its accounts. Nowadays, this is the most popular free-to-play bank. Things such as big bones, logs, feathers, and many miscellaneous items used to be sold here while the Grand Exchange was not available.

The west bank also has a and a basement. There is nothing on the first floor, though it is much quieter than the main floor. The basement contains a south room with coins, one gold ore, one gold bar, a gold necklace, and a ruby ring behind a locked door. Players who have a Magic level of 33 or higher may use the Telekinetic Grab spell to obtain all the items except for the ruby ring. There is also a spawn of three coins on the floor to the north-east of the basement, directly in front of the stairs. The basement is a very popular place to have bank sales.

Stores
Varrock has many stores. Most of them are located in or around Varrock Square.

Varrock General Store
Varrock's general store is one of the most popular stores in the game. New players can buy a newcomer map, which can help them find their way around the free version of RuneScape.

Players can sell whatever they wish at the store, though mainly low level players sell their items, which are often not wanted by higher level players. It is also hard to sell items to this general store as many people sell their items here, causing the store's inventory limit to be reached very easily.

Varrock Swordshop
At the southern entrance is a store where players can buy swords. The store sells bronze, iron, steel, black, mithril and adamant daggers, swords and longswords.

Thessalia's Fine Clothes
Thessalia's Fine Clothes sell several types of clothes including robes, capes, gloves, and boots. Thessalia will also change a player's default clothing for a price of 500 coins. Players who were lucky enough to obtain a scythe when they were dropped, can retrieve it from this store if it is lost. Frog tokens from the frog random event can be exchanged for either a frog mask or a prince outfit at this shop.

Fancy Clothes Store
There is also a clothing store in the south-eastern part of the city. It features heavily in the Hunter skill, and it is here that you have furs made into camouflage and other hunter armour.

Zaff's Superior Staffs!
Near the centre of Varrock is Zaff's Superior Staffs, a store where players can purchase staves for Magic.

Zaff sells staffs, magic staffs, and elemental staves. He also sells battlestaves for use in the Crafting skill.

Horvik's Armour Shop
Horvik's Armour Shop is near the centre of Varrock. Here, players can buy platebodies and chainbodies as well as platelegs and some leather armour.

Aubury's Rune Shop
In the south-east corner of Varrock is Aubury's Rune Shop. Here, players can purchase most types of runes or be teleported to the rune essence. Players must come here and speak to Aubury twice during the Rune Mysteries Quest

Lowe's Archery Emporium
To the east of Varrock General Store is Lowe's Archery Emporium, a store which sells items designed for players who use the Ranging skill.

Lowe sells many types of bows and crossbows, as well as their corresponding ammunition.

Trees
Varrock has many trees in and around it. Inside the city are four yew trees. To the south of the city are some willow trees and some oak trees. To the east of the city are some more yew trees. One should also note that there is a tree patch, which allows players to grow trees, with a Farming level of at least 15.

Altars
Varrock has a total of three altars within its walls.

Altars of Saradomin

 * The Varrock Palace altar - Located on the, toward the rear of the palace.
 * Varrock Chapel - Located in the north-east corner of the city and presided over by Father Lawrence.

Altars of Zamorak

 * Altar of Chaos - Located south of Wizard Aubury's rune store in the south-east corner of the city. You can talk to a Zamorak Mage here after completing his miniquest, Enter the Abyss.

Pubs
Varrock and the surrounding area has four pubs. Most Varrockian pubs sell only beer, but the Rat Pit Bar also sells stew.

The Blue Moon Inn
The Blue Moon Inn is by far the most popular pub in Varrock. Amazingly, it doubles as an inn, although service is only available to NPCs. One-Eyed Hector the Pirate once stayed here. You can find a couple NPCs here besides the bartender, which include an unnamed Barbarian warrior woman, the ex-vampire slayer master Dr. Harlow, A tramp in the back room of the store, and the fat Johnny the Beard (who drops the Varrock Herald, used for Shield of Arrav).

The Dancing Donkey Bar
The Dancing Donkey Bar is unknown to most of Varrock because it is in the corner of the city that contains little of significance. Unlike the Blue Moon, it does not double as an inn. While there, you may stumble upon the three drunken NPCs here: Hops, too drunken to speak; Da Vinci, who hates free players, and Chancy, who loves to gamble.

The Jolly Boar Inn
The Jolly Boar Inn is actually outside the Varrock city walls, but is still considered a Varrockian pub because it is within the vicinity. Like the Blue Moon, the Jolly Boar doubles as a hotel, and there is an occupant for a room. The very tired Johnathon (who starts the Family Crest quest). There are a lot of NPCs here, one woman, two men, and a Black Knight, though none of them are drunk.

Rat Pit Bar
This very little known pub can be found down the manhole in South-east Varrock, in the area that is cordoned off. It is very small and is mostly occupied with gamblers taking a break from the Rat Pits mini-game.

Guilds
Both of these are just outside of Varrock.


 * Cooking Guild to the west.
 * Champions Guild to the south.

Dungeons

 * Varrock Sewers
 * Tunnel of Chaos
 * Champions' Guild Basement
 * Saradomin Shrine
 * Digsite Dungeon
 * Rat Pits
 * Dungeon of Tolna

Digsite
The Digsite is an archaeological excavation area just east of Varrock. Players need to proceed far enough into the Dig Site quest in order to fully use it. It is visited during several quests:
 * The Dig Site
 * The Golem
 * Desert Treasure
 * A Soul's Bane
 * Elemental Workshop II

Varrock Palace
The palace is the focus of many quests. It has a library, different floors and other things. Inside there is a trapped Monk of Zamorak in a cage. The Queen and King Roald reside here. Garden of Tranquility is the most notable quest. Inside also resides a few warrior women. The palace also contains the Library of Varrock, which is filled with books explaining the history of RuneScape. The Varrock Square is directly in front of the palace.

In the Demon Slayer quest, there is a drain on the north-east part of the palace. Inside, there is a key to retrieve. To get it, you must pour water down the drain by getting a bucket (there is one convienently located near the stairs that leads into the kitchen on the ), filling the bucket with water, and pouring the water down the drain. The key will then slosh down to the Varrock Sewers, which is on the east side of the palace.

Varrock Museum
Like the palace, it plays a part in quests such as Shield of Arrav, The Golem, The Digsite and Desert Treasure.

The natural history quiz
The natural history quiz is the basement section of the Varrock Museum miniquest. It consists of 14 creature displays in which the player must answer three questions correctly in order to earn two kudos each for a total of 28.

Each of the rooms has a natural historian, who will give a lecture about each creature for which the quiz is based on.

To start the quiz, speak to Orlando Smith in the centre of the room. Click on the plaque in front of a display to get a question. After answering three questions correctly, the quiz questions are replaced by the common name and scientific name of the animal.

The quickest way to answer the questions is to line up the cursor with the middle answer and the display while continuously select it.

Orlando's message:
 * Correct: Nice job, mate. That looks about right.
 * Wrong: Hmm, I don't think that's right, mate. Try again.
 * Finished 3: Bonza, mate! I think that's all of them.
 * Note: After finishing the quiz for each display, the questions will no longer be available.
 * "This looks like some sort of quiz. I wonder if I can take part..." Getting this message means the player needs to talk to Orlando first.

Once all questions are complete, speak to Orlando again to receive 1,000 experience in both Hunter and Slayer. Note: If this is the first Slayer experience you have received, you won't receive a free enchanted gem from the Slayer masters during your first assignment and will need to pay 1 coin to buy one.

Stone circle
The stone circle south of Varrock plays a big part of Demon Slayer. This is where Delrith is summoned, and where he is defeated by the player.

The stone circle has many level 20 and level 7 dark wizards and is very popular for players, especially rangers, to train at because of the runes they may drop. It is also because of these wizards that made it notorious for new players to be killed, thus inviting a lot of high level scavenging players to take what was dropped by the dead players.

Quests
Many quests can be started in or around Varrock. These quests are listed below:


 * A Soul's Bane may be started by speaking to Launa at the "Rift" entrance, north-west of the Dig Site.
 * Demon Slayer is started by speaking to the gypsy who is in her tent, at Varrock's central square.
 * Dragon Slayer may be started by speaking to the Guildmaster of the Champions Guild to the south of Varrock.
 * Family Crest is started by speaking to Dimintheis, in the south-eastern corner of Varrock.
 * Gertrude's Cat is started by speaking to Gertrude, who resides in her house along the path that leads to Barbarian Village.
 * Garden of Tranquility is started by speaking to Her Royal Highness, Queen Ellamaria, in the palace garden.
 * Priest in Peril is started by speaking to King Roald in the palace.
 * Rat Catchers may be started by speaking to Gertrude while you have a cat or kitten.
 * Romeo & Juliet is started by speaking to Romeo, who is found around Varrock's central square.
 * Shield of Arrav may be started by speaking to Reldo in the palace library.
 * What Lies Below is started by speaking to Rat Burgiss, who is found along the halfway along the road between Varrock's southern entrance, and Lumbridge.

Monsters

 * Rats (Level 1)
 * Men and Women (Level 2)
 * Mugger (Level 6)
 * Barbarian woman (Level 9)
 * Thieves (Level 16)
 * Guards (Level 22)
 * Outlaws (Level 32)
 * Black Knights (Level 33)
 * Lucien (Level 14, only fought during Temple of Ikov)
 * Giant Rat (Level 3 or 6)

Miscellaneous
There are a large amount of different things scattered throughout Varrock.

Anvils
Anvils are located south of the west bank, north-west of the east bank in Horvik's Armour Shop, and south of the east bank.

Ranges
Ranges are located in small houses all over Varrock. They are easy to spot. The best one for cooking, which is nearest to a bank is the one to the south-west of the east bank.

Water sources
Players can obtain water from sinks in the castle and in fountains outside the castle and near the east bank.

Combat training
Low level players can raise their combat level by hitting dummies north of the east bank and on in the castle.

Baraek
Baraek is an NPC in Varrock's centre who buys and sells fur. He can be used to complete the quest Shield of Arrav.

Apothecary
The Apothecary is south of the west bank. He can make Strength potions provided that players bring him 5 coins, one limpwurt root, and some red spiders' eggs.

Master farmer
South of Varrock there is a master farmer who can be thieved for seeds.

Varrock Library
On one of the bookcases in the palace there is a book named "Conan the Librarian", an homage to the movie UHF.

Benny
Benny sells the Varrock Herald, the newspaper of Varrock, for 50 coins.

There is a leather body spawn place near the magic store (in house with two logs spawning too).

Music

 * Medieval
 * Parade
 * Spirit
 * Garden
 * Expanse
 * Greatness
 * Adventure
 * Still night
 * Looking back (Varrock Museum)