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"Contact" redirects here. For the lunar spell that allows players to contact non-player characters, see NPC Contact.

Contact! is the 117th quest, released on 10 January 2007.

Details

Start point Speak to the High Priest of Icthlarin Speak to the High Priest of Icthlarin
Official difficulty Master
Description The High Priest of Icthlarin has problems again - this time with the inhabitants of Menaphos. Sophanem is recovering from the plague, yet most of its citizens are still trapped on the other side of the river. Diplomacy has failed and subterfuge beckons. Clearly, this is the sort of job that a shifty adventurer could excel in.
Length Medium
Requirements
Items required

The headband need not be worn, allowing players the extra defence of a good sturdy helm!

Recommended:

Enemies to defeat
  • Giant scarab (level 191)

Walkthrough

Starting off

File:Co start.png
  • Travel to Sophanem and speak to the high priest in the western temple. He will say that they have been having problems getting in contact with their sister city of Menaphos.
  • Talk to the priest and ask him about ways of getting into Menaphos. Pick the option about any ways through dungeons.
  • Talk to Jex, who is in the North-east part of the city in a building with a broken altar. He will tell you how to access the dungeons beneath the building.
  • Go down a level (down the trapdoor in the temple) and talk to the guard if you haven't got any lighting source already. He will sell you a torch for 200 coins, and a tinderbox for 50 coins. A bullseye lantern is a better choice because it will go out less often, but you must take your tinderbox into the dungeon. Alternatively you can take a seers village headband as your light source as it never goes out. It is strongly recommended that you take good food (monkfish or above), an emergency escape teleport such as the ectophial, a tinderbox, light source such as a bullseye lantern, and an antipoison potion. It's also a good idea to bring a few energy potions, in case you have run toggled the entire way, which is recommended by some (thanks to the Rest Update this is generally no longer necessary, as you can recharge your energy at the nearby musician and are unlikely to run out). Others recommend using full dragon hides with elemental shield, walking the maze and avoiding traps. Use the appropriate prayer if one of the minions comes near you. Avoid them if possible.

Dungeon

  • Turn auto-retaliate OFF in the weapon interface, since it might cause you to run into a trap and also waste some prayer points fighting back, if you're hit at an inopportune moment!
  • Go down the trapdoor and follow the dungeon around until you get to the ladder north of the South-west corner using protect from magic prayer.
  • When following the route above, the player will only encounter Scarab mages. Therefore, Protect from Magic is advised.
  • You will encounter various traps:
Trap Image Description
Floor Trap - Spikes A Floor Trap Similar to the floor traps found in the Rogue's Den (but easier to see - x markings on floor), these can be avoided using agility by selecting 'Search floor'. If you run over them without searching, you will be hit for 140-180 life points.
Wall Trap A Wall Trap Similar to the wall traps in Rogue's Den, these can be disabled by thieving by selecting 'Search Odd markings'. If you run through them you will be hit for 140-180 life points. Be extra careful to select the right side of the wall. If you select the side opposite of where you're standing you will walk through (and get hit) before you're asked to disable it.
Crusher Blocks Crusher Blocks These are also found in the pyramid in Icthlarin's Little Helper. Simply move diagonally carefully around them. If you run into them you will be hit for 80 life points of damage.
Sand Pits A Sand Pit If you step on these, the ground will crack open and a Scarab swarm will come out. This can be avoided by walking around the pit. Note that you can be poisoned by these.
Scarab Trap A Scarab Trap These are the most dangerous of all the traps, similar to the pits in Desert Treasure, these pits appear if you walk next to a wall spot with a scarab on it. This will extinguish your light source and cause you to fall down to the bottom level. If the situation happens, immediately click your emergency teleport for safety, DO NOT spend time lighting your source up!


  • Note: Scarab mages can extinguish your light source even if closed, unless you are using the Seers' headband. You will not be able to continue attacking (if you were in combat) until your light source is relit.

Lower Dungeon

NOTE: You only enter this dungeon when failing any traps at the dungeon above. There is a chance you don't visit this lower dungeon at all.



  • The ladders in the dungeon above all lead to a MUCH more dangerous second level of the dungeon. If you go down the wrong ladder, or fall down a pit, you will be placed in the lower portion of the dungeon.
  • There are level 98 and 106 Locust riders and many Scarab mages. It is multi-way combat and your life points will be reduced very quickly.
  • If you have a good supply of food, use Protect from Magic and find a ladder and get out fast if possible. It is strongly recommended that you use your instant teleport soon when you are sent down there. It is highly possible to die in a matter of a few seconds.
  • Once you have found the correct ladder (See map), follow the passage around until you come to the corpse of Kaleef. Search the corpse to get a parchment, read it.
  • Travel slightly west and inform Maisa that Kaleef is dead. She would like to confirm your identity before trusting you.
  • Tell her that you helped rescue Prince Ali.
    • He was being held in Draynor Village.
    • Leela assisted you.
  • She will then trust you and tell you to speak to Osman, the Spy Master in Al-Kharid.

Osman

File:Co osman sneaking.png

Osman sneaks into the temple

  • Travel to Al-Kharid (for a convenient teleport, use an Amulet of glory, a Ring of duelling or an enchanted Broomstick from Swept Away).
  • Speak to Osman, who is standing against the north wall of the palace. Try to convince him to come to Sophanem (picking the "Drive a wedge..." option does the trick).
  • Before returning to Sophanem, make whatever arrangements are necessary to battle a level 191 Giant scarab.
    • Bring good food (Sharks or better are highly recommended), a Prayer potion and a one-click escape teleport.
    • A super set is highly recommended if you're using melee, as the monsters may hit 200+, and the scarab can be very difficult to hit even with a combat level of 100+. Iban Blast, Ice Rush, Magic Dart and earth spells are extremely effective (see below for recommended equipment for the three combat classes).
  • Travel back to Sophanem. Osman is just outside the gates. Talk to him again and suggest the secret entrance just north of the city. You will then see a funny cutscene where Osman sneaks past Jex into the caves below by blackjacking him.

The Final Battle: Giant Scarab

Main article: Giant scarab (Contact!)
  • Go back through Sophanem Dungeon to where you found the body of Kaleef. Once you have passed through the maze turn auto-retaliate back on in order to avoid being interrupted in your fight. As soon as you go down the ladder you will see another cut scene where a large beetle appears! Note: If you have a regen bracelet and want to save ALL your food for the scarab, you can rest in the lower level of the dungeon. It takes a while, but your health will come back.
  • Travel into the cave and fight the level 191 Giant Scarab which hits up to 200 with melee and ranging. It summons level 68 Locust riders and Scarab mages (which can also do 90 life points with poison) to aid it, which will attack the player at the same time. The riders will attack with ranged or melee, and the mages will attack with magic so you are being attacked by all 3 combat styles at once.
  • It is recommended to defeat the magic-casters and rangers as soon as they spawn, but ignore the melee riders as your prayer makes them harmless.
  • Familiars may be used.
  • The Giant Scarab may not summon his minions if you stand behind Kaleef's body.
Melee: Using Protect from Melee prayer is recommended against the scarab, and having plenty of food is extremely helpful in this fight. Wearing dragonhide armour will help protect against both magic and ranging. Also the Giant Scarab has extremely high defence against slash attacks so weapons that use only slash attacks are not recommended, you should use weapons that have a secondary crush attack, like the Saradomin Sword and Godswords. Assuming that all your melee stats are above 75, you should have no difficulty in dispatching it, using potions and melee prayers.
Ranged: It would be wise to use a Crystal bow. Use Karil's or black D-hide, and use Protect from Ranged. Diamond bolts (e) can also hit though its armour. Hand Cannon also works as well. Doing range any other way is not very effective in this battle.
Magic: <EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED> Use Protect from Ranged. The scarab is particularly weak to earth spells. Iban Blast and Ice Rush are other ways to quickly beat the scarab. A full set of Mystics or above proves useful, pack also a battlestaff or mystic battlestaff with a mind shield/prayer book. Since the scarab will use only ranged attacks, you should save your food for the minions and defeat them as quickly as possible, as they have low life points (around 200, easily killable in one hit of Iban Blast) but regularly hit above 100. You can then return your focus to the boss; just make sure not to run out of prayer.

Battle notes

  • The battle site has recently lost most of its original safespots and cannon uses when fighting bosses. Still, if you stand a distance away, the scarab will not approach. A good method is to turn on Protect from Range, and range it with black dragonhide and rune arrows, or any equivalent. Be sure to kill the riders as soon as possible, as they'll be the only thing that can really damage you.
  • In some apparently rare cases, you will get very lucky and the scarab will not summon a single monster to help him fight. Immediately attack the scarab, most likely using Ice Rush, before you get close to it. Your character will move to the most far away spot possible while still being able to attack.
  • You can protect yourself from the scarab by simply attracting the scarab then standing to the left of the skeleton right before kaleefs' body although doing this will allow the scarab to summon mages and locusts; however, it will not take long to kill if you are using Ice Rush, Iban Blast or an earth based spell.
  • The green projectile attack is not magic, but range.
  • If players are afraid of dying while fighting the Giant scarab, it is recommended that they wear the Ring of life, but beware because you may be hit with enough damage to kill you before you teleport to your death spot.
  • There is a way to fight the scarab without getting attacked by any others. Stand in the doorway behind Kaleef, but not next to him as he doesn't count as a safe spot. When the Scarab draws near, attack. (Iban Blast Preferred) The Scarab will summon help, but you should only be attacked by one Ranger or mage. They will most likely be summoned in the pathway behind, where is it a small area. keep blasting the scarab until it dies. Finish the cutscene, and pick up the Keris. Remember, the green blast isn't magic, it's ranged. So Protect From Ranged is preferred highly.

After the fight

  • Once the scarab is defeated, another cut scene will happen where Osman is miraculously alive (since he blended into the shadows as a spy master). He talks to and tells you to take the Keris on the floor, and then teleports away.
    • If you happen to die at the same time as the scarab or fail to pick up the Keris for some other reason, you can still get it from Osman in Al Kharid for 20,000gp.
  • Go back to the high priest. (Tip: It is suggested that you teleport out since there is no quick and easy way to get above ground, restore prayer and hitpoints before coming to Sophanem again instead of tracing back in the dungeon.) He will confirm that Maisa was successful, and reward you.

Rewards

Contact! Reward

Note: If you accidentally destroy the experience lamp, another may be obtained by seeing the high priest.

Music

Music tracks unlocked:

See also

Trivia

  • Osman uses the old teleportation animation—one of the few NPCs that still does. He also holds his steel scimitar and blackjack like a two-handed sword.
  • The "Beetle Juice" music track could be a possible reference to the movie or cartoon series of the same name.
  • When rewards are given, the word "Contact" is not used with an exclamation point, unlike in the quest list.
  • When you are in the top level of the maze, standing near the edge, you can position the camera so that you can look in the bottom level but you can't see any monsters there.
  • Maisa is a woman, yet she appears wearing a fake nose and glasses similar to Groucho Glasses.
  • "Contact!" is one of only two quests in Runescape that has an exclamation point (!) in it, the other being Wanted!.
  • Jex says that he has a bump on the back of his head after Osman hits him.
  • If you hold a Barrelchest Anchor before the two cutscenes, Osman and will hold the scimitar and the blackjack like the anchor and Maisa will wield her suitcase like an anchor in the cutscenes, and you are not able to exaime them, so Osman and Maisa are actually replicas of the player.
  • When you can't find Osman after his 2 hours are up and you go back to Al-Kharid and talk to Osman, he says that he is a spy of Osman and is meant to be his impostor. The spy and Osman look the same.

Template:Sophanem and Menaphos

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