Beneath Scabaras' Sands
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This article has a quick guide. Quick guides provide a brief summary of the steps needed for completion.
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| Beneath Scabaras' Sands | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Release date | 13 January 2025 (Update) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Members | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Voice Over | No | ||||||||||||||||||
| Official series | Desert #11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Age | Age of Chaos (Sixth Age) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Timeline | Age of Chaos | ||||||||||||||||||
| Start area | Menaphos & Sophanem | ||||||||||||||||||
| Combat[?] | NPC combat level 140–149 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Entity icon |  | ||||||||||||||||||
| Advanced data | |||||||||||||||||||
| Quest ID | 517 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Quest create ID | 356 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Official difficulty | Experienced | ||||||||||||||||||
| Links | Quests | ||||||||||||||||||
Beneath Scabaras' Sands is a quest in the Desert quest series, following the events of 'Phite Club and Ode of the Devourer. It was released on 13 January 2025.
Official description
[edit | edit source]| “ | Embark on a journey to locate the Menaphite god of isolation and wisdom, Scabaras. | ” |
| “ | Enter the Menaphos throne room and speak to Pharaoh Osman to uncover the fate of the lesser god, Scabaras... | ” |
| — In-game calendar | ||
| “ | Even after stopping Amascut's evil plan to corrupt the sacred Gate of Elidinis, there is still much work to be done. Her devourers are still roaming the desert, stealing the souls of the living. It is time to return to the harsh Kharidian desert as you delve Beneath Scabaras' Sands to search for the god that does not want to be found... before the Devourer can sink her claws into him! | ” |
| — Beneath Scabaras' Sands Quest Launch - This Week In RuneScape | ||
Overview
[edit | edit source]| Start point |  Enter the Menaphos throne room. Show on map |  2025  | ||
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| Members |  Members only | |||
| Length as displayed in-game | Medium to Long | |||
| Requirements |
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| Required items | Items from the tool belt are not listed unless they do not work or are not automatically added.
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| Recommended |
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| Combat |
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Collecting reports
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Upon arriving in the throne room of Menaphos' Golden Palace and talking to Pharaoh Osman, Chosen of Tumeken, you will find that the council is discussing issues caused by the recent akh attacks. This will lead into you telling about what you discovered about Amascut's plans with the lesser god Scabaras. While Osman thinks that locating Scabaras before Amascut should be their main priority, the majority of the council disagrees. Osman then tasks you to fetch reports from the major desert settlements (from the High Priest in Sophanem, Hakeem the Mayor in Pollnivneach, Awusah the Mayor in Nardah, and Emir Ali Mirza in Al Kharid), promising a compensation for doing so.
The High Priest can be found in the temple of Icthlarin east from the Menaphos lodestone, across the bridge between Menaphos and Sophanem. You inform him you are there to collect his report for Osman, but before you do, you ask him about Scabaras. He then tells you about him being the god of isolation and wisdom, that according to legend, Scabaras was the last of the four lesser deities to be created by Tumeken, and that his followers, the scabarites, have been twisted by Amascut. He also says that he knows little else due to Scabaras having been in isolation for thousands of years. He then points you to the Sphinx and Jex in the temple of the lesser gods if you wish to learn more. You'll consider that and thank him before he hands you his report.
For Hakeem, you can ride a magic carpet to northern Pollniveach and head to the city square to talk to him. When you inform him about being there to collect his report on behalf of Osman, he says that you are not the one he usually sends but recognises your face. You ask him about how the town is holding up, and find out that they are coping well enough, and that some remnants of Menaphite and bandit gangs stepped up to defend the town. This pleases you to hear and he gives you his report.
For Awusah, you can use the magic carpet to travel to Nardah and talk to him in the eastern house by the fountain. Just like with Hakeem, you inform him you are there to collect his report on the pharaoh's behalf. He will then remark about how he remembers you for returning the statuette of Elidinis to them and ended a terrible drought. After asking about how things have been since then, he informs you about how things are splendid with many coming to seek blessings from Elidinis and how the temple is thriving. He remarks that while the desert is more dangerous than ever, the monkey colony's inhabitants have been helping them to fend off the recent devourer attacks. This leads him to theorise that they were only supporting them against the attacks because of the chimp ice they are always clamouring for, but their support is appreciated nonetheless. You then tell him how glad you are for how things are and he hands you his report.
For Emir Ali Mirza, you can teleport to the Al Kharid lodestone and head south to talk to him. After informing him that you are sent there by Osman, he remarks about how Osman hadn't been in contact since his banishment, and how the soldiers sent by Osman to aid in defence against the devourer attacks was only a token gesture. He points how Osman seems too eager joining the Menaphites he was previously displeased at. You will have a choice to justify Osman's actions. Regardless of the option you choose, he hands you his report.
Under attack!
[edit | edit source]Recommended: Food, combat gear, and means to avoid poison such as antipoisons
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This is a dangerous encounter. |
Once you have all the reports, head back to the Golden Palace. Upon attempting to enter, a cutscene starts where it is revealed that Menaphos is under attack by some Profane Scabarites and corrupted scarabs. Should you leave this instance or die, you can rejoin by going back and trying to enter the Golden Palace again. The Profane Scabarites in this encounter are not considered Slayer creatures; even whilst on a Profane Scabarites Slayer assignment, players will not benefit from the effects of a Slayer helmet or an empowered Tuska's Wrath ability.
After killing the Profane Scabarites and corrupted scarabs in the upper area, Commander Akhomet will direct you to the plaza outside the temple, where a few more Profane Scabarites and corrupted scarabs appear. Kill them off, and as the last enemy is killed, Akhomet will direct you to the palace as she and her guards get rid of the remaining attackers. Head into the palace and talk to Pharaoh Osman, Chosen of Tumeken. The remaining council wonders what just happened, and you will tell them of the attack. Osman directs you and Leela to the Grand Library of Menaphos to meet with his agent.
The hunt for the golden scarab
[edit | edit source]Recommended: 15 free backpack spaces
After asking Kohnen's assistant about Leela's whereabouts, you will find her on the second level with her ally Maisa, in a book nook discussing where the book they need to locate is. You find it in a random bookcase in or just outside of the nook and you will be confused about the title of it at first, but after bringing the book to Leela, you soon find out about a tale about a scarab made of pure gold that could lead you to Scabaras. Soon after this, Leela will inform you to meet her at the Senliten's chamber. Head to the Uzer Mastaba south of the ruins of Uzer and talk to Senliten about the golden scarab. She will inform you that it was stored in a vault in Uzer. Head to the ruins of Uzer and talk to Lead Archaeologist Kerner. You will inform him about what you want after his sarcastic remarks about "everything is fine." He will reveal that they have found one. Clearly upset about losing the only find worth anything, you then propose a trade for the scarab by offering an item from the Kharid-et Dig Site. He accepts this deal and you can give him any restored Zarosian artefact for the golden scarab. It is recommended to give him either a venator dagger or venator light crossbow as both are easily obtained and inexpensive to restore.
Upon receiving the damaged golden scarab and a screening tray, it is now time to restore it. Gather scorched sand hotspots for some scorched sand, screen it with the screening tray until you have 30 Kharidian gold and 2 ancient rubies, and then restore the damaged golden scarab at an archaeologist's workbench. You will also receive ancient gem shards while obtaining these items; these have no purpose, and although they can be destroyed once the required items are obtained, they will be removed automatically once the scarab is restored. Once you have restored the artefact into a golden scarab, return to the Golden Palace. If you lose the golden scarab, you can reobtain it by talking to Leela outside Menaphos.
Discovering the temple
[edit | edit source]Recommended: 15 free backpack spaces, food, combat gear, and means to avoid poison such as antipoisons
After talking to Pharaoh Osman, Chosen of Tumeken and relaying to him everything that has happened so far, head out with Leela. Osman has also sent Coenus as a bodyguard, leaving her with reservations about his true motives. Head out the northern gates of Menaphos to start your search for Scabaras. Release the golden scarab in your backpack and follow it (map pictured on the right) until you reach the Scabarite Cavern. Upon entering the cavern, head south towards a ruined old boat and begin scavenging the nearby piles of debris until you get five piles of boat materials (these stack in your backpack). With two or four boat materials in the backpack, scavenging the debris will instead spawn a Profane Scabarite which must be defeated; they will drop boat materials once killed. This can be avoided by having a full backpack when scavenging, only dropping an item and looting the boat materials from the ground once five have been dropped. Once you have all five piles of boat materials, proceed to repair the boat, then use the repaired old boat to arrive at the Temple of Isolation.
You, Leela, and Coenus will enter the main temple area, but be unable to initiate communication with Scabaras. Leela will then theorise about how the scarabs outside may be used to awaken Scabaras so they can talk with him. You will need to coax three scarabs to learn more about Scabaras and his beliefs.
At the base of the temple, there will be a small scarab named Fear crawling about. Interacting with them the first time will open a dialogue in which your character will attempt to use friendly means to coax them to follow them, but to only make the scarab flee from you in a straight line of up to six tiles. You can guide them on the northern or the southern staircase towards Scabaras. However, Fear will only go to the top of the pyramid if you lead them between the notches. You can do this by scaring Fear up the stairs, then back down, and scaring them to the east. This will then push them up over the notches in the staircase and allow you to scare it into the pyramid. Resetting the puzzle will also make the dialogue happen again every time. Once you have guided the scarab past the doorway, you receive a flashback between Scabaras and Tumeken with your character acting as the voice of Scabaras. Go through all dialogue options presented to end the flashback.
After going through the flashback and returning to the real world, Leela will be concerned about you being knocked out. While Coenus wanted to break the sand barrier to wake up Scabaras, this will also make Leela theorise that there are still more scarabs they need to fully awaken Scabaras, so you need to coax more. Upon going back down to the base of the temple, you will find another scarab called Ego and they are a hungry critter. Go pick some cavern dwellberries from the cavern dwellberry bushes by river in the cavern, next to the old boat. You will need at least 11 dwellberries to lure Ego up towards Scabaras – it is, however, possible to pick up the berries before Ego eats them, so you can reuse them. Ego can only be lured within five game squares of where you drop the dwellberries. Once you get Ego past the doorway, you encounter another flashback of what Amascut had done for her first act as the Devourer. Go through all dialogue options to end this flashback.
You will need to coax one more scarab. Heading out and one level lower, you find another scarab called Melancholy and, this time, use motivational and inspirational quotes to make them move. Every time you motivate them, they get closer to the doorway. Once Melancholy goes past the door, a final flashback occurs where Scabaras finally acknowledges you as a visitor, having believed that you were a passing memory.
Stomping out the grief
[edit | edit source]Recommended: Food, combat gear, and means to avoid poison such as antipoisons
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This is a dangerous encounter. |
You learn from Scabaras that he was not worried about Amascut discovering him in his temple due to the wards standing strong. He then proceeds to tell you that the attack on Menaphos was actually orchestrated by Osman himself and show you that his deception extended to your current party as Coenus is revealed to be acting under Osman's orders to kill Scabaras to prevent Amascut's plans from coming true. Leela is shocked about this revelation, but the plan partially succeeded as Coenus broke the plinth with a keris. This allows Amascut to discover where Scabaras' temple was and she shortly arrives in an attempt to execute her plans, killing Coenus in the process. Knowing Leela is in trouble, you ask Scabaras to send you back to the real world, but to only be denied because something was not right in the alternate world. This leads to you discovering a scarab named Grief and begins the last fight of the quest.
After a few failed attempts to stomp out Grief, the scarab will transform into a level 146 monster that must be defeated. They have 82,400 life points, so food is advisable, but it can be safe-spotted by moving to the north-eastern corner of the ledge at the top of the stairs just north of the monster's spawn. Upon killing it, you are returned to the real world. From that point, Amascut will attempt to devour what Tumeken left within Scabaras, but she fails as she realises that he no longer contains the fragment that their father gave him. She then leaves after issuing an ultimatum about giving her what she desired before destroying Menaphos in the next new moon. Scabaras teleports you and Leela to the ruins of the temple of Amascut. You ask Scabaras about Amascut's plan, and Scabaras explains how Amascut is planning to combine the bau of Tumeken with the Kharid-ib. Scabaras reveals that he doesn't share Icthlarin's hope of Amascut being able to be redeemed. Scabaras remains at the ruins and hints that further assistance would be required soon, completing the quest.
Rewards
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- 2 quest points
- Slayer XP lamp (yields 100,000 experience in Slayer; requires 87 Slayer)
- Archaeology XP lamp (yields 100,000 experience in Archaeology; requires 86 Archaeology)
- Combat XP lamp (yields 75,000 in the selected combat skill (Attack, Strength, Defence, Constitution, Ranged, Magic, or Necromancy); requires level 75 in the selected skill)
- Access to Scabaras' Temple of Isolation and the Elite Profane Scabarites within
- A primed keris and the ability to upgrade it to a consecrated keris, rewarding 40,000 Prayer experience when upgrading it. Talk to Scabaras again after the quest to receive it.
- Music unlocked
Achievements
[edit | edit source]- Beneath Scabaras' Sands (
0) – Complete this quest. - Another One Scabarites The Dust ( 10) – Kill elite profane scabarites with the primed keris equipped to upgrade it after 'Beneath Scabaras' Sands'. (X/200)
- Bugs in the Walls ( 10) – Find and read the High Priest of Scabaras' notes.
Required for completing
[edit | edit source]Beneath Scabaras' Sands is directly required for the following quests/miniquests:
Transcript
[edit | edit source]Gallery
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Head banner -
Lobby banner -
Login pop-up -
Key art used for the quest -
Beneath Scabaras' Sands logo -
Concept art -
Concept art
Credits
[edit | edit source]| Beneath Scabaras' Sands | ||||||||||
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| Developers | ||||||||||
| Developer | Mod Zura (feature lead), Mod Daze, Mod Shrike[1] | |||||||||
| Narrative support | Mod Bly[1] | |||||||||
| Design support | Mod Timbo[1] | |||||||||
| Production | Mod Spyro[2] | |||||||||
| Art and graphics | ||||||||||
| Characters | Mod Alec[2] | |||||||||
| Environments | Mod Blkwitch[2] | |||||||||
| Animation | Mod Wing[2] | |||||||||
| Concept | Mod Fox, Mod DBarker[2] | |||||||||
| VFX | Mod Drewid[2] | |||||||||
| Quality assurance | ||||||||||
| Quality assurance | Mod Bugspray, Mod Fallen[1] | |||||||||
| Audio | ||||||||||
| Audio | Mod Grace, Mod Nixon[2] | |||||||||
Update history
[edit | edit source]- patch 20 January 2025 (Update):
- Leela now correctly says the "I'll meet you there, (player)" line when speaking to Osman for a reminder after the initial dialogue.
- Updated the text of the Priest's Notes lore book.
- Made small tweaks to the dialogue of the Beneath Scabaras' Sands quest to remove lore inaccuracies.
- For example, Reminiscence now describes the Mahjarrat as marching towards "Ullek" rather than "Uzer".
- Fixed an issue that listed the quest incorrectly in the combat quest filter.
- Fixed the quest journal mentioning an incorrect location for Scabaras.
- The purple text is now easier to read against the background when used by mobile UI/full screen dialogue boxes during the quest.
- Fixed typos relating to the melancholy scarab and the mind sequence.
- The item "Scorched sand" no longer appears in the Grand Exchange.
Trivia
[edit | edit source]- Upon completion of the quest, RuneMetrics states: I located the god Scabaras and watched as Osman's plot to kill him was foiled.
- The quest's title appears to be a reference to Beneath Cursed Sands (which is itself a reference to Beneath Cursed Tides), Old School RuneScape's first continuation of the Desert quest series, that follows Contact!.
- Beneath Cursed Sands involves some plot from RuneScape's quest Dealing with Scabaras.
- This quest is the first of a three-part questline finale to the Desert storyline entitled "Return to the Desert".
- The Profane Scabarites fought during the quest share the same drop table as their overworld counterparts.
- While crushing the corrupted scarabs, the citizens who are panicking occasionally say "I hate bugs!" This may be a reference to the 1999 film The Mummy, in which the character Gad Hassan repeatedly comments "I hate bugs!" during the initial investigation of Hamunaptra.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d Jagex. Mod Shrike's Twitter account. 13 January 2025. (Archived from the original on 13 January 2025.) Mod Shrike: "Content devs: @JagexZura (lead), @JagexDaze, @JagexShrike
Narrative support: Mod Bly
Design support: @JagexTimbo
QA: Mod Bugspray, Mod Fallen
(cont...)" - ^ a b c d e f g Jagex. Mod Shrike's Twitter account. 13 January 2025. (Archived from the original on 13 January 2025.) Mod Shrike: "Environment: @JagexBlkwitch
Concept: @JagexFox, @JagexDBarker
Character: @JagexAlec
Animation: @JagexWing
VFX: @Jagex_Drewid
Audio: @JagexGrace, Mod Nixon
Production: @JagexSpyro"
| Part 11 of the Desert quest series | |||||
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| Music | Temple of Isolation | ||||
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