Intro
William Shakespeare is a controversial guy. It seems like people either love his work or hate it.
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is likely Shakespeare’s most well-known work (In the mainstream anyway). Or perhaps not the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but rather the stupidity. Many dismiss the classic as a story of a bunch of incredibly dumb people making the worst possible decisions in every situation. Maybe it is, maybe not.
Regardless of how you or I feel about them, Jagex seems fond of Romeo and Juliet because they’re alive and well here in Gielinor. For now, at least. How will the story of Gielinor’s Romeo and Juliet unfold? Will their tale be as unfortunate as their Shakespearean counterparts?
Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. It’s time to take on the Romeo and Juliet quest.
Quest Requirements
The only item you will need to complete this quest is a bushel of Cadava berries. You can pick them from bushes outside Varrock or purchase them on the Grand Exchange for around 80 gold.
To begin the love tale of Romeo and Juliet, first head to Varrock. If you don’t have access to Varrock teleport spells or tablets, you can use The Chronicle to get to the Champions’ Guild. Varrock is a short walk away.
Starting Romeo and Juliet
Head for Varrock Square, where you will find loverboy Romeo wandering around. If you think Alberto from Dying Light 2 is absent-minded, say hello to his spiritual grandfather, Romeo. Be prepared to finish this guy’s thoughts and sentences regularly.
Speak with Romeo, and he’ll be muttering about a woman named Juliet (Alternatively, you can speak to Juliet first and skip this first part of the quest). He’ll ask if you’ve seen her. Offer to help him find her and ask how you’ll recognize Juliet. Romeo is head over heels for Juliet, and how could he not be? In his words, she has hair, lips, and shoulders. In all seriousness, the love-struck oaf isn’t much help, so let’s find her and tell her how Romeo feels.
Head west past Varrock West Bank and enter the house with the roses out front. Head up the stairs and into the room with Phillipa. Go to the balcony to find the blonde-haired Juliet walking around.
Fun fact: Romeo and Juliet received character model upgrades years after this quest was released. Juliet’s original character model was basically Helga from Hey Arnold.
Speak with Juliet about Romeo and his feelings, and she will ask that you deliver a letter to him. Agree to do so and head back to Romeo. He will read the letter as best he can.
Juliet shares Romeo’s feelings, but her father is opposed to their marriage. Juliet suggests their only hope of being together is their confidant, Father Lawrence. Perhaps he can help.
Asking Father Lawrence for help
Agree to speak with Father Lawrence, then head east from Varrock Square. Take a left at the first intersection, then down the path until you reach the church on the right. Father Lawrence is “busy” delivering a sermon to several sleeping listeners. Love cannot wait, so interrupt and fill him in on the predicament.
Father Lawrence brings up the idea of Juliet faking her death so she and Romeo can run off together. Why Juliet and Romeo can’t run off together without the whole faking death thing is beyond me.
Father Lawrence tells you that the local Apothecary can concoct a potion that will make Juliet appear dead. Once she’s in the crypt, Romeo can wake her up, and they can live happily ever after. Sounds like a hokey plan, but we’ve got no other ideas.
Making the Cadava potion
Head back to Varrock Square and take the southern path. The Apothecary is in a house behind Varrock Swordshop. Speak with him and select the option to talk about something else. If you ask him to make you a potion, it’ll just bring up Strength, Energy, and Antipoison potion options.
Ask him about Romeo and Juliet, and he will tell you that he can make the potion you need, but he needs one more ingredient: Cadava berries. Ask where you can find some, and he’ll tell you some kids got in trouble on a field trip after picking a Cadava berry bush. He tells you it was near the mine in the southeastern part of Varrock.
Head to Varrock East Mine. If going there from the southwest, be careful if you’re at a low level. The way goes straight through the Dark Wizard Circle. These guys have slaughtered countless unsuspecting low-level players over the decades (Gosh, it feels weird saying that).
Find any Cadava berry bush and pick some of them. If you have 15 Mining, feel free to mine some iron here to complete an Easy task for the Varrock Diary while you’re here. Head back to the Apothecary, and he will give you the potion you need. You can go fill Romeo in on the plan, but it won’t advance the quest. Instead, head back to Juliet.
The Things We Do For Love
Let her know the plan, and she’s surprisingly up for pretending to be dead and lying in a crypt. She tells you to speak with Romeo about the ploy as he tends to forget things. Such are the things we do for love. Her cousin Phillipa is in on the plan as well.
Juliet drinks the potion, and a cutscene ensues. After several attempts, Phillipa will deliver some convincing acting of being upset over her cousin’s supposed death. Juliet’s father quickly appears on the balcony, horrified at the scene. Phillipa tells him they need to prepare Juliet’s body for the crypt. Head back to Romeo and tell him to get ready to arouse Julia from her resting place. He’s a scaredy-cat and a lover boy and asks you to come with him because he’s scared. We came this far, so we might as well see this through.
Relax and watch the final cutscene of Romeo heading for Julia’s coffin in the crypt to wake her up. Despite telling him multiple times that the Cadava potion only makes Juliet appear dead, Romeo has convinced himself that she’s really no longer living. Phillipa appears behind Romeo and introduces herself. And well, it seems Romeo can get over a broken heart pretty quickly because he immediately has the hots for Juliet’s cousin. Oops. Sorry, Juliet.
And that’s it! The quest is complete!
Quest Rewards
Your reward for completing the Romeo & Juliet Quest is 5 Quest Points.
That’s it?
That’s it. It’s not as bad as you might think, however.
Romeo and Juliet is a fantastic quest for new players to complete as soon as possible. It’s very easy and short, and you need 10 Quest Points to gain full access to the Grand Exchange. You can also gain full access by playing for 20 hours or reaching a 100 total level, but you can get 10 Quest Points in less than 2 hours. It’s the fastest option.
Many quests like the Legends Quest, Recipe for Disaster, or Dragon Slayer II, have Quest Point requirements before you can begin them. You also must complete Romeo and Juliet to start Making A Friend with My Arm.
Additionally, every 50 Quest Points you earn unlocks a block slot for Slayer to a maximum of 5. These are extremely handy. If a Slayer master gives you something like a metal dragon task, trust me when I tell you it’s best to block it. You can always head to Turael for reassignment, but doing so resets your task streak. And that means less precious Slayer points.
Suddenly, “just” 5 Quest Points as a reward for a 5-10 minute quest doesn’t seem so bad.
FAQs
Question: Uh, is Juliet really dead now?
Answer: No, she’s not. I’m not sure how, but Juliet woke up herself from her fake death sleep and just went back to her father’s house. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to mind her soulmate-stealing cousin is right next door. She’s not too happy to see you, though.
Question: Are there any other uses for Cadava berries?
Answer: Yes. You will need some for the quest Making Friends with My Arm. They’re also an ingredient for the F2P version of an Antipoison potion from the Apothecary. You can also use them as compost ingredients or pay farmers in the Farming Guild with them to look after your cactus plants.
Question: Is there any part two to this quest?
Answer: Unfortunately, no. I think Jagex missed an opportunity to have a humorous follow-up quest of Juliet attempting to get revenge on Phillipa and Romeo. Ah well.
Conclusion
And there you have it, folks. There’s Jagex’s spin on the love story of Romeo and Juliet.
Is it better than the original? Both Romeo and Juliet are still alive, so there’s that. Romeo and Phillipa seem happy with each other, and honestly, Juliet is probably better off without a dolt for a boyfriend/husband. All is well that ends well?
Jagex writers>Shakespeare confirmed. Better love story than Twilight.
For more interesting readings check out:
- Anachronia RS3 Guide - December 9, 2022
- Recipe for Disaster OSRS Guide - November 20, 2022
- Tasks to Block OSRS Guide - November 18, 2022