It’s one of the oldest videogames quest tropes in the entire world. Something has been stolen/gone missing/been left behind and some poor NPC needs the brave adventurer to go and get it! Then, you’ll travel into a situation that was far more dangerous than you would have thought to get the item back. That’s basically the plot for the Shield of Arrav quest, which has you tracking an item down.
The famous shield of Arrav of Avarrocka has been stolen by the crime syndicates in Varrock, and it is up to you and a friend to get it back. The only problem is that the shield was stolen long ago, and you’ll need to track it down in the present. Plus, the once united gangs that stole the shield have since splintered, and the two gangs each have half of the shield!
Making Two Choices
The first thing you need to be aware of with this quest is that you need a friend, either someone you are friends with doing MP or someone you pulled in from the chat log. This is because there are two gangs to investigating and a bit of tag-teaming that needs to be done, to get the shield once you find it.
Next, you will need to infiltrate one of the gangs, while your partner does the other gang. If you have a lower combat skill than your partner, you should try to join the Phoenix gang rather than the Black Arm gang. Then you would find a partner from the Black Arm gang. Now, if you have higher combat levels, you can join the Black Arm Gang and have a partner from the Phoenix gang.
Joining The Phoenix Gang
You will need to speak to Reldo the librarian and he will tell you to go to Baraek, a fur trader in the area, for information on the phoenix gang. After going to Baraek, you will need to give him 20 coins for info, and he will tell you where the phoenix gang’s hideout is. You will go inside the hideout and speak to Straven, who will tell you that a thug named Jonny the Beard is causing trouble in the Blue Moon Inn and must die.
Kill him, and then pick up the report that was dropped by him to give it to Straven. After this, you will be made a full-fledged Phoniex Gang Member, which also means that you will get the weapon store key. As you explore the hideout, you will find a chest with one-half of the shield of Arrav inside of it, and you can take it with you.
Joining The Black Arm Gang
If you choose to join the Black Arm Gang, you can talk to Charlie the Tramp who will point you to an alley and say that the Black Arm Gang hideout is down there. You will then enter a building and speak to Katrine, telling her you to know of the gang and want to join up. She will scrutinize you and then tell you that she wants you to steal from the Phoenix Gang, swiping two of their crossbows. You can accept the quest and then go meet your partner who will give you the weapon store key. This will allow you to go towards the Phoenix Gang’s hideout.
Once you are outside the hideout, you will see a locked door with a ladder inside. Open the door and climb the ladder to find the weapons room and a weapons master. You will need to kill him and then steal the two crossbows before returning to Katrine.
Katrine will take the two phoenix crossbows and then make you a Black Arm Gang Member. Then you can go upstairs and look in a cupboard to find the second half of the Shield of Arrav.
Making The Halves Whole Again
With both of you armed with half a shield, it is time to go back to the curator of the Varrock Musem, Haig Halen, and give him your half of the shield. The curator will give you each half a certificate and you can trade the halves to get a completed certificate for each of you. Then you can present this to King Rold. The Certificate reads as follows:
The bearer of this certificate has brought both halves of the legendary Shield of Arrav to me, Haig Halen, Curator of the Varrock Museum. I have examined the shield and am satisfied with its authenticity. I recommend to his majesty, King Roald III, that the bearer is rewarded as per Proclimation 252 of the year 143 in the 5th age, by King Roald II.
Once this is turned in to the king, he will reward you with 600 coins and 1 quest point, with your partner getting the same. You also will get 5 kudos each which can be redeemed by talking to Historian Minas in the museum.
And that’s the quest. There’s no overarching story, no plot to reforge the shield, and we don’t even meet Arrav in the game. Still, it’s a fun quest to do, especially if you are playing Multiplayer.
Are There Any Benefits To Being A Gang Member?
Not really. For all the trouble you went to to get into both gangs, there’s not much keeping you around in either. There aren’t any special perks, dialogue, quests, or anything else that signifies you are a gang member. All you can really do is wander around their hideout and not get attacked.
Still, don’t renounce your membership just yet, because both the Black Arm Gang and the Phoniex gang are involved in one other quest. They are both involved in the quest “Heroes’ Quest” where the player and a friend each try to join the Heroes’ Guild in Burthorp. This has them hunting for some rare and hard-to-find items, and one of these is a master thieves’ armband.
The Quest For The Armband
As you hunt for the master thieves’ armband, you once again call upon your old contacts in whatever gang you decided to join for the shield of Arrav quest. You will also need to find a friend from the opposite gang like before. The gang leaders will tell you that you need to steal a candlestick from ScarFace Pete.
For the Black Arm Gang, you will need to go to Brimhaven and find the office of the Black Arm Gang there. Tell them the password that you discovered from Katrine: “four-leaved clover” and they will let you in, and you will speak to Trobert.
Trobert will inform you that the candlesticks are kept in Pete’s treasure room and the only key is carried by Grip, a bodyguard. However, Grip was taking on a Black Knight deserter, and the gang has waylaid him and stolen his papers. Disguising yourself as they recruit and presenting the papers might get you close enough to swipe the key.
You need to dress in a full set of black armor, present the ID papers, and then have you speak to Grip. He will tell you that only he has access to the treasure room, but if anything happens to him, you will be put in charge. He will give you a key and that will be that.
Give the key to your Phoneix gang partner and have them wait inside of a room with an arrowslit. Then open a cupboard and start searching it, ignoring cries to get your hands off Grip’s drinks. Eventually, Grip will come out and will be shot by the Phoenix Player. Then you can get the key he drops, go to the treasure room, and snatch the candlesticks.
The Quest For The Armband As A Phoenix Gang Member
You will speak to Straven who will direct you to the Shrimp and Parrot Inn, telling you to speak to Alfonse and give him the password gherkin. Alfonse will direct you to Charlie the Cook who will tell you they can get to Pete’s mansion through a side door, a door they don’t have the key to.
You will receive a key from your partner which opens this door, and you will find a room with an arrowslit. Shoot Grip when he enters with a bow or a magical attack, and then your partner will get the key, get the candlesticks, and give them to you. You will both then give the candlesticks to your respective leaders and each receives the armband.
After that, you don’t really interact with these gangs for the rest of the game unless you happen to be around and want to explore their hideouts some more.
Shield of Arrav FAQ
Question: Who Is Arrav Anyway?
Answer: Arrav was a legendary hero in the 4th age who defended Avrrocka (later Varrock) from a powerful necromancer named Zemouregal. Unfortunately, he ended up having to sacrifice himself to save the city, but he was honored with a statute in the Heroes’ Guild, his shield on display in the Varrock museum, and his battle axe on display in the Outpost. Or at least it will be once you complete the quest “Making History” and go through rebuilding it.
He is very well known and loved throughout the city for his actions, and he was also known as Arrav of Avarrocka, Curse of Goblins, Child of Sun and Moon, and the Hunter of the White Stag. It’s a pretty long list of titles and your adventurer might want to live up to that someday and get some titles of their own.
Question: How Do I Find A Friend For The Quest?
Answer: If you are having trouble finding a friend to complete the quest with you and don’t have anyone to help you in multiplayer, you can often put a request in the OSRS SOA chat channel, or answer one, as that channel is exclusively for people looking for a partner for the quest.
Whichever gain you and your partner choose to join doesn’t really matter, as both gangs generally have the same playstyle and results either way. All that really changes are the tasks you complete and the gear you get at the end, which is rapidly outclassed by better gear anyway the further you get into the game.
Then you can talk to your newfound friend in the chat and work together to complete your objective, whether that is getting half a shield each or getting two candlesticks. Most players are pretty nice and willing to work together and talk about their gang choices because at the end of the day they are all looking for partners.
Question: Can I Help Someone With The Shield of Arrav If I’ve Already Finished It?
Answer: In some cases, you might not be a newcomer to this quest. Maybe you did it last night, or 5 months ago. However, you might be bored, or nostalgic, or have a friend who’s gotten to that point in Old School Runescape and can’t find a friend. When that happens, can you help your friend even though the quest is already done?
Sadly, no. You won’t be able to pick up the shield or do some of the interactions (like introducing yourself to your chosen gang for the first time.) Your friend will need to go to the OSRS SOA chat to find someone who hasn’t done the quest and needs to complete it with them.
However, you can complete the heroes’ questline with them even if you’ve already got the armband. You will be able to assist your partner as long as you are a member of the Black Arm gang. You will still have the miscellaneous key that opens the door for the Phoenix Gang player, and you can simply give it to them and then start rummaging through the cupboard again. So while the Phoenix Gang member needs to do all the exposition and dialogue, you just need to hand them the key and start making a fuss.
Here are other interesting reads for you:
- Zalcano OSRS Guide: Slaying The Imprisoned Demon - September 30, 2021
- Birdhouse OSRS Guide: What’s The Bird on The Street? - September 30, 2021
- Shield of Arrav OSRS Guide: Foiling a Grand Heist - September 30, 2021