A Crowning Achievement: Curse of the Black Stone RS3 Guide

Master difficulty quests give the most dedicated Runescape 3 players serious challenges to test their own abilities. Completing these quests showcases a mastery of the full range of Runescape 3‘s skills and mechanics.

One of the more interesting of this range of quests is Curse of the Black Stone. Not only does it contain an interesting story that expands the world of Runescape, it takes players to exciting new locales.

Key Info Up Front

Members Only: Yes
Difficulty: Master
Length: Long
Age: Sixth
Requirements: Agility Level 12, Woodcutting Level 34, Impressing the Locals quest completion.
Completion Rewards: 4x Quest Points, 3x XP Lamp (Huge), 2x Treasure Hunter Key, 10% received damage reduction in the Temple of Aminishi, Dragonkin Laboratory, and Shadow Reef elite dungeons

Curse of the Black Stone Overview

The Curse of the Black Stone quest was initially added to Runescape 3 in an update on February 25, 2019. The update was advertised as adding the third elite dungeon, The Shadow Reef, but it had the master quest hidden in it as well.

It is part of a series of quests known as the Tales of the Arc, and it sees the player helping save the Arc and potentially all of Gielinor from yet another hidden and ancient threat.

However, this threat and its associated quest line are pirate-themed with plenty of references to the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean, hence the not-so-subtle nod to the first film’s name, Curse of the Black Pearl.

How to Start Curse of the Black Stone

If you’re familiar with the Arc region of Rune, it won’t come as a surprise that before tackling Curse of the Black Stone, you’ll have to finish the quest Impressing the Locals. This sidequest is a short novice-difficulty introduction to both the Tales of the Arc questline and the Arc region.

Impressing the Locals is a very short and straightforward quest, but it’s the only way to gain access to the Arc, so you’ll need to get it out of the way before moving on to Curse of the Black Stone.

While that is the only quest required for you to do before starting this one, there are others that I would recommend. These quests all give the player the necessary story details leading up to Curse of the Black Stone that you’ll want in order to entirely understand what happens in the quest.

Of course, if you don’t want to spend the time completing the quests, you can just read a synopsis of each one, but they are all shorter and more accessible than Curse of the Black Stone, so they shouldn’t take you long to do yourself. These quests and how to start them are:

The Death of Chivalry: Talk to Sir Owen to the north of Edgeville Monastery.
Children of Mah: Speak with Kharshai inside his cave under Rellekka.
Hero’s Welcome: Talk with either Freya Lune or Alfrick the Planner in Rellekka.
Kindred Spirits: Talk with Linza in the starting village of Burthorpe.
Nomad’s Elegy: Find Zimberfizz at Soul Wars.
One of a Kind: Go to the Varrock Museum and talk to Mr. Mordaut in his office there.
Gertrude’s Cat: Find Gertrude’s tiny house to the west of Varrock and talk to her.
A Clockwork Syringe: Enter your house through the portal after Postie Pete tells you he dropped some mail off for you there.

Once you have half of the quests out of the way, you can start the Curse of the Black Stone quest itself. To do so, travel to the Rewards trader in Daemonheim. There, talk to Bryll Thoksdottir, and you’ll be on your way.

Required Items for Curse of the Black Stone

If you want to make going through this quest as smooth as possible, you may want to gather the items you’ll need beforehand. I recommend taking this approach personally, as otherwise, going out and gathering materials can severely disturb the pacing of the quest. The items that you’ll need, as well as how to get them, are all listed below.

Uncut Dragonstone

There are a few different methods of getting your hands on one of these and which will work better for you largely depends on your skills. Uncut Dragonstones can be dropped from Crystal Chests, transmuted from Diamonds with Divination Level 58, or dropped by Rare and Prifddinas Gem Rocks with Mining Level 23 and 75, respectively.

Rope

The easiest way to get Rope is to travel to Draynor Village and buy one from Ned for only 15 gold. Otherwise, you can make your own with Crafting Level 30 by using some Yak Hair with a Spinning Wheel.

Raw Fish

Literally, any Raw Fish will do, so catch one with anew real quick, and you’ll be good to go.

Law Rune

If you have Runecrafting Level 54, you’ll be able to make your own Law Rune save you some cost. Otherwise, you can buy one from the Grand Exchange for 199 gold or from Ali’s Discount Wares in Al Kharid for 378 gold.

Black Knights’ Fortress Equipment

During this quest, you’ll have to enter the Black Knights’ Fortress and will need a set of armor as such to get in. A handful of options work, but by far, the easiest one to gather is a Bronze Medium Helm and Iron Chainbody. However, you should note that you’ll also need to unequip cosmetic overrides to gain access.

Curse of the Black Stone Walkthrough

Kicking Things Off

Required Items: None

To get started on this quest, you’ll have to talk to Bryll Thoksdottir in Daemonheim. She can be found by the Rewards Trader there and will ask for your help finding an informant of hers referred to as the Jade Spider.

To do so, you’ll have to head over to Waiko and search for some clues. Talk to the shopkeepers in the area to be sent to Zhuka to the southeast. They’ll then point you to Whale’s Maw, where you’ll have to talk to Sea Witch Kaula.

Once you talk to Sea Witch Kaula, they’ll tell you that they have a note to give you, but it has been buried nearby. Go to the sand piles and dig up the one farthest to the west. This will reveal some turtle tracks leading away from a hole, so follow the ways and then retrieve the note from the mouth of a nearby Tortle that stole it.

The message then tells you that a cult is growing in influence throughout the Arc and that the player should seek out a friend of Jade Spiders.

To do so, you’ll need to sail to Tuai Leit, speak to Sensei Seaworth there, and select the dialogue option “The oyster is open.” They will point you toward the island Goshima, so you’ll have to sail there next.

When you reach Goshima, you’ll find a beach swarming with Crassian enemies. There are 12 in total, and all of them need to be killed for you to progress. Once they are killed, the gate of the nearby town of Gongdung will be opened, allowing you to enter and find Madame Shih in the eastern part of the town.

Talk to her, and she’ll reveal that she is Jade Spider before sending you to investigate the Temple of Aminishi. You’ll then have to complete a run of the Temple of Aminishi elite dungeon, but it can be done in any mode.

If you have problems completing it, try to do so in Story Mode. If you’ve already gone through it before, you’ll be prompted with the option to skip this part of the quest.

After you’re done with the Temple of Aminishi, head back to Madame Shih and tell her what you found there. She’ll then give you a stone tablet written in a dragon language and ask you to find a translator for it.

How About Some Armored Dragons?

Required Items: Uncut Dragonstone, Rope

After you get the stone tablet, you’ll need to head to Varrock and go to the museum there. Once there, head into the basement and look behind the stairs to find a secret door.

This door will lead you to Mr. Mordaut, who you’ll need to speak with. Mordaut then reveals that the tablet is just the first half of a map that leads to a hidden dragonkin alchemist. The second part of the map is protected by an alchemist with a base beneath a frozen mountain.

So, travel back to Daemonheim and go to the village ruins to the south. You’ll need to interact with the fountain in the shape of a fish. Go over to the east side of the ruins and interact with a fireplace to get the Carved Dragonstone (Left).

Use it with the fountain, carve your Uncut Dragonstone into a Carved Dragonstone (Right), and use that on the fountain as well.

Doing this will allow you to enter the watchtower up the stairs to the west of the fountain, where you will reach Kerapac’s Laboratory. Go there and speak to Hannibus, who will give you the second part of the tablet.

Once you get the second part of the tablet, travel to the Adamant Dragon Dungeon, which is reached through the Brimhaven Dungeon.

Once you get there, you’ll have to talk to Hannibus again, who will draw your attention to the dead adamant dragons all over the dungeon. The next part of the map is found in a smelter in an eastern room, but you’ll need to heat it first.

After you locate it, talk to Hannibus again to talk with the Adamant Dragon Mother in a western room to have her heat it up, turning it into a Metallic Object (Heated).

Then, take your Rope, go to the northern pit, and use the Rope to grab Metallic Object (Brittle). Combine that item with the giant stone dragonkin you’ll find in the northwestern room to get another shard of the tablet.

Hannibus will then direct you to Kerapac’s Laboratory in Daemonheim to search for clues to help decipher the tablet. Once you’re there, you’ll have to investigate the effigy shelves in the first room.

This will reveal a puzzle to you, requiring you to activate dragonkin statues in a particular order to follow Kerapac through a portal. The order you have to order the figures in are below:

The statue is at the center of the room to the southeast.
Then, the statue is at the bottom of the same room behind a door.
Next, activate the statue in the adjacent room to the left.
Go to the room to the north and then to the room west and activate the statue there.
Go back to the room you just entered to activate the last statue.

This will activate a portal in the room to the north, which you’ll have to go through to take you to Mount Firewake. This will trigger a cutscene, and after it, you’ll have to talk to Kerapac. Show him the tablet, and he’ll reveal the Dragonkin Laboratory’s location in the Wilderness.

The Ambassador’s Reveal

Required Items: Raw Fish, Law Rune

Once you know where the Dragonkin Laboratory is, you’ll need to travel back to talk with Madame Shih. Before you can reach her, the evil force she is trying to stop, known as the Ambassador, will confront you. This will kick off another cutscene.

Once it finishes, head to Daemonheim again and talk with Bryll, who will inform you about a council formed to address recent events. They plan to confront the Ambassador in The Shadow Reef and task you with finding a way to breathe underwater so that you can face it there.

To do so, you need to travel to the Wizards’ Tower to talk with Wizard Myrtle. Myrtle will then give you a recipe to make a potion to help you. To start, give Myrtle the Raw Fish and Law Rune to be given a Small Raw Sillago. Then, you’ll need to take the Vacuum Vial to the Ice Mountain and select to Fill the vial.

Then, take the magical seaweed given to you by Myrtle to Al Kharid’s Abbey of St. Elspeth Citharede, where you can select it in your inventory and choose to dry it. Once you combine the three ingredients, you’ll be given a Potion of Waterbreathing, which you can drink immediately.

You then need to return to Hannibus again at the eastern war table in Daemonheim. Talk to him there, and he’ll instruct you to get a promise of help from the King Black Dragon. For this, travel to Edgeville and use the artifact just northwest of the lodestone. This will allow you to select the option to visit the King Black Dragon with Hannibus.

After talking to the King Black Dragon, head back to the Varrock Museum and meet with Mr. Mordaut again. A conversation between Mr. Mordaut and Hannibus will take place before you are instructed to meet Hannibus at the Heart of Gielinor.

Head there, and you’ll talk to a dragon rider named Vindicta. It is revealed that Vindicta is the daughter of Hannibus, and she is convinced to join you in fighting the Ambassador.

Assembling Additional Forces

Required Items: Equipment to enter Black Knights’ Fortress

After getting Vindicta on your side, travel back to the war table in Daemonheim to discuss what to do next with Hannibus and then Bryll. Bryll will send you to talk to Quartermaster Gully, who asks the player to help perform marriage counseling for a group of seagulls.

For this, travel to the northwest part of Waiko island and talk to the seagull named Steven’s Wife, who reveals that she has left Steven for Count Ludwig Koppenplouppen.

To save Steven’s marriage, you’ll have to investigate the area to get details of the Count’s negative reputation. To do so, interview the six nearby Seagulls and then return to Steven’s Wife.

Steven and Steven’s Wife then make up after the Count flies off, and you’ll have to head back to Quartermaster Gully to update him. Gully will thank you and then sends you to talk to Bosun Higgs.

Higgs can be found at the war table in Daemonheim, and she’ll send you to Lieutenant Crane in the Taverley Dungeon. The dungeon Crane can be found in the Black Knight’s Fortress, so you’ll need your equipment to grant you access.

Once you make your way inside, talk to a Fortress Guard who will point you toward the barracks on the 1st floor of the fortress. Head there and speak to Tessa’s Suit of Armour, telling you to the second floor.

Head up there and talk to the enslaved person that you can find leaning against the wall. The enslaved person is revealed to be Tessa, with her tongue cut out. Talk with her briefly and then return to Crane in the Taverley Dungeon before heading back to the fortress to rescue Tessa.

Return to Tessa and get her out of her handcuffs by picking them, using a Pat of Butter on them, or just breaking them. Then, lead her to her armor, and you’ll trigger another cutscene. During the cutscene, you can select any option to get past Lieutenant York, and you’ll automatically be moved to Crane’s location.

Once the cutscene is done, speak with Crane before returning to Bosun Higgs in Daemonheim. Then, head back to the Black Knights’ Fortress again and talk to Commandant Bletchley on the second floor.

You’ll send Bletchley to the roof, where Crane and Higgs will kill him. Talk to Crance again before going back to Bryll to continue the quest.

The Final Confrontation

When you talk to Bryll, you’ll begin preparing for the final fight. All of the forces you’ve gathered will face the armies of the Ambassador on the surface of the water while you swim down to fight the Ambassador itself. Before doing so, however, you’ll need to make a speech to inspire your gathered forces.

Once that is wrapped up, you’ll have to run through the Shadow Reef elite dungeon in any mode. If you have difficulty finishing it, you can again do so in Story Mode, which makes it easier to complete. If you’ve done the dungeon before, you can also skip it.

Once you’re done with the dungeon, return to Bryll in Daemonheim. While you talk to her, Madame Shih will appear and explain what she’s been up to. You’ll also check in with Hannibus before Bryll congratulates you one last time and offers you a drink. With that, the quest will be completed.

Curse of the Black Stone Completion Rewards

Upon finishing this massive quest, you’ll get some great endgame rewards. First, you’ll be rewarded with four quest points and three Huge XP Lamps. These can help your progress toward completion, while you’ll also get two Treasure Hunter Keys for some randomized rewards.

The most desirable tips, however, are the 10% incoming damage reduction in the Temple of Aminishi, Dragonkin Laboratory, and Shadow Reef elite dungeons. If you plan on grinding these dungeons for your Runescape 3 endgame, this buff will make it easier and less resource-intensive.

FAQs

Question: Do Ironman Accounts have to Complete Elite Dungeons Solo in Runescape 3?

Answer: No, Ironman accounts are allowed to group up for elite dungeons, but they are not allowed to do so for regular dungeons.

Question: What is the Most Challenging Quest in Runescape 3?

Answer: The most challenging quest right now is probably Curse of the Black Stone, especially if you attempt to do it yourself because of how powerful its bosses are.

Question: How Do You Reach the Arc in Runescape 3?

Answer: The Arc is reached by completing the novice quest Impressing the Locals, which can be started in Port Sarim by talking to Trader Stan.

Conclusion

Curse of the Black Stone is a fun challenge for experienced Runescape 3 players to tackle. The Tales of Arc questline is also a fun chain to go through with the fun pirate theme and some incredible challenges to overcome.

However, the main attractant to the Curse of the Black Stone is its elite dungeon damage reduction. This will help you grind them much more efficiently than before, which can help shave hours off your endgame time, depending on how much you enjoy completing dungeons.

Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:

About
Latest Posts

Arron Kluz

Arron is a featured team writer and lifelong gamer. Ever since he started playing games on his old SNES, he has been hooked ever since. He has a particular love for games like Pillars of Eternity, Skyrim, a variety of beloved indie titles, and also a few online shooters to serve as a means of avoiding open-world fatigue. Outside of gaming, he enjoys watching arthouse movies, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and writing fiction.