Fossils in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) open up a world of opportunities, but understanding how to make the most of them can be a bit challenging. In OSRS, there are four types of fossils: unidentified small fossils, unidentified medium fossils, unidentified large fossils, and unidentified rare fossils. In this guide, we’ll explore what you can do with these fossils and how to maximize their potential.
Turning Unidentified Fossils into Cleaned Fossils
To unlock the value of your unidentified fossils, you’ll need to clean them. Currently, there are two ways to do this:
- Fossil Cleaning Bench: If you choose this method, you’ll need to build a cleaning bench near the Museum Camp on Fossil Island. To construct the bench, ensure you have five planks, five nails, a hammer, and a saw in your inventory. If you’re not a fan of construction, don’t worry; there’s another option.
- Specimen Table: You can also clean your fossils using a specimen table, conveniently located on the bottom floor of the Varrock Museum. No construction skills required here.
Before you start cleaning, make sure you’re wearing leather boots and leather gloves and have a trowel, a rock pick, and a specimen brush in your inventory. You can find these items in a cleaning kit near the specimen table at the Varrock Museum or the cleaning bench on Fossil Island.
Once equipped and ready, use your unidentified fossils on your chosen cleaning station to transform them into cleaned fossils. These cleaned fossils can be stored in the fossil storage, which is conveniently located near the cleaning bench on Fossil Island or next to the stairs on the bottom floor of Varrock Museum.
It’s worth noting that the fossil storage is universal, meaning that fossils placed in it at one location will be accessible from both locations.
Trading Fossils for Numulite
Now that you have cleaned fossils in your possession, you can trade them for numulite. Visit the Fossil Collector at the Museum Camp bank on Fossil Island to make the exchange. The amount of numulite you receive depends on the type of fossil:
- Small fossils can be exchanged for 100 numulites.
- Medium fossils and plant fossils can be exchanged for 200 numulites.
- Large fossils can be exchanged for 300 numulites.
- Rare fossils are the most valuable, fetching you 500 numulites each.
Calcifying Fossils into Enriched Bones for Experience
For those looking to gain valuable experience from their fossils, calcification is the way to go. You can calcify your fossils by interacting with the Mycelium Pool, located in the northern area of the Mushroom Forest on Fossil Island. Whether your fossils are unidentified or cleaned, you can calcify them, except for plant fossils, which cannot be calcified and will be lost if added to the pool.
Next to the Mycelium Pool, you’ll find a fossil storage container, eliminating the need for repeated trips to the bank during the process.
To use the Mycelium Pool, click on the hopper, which opens the Fossil Pool’s interface. Here, you can add fossils, calcite, and pyrophosphite. You must have at least three calcite, three pyrophosphite, and one fossil to initiate the enriching process.
Once the enrichment process is complete, open the sluice gate to move the newly enriched bones to the rinsing pool, situated behind the Ancient Shroom north of the Mycelium Pool. Ensure you have enough inventory space to collect all the newly enriched fossils at once, as you’ll be prompted to free up space if needed.
After collecting your enriched bones, head to the House on The Hill, accessed via the magic mushtree south-west of the Mycelium Pool. Use your enriched bones on the strange machine to gain prayer experience:
- Small enriched bones provide 500 experience.
- Medium enriched bones grant 1,000 experience.
- Large enriched bones yield 1,500 experience.
- Rare enriched bones are the most rewarding, giving you 2,500 experience.
Putting Fossils Inside Display Cases at the Varrock Museum for Experience and Kudos
Finally, if you prefer to display your fossils and earn some rewards in return, head to the Varrock Museum, located north of the Varrock east bank.
Inside the museum, make your way to the fossil display area, where you’ll find the fossil display cases and the fossil storage. Click on the fossil storage to retrieve the fossils you want to showcase.
Remember that the type of fossil determines the size of the display case you can use. For instance, small fossils are for small display cases, medium fossils for medium cases, and large fossils for large cases.
Click on the display case repeatedly until either you run out of fossils or you complete the fossil statue. Completing a fossil statue rewards you with two kudos and an antique lamp, the size of which corresponds to the display case’s size.
Here’s a breakdown of the experience you can earn:
- Small fossil display cases grant 2,000 experience.
- Medium display cases provide 3,500 experience.
- Large display cases yield 5,000 experience.
Rather than receiving raw experience, you get an antique lamp, which you can use to redeem experience in any skill of your choice. So, go ahead and display those fossils proudly!
In summary, fossils in OSRS offer a variety of ways to enrich your gaming experience, from trading for numulite to gaining valuable experience and kudos by displaying your collection at the Varrock Museum. Make the most of these ancient treasures and let your adventures in Gielinor come to life!