OSRS Desert Treasure I Guide: Requirements and Walkthrough

Overview

Desert Treasure I sits in the Mahjarrat line as the quest most accounts treat as a hard gear and prayer check. It is Master difficulty and Long, and the reward that drives people through it is the Ancient Magicks spellbook — ice, blood, shadow and smoke casts that reshape mid-game combat.

The structure is simple on paper and messy in practice: gather supplies for Eblis, then claim four diamonds from Fareed, Damis, Kamil and Dessous in any order. Each fight has a hard style rule — water on Fareed, fire on Kamil, prayer management on Damis's second form, and a messy Dessous encounter in the Morytania graveyard.

The Ancient Pyramid at the end is where runs die to impatience. Traps dump you back to the entrance; mummies and scarabs hit hard enough to ruin a thin inventory. Treat the diamonds as bankable insurance against the random poisoned stranger, then commit to a clean pyramid push.

Requirements and Prerequisites

Skill and quest gates below are taken from the OSRS Wiki quest-details block for this quest. Boostability notes follow the Wiki markers — if a level is unboostable, train it before you start.

Quest prerequisites (chains can be longer than this summary):

• The Dig Site — verify chain on the Wiki
• Temple of Ikov — verify chain on the Wiki
• The Tourist Trap — verify chain on the Wiki
• Troll Stronghold — verify chain on the Wiki
• Death Plateau — verify chain on the Wiki
• Priest in Peril — verify chain on the Wiki
• Waterfall Quest — verify chain on the Wiki
• Access to Morytania Graveyard — verify chain on the Wiki

If the Wiki lists alternate item unlocks instead of a skill (for example a gas mask instead of Slayer), either option is valid.

Items to Bring

Pack required items before the first travel segment. Recommended gear is comfort, not a hard gate, unless a fight forces a specific style.

Required

• 10+ Shantay passes or a way to enter the Kharidian Desert without one
• 650 Coins
• 12 Magic logs (can be noted)
• 6 Steel bar (can be noted)
• 6 Molten glass (can be noted)
• Ashes
• Charcoal
• 1 blood rune
• Bones (can be noted to prevent accidental burial)
• A silver bar
• Garlic powder (made by grinding garlic in a pestle and mortar)
• Spice (gnome spice and Evil Dave's spices will not work)
• A sweet (cake, chocolate cake (part cakes are accepted), chocolate bar, cooking apple, or pineapple pizza)
• Spiked boots (obtainable during the quest by bringing Dunstan climbing boots and an iron bar; do so before attempting to obtain the ice diamond)
• Climbing boots (if Eadgar's Ruse isn't completed and/or you lack 61 Magic for the Trollheim Teleport)
• A facemask, slayer helmet, or gas mask
• A tinderbox
• 20-50+ lockpicks

Recommended

• Combat 70
• Started Nature Spirit to enter Mort Myre Swamp
• High-healing Food
• Prayer potions (highly recommended)
• Super restore or Menaphite remedy potions (highly recommended)
• Antidote++ or antipoisons (especially if Ironman) (highly recommended)
• Ice gloves or Smiths gloves (i) (to be able to wield a weapon against Fareed if not using water spells with runes only)
• Stamina, super energy or energy potions
• Weight-reducing clothing to lower run energy drain and restore run energy faster
• Coins for magic carpet rides (bring a ring of charos (a) for discounted rides)
• Ring of dueling (easy access to Kharidian Desert)
• Digsite pendant (easy access to Exam Centre)
• Ectophial (easy access to Morytania)
• Skills necklace or Necklace of passage (easy access to Rasolo)
• Runes to cast Paddewwa Teleport to complete a Varrock Hard Diary task
• 80,000 Coins if purchasing an Ancient Staff after the quest from Eblis

Ultimate Ironmen should split heavy deliveries across trips where the Wiki notes that is allowed.

Where to Start

Starting location: Talk to Asgarnia Smith at the Bedabin Camp.

Use the travel method that fits your unlocks — games necklace, fairy rings, spirit trees, carpets, or spellbook teleports — and keep a teleport out for deaths during combat sections.

Quest List blurb (paraphrased intent): Rumours abound throughout Varrock and Al Kharid that an archaeologist has discovered clues to a hoard of treasure hidden deep in the desert, south of Al Kharid. Anybody prepared to offer him assistance in his treasure hunting could well find themselves benefitting from a very lar…

Walkthrough, Stage by Stage

Numbered steps follow the Wiki quick-guide order, rewritten for BILS readers. Dialogue choices that gate progress are called out inline. For puzzle tiles or randomised layouts, use the dedicated puzzles section and the Wiki map if a step still feels unclear.

1. Starting out. Items required (may be noted): 650 coins, ashes, blood rune, bones, 6 molten glass, 12 magic logs, charcoal and 6 steel bars. Recommended: waterskins, a charged ring of dueling, 400 coins for carpet rides to Bedabin Camp, stamina potions, 2 Shantay passes, Digsite teleport Speak with Asgarnia Smith in the Bedabin camp by the magic carpet with at least one inventory slot free. (dialogue: Do you have any quests? → Yes, I'll help you.)
2. Travel to the Digsite Exam Centre and talk to Terry Balando. (dialogue: Ask about the Desert Treasure quest.)
3. Speak with him again for a translation. (dialogue: Ask about the Desert Treasure quest.)
4. Speak with Asgarnia Smith in the desert. (dialogue: Don't read book)
5. Speak with him again. (dialogue: Help him)
6. Run south to the bandit camp and buy a drink in the pub for 650 coins. (If you are wearing any saradomin or zamorak items e.g. unholy blessing, remove them now so you don't get attacked by the Bandits) (dialogue: Buy a drink → Buy a beer)
7. Speak with the bartender again. (dialogue: I heard about four diamonds...)
8. Speak with Eblis in or just outside of the small rectangular building east of the bar. (dialogue: Tell me of The four diamonds of Azzanadra → Yes → Yes, I will go get those for you.)
9. Deliver all the required items to Eblis by using them on him (items can remain noted), then talk to him again.
10. Go south-east to the mirrors, and talk to Eblis there.
11. Collect the 4 diamonds, they may be obtained in any order.}}
12. Note: At any point with one of the diamonds in your inventory, a level 95 stranger may randomly appear and attack you with a poisoned dragon dagger. You may place the diamonds in the pyramid or your bank at any point to avoid this.
13. Smoke diamond. Items required: tinderbox, facemask (Slayer Helmet works) or gas mask, combat gear, food, and ice gloves or water spells or Dwarven cannon. Recommended: Stamina or energy potions, Dwarven cannon, good food, Protect from melee prayer. Equip your facemask and enter the Smoke Dungeon west of Pollnivneach and east of the mirrors
14. Light the 4 standing torches, one in each corner of the dungeon, and open the chest in the centre to get the key before any of the torches burns out.
15. Starting at the NE corner with 100% run and then onto SE, NW and then SW, you can make it to the chest without stamina or energy pots.
16. Use the warm key to open the gate to the east.
17. Defeat Fareed to get the Smoke diamond. Protect from Melee is strongly advised and attacking with water spell or any range arrow.}}
18. Shadow diamond. Items required: 20+ lockpicks, antipoison, food, 5,000 coins, magic combat equipment, Prayer/Super restores to combat the Prayer drain. Note: Tiles by the general store in the Bandit camp will unnote any items for a small fee, and nearby bandits can be pickpocketed for Antipoison and lockpicks. Speak with Rasolo outside the house south of Baxtorian Falls. (dialogue: Ask about the Diamonds of Azzanadra → Yes)
19. Travel to the most southern tent in the Bandit camp. Bring antipoison, food, and 20+ lockpicks (you can bring noted ones and coins to exchange with Tiles in Bandit camp's general store, 5 coins for each lockpick) (For ironmen, note that both lockpicks and antipoisons may be pickpocketed from the Bandits in the vicinity).
20. Unlock the secure chest (the 3 locks must be picked consecutively, it can take upwards of 100 tries to open the chest and is dependent upon Thieving level).
21. Give the gilded cross to Rasolo. Even if your inventory is full, the cross will instantly be swapped for the ring.
22. Equip the visibility ring and climb down the ladder east of Rasolo in the fenced area.
23. Run through the dungeon, kill Damis in his 2 forms and pick up the shadow diamond (his second form drains player's prayer rapidly, it is advised to safespot Damis, this can be done by hitting a bat or rat and stacking npcs behind). Kill a Shadow Hound to complete a task in the Hard Kandarin Diary.
24. Note: If you run too fast and too far out of Damis' range, he will vanish once more into the shadows. If this happens, go back into the maze where you first enter the large area with Damis' spawn. He will re-appear in the form he disappeared in, with hitpoints reset to full.
25. Ice diamond. Items required: runes to cast fire spells to unfreeze the Trolls after killing Kamil, any sweet food (from Troll child's list), spiked boots (get these from Dunstan with a pair of climbing boots and an iron bar), climbing boots or Trollheim Teleport, enough food and combat equipment to kill 5 Ice Trolls and Kamil. Prayer and restore/super restore/menaphite remedy potions highly recommended. Give your sweet food to the Troll child north-west of Trollheim by right-clicking and using the cake on the troll child.
26. Speak with the Troll child. (dialogue: Yes)
27. Enter the ice gate and kill 5 ice trolls.
28. Note: You won't need to kill the trolls again if you teleport out and come back
29. Enter the cave.
30. Follow the path then kill Kamil (it is advised to approach with protect from magic to force him to teleport into range, then protect from melee, and manually cast your spells).
31. Continue west and follow the long icy path.
32. Wear spiked boots and climb the ice ledge, follow the new path.
33. Go through the gate and smash the trolls frozen in ice by using your fire spell on each of them. Talk to them for the ice diamond.
34. Blood diamond. Items required: Silver bar, spice, garlic powder (or garlic and pestle and mortar), food, prayer potions, and (after Entrana!) combat equipment. Means of travel to Draynor is also helpful. Recommended: Consider bringing your Druid pouch to prevent ghasts from rotting your food as you run through the swamp Speak with Malak in the Canifis pub. (dialogue: I am looking for a special Diamond... → Yes → How can I kill Dessous?)
35. Travel to the Draynor Sewer and give Ruantun a silver bar for a silver pot.
36. You can go upstairs in Morgan's house and search the cupboard to get garlic if needed. Grind your garlic with a pestle and mortar to receive garlic powder.
37. Take the silver pot to the High Priest in the Entrana church and he will enchant it.
38. Speak with Malak (He will damage you for five hitpoints here, but he cannot kill you).
39. Add spices and garlic powder to the pot of blood.
40. Prepare for a tough boss fight (combat gear, high healing food).
41. Travel to the Morytania Graveyard north of Castle Drakan (see map).
42. Pour your pot of blood on the tomb and defeat Dessous
43. Dessous has 99 Defence and 150 defence against slash and is generally very strong against melee. Recommended to range/mage him.
44. You can avoid taking damage by alternating between protection from melee and protection from range each game tick. (Note: if you leave the fight you will need to make a new pot of blood but you keep your blessed pot)
45. Return to Malak and claim the blood diamond.}}
46. The Ancient Pyramid. Items required: all four diamonds. Recommended: weight-reducing gear, stamina potion, energy potion, antipoison, prayer potions and high-healing food. Go south-east of Eblis and place a diamond in each of the pyramid's obelisks.
47. Enter the pyramid from the top.
48. Run through each floor and don't stop or a trap may send you back to the start. Traps may still trigger regardless. Beware Mummies and Scarabs as they can hit over 20.
49. Speak with Azzanadra at the end.
50. Praying at the altar twice after completing the quest will unlock a hard task in the Desert area.
51. Finish the closing dialogue — the quest is complete.

If a mid-quest fight sends you to your respawn, return with the same key items — several quests do not store progress for partially completed combat.

Puzzles and How They Work

Puzzle sections in modern quests are often randomised per account. The table below covers the puzzle types you should expect; exact tile solutions belong on the Wiki when they change per player.

Skip this section emotionally if the quest is combat-only — still skim for any mid-quest door puzzles.

Boss Fights

Combat encounters listed on the Wiki quest-details block. Death usually means a run-back with lost unprotected items outside safe instances — check each fight before you commit expensive gear.

Item-loss risk: standard death rules apply unless the quest instance is a safe minigame-style fight. Do not bring items you cannot afford to lose into dangerous multi-combat areas.

Rewards and Unlocks

Rewards below summarise the Wiki reward scroll. Experience amounts and unlock text can change with updates — re-check before you plan a grind around them.

What it opens up

• Magic 20,006.9 Magic experience
• The ability to use Ancient Magicks: At any time, you can pray at the altar and change between the standard and Ancient Magicks spellbooks. After traversing the pyramid for the first time, you may enter via the back-door of the pyramid to gain a short cut to the altar. Be warned that changing spellbooks will drain your prayer to 0.
• Ring of visibility: If you ever lose it, you can obtain another one from Rasolo.
• Access to ancient staff: You can buy one from Eblis for 80,000 coins. If you lose the staff, you will have to reobtain it from another source.
• Access to the Smoke Dungeon, which can be used for various Slayer tasks.
• Ability to talk to Eblis to obtain an ancient signet.
• Unlocks:
• Dessous, Damis, Fareed, and Kamil accessible in the Nightmare Zone.

Fact checked 2026-08-04 against the OSRS Wiki quest page and quick guide.

Common Mistakes and Warnings

Most failed DT1 runs are gear rules and pyramid greed, not missing a dialogue click.

• Fighting Fareed without ice gloves (or a ranged/water plan). Melee without ice gloves is a soft lock.
• Casting non-water magic on Fareed, or non-fire magic on Kamil — both ignore the wrong school entirely.
• Under-bringing prayer for Damis form two. His drain is the fight; food alone will not save a dry prayer bar.
• Wearing Saradomin or Zamorak items in the Bandit Camp and getting piled before you even buy the drink.
• Carrying diamonds around the world instead of banking or seating them, then dying to the stranger's poisoned DDS.
• Stopping on pyramid traps to eat. Momentum matters more than topping off mid-floor.
• Skipping spiked boots for the ice path and discovering the ledge climb the hard way.
• Arriving at Dessous without a fresh blood pot plan after a wipe — leaving forces another pot cycle.

Ironman Notes

Lockpicks and antipoisons for Damis can be pickpocketed from Bandit Camp bandits; Tiles unnotes nearby for a fee.

Eblis accepts noted supplies — split deliveries if your inventory is tight.

Plan garlic powder, silver pot and Entrana before you commit to the blood diamond route in one evening.

FAQ

What does Desert Treasure I unlock?

Ancient Magicks after praying at Azzanadra's altar. That spellbook is the reason this quest sits on almost every progression route.

Can I do the diamond bosses in any order?

Yes. Pick the order that matches your current gear and teleports — ice and smoke often feel hardest on mid accounts.

Is the pyramid checkpointed?

No. Dying or falling to traps sends you back toward the start of the descent, so bring stamina and keep moving.

Do I need high combat?

Wiki recommends around 70 combat. Lower is possible with prayer and correct styles, but Damis and Dessous punish thin setups.

Is Desert Treasure II required after this?

No. DT1 stands alone for Ancients. DT2 is a separate Grandmaster with its own bosses and rewards.

Related Guides

• OSRS Quests hub
• Optimal quest order
• OSRS Quests Guide
• OSRS Optimal Quest Order
• Desert Treasure II Quest Guide
• Desert Treasure II Bosses Hub
• OSRS Magic Guide 1–99

Bottom Line

DT1 is four style-locked bosses plus a stamina test. Nail the elemental rules and the pyramid becomes a run, not a wipe loop.

If Ancients are the bottleneck on your account and you would rather skip the diamond circuit, our quest service completes it by hand.