Archaeology/Training

This page was last updated for (v1.2.2).
Archaeology

Exploring in Cartography

Before

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Archaeology

can be started, the player must discover a Dig Site on the

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map. Once the map hex (13, 17) is completely surveyed, follow the pop-up or click Show Discovery when the hex is selected to activate the first Dig Site.

Further exploration within the map of Melvor will be required to unlock other Dig Sites. Some Dig Site hexes will only be discoverable once a specific item is found at least once in the Archaeology Skill. After obtaining the item, the Dig Site location will be shown with a green exclamation mark. A table showing these unlock items is below.

Dig Site Map Upgrading and Refinement

Discovering a Dig Site rewards the player with an Excellent tier Dig Site Map, which should be enough to discover most of the artefacts at least once. Only spend the time to upgrade a Dig Site Map if you are going for a more rare item, or if you have used up your free Dig Site Map.

If the player has enough

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GP

, refining a map is very useful to boost the chances on a Dig Site. -5 Artefact value and +1 minimum Items found are the most useful refinements. Be strategic when choosing which size artefact to refine, for example, it is often more efficient to focus on one rare or legendary artefact per map, rather than trying to obtain all of them in one attempt. The base interval for map upgrading is 5.00 seconds, but there are a lot of boosts available after you have completed

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, such as the   Old Spyglass, the   Superior Cartography Skillcape as well as all of the   Ship Rudder Upgrades. Ideally, travel to   The Monolith before crafting   Paper or upgrading maps for a further boost.

Fastest Experience

Until

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is completed, it is recommended to start by excavating Common and Uncommon artefacts of all sizes in every available   Dig site. Submit one of every new artefact in the Museum tab to obtain milestone rewards. Prioritize discovering new   Dig sites in

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instead of getting the Rare, Very Rare, and Legendary items, unless they are items which unlock other   Dig sites or are desirable for other Skills.

In general, higher level sites offer more XP per item found, but the strategy is to spend time excavating on sites that unlock other   Dig sites, or that provide a good secondary reward. For example, here are some suggestions of sites that will help improve excavating speeds:

Recommended excavations for skilling
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Archaeology
Level Site Size Usage
1-6   Old Village Tiny Find 25   Aranite Sieve for a sieve upgrade
6-18   Ancient Market Small Find 25   Aranite Trowel for a trowel upgrade
18-24   Stoneworkers Large Find 25   Aranite Shovel for a shovel upgrade
6-24   Ancient Market Large Find   City Chart to unlock   Bazaar
24-40   Monuments Medium Find 5   Aranite Brush for a brush upgrade
24-40   Old Village Medium Find   Cult Flyer to unlock   Sacrificial Site
24-40   Monuments Small Find   Dividers to reduce cost of map refinements and obtain   Melantis Clue 1.
24-40   Monuments Large Find   Island Chart and   Navigation Chart to unlock   Watchtower and   Castle Ruins respectively
40-48   Secret Mines Medium Find   Shipment Chart to unlock   Ancient Forge
48-65   Coral Wreckage Medium Find   Old Spyglass to speed up map mapping in
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48-65   Coral Wreckage Tiny Find   Sailor's Compass to reduce travel costs in
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65-75   Glacia City Ruins Medium Find   Old Route Chart to unlock
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Unholy Forest
75-82   Ancient Forge Tiny Find 15   Ancient Sieve for a sieve upgrade
75-82   Ancient Forge Small Find 15   Ancient Trowel for a trowel upgrade
75-82   Ancient Forge Medium Find 15   Ancient Brush for a brush upgrade
75-82   Ancient Forge Large Find 15   Ancient Shovel for a shovel upgrade
82-90   Ritual Site Medium Find   Old Temple Chart to unlock   Lost Temple
90-95   Lost Temple Small Find 1,000   Crystal Ball for a township task
95-100   Watchtower Medium or Large Equip   Archaeology Skillcape when unlocked
100-105   Castle Ruins Small Find   Small Lockbox until
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Level 105
105-110   Cathedral Medium/Large Light   Candelabra and   Candles to reduce interval and keep going until
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Level 110
110-120   Shipwreck Cove Tiny/Medium Find   Ring of Deception and   Pirate Hook
118-120   Melantis Medium or Large Continue until   Superior Archaeology Skillcape unlocked

Note:

  1. Levels can be skipped as necessary, but it is recommended that you obtain all of the items that help speed up skilling, such as the tool upgrades

Tool Upgrades

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Shop

upgrades should be purchased as soon as they are available. This will increase the overall Tool Level which determines excavation chance. This table lists upgrades which are not easily obtainable.

Upgrade Name
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Level
Required Item Location Size Rarity
    Aranite Sieve 25   Aranite Sieve   Old Village Tiny Uncommon
    Aranite Trowel 25   Aranite Trowel   Ancient Market Small Uncommon
    Aranite Brush 25   Aranite Brush   Monuments Medium Rare
    Aranite Shovel 25   Aranite Shovel   Stoneworkers Large Uncommon
    Ancient Sieve 75   Ancient Sieve   Ancient Forge Tiny Very Rare
    Ancient Trowel 75   Ancient Trowel   Ancient Forge Small Very Rare
    Ancient Brush 75   Ancient Brush   Ancient Forge Medium Very Rare
    Ancient Shovel 75   Ancient Shovel   Ancient Forge Large Very Rare
    Dark Steel Sieve 100   Darksteel Bar   Secret Mines Medium Rare
    Dark Steel Trowel 100   Darksteel Bar   Secret Mines Medium Rare
    Dark Steel Brush 100   Darksteel Bar   Secret Mines Medium Rare
    Dark Steel Shovel 100   Darksteel Bar   Secret Mines Medium Rare
    Crystal Sieve 95   Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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File:Combat (combatArea).png Crystal Depths N/A N/A
    Crystal Trowel 95   Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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File:Combat (combatArea).png Crystal Depths N/A N/A
    Crystal Brush 95   Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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File:Combat (combatArea).png Crystal Depths N/A N/A
    Crystal Shovel 95   Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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File:Combat (combatArea).png Crystal Depths N/A N/A
    Relic Sieve 118   Relic Sieve   Melantis Tiny Legendary
    Relic Trowel 118   Relic Trowel   Melantis Small Legendary
    Relic Brush 118   Relic Brush   Melantis Medium Legendary
    Relic Shovel 118   Relic Shovel   Melantis Large Legendary

Dig Site Unlock Items

Found At Dig Site Unlocked Size Rarity Item Description
  Old Village   Ancient Market Large Uncommon   Torn Chart Details the location of the Ancient Market Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Old Village   Sacrificial Site Medium Rare   Cult Flyer A flyer detailing the location of the Sacrificial Site (Dig Site) in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Ancient Market   Bazaar Large Very Rare   City Chart A map detailing the location of the Bazaar Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Monuments   Melantis Small Very Rare   Melantis Clue 1
  Monuments   Watchtower Large Uncommon   Island Chart A chart detailing the location of the Watchtower Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Monuments   Castle Ruins Large Rare   Navigation Chart A chart detailing the location of the Castle Ruins Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Secret Mines   Ancient Forge Medium Very Rare   Shipment Chart A chart detailing the location of the Ancient Forge Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Ritual Site   Lost Temple Medium Very Rare   Old Temple Chart A chart detailing the location of the Lost Temple Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.
  Cathedral   Shipwreck Cove Large Very Rare   Ancient Wall Chart A chart detailing the location of the Shipwreck Cove Dig Site in Cartography. An icon has now appeared displaying its location. You can sell this item.

Boosters

XP

The following things can be used to increase the amount of Archaeology XP received.

Artefact Excavation Boosts

This table lists most sources of Archaeology-specific modifier boosts. Lua error in Module:ModifierTables at line 35: No such modifier alias: increasedLargeArtefactValue.

Action Time

This table lists most sources of boosts to the speed of Dig Site excavation.


Melvor Idle Skill Guides
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Combat
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Prayer
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Farming
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Township
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Woodcutting
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Fishing
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Firemaking
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Cooking
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Mining
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Smithing
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Thieving
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Fletching
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Crafting
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Runecrafting
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Herblore
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Agility
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Summoning
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Astrology
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Alternative Magic
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Cartography
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Archaeology
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Harvesting