Archaeology/Training

From Melvor Idle
Archaeology

Exploring in Cartography

Old Village (poi).png

Before

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Archaeology

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

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Cartography

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.

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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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Crystal Depths
N/A N/A
Crystal Trowel 95 Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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Crystal Depths
N/A N/A
Crystal Brush 95 Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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Crystal Depths
N/A N/A
Crystal Shovel 95 Pure Crystal Binding Dust
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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.

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