The Deranged archaeologist is a boss found in the Fossil island. He is identical to the crazy archaeologist in combat and will count towards a crazy archaeologist slayer task when killed. However, He does not drop the same unique items as the crazy archaeologist and is the only non-quest boss in OSRS without a unique drop.
75 magic for powered staves: 50 magic with Iban’s staff is a good alternative.
40 prayer for protect against missiles.
93+ hitpoint to minimize chances of dying.
The Deranged Archaeologist is located at the south end of the Tar Swamp. Here are the fastest ways to get here:
Players need an axe and a rake to maneuver through the Tar Swamp to get to the Deranged Archaeologist. Run south, cutting the thick vine to clear a path with your axe, and using your rake to clear the vines. Continue south past the spined mushroom and drink your antipoison if it attacks you. Turn on protect from missiles and climb over the decaying trunk to start the fight against the Deranged Archaeologist.
It’s recommended that players wear gear with high magic and prayer bonuses.
Head slot: Ancestral hat
Neck slot: Occult necklace
Cape slot: Imbued saradomin
Body slot: Ancestral robe top
Leg slot: Ancestral robe bottom
Weapon slot: Tumeken’s shadow
Ammo slot: Rada’s blessing 4
Glove slot: Tormented bracelet
Boot slot: Devout boots
Ring slot: Magus ring
Head slot: Helm of neitiznot
Neck slot: Amulet of glory
Cape slot: Ardougne clock
Body slot: Monk’s robe top
Leg slot: Monk’s robe
Weapon slot: Iban’s staff
Shield slot: Tome of fire
Ammo slot: Rada’s blessing 4
Glove slot: Barrows gloves
Boot slot: Infinity boots or climbing boots
Ring slot: Ring of wealth
The Deranged Archaeologist attacks with ranged and melee but will only use ranged if the player does not stand in melee distance. Both his melee and ranged attacks have a maximum hit of 25.
The Deranged Archaeologist’s special attack is dangerous and should always be avoided. He will shout “Learn to Read!” and throw three orange books which will explode on impact with the ground. One of the books will always hit the exact location where the player was standing when the books were thrown. If they are not avoided, they can do a combined damage of up to 92; the first book deals 56, and the other 2 can do 18+ damage.
To avoid this attack, the player must move immediately after the text appears, running in a straight line 8 tiles away from the center book’s target. It’s best to mark the safe tiles as shown above so you don’t make mistakes, as they have a huge consequence.
Although the Deranged Archaeologist has a high Magic defence, his magic level is very low, making him weak to magic attacks. The best strategy to kill the Deranged Archaeologist is to attack him with magic from a distance, while using protect from missiles and avoiding his special attack.
100% drops
Bones
Weapons and armour
Black d’hide body (1/21.33), rune sword (1/32) and Rune 2h sword (1/42.67)
Runes and ammunition
100 Water runes (1/21.33), 40 Mud runes (1/21.33), 25 Rune knives (1/21.33), 80 Cannonballs (1/32), and 60 Dragon arrows (1/128).
Seeds
1 Ranarr seed (1/1,067), 1 Snapdragon seed (1/1,143), 1 Torstol seed (1/1,455), 15 Watermelon seeds (1/1,524), 1 Willow seed (1/1,600), 1 Mahogany seed (1/1,778), 1 Maple seed (1/1,778), 1 Teak seed (1/1,778), 1 Yew seed (1/1,778), 1 Papaya tree seed (1/2,286), 1 Magic seed (1/2,909), 1 Palm tree seed (1/3,200), 1 Spirit seed (1/4,000), 1 Dragonfruit tree seed (1/5,333), 1 Celastrus seed (1/8,000), and 1 Redwood tree seed (1/8,000).
Materials
4 Grimy dwarf weeds (1/16), 10 White berries (noted) (1/18.29), 8 Black dragonhides (noted) (1/21.33), 10 Gold ores (noted) (1/21.33), 6 Onyx bolt tips (1/21.33), 1 Runite limbs (1/25.6), and 5 Uncut diamonds (noted) (1/25.6).
Consumables
1 Prayer potion (3) (1/16), 3 Potatoes with cheese (1/16), 2 Sharks (1/16), and 2 Anchovy pizzas (1/32).
Other
1 Crystal key (1/18.29) and 1 Long bone (1/64).
Rare Drops
1 Uncut sapphire (1/78.3), 1 Loop half of key (1/129.1), 1 Tooth half of key (1/129.1), 3,000 Coins (1/130), 1 Uncut emerald (1/147.6), 1 Uncut ruby (1/295.2), 1 Rune bar (1/546.1), 1 Nature talisman (1/787.2), 67 Nature runes (1/910.2), 1 Rune 2h sword (1/910.2), 1 Rune battleaxe (1/910.2), 1 Uncut diamond (1/1,183.1), 45 Law runes (1/1,365), 40 Death runes (1/1,365), 150 Steel arrows (1/1,365), 42 Rune arrows (1/1,365), 20 Adamant javelins (1/1,365), 1 Rune sq shield (1/1,365), 1 Dragonstone (1/1,365), and 100 Silver ore (noted) (1/1,365). 1 Rune javelin (1/2,362), 1 Rune spear (1/2,704), 1 Rune kiteshield (1/2,731), 1 Dragon med helm (1/2,731), 1 Shield left half (1/5,409), and 1 Dragon spear (1/7,211).
Tertiary Drops
5–32 Numulite (1/162), 1 Unidentified small fossil (1/292), 1 Unidentified medium fossil (1/583.33), 1 Unidentified large fossil (1/729.2), and 1 Brimstone key (1/729.2).
Discord
Trustpilot
