OSRS Merlin's Crystal Quest Guide: How to Free Merlin & Claim Excalibur

Merlin's crystal is the first quest in the Camelot quest series. It involves the player rescuing the wizard Merlin from a crystal. It gives the most quest points of any other quest required for Recipe for Disaster.

Questing Tips: Turn on the RuneLite Quest Helper for step-by-step guidance during quests. Press spacebar to quickly skip NPC dialogue and use number keys to select chat options faster.

How long it takes: I completed the Merlin's crystal in about nine minutes.

Item Requirements for Merlin's Crystal

Normal accounts can buy all items from the Grand Exchange.

• Bread
• Tinderbox
• Bucket of wax
• Bat bones

Obtaining the required items on an Ironman

• Bread: This can be purchased from the food store in Port Sarim.
• Tinderbox: Can be bought from a general store.
• Bucket of wax: A bucket of wax is obtained by using insect repellent on a beehive in the apiary south of Seers' Village, west of Catherby, then using a bucket on the beehive.
• Bat bones: Bats can be killed to obtain these

Recommendations for Merlin's Crystal

• Teleport to Varrock
• Teleport to Camelot
• 2 Teleport to Falador

Walkthrough for Merlin's Crystal

• Start the quest by speaking with King Arthur in Camelot, located just east of Seers’ Village. Use camelot teleport to get here quickly. Select option 1 twice to ask if you can join the Knights and he will suggest you complete a quest to prove yourself first.

Gathering Information

• Start by speaking with the knights around Camelot. First, find Sir Gawain, who can be either roaming the courtyard or inside the castle. Talk to him about Merlin, making sure to select both dialogue options. Next, speak with Sir Lancelot on the second floor of Camelot Castle. Choose chat option 3 to ask him about accessing the Keep.

Infiltrating the Keep

Items needed: A bucket of wax or an empty bucket (can be obtained during the quest)
Recommended: Combat gear, food, Varrock teleport, Games Necklace, Amulet of Glory, or Falador teleport

• Head south to Catherby and speak with Arhein, the general store merchant, about his boat and its destination. Then, go to the house north of the bank and pick up a bottle of insect repellent from the table.
• Prepare your armour and move just north of the dock (between the bank and the Candle Shop), where a few crates are stacked against the shop. Click on the crates to hide inside. After some dialogue, the workers will pack you into the boat. Eventually, you’ll arrive at Keep Le Faye. When prompted, choose Yes to climb out.

Freeing Merlin

Fighting Sir Mordred
Be careful of the renegade knights roaming the castle as you make your way to the top floor. Here, you’ll face Sir Mordred (level 39). Just as you’re about to defeat him, Morgan Le Faye will appear, begging you to spare her son. Ask her how to release Merlin—you must spare Mordred to proceed.

Note: Don’t interrupt the conversation or run out of prayer points, or you’ll have to fight Mordred again.

Items Needed to Release Merlin

Both can be obtained during the quest

Bat Bones
Giant bats (level 27) roam just outside the keep. Kill one for its bat bones. Important: once you leave the keep, you can’t return, so you’ll need to hide in the crates at Catherby again to get back in if needed.

Black Candle
If you don’t already have a bucket of wax, head north from the keep to a fenced area of beehives near the flax field. Pick up the bucket near the gate, use the insect repellent to drive the bees away temporarily, then collect wax from a hive with the bucket.

If you already have a bucket of wax, you can return to Catherby by hiding in the crates at the docks of Keep Le Faye.

Next, go to the candle maker west of the Catherby bank. He can craft black candles, but only if you bring him a bucket of wax. Talk to him again with the wax, and he will give you the black candle needed to free Merlin.

Excalibur

The Lady of the Lake
Items needed: Bread
Recommended: 2 Falador teleport tablets to travel to and from Taverley, or a Games Necklace to teleport to Burthorpe and run south.

The legendary sword Excalibur is kept by the Lady of the Lake. To find her, head south-east of Taverley to the lake’s peninsula. Talk to her, and she’ll tell you that she has the sword—but first, she asks you to visit the jewellery shop in Port Sarim.

Talking to the Beggar
Along the way, grab a loaf of bread. You can get bread in Hosidius (run south from Port Piscarilius) or bake your own using flour from Wydin’s Food Store. When you enter the jewellery shop in Port Sarim, a beggar will approach, asking for food to feed his starving family. Give him the bread. The beggar will then transform into the Lady of the Lake, who was testing your purity. Satisfied, she will reward you with Excalibur.

Tip: Only click “Click here to continue” during the dialogue until you receive the sword. Clicking other options may reset the dialogue, requiring another piece of bread.

Chaos Altar Inscription
Head to Varrock and find the Zamorak Chaos Temple in the south-east corner of the city. Check the altar to read the inscription:

"Snarthon Candtrick Termanto"

Note: You must read the words on the altar to progress in the quest. Clicking continue completes the dialogue and allows you to move forward

Breaking the Crystal to Free Merlin

Items needed: Excalibur, black candle, tinderbox, bat bones
Recommended: Food and a weapon

The Demon
To free Merlin, return to Camelot and find the magical symbol in the north-east corner of the castle garden, just inside the fence. Light your black candle and place the bat bones in the circle (do not bury them).

A demonic spirit, Thrantax the Mighty, will appear. When prompted, recite the magic words:

"Snarthon Candtrick Termanto"

If you say them correctly, the spirit will obey. If not, it will attack—you’ll need a new black candle to try again. Warning: Thrantax is level 92, hits accurately, and can deal up to 10 damage.

• Afterwards, head inside Camelot Castle and climb the south-east ladder to the top of the south-east tower. Merlin is trapped inside a blue crystal—use Excalibur on the crystal to shatter it.

Finally, go back down and speak with King Arthur to complete the quest.

Congratulations! You’ve freed Merlin and finished the quest.

Rewards from Merlin's Crystal

• 6 Quest Points
• Excalibur

Rewards:

• Antique lamp: grants 1,000 XP in any skill of at least level 20

• 5 Kudos from Historian Minas

• Honorary Knight of the Round Table title

Requirements for Other Quests:

• Merlin’s Crystal must be completed to start:

  • Heroes’ Quest

  • Holy Grail