There are a few things you need in order to get a Rune Crossbow on Ironman. First, you will need to find an Ironman server. Second, you will need to complete the quest “The Hunt for the Rune Crossbow.” Finally, you will need to find and kill the rune crossbow master. To get started, head to your server and start the quest “The Hunt for the Rune Crossbow.” Once you have completed it, return to your ironman instance and talk to the rune crossbow master. He will ask for your help in getting a Rune Crossbow. He will tell you that he has been able to find a few rune crossbows but they are all missing one key part. He says that he can help you find it but he needs your help in finding it. He says that he is located in one of the lower levels of your instance. He asks for your help in finding his location so head down there and speak with him. Once you have spoken with him, he will give you a quest called “Finding the Key.” This quest is about finding a key that he says is needed to open one of his chests inside of his instance. He says that if you can find this key then he can give you the Rune Crossbow that was missing from earlier. He also asks for your help in completing another quest called “The Hunt for The Spear.” This quest is about killing some enemies inside of an underground dungeon called The Mineshaft. Once you have completed it, return back to him and ask him for his spear so that you can get it back from him. He says that if you can get this spear then he can give you the Rune Crossbow that was missing earlier. Once all three quests have been completed, return back to the rune crossbow master and receive your new Rune Crossbow!
Creating them yourself through Fletching and Smithing Or defeating the Crazy Archeologist demiboss in the Wilderness
There is also a third option in defeating Kree’Arra in the God Wars Dungeon. But this option will not be covered here, since it’s unlikely for a player to farm this endgame level boss if they don’t even own a rune crossbow yet.
Rune Crossbows are amazing mid-level weapons that require 61 Ranged to use. Due to their ability to use a shield and to fire Ruby and Diamond bolts, they are a popular option for content such as the Fight Caves and Slayer tasks.
And much like almost all rune weapons, Rune Crossbows (and the ways to obtain them) are off-limits for free-to-play players.
Method 1: Skilling for your Rune Crossbow
Although not recommended, players may craft their Rune Crossbows from scratch using their Smithing and Fletching skills.
This will require level 91 Smithing in order to create the Runite Limbs (or to get the drop from enemies such as Iron Dragons), and level 69 Fletching to combine them with a Yew Stock and Crossbow String.
The main drawback of this method is obtaining the Runite Limbs, since 91 Smithing is an incredibly high requirement for a mid-game item.
In comparison, Crazy Archeologist will involve a much easier enemy, while dropping the completed weapon.
Nevertheless, this alternative may be interesting to players that do not wish to enter the Wilderness – such as Hardcore Ironmen or players that tend to play on busy times, which increases the likelihood of spotting a PKer that interrupts your farming.
Method 2: The Crazy Archeologist
The most popular option for your crossbow is to farm the Crazy Archeologist, a Wilderness demiboss with a Combat Level of 204.
While being rather easy to kill, two Rune Crossbows can drop at a rate of 1/25.
This makes for a rather quick alternative (even with the drop rate). Especially when compared to the demanding requirements of 69 Fletching and 91 Smithing just to wear a level 61 weapon.
In addition, some drops may be interesting to low-mid level Ironmen, such as a red d’hide body, cannonballs, food, and dragon arrows.
This results in a rather simple boss that’s quick to kill and is quite likely to drop something you’ll want at some point in time.
The main drawback is heading inside the Wilderness.
Crazy Archeologist is a popular spot to scout for players, due to being a popular farming spot. As a result, it’s important for players to bring an emergency teleport and be quick on their feet if they see anyone.
The demiboss wanders around levels 22-25 of the Wilderness, so you might be able to escape if you think fast.
