Lost City
Starts with A warrior in Lumbridge Swamp.
Before you start
Lost City is short on steps and long on consequences. Eight states, one boss and two skill checks stand between you and Zanaris, the hub that Fairytale I, Fairytale II and the entire fairy ring network are built on top of. If you intend to do any of the Fairytale quests, this is the door you have to open first.
The opening is a small piece of misdirection. You start by talking to a warrior in Lumbridge Swamp, but he is not the one with the answers - Shamus, also in the swamp, is. Speak to the warrior first anyway, because the quest will not let you skip ahead to Shamus, and Shamus is the one who explains that the way into Zanaris runs through a very specific tree on Entrana.
From there the quest moves to the Entrana dungeon. Talk to the Cave Monk near the entrance, then try to chop the ancient tree. The attempt spawns a tree spirit, and this is the real gate on the quest: the requirements list it explicitly, because 36 Woodcutting does nothing for you if the spirit kills you first. Come with a proper combat setup and food, and treat it as a boss fight rather than a woodcutting trip.
With the spirit dead you can chop the tree for a Dramen branch and craft it into a Dramen staff, which is what the 31 Crafting is for. The staff is the key, not a weapon - hold it and walk into Lumbridge Swamp, and the shed there stops being a shed. Zanaris is permanently accessible from that point on.
Three quest points are the smallest part of the reward. Lost City unlocks dragon swords and daggers, the ability to craft cosmic runes at the Zanaris altar, and the whole of Zanaris as a travel and questing hub. For a mid-level account it is the single best value-per-step quest on the board.
Walkthrough
- Step 01
Overhear the adventurers
Talk to a warrior camped in Lumbridge Swamp. He and his friends have been arguing about a city that supposedly is not real.
- Step 02
Get the truth from Shamus
Find Shamus in Lumbridge Swamp - he is the one who will actually tell you how to reach Zanaris.
- Step 03
Ask the Cave Monk
Travel to the Entrana dungeon and speak to the Cave Monk near its entrance about the Dramen tree.
- Step 04
Try to chop the tree
Attempt to chop the ancient tree in the Entrana dungeon. Something is guarding it.
- Step 05
Kill the tree spirit
A tree spirit appears to defend the Dramen tree. Beat it before you touch the branches again.
- Step 06
Take a branch
With the spirit gone, chop the tree and obtain a branch of the Dramen.
- Step 07
Craft the Dramen staff
Turn the branch into a Dramen staff. This is where the 31 Crafting requirement is spent.
- Step 08
Find the Lost City
Carry the Dramen staff into Lumbridge Swamp and explore until Zanaris opens up to you.
- The tree spirit is the whole difficulty of this quest. Bring food and your best melee gear - neither of the skill requirements helps you survive it.
- Keep the Dramen staff after the quest. It is the item that lets you enter Zanaris, not a one-time key.
- Do Lost City before Nature Spirit if you are heading for Fairytale I, since that quest needs both of them finished.
- Cosmic runes become craftable at the Zanaris altar afterwards - a solid Runecrafting money-maker at level 27.