OSRS Heart of Darkness Quest Guide

Alright, so you want to infiltrate a dangerous cult and explore some ancient ruins? Let's get you through this The Heart of Darkness quest OSRS step by step. This OSRS quest guide will cover everything you need to know about Heart of Darkness, from initial setup to taking down the final boss.

If you don’t want to do this quest yourself, you can hire our specialists to do it for you by using our OSRS Quest Services!

Before You Start

First up, here's what you'll need to even begin this quest:

Skill Requirements:

• 55 Mining (can't boost this)
• 48 Thieving (can't boost this)
• 48 Slayer (can't boost this)
• 46 Agility (can't boost this)

You'll also need to have finished both Twilight's Promise and Children of the Sun quests. If you haven't done these yet, you can check out our quests guides on them:

• Twilight’s Promise
• Children of the Sun

Gearing Up & Items

You can probably complete this quest with lower stats, but I'd highly recommend at least 70+ combat stats and 43 Prayer for protection prayers. These will make this quest much easier.

Here's everything you should bring:

• 30 coins (for renting a room)
• Your best melee gear
• Plenty of food (sharks or better)
• Around 3 prayer pots
• Super combat potions
• Emergency teleport (just in case)

Want to save yourself some time later? Bring these too:

• 10 Quetzal feed
• 3 limestone bricks
• 4 soft clay

These last items are for building a landing site at Salvager Overlook. You'll thank me later when you're using the system to fast travel.

Short & Long Walkthrough

This guide will have two sections, the first one will be a shorter one for people that only want to complete the quest and don’t care about the context. The second one will be a long guide that gives context and detailed explanations.

Short Guide

Part 1: Infiltrating the Cult

Starting the Quest

1. Head to the Teomat and speak with Prince Itzla
   • He'll propose an undercover mission
   • His mother, Queen Zyanyi Arkan, will interrupt
   • She'll demand he find someone trustworthy
2. Travel to Quetzacalli Gorge
   • Use the Quetzal Transport System
   • Head to the Windbreaker pub
   • Speak with the bartender
   • Pay 30 coins to rent the room (ignore basement mentions)
   • Enter the eastern room and rest on the bed
3. Meeting Your Contact
   • Wake up to find Prince Itzla in disguise
   • He explains his trust issues
   • Learn about the shopkeeper contact
4. Infiltrating the Emissaries
   • Visit the General Store east of the pub
   • Tell the shopkeeper you need "help"
   • He'll direct you to the Twilight Temple
   • Return to Prince Itzla at the Windbreaker

Part 2: The Four Trials

Getting to the Trials

1. Head north-east past the gate
2. Travel east past the Proudspire
3. Go south to the Tower of Ascension
   • Build the Salvager Overlook landing site if you have materials
   • This creates a useful shortcut for later
4. Speak with the Recruits

• Talk to Nova (learn about the Augur)
• Speak with Sergius
• Interview Felius
• Question Caritta
• Return to Prince Itzla

Important Note: Make sure you don't have a pet following you, or you won't be able to proceed with the trials.

First Trial: The Password Challenge

1. Enter the tower and you will see Forebearer Janus near the fire, talk to her.
2. Solve the puzzle:
   • Get a tower key by pickpocketing an Emissary Ascended.
   • Open the south-eastern gate.
   • Search the chest for a book and paper scrap.
   • Find the keyword from the book's white words.
   • Open the south-western chest.
   • Decode the poem's directions:
     • Takam = East
     • Makt = North
     • Silam = West
     • Uitt = South
   • Open north-western chest by clicking the directions you have found.
   • Combine all paper scraps.
3. Give the password to Janus.

Warning: Don't leave during a trial or you'll have to restart it. Only exit after completing each trial and speaking with Janus.

Second Trial: Combat Challenge

Equipment needed:

• Melee gear
• Food
• Prayer potions
• Protection prayers

Mechanics:

1. Wave-based combat
   • First wave: 2 enemies
   • Second wave: 4 enemies
2. Enemy Types:
   • Emissary Brawlers (Level 86)
     • Use melee
     • Special attack hits adjacent tiles
     • Can be dodged
   • Emissary Conjurers
     • Use magic
     • Can heal themselves
     • Can heal nearby brawlers
3. Special Mechanics:
   • Must keep Prince Itzla alive
   • Use bandages from medical boxes to heal him
   • Click "Heal" on the Prince when needed

Strategy:

• Keep Protect from Melee active
• Watch for brawler's special attacks
• Prioritize killing conjurers
• Keep Prince Itzla's health above 50%
• Position yourself to avoid multiple attackers

Third Trial: The Traitor Investigation

This trial tests your detective skills. You'll need to question four cult members and identify the traitor among them.

Suspects:

• Tenoch
• Silia
• Adrius
• Eleuia

Investigation Tips:

1. Ask each member about the Final Dawn
2. Key differences to watch for:
   • Loyal members mention the new world after the end
   • Traitors focus on "eternal life in Mictl"
   • Pay attention to specific terminology used

Pro Tip: If none seem suspicious, exit and re-enter the floor to reset the dialogue options.

Evidence Analysis:

• The traitor will omit mentions of the new world
• Focus on inconsistencies in their stories
• Watch for hesitation or unusual enthusiasm
• Compare responses about Mictl

After identifying the traitor:

1. Accuse them directly
2. Janus will execute them rather than spare them
3. Speak with Janus to proceed

Fourth Trial: Duel with the Prince

This is possibly the most challenging trial, requiring combat skills and quick reactions.

Equipment Needed:

• Best melee gear
• Prayer potions
• Food
• Super combat potion

Boss Mechanics - Prince Itzla:

1. Basic Attacks:
   • Uses melee-style combat
   • Can hit consistently through prayer
   • Maintains aggressive stance
2. Special Attacks:
   • Sword Swipe
     • Disables protection prayers
     • Telegraphed with warning
     • Must quickly reactivate prayers
   • AoE Attack
     • Hits in area
     • Announced before use
     • Run behind him to dodge

Strategy:

1. Keep Protect from Melee active
2. Stay at full health
3. Watch chat box for special attack warnings
4. Don't use special attacks - he'll pray against them
5. Focus on consistent DPS rather than burst damage

Part 3: The Ruins of Tapoyauik

Preparation Phase

1. Collect Emissary robes from chest
2. Equip the robes
3. Head to Twilight Temple
4. Watch cutscene revealing Metzli's identity

Required Items for Ruins:

• Pickaxe (can be obtained from barrel)
• Combat gear
• Food
• Prayer potions
• Empty inventory spaces for puzzle items

Navigating the Ancient Ruins

First Section:

1. Mine the blocked passage
2. Run past frost nagua
   • Use Protect from Magic
   • Avoid getting cornered
3. Navigate spear traps
   • Each hit deals 6-12 damage
   • Can be run through with proper timing
4. Pull first lever
5. Climb down ledge

Second Section:

1. Avoid frost crabs
2. Take middle path past traps
3. Cross icy ledge
4. Enter north-eastern room
5. Pull second lever
6. Cross frozen platforms
7. Climb down western ledge

Final Section:

1. Pull lever in enclosed room
2. Head south to main gate
3. Pull northern lever
4. Activate chain for shortcut
   • This is crucial for future runs
   • Saves significant time if you die

Important: If you forget any lever, the braziers won't light and the gate stays closed.

The Icon Puzzle

Room Layout:

• 4 murals in corners
• 4 statues
• Multiple urns
• Frost nagua patrolling; use Protect from Magic and ignore them

Puzzle Steps:

1. Check all murals first:
   • Note first words
   • Record visible elements
   • Order matters for later
2. Search urns for icons:
   • Frost nagua will attack while searching
   • Can't safespot during searches
   • Each icon has distinct color
3. Icon Placement:
   • Match icons to elemental statues
   • Use mural words for order:
     • Zema = Position 1
     • Oma = Position 2
     • Yeya = Position 3
     • Naui = Position 4

Final Boss: Amoxliatl, Guardian of Tapoyauik

Pre-Fight Preparation

Required Equipment:

• High-healing food (sharks or better)
• Prayer potions (Around 3)
• Super combat potion
• Melee weapon for ice blocks
• Use Protect from Magic

Boss Fight Mechanics

Amoxliatl's Basic Attacks:

1. Magic Attack
   • Summons ice spikes on and around player
   • Protect from Magic blocks initial damage
   • Ice spikes deal typeless damage
   • Creates icy pools dealing 6-10 damage per tick

Special Attacks (alternates between two):

1. Unstable Ice Blocks:
   • Creates 1-4 ice blocks around arena
   • Must be destroyed within 10 seconds
   • Each unbroken block:
     • Creates 3x3 icy pool
     • Heals boss 16-25 hitpoints
   • Can only be destroyed with melee
   • One melee hit destroys regardless of weapon
2. Icicle Attack:
   • Disables all prayers
   • Launches powerful icicle
   • Must reactivate Protect from Magic quickly
   • Warning appears in chat box
   • High damage if not blocked

Pro Tip: If you stand in the entry path, she won't use the Unstable Ice special attack.

Fight Strategy

Phase 1 - Learning the Pattern:

1. Keep Protect from Magic active
2. Stay mobile to avoid ice pools
3. Watch for special attack warnings

Phase 2 - Damage Dealing:

1. Attack between special moves
2. Prioritize destroying ice blocks
3. Quick prayer switching for icicle attack
4. Don't stand still for too long

Phase 3 - Survival Tips:

1. Eat above 50 HP at all times
2. Keep moving to avoid damage stacking

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Standing in ice pools too long
• Slow prayer switching
• Ignoring ice blocks
• Running out of prayer

Post-Boss Completion

After defeating Amoxliatl:

1. You'll be forcefully teleported out
2. Make your way to Sunrise Palace
3. Find Servius
4. Complete final dialogue

Long Guide

Starting Out - The Infiltration

Head over to the Teomat and find Prince Itzla. Fair warning - you're about to witness some family drama. The Prince wants to infiltrate the Twilight Emissaries, but his mom (Queen Zyanyi) shows up and isn't too happy about his plans. Classic parent-child disagreement, except this one involves dangerous cults.

After the family drama dies down, make your way to Quetzacalli Gorge. Find the Windbreaker pub and talk to the bartender. They'll try to rent you a basement room. Here's the thing though, there isn't actually a basement. Just pay the 30 coins for the ground floor room. If you're broke, there are plenty of locals nearby you can pickpocket.

Now here's where it gets interesting: when you wake up, guess who your "trusted contact" is? The Prince himself, in disguise. Turns out he's got trust issues, and you, being an outsider, are somehow more trustworthy than his own people…

The Four Trials

Alright, let's talk about these trials. They're not too bad once you know what you're doing, but they can be a pain if you go in blind.

First Trial - The Puzzle One

This first trial is all about solving a puzzle, but it's not as complicated as it seems. Here's what you need to do:

First off, find an Emissary Ascended and pickpocket them for a tower key. Yeah, we're starting this trial with theft — very thematic for OSRS. With your new key, head to the south-eastern gate and open it up. Inside you'll find a chest with a book and some paper.

Now, here's the bit that trips people up: you need to check the first letter of each white word in the book. These letters make up the code for the south-western chest. Don't overthink it, just write them down as you go.

Once you open the second chest, you'll get a poem. The poem uses some fancy ancient language, so here's the translation:

• Takam = East
• Makt = North
• Silam = West
• Uitt = South

Use these directions to figure out the code for the north-western chest. Combine all your paper scraps, and boom - you've got your passphrase. Give it to Janus and you're done with trial one.

Quick tip: Don't leave during any trial unless you've finished it and talked to Janus. Otherwise, you'll have to start that trial over, and nobody wants that.

Second Trial - Combat Time

Right, this is where things get fun. You'll be fighting alongside Prince Itzla, and you need to keep both yourself and him alive.

The enemies you'll face come in two flavors:

• Emissary Brawlers: Big melee guys who hit hard and have an annoying special attack.
• Emissary Conjurers: Magic users who can heal themselves and the brawlers.

The fights come in waves - first two enemies, then four. Sounds simple enough, but here's the catch: you need to keep an eye on Prince Itzla's health. There are medical boxes around the room with bandages; use these to heal him when he's looking rough. Just click "Heal" on him when you've got bandages. You can also use them to heal yourself.

Strategy time: Keep Protect from Melee on and watch those brawlers - they have this nasty special attack that hits adjacent tiles. The best approach is to kill the conjurers first (since they can heal), then deal with the brawlers. Move around to avoid their special attacks, and don't forget to check on the Prince's health between kills.

Third Trial - Playing Detective

This trial is honestly the most annoying one, since you will need to pay attention to what the NPCs are saying. It's all about finding a traitor among the cult members. You'll be questioning four people: Tenoch, Silia, Adrius, and Eleuia. One of them is lying through their teeth, and you need to figure out who.

Here's the key: ask each of them about the Final Dawn. The traitor will mess up by talking about eternal life in Mictl without mentioning the whole "new world after the old one ends" bit. It's like they didn't read the full cult handbook, you know?

If none of them seem suspicious at first, just leave and come back; the dialogue resets, and you might get clearer responses. Once you think you know who it is, accuse them. You'll know you got it right if Janus decides to execute them instead of just roughing them up a bit.

Fourth Trial - Fighting the Prince

Now this is where it gets spicy. You've got to take on Prince Itzla himself. Don't worry though, he's not actually trying to kill you... I think.

Gear up with your best melee setup and keep those prayer potions handy. You'll want Protect from Melee on pretty much the whole time. The Prince has two special attacks that you need to watch out for:

The first one is this annoying sword swipe that turns off your prayers. The good news is he'll warn you before doing it, and you can just turn them back on right away. The second one's an AOE attack that can hit pretty hard, but there's a simple trick: when he warns you about it, just run behind him.

Quick tip: Don't bother with special attacks against him. He'll just pray against whatever style you're using and make you waste your energy. Just focus on consistent damage and staying alive.

The Ruins of Tapoyauik

Alright, you've made it through the trials! But don't get too excited - things are about to get real interesting.

First things first, grab the Emissary robes from the chest nearby. You'll need these for a bit, but don't get too attached to them. Head over to the Twilight Temple and get ready for some drama. You'll discover the Augur is actually Metzli (plot twist!), and there's some stuff about Ennius and Furia Tullus being reborn gods or something. Classic cult stuff, really.

Navigating the Ruins

This part's pretty rough if you don't know what you're doing. You'll need to:

1. Get past some frost nagua (Protect from Magic helps a ton here)
2. Dodge spear traps
3. Run past frost crabs
4. Cross some sketchy ice platforms

The spear traps will hit you for 6-12 damage. You can try timing your runs between them, but honestly? Sometimes it's faster to just eat the damage and keep moving.

The most important thing in these ruins is pulling all the right levers in order. Miss one, and you'll be backtracking through the whole place. Also, PLEASE pull the chain near the big gate when you get there. It creates a shortcut that'll save you so much time if (when) you die at the boss.

The Icon Puzzle

This puzzle's actually pretty clever once you figure it out. You've got four murals, four statues, and a bunch of urns to search through. Oh, and some very angry frost nagua who really don't want you touching their urns. Use protect from magic while solving the puzzle.

The trick is all in the details:

• Each mural has a word that indicates order (Zema = 1st, Oma = 2nd, Yeya = 3rd, Naui = 4th)
• You need to find colored icons in the urns
• Each statue needs its matching icon, placed in the right order

The Final Boss: Amoxliatl

Alright, time for the big finale. Amoxliatl is no joke, she's this massive frost nagua who's really not happy about humans poking around in her ruins. And of course, everyone else conveniently disappears right before the fight, leaving you to deal with her alone. Thanks, team.

The Boss Fight

Let me break down what you're dealing with here. Amoxliatl has three main ways of trying to kill you:

Her basic attack drops ice spikes on and around you. Sure, Protect from Magic helps with the initial hit, but those spikes will still hurt you and leave these annoying ice pools that tick 6-10 damage. Pro tip: don't stand still. Like, ever.

Then she's got two special attacks that she'll alternate between:

The first one's a pain. She spawns these unstable ice blocks around the arena. You've got about 10 seconds to destroy them with melee attacks before they explode. If you miss any, they'll heal her for 16-25 HP each and create more ice pools. Yeah, it's as annoying as it sounds.

The second special is even worse - she'll disable your prayers and launch this massive icicle at you. You'll see a message in chat when this happens. The key is to get that Protect from Magic back on FAST, or you're in for a world of hurt.

Here's a neat trick though: if you stand in the entry path, she won't use her ice block special. It's not always the best strategy, but it's good to know if you're struggling.

My Strategy

Here's how I deal with her:

Keep moving in a circle around the arena, but stay close enough to attack. Watch your health - if you drop below 50%, eat up. These attacks can stack damage really quick, and nobody wants to do the run back here again.

When she spawns ice blocks, switch to your melee weapon and take them out quick. Don't worry about hitting her while the blocks are up - preventing her heal is more important.

For the prayer disable attack, just keep your hand ready on that Protect from Magic. As soon as you see the message, click that prayer on. You'll get the timing down after a few tries (or deaths, let's be real).

Finishing Up

Once you've finally taken her down (and trust me, you will), you'll get booted out of Tapoyauik. Head over to Sunrise Palace and find Servius. He'll give you this whole speech about avoiding the Queen's anger, but promises to keep you in the loop for future plans. Yeah, classic quest ending stuff.

Rewards

Congratulations, you have completed the quest “The Heart of Darkness”! You are rewarded with:

• 2 quest points
• Access to Tapoyauik
• 8,000 experience in Mining, Agility, Slayer, and Thieving!

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