Runescape Agility Shortcuts: How to Build Hidey Holes and Rope Racks Guide

A Romantic Getaway

First we had to get there

Runescape Agility Shortcut Improvements

Runescape's gone through a lot of changes recently. The Wilderness, new quests, experience urns. It's no wonder that the Agility Shortcut improvements has been somewhat... less spectacular. Since it's release, you can find descriptions, definitions, and itemized listings... but no guide yet.

The original agility shortcuts were in places that could have been useful, but for those that required extra equipment, they were more of a pain than a help. I mean really, unless you're on your way to range Avies or something, who just happens to be carrying a crossbow and grapple around?

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Now you can use the agility shortcuts anytime... if you've built the appropriate hidey holes and rope racks. You even get a one-time experience gain for building them. This guide will show you what levels are required to build and use hidey-holes and rope racks, but it's main purpose is to give you a step by step schedule to get the job done. This is certainly not the only way; it's just a way that works efficiently.

In case you're wondering, using the shortcuts with the hidey-holes do NOT require the use of any inventory spaces. You can cross even if your backpack is completely full!

So take a look at the requirements, make sure you have all the necessary gear, and get ready to make Runescape a better place for getting around!

Note: Before getting started, if you plan to make the Rope Racks for the Eagles' Transport, the easiest route requires growing vines to access the entry. If you haven't done this yet, skip ahead to the Rope Rack section, do the vines, then do the Hidey Holes while the vines are growing.

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Things you'll need, things you'll want

Items Needed:

Saw, Hammer

11 Planks, 14 Oak Planks, 7 Teak Planks, 4 Mahogany Planks

2 Bronze Crossbow, 1 Iron Cbow, 1 Steel Cbow, 2 Mithril Cbows

6 Mithril Grapples

12 Nails

1 Rope

Suggested items:

Teleports - Lumbridge, Karamja, Falador, and Yanille

Amulet of Glory (for Karamja)

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Spirit Larupia, Ability to use Fairy Rings, or Ring of Duelling

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Teasing Stick

Runescape Agility Shortcut HideyHoles / Requirements

Lumbridge Area Map

This is where we start

Just a Building Guide

Remember, this is NOT a complete listing of the agility shortcuts and Eagle transports in Runescape. Rather, it's a guide to building all the Hidey Holes and Rope Racks. Once built, they provide a permanent source of the necessary crossbow and grapples to cross the shortcut, or ropes to ride the Eagles, so you will no longer need to plan ahead and bring your own.

Starting Up

1-River Lum

Bring: Hammer, Saw

1 Amulet of Glory (with at least 1 charge)

3 Law Runes

1 Water Rune

3 Air Runes

2 Earth Runes

4 Oak Planks

4 Mahogany Planks

4 Planks

1 Bronze Crossbow

1 Steel Crossbow

1 Mithril Crossbow

4 Steel Nails

3 Mithril Grapples

Let's start with Lumbridge; Wear whatever your want, but preferably something light so you can travel easily. Don't forget the glory. You can gear up from any bank, and use the Lumbridge Home Teleport to get to Lumbridge. Or take extra runes, even house tabs if your player owned house has the required teleports.

Run south from the castle courtyard through the graveyard, until you get to the Strong Tree with a Grapple Option. Next to the tree is a Convenient Rock, build the hidey-hole on the rock.

Now you can cross the river from Lumbridge to Al Kharid. Just click on the Strong Tree, and you will go through all the steps to cross the river Lum. Easy way to get to the Al Kharid bank and back. If you're mining from the ores all the way south from Lumbridge, this shortcut provides a quick way to bank and return.

Meeting in the Middle

Karamja Map

On Karamja

2-Karamja Volcano (Musa Point)

Take the Glory to Karamja. Run south from the banana plantation, and follow the southern shoreline west until you get to the agility shortcut point, with the Strong Tree.  Next to the strong tree, click on Convenient Rock, and build your hidey-hole.  Now you can easily cross at any time just by clicking on the Strong Tree.

This shortcut connects the Banana Plantation to the area near the Harpie Bug Swarms. You can travel both directions. If you do Harpie Bug Swarms a lot, this could be very useful. It can also help if you're penguin-hunting in the area.

...You DO hunt penguins, don't you? :^)

Did you pack a picnic basket?

Falador Map

3-Falador Wall

Falador is the first shortcut we'll be using nails at. I used Steel, they're easily available, but any nails should work. Teleport to Falador, run to the park, and go straight north of the farming tree patch. It will be a grapple over the city wall. When you find the gap in the top of the wall, right click and choose "Build Hidey-Hole Wall." Now when you click on it from the inside wall, you will climb the wall, and land on top of it. From there, you can jump outside, or back in. This is a 2-way shortcut, you can go in or out, either way, entirely at will.  Quick direct route to the Barbarian Village, Monastery, or Ice Mountain, or vice versa to get to Falador East Bank.

Maybe I should LOOK before I leap?

2nd stage inventory

4-Water Obelisk Island

Bring:

Hammer, Saw

Runes - You should still have runes for a Yanille teleport.

Anti-Poison for the Spiders near the end of the dungeon.

Optional - Energy Potion or Explorer's Ring (You'll be running a LOT)

4 Teak Planks

4 Oak Planks

4 Planks

1 Bronze Crossbow

1 Iron Crossbow

1 Mithril Crossbow

3 Mithril Grapples

4 Nails

Armor - Wear anything that makes you feel safe. I used Black Dragonhide and whatever other gear was cheap and handy. You'll be running past Black Dragons, bring a dragon shield if you want.

If you intend to do the Eagles' Eyries, then make sure you still have your Glory. If not, bring extra teleport runes to get wherever you want to go after Yanille is finished. (I brought an extra 1 fire, 3 airs, and a Law, to get back to Varrock)

For this one, you'll be running through the Taverly Dungeon. Run to the Falador West Bank. Grab your armor and the inventory recommended above. Run to the gap in the west wall, and run north-west until you get to the Taverly Dungeon entrance.

Go in, take the shortcuts if you can. Go the long way around it you have to, but if you do, remember you'll need the Dusty Key. I recommend wearing armor and bringing an anti-poison, but whatever you're comfortable with is fine. Head past the Black Dragons at the farthest North-West part of the dungeon. Climb the ladder, and you're on Water Obelisk Island.

This shortcut is one-way, from the island to Catherby, landing you right next to the fishing shoreline.

Water World at Catherby

Catherby

5-Catherby Cliff

From Water Obelisk Island, take the grapple shortcut to the Catherby fishing shoreline, and run east.

(It's okay to have a bit of fun with the tourists... many people have no clue how to get to Water Obelisk Island, and can have quite a bit to say about it.)

Go just past the fruit tree plot and slightly south, and you'll find the next shortcut at the steep cliff.

Right click "Build Hidey-Hole Rocks" on the rocks at the top of the cliff. You can now shoot a grapple to the mountaintop, climb up the cliff, and head over to Taverly.

Now you can cross White Wolf Mountain from Catherby to Taverly without taking the long way around (or under!)  No more pesky maze, wolves, or other impediments!

This shortcut is one-way only, from Catherby to Taverly across the mountaintop. No going back the other direction.

Yanille

Grapples Away!

6-Yanille Wall

Teleport to Yanille (Watchtower), and run to the south wall, toward the west end. Just behind the Dragon Inn, you'll find this shortcut. Look for the notch in the city wall, right click "Build Hidey-Hole Wall", and you're all set.

Works in both directions, and can be handy getting to Gu'Tanoth or the Feldip Hills, and back.

This is all of the Hidey Holes, next up is the Eagles' Eyries.

Just hanging with the Eagles

The Feldip Jungle Eagle Location

Now for the Rope Racks in the Eagle's Eyries

The last phase is for the Eagles' Transport Network.  These aren't used a whole lot, but they do provide quick access among several different hunter areas.  Being a completist, I include them so we can permanently update all the possible shortcuts.  If at some point in the future, I find it useful to use the eagle transport system, I'll be glad the work is already finished!

Growing the Vine Ladder

Teasing the Vines

If you've already 'teased' the vines growing on the Feldip Eyrie entrance, you'll have no trouble getting in. If not, you'll need to a Teasing Stick (hunter skill.) This can be bought from a hunter store, or from the Grand Exchange, very cheaply.

Get to the Jungle/Feldip hunting area (AKS on the fairy ring, Larupia teleport, or Ring of Duelling and run south). If you're using Fairy Rings, don't forget to bring a staff if you need one.

Find the Hunting Master's shack near the border, and go to the hill just west. You'll see two cave openings there, and a young vine. Use the Teasing Stick on the Young Vine, and it will plant the stick for the vine to grow on.

In about an hour, the vine will grown into a useable ladder. You'll receive a notice in the chat box when it's ready.

There are other ways to get to the main Eagles' Eyrie, but this is the simplest, and you might as well go ahead and grow the vine. You may want to use the route some day, and it'll be ready and waiting.

Rope Racks: What you'll need

Inventory

What to Bring

Hammer, Saw

Games Necklace

Teleport Runes for when you're finished - I brought Varrock- 1 Law, 1 Fire, 3 Air

3 Planks

6 Oak Planks

3 Teak Planks

4 Nails

5 Ropes (use the rope rack to get each 5 before going to the next eyrie)

Inside the Feldip Eyrie

Jungle / Feldip Eagles' Eyrie

Now, following the instructions above for getting to the Jungle/Feldip Eagle, go climb up your vine ladder. When you arrive inside the eyrie, there'll be a Ruined Rope Rack just by the entrance. Click the "Build" option.

For normal use, you just need to grab one rope to lasso an Eagle, but while we're building Rope Racks, be sure to grab 5 ropes before you fly off!

You can fly from here to get to the main Eagles' Eyrie, and from there reach the Karamjan Eagle. To lasso an eagle, just use a rope on him.

As Good as New

What's that noise?

Eagles' Peak Eyrie

This is the central Eyrie from which all other eyries across Runescape can be reached. We won't be building rope racks to all of them. Some already have rope respawns handy. Just the Feldip, Eagles' Peak, and Karamjan Eyries need rope racks.

Build Ruined Rope Rack. When you're done, grab 5 more ropes and take the Karamjan Eagle next.

This is fun, brace yourself for a cool cutscene with the eagle flying and you hanging on for dear life to the rope!

That would be me...

Karamjan Eagle

Karamjan Eagles' Eyrie

Here is the final eyrie. Once you've arrived, rebuild the rope rack same as the last ones.

Now you're done with the eagles, and it's time for the final trip. Grab 5 more ropes, and let's head to the Barbarian Outpost.

Games Necklace FTW

The House on Baxtorian Falls

To get here, the easiest method is to use a Games Necklace. Teleport to the Barbarian Outpost. (If you don't have a Games Necklace, you can use the shortcut behind the Gnome Stronghold Grand Tree, or you can teleport to the Seers village and run westward a long and winding ways until you get there. Trust me, it's worth using a Games Necklace!

Run South from the Barbarian Outpost, following the lake's shoreline on the eastern side. When you get to the house, go through to the back yard, and build the ruined rope rack.

Now that it's fixed, you can grab a rope from here anytime you want to do a little Fire Giant killing inside the Baxtorian Falls. (But don't forget your Glarial's Amulet!)

Baxtorian House

Getting Around in Runescape

Now you've updated all your agility shortcuts.  Considering how much territory Runescape covers, and new content coming out all the time, odds are pretty good you'll be using those shortcuts sooner or later.  Aren't you glad you've already done the work?

One final note - Monique helped me test this guide, and while we were making our Catherby Hidey Hole, she leveled up in Construction!  She didn't realize it was that close, but it's a perfect example that every little bit can help. 

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your new shortcut improvements!

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Other Runescape Links

Hub Guides:

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Blogs:

Crewman6's Runescape Adventure Log

Comments

Eugenia on June 01, 2015:

Great story, we've all been there at one time. One thing I think you should have ponetid out was that folks should waypoint their car ;) (Seriously, though, this is incredibly useful and preventative for unnecessary wandering around in the woods!)

Crewman6 (author) on March 25, 2011:

Takabuti, thanks so much for the great comment! It's always nice to be appreciated!

Takabuti on March 25, 2011:

This is an excellent guide - very helpful, well laid out and great pics.

Thank you very much Crewman6 :D

Crewman6 (author) on February 21, 2011:

Thanks Audrey- it was a lot more work than I expected, but a lot of fun... and written on my new netbook!

Audrey Kirchner from Washington on February 21, 2011:

My boys and son-in-law will probably understand this but it's still so very well presented! Nice job!!