Penguin Hide and Seek

"Phas" redirects here. For the location, see Port Phasmatys.

Looking for this week's penguins? See Distractions and Diversions Locations/Penguin Hide and Seek for their locations.

Various unofficial threads (and the worlds they operate on) for this activity may be found in the Distractions and Diversions section of the official RuneScape forums.

A penguin in disguise.

File:Rock penguin.gif

A very suspicious rock.

Penguin Hide and Seek, also known as Penguin Hunting (not to be confused with the Penguin Hunting Area found east of the Iceberg) (and also referred to by Larry as Operation Ice Spy, In Issue 35 of the Postbag from the Hedge), is one of the broadest extensions of Distractions and Diversions, and can be used to earn money or experience in any skill. Penguin Hide and Seek was released with the original three Distractions and Diversions on 2 September 2008.

You spot a penguin!

The jingle when finding a penguin.

The devious KGP are plotting to take over RuneScape and the authorities are unwilling to accept Larry’s ramblings as true and take proper caution. Instead, he is taken to be paranoid and insane. He requires help to track down these conniving spies that have infiltrated even the farthest settlement, but he has a slight problem: if he went after them, who is going to watch those scheming penguins in the Ardougne Zoo? It is up to you to track down these sneaky spies and relay their movements to Larry!

Getting started

Our paranoid friend Larry is positioned near the south west side of the Ardougne Zoo, at a comfortably close proximity to the Penguin Exhibit. While the rest of RuneScape thinks he is insane, he alone realises the true threat the penguins pose and stands in faithful guardianship at the side of the Penguin enclosure!

• Note: After Hunt for Red Raktuber, you will have to use the polar bear Chuck, instead of Larry. Chuck is located in the Polar Bear pen, east of where Larry was.

A player spots a penguin.

File:Penguin barrel.png

Can you spot the penguin?

Simply ask him about penguin hunting and he will decide he is able to trust the adventurer with the information required to get out and do the dirty work for him.

He will give you a Spy notebook that keeps track of how many penguins you have found that week and how many Penguin points you have that are ready to be spent. Please note that the book is completely optional, but handy nonetheless. If you happen to lose your spy book, talk to Larry and he will give you another after a slight scolding.

File:Penguins Wilderness.png

A well-hidden penguin. Can you spot it?

Chuck or Larry offers hints to help players locate penguins. Some of the hints are general areas, while other are more specific. If you receive more than ten location hints, it may be because a penguin has recently run over into another hint's area.

Chuck or Larry will give hints for all penguins—whether you have already spied on them or not!

Note: Every Wednesday (between 00:00 and 01:00 GMT ) the penguins reset so you can hunt them down again.

Requirements

There are no skill or combat levels required, but if you are low-level, you may want to bring food if going to a dangerous place such as the Wilderness.

Optional quest requirements

There are four quests rewarding extra features for Penguin Hunting:

The PBJ Polar Bear Agent.

• Cold War - Once you complete Cold War, 5 of the 10 penguins will start rewarding two points instead of 1, therefore pushing the maximum amount of points up to 15 per week.
• Hunt for Red Raktuber - Once you complete Hunt for Red Raktuber, you will be able to spy on a PBJ Polar Bear each week, therefore pushing the maximum amount of points a week up to 16.
• Some Like It Cold & Desert Treasure - Once you complete Some Like It Cold and started Desert Treasure up to the point where you get the Ring of Visibility, you will be able to spy on the Invisible or Ghost Penguin. This penguin teleports around the game, periodically. It seems to teleport to various spawn points of the "normal" penguins. It is green and very hard to see even with a Ring of Visibility. The best way to hunt this penguin is to join a friends chat and ask if anyone has seen it. Spying on it gives 3 points, making the maximum weekly points 19. This penguin appeared on 8 August 2012.

File:Penguin hunting.png

Players usually hunt penguins in groups.

Certain other quests may be required to get to the places where the penguins are, however, not all of them will need to be completed, you will only need to start some of them (note that other quests may be required to complete these quests):

Completed quests: These quests must be completed to be able to reach the new places.

• Cabin Fever - To get to Mos Le'Harmless
• Death to the Dorgeshuun - To get to Dorgesh-Kaan
• Lost City - To get to Zanaris
• Ghosts Ahoy - Free entrance to Port Phasmatys (Not required to enter Port Phasmatys)

Started quests: You only need to reach a certain point in these quests to reach the new places.

• Fremennik Isles, The - To get to Neitiznot and Jatizso
• Fremennik Trials, The - To get to Miscellania and Etceteria
• Giant Dwarf, The - To take the Mine cart to Keldagrim (Entering Keldagrim from the caves automatically starts the quest.)
• Icthlarin's Little Helper - To get inside Sophanem
• (You May also use a charged Pharaoh's sceptre to teleport to the pyramid)
• Lunar Diplomacy - To get to Lunar Isle
• Monkey Madness - To get to Ape Atoll
• Mourning's Ends Part I - To get to Lletya
• Regicide - To get to the Elven lands

Disguises

Penguins can come in a variety of disguises that help them blend into their surroundings and go around unnoticed. The KGP went to great lengths to make sure the disguises are perfect, and indeed, they are near perfect! The only flaw is when the feathery spies are moving or looking around. The Feathery Bolshevik Investigations (FBI for short) had the sense to make their disguises common knowledge so that there will be little confusion on what is or is not a penguin spy!

Penguins in disguises					Other
					A polar bear in a well (after Hunt for Red Raktuber).
Barrel	Bush	Cactus	Crate		Polar bear
Rock	Toadstool	Invisible

The Invisible penguin (also known as Ghost Penguin) can be seen using a Ring of visibility from the Desert Treasure quest (no need to complete quest after getting ring). It teleports every few minutes to any one of 34 1-point penguin spawn locations around RuneScape. It is worth three points when spying after completing Some Like It Cold; however to see the penguin you do not need to have completed the quest, you just won't get any points. The Invisible Penguin moves a lot faster than the normal penguins.

The Pumpkin Penguin or pumpguins was first released during the 2008 Hallowe'en event and were also used during the 2009 Hallowe'en event, the 2010 Hallowe'en event and the 2011 Halloween event. This disguise is only seen during the Hallowe'en festivities.

The Snowman Penguin or snowpengs were first released during the 2009 Christmas Event and were also used during the 2010 Christmas event and 2011 Christmas event

. This disguise is only seen during the Christmas festivities.

Examine texts

• Barrel - "What's black and white and smells like beer?"
• Bush - "What's black and white and down to earth?"
• Cactus - "What's black and white and covered in spines?"
• Crate - "What's black and white and on a sneaking mission?"
• Rock - "What's black and white and looks like a rock hopper?"
• Toadstool - "What's black and white and covered in mushroom?"
• Invisible - "Licensed to Chill."
• Pumpkin - "What's black and white and smells of pumpkin?" (During Halloween 2008, 2009 and 2011, all penguins turned into pumpkins. During Halloween 2010, only 1-point penguins turned into pumpkins.)
• Snowman - "What's black and white and covered in snow?" (During Christmas 2009, 2010 and 2011, all penguins turned into snowmen.)

Helpful hints

For a list of confirmed locations for current week, see Distractions and Diversions Locations/Penguin Hide and Seek.

Suggested items

• Weight-reducing items such as Boots of Lightness, Spotted/Spottier Cape, Penance Gloves, Agile legs, Agile Top and Wicked robes.
• A Bull Ant or Spirit Terrorbird Summoning Familiar to restore Run energy.
• Super energy potions or an Explorer's Ring to restore Run energy.
• Teleportation items such as Amulet of Glory, Games Necklace, Ring of Duelling, Explorer's Ring(3),and at least an Ardougne cloak 1 to be able to teleport to the Kandarin monastery an unlimited times per day. The monastery is right below Ardougne Zoo, making it a free and easy teleportation to Larry to spend your penguin points.
• Quest-related teleports such as Camulet, Enchanted Lyre, Elf Teleport Crystal, Ectophial
• Dramen Staff or Lunar Staff for Fairy Ring usage. (After starting A Fairy Tale Part II, not needed after A Fairy Tale Part III.)
• Money for boat trips and/or carpet rides in the desert. (An activated Ring of Charos helps with this by allowing you to select a significant discount in the costs.)
• Ecto-tokens to get to Dragontooth Island or inside Port Phasmatys.
• A ring of duelling to get to Castle Wars or close to Yanille.
• An Enchanted water tiara (Dealing with Scabaras) is good for desert penguins as it replaces the need for waterskins.
• A Broomstick when enchanted by the Apprentice in Al Kharid gives you unlimited teleports to the Sorceress's Garden. This is allows quick access to the Shantay Pass and bank chest nearby.
• A Ring of visiblity for spying the penguin unlocked by Some Like It Cold.
• Penguin clans can be found in the Distraction and Diversion section of the RuneScape Forums.
• There are many choices when it comes to finding the Penguins, the most popular are:

1. Clan Chat hunting and spying. The best world for this is World 60.
2. Forum Thread based hunting and spying. The best world(s) for this is World 71 and/or World 99

Spellbook teleports

The general Magic teleportation spells are very useful for getting around to find the penguins quickly. Common locations include:

• Varrock
• East Ardougne
• Falador
• Camelot
• Ape Atoll

Several players like to use the Lunar Magic Spell book, as they can teleport to some uncommon but useful places while still being able to get clues from Larry or Chuck anywhere with the NPC Contact spell. Some Lunar teleportation locations include:

• Port Khazard
• Lunar Isle
• Catherby

Not many use the Ancient Magicks spell book for this purpose, as the Ancient teleport spells are generally less convenient in getting around. But it is still an option. Some Ancients teleportation locations include:

• Digsite
• Edgeville
• Canifis

The Lunar spellbook has a significant advantage for those with 96 magic as they can cast Spellbook Swap and make use of all teleport spells.

Note: If you are on Lunar or Ancients, or just have a low magic level, House Portals or Teleportation Tablets are other time-saving options!

Trapping penguins

File:Penguintrap.png

An example of a trapped penguin, with 2 spaces to move between.

It is possible to trap a penguin in one spot so that it can not move around by positioning players and the scenery around the penguin and boxing it in. When players are standing still, the penguin can't pass through them thus allowing the penguin to be trapped. The trap is broken when another player moves through that square, allowing the penguin to escape from the trap. It is therefore very important not to step on or run through trappers when spying a trapped penguin.

If a trapper is stepped on, they should wait until the other player moves off them and then move off the square and then back to their original spot quickly.

Tips on trapping

File:4 Penguins Rare.png

Four Penguins trapped in Rellekka.

File:5 penguins.png

Picture of 5 penguins trapped in the Yanille wall.

1. If penguins are unable to move from the square they are standing on for approximately 7 minutes, then the penguin will "re-spawn" or teleport to its primary spawn point. Each penguin has one re-spawn point. So unless you’d like to go hunting all over again for that penguin, give it at least two squares to move around!
2. If you want to help herd penguins, follow it until it is near a suitable location, then open doors in front of the penguin and close them behind it. This works better with 2 or more people.
3. Try not to stand on people who are trapping a penguin; standing on and then stepping off a person allows the penguin to pass through them. Players should take the following precautions:
   1. Turn off run when approaching the penguin.
   2. Move to a square with a line of sight to the penguin before spying.
   3. Click away after spying. (Otherwise players may automatically walk towards the penguin).
   4. In the case of a door, walk up to the door before opening, open it, take a single step inside and close it behind you.
4. If you can, spy over water, lava, fences, through windows, low walls, etc.
5. There are a few pets such as a platypus or tooth creature which can help you trap penguins as they block them the same way players do.

Clans and clan chats

There are a number of clans and clan chats which will help players find their weekly penguins. Some of these clans have threads in the Distractions and Diversions Board of the RuneScape official forums. Posted on the threads are general locations of each of the 10 penguins and the polar bear well for each weekly update. Updates with more recent locations can be found in friends chat or on forums depending on the clan.

Other hints and tips

• Wilderness penguins can trap themselves just south of the South Western building in the ruins west of the bandit camp around level 20.
• Since penguins do not appear as dots on the mini-map, turn music off and volume up. Penguins are noisy spies and can be generally heard if they are visible on your screen. It is sort of a mechanical chugging sound, interspersed with the penguin's pops and whistles.

• Look for the polar bear. They can't move, are always in wells, and give one extra penguin point. Players must have completed Hunt for Red Raktuber quest to be able to spot them.

• Don't be afraid to ask other players if they have recently seen a penguin.

• If players are in a penguin clan chat, it would be wisest to first find the penguins that are harder to trap, e.g., the desert penguins. If these penguins escape, it could take a very long time to find them.

Spawn Locations and Roam Areas

There are 67 penguin spawn locations and 6 polar bear locations. See Penguin Hide and Seek/Spawn Locations.

For current locations, see Distractions and Diversions Locations/Penguin Hide and Seek.

For previous locations, see Penguin Hide and Seek/Previous Locations.

Rewards

Players may earn a maximum of 10 points per week if no penguin quests have been completed, 15 points per week if the Cold War quest is completed, 16 points per week if the Hunt for Red Raktuber quest is completed, and 19 points per week if the Some Like It Cold quest is completed.

• The penguins in the easier locations are always worth one point each.
• The penguins in more difficult locations (such as areas that require a quest) are worth one point. A bonus point is awarded for these penguins after the completion of the Cold War quest, for a total of two.
• If the quest Hunt for Red Raktuber has been completed, players may also spy on a Polar Bear once a week for an additional penguin point.
• If the quest Some Like It Cold has been completed, players may also spy an invisible penguin once a week for an additional 3 points.

Note: Penguins worth two points will only provide their bonus point after Cold War is complete. Spying a "two-point" penguin without finishing Cold War will only earn one point. The PBJ agent from the Hunt for Red Raktuber quest cannot be spied until that quest is complete.

Penguin points can be redeemed by talking with Chuck or Larry. Players may choose either a coin reward or an experience reward. The player will be rewarded for as many points as they have at the time of speaking and will not be asked how many points to redeem. Keep this in mind if you wish to use penguin points for multiple skills.

• If coins are chosen, the player will receive 6,500 coins per point.

• If experience is chosen, the amount of experience gained is dependent on the player's current level in the chosen skill. The formula for determining the amount of experience gained is:
  • Level of skill choice x 25 = amount of experience per point. There is no bonus for spending more points at a time. For instance, spending 1 point a week will return the same experience as spending 10 all at once (also see levelling note below).
    • i.e. if your Summoning is level 16 and you trade in 11 points, you will receive 4400 experience in total. 25x16x11 = 4400

Even if the skill level increases in the process of spending points, the "Skill level" in the above formula does not change. For example, if a player needs 1000 experience to get to level 41, spending 2 points would only earn 2000 experience. Because of this, its recommended to spend points one at a time so that additional points spent will maximise any levelling up from gained experience. This means that, assuming a skill is only trained using 16 Penguin Hide and Seek reward points per week, a level-up is guaranteed up until level 60.

Note: Chuck or Larry will only keep track of up to 50 points per player. Any points earned beyond 50 will be lost.

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Level	10 pts	15 pts	16 pts	19 pts		Level	10 pts	15 pts	16 pts	19 pts		Level	10 pts	15 pts	16 pts	19 pts		Level	10 pts	15 pts	16 pts	19 pts
1	250	375	400	475		31	7,750	11,625	12,400	14,725		61	15,250	22,875	24,400	28,975		91	22,750	34,125	36,400	43,225
2	500	750	800	950		32	8,000	12,000	12,800	15,200		62	15,500	23,250	24,800	29,450		92	23,000	34,500	36,800	43,700
3	750	1,125	1,200	1,425		33	8,250	12,375	13,200	15,675		63	15,750	23,625	25,200	29,925		93	23,250	34,875	37,200	44,175
4	1,000	1,500	1,600	1,900		34	8,500	12,750	13,600	16,150		64	16,000	24,000	25,600	30,400		94	23,500	35,250	37,600	44,650
5	1,250	1,875	2,000	2,375		35	8,750	13,125	14,000	16,625		65	16,250	24,375	26,000	30,875		95	23,750	35,625	38,000	45,125
6	1,500	2,250	2,400	2,850		36	9,000	13,500	14,400	17,100		66	16,500	24,750	26,400	31,350		96	24,000	36,000	38,400	45,600
7	1,750	2,625	2,800	3,325		37	9,250	13,875	14,800	17,575		67	16,750	25,125	26,800	31,825		97	24,250	36,375	38,800	46,075
8	2,000	3,000	3,200	3,800		38	9,500	14,250	15,200	18,050		68	17,000	25,500	27,200	32,300		98	24,500	36,750	39,200	46,550
9	2,250	3,375	3,600	4,275		39	9,750	14,625	15,600	18,525		69	17,250	25,875	27,600	32,775		99	24,750	37,125	39,600	47,025
10	2,500	3,750	4,000	4,750		40	10,000	15,000	16,000	19,000		70	17,500	26,250	28,000	33,250		100	25,000	37,500	40,000	47,500
11	2,750	4,125	4,400	5,225		41	10,250	15,375	16,400	19,475		71	17,750	26,625	28,400	33,725		101	25,250	37,875	40,400	47,975
12	3,000	4,500	4,800	5,700		42	10,500	15,750	16,800	19,950		72	18,000	27,000	28,800	34,200		102	25,500	38,250	40,800	48,450
13	3,250	4,875	5,200	6,175		43	10,750	16,125	17,200	20,425		73	18,250	27,375	29,200	34,675		103	25,750	38,625	41,200	48,925
14	3,500	5,250	5,600	6,650		44	11,000	16,500	17,600	20,900		74	18,500	27,750	29,600	35,150		104	26,000	39,000	41,600	49,400
15	3,750	5,625	6,000	7,125		45	11,250	16,875	18,000	21,375		75	18,750	28,125	30,000	35,625		105	26,250	39,375	42,000	49,875
16	4,000	6,000	6,400	7,600		46	11,500	17,250	18,400	21,850		76	19,000	28,500	30,400	36,100		106	26,500	39,750	42,400	50,350
17	4,250	6,375	6,800	8,075		47	11,750	17,625	18,800	22,325		77	19,250	28,875	30,800	36,575		107	26,750	40,125	42,800	50,825
18	4,500	6,750	7,200	8,550		48	12,000	18,000	19,200	22,800		78	19,500	29,250	31,200	37,050		108	27,000	40,500	43,200	51,300
19	4,750	7,125	7,600	9,025		49	12,250	18,375	19,600	23,275		79	19,750	29,625	31,600	37,525		109	27,250	40,875	43,600	51,775
20	5,000	7,500	8,000	9,500		50	12,500	18,750	20,000	23,750		80	20,000	30,000	32,000	38,000		110	27,500	41,250	44,000	52,250
21	5,250	7,875	8,400	9,975		51	12,750	19,125	20,400	24,225		81	20,250	30,375	32,400	38,475		111	27,750	41,625	44,400	52,725
22	5,500	8,250	8,800	10,450		52	13,000	19,500	20,800	24,700		82	20,500	30,750	32,800	38,950		112	28,000	42,000	44,800	53,200
23	5,750	8,625	9,200	10,925		53	13,250	19,875	21,200	25,175		83	20,750	31,125	33,200	39,425		113	28,250	42,375	45,200	53,675
24	6,000	9,000	9,600	11,400		54	13,500	20,250	21,600	25,650		84	21,000	31,500	33,600	39,900		114	28,500	42,750	45,600	54,150
25	6,250	9,375	10,000	11,875		55	13,750	20,625	22,000	26,125		85	21,250	31,875	34,000	40,375		115	28,750	43,125	46,000	54,625
26	6,500	9,750	10,400	12,350		56	14,000	21,000	22,400	26,600		86	21,500	32,250	34,400	40,850		116	29,000	43,500	46,400	55,100
27	6,750	10,125	10,800	12,825		57	14,250	21,375	22,800	27,075		87	21,750	32,625	34,800	41,325		117	29,250	43,875	46,800	55,575
28	7,000	10,500	11,200	13,300		58	14,500	21,750	23,200	27,550		88	22,000	33,000	35,200	41,800		118	29,500	44,250	47,200	56,050
29	7,250	10,875	11,600	13,775		59	14,750	22,125	23,600	28,025		89	22,250	33,375	35,600	42,275		119	29,750	44,625	47,600	56,525
30	7,500	11,250	12,000	14,250		60	15,000	22,500	24,000	28,500		90	22,500	33,750	36,000	42,750		120	30,000	45,000	48,000	57,000

Squeal of Fortune spins

On 2 April 2012 the Squeal of Fortune gained an update allowing players to obtain spin tickets. These tickets can only be received when the Penguin Hide and Seek D&D is the designated D&D of the week.

Trivia

File:PengHunters.png

A group of players spotting a polar bear in the well in Falador.

• During Thanksgiving 2008, free players could spot 10 Hidden Turkeys. This was similar to Penguin Hide and Seek.
• Players used to be able to spot all the penguins twice in a week. If a player spotted all penguins within the first few hours of the penguins resetting, later that week they could be spotted again. Jagex has fixed this bug.
• On 28 January 2009, there was a glitch where players were able to spy on the same penguin over and over again. This led to masses of players abusing the glitch, allowing them to gain points quickly and receiving massive amounts of experience or coins in a short time. On 3 February, Paul Gower posted a thread in the Recent Updates forum, saying that 159 players have been permanently banned and a number of players involved were given temporary bans for breaking the then Rule 4.
• After Hunt for Red Raktuber, players could continue to contact Larry through the NPC Contact spell in the Lunar spellbook and receive hints, even though Larry had been taken to the Motherland. This is now fixed, so you can only contact Chuck.
• The examine text for the rock disguised penguin is a play on rockhopper, a species of penguin.
• When exchanging points for money, the text says "show me the money", a catch phrase from the movie, 'Jerry Maguire'.
• A glitch can happen if a player spots a penguin that is inside a house from outside and quickly closes the door before they are finished with the spotting, they walk through the door like a ghost.
• When you spy on a penguin, you do what appears to be a cheer emote at the end. This is not the case, as it is almost double the speed of a normal Cheer emote and you only raise both hands in the air twice and then one in the air once. The regular emote consists of three both hand lifts, and then one hand lift.
• You would need approximately 6,025 penguins points, or roughly 377 weeks or 7.23 years (after Hunt for Red Raktuber), to get from 1 to 99. If you decided to trade these in for coins, this would grant 39,162,500 coins.
• The examine text for the crate disguised penguin could be a reference to the famous tactical espionage video game series, Metal Gear Solid. In every installment, almost all of the game is a sneaking mission, and players can find and use various boxes to disguise themselves from enemies.
• For some reason, when players went to Larry, and right clicked on him and selected "Hide-n-Seek", it would say in the chatbox "nothing interesting happens". Jagex has fixed this.
• Long before the event was released, the penguins in the Lumbridge Sheep field existed, and were possibly hinting the mischief that penguins would later use in this event.
• Players sometimes use marker plants to show other players where the penguins are located
• Penguins do not show up as a yellow dot on your minimap like other NPC's. You can only notice/acknowledge them by seeing them on your screen, or hearing them walk by.
• On 10 February 2012, the mindspike staff glitch allowed players to kill any NPC, resulting in missing penguins and duplicate penguins in Al Kharid.
• In Chase the Monkey as part of Jagex's Wild Weekends (26 May to 28 May 2012), players were able to spy 10 monkeys in disguises in a similar way to the penguins. However, unlike the penguins, these monkeys were able to move away from the player and blocking the monkeys was not possible. There was also no NPC giving hints about their locations, and the locations were different on every world, making them much harder to find.
• The Invisible penguins examine text may be refered to a 1989 James Bond film "Licence to Kill".
• The Invisible penguin was introduced 8 August 2012; however if a player spied the regular 10 penguins and not the Invisible penguin, the message "You've spotted all the penguin spies this week!" appeared if you have not completed the required quest Some Like It Cold even though you might have seen the Invisible penguin wearing the Ring of Visibility.

Double points day

• On 27 October 2011 in celebration of bot nuke day double points were awarded for Penguin Hide and Seek.
• At 00:00 game time the penguins and points reset.
• At 00:03 game time the queue for World 60 was over 1500.
• At 00:28 game time the queue for World 60 was 1997. Afterwards, players got a message saying that the world was full, indicating that both the world and its queue were full at 2000 players each.

See also

• Penguin Hide and Seek/Spawn Locations - lists all 67 penguin spawn locations and 6 polar bear locations
• Penguin Hide and Seek/Previous Locations - previous locations