OSRS Bloodhound and clue hunting: how dogs dig for treasure trail steps and make blood runes

How the clue digging mechanic works

The clue digging mechanic is simple but impactful: a fully grown dog (or the Bloodhound) can dig for treasure trail steps, just like a spade. This means you no longer need to carry a spade in your inventory when doing clue scrolls. With the dog, you can head straight to the clue location with your full inventory intact.

This is a significant quality-of-life improvement for clue hunters. The spade is a one-slot item that is useless outside of clue steps, and forgetting it means a trip back to the bank. With the dog companion, you effectively reclaim that inventory slot for food, potions, or loot. For players doing master clues, where medallions and teleport items already fill the inventory, this extra slot is especially valuable.

The Bloodhound pet — the rarest pet in OSRS (1/1,000 from master clues) — also gains this ability. For the first time, the Bloodhound has a practical function beyond being a status symbol. This makes the Bloodhound the ultimate clue hunting companion, combining the rarest pet with the most useful clue-hunting tool.

Blood rune trade: turning dogs into profit

The blood rune trade is the second major gameplay feature of the dog system. A fully grown dog can be traded to an NPC near the Theatre of Blood for 100 blood runes (200 with the Morytania Medium Diary completed). The NPC is presumably located near the Theatre of Blood entry point in Meiyerditch, making it accessible to players who have progressed through the Myreque quest line.

At current prices (approximately 250-300 GP per blood rune), each trade is worth 25,000-30,000 GP without the diary and 50,000-60,000 GP with it. This is a modest but consistent money-making method — the primary value is the renewable source of blood runes, which are used for burst/barrage spells and Sanguinesti Staff charges.

The trade is likely to be limited by the time it takes to raise a dog. A puppy grows into a fully grown dog in a few hours of feeding, so you can realistically produce a dog per day if you are actively managing the feeding. This creates a passive income stream of approximately 50-60K GP per day for players who enjoy the pet-raising mechanic.

• 100 blood runes per dog (200 with Morytania Medium Diary).
• Current value: ~25K-30K GP (100) or ~50K-60K GP (200).
• Growth time: a few hours of feeding per dog.
• NPC location: near the Theatre of Blood (Meiyerditch).

Bloodhound: from flex to functional

The Bloodhound is currently the rarest pet in OSRS, obtained at a rate of 1/1,000 from master clue caskets. Before this update, the Bloodhound was purely cosmetic — a status symbol that showed you had completed a significant number of master clues. Now, the Bloodhound can dig for treasure trail steps, giving it a practical function.

This change makes the Bloodhound significantly more valuable for master clue hunters. Since master clues have the most complex steps, the inventory slot saved by not carrying a spade is most valuable for this tier. The Bloodhound effectively becomes the best-in-slot clue hunting companion, combining rarity with utility.

If you are a master clue hunter without the Bloodhound, you can still use a regular fully grown dog for the digging mechanic. The regular dog does not have the prestige of the Bloodhound, but it performs the same function — saving you an inventory slot. The Bloodhound remains the ultimate flex for dedicated clue hunters.

Money making and efficiency analysis

The combined value of the dog system for money making comes from two angles: clue scroll efficiency (faster clues = more loot per hour) and the blood rune trade (passive income). For clue hunters, the inventory slot saved by not carrying a spade improves efficiency by approximately 5-10% for master clues, as you can carry more food, potions, or teleport items.

For the blood rune trade specifically, the income is modest but consistent. At current prices, one dog per day earns 50-60K GP with the Morytania Medium Diary. This is not a primary money-making method, but it is a useful passive income stream for players who enjoy the pet-raising mechanic. The blood runes themselves are also useful for burst/barrage slayer tasks and Sanguinesti Staff charging.

The true value of the dog system is the convenience factor. The clue digging mechanic saves time and inventory space, making every clue scroll encounter slightly more efficient. Over hundreds of clues, the time saved adds up significantly. The LootPath GE tracker can help you monitor blood rune prices and clue scroll rewards to maximise your profit.

• Clue efficiency gain: ~5-10% for master clues (one inventory slot saved).
• Blood rune trade: ~50-60K GP per day (passive, with diary).
• Best use: combine clue hunting with passive dog raising for dual income.