OSRS 1-99 Runecrafting Guide

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Understanding the Basics:

Before you start runecrafting, you need to understand the basics of gaining quick Runecrafting exp. To begin, you need to have completed the Rune Mysteries quest, which unlocks the ability to craft runes. You’ll also need a talisman or tiara specific to the type of rune you want to craft. It’s recommended that after you finish the Rune Mysteries Quest, you complete the Abyss Mini-Quest which should get you to level 99 Runecrafting, as it’s the fastest way to skip early leveling from runecrafting from level 1 runecrafting.

Suggested Gear and Information:

Before you start it may help getting the following upgrades:

1. Raiments of the Eye Outfit

2. Lunar Spellbook with level 82 Magic (Contact NPC Spell for Dark Mage) 

3. Amulet of Glory for Edgeville Teleports

4. Abyss Minigame completed to use the abyss

5. A good about of OSRS Gold for blood essence 

6. Once you reach level 75 Runecrafting, you'll be able to utilize up to a Giant Pouch which will hold an additional 12 essence.

In OSRS, there are certain types of runes; Elemental runes and Catalytic runes. Below is a list of all available runes in OSRS:

Elemental Runes:

Elemental Combination Runes:

Catalytic Runes:

Obtaining Essence in OSRS

In Old School RuneScape, a significant part of your Runecrafting journey involves gathering the necessary essences: Rune Essence and Pure Essence. These key materials are often the subject of widespread player interest, and they hold a crucial role in the OSRS economy.

Rune Essence forms the basis of Runecrafting in OSRS and is essential for creating basic runes such as Air, Mind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Body runes. A common query among players is, "How can I acquire Rune Essence in OSRS?" The answer lies in these primary methods:

Essence Mine: Upon finishing the Rune Mysteries quest, the Essence Mine becomes accessible. Various NPCs, such as Aubury in Varrock, the proprietor of the Rune Shop in East Ardougne, or the Magic Guild's wizards (if you have 66 Magic), can teleport you there.

Aubury’s Rune Shop: Aubury's shop, located in southeast Varrock, provides quick access to the Essence Mine.

Sedridor’s Basement in the Wizard's Tower: Sedridor offers another gateway to the Essence Mine once you've completed the Rune Mysteries quest.

Obtaining Pure Essence in OSRS

Pure Essence is highly coveted in OSRS, due to its ability to create all rune types, including the more advanced ones. This has led to frequent searches like "How to procure Pure Essence in OSRS?" It's reserved for members and requires a Mining level of 30 to acquire.

1. Essence Mine: When you mine at the Essence Mine with a Mining level of 30 or above, you'll obtain Pure Essence.

2. Monster Drops: Certain creatures in OSRS, such as Twisted Banshees and Abyssal Leeches, drop Pure Essence. Hunting these can help you amass Pure Essence.

3. Managing Miscellania: Following the Royal Trouble quest, managing your kingdom can generate a significant amount of Pure Essence, though other resources might yield better returns.

4. Trading: Pure Essence is regularly traded on the Grand Exchange and between players in OSRS due to its high demand.

5. Zulrah: The challenging boss Zulrah occasionally drops a whopping 1,500 noted Pure Essence, offering a lucrative opportunity for high-level combat players.

Obtaining Daeyalt Essence in Old School RuneScape:

This specialized essence is a unique Runecrafting material in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) that was introduced with the much-anticipated Darkmeyer update, and it's often a topic of interest with searches like "What is Daeyalt Essence in OSRS?" Here's what you need to know:

1. Location: Daeyalt Essence comes from Daeyalt veins located in the exclusive Daeyalt Mine in Darkmeyer, an area many players are eager to explore.

2. Requirements: To access Darkmeyer and the Daeyalt Mine, you must complete the popular Sins of the Father quest. Remarkably, mining Daeyalt Essence doesn't demand any specific Mining level.

3. Usage: Like Pure and Rune Essence, Daeyalt Essence is used in the Runecrafting grind, a skill frequently searched by players looking to level up efficiently. Its unique benefit is that it grants 50% more Runecrafting experience than the conventional essences. However, it's important to note that it can't be used for crafting combination runes and is only valid on altars that accept Pure Essence.

4. Stackability: In contrast to Rune and Pure Essence, Daeyalt shards (which you turn in for the essence) is stackable, a feature that many OSRS players value for efficient inventory management while training Runecrafting.

5. Tradeability: Unlike most resources in OSRS, Daeyalt Essence is untradeable, meaning it can't be bought or sold on the Grand Exchange or traded with other players. This exclusivity often sparks player interest.

6. Rate of Acquisition: Daeyalt Essence is mined at a slower pace than other essences, but the higher Runecrafting experience yield and the stackability factor often make it a sought-after resource.

Levels 1-34: Old School Runescape Quests

Completing the following four quests is the most efficient way of training Runecrafting early on in OSRS, after completion of these quests, you should now have level 34 Runecrafting:

1. The Ascent of Arceuus:

Rewards:

500 Runecraft XP

Access to the Arceuus Spellbook

2. The Eyes of Glouphrie:

6,000 Runecrafting XP

3. The Slug Menace:

3,500 Runecrafting XP

4. Temple of the Eye:

10,000 Runecrafting XP

Access to the Temple of the Eye dungeon (with rune and pure essence rocks)

5. Enter the Abyss miniquest:

1,000 Runecrafting XP

Access to the Abyss, which offers a faster way to runecraft

A small pouch for carrying essence

After you reach 34, you have a few options to choose from to continue training Runecrafting in OSRS.

Levels 1-99: ZMI (Ourania Altar)

The ZMI, or Zamorak Magical Institute altar (also known as Ourania Altar), is a particular Runecrafting altar in Old School RuneScape. It stands out from other altars as it allows players to craft random types of runes, which can provide a significant boost to Runecrafting experience.

Here's what you need to know:

Requirements:

You need to complete the Lunar Diplomacy quest to unlock the NPC Contact spell. This is because one of the fastest ways to bank is by using NPC Contact to speak to Eniola (the banker near the altar) and paying him 20 runes of any kind.

The ZMI altar is located in the Ourania Cave, which is filled with monsters that can hit up to 14, so some form of defence or hitpoints is needed. It's also located in the wilderness, so beware of player killers.

Experience Rates:

Experience rates at the ZMI altar depend on the player's Runecrafting level and the strategy they're using. In general, players can expect the following rates:

Please note these rates assume you're using the best possible methods, including banking with NPC Contact and using the official world for ZMI (world 327), which has player-run runners who can provide you with essence for a fee.

When you craft runes at the ZMI altar, the types of runes you get are random, but higher-level runes are more common at higher Runecrafting levels. Crafting at the ZMI altar gives 2x the usual experience for the runes made.

The ZMI altar is a popular Runecrafting training method, especially for Ironman accounts, as it provides a variety of runes and good Runecrafting experience. However, it does require attention and clicking, unlike some other Runecrafting methods.

Levels 44-99: Nature Runes

At level 44 runecrafting, you can begin crafting Nature runes. This method used to be a very popular way of making money during early runecrafting levels in the early days of RuneScape when before players could utilize the Grand Exchange for profit.

Nowadays, it's recommended to grind your runecrafting to at least 77 to utilize the blood altar,  level 90 runecrafting for the soul altar, or 95 runecrafting to make wrath runes. However, level 91 runecrafting is benefitial as it allows players to craft double nature runes while also allowing the completion of the Karamja Elite Diary.

Levels 23-99: Crafting Lava Runes

Lava Runecrafting is a high-intensity, high-Experience per hour (XP/hr) rc method in Old School RuneScape (OSRS). It involves crafting Lava runes at the Fire Altar, utilizing a combination of Magic Imbue, the Ring of Duelling, Binding Necklaces, and the shift-click drop mechanic to maximize efficiency.

Requirements:

23 Runecrafting: To craft Lava runes.

82 Magic: For the Magic Imbue spell, which negates the need for a talisman. This is not a strict requirement, but it significantly increases XP/hr.

Lunar Diplomacy: To unlock the Magic Imbue spell.

Completion of "Enter the Abyss" miniquest: While not necessary, it's recommended to get the Small and Medium pouches and also grants 1000 runecrafting experience and almost 10 runecrafting.

Completion of "Eyes of Glouphrie" quest: This is another optional quest that grants 6000 runecrafting experience.

Equipment:

Earth runes: For the Magic Imbue spell.

Astral runes: For the Magic Imbue spell.

Pure essence: To craft runes.

Binding Necklace: To ensure 100% Lava rune crafting success. It has 15 uses.

Ring of Dueling: For quick teleportation to Castle Wars for bank access.

Fire tiara or Fire talisman: To enter the Fire Altar.

Rune pouch: To hold Earth and Astral runes, freeing up inventory spaces.

Runecrafting pouches: To hold extra essence (At least level 25 runecrafting as the medium pouch is worth the extra space).

Experience Rates:

Lava Runecrafting lava runes is the fastest method to train your runecrafting, if not the fastest, methods to gain Runecrafting XP. The rates depend heavily on your focus and efficiency.

At peak efficiency, you can reach up to 70,000 XP/hr or even more.

Lava Runecrafting Process:

Start at the Castle Wars bank. Fill your inventory with Pure Essence, wear a Binding Necklace, and have a Ring of Dueling equipped.

Teleport to the Duel Arena using the Ring of Dueling.

Run north to the Fire Altar.

Use your Earth runes on the altar to combine them with the Pure Essence and create Lava runes. At the same time, cast Magic Imbue.

Teleport back to Castle Wars with your Ring of Dueling and repeat.

Remember to replace your Binding Necklace every 15 runs and your Ring of Dueling as needed.

It's essential to note that Lava Runecrafting is click-intensive and requires a high focus level. You also don't profit from this method, as Lava runes have no practical use and can't be sold on the Grand Exchange. However, if pure XP/hr is your goal, this is an exceptional method for leveling Runecrafting. This will require a lot of runecrafting as combination runecrafting to get runecrafting to level 99. Unfortunately, combination runes won't 

Levels 77-99: Blood & Soul Altar Runecrafting

Blood and Soul Altars in OSRS:

The Blood and Soul Altars are part of the Arceuus area and are unlocked after gaining 100% Arceuus favour. These altars are unique because they use dense essence blocks instead of rune essence or pure essence

Requirements:

77 Runecrafting: To access the Blood Altar and craft Blood runes.

90 Runecrafting: To access the Soul Altar and craft Soul runes.

100% Arceuus favour: To mine Dense essence and use the Arceuus spellbook.

Completion of "A Soul's Bane" and "A Kingdom Divided": For quicker access to the Arceuus area.

Location:

Both the Blood and Soul Altars are located within the Arceuus area in Great Kourend. They are not marked on the minimap like other Runecrafting altars but are found within the dense forest to the west and north-west of the Dark Altar. Unlike abyss runecrafting where you'd use the abyss to get runes, this method is safe allowing you to bring your rc outfit and blood essence on your way to the blood altar for more profit per hour.

Experience Rates:

Blood Altar: At the Blood Altar, you can expect to earn approximately 35-40K Runecrafting XP per hour.

Soul Altar: At the Soul Altar, rates can go up to 45-50K Runecrafting XP per hour.

Training at Blood and Soul Altars:

Crafting Blood and Soul runes involves a multi-step process:

Start by mining Dense essence blocks from the Dense runestone mine, north-east of the Arceuus Library.

Run to the Dark Altar to the west and use the Dense essence blocks on it, turning them into Dark essence blocks.

With a chisel, split the Dark essence blocks into Dark essence fragments.

Use the Dark essence fragments on the Blood or Soul Altar to craft runes then run back and repeat the process. Note: Stamina Potions are recommended as this method requires a lot of running.

Consider these points while training at these altars:

Stamina potions can be beneficial due to the considerable amount of running involved in this process.

Graceful outfit is recommended for its weight-reducing effects and run energy restoration.

Training at these altars provides a relatively relaxed, less click-intensive method of gaining Runecrafting XP, though it's less XP per hour than methods like Lava Runecrafting. On the plus side, Blood and Soul runes are both useful and valuable, meaning this method can also be profitable.

Levels 27-99: Guardians of the Rift Minigame

Guardians of the Rift (GOTR) OSRS:

Guardians of the Rift (GOTR) is a Runecrafting minigame in Old School RuneScape, introduced in an update. The minigame involves defending the various runecrafting altars including earth altar, nature altar to craft nature runes, etc. from monsters attempting to corrupt them. The player's role is to purify the altars and drive back the attacking forces.

Requirements:

Different sections of the minigame have different Runecrafting level requirements, ranging from level 1 up to level 90.

While not a requirement, having a decent combat level and gear can be useful as you will encounter combat situations.

Completion of the Temple of the Eye quest is required to participate in the minigame.

Location:

To get to the GOTR minigame, you must use either of the following methods:

1. Amulet of the Eye teleport

2. Grouping teleport to Guardians of the Rift

3. Necklace of Passage to the Wizards Tower

4. Fairy ring D-I-S directly to Wizards Tower

5. Amulet of Glory teleport to Draynor Village and run south

6. Lumbridge Teleport and run west

The Guardians of the Rift minigame events take place at the various Runecrafting altars throughout Gielinor, however, players are instanced so when they leave the altar, they return to the minigame. Like with the lava rune crafting method, players can choose to craft combination runes within the minigame which is greatly increase their runecrafting xp/hr and rivals other osrs skilling methods that are more click intensive. Combination runes also grant runecrafting exp equal to 4 times normal rates.

Experience Rates:

Experience rates vary depending on your Runecrafting level and how efficiently you can purify altars and defend against the abyss monsters. It’s possible to achieve upwards of 70,000 xp/hr with a good team making Guardians of the Rift one of the best Runecrafting training methods in OSRS. Keep an eye out for our Ultimate F2p Runecrafting Guide!