OSRS Runecrafting Guide

Table of Contents

• Useful Quests
• Useful Items
• Fast Training Methods
• Profitable Training Methods

Useful Quests

• Enter The Abyss: 1,000 EXP
• The Ascent of Arceuus: 500 EXP
• The Slug Menace: 3,500 EXP
• Devious Minds: 5,000 EXP
• The Fremmenik Isles: 5,000 EXP
• Lunar Diplomacy: 5,000 EXP
• The Eyes of Glouphrie: 6,000 EXP
• What Lies Below: 8,000 EXP

Useful Items

Rune/Pure Essence

Since the introduction of the skill, essence has been the base of Runecrafting training, and when infused with an altar, it turns into runes. It is primarily obtained by mining at the Rune Essence Mine, but more commonly from monster drops. Pure essence is required for higher-level runes, even though it has a lower market price.

Talismans

Talismans are essentially the key to obtain access to a rune altar. A corresponding talisman needs to be used for a certain rune for it to work.

Runecrafting Pouches

Pouches are the most valuable items for Runecrafting considering that it allows you to store additional runes in your inventory. They range from small to giant with varying level requirements. You are required to repair pouches after a certain number of runs, which isn’t too difficult if you are using an Abyss Runecrafting method.

Tiaras

Instead of wasting an inventory space with a talisman, you may wear its corresponding tiara to enter the altar. This is used by combining a silver tiara with a talisman within the altar itself.

Ring of Dueling

If you are crafting fire or lava runes, this is useful for teleporting back to the Duel Arena. It can also be used for banking at Castle Wars for several other methods.

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Charged Amulet of Glory

While banking during Abyss runs or crafting Nature Runes, this is one of the most convenient teleport methods. For unlimited charges, you may use the Eternal Amulet of Glory, but with an additional risk.

High-level Logs

For some methods, taking advantage of the Balloon Transport system is necessary. Each path requires a certain long (like willow or yew).

Graceful Outfit

As running around long distances is the bread & butter of training this skill, you need Graceful to keep your run energy high.

Stamina Potions

If you haven’t unlocked the Graceful set, you will need to chug Stamina Potions in between runs to keep up your run energy.

Pickaxes

If using an Abyss method, the fastest way to get through it with a pickaxe. You don’t necessarily need a high-level pickaxe, and the Black Pickaxe just happens to be the lightest.

Dramen Staff

If you want to utilize the Fairy Ring teleport system, you will need to wield a Dramen Staff in order for it to work. Keeping the staff in your inventory isn’t an efficient way to go about it.

Fast Training Methods

Crafting Earth Tiaras (1 - 15/50+)

You can create tiaras of any type at Level one and they give the same amount of experience. Taking into consideration all teleport methods available, the fastest experience in that regard is creating Earth Tiaras. Alternatively, you can use the Balloon Transport System (requiring Enlightened Journey) to save a considerable amount of money with a little less experience.

Simply load up on 13 tiaras, 13 earth talismans, and Sawmill Teleport scrolls from the bank. From there, teleport to the sawmill and make the very short walk to the altar. Quickly use each tiara with the altar to combine all of them and exit the area. Using a Ring of Dueling while equipped, teleport to Castle Wars for another bank run.

Once you get enough practice, this can easily give you 50,000 experience per hour, but at a very high cost. This is the best way to get from Level 1 to 15 so you can quickly make combination runes.

Combination Smoke Runes (15 - 19/99)

Among efficient players, it’s no secret that making combination runes are much faster than even high-level runecrafting methods. You just have to take into account that it makes little to no profit at the cost of higher experience per hour. Fortunately, starting out with Smoke Runes will make a slight profit with over 30,000 experience per hour.

The idea is to bring pure essence, the secondary rune you want to combine, the secondary talisman and a tiara to enter the primary element’s altar. This will allow you to craft runes while combining the secondary rune type to make combination runes (like smoke).

If you can complete Lunar Diplomacy and get 82 magic, it will make the process even easier due to the spell called Magic Imbue. This removes the need to bring a talisman when doing combined runes but isn’t viable for starter accounts or other limited account builds (like pures).

For making smoke runes in particular, you should be bringing air runes and air talismans (if not using Magic Imbue) to the Fire Altar west of the Duel Arena. You should bring weight-reducing gear, a mist battle staff, a rune pouch (if available), Dueling Rings, and a teleport method close to a bank. If you are doing this at a higher runecrafting level, be sure to bring rune pouches to get more experience per trip. You should also wear a Binding Necklace to make sure that your runes have a 100% chance of being created, although it will break and need to be replaced between several trips.

Fill up your pouches and inventory at the bank and teleport to the Duel Arena. Run over to the fire ruins to enter the altar, then use your secondary talisman on the altar to make your combined runes. Teleport to Castle wars or any other location near a bank and restock on your supplies. You may need to take sips of Stamina Potions if you are having trouble managing your run energy.

Combination Steam Runes (19 – 23/99)

Steam runes can be made at either the water or fire altar, the latter being preferable. The idea is to use the same method as above, but with fire and water runes, along with a steam battle staff. These runes are worth slightly more than smoke runes and offer a tiny bit extra experience.

Combination Lava Runes (19 – 23/99)

Lava runes are essentially the same method as smoke runes, but with combing earth and fire runes. You will also want to utilize a fire battle staff to correspond with this method, and the fire altar is the best place to do this.

Since so many Lava Runes are flooded into the game, it’s practically worthless and you will lose money while training. Having said that, you can make around 70,000 experience per hour if done at full efficiency, and many players go this route to get 99 runecrafting.

Hiring Player Runners (23 – 99)

While it is a bit controversial, the only fast means of getting 99 runecrafting is hiring other players to rune essence from the bank. How you go about doing that is up to you, but there are online groups that streamline the process to match runners with wealthy players. It will cost an insane amount of money, so it’s mostly big-name duelers, PvMers or Youtube celebrities that can afford to do this.

Some players are willing to work for as little as 2 million per hour, but there are others that may ask upwards of 5 million per hour. It really depends on the current demand and talent pool available. Considering that you need a few runners to make this method viable, it can cost you well over 10 million per hour while gaining upward of 150,000 experience per hour.

It used to be possible to use runners at the ZMI altar, but due to changes made by Jagex, Lava Runes are the new standard for running.

Profitable Training Methods

Cosmic Runes (27 - 44/75/99)

Once you hit 27 runecrafting and complete Enter the Abyss, this is the starting point where this skill is significantly profitable. The altar is located down in Zanaris, but if you care about efficiency, you should just run these through the Abyss. You gain around 17,000 experience per hour and 200,000 gold per hour. If you hold out until level 75, this method makes over 600,000 gold per hour due to triple runes.

For ironmen afraid of dying in the wilderness, you may simply go through the path between the altar and Zanaris bank. With 66 agility, you can take all the shortcuts and make it nearly as fast as using the Abyss, which Hardcore Ironmen would especially appreciate.

Nature Runes (44 - 77/99)

Since the release of the skill, crafting Nature Runes has been a legendary part of this skill due to the demand and stable profit of doing this method. Even with crafting Single Nature runes, you can make over 500,000 gold per hour. Even more, if you use the Abyss or get 91 runecrafting for double nature runes.

For the most elementary way to make them, simply bring your nature tiara, noted rune essence and weight-reducing gear to Karmaja. The altar is found Northeast of Shilo Village, making it quite the walk from Tai Bwo Wannai Village. Once you’ve crafted your runes, go to the general store in the village, sell your runes to un-note them, and make the circular trip until you get sick of it.

To shake things up, if you have access to the Fair Ring transport system, use CKR from the fairy ring east of Edgeville and it’s a short walk from the spawn point. Teleport back to Edgeville and repeat to make banking runs.

Unless you are a limited account or an Ironman, the most logical means to craft nature runes is to go through the abyss. Bring your pouches, armor, and pickaxe and simply locate the altar found in the center. Teleport back to Edgeville after crafting your runes and repeat (even if you die from the occasional Pker). At 91 runecrafting, this is easily up to 1.5 million gold per hour with 27,000 experience per hour.

Death Runes (65 – 77/99)

While it’s more recommendable to craft Nature Runes until level 77, Death Runes are a way to break the monotony if you have the requirements. To get to the death altar, you will need to have Mournings End Part II completed, along with 65 runecrafting. Since it is a pain to go through the Temple of Light for each rune, the Abyss is the only sane way to make Death Runes.

At level 65, you will get around 600,000 gold per hour with 27,000 experience per hour. At level 99 with double Death Runes activated, you will make at least 1.2 million gold per hour. The profitability will be decreased if you don’t have Graceful or use Stamina Potions.

Blood Runes (77 - 99)

Blood runes are really the only AFK means to train runecrafting in the game, and it is decently profitable as well. It does have a harsh requirement of 77 runecrafting, 100% Arceuus favor, and 73 agility if you wish to use the shortcut. A reasonable amount of profit per hour is 500,000 gold along with 38,000 experience per hour. You also gain a little bit of mining and crafting experience along the way.

Make your way to the dense rune essence mine with a pickaxe and chisel with you. You should see your player doing quite a different mining animation while slowly filling up your inventory with dark essence blocks. These blocks should then be chiseled into fragments, and then fill up your inventory again with blocks so you can make the most out of your trip. Keep in mind that there is a cap on how many fragments you hold, so it isn’t an unlimited process to obtain them.

The altar is somewhat of a long trek north from the mine, but you should be able to get there within a few clicks on the mini-map. Once you have your runes, you will go back and repeat. It’s a very straightforward process and no banking is required (unlike other runecrafting methods).

Ourania Altar (ZMI) (80 - 99)

While you can access the Ourania Altar at any level, the experience and gold per hour are abysmal until around level 80. This is due to the mechanics of being able to craft every rune in the game, and the runes and experience scale to your level. While it is quite random, you can expect over 400,000 gold in profit and 40,000 experience per hour starting at level 80. It will be slightly higher once you get into level 90+.

Before anything, make sure you are on the Lunar spellbook with runes for Ourania teleport (a rune pouch may help). This will allow you to teleport to the entrance, sparing you from running back on the dangerous path.

Once you are down there, there will be an NPC that will allow you to use your bank for a price. You will pay with a modest amount of runes, and most players suggest using Mind Runes as it will be the cheapest means of banking. This is where you can fill up your pouches and take a sip of Stamina potion so your run goes smoothly.

From here, it’s one big loop to run to the altar with a few Zamorakian warriors that attack you along the way. If you use the official ZMI world, there is a very low chance you will be hit often.

One trick to make the running process AFK is to follow a random player going toward the altar. You can get stuck along the way so pay attention, but in most cases, it will save you lots of clicks.

Click on the altar like any other one, and drop the undesirable runes. Repeat the process above and that’s how you will train via the Ourania Altar.

F2P Training Methods

Crafting Tiaras (1 - 99)

As mentioned earlier, crafting tiaras is a very fast way to gain experience, and is technically the fastest training method available for F2P players. The drawback being the lack of teleportation methods, so that hinders the experience per hour.

With, all things considered, Water Tiaras are likely to be the easiest tiara to create in F2P. The altar is located down in the Lumbridge Swamp and isn’t that far from the Upstairs Lumbridge Bank. You may simply craft your tiaras, teleport to Lumbridge and bank upstairs. You can also quickly switch to the PVP world to use the bank chest and switch back to a regular world. This is roughly 25,000 experience per hour.

A slower, let lower cost alternative would be air tiaras. The altar is immediately south of the Falador East Bank and run time may be reduced by using Falador Teleport.

Air talismans are easily obtained for Ironmen by using the drop trick method during the start of Rune Mysteries. Simply talk to the Duke of Lumbridge, drop the talisman and repeat. This is a slow but viable method for Ultimate Ironmen, considering talismans are rare monster drops.

Air Runes(1 – 9)

Choosing to train your preliminary levels via Air Runes is quite slow, but it will be over within just 7 inventories. Simply start out at the East Falador bank with your Air Tiara and a load of rune essence. Make the trek outside the Falador gates, and then southwest to the ruins.

With each load of runes, you will nearly triple your investment in rune essence. It isn’t a great money maker, but you will at least be out ahead by the end of it. Once you get to different level tiers that allow you to double or triple runes, it is a bit better for money.

Earth Runes(9 – 14)

It is highly recommended to move onto earth runes after level 9 since you get 6.5 experience per rune essence. It is also closer to a bank plus within close vicinity to the essence mine and Grand Exchange.

Start off by loading up on rune essence at the Varrock East Bank, and make your way to the East gate. Follow the road until you see it fork off into the dirt path. Following this path will have the ruins.

Once you have crafted your runes, make the return to the bank by walking back or through the Varrock teleport. This is one of the faster experience per hour considering how close the bank is.

For F2P Ultimate Ironmen, this may be the only considerable means of training runecrafting without a bank. Teleport to the rune essence, mine a full inventory, and head up to the altar with the instructions above. You can basically repeat this until your desired rune-crafting level.

Fire Runes(14 – 20/99)

For the record, Fire Runes are slower experience per hour than Earth runes due to the long walking distance to the bank. It should also be noted that there is no teleport to the Duel Arena in F2P, making this method about walking back and forth.

Having said that, Fire Runes are more profitable than other F2P runes and each trip can net over 1,000 gold in profit. This is enhanced once you get the level for double or triple runes per essence. Managing your rune energy may be mitigated with Energy Potions, but at a significant cost per trip.

Start by the bank chest on the eastern side of the arena and make your way to the western entrance. Directly north you should see a group of cacti; this is where the ruins are located. Once your runes are crafted, you simply walk back the same way.

Body Runes(20 – 99)

Assuming you are doing the tiara method, Body Runes are the current meta for crafting runes for the experience. Profit wise, it is around the same as elemental runes, but you get 7.5 experience per essence.

The typical route is to walk between the altar and Edgeville, making it a relatively short trip. Another route would be to teleport to Falador and do your banking there, although that will shave off a bit of profit and inventory space. You can teleport back using an imbued skull scepter, assuming that you have hoarded enough pieces to give it lots of charges.