Old School RuneScape (OSRS) offers a rich variety of skills for players to level up, from gathering resources to crafting items. Skilling in OSRS is essential not only for progressing through the game but also for achieving milestones like quest requirements, maximizing total levels, and even earning in-game currency. This OSRS skilling guide covers essential tips, tricks, and strategies to help both new and experienced players maximize their skill gains efficiently and enjoyably.
What is OSRS Skilling?
Skilling in OSRS refers to training any of the 23 non-combat skills available in the game. Each skill serves a unique purpose and requires different methods to level up. Unlike combat skills, which involve fighting monsters, skilling involves activities like fishing, mining, crafting, and woodcutting. Players can choose to focus on specific skills to improve their character’s abilities, make money, or simply work toward a higher total level.
Whether you aim to be a master skiller or just want to supplement your combat prowess, understanding the basics of OSRS skilling is crucial.
Benefits of OSRS Skilling
OSRS skilling has numerous benefits, including:
- Economic Gains: Many skills provide items that can be sold for profit, such as fish, ores, and logs.
- Quest Access: Some quests require certain skill levels to unlock, so leveling up helps access more content.
- Experience & Levels: Reaching higher levels in skills often brings additional perks and access to new resources.
- Personal Goals: Skilling can be a fun way to set personal goals, like reaching level 99 in a specific skill.
Best Skills to Start With
1. Woodcutting
Woodcutting is often a popular starting skill in OSRS due to its low cost and easy accessibility. Players can begin woodcutting by chopping trees found all over Gielinor. It also serves as a source of logs, which can later be used in Firemaking and Fletching.
2. Fishing
Fishing provides a steady source of food and can be highly profitable, especially when catching higher-tier fish like lobsters, swordfish, and sharks. Fishing doesn’t require expensive equipment, making it a popular skill for both beginners and advanced players.
3. Mining
Mining is a versatile skill that allows players to gather ores, which can be used for Smithing or sold for profit. Ores like iron, coal, and runite can be particularly lucrative. Mining is resource-intensive but offers high rewards, especially in areas like the Motherlode Mine.
4. Crafting
Crafting enables players to create items like jewelry, armor, and even high-level gear. Crafting is often a little more expensive to train but can be profitable with items like amulets or rings.
Tips for Efficient OSRS Skilling
1. Use OSRS Skilling Items
Certain items in OSRS can make skilling easier or more profitable:
- Graceful Outfit: Reduces weight and improves energy restoration, ideal for agility or gathering-intensive skills.
- Dragon and Crystal Pickaxe: Provide faster mining speeds and boosts, crucial for training Mining.
- Fishing Trawler Outfit: Grants bonuses for Fishing experience, helping to level up faster.
2. Complete Skilling Quests
Some OSRS quests grant experience in specific skills. For example, completing quests like “The Knight’s Sword” for Smithing and “Waterfall Quest” for combat skills can save countless hours. Focusing on skilling quests early on will allow you to skip the lower, more tedious levels in several skills.
3. Efficient Skilling Locations
Choosing the right location can make a big difference in skilling speed and efficiency:
- Woodcutting: For woodcutting, locations like the Woodcutting Guild offer bank access and bonuses that can significantly increase experience rates.
- Mining: The Motherlode Mine and Varrock mine are great spots for those looking to level up mining efficiently.
- Fishing: The Fishing Guild offers a banking station, allowing players to catch fish and deposit them quickly, which is helpful for high-level fishing.
4. Utilize OSRS Skilling Boosts
Boosts in OSRS can temporarily increase skill levels and help you access higher-level content without permanently reaching the required level. Common boosts include:
- Spicy Stew: Provides a +5 level boost in multiple skills, which is helpful for Crafting and other intensive skills.
- Potions and pies: Such as Fishing potions and admiral pies for fishing boosts, and Dragonfruit pie for Woodcutting boosts.
5. Join a Skilling Clan
OSRS skilling clans offer support and advice on leveling up skills, and some clans even organize events that give members access to skilling activities in groups. These clans can provide a community of like-minded players to learn from and motivate you to keep progressing.
Best Skills for OSRS Money-Making
One significant aspect of OSRS skilling is the potential to make in-game currency. Here are some of the best OSRS skills for generating gold:
1. Runecrafting
Runecrafting can be lucrative, especially at higher levels when crafting double nature runes. However, it is considered one of the more challenging skills to train due to the time investment required.
2. Herblore
Herblore, though often costly to level up, can become profitable at high levels, particularly by making potions like prayer potions and stamina potions.
3. Thieving
Thieving becomes highly profitable at higher levels, especially when targeting NPCs like the master farmer or performing activities such as pickpocketing elves. Thieving is particularly effective because it can yield both items and cash drops.
4. Hunter
Hunter is an effective money-making skill due to creatures like chinchompas, which are valuable in the OSRS economy. Black chinchompas, in particular, are a high-profit target but come with the risk of player killers (PKers).
High-Intensity vs. Low-Intensity OSRS Skilling
High-Intensity Skilling
High-intensity skilling methods require players to be active and attentive, but they provide higher experience rates. Skills like Agility, Thieving, and Hunter often have high-intensity training methods that are ideal for players who want fast experience gains.
Low-Intensity Skilling
For players who prefer a relaxed approach, low-intensity methods, or AFK (Away From Keyboard) methods, are suitable. Fishing, Woodcutting, and Cooking often have low-intensity methods that let players multi-task while training.
Essential OSRS Skilling Tools
Certain in-game tools can simplify and enhance OSRS skilling:
- OSRS Wiki: A valuable resource for skill training guides, including optimal training methods and efficient routes.
- RuneLite: A third-party client approved by OSRS that offers skilling plugins, experience trackers, and various quality-of-life features that improve skilling efficiency.
- Skilling Calculators: These help players track experience needed for each level, aiding in setting training goals.
Strategies for Balancing Combat and Skilling
For players who want a balanced OSRS experience, incorporating both skilling and combat training is important. Here are a few strategies:
- Alternate Between Combat and Skilling Goals: Set short-term goals, like reaching level 70 in a skill before switching to combat, to keep gameplay varied.
- Utilize Slayer Tasks: Slayer tasks provide combat experience along with resources that can be sold or used in skilling.
- Daily and Weekly Skilling Activities: OSRS includes weekly events and daily skilling tasks, like collecting battle staves or farm runs, which contribute to skill levels without extensive time commitments.
Advanced OSRS Skilling Methods
Once players reach higher levels in their skills, more advanced methods become available, often leading to better experience rates and profits:
1. Blast Furnace for Smithing
The Blast Furnace allows players to smelt bars with half the coal required, greatly speeding up experience rates and making Smithing profitable, especially with ores like gold and mithril.
2. Herbiboar Hunting
At level 80 Hunter, players can hunt herbiboars on Fossil Island, gaining both Herblore ingredients and Hunter experience, a highly efficient method for dual skilling.
3. Pyramid Plunder for Thieving
Pyramid Plunder offers some of the best Thieving experience rates in OSRS for players level 21 and above, providing both profit and quick leveling.
Final Tips for Successful OSRS Skilling
To master OSRS skilling, consider these final tips:
- Set Clear Goals: Whether aiming for a specific level, profit, or max total level, clear goals will help you stay focused.
- Use Skilling Boosts: Don’t overlook the impact of temporary skill boosts, especially for challenging skills like Agility and Runecrafting.
- Take Breaks to Avoid Burnout: OSRS skilling can be intensive. Taking breaks helps maintain focus and enjoyment over long training sessions.
Conclusion
OSRS skilling is a vast aspect of the game that adds layers of depth, challenge, and reward. By understanding the benefits, exploring efficient methods, and integrating tools like RuneLite, players can maximize their gains in any skill they pursue. Whether you’re aiming to become a master skiller or simply looking for effective ways to make money, this OSRS skilling guide provides a solid foundation for leveling up and achieving your in-game goals.