OSRS Beginner Guide: Tips on Everything Newbies Should Do In Old Runescape

Jonas Author

Created - 20.08.2023 Updated - 26.11.2024

43314 0

Although the new Runescape is fun and addictive, you should still consider giving Old School Runescape or OSRS a try. Going back to the old game is a great way to see where it all began. The systems in OSRS might be simpler by comparison to the new Runescape but don’t let that facade fool you. The old Runescape can be very challenging - especially for newcomers.

Like in the newer version of Runescape, starting fresh in OSRS can be very intimidating and overwhelming. You’re given the freedom to do whatever it is you want to do and for many new players, that’s part of the reason why becoming a newbie is tough.

If you’re looking to step into the world of OSRS, here are a few tips that you need to keep in mind.

Take Your Time In Tutorial Island

After customizing your character, you’re dropped right into the action in Tutorial Island. This is where you’ll learn almost all of what the game has to offer. What’s great is that no one’s going to rush you here. There’s no time limit as to how long you have to stay in Tutorial Island so take your time here.

If you take too long while doing a specific action, there will be prompts on the screen to guide you to what to do next.

Take this opportunity to start planning your character. Think about what type of combat style you’re most comfortable with, what crafting style you want to master. Planning ahead is the key to every successful Runescape run, so make sure you get the most out of your time on Tutorial Island.

Talk To Adventurer Jon

The opening hours in OSRS are difficult but it’s going to be a lot easier thanks to a special NPC named Adventurer Jon. It’s not required to talk to Adventurer Jon but it’s definitely going to make your time in the opening areas of Gielinor. He’s located just outside the Sheared Ram pub in Lumbridge. If you want a better idea of where this is, refer to the blue square on this map below.

To find Adventurer Jon, you need to do a few things first. The very first NPC you’ll meet in the game is the Gielinor Guide. Talk to him and say that you’re a new player. If you don’t do this, you won’t find Adventurer Jon in Lumbridge once you step out of Tutorial Island.

Adventurer Jon will give you a ton of new player benefits, but the best of which is the Adventure Path. This will let you get more rewards by grinding your level. Speaking of which, you’ll be given two Adventure Paths to choose from - Gatherer Path or Combat Path.

The Gatherer Path is relatively easy as it just requires you to forage for stuff in Gielinor. If you want more rewards at the expense of a tougher challenge, however, choose the Combat Path. This nets you a free Combat Path Start Kit that includes weapons, armor, and more.

Start Mastering Your Skills

Skills are the core gameplay mechanics that relate to your progression in OSRS. In total, there are 23 skills you need to master in the game. 15 are available for all players, while 8 are exclusive to members. Whatever you do, try not to level up all skills at once unless you want to be a jack-of-all-trades and master-of-none type of character.

We highly suggest picking 1-3 combat skills to focus on, and the same for gathering skills. Once you have a high enough level for your initial skills, you should then branch out to other areas of expertise. It’s possible to:

Free-to-play Skills

Members-only Skills

OSRS is infamous for requiring a lot of grinding. Some players have spent literally thousands of hours in the game. It’s way quicker to focus on specific skills first before moving on to others.

Go Through The Stronghold of Security

This tip isn’t exactly for beginners. You’ll probably need to get decent gear and level up your combat skills a few times before going through this. The Stronghold of Security is a multi-layered labyrinth that’s filled with tough enemies. Most of the enemies here are tough enough to kill newcomers in one shot, hence we suggest leveling up a bit before going here.

The dungeon is located just west of Varrock and it’s in Barbarian Village. There are 4 levels in the Stronghold of Security, with each area becoming tougher and tougher. Here’s a look at each of the levels.

Vault of War - Level 1

The first level is the Vault of War. It’s best for beginners as it’s only occupied by level 1 rats, level 5-25 goblins, level 11-14 wolves, and up to level 27 minotaurs. This is one of the best places for leveling up your combat skills in the early levels of the game. If you manage to beat the Vault of War, you can get the Gift of Peace which is 2,000 coins and the Flap emote.

Catacomb of Famine - Level 2

This area is filled with level 26 giant rats, level 30-53 zombies, and level 28-41 flesh crawlers. Beating this dungeon will give you the Grain of Plenty which gives you 3,000 coins and the Slap Head emote. This part of the Stronghold of Security should be explored around mid-game so take your time in getting to it.

Pit of Pestilence - Level 3

The third level of the Stronghold of Security contains level 24 spiders, level 50 giant spiders, level 37 and 59 scorpions, and level 49-68 catablepon. You can get the Box of Health for beating this level and it will net you with 5,000 coins and the idea emote. Additionally, the chest will give you a full start restore once you open it.

Sepulcher of Death - Level 4

The last and most challenging level of the Stronghold of Security contains level 159 shades, a level 159 zombie, level 60-85 skeletons, level 76-77 ghosts, and level 75-86 ankou. If you beat this level, you get the Cradle of Life which gives you the Stamp emote, and either the fancy boots or fighting boots - depending on what you get.

As you progress through the game, make sure to go to the Stronghold of Security regularly and check if you can beat the levels of the area. Aside from the experience, the rewards for going through all levels of the Stronghold of Security will help you throughout your journey. Don’t worry as you don’t have to do the entire dungeon in one go. You can come back and finish it gradually.

Before going in, make sure to bank all of your valuable items. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the enemies here if you’re under-leveled or underequipped.

Quest Till You Drop

One of the most crucial parts of moving through Geilinor is speaking to NPCs and accepting quests from them. Did you know that there are a total of 157 quests in the game? 22 of them are available to all players and the rest are exclusive to members only which makes a premium membership even more enticing.

Quests reward you with a generous amount of gold, XP, and even some valuable items. It’s a huge bonus that some of these quests feature exciting side stories that make them worth playing through even more. Additionally, beating quests reward you with quest points that you can exchange for items. There are a total of 298 points to collect but only 44 can be collected by free-to-play players.

Now, there are three types of quests in the game:

• Quest Series - These are large and interconnected quests that make up the chunk of your experience in Runescape. These have the most rewards upon completion and are essentially what you should aim on doing mostly.
• Subquests - These are basically a quest within a quest. Completing subquests also rewards you with quest points. These are easier to do compared to Quest Series.
• Miniquests - These are even smaller pieces of quests throughout the game. They do not reward you with quest points but they can still reward you with gold, XP, and items. Most of the miniquests in the game are actually like prologue chapters to many storylines.

With so many quests to choose from, we understand that it can be underwhelming to know which is which. For beginners, we highly suggest doing these quests first.

Unfortunately, you can only complete specific quests once. You can’t redo quests to get the rewards again and again.

Join A Clan

You can play OSRS on your own from beginning to end. But as the saying goes, strength in numbers. Being in a clan means you can have more experienced players guiding you on your journey. What’s great is that there are a lot of clans that actually help out players who are new to the game. Just head to the OSRS clans forum and you can easily look for ones that you can join.

There are clans dedicated to helping new players work their way around the game too. Whether you’re looking for someone to guide you and help you grow, or you just want to befriend other players, joining clans is very beneficial. The OSRS forums are always teeming with experienced clans looking for new players to help out.

You can leave a clan whenever you want to and you can join one whenever too. The only rule is that you can’t be a part of more than one clan.

Have Fun!

At the end of the day, don’t ever forget that you’re playing Runescape to have fun. The game has aged very well, which is why even new Runescape players still play it every once in a while. OSRS is a challenging title in the beginning. Once you start to get a feel of your goals in the game, you’ll find it easier to explore the lands of Geilinor and start battling other players in PvP.