The timeless question for any adventurer in the vast worlds of Gielinor is often, “What’s the most effective way to earn gold?” There isn’t a single, straightforward answer, as the optimal money-making strategy constantly shifts. Factors like your character’s skill levels, whether you’re a free-to-play (F2P) or member player, and if you’re exploring Old School RuneScape (OSRS) or RuneScape 3 (RS3), all play a significant role. However, certain methods have consistently proven lucrative for players across various stages of their journey. This article dives into some of the best strategies for accumulating wealth in both OSRS and RS3, helping you find your perfect path to riches.
OSRS: Skilling
In Old School RuneScape, while trading on the Grand Exchange or farming monster drops can yield great returns, these often demand significant starting capital or combat prowess. Skilling – using your honed abilities to gather or craft items – consistently offers a reliable income stream without needing prior wealth. This approach allows players to generate substantial hourly profits simply by training their skills. Whether you’re a new F2P player or a seasoned member, there are profitable skilling avenues waiting to be explored.
F2P Skilling: Mining Runite Ore
For F2P players, mining runite ore stands out as a top-tier money-maker. To tap into this lucrative method, you’ll need a Mining level of at least 85. Achieving this allows you to mine runite, which can earn you up to 400,000 gold per hour. A popular spot is the Wilderness runite mine. While many players there are generally respectful, it’s wise to only bring items you’re comfortable losing, or be prepared with emergency teleport runes. This method offers a great blend of consistent income and the thrill of the Wilderness, making it a staple for F2P adventurers aiming for high profits.
F2P Skilling: Cooking Wild Pies
Cooking is another excellent F2P option, notable for its rapid leveling. Once you reach Cooking level 85, you can start making wild pies. These pies, crafted from specific ingredients, sell well on the Grand Exchange. The advantage here is that Cooking is one of the fastest skills to train, meaning you can reach the required level much quicker than for some other high-profit skills. Although it requires an initial investment in raw materials, the quick turnaround and high demand for wild pies make this a favorite for F2P players seeking a fast and reliable income source.
Member Skilling: Runecrafting High-Level Runes
Members have access to a much wider array of profitable skills. Runecrafting, though often considered a slow skill to train, becomes incredibly rewarding at higher levels. With high Magic and Runecrafting levels, crafting law, nature, or death runes at the Abyss can bring in over 500,000 gold per hour once you hit level 60, significantly increasing past level 80. The real jackpot comes at level 95, allowing you to craft wrath runes, which can generate almost 1.5 million gold per hour. This method provides steady, high income for dedicated crafters, with demand for high-tier runes always present for spellcasting and enchanting.
Member Skilling: Hunting Chinchompas and Implings
Hunting offers impressive returns even at lower skill levels, with profits ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 gold per hour. Upon reaching level 63, you can hunt carnivorous chinchompas, which are highly valued ranging consumables. For the absolute best profits, consider hunting implings in Puro-Puro. Focusing on rare dragon implings is ideal, but supplementing your efforts by catching magpie and ninja implings can also contribute significantly to your hourly earnings. This dynamic skill involves active gameplay and provides a fun, engaging way to make money by capturing valuable creatures.
Runescape 3
RuneScape 3 introduces unique mechanics, like Evolution of Combat and different economic factors, which diversify money-making strategies significantly. This often means that asking multiple players about their “best” method will yield a variety of answers. However, some reliable and widely accepted methods stand out as consistently profitable. These strategies cater to different playstyles and investment levels, ensuring there’s a lucrative path for almost everyone in RS3.
Tanning Dragonhides for Profit
Tanning dragonhides is a popular and effective money-making method in RS3, particularly for players with some initial capital. Both F2P and members can profit from tanning green, blue, and red dragonhides. With a portable crafter, you can process up to 60,000 hides per hour, assuming you have a continuous supply of raw materials. It’s recommended to start with at least 50 million GP as a F2P player (or 30 million as a member for black and royal hides) to ensure you can sustain production. Reinvesting profits back into more raw materials will quickly allow for extended tanning sessions, leading to substantial gains.
Runecrafting in RS3: Enhanced Earnings
Runecrafting remains a highly viable and often more accessible money-making skill in RuneScape 3 compared to OSRS, largely due to faster experience rates and helpful unlocks. While any level yields decent profit, significant gains begin with a high Magic level and a complementary skill. For instance, level 50 Firemaking allows for lava rune crafting, or level 93 Summoning boosts mud rune production. With these setups, you can easily achieve 4 million gold per hour. Even without these specific requirements, crafting blood runes in the Abyss offers a respectable income, making Runecrafting a consistent gold source.
Casting Bones to Bananas
One of the most accessible and surprisingly profitable methods for both F2P and members is casting the “Bones to Bananas” spell. Requiring only level 15 Magic, this method can generate nearly 1 million gold per hour. Investing in a Mud staff, though optional, pays for itself quickly by eliminating the need for separate earth and water runes. Players can gather bones themselves or purchase them from the Grand Exchange. To maximize efficiency and gold per hour, using a preset to quickly withdraw bones and hotkeys for casting is highly recommended, potentially doubling your profits.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the “best” way to make money in RuneScape is the method that aligns with your available time, skill levels, and enjoyment. Whether you prefer the structured skilling of OSRS or the diverse opportunities of RS3, Gielinor offers countless paths to wealth. Experiment with different strategies, stay updated on market prices, and remember that consistent effort is key to building your fortune. Happy adventuring!
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