Top Old School RuneScape continues to attract millions of players in 2025. The game launched in 2013 as a recreation of the 2007 version, and it has grown into one of the most successful MMORPGs ever made. Whether someone is returning after years away or starting fresh, Old School RuneScape offers deep gameplay systems that reward dedication and smart decision-making.
This guide covers the best skills to train, the most rewarding quests, and proven money-making methods. Players will also find essential tips to help them progress efficiently through Gielinor.
Key Takeaways
- Old School RuneScape remains one of the top MMORPGs in 2025 thanks to its player-driven economy, community voting system, and regular content updates.
- New players should prioritize combat skills (Attack, Strength, Defence) along with Magic and Agility to unlock profitable content faster.
- Recipe for Disaster is the most important quest, rewarding Barrows Gloves—the best-in-slot combat gloves in the game.
- Money-making scales with progress: early accounts can earn 200-400k/hour looting, while late-game bosses like Vorkath generate 3-4 million gold per hour.
- Use the Runelite client and the official Old School RuneScape Wiki to streamline quests, skill training, and overall gameplay efficiency.
- Protect your account with two-factor authentication and a bank PIN, as OSRS accounts are frequently targeted by hackers.
What Makes Old School RuneScape Still Popular
Old School RuneScape thrives because it respects player time and offers genuine freedom. Unlike many modern MMOs, OSRS doesn’t push microtransactions or pay-to-win mechanics. Every achievement comes from actual effort.
The player-driven economy creates a living market where supply and demand dictate prices. Someone can spend hours crafting potions or hunting rare drops, then sell those items for gold earned by other players. This economic loop keeps Old School RuneScape engaging year after year.
Jagex, the game’s developer, polls every major update. If 75% of players don’t approve a change, it doesn’t happen. This voting system gives the community direct control over the game’s direction.
Nostalgia plays a role too, but that alone doesn’t explain the game’s success. Old School RuneScape receives regular content updates, including new bosses, quests, and entire regions. The Raids content alone has added hundreds of hours of challenging group play.
The mobile version, released in 2018, brought Old School RuneScape to phones without sacrificing features. Players can train skills during commutes or breaks, making progress whenever they have a few minutes.
Best Skills to Train First
New players should focus on combat skills early. Attack, Strength, and Defence determine how effectively a character fights monsters. Training these skills opens up more profitable content and makes questing significantly easier.
Here are the priority skills for beginners:
- Combat Skills: Get Attack and Strength to level 40-60 before branching out. This allows access to better weapons and armor.
- Magic: Essential for teleportation spells that save travel time. Level 37 unlocks Falador Teleport, making bank runs faster.
- Agility: Higher Agility means faster energy regeneration while running. Even level 30 Agility makes a noticeable difference.
- Thieving: A solid early money-maker. Pickpocketing Master Farmers at level 38 provides seed drops worth decent gold.
Old School RuneScape rewards players who diversify their skills over time. But, spreading too thin early on can slow progress. Focus on a core set of 4-5 skills before expanding.
The game tracks all 23 skills on the highscores. Some players eventually max every skill to 99, a goal requiring thousands of hours. Others specialize in PvP combat or boss hunting. Old School RuneScape accommodates both approaches.
Most Rewarding Quests to Complete
Quests in Old School RuneScape offer more than just experience points. Many unlock essential areas, teleportation methods, or game-changing abilities.
Recipe for Disaster stands as the game’s most important quest. Completing all 10 subquests grants access to Barrows Gloves, the best-in-slot gloves for most combat situations. This quest requires high stats across multiple skills, making it a long-term goal.
Other essential quests include:
- Dragon Slayer: Unlocks the ability to wear Rune platebodies and green dragonhide bodies. A classic rite of passage for Old School RuneScape players.
- Monkey Madness I: Grants access to the Dragon Scimitar, one of the best training weapons.
- Desert Treasure: Unlocks Ancient Magicks, a powerful spellbook used in both PvP and PvM.
- Lunar Diplomacy: Opens the Lunar spellbook with utility spells like Vengeance and spell-share options.
- Song of the Elves: A grandmaster quest that unlocks Prifddinas, the elven city with high-level content.
Players should complete shorter quests early for quick experience gains. Waterfall Quest alone grants enough Attack and Strength experience to jump from level 1 to level 30 in both skills.
Top Money-Making Methods
Gold drives progress in Old School RuneScape. Better gear, skill training supplies, and bonds (membership) all cost money. These methods work well for different account stages.
Early Game (Under 1M GP/Hour)
Looting steel platebodies from the Wilderness can earn 200-400k gold per hour with no requirements. Tanning cowhides at Al-Kharid provides steady income for brand-new accounts.
Mid Game (1-3M GP/Hour)
Barrows runs become profitable around level 70 combat stats. Each chest has a chance at valuable armor pieces worth millions. The Slayer skill opens monster tasks that drop valuable items. Gargoyles, Kurasks, and Wyverns all generate consistent profits.
Late Game (3M+ GP/Hour)
Vorkath farming generates 3-4 million gold per hour with mid-tier gear. The blue dragon boss drops valuable bones and unique items. Chambers of Xeric raids can yield tens of millions from a single drop. Old School RuneScape’s best money comes from group content and high-level bosses.
Flipping items on the Grand Exchange offers passive income. Buy items below market value, sell them higher. This requires starting capital but scales well with larger investments.
Essential Tips for New and Returning Players
Success in Old School RuneScape comes from smart preparation and knowing where to focus energy.
Use the Wiki constantly. The Old School RuneScape Wiki contains detailed guides for every quest, boss, and skill. Bookmarking it saves hours of confusion.
Set achievable goals. Trying to do everything at once leads to burnout. Pick one quest or skill level to target, complete it, then choose the next goal.
Join a clan. Community makes Old School RuneScape more enjoyable. Clans provide advice, group content partners, and social connections. The official forums and Reddit host recruitment threads.
Enable Runelite. This third-party client adds quality-of-life features like ground item highlighting, quest helpers, and bank value tracking. Jagex officially permits its use.
Don’t buy gold from third parties. Real-world trading violates the rules and often results in permanent bans. If someone wants to skip the grind, bonds purchased through legitimate channels convert to membership or tradeable gold.
Protect the account. Enable two-factor authentication and use a unique password. Old School RuneScape accounts get targeted by hackers due to their real-world value. A bank PIN adds another security layer.
Returning players should note that Old School RuneScape has added significant content since 2013. Entire regions like Zeah and Varlamore didn’t exist in the original 2007 game.