Runescape Tips and Information: The Basics

The first thing to know about Runescape is that you never have to pay for it. You play, you gain more objects, learn new skills, but you don't have to pay unless you want to go farther in the quests, or see more of the world. Therefore, do everything you can without paying first, then pay.

Runescape is one of the simplest RPG's out there to learn, but is satisfying because it lets you explore a new world, find new items, and create your own items. They also add new features often.

When you first start a Runescape account there is a really good tutorial. Take your time, use it, do some of the things required a couple times to get extras. Once you are done with the tutorial you will be at Lumbridge in front of the castle.

Take a moment to click on the "World Map" button at the top of the screen. A map will pop up. Here is a legend that will tell you where to find most things of use. In general, from Lumbridge you will find fishing to the east, smithing and tanning to the west, and mining to the north west. Don't go too far north into the Wilderness, that's the black area on the map. You can be killed by other players there, and it is a very high level.

The Lumbridge area many of the basics. You can gather items like cow hides and meat, bury bones, get flour and start baking bread, or you can go right inside the castle to the cook and do a quest.

I have found it easiest to do one piece of a project at a time. Often your best bet is to harvest items and place them in the bank until you are ready to use them later. This is because banks are often closer to the harvest area then the place you actually use the items at. Check to see if another bank is next to the smith or tanner. This will save hours carting objects between harvest and use.

Cooking for Pay

For cooking, you gather as much raw chicken or steak as you can, then make a fire and cook it all at once. Right click on fires, forges, or other utility items so that you can do more then one at a time. The other method is to get a net and start fishing. This will raise both fishing and cooking skills together.

You will often see people cutting down many trees and lighting a lot of fires, this is because some of the trees you cut down after leveling up your cutting skills are worth a lot more, and burn a lot longer. It is easier to get many levels at one time then to only light a fire when you need it.

In some areas you can often get free items. Many people will go hunt cows to level but leave behind the cow hides because it takes a while to level in making armor. However, once you can level at the armor making it is well worth the time. Since the cows have already been killed, and their hides left behind, you can easily pick them up and store them in the bank till your ready to do leather making.

One of the fastest ways to make money is fishing. You have to start at the bottom and work your way up to lobsters, but once you do you can earn quite a bit if you cook lobsters and take them to hunters in other parts of the world.

Remember that people who buy items they use a lot, like lobsters and pies, will often buy them as notes (gotten from the bank) in quantities of 100 or 1000. You get much better prices in this way. You can also sell items to stores with notes saving you time in carting items from banks to shops.

Armor and Weapons

Armor and weapon making gives you a quick return. Selling handmade weapons and armor to the local shops is quick, pays well, and is completely free.

To make armor, the easiest way is to go to the mines just outside Varrock, fill up your bags, then head back down to Lumbridge where you can smelt them. Take the smelted ore back to Varrock and you can either just put the ore in the bank for the moment, or take it to the smith and have it shaped before putting it back in the bank. Once you have earned enough levels it is far easier to go to the dwarven minds which have furnaces, and smithies handy.

You should try doing a little bit of everything. The more you vary what you do the better rounded your character will be.

Begging

Do not ever, under any circumstances, beg for money. It is so easy to earn money that you will likely just get yourself ignored. If, by some weird chance you die, and loose even your sword, you can go anywhere and pick up free items. Free items are the red spots on the mini map. You can sell most of them and earn a sword. You can buy a pick ax and make a sword. You can make armor from leather or bronze. There is no excuse to beg for money.

Magic

Always, ALWAYS, bury bones. If you bury the bones of your enemies you will get more, and greater priest spells, each of which will help you greatly.

A word on magic, wait to use it. As you are traveling the maps you will come across runes laying on the ground. Gather them, put them in the bank. You will eventually need them.

Runes are expensive. They do not all drop on the ground, and not all can be found. Some you have to make.

When you have a good amount of money stored away go buy a bunch of runes and set to learning magic. It takes time, and you'll run out of money before you're done, but it is worth it.

The best tip for magic users is to invest in rune rods that replace one of your runes. It will save you money in the long run, but it still takes a lot.