In this guide we’ll take a look at the best ways for Ironmen to replenish their stock of all 15 kinds of Runes in OSRS, one by one.
After that, we’ll talk about a couple of methods that reward not just one, but a variety of runes (great if you need a lot of them!)
But for a quick tl;dr, these are the main methods we’ll be talking about:
- Purchasing runes from NPC shops
- Making them yourself via the Runecrafting skill
- PvM methods such as bossing
And for more variety-based farming methods, we’ll explain two other locations:
- Zamorak Magic Institute
- Guardians of the Rift
Elemental, Mind, and Body Runes
In this section, we’ll cover the most basic runes:
- Air
- Mind
- Water
- Earth
- Fire
- Body
The methods for all these runes are similar, available for Free players, and are quite simple.
Due to being low level items, these runes can be bought in NPC shops such as Aubury’s Rune Shop in Varrock and Betty’s Magic Emporium in Varrock.
They’re all around 3-4 coins each (a bit more if you’re buying packs).
This is by far the quickest and cheapest way to stock up on all of the basic runes with little effort.
Alternatively, Runecrafting enthusiasts may craft these runes themselves with the appropriate levels. The lowest is Air at level 1, and the highest is Body at level 20. All of them are available for Free players.
This is definitely a slower route, but will also yield some Runecrafting experience in the process!
Lastly, some high level monsters can drop these runes in bulk (~500 of a given rune), but this is more of a byproduct of another activity.
As a result, we do not recommend farming these runes through PvM methods.
Chaos and Death Runes
Chaos and Death runes are used as catalysts in higher level combat spells, such as Bolt and Blast spells.
These are available in NPC shops and are the final runes that Free players may obtain through this method.
They can be rather expensive, valued at 90 and 180 coins respectively.
Use them wisely!
Members can craft Chaos and Death runes, provided they have the required levels and quests for each of them. Chaos runes are not something we’d advise, since their altar is too far away from a bank to be viable.
Death Runes, on the other hand, are worth crafting compared to their Shop price.
Tip: If you have completed Gertrude’s Cat, you can trade your grown cat to Civilians in West Ardougne for 200 Death Runes. This can be repeated as many times as you wish, and is popular among Ironmen to stock up on Death Runes.
Similar to low-level runes, there’s no good monster to farm for bulk Chaos or Death runes.
As a result, we strongly recommend obtaining them through other means listed above.
Cosmic, Nature, and Law Runes
Nature/Cosmic/Law runes can be purchased from more advanced NPC shops, such as Baba Yaga’s shop or the Mage Arena bank. Their price hovers around ~200 coins each, and these runes are used all the way until the endgame.
For a Runecrafting approach, Cosmic, Nature, and Law runes can be crafted at levels 27, 44, and 54 respectively.
They’re all relatively viable, although most players are discouraged from crafting Law Runes due to the altar being within Entrana.
For Members players, Kurasks can drop up to 30 Nature Runes when killed. This can certainly add up over time when farmed, which is why some players choose to bring alchs to this Slayer Task for more efficient gameplay.
On the other hand, farming Cosmic and Law runes is not recommended due to the lack of a reliable option.
These three runes have the particularity of being available and usable in Free-to-Play, but not being obtainable through Runecrafting due to their altars being off-limits.
Additionally, there’s no shop available for them in Free areas.
As a result, the only way to obtain them is through PvM.
Thankfully, with the addition of Corsair Cove, F2P players have the option to kill Ogresses. These have a ~1/20 chance of rolling the Runes drop, which will drop a handful of a certain type of rune. This is the best way for F2P Ironmen to stock up on these supplies!
Astral Runes
Astral Runes can be used after completion of the Lunar Diplomacy quest, and are required by spells from the Lunar Spellbook.
As for NPC Shops, these can only be purchased from Baba Yaga’s shop in Lunar Isle for 50 coins each.
Since they’re rather cheap for this stage in the game, it’s a popular choice among Ironmen to obtain them in bulk.
Ironmen short on cash who have at least level 40 Runecrafting could alternatively choose to craft Astral Runes through the Astral Altar, located just south of the town.
Astrals also make for decent XP rates, so this may be useful to kill two birds with one stone!
And lastly, only a handful of NPC’s are able to drop Astral Runes, including Basilisks and Zaros minions from God Wars.
The only one to drop a decent amount of Runes (over 100) is the Alchemical Hydra, a level 95 Slayer boss. Because of the amount of work involved here, is it highly advised not to farm Astral Runes through PvM methods.
Blood Runes
Used to cast high-level Missile spells, Blood Runes can be purchased from a variety of NPC shops, such as Amlodd’s shop in Prifddinas or Baba Yaga’s shop in Lunar Isle.
But with a price tag of 400 per rune, these can be quite costly for Ironmen that haven’t yet reached the endgame.
Alternatively, Blood Runes can be crafted starting at level 77. There are two main methods:
- The easier and more AFK-oriented Zeah Runecrafting (requires Arceuus favor)
- Or the quicker and more intensive True Blood Altar (requires completion of Sins of the Father).
Either of these methods will result in large profits and decent XP rates in the Runecrafting skill.
So either of these would definitely be the recommended way to go if you’re short on cash.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that many endgame bosses tend to drop decent amounts of Blood Runes (around 200 or so). This includes Kraken, Hydra, the Theatre of Blood, and most of the Wilderness bosses.
If these are not an option, Ankous can be a last resort, dropping 11 blood runes every 17 kills (on average).
Despite this, it’s recommended to craft your Blood Runes (or buy them if you’re a rich Ironman) instead of farming them, because these are obtained as a byproduct of farming something bigger.
Soul Runes
Used in high-level Ancient and Weaken spells, Soul Runes are generally oriented towards the late game. They can be purchased from the Magic Guild or Baba Yaga’s shop for 300 coins each.
While they can be rather costly, the amount of runes used is generally lower compared to Blood or Death runes, which makes them more affordable.
So buying them is the recommended way to go!
If buying them is not an option, you might be interested in creating them through the Soul Altar, starting at 90 Runecrafting.
Similar to the “fake” Blood Altar, this is located in Zeah and requires full Arceuus favour.
Additionally, this involves XP rates of almost 50k an hour, with a rather AFK process (mostly mining the essence blocks). If this seems interesting to you, head down to the Soul Altar!
We strongly recommend against farming Soul Runes through PvM means.
This is because they’re only dropped by endgame monsters that consume lots of time and supplies, and the runes are usually a “consolation prize” of sorts.
If you still want to go that route, these are the best monsters available for Soul Rune drops:
- Corporeal Beast (250)
- Callisto (250)
- Skotizo (450)
- Abyssal Sire (225-275)
Wrath Runes
Wrath Runes are the rarest and highest level Runes in all of RuneScape.
They’re used for some of the best combat spells, and offerings in the Arceuus Spellbook.
These Runes cannot be purchased from any NPC in the game. Furthermore, they can only be obtained (and used) after completion of Dragon Slayer II.
Master Runecrafters will need at least level 95 to craft them inside Myths’ Guild.
Note: it’s not possible to reach this altar through the Abyss. This is by far the best way to target farm them, along with some decent XP rates!
If you’d rather take a PvM oriented approach, you’ll have three options:
- Vorkath (30-60 runes)
- Rune Dragons (30-50 runes)
- Adamant Dragons (10-30 runes)
All three of these are available after completion of the Dragon Slayer II quest and are considered endgame monsters.
As a result, Ironmen are suggested to complete other grinds (such as a Dragonbane weapon) before farming these for long.
We recommend farming Vorkath instead of the other two dragons. This is because the amount of money and supplies dropped by him is far greater, with the additional chance for uniques such as a Dragonfire Ward or a pet.
Be patient, though, since his uniques are quite rare!
Crafting at the Zamorak Magical Institute (ZMI)
The ZMI Altar is located south of Ardougne and is available to players of all Runecrafting levels.
Because of its location, it’s off-limits for Free players.
All runes crafted in this altar are completely random, and the chance for “good” runes will scale up with your Runecrafting level.
To compensate for this, the XP you get per essence is 70% higher.
Additionally, you can end up crafting runes you don’t have enough levels for!
This is a decent alternative method for players to obtain way higher experience, and a wide variety of runes instead of piles of a particular one. Plus this can be incredibly useful for low-mid level Ironmen that are still starting to build up their supplies, since they’ll need a bit of everything in the long run.
Crafting runes at the ZMI is highly popular for all kinds of players, so definitely come pay the Zamorak Magical Institute a visit sometime!
Guardians of the Rift
Guardians of the Rift is the most recent addition to Runecrafting in OSRS (as of this writing).
This minigame is available after completion of the Temple of the Eye quest.
In this activity, players go back and forth to all altars connected to the Abyss, crafting runes, and powering up the Rift Guardian to help him seal away the abyssal creatures.
Note: this minigame does not require Pure Essence in any way, so it can be great for low level Ironman that have yet to stock up on it.
After the minigame, players are free to keep all the runes they’ve crafted.
Additionally, they may search the rewards chest outside, which can contain stacks of runes.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning the Raiments of the Eye, which is offered as a reward from the minigame. This set will increase the amount of runes you craft with Essence, up to 60%!
This will drastically increase the amount of runes obtained during your Runecrafting efforts, and will definitely be worth it in the long run – if you invest your time into obtaining it.
