The Skill Training’s golden rule in OSRS is simple: Quests are the most efficient training method you have. Before you ever chop a tree or mine a rock for experience, know that many quests can grant you thousands, even tens of thousands, of XP in minutes, effectively skipping the slowest early levels . This guide is built on that foundation.
Your journey is divided into three distinct acts:
- The Foundation (Early Game): Your goal is to complete quests that unlock essential transportation, areas, and massive XP rewards.
- The Ascent (Mid-Game): Here, you’ll build your wealth, unlock powerful prayers and spellbooks, and tackle grandmaster quests.
- The Pinnacle (Late Game): This is where you refine your skills for maximum efficiency, tackle the hardest bosses, and aim for true mastery.
To help you visualize the crucial unlocks on your journey, here is a table of some of the most important milestones:
Early Game Skill Training
Your story begins on Tutorial Island. Once you arrive in Lumbridge, your first task is not to grind, but to explore and complete quests. The early game is about building a foundation with minimal grinding.
The Optimal Quest Roadmap
Follow this sequence to catapult your early levels. The Free-to-Play (F2P) quests are an excellent starting point even for members, as they provide quick rewards and introduce you to the world. The optimal F2P order is: Cook’s Assistant → Sheep Shearer → X Marks the Spot → The Restless Ghost → Rune Mysteries → and so on, culminating in the iconic Dragon Slayer I for the right to wear the mighty Rune Platebody .
Upon becoming a member, immediately pursue these quests for their incredible XP rewards:
- Waterfall Quest: Grants roughly 30,000 Attack and Strength XP, shooting you from level 1 to over 30 in both stats in one go.
- Witch’s House: Provides a large chunk of Hitpoints XP.
- Fight Arena: Offers substantial Attack and Strength XP.
- Tree Gnome Village & The Grand Tree: Unlock spirit trees and gnome gliders while providing combat XP .
Foundational Skill Training
While quests are your primary driver, some active training is needed to meet quest requirements.
- Combat: After a few key quests, the best early training is against Sand Crabs or Ammonite Crabs (on Fossil Island). These are low-defense monsters that provide excellent, AFK-friendly XP.
- Agility: Reach at least Level 30-40 early on. This improves your run energy recovery, which is a huge quality-of-life improvement for all other activities. The Gnome Stronghold Course is your first stop .
- Other Skills: Train skills like Mining, Crafting, and Smithing only to the levels required for your immediate quest goals. Quests like The Knight’s Sword can boost your Smithing to 29 almost instantly .
Mid-Game
With your foundation set, the world truly opens up. This phase is about building sustainable wealth and unlocking the tools that make you a formidable adventurer.
Unlocking Game-Changing Content
Your quest log remains your best guide. Prioritize quests that unlock entire regions and powerful abilities:
- Fairytale I & II: Start this quest line to gain access to Fairy Rings, arguably the most important transportation system in the game .
- Desert Treasure I: This grandmaster quest unlocks the Ancient Magicks spellbook, with its devastating area-of-effect spells .
- King’s Ransom: Unlocks the Piety prayer, a non-negotiable upgrade for any serious melee fighter .
- Song of the Elves: The culmination of the elf quest line, granting access to the city of Prifddinas, a hub for high-level skilling and PvM .
Building Your Bank: Sustainable Money Makers
You’ll need gold for better gear and supplies. Here are some of the best skilling gold farming for the mid-game in 2025:
- Herb Runs: The cornerstone of consistent income. With a few farming patches, Toadflax or Ranarr seeds, and magic secateurs, you can generate hundreds of thousands of gold in just 5 minutes. Over time, this is one of the most consistent gold sources in the game .
- Hunter: Catching Black Chinchompas in the Wilderness is incredibly profitable (around 1.2M GP/hour) but comes with high risk from player killers (PKers) . For a safer alternative, Gray Chinchompas are also very good.
- Blast Furnace: With a Smithing level of 60, smelting Steel Bars or higher at the Blast Furnace minigame offers fantastic profit and XP rates .
- The Gauntlet: Once you have access to Prifddinas, this challenging, self-contained PvM activity can yield over 2M GP/hour with no risk, as you don’t bring any gear inside .
Mid-Game Skill Priorities
- Slayer: This becomes a primary skill. Training Slayer simultaneously levels your combat stats while unlocking new, profitable monsters to kill. Stick with it; the rewards scale tremendously at higher levels .
- Farming: Don’t just do herb runs. Start doing tree runs for massive, passive Farming XP to quickly level the skill.
- Construction: Getting your Player-Owned House (POH) to at least level 50 is a massive upgrade. A POH with a portal chamber, altar, and, most importantly, an ornate rejuvenation pool acts as your own personal hub for restoring stats and teleporting anywhere.
Late Game
You are no longer a mere adventurer; you are a force in Gielinor. Your goals now shift to perfection, prestige, and tackling the most challenging content.
Elite Money Makers
At this stage, your skills open up methods that are the envy of other players. Here are the top-tier skilling money makers for 2025:
- Pickpocketing Vyres: With level 82 Thieving and the Sins of the Father quest completed, this method can net around 4.8M GP/hour while also providing excellent Firemaking, Prayer, and Combat XP. The chance at a Blood Shard (worth over 27M) is the cherry on top .
- Wrath Rune Crafting: At 95 Runecrafting, this is one of the most profitable pure skilling methods, earning around 2.3M GP/hour .
- Pickpocketing Elves: In Prifddinas, with 85 Thieving, you can earn around 2.6M GP/hour, with the potential for Crystal Teleport Seeds worth 1.8M+ each .
- Zalcano: This skilling boss is a fantastic group activity that provides consistent profits of around 2M GP/hour in valuable resources .
Maxing and Mastery
- Efficient 99s: The path to a maxed account is long. Use the best methods available for your budget. For Agility, the Hallowed Sepulchre is engaging and profitable. For Runecrafting, Blood Runes (from level 77) are a consistent and AFK-able money maker . For Mining, Volcanic Mine or Amethyst are top-tier.
- Diaries and Combat Achievements: Completing Achievement Diaries and Combat Achievement tiers provide some of the best permanent rewards in the game, from unlimited teleports to damage bonuses.
- End-Game PvM: Your high skills and unlocked content allow you to tackle Raids (Chambers of Xeric & Theatre of Blood), The Nightmare, and other challenging bosses for the most valuable drops in the game.
Final Word
The path to mastery in Gielinor is a marathon, not a sprint. This guide provides the map, but your journey is your own.
- Find Your Fun: If you find a skill you love, train it! Efficiency is great, but enjoyment is what will keep you playing.
- Take Breaks: OSRS is a grind. Avoid burnout by setting small, achievable goals and celebrating when you reach them.
- Use the Wiki: The Old School RuneScape Wiki is your most valuable in-game tool. Use it constantly for the most detailed and up-to-date information