Old School RuneScape (OSRS) has seen a massive influx of new players recently, especially from games like World of Warcraft. To help these newcomers, Jagex released an official beginner’s guide—but let’s be honest, it mostly covers basic settings and lacks real gameplay insight. This version gives you a complete, beginner-friendly walkthrough that explains everything you actually need to know to start your OSRS adventure—from setup to combat, travel, and long-term goals.

Getting Started: Tutorial Island and Account Types

Every player begins their journey on Tutorial Island, where they’ll learn the fundamental mechanics of OSRS—movement, combat, and skilling. Before you leave, you’ll choose your account type:

Normal account – Standard gameplay experience.

Ironman – You can’t trade or receive help from other players.

Group Ironman – A cooperative mode for small teams of Ironmen.

For beginners, a normal account is the best starting point.

Optimizing Your Game Settings

The first thing you should do after leaving Tutorial Island is install RuneLite, the most popular OSRS client. It provides numerous plugins to improve visuals and gameplay quality.

Some must-have settings include:

GPU Plugin: Enhances the game’s graphics dramatically. Without it, the game looks outdated by today’s standards.

Animation Smoothing: Personal preference—some love it, others don’t. Try it and decide.

Hide Roofs: Type:toggleroofs or enable it in settings to see inside buildings.

117 HD Plugin: A full HD makeover if you prefer modern visuals.

You can also adjust your interface layout. The resizable mode lets you reposition your chat box, inventory, and minimap freely. Use ALT + drag to move UI elements where you want them. For classic mode fans, try Stretched Mode on RuneLite to play full-screen without losing that nostalgic interface style.

Essential In-Game Settings

Next, head into your in-game settings to prevent early mistakes:

PK Skull Prevention: Avoids getting “skulled” in the Wilderness (which would make you lose all your items on death).

Attack Options: Set both Player and NPC attack options to “Left Click Where Available.” This ensures smoother combat targeting.

Escape to Close Interfaces: Makes navigation much faster—press ESC instead of clicking the red X.

Shift-Drop: Enables fast inventory cleanup by holding Shift while dropping items.

Finally, set your keybinds for efficiency. A common setup is:

F1 – Combat

F2 – Inventory

F3 – Prayer

F4 – Magic

F5 – Equipment

Understanding Skills and Progression

OSRS features 23 unique skills, each offering distinct benefits. They range from combat skills like Strength and Attack to gathering skills like Mining, Fishing, and Woodcutting.

Each skill contributes to your character’s progression in unique ways—some unlock new bosses or gear, while others are vital for quests and achievements.

For beginners:

Try simple skills like cooking or Fishing to get familiar with the rhythm of training.

Mix in quests like Cook’s Assistant for quick experience boosts.

Always check the OSRS Wiki—it’s one of the best gaming wikis ever made and answers nearly every question you could have.

Goals and Early Progression

It’s helpful to set short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals:

Short-Term Goals:

Complete beginner quests (Cook’s Assistant, Sheep Shearer).

Visit the Stronghold of Security for 10,000 free RuneScape gold.

Train Agility early to increase your run time.

Buy a Chronicle in Draynor for easy Varrock teleports.

Mid-Term Goals (2–4 weeks):

Earn gear like the Fighter Torso, Rune Gloves, Dragon Scimitar, and Nezi Helm.

Unlock Fairy Rings for convenient travel.

Start early bossing at Barrows or Scurrius.

Long-Term Goals:

Get your Dragon Defender (requires 65 Attack and Strength).

Defeat TzTok-Jad in the Fight Caves to earn your Fire Cape, one of OSRS’s most iconic achievements.

Transportation and Movement

The world of Gielinor is vast—traveling across the map can take 30 minutes or more. Efficient travel methods are key:

Train Agility to conserve run energy.

Raise Magic for teleport spells.

Use Jewelry Teleports: Rings of Dueling, Game Necklaces, and Amulets of Glory can teleport you to common hubs.

Use Other Players’ Houses: In World 330, you can find player-owned houses offering teleports to nearly every area in the game.

Quests and Minigames

Quests in OSRS aren’t just storylines—they unlock new areas, gear, and content. Always enable the Quest Helper plugin on RuneLite to speed up completion. Some highly recommended early quests:

Waterfall Quest: Massive early Attack and Strength XP.

Witch’s House: Great early Hitpoints boost.

The Grand Tree: Unlocks fast travel routes and decent XP.

Minigames are another great way to progress while having fun:

Tempoross: Fishing and Cooking XP.

Wintertodt: Firemaking XP and supply crates.

Guardians of the Rift: RuneCrafting XP and early runes.

Combat Basics

OSRS combat runs on a tick system (one tick = 0.6 seconds). It’s semi-real-time—both you and your opponent act simultaneously.

Key mechanics:

Attack: Increases accuracy and unlocks better weapons.

Strength: Increases damage.

Defense: Reduces damage and unlocks stronger armor.

Magic & Ranged: Use runes or ammunition for powerful ranged or elemental attacks.

Prayer: Grants powerful buffs (e.g., Piety for all-around boosts).

For melee, each weapon type has preferred attack styles:

Stab (Swords)

Slash (Scimitars)

Crush (Maces or Warhammers)

Using the right style increases accuracy and damage.

Final Thoughts

Old School RuneScape is special because it lets you play your way. You can train passively while multitasking, or dive deep into boss fights and quests. Every system in OSRS connects—skills feed into quests, quests unlock gear, and gear fuels combat. Having plenty of OSRS gold can also provide you with a good motivation.

Your journey is about setting goals, learning the systems, and gradually mastering Gielinor. Whether you’re cooking shrimp in Lumbridge or taking down Jad for your first Fire Cape, every step forward feels earned—and that’s what makes OSRS timeless.