Song's Guide to Runecrafting!

[Song 46]

 A Guide to Runecrafting by Song 

Runecrafting is by far one of the most profitable skills in Old School Runescape mostly due to the limitations of purchasing runes such as Astral, Death, Blood and Nature Runes which transitions usefulness to Lunar or Ancient Spells like Humidify, Fertile Soil, Barrages and even more! For Ironmen, these become more valuable in a sense of their usefulness --- more notably for the High Alchemy Spell. If you're looking for a great deal of self-sufficiency, I personally recommend working on this skill as soon as possible!

~ Table of Contents ~

1xa : Starting Off: Obtaining Rune & Pure Essences

2xa : The Grind: Crafting Runes

3xa : Hot Hot Hot: Lava Runecrafting

4xa : The Long Run: Dense & Dark Essence Block, Blood Runecrafting

5xa : Almost There: Soul Runecrafting

6xa : A Small, Yet Effective Job: Astral Runecrafting

7xa : Big Explosions: Wrath Runecrafting

The End of the Journey

 [ 1xa ] Starting Off: Obtaining Rune & Pure Essences 

There are a few ways to obtain Rune or Pure Essences for all of your Runecrafting needs, and just below, I'll explain various methods from simple mining to places to grind them out through PvM Combat! They'll be listed from easiest to hardest access. You'll require as much as your mental stability can handle to craft a decent amount of runes til Runecrafting Level 99.

 

Spoiler

        Essence Mines

                This is the easiest way to obtain Rune Essences, or Pure Essences if your Mining is 30 or above. There are a few ways to access this area: Edgeville Portal (Skilling), Aubury in Varrock, and Wizard Distentor in the Wizard's Tower south of Draynor Village which requires Magic Level 66 to use. * Fairy Code D I S to reach the Tower quickly.

                Once you've entered the Essence Mines, it's best to mine the North Western Deposit due to having a nearby Deposit Box only 5 squares away ~

        The Abyss

                The monsters in the Abyss can also drop a decent amount Pure Essences over time. To access this area, it's best to follow North from the Edgeville Jail building into the Wilderness till you meet the Mage of Zamorak. Right click him and click on the Teleport option to enter. Another sound idea is to equip some combat gear with a bit of Defense as your full Prayer Points will be drained to 0 as you enter. While you're here, take the time to farm your Essence Pouches till you find up to a Giant Pouch!

        Gargoyles - Canifis Slayer Tower, Morytania

                Known for dropping the most budget PvP weapon of all time ~ The Granite Maul, they're also noted to drop a very decent amount of Pure Essences at a fixed value of 150 AND with a whooping drop rate of 1/21.33!  Use the Edgeville Home Portal to teleport here under Training, they will be on the 3rd Floor. Be sure to have Slayer Level 75 and a Rock Hammer! * Credit to Tech Noir for pointing this out!

        Zulrah - Zul-Andra

                The " Money Snek ", your first breakthrough on your adventures and a way to pave yourself towards the covenant Tanzanite Fang! Aside from these heavenly drops, Zulrah is also capable of dropping Pure Essences at a whooping value of 1500 at a drop rate of 1/24.9! To reach Zulrah, use the Fairy Ring Code B J S with an Agility Level 76 then head East across the stepping stones.

        Corporeal Beast - The Wilderness

                Bring your friends, or try to take on this monster by yourself if you have the gear and supplies for it. If you're here for any reason, it's definitely not for Pure Essences. They do, however, drop at a fixed value of 2500.

 

 [ 2xa ] The Grind: Crafting Runes 

With your pouches filled and your lightweight combat or utility gear ready to go, it's about time to cover what you should be crafting! Just to be clear, this is not just a guide towards Runecrafting Level 99, but a shedding of light of what you should be crafting for yourself and the market to lessen the boredom. Below is a list of what I think you should be crafting and is of high value. For Ironman+, craft whatever you need at the time and simply skip the section since nearly all runes are practically valuable to you if you want.

Spoiler

Runecrafting ~ Where to do it?

                The Abyss is the centerfold of all of your Runecrafting Transportation, a hub of sorts. Though it is in the Wilderness, you have a VERY slim chance of someone making attempts to taking you down --- unless someone has a personal vendetta towards you. Aside from that, it's best to bring Thieving Level 99 or Firemaking Level 60+ to enter the inner center hub quickly. If you do not possess any of the two skills, bring a Pickaxe, a Woodcutting Axe, or a few levels of Agility to get inside. Once inside, you'll be able to go to any Altar of your choosing ( Excluding Wrath and Astral Altar ) without a need of a Talisman.

         Air Runes - Get to 23 Runecrafting!

                This should be the first thing you start on. Craft these til 23, then you can diverse into larger options.

         Earth Runes - You'll need a lot of these!

                Implying that you'll be getting into Lava Runes, you'll probably need a lot of this for a quick way to Runecrafting Level 99. These can be crafted at Level 9.

         Fire Runes - You'll need a lot of these too if you don't like crafting Earth Runes!

                Ironmen will probably find these highly valuable for most offensive spells as well as Normal Players. In Runecrafting alone, they're also staple to making Lava Runes if you prefer these over Earth Runes. Outside, they're useful for practically everything. Utility Spells, Offensive Spells, you name it. This is the bread and butter of your Spellbooks. They require Level 14 to craft.

         Nature Runes - Superheat! High Alchemy! EVERYTHING!

                Probably the 2nd most valuable rune here on the list. Everyone wants this, everyone needs it including you and I. If you're looking for profit, craft these! 

         Law Runes - Teleport! TELEPORT! TELEPORT!

                Not exactly valuable but people like to have them for spamming Teleports in combination of High Alchemy to train Magic. This is also valuable for Telekinetic Grab.

         Blood Runes - Barrages everywhere. Have more Ruby Bolts.

                This is the most valuable rune to craft. It contributes to enchanting Ruby Bolts and more importantly... Barraging. PKers will definitely buy these off of you if they need to.

         Death Runes - Ugh, more death.

                In my opinion, they have less value than Blood Runes but they definitely hold a place of their own. They're used in high tier spells and barraging, let alone a necessary source for charging staves such as Trident of the Seas and Swamp.

         Astral Runes - Stop buying out Baby Yaga!

                If you're into your Production Skills, Astral Runes are your friends. You'll need these for practically all sorts of Production such as creating Molten Glass on the spot or curing your dying plants. Maybe in the future, turning your Clay to Soft Clay with the Humidify Spell so you can make Teleport Tablets at your POH.

         Lava Runes - Waaayyy too many.

                They're usually worthless, but they're your stepping stone to 99. Enjoy. 

 [ 3xa ] Hot Hot Hot: Lava Runecrafting 

** Credit to Jett & Chop for suggesting to add this section.

Lava Runes themselves don't have much particular use. In fact, they are useless in terms of Magic until you've run out of Fire or Earth Runes. However, crafting them does make it the fastest XP per hour! So if you're just aiming to zip right through Runecrafting, then craft these. They require Runecrafting Level 23 to create!

        How to Craft Lava Runes

Spoiler

If you're running through the Abyss, the only thing you need are Earth Runes and a Earth Talisman. A Binding Necklace can be brought, but not entirely necessary unless you really want to keep your Lava Runes. Enchant an Emerald Necklace or kill Abyssal Monsters in the Abyss to find them a as drop. If your Magic is high enough, you can also cast the Magic Imbue spell to negate the use of a Talisman for Combination Crafting. Stock your pouches and your inventory with Essences. Once you're here, use the Earth Talisman on the Fire Altar to craft Lava Runes.

If you have worked on your Crafting and Smithing then managed to get an Emerald, unlike me ( . . . ), you can turn it into an Emerald Ring and enchant it into a Ring of Dueling. The teleport is more direct to the Fire Altar and is a lot quicker than taking the Abyss Route.

 [ 4xa ] The Long Run: Dense & Dark Essence Block, Blood Runecrafting 

 

Due to the long, multi-step process that is required to make Blood Runes, this is mostly why this particular rune is the most valuable of them all. First off, it requires BOTH Mining and Crafting Level 38. Second, it requires having both a Pickaxe and a Chisel in your inventory in order to mine Dense Essence Block. It is ENTIRELY recommended to bring a Graceful Set for continuous runs. Once you have met these prerequisites, you're set to make your own Blood Runes! Your first step to get to Arceeus, this can be done by taking the Fairy Ring with the Code C I S ~

Spoiler

 

Once you've reached Arceeus through the Fairy Ring, run Northeast until you've hit a crossroad not too far away from your entry point. Going further East directly will lead to the Dark Altar, which is required to turn Dense Block Essence into Dark Block Essence. Going South at the crossroad should lead up a hill as shown below.

Continue to follow the path going East once you've ran uphill. Along the path, you'll find it leading down towards the Blood Altar where you can craft your Blood Runes and an Agility Shortcut that leads to the Dense Essence Mines. Take the shortcut and it'll lead you directly to it and gather an inventory worth of Dense Essence Blocks.

Once you have an Inventory full of Dense Essence Block, run past the Agility Shortcut that you came from and follow the path uphill towards the SECOND Agility Shortcut. Take the shortcut and follow the path downhill towards the West and you'll soon run into the Dark Altar. From here, you can click on the Altar and turn your Dense Block Essences into Dark Block Essences. After doing so, you can do a few things from here. Bank your Dark Essence Blocks or use your Chisel and turn them into Dark Essence Fragments. Be warned that once you've converted them into Fragments, you cannot bank them! You can either drop them or immediately go to the Blood Altar and convert them.

* Note that you can only have up to 111 Dark Essence Fragments at a time.

If you do decide to bank your Dark Essence Blocks and craft your Blood Runes later, then it is recommended that you use the Abyss to return to the altar.

 

 [ 5xa ] Almost There: Soul Runecrafting 

Soul Runes require Runecrafting Level 90 to create and it's a huge step forward from Blood Runes. Much like Blood Runes though, they require the same method to create them via Dark Essence Fragments and running to the Soul Altar. Since obtaining Dark Essence Fragments was covered in the previous section, I'll only cover on how to get there on foot if not banking and taking the Abyss Route.

Spoiler

 

Starting from the Eastern side of the Dark Altar with your camera facing North, take the furthest Northeastern route as shown below.

Follow this lengthy route and eventually you'll run into the Soul Altar. It's as easy as that. Follow the hill back down to reach an Agility Shortcut to take you back towards the Dense Mines if you plan to stay without banking.

 

 [ 6xa ] A Small, Yet Effective Job: Astral Runecrafting 

Astral Runes are worth a little bit of gold, but nothing comparable to Blood Runes, Death Runes or Nature Runes. Despite all of that, they do have their important uses such as being a staple supply for Vengeance when trying to dish out fast damage which results to longer trips. Above that, they're also used for utility spells like Supermake Glass, Fertile Soil, Tan Leather, String Jewelry and more! I suggest making these if you want to optimize your trips or production skills.

Unlike other Altars and much like the Wrath Altar, they do not have their place in the Abyss and so you have to run there yourself. Just below, I'll guide you to reaching the Astral Altar. Your first step is to take a teleport to Lunar Isle.  You can get here by using the Lunar Spellbook Spell: Moonclan Teleport or simply take the Zenyte Portal, scroll down to Miscellaneous and click on Lunar Isle. 

Spoiler

 

Once there, you should be by the bank and the front gate to the East in Lunar Isle. If you haven't stocked your inventory with your essences and pouches, do so now. Once done, leave through the front gate and run immediately Southeast til you encounter a small river and a bridge.

Immediately head East and you'll soon find yourself at the Astral Altar by the Oneiromancer. For optimal and continuous runs, I suggest using the Moonclan Teleport Spell and wearing a Graceful Set.

 

 [ 7xa ] Big Explosions: Wrath Runecrafting 

 

Spoiler

 

Wrath Runes allow high level magic users to cast the strongest offensive spells in the Standard Spellbook, namely Surges. These runes, compared to everything else, are actually the most expensive runes and will definitely give you the most profit. The problem with this is that it requires Runecrafting Level 95, so you won't be crafting this anytime soon. Not only that, it's a dangerous walk to the altar and you'll require a Wrath Talisman dropped from very specific dragons of the sorts. If you have the illustrious Runecrafting Cape, then you can bypass the Talisman with your cape.

To get here, you'll simply just need to teleport to Corsair Caves Dungeon and run south till you see a hole in the wall. Bring a Anti-fire Shield and put up Protect from Magic.

 

 The End of the Journey 

 

 

Spoiler

 

Whether you're a Normal Player or an Ultimate Ironman, a 50x / 25x or a 5x, the journey to Runecrafting Level 99 is long and arduous. Tedious and absolutely mind numbing at times. If you have made it to the end, then stand up and give yourself a pat on the back --- you've just overcame one of the most longest journeys in Old School Runescape, but on Zenyte instead. Nonetheless, it's no easy task for anyone without the patience. So be proud that you've earned this illustrious Runecrafting Cape! Because you've worked so hard to get to this point, I'll even share my moment to 99 with you!

 

 

 Congratulations ! 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by 1945

[Jhms 3]

Great guide!

Covers everything you need to know about runecrafting!

Edited June 29, 2019 by Jhms

[Tech Noir 0]

Actually a solid guide 

[SilverNova 299]

Much better than mine. Way to go

[Life 681]

Very well written guide, I'll be linking players to this.

[ThatBooty 0]

Great work Song!! 

[DrShemp 20]

Great solid guide thanks.

[Natumayi 1]

Great guide man, thanks for creating it!

[Echo 271]

Solid guide. Nice work. 

[Fruits 3]

Nice guide, really well put together

[Violet 0]

This is how all guides should look like, great work!

[Dyoh 11]

Very nice guide, gonna use it when I do rc haha.

[TheGuy 15]

Wow, love the attention to detail. Absolutely amazing guide.

[Nacyto 8]

Wow, first have to say gratz on 99 rc my friend^^

 

It really shines out how much work you putting into this guide, it looks good it easy to understand and find the info you need.

Would love to see more guides like this!

[Kingredarrow 55]

Nicely made guide gj

[pizza 0]

This guide is so confusing. 

[Chop 91]

Good work, one of the most sexy guides out there. 

[CIA 144]

This was helpful, I need to get runecrafting myself =/

thank you!

[Rogue 11]

Great work man, and a good guide too!

[Gary 2]

It's weird to see that the same methods on OSRS are also the best methods on here. I guess that just proves the amount of developing that went into the server. Nice guide. It is easy on the eyes while also being extremely detailed. I hope to see more guides from you to be honest.

[Laxus 23]

Brilliant guide. Surprised to of have missed this at the time of posting, was only aware of there being 1 RC guide but I'll be sure to reference this guide to players in need as it's superbly written/detailed.