Top RuneScape players know the game rewards preparation, smart grinding, and strategic thinking. Whether someone is returning after years away or pushing toward end-game content, understanding which skills matter most, how to earn gold efficiently, and which quests unlock critical features makes all the difference. This guide covers the essential knowledge every player needs to thrive in Gielinor in 2025. From profitable skilling methods to combat gear recommendations, these tips will help players level faster, earn more, and enjoy the game to its fullest.
Key Takeaways
- Top RuneScape players prioritize Herblore, Prayer, Summoning, and Invention to unlock powerful combat boosts and end-game content.
- High-level bossing like Araxxor and Telos offers the best gold earnings, ranging from 5 million to billions of GP per hour.
- Never skip daily activities—shop runs, herb runs, and Reaper tasks generate millions of GP weekly with minimal time investment.
- Essential quests like Temple at Senntisten, The World Wakes, and Plague’s End unlock game-changing abilities, prayers, and areas.
- Weapon upgrades should be prioritized over armor, as tier 90 weapons paired with tier 70 armor outperform the reverse.
- Stock up on Overloads, adrenaline potions, and Vulnerability bombs to maximize damage output in boss fights.
Most Valuable Skills to Level Up
Choosing the right skills to focus on can save hundreds of hours of grinding. In top RuneScape gameplay, certain skills open doors to money-making, boss fights, and exclusive content.
Herblore stands out as one of the most important skills in 2025. High Herblore levels grant access to overload potions and elder overloads, which dramatically boost combat stats. Players aiming for PvM (Player vs. Monster) content should prioritize this skill early.
Prayer is another must-have. Soul Split and curses from the Ancient Curses prayer book change how players approach combat. These prayers restore health during fights and reduce incoming damage, making them essential for solo bossing.
Summoning provides combat familiars that deal extra damage or carry items. The Pack Yak alone justifies leveling Summoning to 96, as it provides 30 extra inventory slots during boss encounters.
Invention deserves attention too. This elite skill lets players augment weapons and armor with powerful perks. Perks like Precise, Aftershock, and Biting add significant DPS increases. Invention requires level 80 in Crafting, Divination, and Smithing to unlock.
For money-making, Runecrafting and Farming remain strong choices. Blood runes through the Abyss generate consistent profit, while high-level Farming enables herb runs worth millions per day.
Players should also consider Archaeology. Released in 2020, this skill provides relics that grant passive bonuses like increased adrenaline, reduced ability cooldowns, and improved skilling rates. The Berserker’s Fury relic alone boosts damage output significantly.
Best Money-Making Methods
Gold fuels everything in RuneScape. Top RuneScape players use a mix of bossing, skilling, and daily activities to build wealth.
High-Level Bossing
Bossing offers the best GP per hour for experienced players. Araxxor drops range from 5-15 million GP per hour depending on luck and kill speed. Telos provides even higher returns, with rare drops like the Zaros Godsword worth billions.
Nex: Angel of Death requires a team but drops components for the best magic armor in the game. Players comfortable with group PvM can earn 20+ million GP per hour here.
Mid-Level Money Makers
Players still building their accounts have solid options too. Croesus, a skilling boss, requires no combat and pays 8-12 million GP per hour. It’s perfect for players with high skilling stats but modest combat levels.
Slayer remains a reliable earner. Tasks like Corrupted Creatures, Nightmare Creatures, and Soul Devourers drop valuable items and provide steady income while training combat.
Daily and Weekly Activities
Smart players never skip their dailies. Shop runs (buying items from NPC shops and reselling) take 10 minutes and earn 2-3 million GP. Reaper tasks award Reaper Points, which buy Hydrix gems worth over 30 million GP each.
Herb runs take 5 minutes every 80 minutes and generate 500k-1 million GP per run. Over a week, that adds up to tens of millions.
Flipping and Merchanting
The Grand Exchange allows patient players to profit from price margins. Buying items at low prices and selling higher requires no stats, just market knowledge and starting capital. Top RuneScape merchants make billions this way.
Essential Quests for New and Returning Players
Quests in RuneScape aren’t just story content, they unlock critical features, areas, and rewards. New and returning players should prioritize these quest lines.
Temple at Senntisten unlocks Ancient Curses, including Soul Split and Turmoil. This quest requires completing several prerequisite quests but rewards players with the best prayer book for combat.
The World Wakes grants powerful abilities like Sunshine and Death’s Swiftness. These ultimate abilities boost damage by 50% for 30 seconds and define high-level PvM rotations.
Plague’s End opens Prifddinas, the elf city. This hub contains the best skilling locations, a Grand Exchange, and access to high-level Slayer creatures. Players need to complete the entire elf quest series to unlock it.
Desperate Times and Desperate Measures unlock the Archaeology skill’s best dig sites. They also continue RuneScape’s main storyline and provide useful rewards.
Curse of the Black Stone grants access to the Elite Dungeons in story mode with reduced difficulty. It’s a great introduction to group PvM content.
For combat unlocks, The Elder Kiln rewards the TokHaar-Kal cape, a strong melee cape. While Guthix Sleeps remains one of the most memorable quests and provides valuable rewards including access to Tormented Demons.
Top RuneScape players often complete quests early to maximize efficiency later. Quest experience rewards can skip slow early levels in skills like Herblore and Prayer.
Top Combat Strategies and Gear Recommendations
Combat in RuneScape rewards players who understand ability rotations, gear progression, and boss mechanics. Here’s what top RuneScape players recommend for 2025.
Ability Rotations
The Revolution combat mode automatically uses basic abilities, letting players focus on thresholds and ultimates. For DPS, players should arrange abilities by damage output. Melee users prioritize Decimate, Cleave, and Sever. Range users focus on Corruption Shot, Fragmentation Shot, and Snipe.
Sunshine (magic) and Death’s Swiftness (range) should be used off cooldown during boss fights. These ultimates dramatically increase damage for 30 seconds.
Gear Progression
New players should work toward tier 70 Barrows equipment. It’s cheap, effective, and requires no special unlocks. From there, tier 80 options like Anima Core armor bridge the gap to end-game gear.
Weapon upgrades matter more than armor. A tier 90 weapon paired with tier 70 armor outperforms tier 70 weapons with tier 90 armor. Prioritize weapons like:
- Melee: Drygore weapons (tier 90)
- Range: Ascension crossbows (tier 90) or Wyvern crossbow (tier 85)
- Magic: Cywir wand and orb (tier 85) or Seismic wand (tier 90)
Important Unlocks
Overloads boost all combat stats by 17+ levels for 6 minutes. They require 96 Herblore but transform boss fights.
Adrenaline potions let players start fights with special attacks ready. Combined with the Berserker’s Fury relic, players deal maximum damage faster.
Vulnerability bombs increase damage dealt to enemies by 10%. Every serious PvMer keeps these stocked.
Defensive Abilities
Defense matters too. Devotion blocks all damage of a specific style for 10 seconds. Resonance heals players based on incoming damage. Anticipation and Freedom clear stuns, essential for bosses with binding attacks.
