Making money in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is notoriously tricky for new players. You can train your stats, complete a few quests, and even get some decent gear, but stacking serious GP often feels impossible. The reality is harsh: 99% of new players never make real money. Not because the game is unfair, but because they fall into the same traps over and over.
When you first start, money is painfully slow. Killing cows, selling bronze bars, maybe making 50k GP per hour—you feel like you're doing great. Every teleport scroll is a luxury, every gear upgrade feels out of reach. Many players think, "If I can't make good money now, how will I ever afford a whip or Barrows gear or a bond?"
Here's the truth OSRS doesn't tell you: the game snowballs. Progress is the ultimate multiplier. The more quests you complete, skills you train, and gear you acquire, the more doors open—and the faster your GP starts piling up. The early grind is frustrating, but it's laying the foundation for effortless wealth later.
Stop Grinding Outdated Methods
Many new players stick to old-school methods:
Killing cows for hides
Chopping yews
Mining coal
Fishing lobsters
These methods cap at 50–150k GP per hour—barely anything compared to modern alternatives.
Instead, look for updated early-game money makers:
Wintertodt (55 Firemaking) – 200–300k GP per hour + supply rewards
Temporos fishing (35 Fishing) – steady GP and XP
Hill Giants in Edgeville Dungeon – ~200k GP per hour in bones and drops, plus Prayer XP
The takeaway? Stop grinding outdated skilling methods just because "that's how it's always been done." Research modern, level-appropriate money makers and double or triple your OSRS buy gold per hour instantly.
Invest in Quests Early
Quests are often overlooked by new players, but they unlock gear, shortcuts, and tools that literally generate money every time you play. A few critical quests include:
Recipe for Disaster – Barrows gloves
Lost City – Dragon dagger Dragon longsword
Animal Magnetism – Ava's device for ammunition savings and ranged bonus
Fairy Tales Part II – Fairy rings for fast travel
Garden of Tranquility – Extra farming patches
Focus on quests that unlock money-making potential, not just XP. They save time, reduce costs, and open high-value methods.
Learn the Grand Exchange Flipping
Many new players treat the GE like a shop: instant buy, instant sell. That's how you bleed GP. Instead, consider:
Slow selling – Avoid excessive tax by spacing out high-value sales
Flipping – Buy low, sell high on stackable items (runes, ores, potions)
Even small flips can generate 200–500k GP per hour with minimal risk. Over time, these profits compound into millions.
Slayer Early Bossing
Slayer is a goldmine for mid-level players, but often ignored. Low-level tasks can generate steady GP:
Aberon Specters – 400–600k GP/hour in herbs
Bloodvels – 300–400k GP/hour
Dust Devils – Up to 1m GP/hour with rune drops
Early bosses like Barrows (500k–1m GP/hour) or the Giant Mole (300k–600k GP/hour) are perfect for learning. Don't shy away from content that seems risky; the rewards are worth it.
Avoid Bad Spending Habits
New players often waste GP on small gear upgrades or cosmetics instead of investing in items and skills that pay back. Examples of smart investments:
Whips, Barrows gloves, Dragon boots
Construction for a player-owned house
Farming for herbs or potion-making
Every GP spent should either save or generate more GP in the future.
Skilling as Passive Income
While skilling has a reputation for slow money, certain skills are extremely profitable at the right level:
Farming – Daily herb runs, trees, and fruit trees generate GP over time
Hunter – Red chins (63 Hunter) 600–800k GP/hour; Black chins 1m GP/hour
Runecrafting – Double cosmic runes (59 RC), Astrals (82 RC), Bloods (77 RC)
Smithing – Cannonballs (200–300k GP/hour, AFK)
Skilling builds steady, passive income that stacks alongside combat and quests.
Embrace Risk
Many players avoid Wilderness bosses and tough Slayer tasks to protect their GP—but risk equals reward.
Zora or Volcarth bosses – 2–3m GP/hour once mastered
Start with safer bosses like Barrows before tackling higher-risk content
Avoiding risk keeps you poor. Accept losses as part of the learning curve and aim for high-reward methods early.
Play Smarter, Not Harder
The main reasons new players fail at making money:
Outdated grinding methods
Ignoring quests
Misusing the Grand Exchange
Skipping Slayer bosses
Wasting OSRS gold on minor upgrades
Overlooking profitable skills
Avoiding risk
Escape the trap by playing smarter:
Unlock quests that generate GP
Invest in skills and gear that pay off
Rotate between Slayer, skilling, flipping, and bossing
Mix in fun content to prevent burnout
Players who get rich in OSRS aren't just grinding harder—they're progressing intelligently. They combine money-making methods with fun activities, naturally unlocking high-GP methods as they level.
Bottom line: Focus on progression over instant wealth. Invest your GP, unlock quests and skills, and don't fear risk. The game will reward you exponentially for the foundations you build today.
