Old School RuneScape has evolved significantly over the years, and many systems that once felt slow, inconvenient, or expensive have changed dramatically. Whether you’re returning after a long break or starting fresh, the game is full of small mechanics, hidden conveniences, and quality-of-life updates that can completely reshape your experience. This guide highlights ten essential things every OSRS player should know—covering gameplay systems, item accessibility, training strategies, account progression, and more.

1. Run Energy Has Been Reworked—Agility Matters More Than Ever

The first major update of 2025 delivered one of the most impactful changes in OSRS history: a full overhaul of how run energy drains and regenerates. Previously, weight was the primary factor determining how fast your energy disappeared, and restoring it required long waits unless you used Graceful, stamina potions, or a Ring of Endurance.

Today, your Agility level now heavily influences both drain rate and regeneration, even without weight-reducing gear. As a result, stamina potions feel less mandatory in everyday gameplay, and early-game accounts no longer rely on Graceful for basic movement. Graceful and related items remain useful—but no longer essential for nearly every activity.

2. Many Items Now Have Multiple Acquisition Methods

Over time, Jagex has expanded the number of ways to obtain popular sets and utility items. If you haven’t played in a while, you may be surprised at how many alternative sources now exist:

Amylase crystals: originally limited to Marks of Grace; now also available by trading termites at the Lumbridge Swamp worm agility course.

Imbue options: once restricted to Nightmare Zone, now possible via Soul Wars and PvP Arena Imbue Scrolls.

Lumberjack outfit: can be earned through Temple Trekking or purchased through the Forestry shop.

Angler’s outfit: obtainable via Fishing Trawler or Aerial Fishing.

Rune pouch & Herb sack: can be purchased from Slayer points, LMS points, or earned through Tithe Farm.

The game increasingly supports multiple playstyles, letting you choose the method that fits your account, not the other way around.

3. Previously Expensive Items Have Crashed in Price

Returning players are often shocked to see how cheap many formerly “endgame luxury” items have become. A few notable examples:

Dexterous Prayer Scroll hovers around ~6m, and Arcane Prayer Scroll is nearing 1m.

Dragon Warhammer plummeted thanks to a drop rate buff (1/3,000 instead of 1/5,000) and shifting metas.

Ghrazi Rapier has fallen from 200m+ at its peak to around ~36m.

Numerous items from Tombs of Amascut—excluding the Shadow and Osmumten's Fang—are at their lowest prices ever.

If you're returning, this is one of the best times to gear up cheaply.

4. Levels Often Matter More Than Gear

It’s a common misconception that powerful gear is the key to success. In reality, levels, prayers, and potions have a far larger impact than many players realise. Higher stats make bosses faster, safer, and more forgiving—even if you're using budget equipment.

As an example, players with strong stats and simple setups can kill Zulrah fast enough to skip mechanics entirely. Before investing millions of OSRS GP into weapons, consider investing in your stats, which benefit every piece of content you’ll ever do.

5. Reading Blog Posts Can Help You Predict Market Movement

OSRS’s economy reacts instantly to future update proposals. When Jagex announces item changes or new gear in a blog post, prices can spike or crash within minutes.

Examples include:

Primordial, Pegasian, and Eternal boots spiking the moment new BIS boots were proposed.

Ring of Endurance is crashing immediately after the run-energy overhaul.

Players who read updated blogs early often take advantage of panic buying/selling for quick profit. It's not financial advice—but early readers often win big.

6. Rare Drop Table Items Aren’t Rarer Than Pets

When players receive items like a Dragon Spear or Shield Left Half from bosses, there’s a long-running joke that they “missed the pet.” In reality, landing on the Rare Drop Table simply means hitting a separate roll, not a pet chance. These drops feel disappointing, but they’re not secretly rarer than pets—they’re just an old system that hasn’t aged gracefully.

7. Hybrid Training Methods Save Time Across Multiple Skills

OSRS includes many ways to train more than one skill simultaneously. Some examples include:

Barbarian Fishing: Fishing + Agility + Strength

Drift Net Fishing: Fishing + Hunter

Lunar Spells (Spin Flax, Superglass Make, String Jewellery): Magic + Crafting

Arceuus Spells (Grimy Offering, Demonic Offering): Magic + Herblore + Prayer

Hybrid methods are often slower per hour for each individual skill, but much more efficient overall.

8. Use Bank Management Tools to Save Space

Bank space becomes tight for nearly every account eventually. You can:

Ask the Wise Old Man to identify useless items.

Purchase additional slots from bankers (early upgrades are very cheap).

Store outfits, clue items, and skilling gear in your POH costume room.

Use STASH units to permanently store clue-step items.

Efficient bank storage saves time, GP, and frustration.

9. Use Slayer Task Weighting to Improve Your Assignments

If you're chasing specific tasks—bossing, AFK options, superior creatures, or barrage targets—task weighting is essential. Each Slayer master assigns tasks based on hidden weight values. By blocking high-weight tasks you don’t want and not unlocking others, you increase your odds of rolling the ones you do want. Checking the wiki’s task tables helps optimize your block list.

10. Choose Training Methods You Can Actually Enjoy

The fastest XP per hour is rarely the best choice for most players. Ultra-fast methods like 1.5-tick teaks or high-intensity mining can be mentally exhausting. A slower, more tolerable method you can sustain for hours is far better than something that burns you out in 20 minutes. Setting daily XP goals helps long grinds feel achievable. Having enough OSRS gold will also help you achieve your goal.