Strategy Guide for RuneScape: Starting an Ironman in 2025 – What Every New Challenger Needs to Know

It’s April 2025 and Old School RuneScape (OSRS) just keeps getting bigger, better, and more nuanced.

The Ironman mode—famous for its “do-it-yourself” gameplay, where trading is forbidden and self-sufficiency reigns—is more complex and rewarding than ever before.

With recent releases like Varlamore, the Perilous Moons questline, and rebalanced minigames now powering early progression, starting a new Ironman today means mastering both classic and cutting-edge strategies.

Whether you're a first-timer or a scener returning for the latest content, this ultimate guide charts the smartest 2025 route through F2P beginnings, minigame-fueled membership, quest-driven progression, modern prayer methods, and advanced gear unlocks.

Let’s dive in—get ready to forge a future-proof Ironman built for the challenges of Gielinor’s constantly evolving landscape.

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Free-to-Play (F2P) Foundations: Complete Your Quests

If you’re launching a brand-new Ironman and starting out without membership, your #1 priority is to crush every single F2P quest.

Why? F2P quests are your gatekeepers to early experience, foundational gear, and critical unlocks—without the luxury of trading or the Grand Exchange, their rewards are vital.

Why Focus on F2P Quests First?

• Massive early experience across multiple skills with minimal grinding.
• Access to crucial items and locations (e.g., rune platebody, dragonhide, teleport destinations).
• Streamlined preparation for when you eventually buy membership—quest points, requirement unlocks, and reduced “catch-up” grind.

Pro Tips for Efficient F2P Questing:

• Batch quests by region for fewer trips; for example, combine Cook’s Assistant, Sheep Shearer, and collecting onion/dye items for later use.
• Amass quest materials upfront: gather extra items (balls of wool, flour, meat, woad leaves, redberries) so you’re never roadblocked.
• Sequence for synergy: Most quests can be "chained" back-to-back, except for Dragon Slayer I, which should cap off your F2P list once you’ve prepped defensive combat stats and safespotting tricks.
• Don’t train skills before quests: Quests often leapfrog your early levels, making post-quest skilling smoother and less time-consuming.

Why This Route Wins:
Completing the entire F2P quest set knocks down early-game barriers, racks up essential quest points, and secures access to places and recipes you’ll badly need as a member.

Accounts that skip or delay these quests end up bottlenecked and underpowered—lean into optimized questing and enjoy an accelerated start.

Further Reading: OSRS Wiki – Optimal Ironman Quest Guide (F2P)

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Early Membership Priorities: Minigames and Essential Unlocks

Membership unlocks the true OSRS experience—and for 2025 Ironmen, minigames and questing synergy are now at the core of efficient progression.

Thanks to updated activities, you can now rapidly supply your account, gather critical XP, and secure unique unlocks without endless grind or dangerous risk.

**1.

Tempoross: Food, Supplies, and the Almighty Fish Barrel**

• Entry requirement: 35 Fishing
• Why it matters: Tempoross is now the early-game “food engine.” You’ll bag tons of raw/cooked fish, cooking supplies, and a shot at the Fish Barrel—an item that lets fish stack in your inventory for streamlined PvM/training.
• Bonus: It’s a risk-free, no-cost-to-play minigame where everything you earn is pure Ironman profit.

Stack up starting cash and supplies that will smooth your early adventures.

**2.

Guardians of the Rift: RuneCrafting XP and Massive Rune Stockpiles**

• Entry requirement: Complete Rune Mysteries & Temple of the Eye, 27 RC
• Why it matters: Instead of plodding through old-school RuneCrafting, you’ll race ahead at GOTR—earning both huge XP and massive rune supplies essential for teleports, Slayer, enchanting, and cash.
• Pro tip: Use this as your early moneymaking/teleport resource and plan breakpoints around crucial quest unlocks for new runes (see next section!).

**3.

Wintertodt: Skilling Breaks and Firemaking XP**

• Entry requirement: 50 Firemaking
• Why it matters: Wintertodt isn’t the “must-rush 99” spot it was years ago, but it’s still perfect for bulk skilling supplies (seeds, logs, food) and a change of pace.

Dive in whenever you want to stack up passive gains without burning out.

**4.

Early Teleport and Resource Priorities**

Unlocking fast travel is HUGE for Ironmen—prioritize quests and diaries for Fairy Rings, Spirit Trees, Ardougne Cloak, POH portal rooms, and jewelry boxes.

Early cash from Tempoross (and Thieving) should be channeled into these efficiency upgrades.

**5.

Strategic Tips**

• Camp key minigames early: Tempoross for food/cash, GOTR for runes/XP.
• Use Wintertodt, Barrows, Barbarian Assault, and Giants Foundry strategically; don’t force yourself—let them supplement your goals.
• Wiki is your toolbox: The OSRS Wiki is updated constantly and is the best resource for every new Ironman in 2025.

More Info: 2025 New Ironman Guide OSRS - YouTube

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RuneCrafting and Key Quest Breaks: Smart Progression

A successful Ironman never mindlessly grinds—structure your RuneCrafting around quest-driven “breakpoints” that unlock game-changing runes at the perfect times.

Guardians of the Rift: The Backbone of Ironman RC

By training at GOTR, you'll maximize RC XP and fill your bank with every rune under the sun.

But the true optimization is in when you “pause” to knock out key quests:

• Lost City (as soon as possible): Unlocks Cosmic runes for jewelry crafting, enchantments, and fairy ring magic.
• Troll Stronghold (at 54 RC): Law runes for all major teleports, supercharging travel across Gielinor.
• Mourning’s End Part II (at 65 RC): Death runes for high-level spells, profit, and powerful magic training.
• Sins of the Father (at 77 RC): Blood runes for endgame burst/barrage and big-money alchs.

How to Structure Your Progression

1. Start at Temple of the Eye (27+ RC), immediately after early quests/requirements.
2. Train Guardians of the Rift until your next quest breakpoint (Cosmic, Law, Death, Blood runes).
3. Complete the relevant quest at each milestone—this transforms your next grind with new runes crafted and fresh utilities unlocked.
4. Iterate: Don’t burn out powering straight to 99—let each “unlock” bring a real upgrade for your account.

Why This Approach is King

• Breaks up the monotony of RC grinding—each new altar/rune provides tangible abilities, wealth, and teleport power.
• Maximizes synergy with POH portals, jewelry boxes, and diaries for cost-effective, Ironman-centric mobility.
• Enables passive magic, crafting, and wealth progression on the road to late-game bossing and raiding.

If you approach RuneCrafting as a quest-driven journey rather than a linear slog, you’ll unlock immense efficiency and long-term Ironman staying power.

Further Reading: Guardians of the Rift XP Rates - OSRS Wiki

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Combat & Prayer: Efficient Training and Early Protection

AFK Training: Crabs Are Still King

The go-to for nearly all early Ironman combat is still those slow, chunky XP pools: rock, sand, ammonite, and (as of 2025) ice crabs.

Setting up in crab hotspots lets you AFK your first critical combat levels with minimal risk, setting a solid foundation for everything that follows.

"Early combat is the absolute worst—it can be rock crabs, sand crabs, ice crabs, ammonite crabs, those are your options ... the XP adds up really fast and it makes a lot of content so much easier." — gwem, 2025 guide

Blast Through the Core Early Combat Quests

Sequentially clear these to catapult your melee stats:

• Waterfall Quest
• Vampire Slayer
• Fight Arena
• The Grand Tree
• Monkey Madness I

You’ll not only gain attack and strength but unlock critical training areas, making later skilling a breeze.

Rushing 43 Prayer: Your Protection Breakthrough

Nothing changes the Ironman experience more than unlocking Protection Prayers at 43 Prayer.

The most Ironman-friendly routes:

• Use dragon bones, preferably from blue dragons (now weak to water spells!), at:
  • Chaos Altar (highest XP, risk of PKers)
  • Ectofuntus (slower/more clicky, but 100% safe)
  • Player-owned house gilded altar (requires significant setup)
• Cam Torum bone mining has become the go-to AFK method, especially for Hardcore Ironmen—zero PK risk, and can be done simultaneously with Mining XP.

Expect around 100–165 dragon bones for 43 Prayer, depending on the altar and your willingness to risk wilderness activity.

Bone mining at Cam Torum now offers steady, AFK-able prayer XP ideal for risk-averse or multitasking Ironmen.

Prayer Methods: Modern Approaches

• Blue dragons for low-stress, multi-XP (Magic & Prayer)
• Cam Torum calcified rocks for ultra-passive, no-risk Prayer/Xp
• Classic bones at altars if you can defend or escape PKs
• Ectofuntus post-Ghosts Ahoy quest, for those who like chill, safe XP
• Arceuus spellbook/ensouled heads for late-game XP (requires Magic/Slayer investment)

“Being able to AFK stackable prayer XP without much mental input ... is very nice for the account ... it’s so worth it to unlock especially if you’re playing hardcore.” — gwem, 2025

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Advanced Unlocks: Varlamore, Cam Torum, and Mid-Game Gear

Ready to move beyond the early-game? Here's how to supercharge your Ironman and prepare for raids, late-game bossing, and high-end efficiency.

**1.

Unlocking Varlamore & Hunter Contracts**

Finish the 'Children of the Sun' quest to enter Varlamore, the newest content hotspot.

Start Hunter Contracts for:

• Hunter’s kit & outfit: boosts to your gathering and skilling potential
• Sunlight Hunter Crossbow: a mid-game ranged weapon
• Hunter meats: dual-action combo food that outclasses old healing staples
• Moonlight Moths: provide new prayer restoration and mixing mechanics
• Resource pouches: mostly for bank-easing and skilling buffs
• Better travel: Quetzal Whistle unlocks heaps of new fast-travel hubs

Varlamore’s contract system is “pretty much better all around for every type of account” and provides “tons of useful resources” for Ironmen.

**2.

Perilous Moons: Cam Torum’s AFK Methods & “Moons” Bosses**

Finishing Perilous Moons (after Children of the Sun and modest skill requirements) gives:

• Cam Torum city access: bone mining for super AFK Prayer & Mining XP
• Moons Bosses: Eclipse, Blue, and Blood Moons can be repeated for specialized armor sets
• Midgame gear checks: Barrows tank body/legs and Dragon Defender are recommended before challenging these bosses

**3.

Armoured Zombies & Zombie Axe: Top-Tier Melee Option**

Unlock Armoured Zombies (Defender of Varrock complete) for concentrated AFK melee/slayer XP.

Farm them for:

• Broken zombie axe: one of the best mid-game slash weapons for Ironmen, “a huge upgrade” for both Moons bosses and general progression

**4.

Barrows: Core Tank Gear for PvM & Moons Runs**

Barrows chests are your primary/early source for high-defense body and leg armor.

You'll want at least any tank setup before pushing deeper into Perilous Moons or preparing for endgame raids.

Use Barrows too for rune stockpiles and cash via high-alch weapons/armor.

**5.

Moons of Peril Armor Sets: Early Raid-Level Gear**

Repeat Moons bosses to “greenlog” their armor sets:

• Blood Moon: Melee, Bandos-equivalent strength (helmet BiS pre-Bandos)
• Blue Moon: Mage-focused, lightweight, competitive with Ahrim’s
• Eclipse Moon: Range/melee hybrid, high accuracy

All sets benefit from dupe protection: you’ll finish each set piece by piece, no repeats.

This gear is as good or better than early raid sets—and will see you through early Chambers of Xeric and Tombs of Amascut.

**6.

Community Wisdom: Efficiency Benchmarks & Endgame Prep**

• Blood Moon gear: top pick for midgame PvM and first raid attempts
• 70+ combat stats, 60+ defense: good entry point for Moons bosses
• Dragon Defender, zombie axe, Barrows tank: recommended pre-Moons setup
• Greenlogging Moons = massive passive XP across Prayer, Crafting, Herblore, and Farm
• Cam Torum rocks: up to 3,000 bone shards/hr at top Mining; true AFK prayer

“Moons gear is as good or better [than Barrows or Bandos] and you’re guaranteed no dupes.

I did every boss with the zammy hasta and crystal halberd for eclipse clone phase.

The bosses are more annoying the more they hit you so tank is about as good as dps in my experience.” — Reddit, ironscape, 2024

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Conclusion

Ironman progression in 2025 is richer, faster, and more satisfying than ever—provided you tackle it with a strategy that embraces both legendary wisdom and modern meta.

Start by sweeping F2P quests for an unshakeable foundation, turbo-charge your early membership with smart minigame grinds, break up RuneCrafting with quest-driven rune unlocks, rush 43 Prayer using today’s AFK and safety-first methods, and power into midgame with the new giants: Varlamore, Cam Torum, and Moons of Peril.

There’s no one path to Ironman glory, but by following this guide, you’ll dodge early pitfalls, secure every key unlock, and prepare your account for a journey deep into the endgame.

AFK when you can, use the new minigames for momentum, and remember: Ironman is all about the adventure.

Have fun, stay curious, and may your grind be ever efficient in Gielinor.

Good luck!