Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a game built on patience, strategy, and long-term progression. Whether you’re a new adventurer exploring Gielinor for the first time or an Ironman player taking on the challenge of self-sufficiency, the early and mid-game stages set the foundation for your success. While veteran players may breeze through these stages thanks to years of experience, newcomers — and even returning players — can easily find themselves overwhelmed.

In this guide, we’ll cover 10 essential tips designed to help both regular accounts and Ironman mode players navigate the early and mid-game efficiently, avoid common mistakes, and set themselves up for long-term progress.

1. Complete Essential Early Quests

Quests in OSRS aren’t just about story — they often grant valuable experience, gear, and access to new areas. Some of the most important early-game quests include:

Waterfall Quest – Huge Strength and Attack XP boost without any combat requirements.

Priest in Peril – Unlocks Morytania for Slayer tasks and other content.

Animal Magnetism – Gives Ava’s device for ranged training efficiency.

The Grand Tree – Provides Agility XP and fast transport options.

For Ironman players, early quests also unlock crucial item sources you can’t simply buy from the Grand Exchange.

2. Train Your Agility Early

Agility is one of the most underrated skills in early OSRS. A higher Agility level means faster run energy restoration, which speeds up almost everything in the game. For regular accounts, it’s a convenience skill; for Irons, it’s vital for efficient travel and stamina potion creation.

Early path:

Level 1–10: Gnome Stronghold Course

Level 10–20: Draynor Village Rooftop

Level 20–40: Al Kharid & Varrock Rooftops

Later: Canifis Rooftop for Marks of Grace

3. Get Early Money-Making Methods in Place

You’ll need OSRS gold for supplies, gear, and training. Regular accounts can use the Grand Exchange, but Irons must rely on self-sufficiency. Some early money-making options:

Regular Accounts: Flipping on the GE, collecting bird nests, or fishing high-demand food.

Ironman Accounts: Crafting runes from the Abyss, collecting valuable drops (like hill giant bones), or selling ores to shops.

4. Prioritize Slayer for Long-Term Gains

Slayer isn’t just a combat skill — it’s a source of valuable drops and monster unlocks. For Irons, Slayer is one of the main ways to get gear and crafting materials.

Starting Slayer early means you’ll progress toward high-level monsters like Abyssal Demons and Kraken while training your combat stats naturally. Konar and Chaeldar are solid mid-game Slayer masters.

5. Unlock Key Teleports

OSRS is all about travel efficiency. For both normal and Ironman players, unlocking key teleport options early will save hours of running:

Ardougne Cloak (via Kandarin Diary) for Ardougne teleports

Ectophial from Ghosts Ahoy quest for Morytania access

House Teleports via Construction for custom portals

Fairy Rings after completing Fairy Tale II (partial completion required)

6. Learn Efficient Food and Potion Sources

For regular accounts, you can simply buy food and potions from the GE. For Irons, however, securing sustainable sources is critical:

Food: Train Fishing and Cooking early; lobsters and swordfish are a good mid-game staple.

Potions: Level Herblore alongside Slayer and farming for herbs; Chaos Druids are a good herb source.

7. Train Prayer Smartly

Prayer unlocks essential combat boosts and defensive abilities.

Regular accounts can buy bones and use the Gilded Altar for fast XP.

Irons should aim for the Ectofuntus early for its boosted XP rate, using bones from Slayer tasks or hunting dragons once strong enough.

Always plan your Prayer level goals around combat needs — for example, Protect from Melee (43 Prayer) should be a mid-game priority.

8. Balance Combat and Skilling

OSRS progression is a marathon, not a sprint. Training only combat or only skilling will leave you bottlenecked later. A good balance in early/mid-game is to:

Alternate Slayer training with resource-gathering skills.

Do skilling grinds that directly support your combat, like Smithing for better weapons or Fletching for arrows.

Iron players especially benefit from an integrated approach, as every skill feeds into another for self-sufficiency.

9. Complete Achievement Diaries Gradually

Achievement Diaries offer massive long-term benefits like faster transportation, free resources, and better training spots. You don’t need to rush them, but completing easy and medium tiers early can save huge amounts of time later.

Ardougne Diary: Increased pickpocket rates.

Varrock Diary: Better mine shop prices.

Falador Diary: Access to shortcut ladders in Mining Guild.

10. Plan for Mid-Game Bossing

By the mid-game, you should start thinking about PvM (Player vs Monster) bosses. Regular accounts may go straight into profitable bosses like Barrows or Giant Mole. Irons will focus on bosses for gear progression like:

Barrows: Defensive and offensive gear upgrades.

Giant Mole: Source of nests for Herblore.

Zulrah: Later mid-game goal for supplies and gear like the Serpentine Helm.

Building your combat stats, gear, and supplies steadily will prepare you for bossing without burning out.

Final Thoughts

The early and mid-game in OSRS are about building a strong foundation, whether you’re trading freely or restricted as an Ironman. For regular accounts, efficiency often comes from knowing the best training spots and money-making methods. For Ironman players, it’s all about sustainable progression — creating your own supply chains for gear, food, and potions.

By following these 10 tips, you’ll avoid common pitfalls, progress at a steady pace, and position yourself for success in late-game content. Remember — OSRS is a game that rewards patience and long-term planning. Every quest completed, skill trained, and Slayer task finished is a step toward mastering Gielinor on your own terms.