Potions in Old School RuneScape are a core part of combat, skilling, and high-level PvM efficiency. Whether you’re bossing, PvPing, or training skills, potions give you temporary boosts that can drastically improve performance. This comprehensive guide breaks down every major category of potions in OSRS, their effects, how they’re commonly used, and which ones offer the best value depending on your activity.

Combat Potions

Combat potions temporarily increase offensive and defensive stats, making them essential for Slayer, PvM, and PvP.

Super Attack, Super Strength & Super Defence

Boost: +15% level + 5

Use: Standard for most mid-level PvM and Slayer tasks.

Tip: Often combined with prayer for consistent DPS boosts.

Super Combat Potion

Boost: Combines all three super potions.

Use: High-tier PvM such as Cerberus, God Wars, and Slayer bosses.

Benefit: Saves inventory space and keeps all melee stats balanced.

Ranging Potion

Boost: +10% level + 4

Use: Ranged bosses like Vorkath, Zulrah, GWD, and general Slayer.

Magic Potion

Boost: +4 Magic

Use: Niche due to low boost; mostly used while barraging or bursting Slayer tasks.

Imbued Heart & Saturated Heart

(Not technically potions, but function similarly.)

Boost: Temporarily increases Magic up to +10% (saturated heart gives +15%).

Use: Slayer bursting, PvP, and raids.

Prayer Potions & Restoration Potions

Prayer management is essential for overheads, protection prayers, and offensive prayers.

Prayer Potion

Restores: 7 + 25% of Prayer level

Use: PvM, bossing, questing—one of the most used potions in the game.

Super Restore

Restores: Same as prayer pot but also restores all stats except Hitpoints and Run Energy

Use: Raids, bossing like GWD, corrupted gauntlet, and PvP.

Tip: Often paired with Saradomin brews to counter their stat drains.

Sanfew Serum

Restores: Prayer + cures poison + disease + removes other negative effects

Use: Niche but useful in specific bosses like Vorkath (dragonfire/venom)

Healing Potions

These potions restore hitpoints and often offer additional effects.

Saradomin Brew

Restores: 15% HP + 2 HP per sip

Boosts Defence: +20% Defence level

Reduces: Attack, Strength, Magic, Ranged

Use: Meta for bossing, Raids, PvP tanks.

Tip: Always pair with Super Restores to fix reduced stats.

Guthix Rest Tea

Restores: Up to 15 HP (in increments)

Use: Ironmen early game or players wanting cheap healing.

Antipoison & Anti-Status Potions

Status protection potions are crucial for bosses like Zulrah, Venenatis, Kalphite Queen, Vorkath, and the Wilderness.

Antipoison

Effect: Cures poison

Use: Early game and low-level content.

Super Antipoison

Effect: Cures poison and protects for ~6 minutes

Use: Medium-tier PvM.

Antidote+ / Antidote++

Effect: Stronger poison protection (10–12 minutes)

Use: Common at Zulrah and toxic monsters.

Anti-venom & Anti-venom+

Effect: Cures venom & gives venom immunity

Use: Essential at Zulrah, Vorkath, and Wilderness spiders.

Run Energy Potions

Run energy makes movement efficient, especially for quests, training, and PvP escapes.

Energy Potion

Restores: 10% run energy

Use: Early game.

Super Energy

Restores: 20% run energy

Use: Training Agility or long-distance running.

Stamina Potion

Effect: 2 minutes of 70% reduced run energy drain

Use: Best-in-slot for almost all movement training

Common Uses: Agility training, clue scrolls, raids, skilling like thieving, running between herb patches.

Overload Potions (Raids-Specific)

Overloads exist only within Chambers of Xeric and TOA variants.

Overload (Raids)

Boosts: Attack/Strength/Defence/Ranged/Magic +10–6% scaling

Effect: Damage for 5 seconds, then boosted stats for 5 minutes

Use: Best potion inside raids.

Elder/Grimy/Revitalisation/Saradomin’s Light Potions

Unique potions brewed inside raids for utility and survivability.

Herblore Habitat / Skill-Enhancing Potions

Some potions help boost levels temporarily for skilling or quest requirements.

Herb, Fishing, Mining, and Hunter Potions

Boost: +3 or +4 to relevant skill

Use: Meeting level requirements or temporarily increasing yields.

Super Antifire / Extended Super Antifire

Effect: Negates dragonfire damage (superior version fully protects)

Use: Vorkath, metal dragon tasks, KBD.

Divine Potions

Divine potions are enhanced variants that don’t suffer stat decay but cost HP over time.

Examples:

Divine Super Combat

Divine Ranging

Divine Magic

Divine Super Attack/Strength/Defence

Effect:

Same boosts as normal potions

Lasts 5 minutes without stat drain

Deals 2 damage per 15 seconds

Use:

High-level bossing and Slayers like Hydra, Cerberus, and Sarachnis.

Useful Niche Potions

Blighted Potions (PvP Worlds/Wilderness Only)

Blighted super restore

Blighted vengeance sacks

Use: Cheaper options for PvP-only supplies.

Barbarian Bomb

A throwable potion used for fun—explodes for cosmetic effect.

Final Thoughts

Potions in OSRS form the backbone of efficient gameplay. Understanding what each potion does—and the optimal scenarios for using them—can dramatically improve your kill times, survivability, XP rates, and profits. Whether you’re preparing for Zulrah, tackling your first raid, or simply grinding Slayer, using the right potions will always give you a competitive edge.