Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is famous for its grinds, but few challenges test a player’s patience quite like attempting to complete the Free-to-Play (F2P) Collection Log. On paper, F2P content looks simple: limited bosses, fewer items, and a smaller map. In reality, this restriction is exactly what makes the F2P Collection Log one of the most punishing long-term goals in the game. For completionists and ironmen alike, this grind can feel relentless, unforgiving, and at times downright cruel.

What Is the F2P Collection Log

The Collection Log in OSRS tracks unique items obtained from various activities, including bosses, minigames, clues, and other content. For F2P players, the log is restricted to content available without membership, meaning items come primarily from Obor, Bryophyta, Beginner and Easy clue scrolls, and select random events.

While the total number of F2P log slots is far smaller than the members’ log, each slot is notoriously difficult to fill due to limited access to content, inefficient methods, and extremely low drop rates.

Low Drop Rates With No Shortcuts

One of the biggest reasons the F2P Collection Log is brutal is the lack of efficient farming methods. In members’ worlds, players can boost drop rates through faster kills, better gear, and advanced strategies. F2P players don’t have those luxuries.

Take Obor, the Hill Giant boss. To even fight Obor, players must obtain a giant key, which itself is a rare drop from hill giants. Once inside, Obor’s unique drops—such as the Hill Giant Club—are far from guaranteed. The result is a double-layered grind: first farming keys, then hoping RNG favors you in the boss fight.

Bryophyta is even worse. Mossy keys are significantly rarer than giant keys, and Bryophyta’s uniques, like Bryophyta’s Essence, are essential for log completion. Many players go hundreds of kills dry, making this one of the most demoralizing parts of the F2P log.

Clue Scroll Hell

If bosses don’t break you, clue scrolls might. F2P players are limited to Beginner and Easy clues, and both categories are infamous for their RNG.

Beginner clues are relatively easy to complete but have bloated reward tables filled with low-value items. Players may need hundreds of clues to see a single missing log slot. Easy clues are even worse, as many steps require travel across the F2P map with no teleports beyond basic options, dramatically slowing completion time.

On top of that, many Easy clue rewards overlap, meaning duplicates are extremely common. Completing the full F2P clue log can take longer than some mid-tier members’ collection logs, despite having far fewer items.

Limited Gear and Slow Kill Times

Combat efficiency in F2P is severely limited. Without access to high-tier weapons, prayers, or potions, kill times are painfully slow. This affects everything—from farming giant keys to killing moss giants for mossy keys.

Even maxed F2P accounts feel underpowered compared to low-level members’ accounts. When every kill takes longer, the grind compounds quickly. Tasks that might take hours in members’ worlds can stretch into days or weeks in F2P.

This makes every dry streak feel worse. You’re not just unlucky—you’re unlucky while progressing at the slowest possible pace.

Random Events and Niche Log Slots

Some F2P collection log entries are tied to random events, which adds another layer of unpredictability. While random events occur naturally during skilling or combat, you have no control over which one appears or what reward you receive.

Certain cosmetic or niche items can take months of casual play to obtain naturally. Actively “target farming” these log slots is nearly impossible, turning them into long-term background grinds that test player endurance.

Ironman Pain Multiplied

For F2P ironmen, the grind is exponentially worse. No trading means every rune, piece of food, and upgrade must be obtained manually. Farming bosses without access to efficient supplies or teleport options becomes a logistical nightmare.

Ironmen also can’t buy clue rewards or keys, meaning every single step of the grind is self-sustained. While this makes completion incredibly prestigious, it also explains why so few F2P ironmen ever finish the collection log.

Psychological Fatigue and Burnout

Perhaps the most brutal aspect of the F2P Collection Log isn’t mechanical—it’s mental. Progress is slow, rewards are rare, and duplicates are constant. There’s no steady sense of progression like levels or XP gains; instead, success is entirely RNG-driven.

This creates long stretches where it feels like you’re making no progress at all. Many players burn out before even reaching the halfway point, especially when chasing a single missing item for weeks or months.

Why Players Still Attempt It

Despite the pain, players continue to chase F2P Collection Log completion for one reason: prestige. Completing it is a testament to patience, persistence, and sheer mental resilience. In a game defined by grind, the F2P Collection Log stands as one of OSRS’s most underestimated challenges.

For those who finish it, the accomplishment rivals many members-only achievements—and that’s exactly why it’s so brutal.