Starting your journey in RuneScape can be both exciting and overwhelming. With countless skills, quests, and activities to choose from, new players often struggle with where to begin. If you want to level up efficiently, earn gold quickly, and unlock the game’s best content without unnecessary grind, following smart progression strategies is key. This guide provides beginner-friendly tips for fast progression while maximizing your early RuneScape experience.

1. Focus on Quests Early

Quests are the fastest way to gain experience, items, and access to game content. They not only provide XP in multiple skills but also unlock areas, equipment, and abilities crucial for progression.

Best Early Quests

Cook’s Assistant – Grants early Cooking XP.

Waterfall Quest – Provides a huge early boost in Attack and Strength XP. ([tip: requires no combat gear, making it beginner-friendly])

The Grand Tree – Offers early agility, combat, and quest rewards.

Vampire Slayer – Provides Strength XP and minimal combat requirements.

Tree Gnome Village – Grants Attack XP and unlocks the Spirit Tree network for fast travel.

Pro Tips

Prioritize quests with combat XP rewards for leveling efficiently.

Check quest prerequisites and complete lower-level quests first to chain rewards.

Use guides to minimize travel time and skip unnecessary side steps.

2. Level Skills Efficiently

RuneScape offers skills ranging from combat to gathering to crafting. Efficient leveling ensures you unlock content faster and gain gold more effectively.

Combat Skills

Train Attack, Strength, and Defence simultaneously for melee builds.

Use the Waterfall Quest for a massive early XP boost.

Utilize the sand crabs or rock crabs OSRS gold spots for consistent training with minimal risk.

Gathering Skills

Fishing & Cooking: Catch fish and cook them for early food and minor gold.

Woodcutting & Firemaking: Cut logs for Firemaking XP; turn logs into planks for construction later.

Mining & Smithing: Start mining iron ores and smelting them to gain both Mining and Smithing XP.

Utility Skills

Crafting & Fletching: Create basic gear or ranged weapons to supplement gold and XP.

Agility: Use rooftop courses to unlock shortcuts and save travel time.

Runecrafting: Only recommended after reaching higher levels unless your goal is early cash via rune crafting.

Pro Tip: Focus on skills that provide both XP and gold, like Fishing, Woodcutting, and Mining, for early financial freedom.

3. Optimize Early Gold Farming

Gold is critical for acquiring equipment, teleportation items, and consumables. Here are the best beginner strategies:

Starter Methods

Collect and Sell Logs: Chop trees near Lumbridge and sell logs to other players or stores.

Fish & Cook: Fishing at Catherby or Draynor and cooking the fish is a reliable way to earn money and food.

Loot from Cows/Chickens: Collect hides and feathers for selling; also provides combat XP.

Mid-Level Methods

Mining Iron Ore: Mine iron in locations like Al Kharid and sell to the Grand Exchange.

Fletching Arrows: Convert logs into arrow shafts, then buy feathers and make arrows for decent profit.

Runecrafting Low-Level Runes: Craft Air, Mind, and Water Runes for early gold if you enjoy the skill.

Pro Tip: Avoid spending early gold on unnecessary items — prioritize equipment upgrades and teleportation runes for faster XP gain.

4. Unlock Transportation Networks Early

RuneScape’s world is vast, and moving efficiently saves massive time. Focus on unlocking:

Spirit Trees: After completing the Tree Gnome Village quest, use spirit trees for instant teleportation between key locations.

Fairy Rings: Unlock via Fairy Tale I – Growing Pains for fast access to remote areas.

Teleport Tablets & Runes: Always carry basic teleportation options for emergency escapes or quest efficiency.

Pro Tip: Unlocking teleportation early drastically reduces travel time, allowing you to chain quests, gather resources, and train skills efficiently.

5. Efficient Combat Training

Combat is a major component of progression. Efficient training ensures you unlock dungeons, bosses, and PvP content faster.

Early Combat Tips

Train at low-level aggressive monsters like cows, goblins, or chickens.

Use Safe-Spotting techniques where possible — attack monsters from behind obstacles to minimize damage.

Keep food and armor handy; even early gear prevents unnecessary deaths.

Intermediate Combat Tips

Train at slightly higher-level mobs that drop profitable loot, such as hill giants (big bones for Prayer XP) or sand crabs (non-aggressive for AFK training).

Use Prayer (Protect from Melee, Piety, etc.) when your Prayer level is sufficient.

Combine combat training with questing for dual XP gain.

6. Efficient Use of the Grand Exchange

The Grand Exchange (GE) is RuneScape’s primary trading hub. Learning how to use it efficiently accelerates progression:

Buy low-level gear upgrades at discounted prices.

Sell common drops from combat or gathering to earn gold.

Track item prices and sell high-demand items like ores, logs, and cooked fish for extra profit.

Pro Tip: Avoid buying unnecessary items early — invest in teleportation, training gear, or starter weapons for maximum progression efficiency.

7. Join a Clan or Community

RuneScape is easier and more enjoyable with help from experienced players.

Benefits of Joining a Clan:

Access to tips, quest guides, and gold-making strategies.

Clan events provide XP boosts, rare drops, and faster quest completion.

Social support reduces grinding frustration and boosts efficiency.

Pro Tip: Look for clans with a focus on beginners — they often host events, skill training sessions, and free equipment giveaways.

8. Use Boosts and Consumables Wisely

RuneScape offers XP boosts, potions, and consumables that can accelerate progression.

XP Boosts: Temporary XP boosts from lamps, bonus XP weekends, or purchased memberships.

Potions: Attack, Strength, Defense, and Prayer potions allow extended combat without returning to town.

Food: Always stock up on early food to minimize downtime.

Pro Tip: Time your XP boosts with intensive training sessions to maximize the value.

9. Avoid Common Beginner Mistakes

Spreading XP too thin – Focus on a few key skills at a time for faster leveling.

Ignoring quests – Many quests provide more XP than grinding alone.

Wasting gold on cosmetics or minor gear early on.

Travel inefficiency – Unlock Spirit Trees, Teleports, and Fairy Rings early.

Skipping skill synergies – Combining RuneScape gold complementary skills (e.g., Fishing + Cooking, Mining + Smithing) saves time and resources.

10. Recommended Progression Path for Beginners

Levels 1–10: Focus on tutorial quests, basic combat, and gathering logs/fish for gold.

Levels 10–30: Complete Waterfall Quest, Cook’s Assistant, and Vampire Slayer; train combat and Fishing/Cooking.

Levels 30–50: Begin mining iron, crafting basic weapons, and training Agility via rooftop courses.

Levels 50+: Focus on mid-tier quests, unlock transportation networks, and train combat for dungeons.

Level 70+: Prepare for harder boss content, join a strong clan, and optimize gold-making strategies.

Conclusion

Fast progression in RuneScape isn’t about grinding mindlessly — it’s about planning, efficiency, and smart resource management. By focusing on quests, key skills, gold-making strategies, and transportation networks, beginners can reach mid- and late-game content quickly while minimizing frustration.

Always remember: RuneScape rewards patience and strategy, not random chance. Follow these tips, and you’ll dominate early content, gain gold quickly, and enjoy a smooth and rewarding start to your adventure.