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Guide to All Skills in F2P II

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Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:08  Last edited on 11-Mar-2013 23:45:52 by Abbem20
It seems I am playing again, for now at least. I must say that RS has changed a lot in the past year and it's quite enjoyable rediscovering the game I spent so much time on.

I’m Abbem20, an experienced free player. My levels are good, but not amazing. Having been loyal to this game for over 4 years, I have changed the feelings of many RS-haters towards this game by showing how I enjoyed it. I have written this guide to show everyone that RS is unique with it's F2P system, which is a world on it's own.

This guide has been an incredible success for the time that it was running.
The first version of this guide was posted on 16-04-2009, when F2Ps were new to the forums and there weren’t many that posted. Yet I got a lot of positive response from both F2P and P2P, which encouraged me to continue and keep on improving this guide.
It has evolved a lot since then. I met many people and made some good friends from frequent visitors of the guide. As this guide evolved, new info kept coming. I was struggling to find enough space in the guide. At some point, I could no longer add methods as the guide was full, but not finished. That’s when I started writing V2.
Between 15-11-2010 and 8-12-2010, version 1 of this thread was stickied and mentioned under hot forum topics. A great honour.


# News & Updates #
11-3-2013
I have returned to RS for a while. I think I might continue playing RS occasionally. It's still a fun game. Many things have changed since I last updated this. It will take some time to get everything up to date.

18-11-2011
As Jagex plans to remove F2P hiscores, I will stop updating this guide, as it becomes useless.

26-10-2011
Updated parts of the guide that dealt with bots. Bots are now gone. Actually, most methods I used were unaffected by bots.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:20  Last edited on 11-Mar-2013 23:47:22 by Abbem20
# Using the guide #
---------------------------

This guide is for meant to be for Free players that enjoy this game and want to get high levels without becoming a member. If you are a member, you might still find this guide useful, as some of the methods described are good for both F2P and members. Lower level players should not read this guide, as it contains mostly info for medium and high-level players (yes, you can read it, but you can’t follow it yet). It’s better and more fun to explore runescape without elite guys guiding you.

Keep in mind that in this guide you will mainly find methods. I do not provide you with any ways that make playing RuneScape 'fun'. Ultimately it is up to you to turn a boring method of grinding into something you like, up to the point where you reach the maximum level. More about this on page 6.

If you are looking for certain info, it’s best to check the table of contents to find the page and post with the info on the skill you want to train. If you just want general info, you might want to read the entire guide.

If you want to contact me, you can send me a pm. Don’t be impatient when I don’t reply. Sometimes I get a lot of questions and I can’t reply to all of them, while also talking in clanchat. Sometimes I am doing activities like GOP or dungeoneering, which require my full attention, so I won't respond then.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:21  Last edited on 12-Mar-2013 20:07:22 by Abbem20
# Table of Contents #
-----------------------------

Post number - Subsection

Page 1
1 - Introduction
2 - Using the guide
3 - Table of Contents <-- You are here
4 - Melee (outdated)
9 - Ranged (needs expanding)

Page 2
15 - Magic (partially outdated)

Page 3
21 - Cooking
23 - Crafting (updated)
26 - Firemaking (outdated)
27 - Fishing (partially outdated)
28 - Mining (outdated)

Page 4
31 - Prayer (updated)
33 - Runecrafting (outdated)
38 - Smithing (partially outdated)

Page 5
41 - Woodcutting (partially outdated)
42 - Dungeoneering (outdated)
48 - Fist of Guthix (outdated)

Page 6
51 - General Advice
53 - Efficient Training (partially outdated)

Page 7
61 - Other Good Threads
63 - Final Words
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:21  Last edited on 12-Mar-2013 18:58:25 by Abbem20
***Outdated***


# Melee #
--------------

Melee is the most used combat style. It has a good training speed, and some monsters can get you good drops. On some monsters it can give good profit as well.

I’ll assume you already have a decent combat level, for I only discuss training for medium and high levels.

--Equipment--

For melee training, you should always be using full rune with (charged) rune gauntlets from Fist of Guthix. There isn’t much to discuss about that.

As for the weapons, there are 2 weapons that are worth using.
The Rune Scimitar is what most people will use. It has good accuracy and deals good damage. However, those that like dungeoneering and have leftover tokens could use a gravite rapier. It is better than a rune scimitar and is worth the recharging costs. It lasts 25 hours in combat and costs 100k and 6500 tokens to recharge. I've been using a rapier for quite a while now.

As for the shield, most people will be using a rune kiteshield. You could also use a rune berserker for it's strength bonus. It needs recharging at Fist of Guthix every 5 hours for 30 tokens (having more of them helps). If you like FoG, this is preferable over a rune kite.

An amulet of power is overall the best amulet to use, but when you’re not missing much, you might as well switch to an amulet of strength for a little more power. ;)
For certain monsters you might also want to have a gem bag, so you can keep all uncut drops in one slot.

An explorers ring (4) is the preferred ring with various useful features, like alchemy and a free teleport, but if you just want the teleport, a ring of kinship is better. If you don't need any features, use a ring of devotion.

Estimated xp rates (higher is possible):
120 combat: up to 50k/hour
100 combat: up to 38k/hour
80 combat: up to 27k/hour
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:34  Last edited on 16-Nov-2011 22:40:40 by Abbem20
Now on to the monsters to kill. There are 2 paths you can take. With or without prayer focus. People looking to improve all their skills in order to max out one day should choose the prayer focus. With all the big bones you get you will save a lot of money and time on prayer traning.
Many people have no interest in prayer and just want the fastest xp or they don’t want more prayer xp at all. You could still choose monsters from the prayer focus though, since they are good xp anyway.



-- Prayer Focus --

With the prayer focus, you will often want to kill giants for their big bones.

Hill giants (level 28) are the lowest level giants. They are best for training under 80 combat, but you can do them at any level, since they have the highest melee : prayer xp ratio. 20 dungeoneering is highly recommended for the special area. It’s not nearly as crowded as the usual hill giant spot, but there is still some competition. Higher levels should keep their weight low rather than have high defenses, since you’ll be running a lot. They have some drops that are worth picking up.

Moss giants (level 42) are medium level giants. They are best for training at levels 70-100. The best and only useful spot for them is crandor island. It’s far from a bank, but you don’t need to bank often. They have a few good drops. There is often competition over this spot. If someone else arrives at your spot and doesn’t leave, it is better to find a new world. You need to be alone here to get good xp.
There is an alternative spot in the wilderness, near the canoe spot, which I haven't tried.

Ice giants (level 53) are the highest level big-bone droppers. They provide the best xp for levels 90 and up. Getting your maxed melee here is a good idea. They continue to provide great xp, that rivals the methods without prayer focus. And the drops you will get aren’t bad either. It will add up to green numbers when you’re finished. Ice giants are in my opinion the best monsters to train on at higher levels.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:46  Last edited on 16-Nov-2011 22:41:17 by Abbem20
--No Prayer Focus--

Not having a prayer focus gives you more freedom when choosing monsters to train. You can choose a more profitable or an easier monster to train on.

Hobgoblins (level 28/42) are not commonly trained on, but can provide decent xp. They drop limpwurt roots frequently, which makes them quite profitable. After level 80 you should leave these behind.

Flesh Crawlers (level 35/42) are squishy monsters that don't do much damage. They can be found in the Stronghold of Security, second level. Flesh crawlers are the fastest combat xp for medium-level training, but once you’re 100+ combat you should move to a different spot for better xp. Flesh crawlers auto-attack, which makes them very easy to train on without having to pay attention. They drop uncuts, but not much else. Once they stop auto-attacking (after roughly 10 minutes), move to another room to get them to auto-attack again. There are zombies nearby that are also good to train on.

Giant Spiders (level 50) are a well-known monster that many people train on. They auto-attack, like flesh crawlers, which makes them popular for easy training. Unlike what others may say, I don’t recommend them before 90 combat. They can do a lot of damage at lower levels, forcing you to bank early. Sometimes giant spiders are crowded. If one room appears too busy, switch to another. There are 3 usable rooms there. I find the south room (the one with catablepons and spiders) the easiest to use, but to keep them aggressive, you'll want to switch rooms all the time.

Giant spiders are probably the fastest melee xp in the game for F2P, but not by much.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:47  Last edited on 26-Oct-2011 17:32:40 by Abbem20
Ankou (level 75/82) are higher level monsters, that are a good spot to train for levels 110+. You need high defence to stay here long enough, but they provide very good xp, along with some drops. Since they drop bones, you can use bones to bananas to generate more food.
They can be found on the 4th level of the stronghold of security.

Cockroach soldiers (level 83) are high level monsters, found in the Stronghold of Player Safety, that are well-known for their excellent drops. If you want to make profit while training, you should do it here. The best spot to kill them is in the secret chamber (where you claim the reward). They drop rune scimitars and square shields, along with lots of law and death runes. Cockroaches can hit a lot, so you'll need to bank a little more often. The bank is close though. You can also hunt them in teams if you’re not as high level, with lootshare. Higher level players are better off hunting them alone though.

You should not train on lesser demons. They hit high, provide bad xp rates and don’t drop much, apart from rune med helms, which are only worth 11.5k. Cockroaches and even ice giants have better drops.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:48  Last edited on 26-Oct-2011 17:34:03 by Abbem20
--Food--

It is inevitable. When you are training melee you will get hit. And if you don’t want to end up in lumbridge (or another city) every time, it is best to heal when needed. Some people prefer to heal as soon as possible while others let their HP drop low and then eat. It doesn’t really matter which one you prefer, just stay safe.

The best food to use is lobster or swordfish. They heal 120 or 140 and are both cheap to buy. You could also use anchovy pizza, which heals 180, but costs more. For those not willing to bank, you can often get free salmon from fishers at barbarian village. Tuna and lobsters can be fished at karamja, which is also near a popular training spot. You can probably buy some fish off a fisher.


--Strength potions--

In my opinion strength potions are certainly worth it. A strength potion (4) costs 1k. The boost lasts 9-12 minutes, depending on your strength level. Drinking every 10 minutes is reasonable, but you could also drink them more often. I use one dose every 6 minutes. Strength potion prices are low. Even drinking every 6 minutes costs only 3k every hour.
Using strength potions saves you a lot of time and adds to your xp/h, so the money certainly isn't wasted. Definitely worth it in my opinion.


--Prayers--

Prayer can add a bit to your hourly xp rate. It won’t be much, but it's still a boost. At some spots you can recharge your prayer when banking. (ice giants for example)
The best prayer to use is the 10% strength boost, for extra xp.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:15:55  Last edited on 12-Mar-2013 19:06:06 by Abbem20
# Ranged #
----------------

Ranged is a great skill to train. It helps a lot in pvp, especially when your target is on the run. Or when you are on the run. Nothing is more satisfying than frustrating your opponent with hit-and-run tactics.

Most of the time you should equip yourself with a blue dragonhide body, chaps, a coif (I hate coifs), carapace boots and an amulet of power, unless noted otherwise.
Your weapon should be either a magic shortbow or a gravite one. Shortbows are guaranteed to give the most xp/hour.
Most people would not think the gravite shortbow to be worth it, since it's so expensive and it needs to be recharged. However, it lasts for roughly 70k shots, which is around 30 hours. That's quite a long time, so recharge costs aren't much of a deal. It provides you with more damage and accuracy than a magic shortbow.

When it comes to arrows, you should be using at least mithril arrows. They are cheap and provide good damage. For faster xp, you can choose adamant arrows. If you have a lot of leftover money, you can use rune arrows, but that becomes quite expensive. I use rune arrows for training, because I like to get the most damage possible.

When ranging, you can boost your damage by using ranging potions. They cost quite a bit, but I consider the damage boost more than worth it. You can also use defence potions, to avoid taking too much damage.
Abbem20
07-Dec-2010 20:16:01  Last edited on 12-Mar-2013 19:18:00 by Abbem20
There are quite a few monsters to train ranged on, but only a few give the good xp you really want.

From what I've found, the best monsters to train on are Catablepons and Lesser Demons.

Catablepons (level 78) can be found at the 3rd level of the stronghold of security. They deal very little damage and are easy to hit with ranged. You won't need much food for them. They have some drops that are worth picking up, like law runes, noted coal and noted rune essence. This should provide you with enough income to cover the costs of arrows.

Lesser Demons (level 100) can be found in the Karamja volcano. They can deal quite a lot of magic damage, so you will need a lot of food. They also drop accursed ashes, which provide prayer xp. Take some accursed urns with you to pick up the ashes.
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