How to Make Money as an Ironman in OSRS (2024 Guide)
Last Updated: 11/7/24
Image Credit: Jagex, Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
Note: You can find our complete OSRS Ironman Guide here.
In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), playing as an Ironman means you’re completely on your own when it comes to making money (unless you play Group Ironman, in which case you can work with an exclusive small group of friends). Without the Grand Exchange or trading with other players, every coin you earn has to come from your own blood, sweat, and tears. This means finding specific and sometimes creative ways to generate gold or get valuable items that can be turned into coins (through high alch).
Here’s a look at some effective ways to earn money as an Ironman from the early game with low requirements up through higher-level and efficient methods in 2024. Be sure to bookmark this page and come back as you level up and want new ways to earn some money!
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Low-Requirement Money-Making Methods for Ironmen in Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
Image Credit: Jagex, Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
Collecting Steel Platebodies in the Wilderness
Head to the Lava Maze in level 40–45 Wilderness, where you’ll find steel platebody and staff of earth spawns. Steel platebodies can be sold to general stores for 800 coins, to Horvik's Armour Shop in Varrock for 1,200 coins, or high-alched for 1,200 coins. Be cautious—this area is popular with other Ironmen and sometimes player killers, so it’s risky.
If you want a safer method, you can collect steel platelegs at the Eastern Ruins in level 25–28 Wilderness. Bring a looting bag and hop worlds until your inventory and bag are full. Platelegs can be sold for 400 coins at general stores, 650 coins at Louie's Armoured Legs Bazaar, or high-alched for 600 coins.
Note: This method isn’t recommended for Hardcore Ironmen, and Ultimate Ironmen may find it more viable only at the start of a playthrough when they have fewer items at risk.
Cutting Gems at a Gem Shop
With 20 Crafting (or 27 Crafting to cut emeralds), head to a gem shop to buy uncut gems, cut them, and then sell the cut gems back for a profit. This method doesn’t involve the Wilderness and has low requirements, but it does require a moderate amount of clicking. If your current gem shop has low stock, you may need to travel to another shop to keep a steady flow of gems. Due to the slow restock times, this method isn’t sustainable for long stretches, but it’s a decent way to earn about 90,000 coins per hour when done in bursts.
Fletching Willow Shortbows
Once you have 35 Fletching, 30 Woodcutting, and 10 Crafting, you can start fletching willow shortbows for some easy cash. Cut willows, craft them into the highest-level bow you can, then alch or sell them to general stores. Fletching and Woodcutting level up relatively quickly, making this method a great way to earn a little extra while training multiple skills.
Stealing from H.A.M. Storerooms
After reaching 20 Thieving and completing half of Death to the Dorgeshuun, you gain access to the H.A.M. storerooms, where you can pickpocket guards for keys to chests with valuable jewelry. Bank or alch the jewelry for coins, and save some emerald rings and sapphire necklaces for personal use. This method, which can earn up to 67,000 coins per hour, is considered one of the best low-level money-making options for Ironmen, as it also supplies early jewelry. Try wearing full H.A.M. robes to reduce the chance of being kicked out of the hideout and consider using rogue equipment to potentially double your key drops.
Stealing Silk in Ardougne
With 20 Thieving, you can steal silk from the stalls in Ardougne’s market. After waiting 20 minutes, you can sell the stolen silk to the silk merchant for 60 coins each, assuming you’ve stolen around 400 silk pieces per hour. This method doesn’t require much setup or risk, and it’s a reliable way to get around 24,000 coins per hour.
Selling Cats for Death Runes
After completing Gertrude’s Cat and the easy Ardougne diary, you can trade fully grown cats in West Ardougne for 200 death runes (100 runes without the diary). Raising a kitten takes about three hours and 9 fish, making this a slow but low-effort way to save on rune costs. Every 20 minutes, interact with the kitten, pet it twice, and feed it a fish. Once grown, trade the cat for death runes—saving you around 13,300 coins per hour. This method works well if you’re also training AFK skills like Fletching or sand crabs, as it requires little active attention.
Agility Pyramid
Unlocked at 30 Agility (though 70+ Agility is recommended to avoid frequent falls), the Agility Pyramid is one of the best low-level money-making methods for Ironmen. You can earn up to 200,000 coins per hour by scaling the pyramid, collecting the pyramid top, and trading it in at the base. This method is consistent, requires no banking, and works even with a full inventory. Consider bringing supplies to train other skills, like items to high alch or darts to fletch, while you climb.
Selling Runes from Guardians of the Rift to Ali Morrisane
Starting at 27 Runecrafting and after completing Temple of the Eye and Rogue Trader, you can participate in Guardians of the Rift for a decent income. The minigame provides valuable catalytic runes (nature, chaos, law, and blood) that can be sold to Ali Morrisane for coins, bringing in around 60,000 coins per hour. This also gives roughly 30,000 Runecrafting XP per hour, making it a solid early-game option for leveling and income.
Giants’ Foundry
After completing Sleeping Giants, you can use the Giants' Foundry for Smithing experience and some profit. With 15 Smithing, you can begin with bronze and iron combinations; at 30 Smithing, you can move up to iron and steel. Bring equipment like bronze or iron claws from Jatizso’s weapon shop to lower the cost of bars used. Profits are highest when you use pre-purchased iron and steel items or banked bars.
Ultimate Ironmen can bring platebodies to Giants' Foundry and teleport back for more, while other Ironmen may want to bank the items and return. Done efficiently, this can net around 92,000 coins per hour along with good Smithing experience.
High Alching Rune Arrows from Last Man Standing
Last Man Standing (LMS) is a no-risk PvP minigame with rewards that can be high alched for coins. For 3 LMS points, you can buy a stack of 300 rune arrows, which alch for 240 coins each. Use a ring of dueling to teleport to Ferox Enclave, join the LMS competitive lobby, and follow a simple strategy to place in the top three. This will yield around 4–6 points per game.
Using nature runes crafted yourself will increase profit, but you can also buy the runes for quick cash. By combining LMS points with self-made nature runes, this method can generate up to 144,000 coins per hour, along with good Magic experience if alching alongside other activities like the Agility Pyramid.
High-Requirement Money-Making Methods for Ironmen in Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
Image Credit: Jagex, Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
For advanced Ironmen, these high-level money-making methods offer substantial profit per hour. Each of these methods requires significant skill levels or specific quest completions but rewards you with efficient coin generation. Here’s a breakdown of some of the top methods, including their requirements and ideal use cases.
Pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne
With 95+ Thieving, full Rogue equipment, and completion of the Ardougne medium diary, pickpocketing Knights of Ardougne is one of the best ways to make a steady 270,000–280,000 coins per hour. Unlike blackjacking, this method is less intense but requires high Thieving levels for efficiency. After level 95, the success rate becomes almost perfect, making it both profitable and consistent.
Crafting Blood Runes
At 77 Runecrafting and 73 Agility, crafting blood runes provides a solid 330,000 coins per hour. This method involves mining dense essence, chiseling it, and running to the Blood Altar to craft blood runes, which can then be sold to Ali Morrisane for 200 coins each. You’ll also gain up to 38,000 Runecrafting XP per hour. It’s a great money-making option for high-level Ironmen who want to passively earn gold while training Runecrafting.
Blast Mining and Smithing Runite
If you have 75 Mining and 89 Smithing, blast mining runite ore is highly profitable, yielding around 650,000 coins per hour. You’ll need dynamite and access to coal for smelting the bars. Once mined, smelt your runite ore at the Blast Furnace, then smith the bars into rune items (like rune swords) and alch them for coins. While you can buy dynamite, it’s best to gather it from Chambers of Xeric or collect daily dynamite rewards if you’ve completed the elite Kourend & Kebos diary, as purchasing dynamite can cut into your profits.
Crafting Amethyst Javelin Heads
At 92 Mining and 87 Crafting, mining amethyst and crafting it into javelin heads offers both steady and AFK profit. You can earn around 364,000–456,000 coins per hour by mining and alching javelin heads, or up to 700,000–900,000 coins per hour with tick manipulation. This method requires only a chisel and High Alchemy runes, making it particularly useful for Ultimate Ironmen due to minimal inventory needs. For efficiency, use Varrock armor 4, expert mining gloves, and the Celestial ring for a Mining boost.
Killing Rune Dragons
With high combat stats and Dragon Slayer II completed, killing rune dragons can earn around 1,000,000 coins per hour. Using a Dragon hunter lance is highly recommended for improved DPS. Rune dragons drop runite bars and valuable alchable items, providing a reliable income stream with relatively low effort. This method is ideal for Ironmen looking to farm coins passively while gaining combat experience.
Crafting Nature Runes with the Achievement Diary Cape
If you have an Achievement Diary cape, 91+ Runecrafting, the Colossal pouch, and the full Raiments of the Eye set, crafting nature runes is one of the best Runecrafting money-makers. This setup allows you to craft multiple nature runes per run, earning up to 2,376,000 coins per hour. Keep in mind that this rate does not account for the time spent selling the runes, which can be sold in bulk to Ali’s Discount Wares. This method is best suited for maxed Ironmen with high-level gear looking for both XP and profit.
Each of these methods is tailored to maximize income for Ironmen with high skill levels, powerful gear, and significant in-game experience. While they may require preparation and commitment, the reward is a consistent and substantial income.
Most Efficient Money-Making Methods for Ironmen in Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
Image Credit: Jagex, Old School RuneScape (OSRS)
Here are some of the most efficient ways to make money in OSRS as an Ironman, broken down by requirements, profit, and effectiveness. Note that the requirements may range quite a bit for these.
Picking Up Ruby Rings
With 55 Magic and the Crack the Clue III reward, you can collect ruby rings, which respawn every 4 minutes. Each ring can be alched for profit, earning around 400,000 coins and 22,000 Magic XP per hour. The total profit depends on competition from other players, but it’s a reliable way to stack cash with minimal setup.
Wintertodt
Wintertodt is a great option for early Firemaking training, yielding around 30,000 coins per hour, 300,000 Firemaking XP, and 20,000 Woodcutting XP. You’ll collect logs, gems, ores, herbs, seeds, and fish, but overall coin profit is low, so it’s best to use this method just until you reach your target Firemaking level.
Blackjacking
After completing The Feud quest and reaching 45 Thieving, blackjacking offers strong income potential. At 50 Thieving, expect around 127,000 coins and 103,000 XP per hour, although this method is demanding and isn’t efficient long-term. It’s commonly used to fund early goals like Desert Treasure. At 99 Thieving, this method can yield 220,000 coins and 265,000 XP per hour, though most Ironmen move on once they have enough funds for initial goals.
Buying Battlestaves
With Desert Treasure I and Lunar Diplomacy completed, buying battlestaves and attaching air orbs can earn around 928,000 coins per hour, along with 96,000 Crafting XP and 40,000 Thieving XP. Efficiency depends on factors like world-hopping to buy staves, multiskilling with Thieving, and managing seaweed and sand for glass-blowing. While profitable, it’s best done in bursts rather than as a primary moneymaker.
Battlestaves from Monster Drops
For a high-profit, low-effort method, aim for battlestaves as monster drops, which can yield up to 2,057,000 coins per hour. Slayer tasks and certain high-level monsters drop battlestaves, allowing for steady profit without the intense clicking needed for a lot of methods.
Killing Green Dragons
Killing green dragons is a profitable option if you’re equipped with a Dragon defender, Berserker ring (i), and access to thralls via A Kingdom Divided. With these items, you can make up to 496,000 coins per hour collecting dragon bones. It’s most efficient before unlocking Piety or after maxing upgrades. For lower-level setups, this method yields around 265,000 coins per hour.
Hallowed Sepulchre
At 72 Agility and with Sins of the Father completed, you can start using the Hallowed Sepulchre for both profit and XP. With 72–82 Agility, you’ll earn about 94,000 coins, 63,700 Agility XP, and 2,100 Thieving XP per hour. This method becomes even more profitable with higher Agility; at 92–99 Agility, you can earn up to 990,000 coins per hour along with 88,200 Agility XP. It’s an efficient option for Agility training with valuable loot as a bonus.
Corrupted Gauntlet
After completing Song of the Elves, the Corrupted Gauntlet becomes one of the highest-earning methods for Ironmen. Expect around 915,000 coins per hour, along with valuable resources like gems, crystal shards, and dragon arrows. This activity is especially efficient if you’re aiming to collect the Bow of Faerdhinen and armor seeds. Once these items are obtained, it’s generally more efficient to switch to other methods.
ZMI Altar with Banked Pure Essence
With 27 Runecrafting, the Raiments of the Eye, a Colossal pouch, and a good supply of pure essence, the ZMI Altar can generate about 1,470,000 coins and 80,000 Runecrafting XP per hour. If you use Daeyalt essence, which is less efficient but requires less attention, the profit is closer to 780,000 coins per hour. This method is best for Ironmen who already have a stockpile of essence from PvM drops or mining.
Three-Tick Gem Mining
Once you have completed Shilo Village and have the Karamja hard diary completed, three-tick gem mining yields about 165,000 coins per hour along with 110,000 Mining XP. Additionally, you’ll bank around 23,000 Crafting XP. For added profit, you can craft diamonds into amulets (u) and alch them, especially useful before reaching 87 Crafting.
Vorkath
After completing Dragon Slayer II, Vorkath is one of the top moneymaking options. With the right setup, you can expect around 1,950,000 coins per hour, alongside 26,000 Slayer XP and various resources, including manta rays, dragon darts, and materials banked for Cooking, Prayer, Crafting, and Fletching. This method is most efficient when done on a Slayer task.
Processing Ores into Platebodies
Processing ores, particularly adamantite and runite, can be incredibly profitable. Turning adamantite ore into platebodies yields around 3,150,000 coins per hour along with 80,000 Smithing XP. Processing runite ore is even more lucrative, earning around 15,774,000 coins per hour and 104,000 Smithing XP. Keep in mind that using all your runite ores may impact your supplies for crafting rune darts later.
Profitable Drops from Killing Monsters
For Ironmen, killing monsters (PvM) is one of the best ways to earn money. Many monsters drop items that can be converted into coins by alching or selling to shops. Here are some of the most valuable PvM drops that we’d recommend you look up:
Adamant, Rune, and Dragon Items: These items can be great for combat, but extras or outdated gear can be alched for good coin. Rune items, in particular, have a solid alch value and are easy to get from mid- and high-level monsters.
High-Level Runes: Runes like blood, death, and nature are valuable drops that you can sell to Ali Morrisane in Al Kharid if you don’t need them. But be careful—these runes are useful for spells, so don’t sell them unless you’re sure you won’t need them later.
Dragonhide Bodies and Battlestaves: Collect dragonhides and battlestaves to craft items like dragonhide bodies, which have a high alch value. This is especially helpful if you’re farming dragons or getting battlestaves from Slayer tasks.
Rune and Dragon Javelin Heads: These may not be the main way to make money, but you can still craft them into javelins and alch them for some extra coins.
Ores and Bars: Adamantite and runite ores are great for making money. You can smelt them into bars at the Blast Furnace, then turn the bars into platebodies for a solid alch value. This way you can also raise your smithing level.
Saving Money Through Resource Drops
Saving your gold is almost as important as earning them as an ironman. Some skills—like Construction, Fletching, and Smithing—are expensive to train, but certain drops from monsters can help you save on those kinds of costs. For example, gold ores and planks from drops can be used directly for training. You should aim to use “free” resources that you can get through drops and use your coins for things that you may not be able to get through a drop.
Selling to Martin Thwait in the Rogue’s Den
Once you reach 50 Agility and Thieving you can sell items to Martin Thwait in the Rogue's Den for their full High Alchemy value. This is useful for higher-level Ironmen who may not need the extra Magic experience from casting High Alchemy themselves. However, if you’re a low-level player, it’s usually better to alch the items yourself to gain that Magic experience. For high-level players looking for quick cash, selling to Thwait is a pretty simple way to get some money.
Now, with all of this information available to you, we hope that you are able to earn the gold you need whilst playing Ironman mode in OSRS! Remember once again to bookmark this page and revisit as your journey progresses.
Best of luck!
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