Runecrafting
Turns rune essence into 13 rune types at altars, from air runes at level 1 to wrath runes at 95, with dedicated wrath ruins.
Runecrafting makes the runes magic runs on, from the air runes behind a first spell to the blood, death and wrath runes behind the endgame spellbook. Every rune in the world is crafted by a player at one of thirteen altars, which makes this the skill that quietly sets the price of casting. Rune Mysteries unlocks it, and until that quest is done an altar will not answer you at all.
Level 1 to 120
The loop never changes: mine rune essence in the Rune Essence Mine, carry it to an altar, click. XP is paid per essence and not per rune, so the only thing that matters is reaching the highest altar you can, air 5 through to wrath 100. Your level does not change XP at all; it changes how many runes each essence becomes, from one at the start to as many as eighteen at 120.
- Air, mind and water runes 1 to 9
Aubury in Varrock, Sedridor in the Wizards' Tower and Wizard Cromperty in Ardougne all teleport you to the essence mine once Rune Mysteries is done. Air is 5 XP an essence, mind 8 from level 2, water 11 from level 5 near Lumbridge Swamp.
- Earth, fire and body runes 9 to 28
Earth is 14 XP from level 9 at the altar by the Lumber Yard outside Varrock, fire 18 from 14 near the Al Kharid mine, body 25 from 20 just outside Barbarian Village. Each step up is worth taking the moment you qualify.
- Chaos runes 28 to 41
33 XP an essence at the altar in the shallow Wilderness near the Dark Warriors' Fortress, on single combat ground. Cosmic runes in Zanaris open at 27 for 31 XP and are the safe alternative, but only once Lost City is finished.
- Nature and law runes 41 to 65
Nature is 49 XP an essence from 41, on Karamja by the volcano south of Brimhaven. Law is 56 XP from 53, on Entrana, and the altar stays shut until Troll Stronghold is done. Both are safe ground and this is where trips start paying properly.
- Death runes 65 to 77
62 XP an essence, but the altar sits deep in the Wilderness past the King Black Dragon's lair and the Forgotten Cemetery, in a multi-combat band. Carry essence and nothing you would miss, and use the Abyss rift rather than walking.
- Blood runes 77 to 95
77 XP an essence at the altar out at Gu'Tanoth, well beyond Yanille. It is the best rate you can get on safe ground and the longest single band in the skill.
- Wrath runes 95 to 120
100 XP an essence, twenty times what an air rune pays and about a third more than blood. The ruins near the Myths' Guild only take you down at 95, and there is no Abyss rift for wrath, so every trip is a walk.
The Abyss
Finish Enter the Abyss, which needs Rune Mysteries first, and the Mage of Zamorak out in the Wilderness by the river will drop you into the Abyss. Rifts inside lead straight to twelve of the thirteen altars, everything except wrath, which saves the entire walk. Entering drains your prayer to nothing, and the cosmic and law rifts still want Lost City and Troll Stronghold behind you.
The Dark Mage sits in the middle of the Abyss and repairs worn essence pouches on request, so a lap through is worth it even when you are not crafting.
Essence pouches
Abyssal creatures drop all four: the small pouch at level 1 holds 3 essence, medium at 25 holds 6, large at 50 holds 9, giant at 75 holds 12. Carrying the full set adds thirty essence to every trip, which is thirty extra crafts per run.
Everything above the small pouch wears out with use and stops opening until the Dark Mage repairs it, so check durability before a long session.
Boosts worth having
A runecrafting necklace, made by enchanting an emerald necklace at 27 magic, gives one extra rune for every five essence and lasts 100 charges. The runecrafting cape adds a quarter more runes on every craft. Neither adds XP, only runes, so they are for profit rather than levels.
Worth knowing
- XP is per essence, so a full load at the wrath altar is worth twenty times the same load at air. Never craft at an altar below the best one you can reach.
- The rune multiplier climbs steadily with level: air reaches 18 runes an essence at 120, mind and water 17, earth and fire 16, body 15, while the high altars top out between 4 and 10.
- Essence is mined in the Rune Essence Mine: any pickaxe works, it needs no mining level, and each lump is 3 mining XP. Monsters such as ankous, banshees and abyssal creatures drop it too.
- No quest gives runecrafting XP, so the only way up is essence. Bank a few thousand before a long session rather than mining and crafting in short alternating trips.
The full table
XP is shown wherever it is fixed.
