I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time in Deadman Mode (DMM) lately, and I wanted to share some effective methods I’ve discovered to ensure “safe” deaths and maximize your money making potential in DMM.
Okay, Listen Up!
First things first, let’s be clear: I’m not a PvP pro. I’m far from a tribrid master, my gear switches are clunky, and I simply don’t possess the lightning-fast reflexes needed for high-level PvP fights. But that’s perfectly fine! DMM provides an incredible opportunity for players to engage in critical thinking about Old School RuneScape and employ a different kind of strategic logic to accumulate wealth – a logic that is often irrelevant in the main OSRS game.
DMM Basics: A Quick Overview
The current Deadman Mode (DMM) tournament is a thrilling, month-long event in May. It’s a high-stakes, open-world PvP environment where you can be attacked virtually anywhere by anyone. If you die (unskulled) to a player killer (PKer), you’ll lose everything in your inventory, plus the 10 most valuable item stacks from your bank (this is crucial). Important note: Dying with a skull (meaning you initiated an attack on another player) will result in experience loss in most stats. However, dying without a skull means you never lose experience. Experience rates are boosted by 10x to 15x, making leveling up incredibly fast.
Due to the intense PvP nature of DMM, items valuable for player-versus-player combat are highly sought after. Many players (myself included) are participating in DMM primarily to swap in-game gold – trading DMM GP for OSRS GP. The exchange rates between DMM and main game OSRS can fluctuate wildly, from 1:4 to 1:20, and sometimes even higher. High-value items like Raids weapons, Tridents, Whips, Wilderness weapons, and specific Barrows pieces can easily fetch tens or even hundreds of millions of OSRS GP. For instance, an Ahrim’s Robetop can currently be swapped for approximately 7 million OSRS GP.
My money making strategy in DMM revolves around a few key concepts that are essential for minimizing losses while effectively farming DMM gold for swapping:
#1: Don’t Paint a Target on Your Back
PKers are primarily motivated by profit, plain and simple. Especially in DMM, they are on the lookout for easy targets – lower-level players wearing valuable-looking gear. If you’re running around in full rune armor – rune kiteshield, rune full helm, rune platelegs, and wielding a dragon scimitar – you’re almost guaranteed to be targeted and lose everything. Instead, avoid looking like a lucrative target. If your goal is to accumulate DMM GP for swapping, don’t carry significant DMM wealth on your person when you’re not actively seeking a fight. Even a few rune pieces can be worth around 150k DMM GP, which translates to roughly 700k OSRS GP in swaps.
When I’m running Barrows, for example, I intentionally wear a very unassuming setup: a wizard hat, black d’hide armor, and a power amulet. I aim to look like I have practically nothing of value. Meanwhile, there are typically 3-6 other players at Barrows, and they are almost always decked out in rune, dragon, or even Barrows armor. When PKers inevitably show up, who do you think they’ll target first? Nine times out of ten, it’s not going to be the player who looks like they have nothing to lose – me.
#2: Smart Wealth Management: Disperse and Devalue
This is absolutely critical for making consistent money in DMM while minimizing risk. As mentioned earlier, when you’re killed by a PKer without a skull, you lose your entire inventory and the 10 most valuable stacks from your bank. Utilizing the ‘items lost on death’ interface is essential. This feature allows you to preview exactly what you would lose in various death scenarios: a Player-versus-Monster (PvM) death, an unskulled death to a PKer, and skulled deaths. Naturally, keeping a large cash stack in your bank is a recipe for disaster – it will always be among the first items lost if you are PKed. This is why strategic wealth dispersal and devaluing your bank’s top 10 lost items is paramount. When executed correctly, you can survive a PKer encounter and lose almost nothing of real value.
In the screenshot below, you can see an example of what I would lose if killed by a PKer in DMM in a typical scenario.
At first glance, it might not seem like much is at stake. However, in the context of DMM, these are essential resources for continued progress. Slayer’s staff, death runes, cash, food, and potions – these are the supplies I need to keep making money in DMM. Losing them consistently would be a significant setback.
Junk Items: Your Secret Weapon
Potions are readily available from the Bounty Hunter Emblem Trader in DMM, making certain potion ingredients surprisingly cheap. Items like ranarr and snapdragon (seeds and herbs), limpwurt roots, and unfinished potions are extremely inexpensive on the DMM Grand Exchange (GE). However, these “junk” items still retain their associated Grand Exchange value from the main OSRS game for the ‘items lost on death’ calculation. Many of these items were obtained as unique DMM drops from Barrows brothers and other NPCs, while others were purchased cheaply on the DMM GE for around 1k-2k DMM GP each. In the scenario depicted, the most valuable losses would be just 5 prayer potions and 3 sanfew serums – worth only about 10k DMM GP in total.
By strategically adding these “junk” items to my bank, here’s what will now be protected and stay in my bank if I am killed by a PKer.
This is a game-changer. Simply by filling your bank with stacks of inexpensive “junk” items, you can significantly reduce or even completely eliminate the loss of valuable wealth and moneymaking supplies from your bank when you inevitably encounter a PKer.
Beyond junk items, there are two other crucial methods for safely storing your wealth in DMM:
– Bounty Hunter Emblem Trader: Located just north of the Edgeville bank. In DMM, players can receive “archaic emblem” drops from certain NPCs. These emblems can be traded to the Bounty Hunter Trader for BH points. You can use these points to purchase weapons, armor, ammunition, potions, and other essential supplies. Critically, any Bounty Hunter points stored with the Trader are completely safe and are never lost upon death. By accumulating 1.5 million Bounty Hunter Points, I effectively store around 300k DMM GP worth of value with the Trader, which translates to approximately 1.4 million OSRS GP in swap value. This wealth is completely secure.
– Safe Deposit Box: The Safe Deposit Box is arguably the most vital tool for consistently building your DMM wealth. It allows you to securely store up to 10 items, meaning they are permanently protected and will never be lost upon death. You can find a Safe Deposit Box in any major bank – Lumbridge, Varrock, Falador, the Grand Exchange, etc. Simply look for the “Financial Wizard” at the bank booth.
When choosing items to store in your Safe Deposit Box in DMM, prioritize items that meet two key criteria:
- 1: Frequent Demand for PvP/Combat Training: Items that are consistently bought and rebought for player killing or combat training purposes (weapons, armor).
- 2: Relatively Stable DMM GE Price: Items with prices that remain relatively stable within the DMM Grand Exchange. Many items in DMM fluctuate wildly in price daily, making them unsuitable for long-term safe storage.
Based on these criteria, Dragon Scimitars have proven to be excellent items for the safe deposit box. They consistently trade around 60k DMM GP and can also be purchased from the Bounty Hunter trader for 300k Emblem Points.
Once your Safe Deposit Box is full of Dragon Scimitars, the next step is to identify higher-value items with relatively stable prices to maximize the value stored per slot, as you are limited to only 10 slots. Dragon Platelegs and Dragon Plateskirts are solid choices, typically ranging between 180k-200k DMM GP each.
#3: Constant Vigilance and Preparedness
Being in an open PvP game mode means you are potentially vulnerable to attack anytime you are outside of a designated safe zone, such as major cities or banks. Whenever you venture outside of a safe zone in DMM, you must always be prepared to fight, tank damage, and escape if necessary.
Preparation is Key:
- Always carry food. Always. Even if you’re just making a quick trip to Edgeville and back.
- It’s wise to carry at least 1-2 stamina potions and 1-2 prayer potions when you are outside of safe zones. These can be life-savers.
- It is always a good idea to keep a teleport to Varrock or Lumbridge readily available. You can’t teleport instantly when in immediate combat, but with a brief 3-4 second gap, you often can. Furthermore, if you are quick enough, you can teleport away preemptively before a PKer even has a chance to attack you.
- As soon as you are able, it’s highly recommended to carry Saradomin brews and Super restore potions on your person for more robust survivability.
- Actively think about potential escape routes in any area you are exploring. Utilize game mechanics to your advantage. For example, in Barrows, entering a brother’s tunnel will almost always provide a safe escape, as a PKer likely won’t be able to follow you immediately.
Maintain Observational Awareness:
- Never even semi-AFK when outside of a safe zone in DMM. Complacency is deadly.
- Constantly monitor your minimap for white dots. White dots represent other players. If you are in a location known to be frequently camped by PKers, keep a finger hovering over your teleport spell and instantly click it if you spot a white dot approaching. Even if the white dot turns out not to be a PKer, a preemptive teleport is a small price to pay compared to the potential cost of rebuilding your supplies after a death.
- Be vigilant for scouts. Scouts are typically lower-level characters with minimal or no equipment who position themselves in dangerous areas to relay information to PKers. They report on who is available to kill, what gear they are wearing, and so on. If you spot a scout, it’s generally a good idea to hop worlds immediately or leave the area entirely.
- Keep an eye on Twitch Streams: Many high-profile OSRS streamers are currently actively PKing in DMM. They frequently camp popular moneymaking locations like Barrows, Raids, Wilderness areas, and anywhere players congregate to farm GP. Periodically checking who is streaming and their location on the map can significantly increase your chances of avoiding unwanted PvP encounters.
If you reach the point where you want to swap your accumulated DMM GP for OSRS GP, exercise extreme caution and DO NOT blindly trust anyone advertising swap services! The DMM swapping scene is rife with scammers. If you need guidance or recommendations for trusted swapping services, feel free to reach out to me. Many members within my community clan chat have successfully used reliable services that are accessible to everyone.
Some of you might be wondering, “But why don’t you just mule all your GP and valuable items to a separate account?” Yes, muling is a viable option and arguably simpler than meticulously managing wealth dispersal and building a safe deposit box system. However, personally, I find my current method more engaging and fun than muling. It forces me to think strategically about every action I take in DMM. It injects a unique strategic element into OSRS gameplay that is generally absent in the main game.
Please don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions or require assistance with DMM. If you’re looking to start fresh in DMM, I’m happy to help you get started with your initial DMM wealth to kickstart your journey. Good luck, try to avoid dying, and if you do die, ensure that all you lose are some cheap seeds and herbs! <3 <3
