OSRS Prayer Guide: Level Up Fast & Effectively in 2024

Guide Contents

How Prayer Works

Prayer Training Methods Overview

Cost and XP Comparison of Prayer Methods

Bone Shards: The New Varlamore Method

Gilded Altars: The Classic Fast Method

Chaos Altar: High Risk, High Reward Prayer Training

Ensouled Heads: A Cheaper Alternative

Offering Spells: High Level Magic & Prayer Training

Passive Prayer Training Methods

Ironman Prayer Training Guide

Free-to-Play (F2P) Prayer Training

This comprehensive Old School RuneScape (OSRS) Prayer guide will walk you through the most effective methods to train Prayer from level 1 to 99. We’ll compare the XP rates, costs, and requirements of each technique, including the latest additions from Varlamore, ensuring you can choose the best strategy for your goals and budget. Whether you are aiming for protection prayers at level 43 or unlocking all prayers at level 77, or even maxing out at level 99, this guide has you covered.

How Prayer Works

Prayer is a vital skill in OSRS, directly influencing your combat prowess and resource sustain. For every 8 Prayer levels you gain, your combat level increases by 1, meaning achieving level 99 Prayer boosts your combat level by a significant 12 levels. Beyond combat levels, a higher Prayer level enhances the effectiveness of prayer restoration from potions.

For example, Prayer potions restore 25% of your current Prayer level plus an additional 7 points. Furthermore, Prayer bonus, obtained from certain gear and weapons, dramatically affects prayer drain rate. Every 30 points of Prayer bonus you accumulate halves your prayer drain, effectively doubling the duration of your prayers.

Prayer Training Methods Overview

For main accounts in OSRS, there are six primary and effective prayer training methods available. These range in cost, XP rate, and activity level, allowing you to choose based on your preferences. The main methods include:

• Bone Shards: A new method introduced with Varlamore, offering a safe and moderately fast training option.
• Gilded Altars: A classic and highly efficient method utilizing player-owned houses for rapid XP gains.
• Chaos Altar: Located in the Wilderness, this altar offers a cost-effective approach with a bone-saving effect, albeit with inherent risks.
• Ensouled Heads: Reanimating ensouled heads provides a balance of cost and experience, making it a viable mid-range option.
• Offering Spells: High-level magic spells that consume bones or ashes for prayer XP, offering a fast but rune-intensive method.
• Passive Methods: Incorporating prayer training into other activities like Slayer or Woodcutting for supplementary XP.

Ironman accounts have additional considerations and methods, especially at lower levels. The bone shards method is particularly valuable for Ironmen due to its safety and reasonable XP rates. Methods like the Ectofuntus and training within the Forthos Dungeon become more relevant for self-sufficient accounts.

Free-to-play (F2P) players have more limited options, with the most efficient being a combination of burying bones and scattering ashes simultaneously.

Cost and XP Comparison of Prayer Methods

The following table provides a general comparison of popular prayer training methods, highlighting the XP rates and associated costs. Keep in mind that item prices in OSRS fluctuate, so these figures are estimates. For the most up-to-date costs, utilize online OSRS calculators that track Grand Exchange prices.

Superior dragon bones offer the highest XP per hour, but require level 70 Prayer to use. Bone shards, created from regular bones, can surprisingly provide more XP per bone than using them directly at a Gilded Altar, especially when considering the time to acquire bones.

The Chaos Altar stands out as a cheaper option due to its 50% bone-saving effect. However, achieving the listed XP rates requires efficient banking and minimizing Wilderness risk. Offering spells are most effective when using ashes, as bones are generally better utilized at altars for training.

For real-time pricing updates on prayer training methods, consider using online OSRS prayer calculators, such as the one available on theoatrix.net. These tools dynamically update costs based on Grand Exchange prices.

In the F2P environment, burying big bones while scattering vile ashes provides around 100k XP per hour. However, reaching level 99 prayer this way will be very expensive, costing approximately 180 million gold and taking a significant amount of time.

Bone Shards: The New Varlamore Method

Bone shards are a recent addition to OSRS, introduced with the Varlamore expansion. This method offers a unique and relatively safe way to train Prayer, particularly appealing to Ironman accounts and players seeking a less click-intensive approach compared to altars.

To access this method, you must complete the Children of the Sun quest to enter Varlamore. Completing Twilight’s Promise enhances the method’s speed, and Perilous Moons unlocks the ability to mine bone shards directly, though this is optional.

Bone shards can be obtained in several ways:

• Mining: Mining bone shard deposits in Varlamore can yield up to 45,000 Mining XP per hour while gathering shards.
• Varlamore Activities: Participating in various activities within Varlamore can reward bone shards.
• Chiseling Blessed Bones: Using a chisel on blessed bones converts them into bone shards. Blessed bones are created by blessing regular bones at the temple in Ralo’s Rise.

The number of shards obtained from chiseling scales with the bone type, with superior dragon bones yielding the most shards. An NPC near the blessing temple can un-note bones for convenience.

Once you have bone shards, you need to bless jugs of wine at the same temple in Ralo’s Rise. Optionally, you can create Sunfire wines using Sunfire shards for a small bonus to prayer experience.

With blessed wine and bone shards in your inventory, proceed to the northernmost house in Ralo’s Rise and interact with the Libation bowl. You can AFK this process or spam-click the bowl for the fastest XP rates.

This method can achieve over 1 million Prayer XP per hour, although this doesn’t factor in the time spent acquiring bone shards. Considering mining time at level 99 Mining, you can expect 45-50k Mining XP per hour alongside bone shards, resulting in a combined Prayer XP rate of 20-30k per hour depending on the wine type used.

You need level 30 Prayer to utilize the Libation bowl. For levels 1-30, consider starting with other methods outlined in this guide.

Gilded Altars: The Classic Fast Method

Gilded altars remain one of the fastest and most popular methods for Prayer training in OSRS. This method involves offering bones on a gilded altar located in a player-owned house (POH), ideally with two incense burners lit to maximize the XP multiplier.

Using bones on a gilded altar provides 3.5 times the base prayer experience compared to burying them. While you can build a gilded altar in your own POH at level 75 Construction, it’s generally more efficient to use altars in public player houses.

World 330 is the designated POH world, where players commonly open their houses with gilded altars for public use. This is advantageous as house owners or other players often keep the incense burners lit.

Gilded Altar Training Walkthrough:

1. Bone Selection and Purchase: Decide which bones to use based on your budget and desired XP rate. Dragon bones and wyvern bones are popular choices for their balance of cost and XP. Purchase bones in bulk from the Grand Exchange.

   Refer to the bone quantities table in the “Cost & XP Comparison” section to determine how many bones you need for your target level (43, 77, or 99).

2. Inventory Setup: Withdraw bones noted, along with approximately 50,000 coins for un-noting fees and a teleport to Rimmington (e.g., Amulet of Glory).

3. World 330 and Rimmington: Hop to World 330 and teleport to Rimmington. Un-note your bones with Phials, the NPC in the general store.

4. Entering a POH: Locate the house portal near Phials and click “View House Advertisement”. Select a house with a ‘Y’ in the gilded altar column.

5. Offering Bones: Inside the POH, navigate to the altar room and use a bone on the gilded altar. Your character will automatically continue offering bones. Utilize the RuneLite Menu Entry Swapper plugin to set “Use” as the left-click option for bones, improving efficiency.

6. 1-Tick Prayer (Optional): For maximum XP rates, use the 1-tick prayer method. Enable the RuneLite Entity Hider plugin to hide other players and NPCs, reducing visual clutter.

   In resizable modern mode, hold ALT, drag your inventory over the altar, press your inventory hotkey, and repeatedly left-click to quickly use all bones.

7. Repeat: Once you’ve used all your bones, exit the POH via the portal, run back to Phials, un-note more bones, and repeat the process. Re-enter the last house by right-clicking the house advertisement object and selecting “Visit Last”.

8. Bone Runners (Maximum Efficiency): For the absolute fastest XP, consider hiring bone runners. They will fetch noted bones while you continuously offer bones at the altar. However, this significantly increases the cost and is generally unnecessary as gilded altar training is already very rapid.

Chaos Altar: High Risk, High Reward Prayer Training

The Chaos Altar, located in level 38 Wilderness, offers a compelling alternative to gilded altars. It provides the same 3.5x prayer XP multiplier but with a significant 50% chance of saving bones, effectively halving the training cost. However, the Wilderness location introduces the risk of player-killers (PKers).

While risky, training at the Chaos Altar can be made relatively safe with proper preparation and techniques.

Chaos Altar Training Guide (Safe Method):

1. Bone Preparation: Purchase the required bones. The bone quantity table in the “Cost & XP Comparison” section can guide your purchases, but remember that bone saving will reduce the actual number needed.

2. Teleportation and Gear: Bring a teleport method to the Chaos Altar, such as Burning Amulets or Ghorrock Teleport tablets. For faster banking trips, bring an Enchanted Symbol from the Mage Arena 2 mini-quest to quickly lower your health for death teleports.

3. Inventory Setup: Withdraw one Burning Amulet or Ghorrock teleport and a full inventory of un-noted bones.

4. Travel to Chaos Altar: Teleport to the Lava Maze using the Burning Amulet and run west, then slightly south to reach the Chaos Altar.

5. Offering Bones and 1-Tick Prayer: Use bones on the altar. 1-tick prayer is highly recommended here to maximize efficiency and process bones quickly, minimizing Wilderness exposure time.

6. Safe Banking (Death Teleport): After using all bones, spam-click the Enchanted Symbol to quickly die and teleport back to your respawn point (Lumbridge, Edgeville, or Camelot).

   Alternatively, without the symbol, click the wine jug near the altar to lower your health and then die to Chaos Fanatic or another NPC.

7. Repeat: Bank, restock bones and teleports, and repeat the process.

Risky Noted Bones Method (Higher XP, Higher Risk): Some players bring noted bones and un-note them just outside the altar for slightly faster XP, comparable to using bone runners at gilded altars. However, this method is considerably more dangerous due to increased exposure to PKers. The safe method described above is generally recommended for most players.

Ensouled Heads: A Cheaper Alternative

Reanimating ensouled heads using Arceuus spells provides a cost-effective method to train prayer. While slightly slower than gilded altars or chaos altar in terms of XP per hour, it is significantly cheaper and offers magic XP simultaneously.

Since Arceuus favor is no longer required, players can access the Arceuus spellbook immediately after Tutorial Island by speaking to Tyss in Lumbridge. The only requirement is the necessary magic level to cast the reanimation spells.

Ensouled Heads Training Guide:

1. Acquire Ensouled Heads: Purchase ensouled heads from the Grand Exchange. Due to their lower trade volume, consider placing overnight buy orders at market price to ensure you acquire them efficiently.

   Refer to the ensouled head quantities table for the number of heads needed for your target prayer level.

2. Runes and Spell Selection: Gather the runes required for the reanimation spells. The specific spell depends on the type of ensouled head you are using.

3. Combat Gear: Equip combat gear to kill the reanimated monsters efficiently. A dwarf multi-cannon can significantly speed up kill times, especially when training with multiple heads.

4. Bank Teleport: Bring a teleport method to a bank for quick restocking.

5. Location: Dark Altar: Travel to the Dark Altar in the Arceuus House on Zeah with a full inventory of ensouled heads. Use an Arceuus Library teleport or the C-I-S fairy ring code for quick access.

6. Reanimation and Combat: Cast the appropriate reanimation spell and click on an ensouled head to reanimate it at the Dark Altar. Defeat the spawned monster for a significant prayer XP reward.

7. Repeat: Continue reanimating and defeating ensouled heads until your inventory is empty. Teleport to a bank, restock heads, teleport back to Arceuus, and repeat the process.

Offering Spells: High Level Magic & Prayer Training

After completing the Kingdom Divided quest, players gain access to the Demonic and Sinister Offering spells. These high-level magic spells consume 3 bones or ashes at once and grant 3x the regular prayer experience, making them a very fast method for those with high Magic levels and sufficient runes.

Demonic Offering is used with ashes, while Sinister Offering is for bones. These spells require level 84 and 92 Magic respectively, making them late-game training methods.

Offering Spells Training Guide:

1. Bone or Ash Acquisition: Obtain bones or ashes. Infernal ashes are recommended for the highest XP rates with Demonic Offering. Purchase in bulk, considering overnight buy orders for large quantities.

2. Runes and Rune Pouch: Gather the necessary runes for your chosen offering spell. Using a rune pouch to store runes is highly recommended for inventory efficiency.

3. Casting Spells: With a full inventory of bones or ashes, simply cast the Demonic or Sinister Offering spell. Each cast consumes 3 items and grants both Prayer and Magic XP. There is a 4.8-second cooldown between casts.

4. Repeat: Continue casting until your inventory is empty, then bank and repeat.

Offering spells are most effective when using ashes, particularly infernal ashes. Bones are generally better used at gilded altars for faster XP if you are willing to actively 1-tick. However, with infernal ashes, Demonic Offering can reach around 590k XP per hour at a cost of approximately 12 GP per XP, which is cheaper than dragon bones at a gilded altar.

Passive Prayer Training Methods

For players seeking to train Prayer incidentally while engaging in other activities, several passive methods offer supplementary XP gains.

1. Ectoplasmator: Earned as a reward from the Soul Wars minigame, the Ectoplasmator grants prayer XP when killing spectral creatures like Aberrant Spectres, Ankous, and Barrows Brothers. While not a primary training method, it adds passive XP while slaying these monsters.

2. Bonecrusher: Obtained after completing the Hard Morytania Diary, the Bonecrusher automatically crushes bones dropped by monsters, granting half the prayer XP you would normally receive from burying them. It’s highly beneficial for Slayer training.

   Combining the Bonecrusher with the Dragonbone necklace restores prayer points while crushing bones, particularly useful during activities like chinning or bursting maniacal monkeys.

3. Ash Sanctifier: A reward from the Hard Kourend Diary, the Ash Sanctifier automatically grants prayer XP from monsters that drop ashes, awarding half the XP of manually scattering them.

4. On-the-Spot Ensouled Heads: If a monster drops an ensouled head, you can reanimate it immediately for prayer XP without needing to visit the Dark Altar. This is a convenient passive method during Slayer tasks.

5. God Eggs: Obtained from birdhouses and woodcutting bird nests, God eggs can be exchanged at the Woodcutting Guild shrine for prayer XP and bird nests. Each God egg grants 100 prayer XP, offering a minor passive XP source.

Ironman Prayer Training Guide

For Ironman accounts, prayer training often involves a greater emphasis on self-sufficiency and resource gathering. Questing is a valuable early-game strategy to quickly gain prayer levels.

Completing quests with low requirements, such as The Restless Ghost and Priest in Peril, can efficiently boost your prayer level from 1 to 30 early in your Ironman journey.

Beyond questing, low-level Ironman prayer training methods include:

• Bone Shards: As mentioned, a safe and viable method, especially for Hardcore Ironmen.
• Chaos Altar: Offers fast XP but carries Wilderness risk.
• Forthos Dungeon: Provides a safe and self-contained training area, especially for Ultimate Ironmen, with red dragons and an altar.
• Ectofuntus: A safe method to utilize collected bones, albeit slower XP rates.

Higher-level Ironmen can build a gilded altar in their POH at level 75 Construction. Offering spells and the Fountain of Rune for rune access become relevant for high-level magic and prayer training.

However, much of Ironman prayer training revolves around efficiently collecting bones. Early on, safe-spotting blue dragons in Taverley Dungeon is a reliable source of dragon bones.

Red dragons in the Forthos Dungeon are also safe-spottable and conveniently located near an altar for bone usage.

As you progress your combat skills and Slayer level, you’ll naturally accumulate ensouled heads, bones, and ashes from Slayer tasks, providing a steady supply for prayer training.

Later-game Ironman bone sources include Myths Guild dragons (post-Dragon Slayer 2), Wilderness green dragons, and boss drops from Zulrah, Cerberus, Vorkath, Alchemical Hydra, and Dagannoth Kings, all of which provide noted bones and high-XP bones.

Free-to-Play (F2P) Prayer Training

Prayer training in free-to-play OSRS is notably more challenging and expensive due to limited methods and resources. F2P prayer training is both costly and click-intensive, with slower XP rates compared to members’ methods.

The fastest F2P method is burying big bones while simultaneously scattering vile ashes. Combining these actions maximizes XP per hour in the F2P environment.

Reaching level 99 Prayer in F2P using this method will take over 110 hours and cost approximately 180 million gold. Given these constraints, obtaining membership is often the most practical and efficient route for serious prayer training in OSRS.

Thank you for reading this comprehensive 1-99 OSRS Prayer Guide. We hope you found this guide helpful and informative. For any questions or further discussion, join the Theoatrix friend chat in-game. Happy ‘Scaping!