Players love challenges, and one of the toughest challenges one can face in OSRS is maintaining an Ironman Account. That requires the player to be entirely self-sufficient. Ironman accounts can’t trade with other players or use the Grand Exchange. They can’t even ask for help or be given aid during combat. On top of that, they have to find other ways to earn OSRS gold.
Hardcore Ironmen step it up by only having one life. They get downgraded into normal Ironman status after death. Ultimate Ironmen take a different step up by restricting the use of banks, and some further restrictions.
Sound’s hard, right? So here are tips on surviving Ironman Mode on OSRS.
Start With Quests
Picking the correct quests can launch you in a better position to start skilling or open up travel opportunities. For example, you can do the Waterfall Quest and The Feud to get an Adamant Scimitar for training combat skills. There’s also Fairytales I and II which unlock the use of Fairy Rings.
You’d want to do those quests that unlock skills and transportation options. That can ease up your future endeavors and give you more opportunities to level up.
Do Barbarian Fishing
Aside from Fishing, you get passive amounts of Strength and Agility XP with this activity. If you further process the fish with a knife, you get some Cooking XP as well. That’s four kinds of skill XP you can get in one activity!
Be warned that this can get boring. You’ll only be able to max out Fishing, as the XP gains for the other skills are too small to be a viable way to 99. Afterward, you can use your high Agility to run the Rooftop Courses for a Graceful Outfit. It’s an important piece of equipment to make use of your run energy efficiently.
Do Manage Miscellania Everyday
After finishing the quest Throne of Miscellania, you get the chance to manage your kingdom. You’ll have to pay your subjects to do your bidding, but the resources you can get from their labor are worth it. Herbs, fish, coal, and wood can be quite profitable and it doesn’t take much effort for you.
You do have to keep your approval ratings up so you can get the most rewards. The system calculates the resources you gain every day. Keep the coffers full and approval high, and you can reap the most benefits every day. You should have a consistent source of OSRS gold selling stuff or by using the High Alchemy spell first, though.
Find a Money-Making Scheme
You can spend your OSRS gold buying from NPCs, but you can’t buy from the GE or trade with other players. This makes the usual OSRS money-making methods unavailable for Ironmen. The only ways left are to use High Alchemy or crafting and item collection.
For the former, you should train up your Magic first. It’s something you should also do as a priority for all the teleportation spells you can learn. Crafting also levels up the relevant skills, so you’re always hitting two birds with one stone.
Run the Agility Pyramid
Running the Agility Pyramid not only raises your Agility level but also fills your wallet. You have to go through five layers of the pyramid to get to the top. Failing an obstacle sends you back one layer. You can get to the top about 26 max per hour. With each Pyramid top worth 10k OSRS gold, getting 26 runs in an hour gives you 260k gold.
You can run the pyramid at level 30 Agility, though you’ll still fail obstacles often. Only when you’re about 75 Agility will you get a 100% success rate. You can get an average of 100k-200k gold per hour at lower levels, depending on luck and Agility level.
Differences with Hardcore and Ultimate Ironmen
Of course, Hardcore Ironmen should be cautious of their one life. They have different priorities. For example, raising Hit points and other combat-related skills first. Other than that, these tips can apply to Hardcore as well. Just put your focus on Hit points first so you can survive while out exploring.
For Ultimate Ironmen, your priority is making a plan. The restrictions on banking and your small inventory space call for it. You can’t switch training different skills too often because of it. Stick to one crafting skill to train. Have all you need in your inventory and then use it all up in crafting. Rinse and repeat.
Combat also needs to be planned. You can’t have too many equipment sets in your bag, else you can’t loot anything. Ultimate Ironmen need to work around their limited inventory in addition to the usual Ironman challenges.
How to Get an Ironman Account or Downgrade Your Account to Standard
Before leaving the Tutorial Island, talk to the Ironman Tutor to activate this mode. You can pick which mode (Regular, Hardcore, Ultimate) at this point. When you’ve teleported outside of the island, you’ve missed the option to become an Ironman account.
Talk to Adam at Lumbridge to downgrade your account. Ironman accounts can become Standard ones, while Ultimate and Hardcore can become regular Ironman or a Standard account. This change is permanent and there is no option to go back to the previous status. There’s a 7-day delay wherein you can still change your mind, or in case your account was hijacked. However, there’s no going back once it goes through.
Lastly, there’s a 1,000 total skill level requirement to remove the option to change into a Standard account permanently.
And that’s all of the tips and tricks you need to know to survive as an OSRS Ironman. Gather your resources and earn that OSRS gold. Enjoy the challenges of being self-sufficient in the world of Gielinor. Don’t give up, Ironman!