How to AFK Nightmare Zone in OSRS: The Ultimate Guide for 2025

How to AFK Nightmare Zone in OSRS: The Ultimate Guide for 2025


If you’re an Old School RuneScape (OSRS) player looking to level up your combat skills with minimal effort, AFK training in the Nightmare Zone (NMZ) is one of the best methods available. Whether you’re aiming to max your melee stats, earn points for imbues, or simply train while multitasking, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about AFKing in Nightmare Zone in 2025. From setup to boss selection, gear, and tips, we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step approach to make your experience as efficient and hands-off as possible.

The Nightmare Zone is a combat-based minigame located just north of Yanille, run by Dominic Onion. It allows players to enter a “dream” where they fight bosses from previously completed quests. It’s a safe minigame—meaning you won’t lose items on death—and it’s perfect for AFK training due to its mechanics, such as absorption potions and customizable boss selection. Players use NMZ to gain combat XP, earn points for rewards like imbued rings or Slayer helmets, and even profit from herb boxes.

Why AFK in Nightmare Zone?

AFKing in NMZ is popular because it offers:

  • Low effort: You can train for up to 20 minutes without touching your screen.
  • High XP rates: Up to 100k+ melee XP per hour with the right setup.
  • Reward points: Earn NMZ points to imbue gear or buy herb boxes.
  • Safety: No risk of losing items, making it stress-free.

Getting Started: Prerequisites for AFK Nightmare Zone

Nightmare Zone Guide AFK OSRS YouTube

Before you can start AFKing in NMZ, you’ll need to meet some basic requirements and prepare your account. Here’s what you need to do:

Quest Requirements

To access NMZ, you must complete at least five quests that unlock bosses. For the best AFK experience, focus on quests with melee-only bosses that lack complex mechanics. Recommended quests include:

The more quests you complete, the more boss options you have, which can increase points and XP efficiency.

Initial Points Run

If it’s your first time in NMZ, you won’t have points to buy absorption potions, which are key to AFK training. Start with a prayer-based setup:

  • Wear Proselyte armor for prayer bonus.
  • Use Protect from Melee prayer.
  • Bring 10-15 prayer potions.
  • Select the bosses above in a Customizable Normal Rumble (22,000 coins).

Aim for 50k-100k points to buy your first batch of absorption potions (1,000 points each).

Best Gear and Inventory Setup for AFK Nightmare Zone

How To AFK Nightmare Zone Without Using Prayer Potions Guide EASY

Once you have points, you can switch to the optimal AFK setup using absorption potions. Here’s how to gear up and pack your inventory:

Recommended Gear

For a budget-friendly, effective AFK setup, use the Obsidian set:

This setup provides a 10% melee accuracy and strength boost from the armor, plus an additional 20% damage boost from the necklace. For higher levels, Bandos armor or a Dharok’s set (with HP at 1) can push XP rates further, but it’s less AFK-friendly.

Inventory Setup

Your inventory is crucial for sustaining long AFK sessions:

  • Absorption potions: Fill 20-24 slots (1,000 absorption points per potion).
  • Super combat potions: 4-5 doses for a 6-hour session.
  • Dwarven rock cake or Locator orb: To lower HP to 1.
  • Optional: 1-2 sharks for emergencies (low-level players).

Avoid overload potions for maximum AFK time, as they heal you by 50 HP every 5 minutes, requiring more interaction.

Step-by-Step Guide to AFK Nightmare Zone

Now that you’re prepared, here’s how to set up and run an AFK session in NMZ:

Step 1: Travel to Nightmare Zone

Use the minigame teleport in the grouping tab for the fastest route. Alternatively, use a Yanille teleport (e.g., Watchtower teleport or fairy ring code CLS).

Step 2: Deposit Coins

Deposit 22,000 coins into the coffer for a Customizable Normal Rumble (12,000 if you have a Quest Cape). This mode is ideal for AFK training due to lower boss difficulty.

Step 3: Select Bosses

Talk to Dominic Onion and choose “Customizable Rumble” (Normal). Select at least five bosses that:

  • Attack with melee only.
  • Are attackable with melee.
  • Have no special mechanics (e.g., no stuns or teleports).

Top picks: Black Demon, Tree Spirit, Count Draynor, Bouncer, Khazard Warlord.

Step 4: Enter the Dream and Set Up

Drink absorption potions to reach 1,000 absorption points. Use the Dwarven rock cake or Locator orb to lower your HP to 1—this ensures bosses can only hit 1, maximizing potion duration. Drink a super combat potion to boost your stats, then start attacking.

Step 5: Go AFK

With this setup, you can AFK for up to 20 minutes before your character stops attacking due to the game’s auto-retaliate timer. Return every 20 minutes to re-engage combat, sip a super combat potion if needed, and top off absorption points if they’re running low.

Tips to Maximize AFK Efficiency and Rewards

To get the most out of your NMZ sessions, consider these advanced tips:

Optimizing XP Rates

For higher XP (up to 100k-105k per hour):

  • Use the Power Surge power-up to restore special attack energy (pair with a Dragon dagger or Granite maul).
  • Avoid Ultimate Force (wipes bosses without XP) and Zapper/Recurrent Damage (no XP boost).
  • Upgrade to Dharok’s set if you have 92+ HP and don’t mind checking in every 5-10 minutes.

Earning More Points

If points are your goal (e.g., for imbues):

  • Switch to Customizable Hard Rumble (26,000 coins) for 250k+ points per hour.
  • Select more bosses to increase spawn rates and point gains.
  • Use all power-ups except Ultimate Force.

Long-Term Sustainability

To sustain AFK sessions for 3-6 hours:

Item Quantity Purpose
Absorption potions 20-24 Damage mitigation
Super combat potions 8-10 Stat boosts for 6 hours
Dwarven rock cake 1 Keep HP at 1

Check back every 20 minutes to avoid logout and maintain absorption levels.

Alternative AFK Method: Guthan’s Setup

For an even more hands-off approach, use Guthan’s armor set:

  • Full Guthan’s: Heals HP equal to damage dealt.
  • Inventory: 8-10 super combat potions, optional sharks.
  • XP: Up to 80k/hr (Defence or Controlled).

This method requires minimal interaction (just re-pot every 15-20 minutes), but it’s less efficient for XP and points compared to absorption setups.

Conclusion: Master AFK Nightmare Zone in OSRS

AFKing in Nightmare Zone is a game-changer for OSRS players who want to train combat skills without constant attention. With the right gear, boss selection, and absorption potion strategy, you can achieve 100k+ XP per hour and rack up points for valuable imbues—all while watching Netflix or working on something else. Start with a prayer run to gather points, then switch to the Obsidian or Guthan’s setup for maximum AFK efficiency. Experiment with Hard mode if points are your priority, and enjoy the grind-free gains in 2025!

Ready to try it out? Head to Yanille, set up your dream, and let the AFK training begin. Happy scaping!