OSRS Cheap Prayer Training Guide for 2025

Prayer is one of the most valuable skills in Old School RuneScape (OSRS), offering combat buffs like protection prayers and stat boosts that make PvM and PvP easier. However, it’s also one of the most expensive skills to train, often costing millions of GP to reach level 99. If you’re looking to train Prayer on a budget, this guide covers the cheapest methods to level up efficiently without breaking the bank. Whether you’re a free-to-play (F2P) player, pay-to-play (P2P), or an Ironman, you’ll find practical strategies to hit your Prayer goals in 2025.

Training Prayer can drain your GP fast if you rely on high-end methods like offering superior dragon bones at a gilded altar. For players with limited funds, finding cost-effective alternatives is key. Cheap Prayer training methods help you:

• Save GP for other skills or gear.
• Progress efficiently as an Ironman or F2P player.
• Unlock essential prayers like Protect from Melee (level 43) or Piety (level 70) without overspending.

Below, we dive into the best low-cost Prayer training methods, from questing to passive training, tailored for different account types.

Start with Prayer Experience from Quests

Quests are a fantastic way to kickstart your Prayer training for free, especially for low-level players or Ironmen who can’t buy bones in bulk. Completing quests with Prayer rewards skips early levels, saving you time and GP.

Recommended Quests for Prayer XP

Here are some low-requirement quests that grant Prayer experience:

• The Restless Ghost: Rewards 1,125 XP, boosting you to level 9 instantly. No requirements, perfect for new accounts.
• Priest in Peril: Grants 1,406 XP. Requires minimal combat stats and unlocks Morytania.
• Recruitment Drive: Gives 1,000 XP. Needs completion of Druidic Ritual and Black Knights’ Fortress.
• Holy Grail: Offers 11,000 XP, enough to jump to level 30 with other quests. Requires 20 Attack and Merlin’s Crystal.
• Spirits of the Elid: Provides 8,000 XP but has higher requirements (37 Magic, 33 Ranged, 37 Mining).

Completing The Restless Ghost, Priest in Peril, Recruitment Drive, and Holy Grail gives a total of 14,531 XP, taking you from level 1 to 30 without spending a single GP. For Ironmen, this is a must-do before grinding bones.

Tips for Questing

• Prioritize quests with minimal requirements first, like The Restless Ghost.
• Use quest guides from the OSRS Wiki to speed through objectives.
• Save XP lamps from other quests (e.g., Rag and Bone Man) for Prayer if possible.

Free-to-Play Cheap Prayer Training Methods

F2P Prayer training is notoriously slow and expensive due to limited methods and low XP rates. However, there are ways to minimize costs while still making progress.

Burying Bones from Combat

The cheapest F2P method is collecting and burying bones from monsters you kill while training combat. This is slow but costs nothing except time.

• Monsters to Farm: Kill chickens (Lumbridge), cows (Cowfield), or goblins (east of Lumbridge) for regular bones (4.5 XP each).
• Big Bones Option: Hill giants in Edgeville Dungeon drop big bones (15 XP each). They require 20+ combat but are great for slightly faster XP.
• Tip: Train Slayer or combat alongside Prayer to make this method feel less grindy.

Expect around 10,000–15,000 XP per hour if you’re efficient, depending on your combat level and monster choice.

Bone Yard in the Wilderness

The Bone Yard, located north of Varrock in the Wilderness, is a hidden gem for F2P players. It spawns regular bones and occasional big bones for free.

• How It Works: Pick up bones, bury them, and repeat. World-hop to refresh spawns.
• Risks: Level 20–25 skeletons and PKers can attack. Bring cheap gear and food.
• Pro Tip: Wait 10 minutes in a safe spot to stop skeleton aggression, then bury bones without interruption.

This method yields about 13,000 XP per hour with regular bones, slightly more if you get big bones. It’s ideal for players with no GP to spare.

Ruins of Camdozaal Altar

After completing the Below Ice Mountain quest, you can train Prayer at the Ruins of Camdozaal by offering prepared fish at the altar. This is less click-intensive than burying bones.

• Requirements: Level 7 Fishing and Cooking (33 Fishing for tetra fish, the best XP).
• Process: Catch fish with a small net, prepare them with a knife at the table, and offer them at the altar.
• XP Rates: Around 2,500–2,700 XP per hour with tetra fish. Slow but semi-AFK.

This method is best for players who want a relaxed, no-cost training option, though XP rates are low compared to burying bones.

Pay-to-Play Budget Prayer Training Methods

P2P players have access to more efficient and cheaper Prayer training methods, especially with altars and unique mechanics. Here’s how to level up without spending millions.

Ensouled Heads for Low-Cost XP

Reanimating ensouled heads using the Arceuus spellbook is one of the cheapest P2P methods, offering decent XP while training Magic and combat simultaneously.

• Requirements: 60% Arceuus favor (easy to get), Magic level for reanimation spells (e.g., 16 Magic for goblin heads, 93 for dragon heads).
• How It Works: Buy ensouled heads from the Grand Exchange, teleport to the Dark Altar (fairy ring code CIS), reanimate heads, and kill them for Prayer XP.
• Cost and XP: Ensouled bloodveld heads cost around 1,000 GP each and give 1,040 XP (about 1 GP/XP). Expect 145,000–180,000 XP per hour at higher combat levels.

Table: Ensouled Heads Cost vs. XP

Head Type	Magic Level	XP per Head	Approx. Cost (GP)	GP/XP
Goblin	16	130	250	1.92
Bloodveld	65	1,040	1,000	0.96
Dragon	93	1,560	4,000	2.56

Tip: Use a dwarf multi-cannon to speed up kills and place buy orders for heads overnight due to low trade volumes.

Chaos Altar in the Wilderness

The Chaos Altar in level 38 Wilderness offers the same XP as a gilded altar (350% per bone) but with a 50% chance to save the bone, effectively doubling your inventory’s value.

• Setup: Use cheap bones like wyrmling bones (73.5 XP at altar, ~300 GP each) or dragon bones (~1,000 GP each). Teleport with a burning amulet to Lava Maze and run southwest.
• XP Rates: Up to 200,000–300,000 XP per hour with dragon bones, but expect interruptions from PKers.
• Safety Tips: Bring only 100–200 bones per trip, wear cheap gear, and use Protect from Magic. Suicide at Chaos Fanatic to return to Lumbridge if low on bones.

This method is riskier but can save 50% on bone costs compared to gilded altars, making it ideal for budget-conscious players.

Ectofuntus for Maximum Efficiency

The Ectofuntus near Port Phasmatys gives 400% XP per bone, the highest guaranteed multiplier in OSRS, and is much cheaper than gilded altars.

• Requirements: Priest in Peril quest (Ghosts Ahoy and Morytania Diaries help).
• Process: Grind bones into bonemeal, collect slime, and offer at the Ectofuntus. Use teleportation items (e.g., ectophial) to bank faster.
• XP Rates: Around 250,000 XP per hour with dragon bones, but it’s slower due to grinding and banking.

Tip: Complete the Morytania Diaries for daily slime buckets and faster XP. Use wyrmling bones for the best GP/XP ratio.

Ironman Prayer Training Tips

Ironmen can’t buy bones from the Grand Exchange, so they rely on drops, quests, and altars to train Prayer efficiently.

Best Bone Sources

• Forthos Dungeon: Red dragons drop baby dragon bones (30 XP when buried, 105 XP at altars). Great for low-level Ironmen.
• Slayer Tasks: Abyssal demons drop ashes for demonic offering spells, granting passive Prayer XP.
• Bone Shards in Varlamore: At the Teomat altar, offer blessed bone shards with wine for 290–340 XP per dragon bone. Requires Varlamore access and level 30 Prayer.

Passive Training with Bonecrusher

The bonecrusher (from Morytania Diaries or bought with ecto-tokens) auto-buries bones from monster kills, giving half the XP (or full XP with elite Morytania Diary).

• Best Use: Grind Slayer or train at Nightmare Zone for bones while earning Prayer XP.
• XP Rates: Varies, but expect 5,000–10,000 XP per hour passively.

Final Tips for Cheap Prayer Training

To maximize your budget Prayer training, keep these in mind:

• Use RuneLite Plugins: Menu Entry Swapper prevents accidental bone burying, and Player Indicators help spot PKers at the Chaos Altar.
• Balance Cost and Speed: Wyrmling bones or ensouled bloodveld heads offer the best GP/XP ratio for P2P players.
• Plan Your Goals: Aim for milestones like 43 (protection prayers), 70 (Piety), or 77 (all prayers) instead of rushing to 99.

With these methods, you can train Prayer efficiently in OSRS without spending a fortune. Quest early, leverage altars like the Ectofuntus or Chaos Altar, and consider passive methods for Ironmen. Happy training, and may your Prayer points never run dry!