Crushing It in RuneScape 3’s Leagues: CATALYST, Your Guide to Stacking Gold

Hey Scapers! Ready to rake in piles of gold in Gielinor? RuneScape 3’s Leagues: CATALYST kicked off on September 15, 2025, and runs until November 10. This is RS3’s first crack at a limited-time League, a fresh spin on the fast-paced mode that shakes up how you play. In this guide, we’ll dive into how to turn CATALYST into a gold-making machine, perfect for players grinding from New York to London, Toronto to Sydney. With no Grand Exchange or trading, it’s all about smart strategies and powerful relics. Let’s get to it!

What is Leagues: CATALYST? A New Way to Play RS3

Picture starting over in Lumbridge, but with all of Gielinor’s regions wide open. You can teleport to Prifddinas or Menaphos from the start, assuming your skills are up to scratch. Leagues: CATALYST is RS3’s big debut in this 57-day mode. All you need is an active RS3 membership, no extra fees. Just jump into the League worlds and create a fresh character.

The core of CATALYST is all about Tasks and Relics. Tasks, from simple stuff like milking cows to epic battles against Zamorak, earn you League Points. These points unlock relics across seven tiers, each giving you game-changing buffs. XP rates start at 4x and climb to a massive 16x by Tier 7, so leveling is super fast. Here’s the catch: it’s Ironman mode, no Grand Exchange, no player trading, no Treasure Hunter. Gold comes from monster drops, skilling, and high-alching, and it’s key for buying from NPC shops, casting spells, or tackling tasks like donating 100M GP to Richie.

Why grind for gold? It fuels your progress, letting you buy runes from Aubury’s shop, arrows from Lowe, or tools for tasks. Plus, the rewards you earn, like cosmetics, trophies, and overrides, can be sent to your main RS3 account, giving you some serious bragging rights for trading or showing off in the main game.

For global players, the launch went live at 1 PM BST, which is 8 AM EDT for the USA East Coast, 5 AM PDT for the West Coast, and 10 PM AEST for Australia. RS3’s community events and streams often run on UK time, so plan your grind or check Twitch VODs to stay in the loop.

Getting Started: Setup and Early Gold

To dive in, go to the world selector and pick a Leagues world. You’ll hit a quick setup: nominate your main RS3 account for rewards (crucial if you’re using an alt account), create your character’s look (no cosmetic overrides here), and choose between Default or Legacy interface. You’ll land in Lumbridge with The Sage, who walks you through a tutorial. Finish your first task to unlock Tier 1 and grab your starter relic.

Want early gold? Kill goblins or cows for hides and bones, then use High Level Alchemy to turn them into GP. NPC shops like Bob’s Axes in Lumbridge have unlimited stock, so you can grab tools on the cheap. Aim for 10 League Points fast to hit Tier 1. RS3 bonuses, like auto-completed quests (think Cook’s Assistant for 40 Quest Points) and maxed bank space, make early grinding a breeze.

If your membership lapsed, check out the 57-day membership deal, available until September 22, 2025. It covers the whole League at a discount, perfect for long sessions whether you’re in Vancouver or Melbourne.

The CATALYST Economy: Making Gold Without the GE

No trading means gold comes from monster drops, skilling products, and alchs. Monsters drop rares up to 6x more often at higher tiers, and faster spawns let you farm non-stop. Use gold for NPC shops like Aubury for runes or Lowe for arrows, or for tasks like the 100M GP donation. Reddit posts say gold flows easier in CATALYST than in other modes, thanks to passive gathering, but big tasks need a plan.

Gold-Making Strategies:

High-Alch Farming: Train Magic on monsters, alch their drops, like rune items from hill giants.
Shop Runs: Infinite stock means you can buy feathers for Fletching, then alch the bows you make.
Combat Drops: Bosses like Vorago or Zamorak drop high-value alchables, and relics make kills faster.
Skilling Loops: Mine ores, smith bars, alch armor, all boosted by XP multipliers.

Relics like Perkfection (we’ll get there) can generate near-infinite gold by disassembling items, making those 100M tasks a walk in the park.

Relics: Your Secret Weapons for Gold

Relics are what make CATALYST special. You pick one per tier, and their passives stack for huge boosts. Here’s a breakdown of the best relics for making gold, based on official details and player chatter.

Tier 1 (10 Points: 4x XP)

Start with gathering for early resources.

Excavator: T100 pickaxe and mattock, auto-smelts ores. Mine and smith bars to alch, or restore Archaeology artifacts for GP.
Divine Woodcutter: T100 hatchet, extra bird’s nests. Gather wood for Fletching bows to alch.
Animal Wrangler: 50% better fishing catch, auto-bank and cook. Double loot from Big Game Hunter, sell pelts or alch gear.

Pick: Excavator for flexible ore-to-alch chains.

Tier 2 (750 Points: 6x XP, 4x Thaler, 2x Rares)

Agility and Thieving get a boost.

Golden Footed: Supercharged Agility, faster courses unlock high-level areas for better drops.
Five Finger Discount: Auto-pickpocket for seeds, clues, and tokens. AFK seeds for Farming, clues for treasures with GP and alchables.

Pick: Five Finger for passive resource grinding.

Tier 3 (2,000 Points: More Slayer Options)

Skilling takes off.

Farming Frenzy: Instant crop growth, bigger yields. Farm herbs, sell to herblore shops, or make potions to disassemble.
Banker’s Note: Note or unnote items anywhere, simplifies Runecrafting for runes to sell or alch.
Clue Connoisseur: Instant clues, Globetrotter outfit. Clues drop GP and rares, a goldmine later on.
Production Master: Instant make-X for Herblore and Crafting. Pair with Farming for potions to alch.

Pick: Farming Frenzy for herb-based gold loops.

Tier 4 (3,500 Points: 8x XP)

Combat kicks in.

Barbarism: Melee boosts, faster kills for drops like dragon bones.
Bombardment: Ranged, saves ammo, adds AoE for mob farms.

Pick: Barbarism for cheap melee setups.

Tier 5 (6,000 Points)

Advanced combat options.

Crit Happens: Magic crits, high DPS for boss drops.
Soulbourne: Necromancy summons, sustainable PvM for alchables.
Ascension: Ranged buffs, damage amps for endgame.
Everlasting Faith: Zero prayer drain, auto-pray, great for long farms.

Pick: Ascension for drop efficiency.

Tier 6 (13,000 Points: 12x XP)

Specialized power.

Specialist: Switch spec attacks, versatile for boss uniques.
Perkfection: Infinite Invention components, no charge drain, gold from disassembles. The ultimate gold-making relic.

Pick: Perkfection, no question.

Tier 7 (22,000 Points: 16x XP, 6x Rares)

Endgame mobility.

Fairy’s Flight: Fairy ring teleports, perfect for quick herb runs.
Assassin’s Insight: Slayer teleports, fast mob farms.
Voidwalker: Boss and lodestone teleports, efficient PvM loops.

Pick: Assassin’s for Slayer gold.

Passives stack, boosting rares, Slayer points, and more, making gold farming even sweeter.

Task Strategies: Points and Gold Go Hand in Hand

Tasks range from Easy (10 points) to Master (400 points), all listed on the RuneScape Wiki. Here are some gold-focused tasks:

Skilling: Mine 1,000 ores, alch bars or sell to shops.
Combat: Kill bosses like Amascut for drops.
Clues: Stack up GP and rares, worth 5,000+ points late-game.
GP Tasks: Donate 100M GP, easy with Perkfection.

For efficient routes, use WikiSync to track tasks. Start with Lumbridge basics like goblins and cows, then move to Varrock for shop runs. Reddit players say clues are 5-10x faster with Clue Connoisseur, spitting out rares quick. For 200M XP tasks, lean on those XP multipliers.

Advanced Gold-Making Strategies

Early Game (Tiers 1-3)

Excavator + Farming Frenzy: Mine ores, farm herbs, make unfinished potions, alch them for about 1M GP per hour.
Thieving: Five Finger for seeds to plant or sell.
Goblin Farms: Alch drops for quick cash.

Mid Game (Tiers 4-5)

Slayer: Combat relics boost tasks, giving 5x points and drops.
Arch-Glacor: High-value alchables, 3-4 hours for big tasks.

Late Game (Tiers 6-7)

Perkfection Loops: Disassemble anything for infinite gold, crushing 100M tasks.
Teleport Relics: Hop between herb patches or bosses like Zamorak for about 10M per hour equivalent.
Clues: Stack treasures for GP and alchables.

AFK Tip: Five Finger for passive seeds overnight, great for late-night grinds in the USA or early mornings in Australia.

Rewards: Swag for Your Main RS3 Account

Earn points for trophies (Bronze at 2K, Dragon at 60K) and shop items like outfits, overrides, and a pet. These don’t give gold directly but boost your main account’s prestige for trading or flexing on the GE. Nominate rewards during setup to transfer them smoothly.

Community Tips and Events

Check out Reddit discussions for route planning. Watch The RS Guy’s guides for expert tips. Jump into events like Penguin Hide and Seek on Wednesdays and Sundays (GMT) for extra XP and GP. If you’re in the USA or Canada, evening sessions work best. In the UK or Australia, mornings line up with streams.

Conclusion: CATALYST, Your RS3 Gold Mine

Leagues: CATALYST is a gold-making paradise in RuneScape 3. With relics like Perkfection, strategies from clues to bossing, and a no-trade economy, you’ll stack wealth for progression and snag epic rewards. Dive in, try these tips, and share your own in the comments. Let’s make bank in Gielinor!