Free-to-Play Prayer Training OSRS Guide

Prayer is one of the most challenging skills to train in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) for free-to-play (F2P) players due to its high costs, low experience rates, and click-intensive nature. However, with the right strategies, you can level up efficiently without breaking the bank. This guide covers the best F2P Prayer training methods, from quests to resource gathering, to help you reach your goals, whether it’s unlocking key prayers like Protect from Melee at level 43 or pushing for level 99. Let’s dive into the most effective ways to train Prayer in OSRS F2P worlds.

Prayer is a vital combat skill that provides powerful buffs, such as increased defense, attack boosts, and protection from specific attack styles. In F2P, raising Prayer above level 48 offers limited benefits, but higher levels allow you to sustain prayers longer and restore more prayer points with potions, which is useful for player-killing or fighting high-level monsters. Training Prayer efficiently in F2P requires balancing cost, time, and effort, especially since F2P players lack access to pay-to-play methods like gilded altars.

Key Prayer Milestones

• Level 9: Unlocks Superhuman Strength for a slight combat boost.
• Level 22: Access to Ultimate Strength, improving melee damage.
• Level 43: Protect from Melee, crucial for surviving tough monsters.
• Level 48: Highest F2P prayer, offering sustained combat benefits.

Questing for Early Prayer Experience

Quests are the most cost-effective and least click-intensive way to kickstart your Prayer training in F2P. Completing specific quests grants significant experience, allowing you to skip early levels without spending gold or gathering resources.

The Restless Ghost

This beginner-friendly quest provides 1,125 Prayer experience, enough to take you from level 1 to 9. It has no requirements, though wearing melee defensive armor helps against the skeleton enemy. The quest takes only a few minutes and is highly recommended for new players. Completing it is equivalent to burying 250 regular bones, saving you approximately 35,250 GP at current Grand Exchange prices. If you completed the quest before its reward update, talk to Father Aereck in Lumbridge to claim five ancient bones (200 XP each).

The Nexus

The Nexus, located in Lumbridge Swamp, is a one-time activity that yields 37,224 Prayer experience, boosting you from level 1 to 40. It’s slow and involves no combat, making it ideal for players avoiding risk. While it requires patience, the free experience is unmatched for F2P players looking to skip the grind of early levels.

Gathering Bones for Free Prayer XP

For players with limited gold, collecting bones from specific locations is a free way to train Prayer. These methods are time-consuming but cost nothing, making them ideal for ironmen or players saving for membership.

The Bone Yard (Wilderness)

Located north of Varrock in the Wilderness, the Bone Yard offers an abundance of regular bones and occasional big bones. You can bury these for 4.5 XP (regular bones) or 15 XP (big bones). However, the area is risky due to level 32 skeletons and potential player-killers (PKers).

• Tips: Bring food, mage armor (e.g., spider silk), and use Protect from Melee to reduce damage. Turn off Auto Retaliate to avoid unnecessary combat.
• Strategy: Run in a circle to collect bones as they respawn (every 20 seconds for big bones). Bank bones at Simon near the Chaos Temple for later use or bury them immediately.
• Risk: Don’t bring items you’re unwilling to lose. If attacked by PKers, die and return via the Wilderness Crater lodestone (takes about 1 minute).

Chaos Temple (South-East Ruins)

The south-east Chaos Temple ruins in Wilderness levels 11–12 are a less risky alternative to the Bone Yard. This area has regular bone spawns, no monsters, and is ideal for burying or banking bones. Hop between two worlds to maximize bone collection, ignoring bones outside the ruins to conserve run energy. Recharge Prayer at the nearby altar when needed.

Low-Level Monster Drops

Monsters like goblins (near Al Kharid gate) and imps (south of Falador) drop bones and fiendish ashes (10 XP when scattered). These areas often have bones left by other players training combat, providing a free, steady supply. Focus on banking bones for later use or scatter ashes for immediate XP.

Power Burying Bones and Ashes

For players with gold to spend, power burying is the fastest F2P Prayer training method, offering up to 116,000 XP per hour. It involves buying bones and demonic ashes from the Grand Exchange and burying/scattering them simultaneously. This method is click-intensive and costly but highly efficient.

Optimal Setup for Power Burying

To maximize XP rates, follow these steps:

• Resources: Buy big bones (15 XP) and vile ashes (25 XP) for the best XP per animation (40 XP total).
• Banking: Use a bank preset and place bones and ashes on the action bar for quick keybind clicking.
• World: Choose a low-lag server to bury one bone and one ash every 0.6 seconds (game tick).
• Inventory: Process 14 bones and 14 ashes per inventory, taking about 9 seconds with optimal banking.

With perfect execution, you can process 5,600 bones and ashes per hour. Holding keybinds instead of clicking slows rates by 6.25%, yielding 5,250 bones/ashes per hour.

Cost and XP Comparison

The table below compares the cost and XP for common F2P Prayer training items based on current Grand Exchange prices:

Note: Prices fluctuate, so check the Grand Exchange before purchasing. Big bones and vile ashes offer the best balance of cost and XP for F2P players. Reaching level 99 with this method costs approximately 275 million GP and takes around 100 hours.

Ruins of Camdozaal: A Semi-AFK Method

Offering fish at the altar in the Ruins of Camdozaal is a less click-intensive method for F2P Prayer training, requiring at least level 7 Fishing and Cooking and completion of the Below Ice Mountain quest. This method is slower but more relaxed, making it ideal for players who prefer semi-AFK training.

How It Works

Use a small fishing net (available near the waterfall) to catch fish like tetra, which provide the most Prayer XP. Prepare the fish at a preparation table using a knife, then offer them at the altar. Tetra stop burning at Cooking level 61, but the Preparation buff (purchased for 2,500 Barronite shards from Ramarno’s Shard Exchange) reduces burning at level 54.

• Requirements: 33 Fishing and Cooking for tetra (optimal fish).
• XP Rates: Approximately 2,500–2,700 Prayer XP per hour.
• Benefits: Safe, semi-AFK, and trains Fishing and Cooking simultaneously.

Tips for Efficiency

Purchase the Fishing and Preparation buffs from Ramarno’s Shard Exchange to boost XP rates for lower levels. Focus on tetra for the highest Prayer XP, as other fish yield less. This method is best for players prioritizing low effort over speed.

Tips for Efficient F2P Prayer Training

Maximizing your Prayer training efficiency in F2P requires careful planning and resource management. Here are some key tips:

• Prioritize Quests: Complete The Restless Ghost and The Nexus for free XP to skip early levels.
• Bank Bones: If planning to buy membership later, bank bones instead of burying them, as P2P methods are cheaper and faster.
• Use Cremation (if unlocked): Cremating bones on a bonfire grants 250% Prayer XP and 200% Firemaking XP, making it a great long-term strategy.
• Wilderness Safety: In the Bone Yard or Chaos Temple, use Runelite plugins like Player Indicator and World Hopper to avoid PKers.
• Budget Management: If power burying, sell regular bones and buy big bones or vile ashes for better XP per GP.

By combining these methods and tips, you can train Prayer effectively in F2P, whether you’re aiming for combat advantages or the prestigious level 99. For more details on costs, check the OSRS Wiki. Happy training, and may your prayers guide you in Gielinor!