Maximizing Your OSRS Ice Burst XP Per Hour: A Player’s Guide to Fast Magic Gains

Maximizing Your OSRS Ice Burst XP Per Hour A Players Guide to Fast Magic Gains

Ever wondered how some players rocket to 99 Magic without breaking a sweat or their bank too badly? Ive been grinding OSRS for years now, and Ice Burst has been my go-to for those intense sessions where I want serious XP without the boredom of splashing. As someone whos hit max cape multiple times, mostly on irons and main accounts, let me walk you through what makes Ice Burst tick, especially the XP per hour you can pull off. Well cover everything from basics to pro tips, and yeah, Ill share some stories from my own runs.

Ice Burst is one of those spells from the Ancient Magicks book that changed how I train Magic forever. You need level 70 Magic to cast it, and it hits up to nine targets in a tight 3×3 area around your main one. Think of it like dropping a frozen bomb on a crowd of mobs. The max hit starts at 22 damage, but with gear boosts, you can push it higher. Its not just for damage though, it freezes enemies for about 9.6 seconds, which is clutch for controlling groups.

Why focus on XP per hour? Because in OSRS, time is gold, literally. From what Ive seen on the wiki and my own trackers, you can hit around 310,000 Magic XP per hour at peak efficiency. Thats way better than standard spells, where youre lucky to scrape 50k. But it costs runes, so balance is key. Have you tried it yet? If not, prepare for a game-changer.

Unlocking Ice Burst Requirements and Setup

First things first, you cant just spam Ice Burst without prep. The big quest is Desert Treasure I, which unlocks Ancients. I remember questing for that back in 2018, dodging those ice spiders in the pyramid felt endless, but it paid off big. You also need 70 Magic, obviously, and access to multi-combat zones.

For gear, keep it simple: Mystic robes or better, like Ahrims for the damage boost. An occult necklace is a must, it amps your max hit by 10 percent. Staff of the dead saves on runes, and dont forget prayer gear Proselyte for that protect from melee. Inventory wise, stock up on runes: six water, six earth, four death, two blood per cast. Thats about 500 GP per spell, but at high rates, its worth it.

Heres a quick list of essentials:

• Runes: Water, earth, death, blood chaos for backup.
• Gear: Occult, Ahrims top and bottom, tormented bracelet if you can afford it.
• Potions: Prayer pots to keep Augury or Mystic Might up for accuracy.
• Other: Bonecrusher for prayer XP on bones drops, saves trips to bank.

I once forgot my prayer pots on a long session and burned through 200k GP in restores. Lesson learned: always double-check.

Best Spots for Ice Burst Training

Where you burst matters a ton for XP rates. My favorite? Maniacal monkeys in Monkey Madness II tunnels. Those little guys have low defense, spawn like crazy, and drop prayer pots to offset costs. You can clump eight or nine easily by luring them around corners. Expect 300k plus XP per hour there if youre clicking fast.

If you havent finished MM2, head to Ape Atoll dungeon for skeletal monkeys. Its slower, maybe 200k XP, but still solid. Catacombs of Kourend works too for Slayer tasks like dust devils or nechryaels. I did a bunch of those on my iron, combining Magic and Slayer for dual gains. Dust devils give about 150k Magic XP while netting 40k Slayer.

Avoid wilderness unless youre geared for PKers; zombie pirates there are cheap but risky. Whats your go-to spot? Monkeys for pure speed, or Slayer for efficiency?

Breaking Down Ice Burst XP Per Hour Rates

Lets get to the meat: XP numbers. At level 70 with basic setup, youre looking at 180k to 220k per hour on MM1 monkeys. Ramp up to 80 Magic with better gear, and it jumps to 250k. By 90, in MM2, I consistently hit 300k, sometimes peaking at 310k if the spawns cooperate. Hitpoints XP is half that, since its 1.33 per damage.

Factors affecting rates? Your clicking speed and clumping skill. Lazy afk style drops to 150k, but intense play pushes higher. Gear like Arclight or occult adds 10-20 percent more hits.

Heres a table comparing spots:

These are from my logs and wiki data; adjust for your level. On one marathon, I tracked 305k over five hours straight. Felt epic.

Gear and Inventory Tips for Optimal Runs

Gear isnt just cosmetic; it directly boosts your XP. Start with occult necklace strung, thats non-negotiable for the +10 percent damage. Ahrims staff or kodai wand if you have it, but staff of light works fine early. For prayer, elite void with helm of neitiznot swaps.

Inventory: 25 casts worth of runes, super restores, prayer pots, sharks for heals, and a looting bag if on Slayer. I always bring an imp-in-a-box for teleports; saves so much time. One time, I forgot it and had to manual bank, lost 50k XP that session. Ouch.

Pro tip: Use Augury prayer for that magic boost. Keeps accuracy high, fewer misses mean more XP. And toggle Mystic Might if youre low on points.

Costs Involved and How to Minimize Them

Ice Burst aint cheap, folks. Each cast runs 500-600 GP in runes, so at 600 casts per hour for 300k XP, thats about 2-3 GP per point. Over a million XP? Expect 3-4 mil GP burned. But drops help: monkeys give potions worth half your spend back.

To cut costs, burst on Slayer tasks where you get herb drops or alchs. I broke even on nechryaels once by alching everything. Use bonecrusher necklace; turns bones into prayer XP and saves pots. Long term, its 3.5 GP/XP average.

Question: Worth the cash? Absolutely if youre rushing 99. I spent 50 mil on my main, but it unlocked Vorkath farms faster.

Personal Stories from My Ice Burst Grinds

Back in my early days, I hit 70 Magic and dove into bursting at Ape Atoll. First hour: only 120k XP because I sucked at clumping. Laughed at myself, adjusted, and by hour three, 220k. That grind got me to 80 in a week.

On my ironman, combining with Slayer was smart. Dust devils task: 180k Magic plus 45k Slayer. Felt productive, not just rune-burning. Once, a PKer crashed my wildy burst spot, lost 1 mil in gear. Switched worlds, lesson learned.

Last year, full Ahrims setup in MM2: 308k average over 20 hours. Hit 94, switched to Barrage for 400k bursts. Pure joy seeing that XP tick up.

Advanced Strategies to Boost Your Rates

Want more than basic? Lure monkeys northeast, stack by corner, burst, repeat. Use cannon on Slayer for faster kills, adds 20 percent XP. For high intensity, click every tick; I use mouse macros legally, hits 320k.

On Slayer, block bad tasks, extend bursts like devs or nechs. Defensive casting if training Def too: 1.33 Magic plus 1 Def per hit.

Edge cases: Low levels? Stick to smoke burst till 70. High risk? Avoid wildy. Always scout for crashes.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Newbies forget multi-combat; single target wastes runes. I did that, burned 500k GP first day. Solution: Check skull icons.

Overlooking prayer drain: Run out mid-clump, dead. Stock extras.

Poor banking: Tele to Ardy, sell drops quick. I bank every 45 mins max.

Ignoring boosts: No occult? Miss 15 percent hits. Upgrade ASAP.

Comparing Ice Burst to Other Methods

Versus barraging: Barrage at 94 hits harder, 400k XP, but costs more. Burst is entry-level fast.

Splashing? 20k XP, afk but slow. No contest.

Chinning? Ranged focus, but Magic side is meh.

Burst wins for pure Magic speed.

Final Thoughts on Hitting Max Magic

Ice Burst transformed my training; from 70 to 99 in months. With 300k plus per hour, its the path to that cape. Experiment, track your rates, and share below: Whats your best XP hour? Grind smart, stay safe, and see you in Gielinor.