OSRS Ironman 70 Prayer Guide – Best Methods for Success

OSRS Ironman 70 Prayer Guide – Best Methods for Success

Prayer is a vital skill in Old School RuneScape (OSRS), especially for Ironman accounts where self-sufficiency is key. Reaching level 70 Prayer unlocks powerful combat prayers like Piety, significantly boosting melee performance, and enables access to high-level content like the Morytania Hard Diary. For Ironmen, training Prayer is slower due to the need to gather bones or ensouled heads without trading. This guide covers the most efficient methods to hit 70 Prayer, tailored for Ironman accounts, with practical tips to optimize your grind.

Achieving 70 Prayer as an Ironman enhances survivability and efficiency in combat, questing, and skilling. It unlocks top-tier prayers and opens doors to valuable rewards, making it a strategic milestone.

Key Benefits of 70 Prayer

  • Piety Prayer: Boosts Attack, Strength, and Defence by 20–25%, ideal for bossing and Slayer.
  • Morytania Hard Diary: Requires 70 Prayer, granting access to bonecrusher upgrades and noted bone drops.
  • Quest Progression: Enables completion of quests like Holy Grail, which offer Prayer XP.
  • Combat Efficiency: Protection prayers (e.g., Protect from Melee) reduce damage from tough enemies.

Prayer XP Requirements

To reach 70 Prayer from level 1, you need 737,627 XP. For Hardcore Ironmen or those avoiding risky methods, efficient planning is crucial to minimize time spent gathering resources.

Early Prayer Training – Quests and Low-Level Methods

Starting with quests is the fastest way to skip early Prayer levels, as they provide significant XP with minimal effort. Afterward, low-level bone-gathering methods can bridge the gap to mid-level training.

Recommended Quests for Prayer XP

Complete these quests early to jumpstart your Prayer training:

These quests can get you to around level 36 Prayer with roughly 16,931 XP, reducing the grind significantly.

Low-Level Bone Gathering

For early levels, focus on gathering bones from accessible monsters:

  • Bone Yard (Wilderness, Level 32): Fast respawn of bones and big bones, yielding ~18,000 XP/hour at the Chaos Altar. Risky due to skeletons and potential PKers.
  • Hill Giants: Drop big bones, ideal for F2P Ironmen. Combine with Obor key farming for gear upgrades.
  • Ogresses: Drop bones and valuable items, suitable for low-level combat training.

Best Methods to Gather Bones for 70 Prayer

Dragon bones are the meta for Ironman Prayer training due to their high XP yield. Green and blue dragons are the primary sources, with different risk-reward profiles depending on your account type and combat level.

Green Dragons in the Wilderness

Killing green dragons is the fastest way to bank dragon bones for Standard Ironmen. Locations include north of the Graveyard of Shadows or east of the Boneyard Hunter area, accessible via a games necklace teleport to Corporeal Beast’s Lair.

  • Requirements: 60+ combat, dragon scimitar or better, antifire potions, Protect from Magic.
  • Strategy: Use a looting bag to double inventory space. Bank hides for extra gold (~1–2M by 70 Prayer). Expect 300–330 dragons/hour with a dragon hunter lance after Elite Wilderness Diary.
  • Risks: PKers are common. Teleport quickly with a ring of dueling or burning amulet if attacked.
  • XP Yield: ~200,000–300,000 XP/hour when using bones at the Chaos Altar.

Note: Hardcore Ironmen should avoid this method due to PKer risks.

Blue Dragons for Hardcore Ironmen

Blue dragons are safer, with safespots available in multiple locations. They’re ideal for Hardcore Ironmen or those avoiding the Wilderness.

Location Requirements Pros Cons
Taverley Dungeon 70 Agility (shortcut), dusty key otherwise Safespot available, close to Falador teleport Slower kills without high combat
Myths’ Guild Basement Dragon Slayer II Safe, efficient with green dragon respawns High quest requirements
Isle of Souls Dungeon Fairy rings, ring of dueling Safespot, low requirements Longer banking trips

Strategy: Use Magic (e.g., Iban’s Blast) or a dragon hunter lance for faster kills. Expect ~85,000–95,000 XP/hour with a gilded altar.

Slayer for Passive Bone Collection

Training Slayer alongside Prayer is efficient, as tasks often yield bones and ensouled heads.

  • Blue Dragon Tasks: Bank bones from tasks, especially with a dragon hunter lance.
  • Ensouled Heads: Reanimate and kill for Prayer XP. Expect 70 Prayer banked by ~80–85 Slayer.
  • Vorkath/Dagannoth Kings: High-level tasks provide noted bones, ideal post-70 Prayer.

Tip: Use an ash sanctifier for passive Prayer XP from ashes during Slayer.

Efficient Prayer Training Methods

Once you’ve gathered bones, use experience-boosting altars to maximize XP. The Chaos Altar is the fastest, but safer options like the Ectofuntus or gilded altar are viable.

Chaos Altar (Wilderness)

The Chaos Altar in level 38 Wilderness offers 350% XP per bone with a 50% chance to preserve it, averaging 700% XP (504 XP per dragon bone).

  • Pros: Highest XP rates (200,000–300,000 XP/hour), bone-efficient.
  • Cons: High PKer risk, requires small inventories to minimize losses.
  • Strategy: Use burning amulets to teleport to the Lava Maze, die to the Chaos Fanatic to return to Lumbridge, and repeat. Deathpile items with a dwarven rock cake for safety.

Note: Not recommended for Hardcore Ironmen.

Ectofuntus

The Ectofuntus in Port Phasmatys offers 400% XP per bone (288 XP per dragon bone).

  • Pros: Safe, accessible after Ghosts Ahoy, good for Hardcore Ironmen.
  • Cons: Slower (~50,000 XP/hour), requires grinding bonemeal and slime.
  • Strategy: Use ectophial for teleportation, stockpile slime buckets, and use Morytania Diary rewards for daily bonemeal.

Tip: Combine with Slayer ensouled heads for efficiency.

Gilded Altar (Player-Owned House)

A gilded altar with lit incense burners provides 350% XP per bone (252 XP per dragon bone).

  • Pros: Safe, high XP rates (~150,000–200,000 XP/hour), controllable environment.
  • Cons: Requires 75 Construction, costly to set up.
  • Strategy: Build in your POH or use World 330 (House Party world) altars. Un-note bones via Phials in Rimmington for 5 GP each.

Note: Ideal for mid-to-late game Ironmen with Construction levels.

Tips for Optimizing Your 70 Prayer Grind

Maximize efficiency with these strategies to reduce time and risk while training Prayer.

Gear and Inventory Setup

  • Prayer Armour: Use monk’s robes or vestment sets for bonus Prayer points.

  • Inventory: Carry looting bags, teleport items (ring of dueling, games necklace), and antifire potions for dragon killing.
  • Combat Gear: Prioritize dragon hunter lance or Magic for dragons, with budget options like dragon scimitar for low levels.

Passive XP and Multitasking

Combine Prayer training with other goals:

  • Slayer Tasks: Bank bones and ensouled heads while leveling Slayer.
  • Clue Scrolls: Green dragons drop hard clues, offering potential rewards.
  • Bonecrusher/Ash Sanctifier: Gain passive XP from low-value bones or ashes during combat.

Safety for Hardcore Ironmen

Avoid Wilderness methods. Stick to blue dragons in safe locations and use Ectofuntus or gilded altars. Complete Dragon Slayer II for Myths’ Guild access to green dragons in a safe environment.

Reaching 70 Prayer as an Ironman is a grind, but with the right methods—quest XP, green/blue dragon bone farming, and efficient altars—you can hit this milestone effectively. Prioritize quests early, choose your bone-gathering method based on risk tolerance, and use high-XP altars like the Chaos Altar or Ectofuntus. With persistence, you’ll unlock Piety and pave the way for advanced OSRS content. Happy grinding!