OSRS Ironman What to Do with Gold Bars

In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), Ironman accounts face unique challenges due to their self-sufficient nature, unable to trade or use the Grand Exchange. Gold bars, crafted at level 40 Smithing, often accumulate in Ironman banks, especially from activities like the Blast Furnace or PvM drops. This blog post explores the best ways to utilize gold bars for Ironman accounts, balancing experience, utility, and profit. Whether you’re a new Ironman or a seasoned player with thousands of gold bars, here’s how to make the most of them.

Gold bars are a mid-level resource created by smelting gold ore in a furnace or using the Superheat Item spell, requiring 40 Smithing. They grant 22.5 Smithing experience per bar, or 56.2 with goldsmith gauntlets from the Family Crest quest. Unlike other metal bars, gold bars can’t be used for weapons or armor; their primary use is crafting jewelry, which can be enchanted for teleportation or stat boosts. Ironmen often amass gold bars from sources like Zalcano, gargoyles, or Motherlode Mine, leading to the question: what’s the best way to use them?

Why Gold Bars Pile Up

Gold bars accumulate because Ironmen frequently engage in activities that yield gold ore or bars as byproducts. For example, mining at the Blast Furnace or killing Slayer monsters like greater nechryaels can result in hundreds or thousands of bars over time. Their limited direct uses compared to other resources like iron or mithril bars often leave them sitting in the bank.

Crafting Jewelry for Experience and Utility

The most common use of gold bars is crafting jewelry, which requires the Crafting skill and offers both experience and practical items. Jewelry can be made with or without gems, and some pieces can be enchanted for additional benefits like teleports or combat boosts. Here’s how to approach this.

Best Jewelry to Craft

Not all jewelry is equal in terms of experience or utility. Below are the top options for Ironmen:

• Gold Bracelets: Require 7 Crafting, yield 25 Crafting XP per bracelet, and high alch for 330 GP. Ideal for AFK Crafting and slight Magic XP when alched.
• Gold Tiaras: Need 1 Crafting, give 35 Crafting XP each, and are stackable, making them great for AFK training. Useful for Runecrafting later.
• Gold Amulets (Unstrung): Require 8 Crafting, offer 30 Crafting XP, and alch for 210 GP. Stringing adds 4 XP but isn’t always worth it.
• Gem Jewelry (e.g., Rings of Dueling, Games Necklaces): Use gems like sapphires or emeralds for teleportation jewelry, crucial for Ironman mobility.

Enchanting Jewelry for Teleports

Enchanting jewelry adds significant value, especially for Ironmen who rely on teleports without access to trading for teleport tabs. Key enchanted items include:

• Ring of Dueling: Sapphire ring enchanted with Lvl-2 Enchant (27 Magic), provides teleports to Duel Arena and Castle Wars.
• Games Necklace: Sapphire necklace enchanted with Lvl-1 Enchant (7 Magic), teleports to Barbarian Assault and Burthorpe.
• Digsite Pendant: Ruby necklace enchanted with Lvl-3 Enchant (49 Magic), essential for Varlamore and Fossil Island.

Make a small stock (e.g., 50-100) of these for your player-owned house (POH) jewelry box, but avoid overcrafting, as you’ll likely acquire more bars later.

Alching for Magic Experience and Profit

High Alchemy is a staple for Ironmen, converting items into gold while training Magic. Gold bracelets are the go-to choice due to their high alch value (330 GP) and low Crafting level requirement. However, alching requires nature runes, which can be costly or time-consuming to obtain.

Is Alching Worth It?

Alching gold bracelets yields a small profit (after nature rune costs) and Magic XP, but it’s click-intensive and time-consuming. For mid-game Ironmen short on gold, it’s viable, but late-game players with ample GP from PvM may find better uses for their time, like glassblowing for faster Crafting XP.

Item	Crafting XP	Alch Value (GP)	Nature Rune Cost (Est. 200 GP)	Net Profit (GP)
Gold Bracelet	25	330	200	130
Gold Amulet (u)	30	210	200	10
Gold Tiara	35	60	200	-140

Alternative Alching Options

If you have gems, crafting ruby or diamond jewelry (e.g., rings of forging or recoil) offers better alch values but requires higher Crafting levels and gem collection. Save these for when you’re closer to 99 Crafting or need specific enchanted items.

Banking Gold Bars for Later Use

For many Ironmen, especially late-game players, gold bars often become a resource you “age out of.” With stacks of thousands from PvM or Blast Furnace, crafting them all may not be worth the time. Here’s why banking them can be strategic.

When to Hold Onto Gold Bars

If you’re not pressed for Crafting XP or gold, let gold bars stack in your bank. Reasons include:

• Future Jewelry Needs: You’ll need bars for teleport jewelry or bossing items like rings of suffering.
• Efficient Training Methods: Glassblowing or sandstone grinding offer faster Crafting XP, making gold bar crafting less appealing.
• Late-Game Wealth: High-level PvM (e.g., Vorkath, Zulrah) generates enough GP to make alching bracelets unnecessary.

Managing Large Stacks

Reddit discussions reveal Ironmen with 5,000+ gold bars often leave them untouched, focusing on faster skilling methods. If your bank is cluttered, consider crafting a few hundred bracelets or tiaras during AFK sessions while prioritizing other goals like Slayer or bossing.

Other Creative Uses for Gold Bars

Beyond crafting and alching, gold bars have niche applications that can enhance your Ironman journey. These are less common but worth considering based on your account’s needs.

Quest and Achievement Diary Requirements

Some quests and diaries require gold bars or jewelry:

• Goblin Diplomacy: A single gold bar can be used to craft a gold ring for goblin mail dyeing.
• Falador Medium Diary: Crafting a tiara is a task, making gold tiaras a quick way to check this off.

Donating to Cam Torum

In Varlamore, you can sell gold bracelets at Cam Torum’s shops for slightly higher than alch value. This is a low-effort way to convert bars into GP without nature runes, especially if you’re already in the area for other activities.

Charging Rings of Suffering

Rings of suffering, made from zenyte jewelry, can be charged with rings of recoil (crafted from sapphire rings). If you’re bossing high-damage monsters like Zulrah, this is a practical use for gold bars, though it requires significant gem investment.

AFK Crafting with Tiaras

For low-effort Crafting XP, gold tiaras are ideal. They’re stackable, require only 1 Crafting, and offer 35 XP each. Crafting an inventory takes 1-1.5 minutes, making it a great AFK option while watching Netflix or chatting with friends. With 5,000 bars, you could gain over 1.2 million Crafting XP.

Conclusion

Gold bars are a versatile resource for OSRS Ironmen, offering opportunities for Crafting and Magic XP, teleportation jewelry, and even small profits through alching or selling. Early-game Ironmen should focus on crafting bracelets for gold and XP or making teleport jewelry for mobility. Mid-to-late-game players can bank excess bars, using them sparingly for niche needs like bossing or quests while prioritizing faster training methods. Assess your account’s goals—whether it’s XP, utility, or GP—and choose the strategy that fits. With thousands of gold bars, you’re sitting on a wealth of potential; use it wisely to enhance your Ironman journey.