This guide primarily focuses on standard Ironman mode, but some advice also applies to RuneScape gold Ultimate and Hardcore modes, which require more careful planning.

Early Game Survival: Laying the Foundation

The early stages in Ironman mode can be particularly harsh since you start without assistance. The goal is to quickly become self-sufficient while building strong skills and obtaining basic equipment.

Prioritize Questing and Rewards

Quests are a key resource in the early game, offering experience, essential items, and access to new content. Some early quests are especially helpful for Ironman accounts:

Cook's Assistant: Grants cooking experience and access to basic ingredients.

Doric's Quest: Provides early mining experience and access to Doric's Anvil for smithing.

The Restless Ghost: Offers early Prayer experience.

Imp Catcher: Unlocks runes for basic Magic training.

Rune Mysteries: Essential for unlocking Runecrafting, critical for creating your own runes.

Other quests unlock crucial areas or equipment, such as The Grand Tree (Tree Gnome Stronghold access) and Lost City (Dragon longsword and Dragon-related content).

Develop a Resource Gathering Strategy

Self-sufficiency requires careful planning of resource collection:

Woodcutting: Early wood is essential for Firemaking, Fletching, and Construction. A basic bronze or iron axe will suffice initially. Later, yew logs become important for advanced crafting.

Mining: Start with copper and tin, progressing to iron, coal, and mithril for smithing gear.

Fishing: Provides a reliable food source. Begin with shrimp and anchovies, eventually aiming for salmon, tuna, and lobsters.

Firemaking and Woodcutting: These skills complement each other. Cutting logs provides resources while training in Firemaking simultaneously.

Herblore: Growing and brewing basic potions early, such as strength, prayer, and combat potions, helps sustain survival during combat.

Train Combat with Low-Level Monsters

Combat training is essential for survival and equipment acquisition. Early targets include:

Chickens and Cows: Offer feathers and bones; bones help train Prayer, and cowhide is useful for crafting.

Goblins: Provide easy combat experience and occasionally drop low-level armor.

Stronghold of Security: Offers free combat experience and a monetary reward of 10,000 coins. It is a safe environment for low-level training.

Use Bones to Advance Prayer

Prayer enhances survivability in tougher fights. Gather bones from early monsters and use them to level Prayer. Training options include:

Burying bones for slow but steady gains.

Using a Gilded Altar in a player-owned house for more efficient training.

Early investment in Prayer opens up defensive options like Protect from Melee and Protect from Missiles, invaluable for later PvE and PvP encounters.

Unlock Key Resources Through Skilling

Ironman accounts require proficiency across many skills. Combat is important, but other skills are equally vital:

Crafting: Convert cowhides into leather items such as gloves, boots, and armor to save coins.

Smithing: Smelt mined ores into weapons and armor. Begin with bronze, iron, and steel to create your own equipment early.

Cooking: Essential for food preparation and health restoration. Catch and cook your own fish to maintain survival during combat.

Agility: Helps navigate safely through dangerous areas. Use agility courses and shortcuts to boost your ability to escape threats.

Create Efficient Training Routes

Maximizing efficiency is crucial. Combine activities to train multiple skills simultaneously

Pair complementary skills, like woodcutting with Firemaking or fishing with cooking.

Train in optimal locations for better experience and resource drops, such as the Stronghold of Security or Taverley Dungeon.

Upgrade tools and gear as soon as possible-better axes, pickaxes, and fishing rods accelerate resource collection.

Planning for the Mid-Game

Early-game strategies influence mid-game progress. Important goals include:

Barrows Gear: Provides strong mid-game equipment essential for Ironman accounts.

Slayer: Offers access to higher-level monsters, experience, and valuable drops. Begin with easier tasks to cheap OSRS gold build combat and resource skills simultaneously.