Despite the fact that it has been nearly two decades since the game originally released, RuneScape is still very much alive and kicking in 2021. Many players had begun to grow tired of the game in its current incarnation, so the team behind the legendary MMO recreated an original version of the game called Old School RuneScape. This version of the game is much more similar to how it was back in the mid-2000s and is being updated along a completely different route than its more modern counterpart.

Related: RuneScape Celebrates 20 Years With Year-Long Anniversary Quest & More

Even though the game is very old at this point there are still new players deciding to check it out all the time. The issue with that though is that these players don't have the experience that those who have been playing since the beginning have. Understanding how to get started in Old School RuneScape can be a pretty difficult process, so this guide shows beginner players how to prepare themselves for the game.

Old School RuneScape: Character Creation and Tutorial Island

Once players have gotten Old School RuneScape downloaded and their account set up they will then be asked to create a character. Players should have fun here and design their character however they see fit and then launch themselves into the beginner tutorial. While it may be pretty tempting to skip through all of the dialogue and ignore what is being said in these opening moments, it is highly recommended that players take things slow and pay attention. This will give them a better idea of how the game works.

Throughout the course of this tutorial, players will be taken through each of the main mechanics in the game that they will need to know, which in turn will help them get ahead in the early hours of the game. All of the experts on this island will give the player just a minor crash course in the mechanic though, and will not give players a more complicated understanding of these concepts. When the tutorial is over they will need to experiment a little on their own in order to uncover other things about the game.

Old School RuneSacpe: How to Level Skills and What They are For

old school runescape

The tutorial gives a pretty rudimentary understanding of skills, but players will need to understand much more than that if they want to succeed in this world. The most important thing to discover is which skills the player would want to focus on for their character. Depending on what kinds of things the player wants to accomplish while playing the game will determine what skills they should focus on leveling up. The basic skills in the game are:

Attack - By increasing the attack skill players will therefore increase the accuracy of all of their melee attacks. Players with a higher attack level will also be able to equip higher leveled melee weapons as well. This skill is integral for those who want to fight their enemies up close and personal.

Cooking - This skill is useful in that it allows the player to cook any raw food materials that they have in their possession. These cooked food items can in turn be used to restore hit points. This skill is something that all players will want to level.

Crafting - By leveling up the crafting skill players are able to create higher quality pieces of pottery, jewelry, and armor that can be used or traded. Whether for personal use or for earning money this skill can be very versatile for all kinds of players.

Defense - Leveling this up will let players wear higher quality armor and decrease the chance of being hit by attacks. Keep in mind that this does not decrease the amount of damage that an enemy can deal to the player though. This is one of the stats that will increase combat level.

Firemaking - This skill is only useful for cooking food and completing certain quests. Most players won't spend a lot of time leveling this skill.

Fishing - By investing in the fishing skill players are able to catch better fish and increase their likelihood of capturing one. Perfect for those who want to cook food or make money by trading off their fish.

Hitpoints - Hitpoints are the player's health in this game, so it's a good idea for everyone to level this skill up when possible.

Magic - Leveling up the magic skill will grant players the ability to use different magical spells, enchant their crafted items, using teleportation magic, and even increase their magical defense. While it isn't required to be a magic-user in Old School RuneScape, players will gain considerable advantage by doing so.

Mining - This is without a doubt one of the most popular ways to make money in the game. By leveling up this skill players will be able to obtain different kinds of ores and gemstones from mining. These can be sold for a profit or used in crafting and smithing.

Prayer - As players increase the Prayer skill they will earn new prayers that are used to help them in the game. Each prayer will grant them an increase in different areas.

Ranged - Increasing this allows players to attack enemies from a distance using different ranged weapons. Perfect for those who want to attack their enemies from far away.

Runecrafting - By increasing this skill players are able to craft better quality Runes that are used for spell casting.

Smithing - This is another important skill that pairs really well with Mining. By leveling this up players are able craft better weapons and armors using ore or metal bars. Players can have these for their own personal use or sell them for a profit.

Strength - By boosting this skill players are able to increase the amount of damage they are able to deal with a single hit with melee damage.

Woodcutting - The higher the skill level then the faster a player is able to cut trees down. They also earn the ability to chop down higher quality tree types as well. A great skill to invest in early on to make money.

Old School RuneScape: Decide What Quests To Start With

Upon completing the tutorial Old School RuneScape opens up pretty considerably. It can be a little daunting to be dropped into this massive world with very little direction on what to do next. The thing is though that the player is able to go out and begin working on several different quests if they wish, it is a matter of figuring out which quests they should go for.

Each quest gives out a different type of experience upon completion, so players should determine what kind of character they are trying to create before starting a quest. For example, those who want to increase their Cooking skill can play through the "Cooking Assistant" quest. They will acquire 300 points of experience for the Cooking skill upon completion.

Players should also decide what type of combat they would like to focus on pretty early on as well and try to spend some time working on quests that will increase those types of skills. Melee combat in particular can be fairly tricky because players will need to worry about Strength, Attack, and Defense at the same time. Players can also level multiple combat types, but it is recommended that they focus on one at a time in order to get themselves stronger faster.

Old School RuneScape: Make Some Friends ASAP

One of the most important aspects of Old School RuneScape is that players try to make friends as quickly as they possibly can. Friends are important in this game because it is pretty difficult to get ahead without someone helping out. A friend helps keep training skills from becoming too boring as they give someone to chat with. They are also perfect for helping bring down difficult enemies and other players, are useful for trading and selling items to, and can even be a useful wealth of information for less-skilled players.

Earning friends in-game can actually be pretty easy as long as players play nice. Look out for players who are training similar skills or those who are trying to trade specific items. By helping those players out with their tasks they might just become a useful acquaintance and even a loyal friend at a later date.

Next: RuneScape's Fan-Made Audio Drama Is A Perfect Questing Companion

Old School RuneScape can be played on PC, iOS, and Android.