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OSRS Magic Training Guide: Efficient P2P Spellcasting Methods
Level up your OSRS Magic skill effectively! Explore P2P Magic training methods like questing, alching, enchanting, bursting/barraging, Lunars, and splashing.
OSRS Pay-to-Play Magic Training Guide
Magic is a fundamental skill in Old School RuneScape, unlocking vital teleports, utility spells, powerful combat options, and methods for processing items. Training Magic can range from highly AFK and profitable to extremely fast and expensive. This guide covers efficient pay-to-play (P2P) methods for leveling your Magic skill.
General Notes:
- Spellbooks: Most training utilizes the Standard Spellbook (Alchemy, Enchanting, Teleports, Combat spells) or Ancient Magicks (Bursting/Barraging - requires Desert Treasure I). The Lunar Spellbook (Lunar Diplomacy quest) offers utility and some niche training methods (String Jewellery, Plank Make).
- Staves: Elemental staves (Air, Water, Earth, Fire) provide infinite runes of their type, saving costs. Combination staves (Lava, Mud, Steam) save inventory space. Powered staves (Trident, Sanguinesti, Tumeken's) have built-in spells for combat. Kodai Wand, Nightmare Staff, and Smoke Battlestaff offer damage/accuracy boosts for Standard/Ancient spells.
Early Levels (1-55)
- Questing (Levels 1-10/34):
- Completing Witch's Potion and Imp Catcher quickly grants levels 1-10.
- Adding Fairytale I, The Grand Tree, Watchtower, and the Lumbridge Guide RFD subquest can push you towards level 34+ with minimal grinding.
- Enchanting Bolts (Levels 4-55+):
- Method: Cast Enchant Crossbow Bolt spells (various tiers unlocked). Can be done rapidly (1-tick casting) or passively while doing other activities (Agility, running).
- XP: Offers potentially very high XP rates (up to 500k+/hr with 1-tick manual casting), but scales down significantly with less attention.
- Cost: Extremely expensive. Generally only recommended for players prioritizing speed above all else. Costs often exceed 20 GP/XP, sometimes much higher.
- Low Level Alchemy (Levels 21-55):
- Method: Cast Low Level Alchemy on cheap, stackable items (e.g., Rune Arrows). Can be done semi-AFK or while doing other activities.
- XP: Up to ~60k XP/hr active, much lower passively.
- Cost: Usually results in a small loss per cast. Cheaper than enchanting but slower.
- Combat Spells (Levels 1-55):
- Crabs: Casting your highest combat spell (Fire Strike is cost-effective) on Sand/Ammonite/Rock Crabs is AFK and relatively cheap. Equip gear with Magic Attack bonus. XP rates are moderate.
- Elemental Weakness: Target monsters with specific weaknesses (e.g., Fire spells on Ice Giants/Frost Crabs, Water spells on Fire Giants) for increased damage and XP. Often requires more attention than crabs.
- Splashing: Equip gear giving -64 or lower Magic Attack bonus (e.g., full metal armour). Attack an NPC; your spells will always miss ("splash"), granting base XP without dealing damage. Extremely AFK (20 mins) but very slow XP (6k-38k/hr depending on spell).
- Superheat Item (Levels 43-55):
- Method: Cast Superheat Item on ores (e.g., Iron, Gold) to smelt them into bars while training Magic.
- XP: Up to ~97k Magic XP/hr, plus Smithing XP.
- Cost: Usually costs money, depending on ore/bar prices. See the Wiki for profitable options.
- Teleporting (Levels 45-55):
- Method: Repeatedly cast Camelot Teleport (requires 45 Magic).
- XP: Around 80k XP/hr.
- Cost: Moderate cost due to Law rune consumption.
Mid-High Levels (55+)
- High Level Alchemy (Level 55+ - Passive/Profit):
- Method: Cast High Level Alchemy on items bought from GE or players. Check calculators for profitable items (often Rune/Dragonhide armour, Battlestaves). Can be done passively during Agility, Slayer, etc.
- XP: Up to 78k XP/hr active, 20-50k+/hr passively.
- Cost: Usually profitable. The go-to method for cheap/passive Magic training.
- Bursting/Barraging (Levels 62/70/94+ - Fastest Combat XP):
- Requires: Desert Treasure I for Ancient Magicks.
- Method: Cast multi-target spells (Smoke Burst - 62, Ice Burst - 70, Smoke Barrage - 74, Shadow Burst - 76, Ice Barrage - 94) on stacked monsters in multi-combat zones.
- Locations:
- Maniacal Monkeys (Kruk's Dungeon - MM2 Start): Absolute fastest XP, potentially 400k+/hr with Ice Barrage. Requires active prayer management or Bonecrusher Necklace. Expensive.
- Slayer Tasks: Dust Devils, Nechryaels (Catacombs), Smoke Devils, Jellies. Often breaks even or profits due to drops. Excellent combined Slayer/Magic XP.
- Other: Temple Spiders, Bandits (Bandit Camp - AFK potential with Blood spells), TzHaar.
- Gear: Maximize Magic Damage % (Occult, Tormented Bracelet, Imbued Cape, Kodai/Nightmare Staff) and Prayer bonus.
- Cost: Very expensive due to high rune costs, especially for Barrage spells.
- Lunar Spells (Post-Lunar Diplomacy):
- String Jewellery (Level 80+): Semi-AFK. Cast spell to string amulets. ~150k Magic XP/hr + Crafting XP. Usually a small loss or break-even.
- Plank Make (Level 86+ - Post-Dream Mentor): Cast on logs (Mahogany recommended) to make planks. ~90k XP/hr AFK, ~166k+ XP/hr active. Often profitable.
- Magic Imbue (Level 82+): Used for Runecrafting combo runes. Can be cast passively for ~20-24k XP/hr, but costs money.
- Bake Pie (Level 65+): Good Cooking XP + ~113k Magic XP/hr passively. Often expensive due to uncooked pie costs.
- Cure Me (Level 71+): Extremely click-intensive method involving getting venomed by Araxytes. Potentially 400k+ XP/hr but very high cost and attention required.
- Tele-Alching / Stun-Alching (Levels 55+/80+):
- Method: Combine High Level Alchemy with Teleports (e.g., Camelot) or Stun spell (splashing required) for higher XP/hr than Alching alone. Very click-intensive.
- XP: Tele-Alching ~140-150k/hr. Stun-Alching ~180k+/hr.
- Cost: Tele-Alching adds teleport costs. Stun-Alching adds Stun rune costs.
Conclusion
Training Magic in OSRS offers a wide spectrum of methods. Players can choose the slow, cheap, and AFK path of splashing or passive alching, the moderate and profitable route of active High Level Alchemy or certain Lunar spells, or the extremely fast but expensive path of enchanting bolts or bursting/barraging on Ancient Magicks. Consider your budget, desired speed, and tolerance for click intensity when choosing your preferred method.
Want to unlock Ancient Magicks or Lunar spells quickly? Our OSRS Quest Services can help. Need the funds for Barrage runes? Check out our secure OSRS Gold options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Casting multi-target spells like Ice Burst or Ice Barrage (Ancient Magicks) on densely packed monsters (e.g., Maniacal Monkeys, Dust Devils/Nechryaels on task) offers the highest active Magic XP rates, potentially exceeding 400k XP/hr. This method is expensive. Certain Lunar spells like Cure Me can also offer very high XP but are click-intensive.
Splashing combat spells (requires -64 Magic attack bonus) allows for up to 20 minutes of AFK time but offers very slow XP rates (6k-38k/hr). Casting High Level Alchemy (Level 55+) while doing other activities like Agility or Slayer provides decent passive, often profitable, AFK XP (20k-50k+/hr depending on activity).
It can be. High-XP methods like Bursting/Barraging cost millions per hour in runes. Enchanting bolts is also very costly. However, High Level Alchemy is usually profitable, and splashing standard combat spells is relatively cheap.
For combat spells, prioritize Magic Damage % bonus (Occult Necklace, Tormented Bracelet, Imbued God Capes, Kodai Wand/Nightmare Staff/Ancient Sceptre/Smoke Battlestaff) followed by Magic Attack bonus (Ancestral Robes, Virtus Robes, Ahrim's Robes, Eternal Boots). For non-combat spells like Alching or Enchanting, gear doesn't affect XP rates. See our Gear Guide .
