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OSRS Prayer Guide 1-99 — Gilded Altar & Dragon Bones

Complete Prayer training guide with the fastest methods: gilded altar with dragon bones, Wilderness altar for budget, and ensouled heads for ironmen. Learn costs, XP rates, and how to train from 1-99 efficiently.

Time to 99
8-12hrs

With dragon bones

Cost (1-99)
180M

Dragon bones @ altar

XP Rate
350k/hr

Gilded altar method

Budget Cost
130M

Wilderness altar

Prayer Training Methods

Gilded Altar (House)
250k-350k/hr
130M-190M (1-99)

Pros:

  • • Fastest method
  • • No risk
  • • AFK-friendly

Cons:

  • • Very expensive
  • • Need gilded altar access
Best for: Maximum speed, have GP
Wilderness Altar
550k-700k/hr
90M-130M (1-99)

Pros:

  • • 350% XP boost
  • • 30% cheaper
  • • Fastest XP/hr

Cons:

  • • PK risk
  • • Lose noted bones on death
  • • Stressful
Best for: Budget conscious, can handle PKers
Ensouled Heads
150k-200k/hr
50M-80M (1-99)

Pros:

  • • Cheapest method
  • • Trains Magic too
  • • Ironman viable

Cons:

  • • Slower
  • • More click-intensive
  • • Need runes
Best for: Ironmen, budget players

Bone Comparison — Which to Use?

Bone TypeBase XPGilded XPCostGP/XPLevel
Big bones1552.5~400 gp7.61+
Dragon bones72252~2,500 gp9.91+
Wyvern bones72252~5,000 gp19.81+
Lava dragon bones85297.5~3,500 gp11.81+ (Wildy)
Dagannoth bones125437.5~8,000 gp18.31+
Superior dragon bones150525~12,000 gp22.970+

Ensouled Heads — Ironman & Budget Method

Ensouled heads are reanimated with the Arceuus spellbook for Prayer and Magic XP. Cheapest prayer method and ironman viable. Kill monsters, collect heads, reanimate on Dark Altar in Arceuus.

Head TypePrayer XPCostGP/XPMagic Req
Ensouled goblin head130~100 gp0.7716 Magic (Basic)
Ensouled monkey head182~150 gp0.8216 Magic (Basic)
Ensouled imp head286~400 gp1.4016 Magic (Basic)
Ensouled minotaur head364~600 gp1.6516 Magic (Basic)
Ensouled bloodveld head1040~2,000 gp1.9272 Magic (Expert)
Ensouled dragon head1560~3,500 gp2.2490 Magic (Master)

Important Prayer Unlocks

37

Protect from Magic

Blocks NPC magic damage; essential early PvM

40

Protect from Missiles

Blocks NPC ranged damage

43

Protect from Melee

Blocks NPC melee damage — usual PvM minimum

52

Smite

PvP — drains opponent Prayer on hits

70

Piety

Best melee prayer (~+20% Atk, +23% Str, +25% Def)

Essential
74

Rigour

Best ranged prayer (requires Dexterous prayer scroll)

Essential
77

Augury

Best magic prayer (requires Arcane prayer scroll)

Essential

Gilded Altar Method — Step by Step

Using Someone Else's House
1

Join "07 Altar" CC

This clan hosts gilded altars 24/7. Check pinned message for current host.

2

Bring noted bones + coins

Inventory: 1 noted bone stack, coins for butler, house tabs. Wear weight-reducing gear.

3

Use house portal in Rimmington

Right-click host's name in CC, "Visit house". Or use house party portal.

4

Un-note bones with butler

Use noted bones on butler to un-note (10k gp per 26 bones).

5

Offer bones at gilded altar

Use bones on altar. Each bone gives 3.5x base XP (lit incense burners).

6

Repeat until done

Takes 8-12 hours for 99. Extremely AFK, can watch Netflix.

Pro Prayer Training Tips
•

Use "07 Altar" CC: Free gilded altars 24/7. Much better than building your own (costs 30M+ for construction)

•

Dragon bones are best value: Perfect balance of speed and cost. Superior dragon bones only 2x faster for 4x cost

•

Train to 70 for Piety: 70 Prayer is essential for PvM. Also need Knight Waves Training Ground quest completed

•

Get 37 / 40 / 43 for protections: Magic → Missiles → Melee. 43 Melee protect is the usual PvM floor

•

Rigour/Augury need scrolls: 74/77 Prayer + Dexterous/Arcane prayer scroll (60M-80M each from Chambers of Xeric)

•

Wilderness altar for budget: If you can handle PKers, saves 30-40M on the way to 99 but very annoying

•

Ironmen: use ensouled heads: Kill slayer monsters, collect heads, reanimate at Dark Altar. Cheapest method

Complete Prayer Training Guide for OSRS

Prayer is one of the most important skills in Old School RuneScape, providing protection prayers for PvM and powerful offensive boosts like Piety, Rigour, and Augury. While expensive to train, it's fast and essential for end-game content. This guide covers the most efficient methods to reach 99 Prayer.

Best Method: Gilded Altar with Dragon Bones

The standard method is using dragon bones on a gilded altar with lit burners. This gives 252 XP per bone (3.5x multiplier) and costs approximately 180M for 1-99. Join the "07 Altar" clan chat to access free gilded altars 24/7. Bring noted dragon bones, coins for the butler (10k per 26 bones un-noted), and house teleport tablets. This method takes 8-12 hours and is very AFK.

Budget Method: Wilderness Altar

The Wilderness altar (level 11-13 Wilderness) gives 350% XP boost - the highest in the game. This makes it 30% cheaper than gilded altar, saving 40-50M on the way to 99. However, you WILL be attacked by PKers. The "suicide method" involves bringing only noted bones and a house tab, offering bones until you die, then repeating. Use world 330 for fewer PKers. Not recommended unless you're very budget conscious.

Ironman Method: Ensouled Heads

Ironmen should use ensouled heads from the Arceuus spellbook. Kill monsters on-task (bloodvelds, demons, dragons), collect their ensouled heads, then reanimate them at the Dark Altar in Arceuus. This costs 50-80M for 1-99 (cheapest method) and trains Magic alongside Prayer. Dragon heads give 1,560 Prayer XP and cost ~3,500 GP each. Rates: 150k-200k Prayer XP/hr.

Important Prayer Levels

Level 37 / 40 / 43: Protect from Magic, Missiles, then Melee. Essential for PvM. These prayers block 100% of damage from their respective combat styles.
Level 52: Smite — drains the opponent's Prayer points on successful hits (PvP).
Level 70: Piety (requires Knight Waves Training Ground quest). Best melee prayer, gives +25% to Attack, Strength, and Defence.
Level 74: Rigour (requires Dexterous prayer scroll from CoX). Best ranged prayer, +25% to Ranged and Defence.
Level 77: Augury (requires Arcane prayer scroll from CoX). Best magic prayer, +25% to Magic and Defence.

Cost Breakdown

Dragon bones @ gilded altar: GE-dependent cost — about 51,700 bones from 0 XP (13,034,431 ÷ 252)
Dragon bones @ Wilderness altar: fewer bones / cheaper, but PK risk
Superior dragon bones @ gilded: faster XP, much higher GP cost — check GE
Ensouled dragon heads: cheap Prayer XP but needs 90 Magic (Master Reanimation)
Big bones @ gilded: ~110M for 1-99 (takes 40+ hours, not worth the time)

Related Tools

Calculate exact costs and bones needed with our Prayer Calculator. Check current bone prices at GE Tracker. Track your prayer level with Player Lookup.