OSRS Ironman Equipment Progression Guide

There are lots of things that make an OSRS Ironman challenge difficult. Aside from the fear of losing your Ironman status upon death, there are many restrictions that prevent you from progressing through gear as you normally would on a regular account. When it comes to the toughest challenges in OSRS.

Here are restrictions that will make gear progression significantly more difficult:

1. You can’t trade with other players, or buy from them through their shops to take advantage of cheaper items.

2. Drops from the kills of other players - including PvP won’t be applicable to you. As long as another player has attacked that monster you also tried to kill, you won’t get any loot. This means farming for gear or gold will be more difficult.

3. You can’t use the Grand Exchange unless you're transacting bonds. This alone greatly handicaps your capability to create a certain build or to easily gather the right materials for a certain item you’re creating.

4. You can’t receive items from the Falador Party Room.

There are many other systems in place that could prevent you from building the perfect gear. However, if you have the right plan in check, you should have a solid way to the top through gear progression.

OSRS Ironman Gear Progression

The builds you’ll see below are specifically curated to make progression through an Ironman account as seamless as possible. The items will be listed from best to least so if you were to check it out, start by securing the item at the bottom of each slot and work your way up.

We’re no longer going to include early game items that are relatively easy to get even on an Ironman run. We’re going to instead start by listing items that you can get from mid to late-game. Lastly, while these are good progression paths to follow, they aren’t set in stone and you should still abide by what you’re most comfortable with.

The notes beside the items is to show you where you can stash that particular item.

Melee

When you’re first starting out in your Ironman run and you want to focus on improving your melee capabilities, it’s best to get the adamant sword, goblin paint cannon, and the rune sword first. These are the most accessible and most powerful options for all beginners in Ironman. If you’re lucky enough, you can try to get the Rune scimitar ornament kit by doing beginner clues.

You can skip that entirely and go directly to doing Monkey Madness I to get the dragon scimitar instead. This will help you through a huge chunk of the mid-game but keep in mind that Monkey Madness I isn’t an easy quest and will require a lot of preparation as well. If you can, try to get the Sarachnis Cudgel from Sarachnis.

For general usage, we highly suggest getting the Abyssal Whip as it’s the best and most cost-efficient one for Ironman runs. It is rather risky to wield though as using it requires you to have a Slayer level of 85. If you want something better but harder to get, go for the Voidwaker instead. It has better stats and can be passed on for your best-in-slot choice for special attack.

The two best weapons for Ironmen are the Ghrazi rapier and the Osmumten’s fang. Unfortunately, these weapons are very hard to get even on a regular account, let alone on an Ironman account where trading and resources are fairly limited.

For your off-hand or shield, we highly recommend getting the defenders instead with the dragon defender or the avernic defender being your penultimate goal. If you want to farm dragons, you can get a dragon defender but outside this purpose, you’re better off with avernic defender.

It can be enticing to get melee armor with high defense stats but for Ironmen, offense is the best defense so it’s best to look for Strength bonuses as well. You can cover your lack of defenses with Protection Prayers after all.

That said, one of the most versatile head pieces to get is the Neitiznot faceguard. If this is too expensive for you, you can opt for the berserker helmet which offers less Strength bonus but is far more affordable. If you’re planning on training your melee combat skills, you can instead go for a full obsidian set partnered with a Berserker Necklace. The Torva helm should be your main goal but seeing that it’s very expensive, you’re better off with other helmets instead.

For your body armor, aim for the bandos chest plate or the fighter torso. The former is preferred as aside from its considerable Strength bonus, you’re also getting higher defense bonuses as well. Since you have the bandos chest plate, you should also consider getting the tassets too for even more Strength bonus.

Ideally, you’d want to get a Full Torva set to cover most of your armour but it’s the most expensive melee armor around. It’s best reserved for late game adventures so try not to focus on this too much.

For the gloves, go for the culinaromancer’s gloves but ultimately focus on getting the ferocious gloves. As for your boots, the climbing boots are the most optimal during mid-game but you’d eventually want to upgrade these for dragon boots and primordial boots later on.

You’re going to want to max out your Strength bonus with the Amulate of torture in the endgame but you can make ends meet with the amulet of fury or glory early on. For your ring, consider getting the berserker ring (i) for its amazing strength bonus. It’s also relatively easy to obtain compared to other strength-based rings out there.

• Head:

• Torva full helm

• Neitiznot faceguard

• Serpentine helm

• Helm of neitiznot (Shop, STASH)

• Obsidian helmet (POH ) / Berserker helm (Shop)

• Neck:

• Amulet of torture

• Amulet of fury

• Amulet of strength / Strength amulet (t) (POH )

• Amulet of glory (POH , STASH) / Amulet of glory (t) (POH )

• Amulet of power / Amulet of power (t) (POH )

• Back:

• Infernal cape (POH)

• Fire cape (POH, STASH)

• Mythical cape (POH)

• Trimmed skillcape (POH)

• Skillcape (POH)

• Body:

• Torva platebody

• Bandos chestplate  / Inquisitor's hauberk (POH , skip) / Fighter torso (POH)

• Obsidian platebody (POH )

• Legs:

• Torva platelegs

• Bandos tassets  / Inquisitor's plateskirt (POH , skip)

• Obsidian platelegs (POH ) / Barrows legwear 

• Weapon:

• Osmumten's fang

• Ghrazi rapier / Inquisitor's mace

• Abyssal whip (STASH) / Voidwaker

• Sarachnis cudgel  / Dragon scimitar (Shop) / Rune sword (Shop)

• Shield:

• Avernic defender (STASH)

• Dragon defender (STASH)

• Hands:

• Ferocious gloves

• Barrows gloves (Shop, STASH)

• Dragon gloves (Shop)

• Rune gloves (Shop)

• Combat bracelet

• Boots:

• Primordial boots (STASH)

• Dragon boots (STASH) / Dragon boots (g) (POH )

• Spiked manacles (POH)

• Rune boots (STASH)

• Climbing boots (Shop) / Climbing boots (g) (POH)

• Ring:

• Ultor ring

• Bellator ring

• Berserker ring (i)

• Brimstone ring 

• Berserker ring

Range

For the Ranged approach, we’re going to give you two suggestions. Let’s start with two-handed Ranged weapons. For this, you’re going to want to mainly focus on shortbows. The first goal should be to get the magic shortbow (i) which should be good enough to get you through most of the early stages in the game. Once you have access to The Gauntlet (and can beat it), you should then aim for the Bow of Faerdhinen. This is one of the best all-around Ranged weapons in the game because of its high damage output. If you want something more with firepower, go for the Toxic Blowpipe instead but make sure to use Dragon Darts. The end goal however, is to get the Twisted Bow but given its value, it will take a lot of time before you can get this.

Next up, we’ve got one-handed crossbows. You’re going to want to get the Dorgeshuun crossbow first because it has cheap ammo and is easy to train with. It’s the best option during the early game. Work your way up to the Zaryte crossbow next but in all honesty, don’t go anything beyond here. It’s best to use two-handed weapons because of their power and investing more into one-handed ranged weapons is a waste.

If you’re opting for one-handed ranged weapons, the best off-hand equipment to partner it with is the twisted buckler. Before that, you can use the dragonfire ward instead.

For your armor, you’re going to want to start with regular dragonhide armor and then work your way up into blessed dragonhide armor. Once you’re capable of doing the Barrows, do a few runs and aim to complete Karil’s set for its sweet set bonus. You can follow it up with an Armadyl armor set or you can go ahead and shoot for the Masori armor and then its upgraded version instead.

If you’re using the bow of Faedhinen, you can skip the Masori armor and then just go for a Crystal armor instead as this creates a deadly combo.

For the boots, the best options are the Pegasian boots but you can start with either the blessed boots or ranger boots. However, these two alternatives are good enough to last you throughout your run. You can skip the Pegasian boots and just focus on spending money on your armor.

As for your gloves, the best options include the barrows gloves, culinaromancer’s gloves, and the Zaryte vambraces. Any of these are strong contenders for your BiS weapons to be honest.

Once you hit 99 Ranged, the best cape to get is obviously the Ranging Cape but if you’re not planning on maxing out this skill, the best cape is the Assembler max cape instead.

Since this is a Ranged setup we’re talking about, make sure to aim for the necklace of anguish. If you don’t have this, the amulet of fury and glory are both viable alternatives as well.

• Head:

• Masori mask (f) (POH ) / Crystal helm

• Masori mask (POH )

• Armadyl helmet  / Robin hood hat (POH)

• Blessed coif (POH )

• Archer helm (Shop)

• Neck:

• Necklace of anguish

• Amulet of fury 

• Amulet of glory (POH , STASH) / Amulet of glory (t) (POH )

• Amulet of power / Amulet of power (t) (POH )

• N/A

• Back:

• Assembler max cape (POH)

• Ava's assembler (storage concerns)

• Ranging cape(t) (POH) + Vorkath's head

• Ranging cape(t) (POH)

• Ava's accumulator (Shop)

• Body:

• Masori body (f) (POH ) / Crystal body

• Masori body (POH )

• Armadyl chestplate  / Blessed body (POH )

• Karil's leathertop 

• Black d'hide body / Black d'hide body (g) (POH ) / Black d'hide body (t) (POH )

• Legs:

• Masori chaps (f) (POH ) / Crystal legs

• Masori chaps (POH )

• Armadyl chainskirt  / Blessed chaps (POH )

• Karil's leatherskirt 

• Black d'hide chaps / Black d'hide chaps (g) (POH ) / Black d'hide chaps (t) (POH )

• Weapon:

• Zaryte crossbow

• Armadyl crossbow  / Dragon hunter crossbow 

• Dragon crossbow 

• Rune crossbow (STASH)

• Dorgeshuun crossbow (Shop)

• Shield:

• Twisted buckler 

• Dragonfire ward 

• Book of law (Shop) / Unholy book (Shop)

• Blessed d'hide shield (POH)

• Two-handed weapon:

• Twisted bow

• Bow of faerdhinen (STASH)

• Toxic blowpipe / Venator bow

• Magic shortbow (imbued)

• Hands:

• Zaryte vambraces

• Barrows gloves (Shop, STASH)

• Rune gloves (Shop)

• Boots:

• Pegasian boots 

• Ranger boots (POH)

• Blessed d'hide boots (POH)

• Shayzien boots (5) (POH )

• Snakeskin boots (POH )

• Ring:

• Venator ring 

• Archers ring (i) 

• Ring of shadows (NPC)

• Brimstone ring 

• Archers ring 

Magic

For your weapons on a Magic build, let’s first talk about powered staves. Obviously, the best choice here is Tumeken’s Shadow but is easily one of the most expensive items in the game. If we’re talking scalability and ease of handling, you’d first want to start with the Trident of the Sea. Thanks to its many charges, this is an excellent weapon to have. If you want more fire power, you can upgrade to a Trident of the Swamp but again, the Sea variant has more charges. 

Before jumping into the Tumeken’s Shadow, we highly suggest going for the Sanguinesti staff first. Obtaining this is a must fo Ironmen and for any account for that matter. Ironman players typically have a hard time getting this because of its prices so many get it during the end game. Quick access to Tumeken’s Shadow is near impossible.

If you want to focus mainly on regular spellcasting, you’d first want to start with the ancient staff or any of the elemental staves. The latter is highly recommended if you’re looking to train your Magic with splashing. You’d eventually want to work your way up to the Master Wand, then the Ancient Sceptre. For this category, the best and prime options are the Kodai Wand and the Nightmare Staff.

For an all-around staff, you can settle for the Dust battle staff which is very high-utility thanks to House Teleport. The problem with this is that the runes required to use this staff isn’t easy to get.

You’re going to want to equip an Elidinis’ Ward for your off-hand so that your magic damage is maximized further. Many players get this as soon as they can.  If this is too expensive for you at the moment, you can settle for the book of darkness or the unholy book instead. Don’t forget to pick up the Tome of Fire if you want to use fire magic mostly.

For your armor, you’re going to start with the Mystic Robes which should be more than enough to help you go through the Barrows to get the Ahrim’s set. Once you have this powerful set, you can move forward to the Virtus robes but you can also jump to the Ancestral Robes set if you want to.

Both the Ancestral robes and Virtus robes are excellent choices but what you choose will entirely depend on what type of magic you’re focusing on in the first place. Ancestral robes are better for general magic use while Virtus Robes are excellent for using Ancient Magicks. For Blood Spells, you’re going to want to get the Bloodbark Armor instead. With this set, your healing with Blood Spells is significantly better, allowing you to save up on runes and healing items.

The strongest magic cape in the game is one of the imbued god capes as it provides substantial Magic damage bonus. When you’re starting out however, it’s best to take any regular god cape with you instead.

At the start of your Ironman journey, you’re going to want to carry the culinaromancer’s gloves first because it’s a quick and easy way to increase your Magic accuracy. Progress a little deeper into the Ironman run and you’d want to switch to Barrows gloves instead. The best for the hand slot however is the tormented bracelet.

It’s easy to say that the eternal boots are the best choice for Ironman mages because of their high Magic bonus but it’s not worth keeping in the long run. The better option would be the Wizard boots since you can store them in your treasure chest so it’s easy to keep safe. For those lacking in defenses, you can use the Boots of Brimstone instead as it gives a decent Magic damage bonus and defense bonus all at once.

The best neckwear is the occult necklace and luckily, this isn’t that hard to get. Focus on getting this early on as it adds a substantial Magic bonus which can make many grind easier. Not having the occult necklace isn’t a good idea even if you have a full set of the best gear.

• Head:

• Ancestral hat (POH )

• Virtus mask (POH )

• Farseer helm (Shop)

• Healer hat (POH) / Bloodbark helm (POH )

• Mystic hat (Shop, POH )

• Neck:

• Occult necklace

• Amulet of fury 

• Amulet of glory (POH , STASH) / Amulet of glory (t) (POH )

• Amulet of magic / Amulet of magic (t) (POH )

• Amulet of power / Amulet of power (t) (POH )

• Back:

• Imbued god cape (POH)

• God capes (POH)

• Ardougne cloak 4 (Shop)

• Ardougne cloak 3 (Shop)

• Ardougne cloak 2 (Shop)

• Body:

• Ancestral robe top (POH )

• Virtus robe top (POH )

• Ahrim's robe top 

• Bloodbark body (POH )

• Mystic robe top (Shop, POH )

• Legs:

• Ancestral robe bottom (POH )

• Virtus robe bottom (POH )

• Ahrim's robeskirt 

• Blood Bark legs (POH )

• Mystic robe bottom (Shop, POH )

• Weapon:

• Kodai wand / Sanguinesti staff / Nightmare staff

• Trident of the swamp / Trident of the seas / Ancient sceptre (storage concerns / Master wand)

• Slayer's staff (Undead grasp, Shop) / Iban's staff (u) (NPC,  )

• Accursed sceptre

• Staff of fire (Shop)

• Shield:

• Elidinis' ward (f)  / Elidinis' ward / Arcane spirit shield 

• Book of darkness (Shop) / Unholy book (Shop)

• Book of the dead (NPC, thralls)

• Tome of fire

• Two-handed weapon:

• Tumeken's shadow

• Hands:

• Tormented bracelet

• Barrows gloves (Shop, STASH)

• Rune gloves (Shop) / Bloodbark gauntlets (POH )

• Boots:

• Eternal boots  / Infinity boots (POH ) / Bloodbark boots (POH ) / Wizard boots (POH)

• Mystic boots (Shop, POH )

• Ring:

• Magus ring with shadow

• Ring of shadows (NPC)

• Seers ring (i)  / Brimstone ring 

• Seers ring 

• Beacon ring (NPC)

Specialty Build

This build below offers a more versatile approach for your Ironman run. Its goal is to make sure that you have a setup that’s readily available to use depending on what you need. While it’s good to have a multitude of options at your disposal, this method is rather risky as it means you’ll be bringing along lots of gear with you but it’s a good way to gain an advantage against the raids and bosses in the game.

As a general rule of thumb, you’d want to invest what money you have into getting equipment rather than healing items. You can use Magic and food items to sustain yourself throughout your Ironman run.

• Head:

• Slayer helmet (i) (STASH)

• Void Knight helmets (POH)

• Serpentine helm 

• Justiciar faceguard (POH) 

• Neck:

• Salve amulet(ei)

• Amulet of blood fury 

• Back:

• Max cape (POH)

• Construction cape(t) (POH)

• Body:

• Proselyte hauberk (Shop, POH) 

• Elite void top (POH) 

• Zealot's robe top (POH) 

• Monk's robe top (Spawn/monk's robe top (t) (POH ) / Shade robe top (POH) )

• Justiciar chestguard (POH) 

• Legs:

• Proselyte cuisse (Shop, POH) 

• Elite void robe (POH) 

• Zealot's robe bottom (POH) 

• Monk's robe (Spawn/monk's robe (t) (POH ) / Shade robe (POH ))

• Justiciar legguards (POH) 

• Weapon:

• Blade of saeldor (Don't corrupt)

• Arclight (STASH)

• Dragon hunter lance 

• Zamorakian hasta

• Dragon hunter crossbow

• Shield:

• Elysian spirit shield 

• Spectral spirit shield 

• Dragonfire shield 

• Two-handed weapon:

• Scythe of vitur

• Elder maul 

• Zamorakian spear

• Dinh's bulwark 

• N/A

• Ammo/Spell:

• Ghommal's lucky penny

• Rada's blessing 4

• Hands:

• Void knight gloves (POH) 

• Boots:

• Holy sandals (POH)

• Ring:

• Lightbearer

• Ring of suffering (i) 

• Ring of suffering 

• Explorer's ring 4

• Ring of wealth

• Special attack:

• Dragon warhammer / Dragon claws / Voidwaker / Bandos godsword (STASH)

• Dragon dagger (Shop)

• Toxic blowpipe / Saradomin godsword 

• Dragon battleaxe (STASH, Shop)

Pro Tips For Ironman

Of course, it’s easy to say that you should get this build or get that build but the Ironman challenge in OSRS is a lot tougher than you think because of all the restrictions put in place. To help you out, here are a few essential tips to keep in mind.

1. Pick Your Quests Well

Questing is a lot more important in an Ironman run than it is on a regular account. You can heavily rely on the rewards you get for each of the quests in the game so it’s more than essential that you progress through the quests in the right order. You’d want to focus on certain quests first so that you get important unlocks for them.

For starters, you’d want to finish the quests where you’re able to unlock certain skills, teleports, and areas in the game. Below is a table showing just that.

By prioritizing certain quests, you can make traveling, combat, and a lot of other things easier. Some of the quests above can even give you some great gear for free. In an Ironman run, it’s always best to find sources for free items so that you don’t waste time farming which also puts yourself at risk of dying. 

2. Making Money

Getting rich and buying stuff for lower the price than they actually are is impossible because the Grand Exchange isn’t available on Ironman accounts. Making money is going to be more difficult and you’ll need to be really practical and knowledgeable in the game if you want to start making gold that you’ll use for buying gear.

There aren’t a lot of money making techniques on an Ironman account but these are the best ones.

3. Builds Matter

As we’ve said a while back, builds are going to matter heavily in an Ironman account. While you can make do with different builds for raids and bosses on a regular account, there’s little to no room for adjustment when playing an Ironman account in OSRS. You really need to strictly follow recommended build guides.

If you can’t devote yourself into getting all of the best items in the game, what you can do is to make sure that you’re at least capable of transitioning into all forms of combat. That way, you’ll have a means to adjust accordingly depending on what type of fight is ahead of you don’t forget to collect the best gear and attempt to have the best setup possible before taking on any bosses.

4. Treat The Game Differently

A big mistake you can make is to treat an Ironman run similarly to any other game of OSRS. Everything from how you build your character to how you earn money is different in an Ironman account. It’s very difficult and considering that you’re only given one life, this also means that you should train combat skill diffferently as well.

Make sure to read up on guides and other strategies to make your Ironman run more successful. In fact, do research on any updated Ironman guide to see which quests are worth doing. It might take you a few tries before you can start maxing out your account but the prestige and glory in doing so is well worth it for any fan of the game.

5. Don’t Skip Out On Achievement Diaries

Achievement Diaries are easy to overlook when you’re playing the game but the rewards you can get from it are really useful, especially in Ironman where items and resources are scarce.  Here’s a list of diaries and their rewards so you know which ones to attempt first. 

Ready For Your Ironman Journey?

Any Ironman journey should not be treated one and the same. The gear progression above should only serve as a great updated ironman guide that will help you ease through the tougher parts of the game. It’s the most efficient way to progress through the challenge. However, don’t be afraid to mix and match your gear as necessary depending on what you need.