Why Train Prayer?
Prayer is one of the most important skills in OSRS. Higher Prayer unlocks powerful protection prayers, offensive prayers like Piety, Rigour, and Augury, and is essential for virtually all PvM content. Getting at least 77 Prayer (for Augury) or 74 (for Rigour) is a game-changer, and 99 Prayer gives you the iconic skill cape and Prayer bonus.
The downside? Prayer is expensive to train. This guide breaks down every method from the cheapest to the fastest so you can pick what works for your budget.
Key Prayer Milestones
43 Prayer: Protection Prayers (essential for all PvM)
44 Prayer: Eagle Eye and Mystic Might
60 Prayer: Chivalry (requires Knights Training Grounds)
70 Prayer: Piety (requires Knights Training Grounds)
74 Prayer: Rigour (requires Dexterous Prayer Scroll)
77 Prayer: Augury (requires Arcane Prayer Scroll)
99 Prayer: Max cape perk and bragging rights
Training Methods Overview
Method 1: Gilded Altar (Best Balance of Speed and Cost)
XP Rate: 300-600K XP/hr depending on bones
How it works: Use bones on a Gilded Altar in a Player Owned House with both burners lit. This gives 350% base XP per bone.
Best bones to use:
Dragon bones: 252 XP each. Cost to 99: ~110M GP. Good middle ground.
Superior Dragon bones: 525 XP each. Cost to 99: ~180M GP. Fastest common method.
Dagannoth bones: 437.5 XP each. Cost to 99: ~95M GP. Best value for speed.
How to do it: Join a POH host world (W330 for hosting), use bones on the altar, unnote bones at Phials in Rimmington for 5gp each. Repeat.
Method 2: Chaos Altar (Cheapest Method)
XP Rate: 200-400K XP/hr
How it works: The Chaos Altar in the Wilderness (level 38) gives the same 350% XP as a Gilded Altar, BUT it has a 50% chance to NOT consume the bone. This effectively halves the cost.
Cost to 99 with Dragon bones: ~55M GP (half the gilded altar cost)
Risk: You are in the Wilderness. PKers frequent the Chaos Altar. Bring only 1 inventory of bones at a time and use burning amulet teleports. The savings are massive if you can handle dying occasionally.
Method 3: Ensouled Heads (Cheapest Overall)
XP Rate: 100-200K XP/hr
How it works: Use the Arceuus spellbook to reanimate ensouled heads and kill them for Prayer XP.
Best heads:
Ensouled dragon heads: 1,560 XP each. Cost to 99: ~30-40M GP
Ensouled giant heads: 650 XP each. Cost to 99: ~15-20M GP
This is the cheapest method but significantly slower than altar methods. Great for players on a tight budget or Ironmen.
Method 4: Bonecrusher Necklace (Passive/AFK)
XP Rate: Varies (passive while doing Slayer or combat)
The Bonecrusher necklace automatically buries bones from monsters you kill, giving passive Prayer XP. Not a primary training method but a great supplement during Slayer tasks.
Cost Comparison Table
Dragon Bones (Gilded Altar): ~110M to 99, 350-500K XP/hr
Dragon Bones (Chaos Altar): ~55M to 99, 250-400K XP/hr
Superior Dragon Bones (Gilded): ~180M to 99, 500-600K XP/hr
Dagannoth Bones (Gilded): ~95M to 99, 400-500K XP/hr
Ensouled Dragon Heads: ~35M to 99, 150-200K XP/hr
Ensouled Giant Heads: ~18M to 99, 100-130K XP/hr
Recommended Path
1-43: Quest rewards (Restless Ghost, Priest in Peril, Holy Grail, Recruitment Drive give enough XP to reach 43)
43-70: Dragon bones on Gilded Altar or Chaos Altar (~3,000 bones needed)
70-77: Dragon bones or Superior Dragon bones on altar (~2,500 Dragon or ~1,200 Superior needed)
77-99 (if going for it): Cheapest option on Chaos Altar or Superior Dragon bones on Gilded Altar if budget allows
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