Difference between revisions of "Getting Started"

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[[File:Exploring the screen.png|thumb|668x368px|Use the icons to easily change which activity you are viewing.|alt=Image Guide]]
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[[Category:Guides]]
The '''Getting Started''' guide is intended to help both new and returning players.
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[[File:Exploring the screen.png|thumb|668x368px|Use the icons to easily change which activity you are viewing.|alt=Image Guide|link=]]The '''Getting Started''' guide is intended to help both new and returning players.
  
 
This guide aims to assist the player from the early-game to the beginning of mid-game, covering a wide range of topics including skilling, money-making, and the meta in ''Idlescape''. Mid-game can loosely be described as the point where the player has:
 
This guide aims to assist the player from the early-game to the beginning of mid-game, covering a wide range of topics including skilling, money-making, and the meta in ''Idlescape''. Mid-game can loosely be described as the point where the player has:
  
 
*A set of [[Equipment#Armor|runite armor]]
 
*A set of [[Equipment#Armor|runite armor]]
*Skill levels roughly averaging 50 - 60
+
*Skill levels roughly averaging 50‒60
  
<br />
 
 
==Things to Consider==
 
==Things to Consider==
 
This section will cover subjects including the player's account and official rules.
 
This section will cover subjects including the player's account and official rules.
 +
===Game Rules===
 +
[[Rules]]
  
===Ironman Mode===
+
All players must follow the rules of the game. Certain things are not allowed, and can result in your account being muted, suspended, or permanently banned from play:
Released on 11th December 2020 [https://www.reddit.com/r/Idlescape/comments/kb6ewt/update_11_december_2020_v08_ironman/ v0.8]<blockquote>The information on this page is based on '''non-ironman gameplay'''. While still very useful to start off, some advice may not apply!</blockquote>Ironman mode accounts have unique restrictions and special capabilities:  
 
  
*'''Trading''' - cannot trade with other players.
+
*Any form of automation or botting is NOT allowed. This applies to the use, creation, or distribution of both bots and automation devices. Discussions about botting is also not permitted.
*'''Ironman-only Chat''' - all ironmen have their own chat channel that cannot be accessed by regular players, but can still chat in the general channel.
+
*Scripts for quality of life improvements may be allowed, but for safety check with Boohi through in-game chat or Discord for a timely response and approval.
*'''Chat Total Level''' - total levels displayed in chat for ironmen is greyed out to differentiate them from regular players.
+
*Alt-trading, specifically having multiple accounts that trade between each other is NOT allowed. Players are only allowed to own a single account!
*'''Multi-logging''' - players can use both their regular account and ironman account at the same time in different browser tabs.
+
*Trading any items from outside of Idlescape for items inside Idlescape is against the rules and will result in a trade ban for both players.
*'''Server-wide Broadcasts''' - the first time an ironman reaches a special achievement, (e.g. first to level 50 farming) a server-wide message is sent to congratulate them in both general and the ironman chat channels.
+
*Follow the [[Rules#Chat Guidelines|chat rules]]!
*'''Ironman-only Hiscores''' - a special hiscores page where the highest level ironmen are ranked.
 
  
''This mode is '''not''' recommended for new players to the game.''
+
===Staff & Moderators===
 +
[[FAQ#Current Staff Members|Current Staff Members]]
 +
 
 +
Tasks of people within a role are not set in stone, but in general developers create the game system and code, and moderators keep chat in normal and help players out with small problems. Community contributors help develop and test new parts of the game on a voluntary basis. Artists create the artwork for the game.
 +
 
 +
To open a ticket for assistance, you can do so in game from the "Send Feedback" feature in game, or via the [https://discord.gg/kFpscRm Discord channel] #create-ticket.
 +
==Ironman Mode==
  
===Game Rules===
+
:''Note: The information on this page is based on '''non-ironman gameplay'''. While still very useful to start off, some advice may not apply!''
<blockquote>''Main article: [[Rules]]''</blockquote>All players must follow the rules of the game. Certain things are not allowed, and can result in your account being muted, suspended, or permanently banned from play:
 
  
#Any form of automation or botting is NOT allowed. This applies to the use, creation, or distribution of both bots and automation devices. Discussions about botting is also not permitted.
+
Released on 11 December 2020 [https://www.reddit.com/r/Idlescape/comments/kb6ewt/update_11_december_2020_v08_ironman/ v0.8].
#Scripts for quality of life improvements may be allowed, but for safety check with Boohi through in-game chat or Discord for a timely response and approval.
 
#Alt-trading, specifically having multiple accounts that trade between each other is NOT allowed. Players are only allowed to own a single account!
 
#Trading any items from outside of Idlescape for items inside Idlescape is against the rules and will result in a trade ban for both players.
 
#Follow [[Rules#Chat Guidelines|chat rules]]!
 
  
===Admins===
+
[[Ironman]] mode characters have unique restrictions and special capabilities:
Currently there is one [[FAQ#Current Staff Members:|admin]] in Idlescape:
 
  
*<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/chaticons/chat-icon-boohi.png" alt="Creator" height="23" width="23"> [[User:Boohi|Boohi]]
+
*'''Trading''': cannot trade with other players.
 +
*'''Ironman-only Chat''': all ironmen have their own chat channel that cannot be accessed by regular players, but can still chat in the general channel.
 +
*'''Chat Total Level''': total levels displayed in chat for ironmen is greyed out to differentiate them from regular players.
 +
*'''Multi-logging''': players can use both their regular character and ironman character at the same time in different browser tabs.
 +
*'''Server-wide Broadcasts''': the first time an ironman reaches a special achievement, (e.g. first to level 50 farming) a server-wide message is sent to congratulate them in both general and the ironman chat channels.
 +
*'''Ironman-only Hiscores''': a special hiscores page where the highest level ironmen are ranked.
  
===Moderators===
+
''This mode is '''not''' recommended for new players to the game.''
[[FAQ#Current Staff Members:|Moderators]] are players chosen specifically by Idlescape [[FAQ#Current Staff Members:|admins]] for their commitment to the community. They are denoted in-game by a silver chat crown (<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/chaticons/chat-icon-mod.png" alt="" height="23" width="23">). These moderators have special privileges, and can mute rule-breakers.
 
<br />
 
  
 +
With the release of Ironman mode came several [[Alternate Playstyles]], all based around the mode.
 +
----
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==
 
This section covers mechanics and other information relating to the game itself.
 
This section covers mechanics and other information relating to the game itself.
 
 
===Action Queue===
 
===Action Queue===
In Idlescape, players can only perform '''one''' action at a time. I.e. [[mining]] and [[foraging]] simultaneously is not possible.
+
In Idlescape, players can only perform '''one''' action at a time; for example, [[mining]] and [[foraging]] simultaneously is not possible.
 
 
The exceptions are: [[farming]], [[enchanting]], [[Enchanting#Augmenting|augmenting]], and [[crafting]]. These can be done at the same time while training other skills.
 
  
 +
The exceptions are: [[farming]], [[enchanting]] and [[crafting]]. These can be done at the same time while training other skills.
 
===Offline Progression===
 
===Offline Progression===
Offline progression continues for up to 12 hours.
+
Offline progression continues for up to 12 hours, 24 if you have Idlescape+.
 
 
 
===Skills===
 
===Skills===
Players have access to 13 skills, split up into four categories; combat, gathering, production, and magic. For more information on each skill see their respective article.
+
Players have access to 15 skills, split up into four categories: combat, gathering, production, and magic. For more information on each skill, see their respective articles.
 
 
 
{| class="wikitable align-center-1"
 
{| class="wikitable align-center-1"
 
! colspan="3" |Combat skills
 
! colspan="3" |Combat skills
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/combat/attack_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/combat/attack_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Combat#Attack|Attack]]
 
|[[Combat#Attack|Attack]]
 
|Determines how accurate the player is.
 
|Determines how accurate the player is.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/combat/strength_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/combat/strength_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Combat#Strength|Strength]]
 
|[[Combat#Strength|Strength]]
 
|Determines a player's maximum hit, calculated alongside their strength bonuses.
 
|Determines a player's maximum hit, calculated alongside their strength bonuses.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/combat/defense_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/combat/defense_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Combat#Defense|Defense]]
 
|[[Combat#Defense|Defense]]
 
|Decreases the chance of being hit.
 
|Decreases the chance of being hit.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/combat/constitution_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/combat/constitution_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Combat#Constitution|Constitution]]
 
|[[Combat#Constitution|Constitution]]
|Allows players to sustain more damage.
+
|Increases Health/HP.
 +
|-
 +
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/magic/magic_logo.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 +
|[[Combat#Magic|Magic]]
 +
|Determines a player's magic damage.
 +
|-
 +
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/combat/range_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 +
|[[Combat#Range|Range]]
 +
|Determines a player's range damage.
 
|-
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" |Gathering Skills
 
! colspan="3" |Gathering Skills
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/mining/iron_pickaxe.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/mining/iron_pickaxe.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Mining]]
 
|[[Mining]]
 
|Used to gather ores and other materials from different locations.
 
|Used to gather ores and other materials from different locations.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/farming/farming_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/fishing/fishing_logo.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
|[[Farming]]
 
|Used to plant and harvest seeds.
 
|-
 
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/fishing/fishing_logo.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
 
|[[Fishing]]
 
|[[Fishing]]
 
|Allows players to catch fish.
 
|Allows players to catch fish.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/foraging/foraging_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/foraging/foraging_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Foraging]]
 
|[[Foraging]]
 
|Allows players to gather logs, seeds, and cooking ingredients.
 
|Allows players to gather logs, seeds, and cooking ingredients.
Line 94: Line 98:
 
! colspan="3" |Production Skills
 
! colspan="3" |Production Skills
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/smithing/smithing_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/smithing/smithing_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Smithing]]
 
|[[Smithing]]
 
|Allows players to smelt ores into bars.
 
|Allows players to smelt ores into bars.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/cooking/cooking_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/farming/farming_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 +
|[[Farming]]
 +
|Used to plant and harvest seeds.
 +
|-
 +
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/cooking/cooking_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Cooking]]
 
|[[Cooking]]
 
|Allows players to turn their ingredients into meals with different effects and/or for healing during combat.
 
|Allows players to turn their ingredients into meals with different effects and/or for healing during combat.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/ui/crafting_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/ui/crafting_icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Crafting]]
 
|[[Crafting]]
|Allows players to create [[equipment]].
+
|Allows players to create items & [[equipment]].
 
|-
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" |Magic Skills
 
! colspan="3" |Magic Skills
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/runecrafting/RuneCraftingIcon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/runecrafting/RuneCraftingIcon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Runecrafting]]
 
|[[Runecrafting]]
|Allows players to make [[Runecrafting#Runes|runes]] using rune essence.
+
|The runecrafting skill is divided into the following:
 +
 
 +
*[[Runecrafting#Runes|Runecrafting]] allows players to make runes from essences.
 +
*[[Runecrafting#Runes|Cloth Weaving]] allows players to make clothes from reeds.
 +
*[[Runecrafting#Runes|Affix Warding]] allows players to make enhance items by adding bonuses.
 
|-
 
|-
|<img src="https://idlescape.com/images/enchanting/enchanting_logo.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
+
|<img src="https://play.idlescape.com/images/enchanting/enchanting_logo.png" alt="" height="35" width="35">
 
|[[Enchanting]]
 
|[[Enchanting]]
 
|The enchanting skill is divided into the following:
 
|The enchanting skill is divided into the following:
{| class="wikitable"
+
 
|[[Enchanting#Scrollcrafting|Scrollcrafting]]
+
*[[Enchanting#Scrollcrafting|Scrollcrafting]] allows players to create enchantment scrolls.
|Allows players to create enchantment scrolls.
+
*[[Enchanting#Augmenting|Augmenting]] allows players to improve equipment stats.
|-
+
*[[Enchanting#Research|Item Research]] .
|[[Enchanting#Enchanting|Enchanting]]
+
*[[Enchanting#Enchanting|Enchanting]] allows players to apply enchantment scrolls.
|Allows players to apply enchantment scrolls.
 
|-
 
|[[Enchanting#Augmenting|Augmenting]]
 
|Allows players to improve equipment stats.
 
|}
 
 
|}
 
|}
<br />
+
----
==Combat==
+
===Guides===
 +
'''See various guides:'''
  
===Combat Experience===
+
*'''[[Mining Guide|Mining Guide [WIP]]]'''
Players gain combat skill experience when dealing damage; 2 experience in the selected combat skill and 1 experience in Constitution per damage dealt. When fighting in a balanced stance, each skill gains 2/3 of an experience per point of damage.
+
*'''[[Foraging Guide|Foraging Guide [WIP]]]'''
[[File:Combat_stance_v2.png|alt=|border|thumb|259x259px|Stance Example]]
+
*'''[[Fishing Guide]]'''
 +
*'''[[Farming Guide|Farming Guide [WIP]]]'''
 +
*'''[[Enchanting Guide|Enchanting Guide [WIP]]]'''
 +
*'''[[Runecrafting Guide]]'''
 +
*'''[[Smithing Guide]]'''
 +
*'''[[Cooking Guide]]'''
 +
*'''[[Crafting Guide|Crafting Guide [WIP]]]'''
 +
*'''[[Combat guide|Combat Guide]]'''
 +
*'''[[Melee Guide|Melee Guide [WIP]]]'''
 +
*'''[[Magic Guide|Magic Guide [WIP]]]'''
 +
*'''[[Ranged Guide|Ranged Guide [WIP]]]'''
  
===Combat Stance===
+
----
Players have 4 different settings to gain combat experience, either by selecting a single skill or by gaining equal amount of experience in all three at the same time, you can chose this in the combat interface by clicking on the crossed sword tab on the left side of the screen.
+
==Marketplace==
 +
===Verify Your Email===
  
<br />
+
#Open the menu in the upper left of the screen.
 +
#Go to settings, then verify your email.
 +
#You can now trade on the market!
  
===Equipment Stats===
+
===Using the Marketplace===
Equipped gear have bonuses that impact combat, the higher the level, the better the bonus.
 
  
*'''Accuracy bonuses''' - improve the chance of landing a hit.
+
*'''Always sell your items to other players on the market.''' Do not vendor/sell to the NPC unless the item vendors for more than the offers on the marketplace, which it usually is not.
*'''Strength bonuses''' - a higher strength bonus increases the max hit.
+
*'''Check the actual listings.''' When selling items, the game will show you the lowest listed price, however, players will sometimes list a small quantity of an item at well below normal market price in order to lure unsuspecting players into listing their items for too cheap.
*'''Defense bonuses''' - increase the chance to dodge an attack.
+
*'''Stack Size is important.''' Players don't usually want to buy up 20 separate listing of iron ore with 20‒100 ore per listing if someone else has several thousand listed at similar prices.
 +
*'''Undercutting''' is a controversial topic. The amount you undercut by and on which items can make people frustrated when they are trying to sell similar items or are very invested in a specific market. This is just something you will have to feel out yourself.
 +
*'''Taxes:''' When you ''sell'' an item, 5% of the sale price is taken in taxes. This is to help combat inflation. Keep this in mind if trying to eke out slim profit margins, otherwise you can just ignore it.
 +
*Items will stay posted on the market for 30 days and then they will be returned to your inventory where you can list them again if you wish.  However, if your item is fairly common and doesn't sell after a few days, consider lowering the price.
  
===Death===
 
Death occurs when a player's [[Hitpoints]] reach zero. The preceding action will be cancelled and the player returns to idling.
 
Health slowly regenerates on its own. Dying will not result in the loss of items, experience, gold, etc.
 
 
<br />
 
<br />
 +
----
 +
==Beginner's Guide==
 +
This guide aims to assist the player from the early-game to the beginning of mid-game, covering a wide range of topics including skilling, money-making, and the meta in ''Idlescape''. Mid-game can loosely be described as the point where the player has:
  
==New Character Guide==
+
*Skill levels roughly averaging 50-60
[[File:Starting guide_v2.png|thumb|668x368px|Example of suggested materials for new characters.]]
+
*Runite armor, tools or gear of similar tier.
Following these steps will take 12 to 24 hours and leave you in a position to make millions of gold per day to fund your exploration of the game.
 
 
 
*'''[[Foraging|Forage]]''' in the [[Grasslands]] until you collect 30 [[Log|logs]].
 
*'''[[Mining|Mine]]''' in the [[Clay Pit]] until level 10, then switch to mining in the [[City Outskirts]] until you collect 60 [[Tin Ore|tin ore]], 60 [[Copper Ore|copper ore]], and 6 [[coal]].
 
*'''[[Smithing|Smith]]''' your tin and copper ore into [[Bronze Bar|bronze bars]] using the [[heat]] from burning the 6 coal.
 
*'''[[Crafting|Craft]]''' 1 [[Bronze Daggers|bronze daggers]], and as much fertilizer as possible (click the 4 above the ingredient list), and this will get you to level 2 crafting. Then craft 1 [[Bronze Pickaxe|bronze pickaxe]]. Equip the set of daggers and the pickaxe.
 
*'''Mine''' in the City Outskirts until level 20, then switch to mining in the '''Village'''.
 
*'''AFK''' for several hours/overnight. Your goal here is to collect [[Iron Ore|iron ore]], [[Chests|geodes]], and [[Gem|gems]] to sell on the marketplace for a total of around 2.5 - 3 million gold (Marketplace is based on supply and demand, prices can fluctuate greatly).
 
*'''Buy a [[Runite Pickaxe]]''' on the marketplace, which normally cost 3 million gold or less. (Marketplace is based on supply and demand, prices can fluctuate greatly)
 
 
 
Note that the runite pickaxe requires mining level 50, which you should have by the time you get the gold required, if not, mine in the [[Desert]] or the [[Underground]] until you do. Once you have your pickaxe you can always keep mining for a solid source of income.
 
 
 
Market prices fluctuate but iron ore, mithril ore, runite ore, and silver have been in demand and good profit for a long time.
 
 
 
The Village and the [[Volcano]] are common places to mine for these ores.
 
 
 
<br />
 
 
 
==Taking Your Next Steps==
 
There are 2 common routes at this point; the first is to continue improving your mining skill to make more money, second is to start exploring other activities. Here are a some options to consider:
 
 
 
====General Gear====
 
This equipment is very useful in the long term and is well worth getting for any skill.
 
 
 
*[[Black Opal Necklace|Black opal necklace]]/[[Black Opal Ring|ring]] with [[Scroll_of_Gathering|gathering]]/[[Scroll_of_Haste|haste]] enchantments.
 
*[[Obsidian Boots]] with the [[Scroll_of_Naturalist|naturalist]] enchantment.
 
 
 
===Skills===
 
====Mining====
 
 
 
*'''Why?''' Mining is essential for [[smithing]] and a good source of profit for the average player.
 
*'''Items to consider:'''
 
**Runite pickaxe with the [[Scroll of Superheating|Superheat]] enchantment. Ideally you want to buy a highly augmented (+5 to +10) version of this pickaxe '''before''' you enchant it with superheating as those scrolls are expensive, and you may not upgrade your pick again for a long time.
 
*'''Popular zones:'''
 
**'''[[Village]]:'''
 
***Drops large quantities of iron ore that is used by high level players to level up their [[enchanting]] skill via [[augmenting]] obsidian equipment.
 
**'''[[Volcano]]:'''
 
***High experience rates as well as popular ingredients such as [[Runite Ore|runite ore]], [[Mithril Ore|mithril ore]], and [[silver]]
 
***Only one item currently doesn't have a use; [[stone]]. However even stone will sell on the market for more than the vendor/NPC value
 
**'''[[Deep Pit]]:'''
 
***The last and highest level mining zone. This location has monsters you will have to fight occasionally in order to mine there, but is also the only location where you can get [[Stygian Ore|stygian ore]]. Runite equipment is recommend to fight the [[Greater Demon|greater demons]] that you will encounter here. If you die while mining here you will go into idling and be locked out of the zone for 15 minutes.
 
 
 
<br />
 
 
 
===Foraging===
 
 
 
*'''Why?''' [[Foraging]] is essential for [[farming]], and a good source of [[cooking]] ingredients.
 
*'''Items to consider:'''
 
**[[Runite Hatchet]] with the [[Scroll of Root Digging|root digging]] enchantment.
 
*'''Popular zones:'''
 
**'''[[Fungal Grotto]]:'''
 
***[[Potato Seed|Potato]] and [[Mushroom Spore|mushroom spores]] as well as a large variety of tree seeds make this a popular location for farming experience, cooking ingredients, and money-making via selling seeds and ingredients on the market.
 
**'''[[The Tangle]]:'''
 
***Great source of [[Log|logs]] and [[chili Pepper|chili pepper]], also the best source of crafting experience while foraging available.
 
***[[Branch|Branches]] and [[Log|logs]] are a good source of crafting experience by crafting them into [[ashes]]. Be careful when burning them for heat as you may be better off selling them on the market and buying something else with a better heat to gold ratio.
 
**'''[[Misty Marsh]]:'''
 
***Slightly less logs per hour when compared to The Tangle, but a great source of [[Pumpkin Seed|pumpkin seeds]].
 
**'''[[Haunted Woods]]:'''
 
***The second best crafting experience rates after The Tangle, but a great way to get high level seeds for farming experience.
 
**'''[[Living Forest]]:'''
 
***The last and highest level foraging zone. Similar to the Deep Pit for mining, this location has monsters you will have to fight often. The [[Spriggan|Spriggans]] that spawn here are harder to defeat than the greater demons from the Deep Pit, so slightly better gear is recommended to forage here.
 
 
 
<br />
 
 
 
===Fishing===
 
 
 
*'''Why?''' [[Fishing]] is useful source for ingredients used in [[cooking]].
 
*'''Items to consider:'''
 
**Fishing does not have tools like mining and foraging, instead you need a single crafted item for each of the 4 zones; a [[Fishing Net|fishing net]], [[Fly Fishing Rod|fly fishing rod]], [[cage]], and a [[harpoon]].
 
**Obsidian boots with the naturalist enchantment.
 
**Rune gloves with the Fishing enchant
 
*'''Popular zones:'''
 
**Unlike mining and foraging, once you are able to fish in the last zone- Harpoon Fishing- you should stay there to fish [[Raw Tuna|raw tuna]] and [[Raw Shark|raw sharks]].
 
**Lower tier fish such as [[Raw Shrimp|shrimp]] and [[Raw Anchovy|anchovies]] are a great source of early cooking experience as well as food for early-game combat.
 
**Cooking 1 - 5 fish with a 1 or more shrimp will provide Seared Fish with the [[Scroll of the Shrimp Lord|shrimp lord]] buff, which gives a chance to gain free shrimp when cooking any food.
 
 
 
<br />
 
  
===Smithing===
+
==='First Few Days' Checklist===
 +
Rather than a specific timeline that must be followed, there are several things that need to be done in the first few days of playing to get off to a good start.
  
*'''Why?''' [[Smithing]] is highly useful for [[crafting]] and can eventually be a decent source of income.
+
*Tools - You should follow the natural progression to some degree. Begin with bronze and move onto iron, but it isn't always necessary to get mithril or adamantite tools before going straight for runite.
*'''Items to consider:'''
+
*Combat - Melee is the easiest combat style to start with as it takes the least amount of time to get the gear. Melee gear only requires mining and smithing, which are entry-level skills. Ranged requires mats from farming, which takes a long time and magic requires mats from fishing, which takes a while to get gear for.
**Obsidian boots with the [[Scroll of Inferno|inferno]] enchantment.
+
*Enchantments - Refining is the single greatest enchantment for early-game. This should be one of your top priorities.
**Black opal ring/necklace with the [[Scroll of Pyromancy|pyromancy]] and [[Scroll of Wealth|wealth]] enchantments.
 
**[[Crest of Chaos]], end-game helmet used to increase your effective smithing level.
 
**Rune gloves with the [[Scroll of Efficiency|efficiency]] enchantment.
 
*'''Popular Ores:'''
 
**'''[[Iron Ore]]:'''
 
***Very high experience rates until you get to runite ore.
 
***When smelted into bars, they are used in large quantities by high-level players
 
**'''[[Mithril Ore]]:'''
 
***When smelted into bars, they are used in large quantities by high-level players.
 
**'''[[Runite Ore|Runite]] and [[Stygian Ore]]:'''
 
***Used in many of the top tier items in the game.
 
***High experience rates
 
**If you have an opal ring/necklace with the [[Scroll of Wealth|wealth]] enchantment, you can often find runite, adamantite, and sometimes gold ore at a low enough price where if you buy the ore and smelt it, you can make profit by smithing ores into bars.
 
***Example if you have [[Scroll of Wealth|wealth]]x5:
 
****Purchase 15 runite ore at 1,000 gold each and smelt them into a runite bar.
 
****Wealth procs when the bar finishes, causing the bar to automatically sell at 18,000GP, twice the vendor price of 9,000.
 
****30 - 50 secs in this case will earn you 3,000 gold and some decent experience.
 
***Note this is less money than you can make elsewhere in the game, but it is very passive and steady income that lets you level smithing fairly quickly through the higher levels.
 
  
<br />
+
===Beginning the Game===
 +
Starting off, you should follow the following steps pretty closely:
  
===Cooking===
+
#Begin with mining in the [[Clay Pit]]. From here you get useful ores like {{img|Tin Ore|width=25|word=1}} and {{img|Copper Ore|width=25|word=1}}. {{img|Sand|width=25|word=1}} and {{img|Clay|width=25|word=1}} are also notable drops as they can be used for quick crafting experience. Move on from here once you have 40 of each ore.
 +
#Forage in the [[Grasslands]]. From here you get {{img|Branch|width=25|word=1}}s which can be used to make quick crafting experience, {{img|Log|width=25|word=1}}s which are used to make bronze tools, and seeds which are planted in the [[Farming]] skill. Stop foraging once you hit both 2 {{img|Carrot Seed|width=25|word=1}}s and 30 {{img|Log|width=25|word=1}}s.
 +
##Plant the 2 {{img|Carrot Seed|width=25|word=1}}s on the two open plots on farming.
 +
##Craft {{img|Log|width=25|word=1}} with whatever Branches you get during this foraging session. The crafting recipe is found under the general tab in the [[Crafting]] skill.
 +
##Burn 10 logs for heat. You will need this to smith your bronze ingots.
 +
#Go to the Smithing skill and begin smithing {{img|Bronze Bar|width=25|word=1}}s. Use the lowest heat setting, which is done by setting the heat slider as far left as possible at the '1' value. Smith all your ore until you have 40 bronze bars.
 +
#Go to the mining section of the Crafting Skill and craft a {{img|Bronze Pickaxe|width=25|word=1}}. Equip it and continue mining in the clay pit.
 +
#Repeat the above steps to make a {{img|Bronze Hatchet|width=25|word=1}}. Equip that too, then continue mining in the clay pit. Once you unlock the [[City Outskirts|City Outskirts Mine]], switch to this zone.
 +
#Continue mining until you have 210 iron ore. Then switch over to foraging in the Verdant Valley. If you don't have it unlocked, forage in the Grasslands until you can. Forage until you have both 350 heat (from burning logs) and 35 Oak Logs. As you forage, continue to plant seeds. Craft more logs with sticks found and try out the crafting recipes for {{img|Fertilizer|width=25|word=1}} (found in the farming tab). You need level 7 crafting to make iron tools.
 +
#Go to smithing and make 70 {{img|Iron Bar|width=25|word=1}}s with heat intensity 1. Go to crafting, craft an {{img|Iron Pickaxe|width=25|word=1}} and equip it. From here, you want to mine until you reach mining level 20. At this point, swap to the [[Village|Village Quarry Mine]] and idle here for a few hours. From here you will get {{img|Coal|width=25|word=1}} (which gives a lot of heat) and lots of iron ore (which can be sold on the marketplace for a hefty amount).
  
*'''Why?''' [[Cooking]] is useful for [[combat]] as well as creating food to buff other activities in the game.
+
At this point, you can pretty much leave the game for a few hours. Gather plenty of iron ore, smith it and sell it on the marketplace. This will get you going very well.
*'''Items to consider:'''
+
===Branching Off to Other Skills===
**Obsidian boots with the [[Scroll of Cooking|cooking]] enchantment.
+
There are 15 unique skills in Idlescape that all intertwine with one another in some way. There is no direct progression for all of them combined, so below is a simple beginner's guide to some of them
**An augmented [[ladle]].
 
**Black opal ring/necklace with the [[Scroll of Haste|haste]] and [[Scroll of Pyromancy|pyromancy]] enchantments.
 
**Black opal ring/necklace with the [[Scroll of the Scholar|scholar]] enchantment.
 
*'''Popular recipes:'''
 
**Cooking fish with the scholar enchant to get the highest possible experience while getting [[Fish Oil|fish oil]] which is used in crafting and quite valuable.
 
**1 x [[pepper]], 1 x [[sugar]], 1 x [[salt]], 1 x [[Raw Shrimp|shrimp]].
 
**Combining 4 of the following: [[wildberry]], [[potato]], [[carrot]], [[tomato]], [[apple]], with one of the following: [[banana]], [[Chili Pepper|chili pepper]], [[sugar]].
 
**Combining any 2 meats (including fish) with any 2 veggies (usually potato) and 1 x [[ichor]].
 
*'''Notes:'''
 
**Your effective cooking level determines the quality of your food and how many stacks of a certain buff it will have. Every 30 levels in cooking will offer a +2 to the number of stacks on a food item. This means that expensive ingredients such as chili peppers, pumpkins, and sharks is usually a waste of money at lower levels.
 
**When prices are high you may be better off leveling other skills or looking for items such as fish which you can scholar for the oil and sell on the market.
 
  
<br />
+
*Farming
 +
**Continue foraging and planting seeds as you get them. For the best experience, you want to use {{img|Mysterious Seed|width=25|word=1}}s in 1x1 plots. These are fairly rare, so just using the high level seed you can works fine.
 +
**Your plot size will grow with every 10 levels you get. Make the most of it by filling up all the plots as fast as possible.
 +
*Smithing
 +
**One of your top priorities when leveling smithing is the {{img|Refining|width=25|word=1}} enchant. This is extremely valuable in terms of making money and progressing other skills. The majority of your profit will come from this enchantment. It is helpful to read the [[Smithing Guide]] as to why refining is such a strong enchant.  For the Refining enchantment, you need a pair of {{img|Stygian Gloves|width=25|word=1}} or {{img|Stygian Boots|width=25|word=1}} (I would recommend boots as they are cheaper) and 6 scrolls of refining. Getting the boots costs 4,000,000 coins from the [[General Shop]].  If you can't buy refining scrolls from the marketplace, making the refining scrolls requires:
 +
***240 {{img|Cosmic Rune|width=25|word=1}}s, {{img|Fire Rune|width=25|word=1}}s, {{img|Air Rune|width=25|word=1}}s and {{img|Earth Rune|width=25|word=1}}s.
 +
***2400 {{img|Silver|width=25|word=1}}.
 +
***6 {{img|Scroll|width=25|word=1}}s.
 +
***Level 34 [[Enchanting]].
 +
**Reading the [[Smithing Guide]] is extremely helpful. Some quick tips pulled from it are to use the second forge as soon as possible and to get refining as soon as possible.
 +
*Runecrafting
 +
**Runecrafting is a unique skill in that it uses essences. Essence is something that is passively gained from doing skills. For example, {{img|Earth Essence|width=25|word=1}} is gained from mining and {{img|Water Essence|width=25|word=1}} is gained from fishing. Hovering over each essence will tell you how it is obtained.
 +
***The hardest-to-get essences are typically fire and cosmic essences.
 +
****{{img|Fire Essence|width=25|word=1}} comes from smithing and cooking, but the amount of fire essence gained is dependent on the amount of heat consumed. Therefore, since heat is usually pretty expensive, fire essence is very difficult to get.
 +
****{{img|Cosmic Essence|width=25|word=1}} comes from crafting runes. These are hard to get early-game because you need to gather other types of essence before cosmic essence can be gathered.
 +
**In general, you begin runecrafting by NOT runecrafting. You typically want to save up essence until you have 50,000 essence of a certain type. At this point, if you have completed the 'Fallen Academy' quest and have level 50 crafting, you can craft talismans.
 +
***[[Talisman|Talismans]] are extremely useful as they increase the amount of essence gained per action by lots. Talismans can be dropped from chests, geodes or bird's nests, but these are rare.
 +
***You especially want to save cosmic essence until you can make a cosmic talisman. Otherwise, you are kind of shooting yourself in the foot.
 +
**If you are playing without the market, you want to do the majority of your runecrafting after you get the refining enchant (described above). Refining gives you gems that are used to make chisels that boost your runecrafting level.
 +
**Read the Runecrafting Guide for extra tips and tricks.
 +
*Cooking
 +
**Beginning cooking starts with preparing ingredients. These ingredients come from fishing, foraging, farming and some combat zones. Usually, you want to prepare ingredients until around level 35 cooking.
 +
**After reaching this level, you can start using your prepared ingredients to cook. Preparing different ingredients will unlock different recipes for you.
 +
**Enchants you want to quickly get are the {{img|Scroll of Cooking|width=25|word=1}}. You also want to get a {{img|Ladle|width=25|word=1}} as soon as possible, which drops from {{img|Goblin|width=25|word=1}}s in combat.
 +
**Read the [[Cooking Guide]] for all the nuances that come with cooking (there are a ton!).
 +
*Combat
 +
**There is a page dedicated to helping players being combat which can be found [[Combat guide|here]].
  
===Combat===
 
 
*'''Why?''': [[Combat]] can eventually be an incredible source of income from the general loot you obtain as well as various rare drops such as ladles and obsidian gear, and much later end-game rares from giants. It is also considered one of the most enjoyable activities in the game by many, and a place to spend your gold on long-term projects.  However, it does require lots of money to buy gear.
 
 
*'''Level Range 1 - 20'''
 
**'''Zones to fight in:'''
 
***Farm/Caves
 
**'''What to wear:''':
 
***Nothing/Bronze armor
 
***Bronze daggers/bronze scimitar
 
**'''Notable drops:'''
 
***[[Raw Chicken]]
 
***[[Raw Beef]]
 
***[[Milk]]
 
***[[Goblin Brain]]
 
***[[Ladles]]
 
**'''Notes:'''
 
***Getting bronze gear at the start will increase survivability and kill time, which will save you food.
 
***You can move on to caves quite early on, at around level 5 - 10 in your combat skills.
 
***There is little gold gained in early combat.
 
***Combat can require more attention than other skills due to the fact that if you die, you end up idling doing nothing.
 
 
*'''Level Range 20 - 50'''
 
**'''Zones to fight in:'''
 
***Caves/City
 
**'''What to wear:''':
 
***Obsidian/Stygian boots with the [[Scroll of Treasure Hunter|treasure hunter]] enchantment (stygian is more expensive but better)
 
***Obsidian armor, but substitute the obsidian helms with a [[Mithril Full Helm|mithril full helm]]
 
***[[Obsidian daggers]]/[[obsidian scimitar]]
 
***If possible, you should attempt to buy inexpensive high augment versions of these items
 
**'''Notable drops'''
 
***[[Goblin Brain]]
 
***[[Ladle|Ladles]]
 
***[[Runecrafting#Runes/Essence|Mind Runes]]
 
***[[Gem|Gems]]
 
***[[Obsidian Helm]]
 
***[[Obsidian Full Helm]]
 
***[[Obsidian Greatsword]]
 
**'''Notes:'''
 
***[[Black Knights]] in the [[City]] can be very difficult to defeat until you level up and get higher augmented obsidian gear. It's recommended to have better gear and high levels before trying to tackle them.
 
***Both encounters in City drop actual gold as well as all of the various obsidian drops, which will sell on the market or vendor well.
 
 
*'''Level range 50+'''
 
**'''Zones to fight in:'''
 
***[[City]]/[[Lava Maze]]
 
**'''What to wear:''':
 
***[[Obsidian Boots]]/[[Stygian Boots]] with the [[Scroll of Treasure Hunter|treasure hunter]] enchantment
 
***[[Runite Breastplate]]
 
***[[Runite Legs]]
 
***[[Runite Full Helm]]
 
***[[Runite Scimitar]] (preferably +5 or higher)
 
***[[Runite Shield]] with [[Scroll of Healing|healing]] enchantment
 
**'''Notable drops'''
 
***Gems
 
***[[Obsidian Helm]]
 
***[[Obsidian Full Helm]]
 
***[[Obsidian Greatsword]]
 
***[[Ichor]]
 
***[[Mind Runes]]
 
***[[Adamantite boots]]
 
***[[Runite boots]]
 
***[[Burnt fish]]
 
***[[Gold Ore]]
 
**'''Notes:'''
 
***Demons from the Lava Maze can hit fairly hard, but also tend to evade your attacks less often.
 
***Lava Maze is a well known high-profit zone and is an ideal place to AFK.
 
***Runite Scimitar +5 is often very cheap compared to other runite weapons due to it having the potential to transform into a rare sword ([[Zero Edge]]) when augmenting from +4 to +5, when it does not, some players will dump large amounts of the now failed +5 swords on the market for cheap.
 
***Your next steps will be getting runite gear with augments and enchantments such as [[Scroll of Healing|healing]], [[Scroll of Critical Strike|critical strike]], [[Scroll of Reinforcement|reinforce]], [[Scroll of Protection|protection]], and [[Scroll of Recklessness|recklessness]].
 
***At level 60 defense you can upgrade your boots from obsidian to stygian, still with the treasure hunter enchantment.
 
 
===Enchanting===
 
 
*'''Augmenting'''
 
**Augmenting obsidian equipment- like obsidian scimitars- is a cheap way to get enchanting experience. There is also a chance of transforming, but chances are slim and should not be used as an argument to augument until end-game. There is also a chance of it breaking, so it is a good idea to have boots or gloves with the [[Scroll of Chances|chances]] enchantment. Augmenting is also usually done with an intuition buff, due to the large amount of bonus experience gained.
 
*'''Scrollcrafting'''
 
**Scrollcrafting is very profitable, with an average output of 800,000GP per scroll. Scrollcrafting takes [[Scroll|scrolls]], [[runes]], and [[silver]]. It is recommended to make scrolls that you have a high chance to create.  Scrolls also take a long time to sell, so it is recommended to find a client before scrollcrafting.
 
*'''Enchanting'''
 
**Enchanting is a part of the enchanting skill, where you can apply scrolls to items. Enchantments do not stack over different items, and you can not have two different enchantments on the same item. You can enchant most [[equipment]], with the exception of armors such as the shrimp armor set or [[Black Knight Great Helm]]. Enchantments can't fail.
 
 
<br />
 
 
==Marketplace==
 
===Verify Your Email===
 
 
*Open the menu in the upper left of the screen.
 
*Go to settings, then verify your email.
 
*You can now trade on the market.
 
 
===Using the Marketplace===
 
 
*'''Always sell your items to other players on the market.''' Do not vendor/sell to the NPC unless the item vendors for more than the offers on the marketplace, which it usually is not.
 
*'''Check the actual listings.''' When selling items, the game will show you the lowest listed price, however, players will sometimes list a small quantity of an an item at well below normal market price in order to lure unsuspecting players into listing their items for too cheap.
 
*'''Stack Size is important.''' Players don't usually want to buy up 20 separate listing of iron ore with 20 - 100 ore per listing if someone else has several thousand listed at similar prices.
 
*'''Undercutting''' is a controversial topic. The amount you undercut by and on which items can make people frustrated when they are trying to sell similar items or are very invested in a specific market. This is just something you will have to feel out yourself.
 
*'''Taxes''' When you ''sell'' an item, 5% of the sale price is taken in taxes. This is to help combat inflation. Keep this in mind if trying to eke out slim profit margins, otherwise you can just ignore it.
 
*Items will stay posted on the market for 3 days and then they will be returned to your inventory where you can list them again if you wish.  However, if your item is fairly common and doesn't sell after 3 days, consider lowering the price.
 
 
<br />
 
  
 +
Overall, following this guide should get you decently set up to continue progressing the game at your own pace.
 +
----
 
==Tips and Tricks==
 
==Tips and Tricks==
  
 +
*ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS IN CHAT. People in chat are almost always extremely helpful and open to new players getting into the game.
 
*Burning coal is a cheap way to get heat, whereas logs can often be sold to players for more than their value in heat. Check the market for current prices on coal, logs, and pyres logs to see what the best heat to gold ratio is.
 
*Burning coal is a cheap way to get heat, whereas logs can often be sold to players for more than their value in heat. Check the market for current prices on coal, logs, and pyres logs to see what the best heat to gold ratio is.
*CTRL + left-click will link an item in chat, you can link up to 3 items per message.
+
*CTRL/CMD + left-click will link an item in chat; you can link up to 5 items per message.
 
*You can link your gold and heat in chat by CTRL-clicking the money bag and flame above your inventory.
 
*You can link your gold and heat in chat by CTRL-clicking the money bag and flame above your inventory.
*The vault is where you can store items you want kept separate. Examples of such things would be an augmented ladle for cooking, a weapon you don't have the level for, boots with various enchants you are not currently using, rare drops or crafting projects you are saving for later.
+
*You can link your skill level by CTRL-clicking the skill.
*Geodes, birds nests, sunken treasures, and satchels are special chests that contain various items such as ore, seeds, runes, and talismans. Sunken treasures are the most sought after due to the extremely low chance of containing rare weapons.
+
*The vault is where you can store items you want kept separate. Examples of such things might be an augmented ladle for cooking, a weapon you don't have the level for, boots with various enchants you are not currently using, rare drops, crafting projects you are saving for later, or excess blank scrolls you don't want to accidentally enchant.
*Getting a runite shield with the healing enchant will help you mine and forage in the highest tier zones as you will recover some health between encounters with the monsters there.
 
*Due to uses in other skills, iron, mithril, and adamantite are not usually recommended for tools or armor. They cost too much and are usually replaced fairly quickly so aren't worth crafting with raw materials.
 
*Switching stances in combat can be beneficial in reaching various breakpoints in defense or attack, but many people are lazy and would rather leave it balanced, which is fine.
 
*Crafting and enchanting are often considered big money sinks, take care before trying to level them too high as you may find large amounts of money gone with nothing to show for it besides some experience.
 
 
*It's a game, play it to have fun! If that means optimizing things in a certain way, playing the market, not trading ever, playing in non ideal ways etc., then go for it. People give advice to help you but in the end, it is you that is playing. 'If you ask for advice, you should consider taking it though.'
 
*It's a game, play it to have fun! If that means optimizing things in a certain way, playing the market, not trading ever, playing in non ideal ways etc., then go for it. People give advice to help you but in the end, it is you that is playing. 'If you ask for advice, you should consider taking it though.'
 
<br />
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
Line 404: Line 257:
 
**[[Enchanting]]
 
**[[Enchanting]]
 
**[[Combat]]
 
**[[Combat]]
 +
*[[Community Shorthand]]
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />

Latest revision as of 01:30, 7 August 2024

Image Guide
Use the icons to easily change which activity you are viewing.

The Getting Started guide is intended to help both new and returning players.

This guide aims to assist the player from the early-game to the beginning of mid-game, covering a wide range of topics including skilling, money-making, and the meta in Idlescape. Mid-game can loosely be described as the point where the player has:

  • A set of runite armor
  • Skill levels roughly averaging 50‒60

Things to Consider

This section will cover subjects including the player's account and official rules.

Game Rules

Rules

All players must follow the rules of the game. Certain things are not allowed, and can result in your account being muted, suspended, or permanently banned from play:

  • Any form of automation or botting is NOT allowed. This applies to the use, creation, or distribution of both bots and automation devices. Discussions about botting is also not permitted.
  • Scripts for quality of life improvements may be allowed, but for safety check with Boohi through in-game chat or Discord for a timely response and approval.
  • Alt-trading, specifically having multiple accounts that trade between each other is NOT allowed. Players are only allowed to own a single account!
  • Trading any items from outside of Idlescape for items inside Idlescape is against the rules and will result in a trade ban for both players.
  • Follow the chat rules!

Staff & Moderators

Current Staff Members

Tasks of people within a role are not set in stone, but in general developers create the game system and code, and moderators keep chat in normal and help players out with small problems. Community contributors help develop and test new parts of the game on a voluntary basis. Artists create the artwork for the game.

To open a ticket for assistance, you can do so in game from the "Send Feedback" feature in game, or via the Discord channel #create-ticket.

Ironman Mode

Note: The information on this page is based on non-ironman gameplay. While still very useful to start off, some advice may not apply!

Released on 11 December 2020 v0.8.

Ironman mode characters have unique restrictions and special capabilities:

  • Trading: cannot trade with other players.
  • Ironman-only Chat: all ironmen have their own chat channel that cannot be accessed by regular players, but can still chat in the general channel.
  • Chat Total Level: total levels displayed in chat for ironmen is greyed out to differentiate them from regular players.
  • Multi-logging: players can use both their regular character and ironman character at the same time in different browser tabs.
  • Server-wide Broadcasts: the first time an ironman reaches a special achievement, (e.g. first to level 50 farming) a server-wide message is sent to congratulate them in both general and the ironman chat channels.
  • Ironman-only Hiscores: a special hiscores page where the highest level ironmen are ranked.

This mode is not recommended for new players to the game.

With the release of Ironman mode came several Alternate Playstyles, all based around the mode.


Gameplay

This section covers mechanics and other information relating to the game itself.

Action Queue

In Idlescape, players can only perform one action at a time; for example, mining and foraging simultaneously is not possible.

The exceptions are: farming, enchanting and crafting. These can be done at the same time while training other skills.

Offline Progression

Offline progression continues for up to 12 hours, 24 if you have Idlescape+.

Skills

Players have access to 15 skills, split up into four categories: combat, gathering, production, and magic. For more information on each skill, see their respective articles.

Combat skills
Attack Determines how accurate the player is.
Strength Determines a player's maximum hit, calculated alongside their strength bonuses.
Defense Decreases the chance of being hit.
Constitution Increases Health/HP.
Magic Determines a player's magic damage.
Range Determines a player's range damage.
Gathering Skills
Mining Used to gather ores and other materials from different locations.
Fishing Allows players to catch fish.
Foraging Allows players to gather logs, seeds, and cooking ingredients.
Production Skills
Smithing Allows players to smelt ores into bars.
Farming Used to plant and harvest seeds.
Cooking Allows players to turn their ingredients into meals with different effects and/or for healing during combat.
Crafting Allows players to create items & equipment.
Magic Skills
Runecrafting The runecrafting skill is divided into the following:
Enchanting The enchanting skill is divided into the following:

Guides

See various guides:


Marketplace

Verify Your Email

  1. Open the menu in the upper left of the screen.
  2. Go to settings, then verify your email.
  3. You can now trade on the market!

Using the Marketplace

  • Always sell your items to other players on the market. Do not vendor/sell to the NPC unless the item vendors for more than the offers on the marketplace, which it usually is not.
  • Check the actual listings. When selling items, the game will show you the lowest listed price, however, players will sometimes list a small quantity of an item at well below normal market price in order to lure unsuspecting players into listing their items for too cheap.
  • Stack Size is important. Players don't usually want to buy up 20 separate listing of iron ore with 20‒100 ore per listing if someone else has several thousand listed at similar prices.
  • Undercutting is a controversial topic. The amount you undercut by and on which items can make people frustrated when they are trying to sell similar items or are very invested in a specific market. This is just something you will have to feel out yourself.
  • Taxes: When you sell an item, 5% of the sale price is taken in taxes. This is to help combat inflation. Keep this in mind if trying to eke out slim profit margins, otherwise you can just ignore it.
  • Items will stay posted on the market for 30 days and then they will be returned to your inventory where you can list them again if you wish. However, if your item is fairly common and doesn't sell after a few days, consider lowering the price.



Beginner's Guide

This guide aims to assist the player from the early-game to the beginning of mid-game, covering a wide range of topics including skilling, money-making, and the meta in Idlescape. Mid-game can loosely be described as the point where the player has:

  • Skill levels roughly averaging 50-60
  • Runite armor, tools or gear of similar tier.

'First Few Days' Checklist

Rather than a specific timeline that must be followed, there are several things that need to be done in the first few days of playing to get off to a good start.

  • Tools - You should follow the natural progression to some degree. Begin with bronze and move onto iron, but it isn't always necessary to get mithril or adamantite tools before going straight for runite.
  • Combat - Melee is the easiest combat style to start with as it takes the least amount of time to get the gear. Melee gear only requires mining and smithing, which are entry-level skills. Ranged requires mats from farming, which takes a long time and magic requires mats from fishing, which takes a while to get gear for.
  • Enchantments - Refining is the single greatest enchantment for early-game. This should be one of your top priorities.

Beginning the Game

Starting off, you should follow the following steps pretty closely:

  1. Begin with mining in the Clay Pit. From here you get useful ores like Tin Ore Tin Ore and Copper Ore Copper Ore. Sand Sand and Clay Clay are also notable drops as they can be used for quick crafting experience. Move on from here once you have 40 of each ore.
  2. Forage in the Grasslands. From here you get Branch Branchs which can be used to make quick crafting experience, Log Logs which are used to make bronze tools, and seeds which are planted in the Farming skill. Stop foraging once you hit both 2 Carrot Seed Carrot Seeds and 30 Log Logs.
    1. Plant the 2 Carrot Seed Carrot Seeds on the two open plots on farming.
    2. Craft Log Log with whatever Branches you get during this foraging session. The crafting recipe is found under the general tab in the Crafting skill.
    3. Burn 10 logs for heat. You will need this to smith your bronze ingots.
  3. Go to the Smithing skill and begin smithing Bronze Bar Bronze Bars. Use the lowest heat setting, which is done by setting the heat slider as far left as possible at the '1' value. Smith all your ore until you have 40 bronze bars.
  4. Go to the mining section of the Crafting Skill and craft a Bronze Pickaxe Bronze Pickaxe. Equip it and continue mining in the clay pit.
  5. Repeat the above steps to make a Bronze Hatchet Bronze Hatchet. Equip that too, then continue mining in the clay pit. Once you unlock the City Outskirts Mine, switch to this zone.
  6. Continue mining until you have 210 iron ore. Then switch over to foraging in the Verdant Valley. If you don't have it unlocked, forage in the Grasslands until you can. Forage until you have both 350 heat (from burning logs) and 35 Oak Logs. As you forage, continue to plant seeds. Craft more logs with sticks found and try out the crafting recipes for Fertilizer Fertilizer (found in the farming tab). You need level 7 crafting to make iron tools.
  7. Go to smithing and make 70 Iron Bar Iron Bars with heat intensity 1. Go to crafting, craft an Iron Pickaxe Iron Pickaxe and equip it. From here, you want to mine until you reach mining level 20. At this point, swap to the Village Quarry Mine and idle here for a few hours. From here you will get Coal Coal (which gives a lot of heat) and lots of iron ore (which can be sold on the marketplace for a hefty amount).

At this point, you can pretty much leave the game for a few hours. Gather plenty of iron ore, smith it and sell it on the marketplace. This will get you going very well.

Branching Off to Other Skills

There are 15 unique skills in Idlescape that all intertwine with one another in some way. There is no direct progression for all of them combined, so below is a simple beginner's guide to some of them

  • Farming
    • Continue foraging and planting seeds as you get them. For the best experience, you want to use Mysterious Seed Mysterious Seeds in 1x1 plots. These are fairly rare, so just using the high level seed you can works fine.
    • Your plot size will grow with every 10 levels you get. Make the most of it by filling up all the plots as fast as possible.
  • Smithing
    • One of your top priorities when leveling smithing is the Refining Refining enchant. This is extremely valuable in terms of making money and progressing other skills. The majority of your profit will come from this enchantment. It is helpful to read the Smithing Guide as to why refining is such a strong enchant. For the Refining enchantment, you need a pair of Stygian Gloves Stygian Gloves or Stygian Boots Stygian Boots (I would recommend boots as they are cheaper) and 6 scrolls of refining. Getting the boots costs 4,000,000 coins from the General Shop. If you can't buy refining scrolls from the marketplace, making the refining scrolls requires:
    • Reading the Smithing Guide is extremely helpful. Some quick tips pulled from it are to use the second forge as soon as possible and to get refining as soon as possible.
  • Runecrafting
    • Runecrafting is a unique skill in that it uses essences. Essence is something that is passively gained from doing skills. For example, Earth Essence Earth Essence is gained from mining and Water Essence Water Essence is gained from fishing. Hovering over each essence will tell you how it is obtained.
      • The hardest-to-get essences are typically fire and cosmic essences.
        • Fire Essence Fire Essence comes from smithing and cooking, but the amount of fire essence gained is dependent on the amount of heat consumed. Therefore, since heat is usually pretty expensive, fire essence is very difficult to get.
        • Cosmic Essence Cosmic Essence comes from crafting runes. These are hard to get early-game because you need to gather other types of essence before cosmic essence can be gathered.
    • In general, you begin runecrafting by NOT runecrafting. You typically want to save up essence until you have 50,000 essence of a certain type. At this point, if you have completed the 'Fallen Academy' quest and have level 50 crafting, you can craft talismans.
      • Talismans are extremely useful as they increase the amount of essence gained per action by lots. Talismans can be dropped from chests, geodes or bird's nests, but these are rare.
      • You especially want to save cosmic essence until you can make a cosmic talisman. Otherwise, you are kind of shooting yourself in the foot.
    • If you are playing without the market, you want to do the majority of your runecrafting after you get the refining enchant (described above). Refining gives you gems that are used to make chisels that boost your runecrafting level.
    • Read the Runecrafting Guide for extra tips and tricks.
  • Cooking
    • Beginning cooking starts with preparing ingredients. These ingredients come from fishing, foraging, farming and some combat zones. Usually, you want to prepare ingredients until around level 35 cooking.
    • After reaching this level, you can start using your prepared ingredients to cook. Preparing different ingredients will unlock different recipes for you.
    • Enchants you want to quickly get are the Scroll of Cooking Scroll of Cooking. You also want to get a Ladle Ladle as soon as possible, which drops from Goblin Goblins in combat.
    • Read the Cooking Guide for all the nuances that come with cooking (there are a ton!).
  • Combat
    • There is a page dedicated to helping players being combat which can be found here.


Overall, following this guide should get you decently set up to continue progressing the game at your own pace.


Tips and Tricks

  • ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS IN CHAT. People in chat are almost always extremely helpful and open to new players getting into the game.
  • Burning coal is a cheap way to get heat, whereas logs can often be sold to players for more than their value in heat. Check the market for current prices on coal, logs, and pyres logs to see what the best heat to gold ratio is.
  • CTRL/CMD + left-click will link an item in chat; you can link up to 5 items per message.
  • You can link your gold and heat in chat by CTRL-clicking the money bag and flame above your inventory.
  • You can link your skill level by CTRL-clicking the skill.
  • The vault is where you can store items you want kept separate. Examples of such things might be an augmented ladle for cooking, a weapon you don't have the level for, boots with various enchants you are not currently using, rare drops, crafting projects you are saving for later, or excess blank scrolls you don't want to accidentally enchant.
  • It's a game, play it to have fun! If that means optimizing things in a certain way, playing the market, not trading ever, playing in non ideal ways etc., then go for it. People give advice to help you but in the end, it is you that is playing. 'If you ask for advice, you should consider taking it though.'

See also

References