Lava runes in OSRS provide value and popularity due to their use as both fire runes and earth runes. Of course, this means any spells cast requiring fire runes, earth runes, or both will only consume one lava rune per fire or earth rune.
In addition, crafting lava runes in Old School RuneScape provides a massive amount of Runecraft experience, though the method is very tedious, click intensive, and burns through gp pretty quickly.
Having a decent stack of lava runes in the bank is a great thing to have for any player, since they can be useful for splashing, they take up less bank space and cost roughly the same amount of gp as earth or fire runes. In this guide, I will explain how to craft lava runes in OSRS.
Basic Lava Runecrafting
Crafting lava runes in OSRS can be done in several simple steps. First, you need 23 Runecraft to make lava runes. Then, determine which Runecraft altar you would like to craft your lava runes at. They can be crafted at either the fire altar or the earth altar.
If going to the earth altar, you will need pure essence, enough fire runes to cover the essence in your inventory, and a fire talisman. You will also need an earth talisman or tiara to get into the earth altar.
If going to the fire altar, you will need essence, enough earth runes to cover the essence in your inventory, and an earth talisman. You will also need a fire talisman or tiara to access the fire altar. Many more players craft lava runes at the fire altar, since earth talismans are typically cheaper than fire talismans.
Once inside the altar of your choice, simply use the complimentary rune (fire if at the earth altar, and earth if at the fire altar) on the altar, and you will craft lava runes. Under normal circumstances, you will have a 50% chance to craft combination runes.
Helpful Items
Binding Necklace
That being said, there are a few extra tools that can help you get the most out of your lava rune crafting experience. First, a binding necklace can be worn to guarantee successful crafting of lava runes, as well as other combo runes.
You can get binding necklaces as a somewhat uncommon drop from monsters in the Abyss, who drop them at a rate of 1 in 85.33. The Abyssal Sire boss also drops binding necklaces, it has a 1 in 34.75 chance to drop twenty five noted binding necklaces. You can also simply use the level-2 enchant spell on an emerald necklace.
Runecraft Tiaras
A second tool that is not required, but a huge quality of life improvement when crafting lava runes, is a tiara instead of a talisman for accessing your chosen altar. They are equipment that go in the headgear slot, and you can access altars without a talisman when wearing one.
This way, you can save inventory space, and some gp since the tiara does not get consumed. Keep in mind, tiaras are only useful for accessing the altar of your choice. You should wear a fire tiara if using the fire altar, and an earth tiara if using the earth altar.
Tiaras of any kind can be created by using the corresponding talisman on an inert tiara at the corresponding Runecraft altar. For example, to make a fire tiara, you need to use a fire talisman on an empty tiara at the fire altar. Earth tiaras can be made the same way, or obtained as a 1 in 10 drop from Earth Implings.
Daeyalt Essence
The next extra tool you can use for more experience when crafting lava runes is daeyalt essence instead of pure essence. Daeyalt is an untradeable kind of essence that provides 50% more experience when runecrafting with it.
Daeyalt essence can be obtained after the quest ‘Sins of the Father,’ and with 60 Mining, in the mines underneath Darkmeyer in Morytania. You will need to wear the Vyre Noble clothing obtained during the quest.
At the Daeyalt mine, there are three essence rocks, but only one will be active at a time. You will be able to tell which one is active due to the swirling dust coming off the top. Mine the rocks, and you will get Daeyalt shards, which can be traded 1 to 1 to Noranna Tytanin for essence.
Magic Imbue
The last extra tool for lava rune crafting I’ll explain is the Lunar Spell Magic Imbue. Casting Magic Imbue lets you craft combination runes without the need for a talisman. For example, if crafting lava runes at the fire altar, you will not need an earth talisman. Consider bringing a rune pouch if using Magic Imbue, as it requires a lot of runes.
Since Magic Imbue is part of the Lunar Spellbook, you must have finished the quest ‘Lunar Diplomacy’ to use it. You also need 82 Magic. The rune cost of the spell is also somewhat expensive, so I would recommend using a steam staff to mitigate the costs.
Final Thoughts
Crafting lava runes in OSRS can be done using several steps. First, decide on which altar you would like to craft the lavas at, with the fire altar being faster experience and less of a gp loss. Then, gather your essence, talismans, and runes, and use the opposite runes on the altar (fire runes at earth altar, and vise versa).
Keep in mind there are several tools that help you get the most out of your lava rune crafting experience, such as the binding necklace, earth and fire tiaras, daeyalt essence, and the Magic Imbue spell.
When using tiaras, daeyalt essence, Magic Imbue, and a binding necklace, you can guarantee successful lava rune crafting with significantly more Runecraft experience. This experience comes from the Daeyalt essence’s properties, and the extra inventory space provided by your tiaras and Magic Imbue.