Tileman Mode in OSRS is a unique unofficial game mode made popular by RuneScape YouTuber Settled, of Swampletics fame.
Players will only be able to walk on tiles they have deliberately unlocked, and they can only be unlocked every one thousand experience points.
Of course, this heavy restriction forces tileman players to think outside the box for nearly every activity in the game. Many tileman players develop unorthodox solutions to problems that are trivial to normal players, or issues normal players do not experience at all.
For example, a Tileman character will probably need hundreds to thousands of hours played just to perform simple activities like setting up birdhouse traps.
If you would like to try your hand at a heavily restricted account like this and see how far you can get, setting up Tileman mode is pretty easy, and can be done in a few steps. So you can test your RuneScape mettle, in this guide, I’ll show you how to do a Tileman Save in OSRS.
Tileman Modes
As mentioned above, setting up a Tileman Save can be done in a few simple steps. The first is to decide which of the three Tileman game modes you would like to play. They are called Tileman, Strict Tileman, and Accelerated Tileman.
Each Tileman mode has differing restrictions and rules. In the regular Tileman mode, you can only walk or stand on tiles you have already unlocked. There are a few exceptions to this, such as Tutorial Island, Death’s Office, and instances like your Player-owned House.
You will start the game with nine bonus tiles to unlock however you see fit, then, you must unlock subsequent tiles by earning 1,000 experience (in any skill, though they will be limited at the start) each.
Additionally, in regular Tileman mode, you must minimize the experience you gain on Tutorial Island, and you also must unlock the tile you land on after completing Tutorial Island. Keep in mind, in regular Tileman mode, you cannot move or switch your tiles around, either.
Finally, regular Tileman are barred from using minigame teleports from the Grouping interface. That being said, teleporting via jewellry, such as the Games Necklace to get to a minigame, is allowed.
If you would like to play the Strict Tileman mode, all of the above rules and restrictions still apply. In addition to them, you must also unlock tiles within instanced zones, such as minigames. Your Player-owned House and Death’s Office are still exempt, however.
You will also not have any bonus tiles to start off with, and all your items gained from Tutorial Island must be discarded in Strict Tileman Mode.
The Accelerated Tileman mode also has all the same rules and regulations as the original, basic Tileman. The difference here is that you gain one tile for every 1,000 experience and one tile for every total level.
You will not be given any bonus tiles in Accelerated Tileman mode either, but your total levels will grant you 32 tiles for immediate placement.
RuneLite and the Tileman Plugin
With the Tileman Mode you’d like to play in mind, the next step to doing a Tileman Save in OSRS is to download RuneLite and the Tileman Mode plugin. While not maintained by Jagex, RuneLite is a community project endorsed by Jagex that can be found on the official Old School RuneScape website.
Once you have downloaded RuneLite, navigate to the wrench icon at the top of the right sidebar. This is the plugin menu. RuneLite has a number of various plugins built in, but we are not concerned with any of those. Click “plugin hub” at the bottom of the list.
This opens the plugin hub. Here, you can download many more useful plugins developed by the community. One such plugin is the Quest Helper, which shows items you need and NPCs to talk to when doing quests like The Knight’s Sword.
Keep in mind, plugin hub plugins are not developed by RuneLite, so evaluate their risk before downloading.
However, the Tileman plugin is legitimate and can be downloaded from a simple search of “tileman.” It has a variety of useful options and settings, such as which mode you are playing, the ability to auto-mark tiles, and the ability to choose what color your marked tiles will be.
Getting Started
With the Tileman plugin downloaded, simply create a new character in Old School RuneScape. During this process, you will be asked what your experience level is with OSRS. It’s imperative that you DO NOT select “I am a new player.”
From there, simply complete Tutorial Island as normal. It might help to keep the experience you earn here to a minimum. When you land in Lumbridge, immediately unlock the tile you’re standing on.
At this point, you simply need to turn on the Tileman plugin, set it to your chosen mode, and start tilemanning! To unlock new tiles, make sure you have one able to be unlocked, and right-click while holding shift.
Final Thoughts
Doing a Tileman save in OSRS can be done in a few simple steps. First, determine which Tileman mode you would like to play, from regular, to strict, to accelerated. Then, download RuneLite and the Tileman plugin from its Plugin Hub.
Once you have decided on a mode and have all the prerequisite downloads, all you need to do is create a new account, complete Tutorial Island, and start the Tileman plugin.
