Early game
Cakes
Steal them from bakery stalls in Ardougne market or Hosidius. Each cake heals 12 over 3 bites.
Needs: 5 Thieving
Jugs of wine
Heal 11 but lower Attack by 2. Fortunato in Draynor only stocks a few, so most players make their own from grapes.
Trout and salmon
Fly fish with feathers. Trout heal 7 and salmon heal 9. Cheap, quick and good Fishing XP.
Needs: 20 / 30 Fishing
Mid game
Karambwans
Heal 18 and can be eaten straight after other food in the same tick. Talk to Tinsay after the quest so you cook them properly.
Needs: Tai Bwo Wannai Trio · 65 Fishing · 30 Cooking
Monkfish
Heal 16, are caught quickly and weigh little. A strong mid-game staple at Piscatoris.
Needs: Swan Song · 62 Fishing · 62 Cooking
Sharks
Heal 20. Harpooning them is slow, so many Ironmen catch minnows instead and trade 40 minnows for 1 noted raw shark.
Needs: 76 Fishing · 80 Cooking (minnows: 82 Fishing)
Late game
Anglerfish
Caught at Port Piscarilius with sandworms. They heal up to 22 and can take you above your maximum Hitpoints.
Needs: 82 Fishing · 84 Cooking
Halibut
Caught by deep sea trawling from your boat. Heals 20.
Needs: 83 Fishing · 83 Cooking · Sailing
Marlin
Also trawled at sea. At 24 Hitpoints it is the best single-bite heal, but it never fully stops burning without a Cooking cape.
Needs: 91 Fishing · 91 Cooking · Sailing
Best monster drops
The monsters that drop the most per kill, from the wiki's drop data. Plenty of these are bosses you'd kill anyway, so the supplies come on top of the gear.
Shark
| Source | Level | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosani's Nightmare | 1024 | 6/100 | 13–26 |
| Ancient Custodian | 239 | 12/124 | 2–3 |
| Phantom Muspah | 741 | 1/9 | 4–6 |
| The Nightmare | 814 | 6/100 | 1–16 |
| Alchemical Hydra | 426 | 7/101 | 2–4 |
| Dagannoth Prime | 303 | 10/128 | 5 |
| Ancient Wyvern | 210 | 8/132 | 5 |
| Kraken | 291 | 7/128 | 5 |
Raw shark
| Source | Level | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hueycoatl | 642 | 3/68 | 9–180 (noted) |
| Corporeal Beast | 785 | 21/512 | 70 (noted) |
| Vardorvis | — | 1/100 | 200, 300 (noted) |
| Zulrah | 725 | 4.5/249 | 35 (noted) |
| Mutated Terrorbird | 178 | 5/64 | 3–7 (noted) |
| Vorkath | 732 | 3/300 | 35–55 (noted) |
| Phantom Muspah | 741 | 3.75/235 | 28 (noted) |
| Doom of Mokhaiotl | — | 10/312 | 20–35 (noted) |
Manta ray
| Source | Level | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zulrah | 725 | 3/249 | 35 (noted) |
| The Whisperer | — | 1/5.5 | 3–4 |
| Vorkath | 732 | 2/300 | 35–55 (noted) |
| Phantom Muspah | 741 | 2.5/235 | 28 (noted) |
| Flight Kilisa | 159 | 8/127 | 2 |
| Wingman Skree | 143 | 8/127 | 2 |
| Flockleader Geerin | 149 | 8/127 | 2 |
| Tormented Demon | 450 | 4/51 | 1–2 |
Drop data from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0), fetched 2026-10-01.
Questions
- What is the best food for an Ironman?
- Karambwans and monkfish for most mid-game bossing, then anglerfish or marlin later. Use karambwans as combo food alongside your main fish.
- How do Ironmen get sharks?
- Catch minnows at the Fishing Guild and trade 40 for each noted raw shark. You need 82 Fishing, the angler's outfit and Fishing Contest.
- Do anglerfish heal above max Hitpoints?
- Yes. They can boost you above your maximum, up to 121 at 99 Hitpoints, but not in PvP combat.
See where you stand
Look yourself up to see which of these you can do now, and exactly what's missing for the rest.