How to get Prayer XP (bones and ashes) as an Ironman

Early game

• Ectofuntus

  Grind bones into bonemeal, add a bucket of slime and worship for 4 times the burying XP. It is fully safe. The ectophial makes trips short.

  Needs: Priest in Peril · Ghosts Ahoy for the ectophial

• Big bones

  Giants, ogres, trolls and cyclopes always drop them. There are also spawns near the Colossal Wyrm Remains in Varlamore.

Mid game

• Libation bowl

  At the Teomat in Varlamore, sacrifice blessed bone shards for 5 XP each with blessed wine, or 6 with blessed sunfire wine. Shards come from blessing bones, calcified rocks, Hunters' Rumours sacks and the Lunar Chest. Safe and steady.

  Needs: 30 Prayer

• Bonecrusher

  Crushes bones as monsters die for half the burying XP, or full XP after the elite diary. Charge it with ecto-tokens, using Robin's free daily bonemeal and slime.

  Needs: Hard Morytania diary

• Ash sanctifier

  Does the same for demonic ashes, charged with death runes. Full XP after the elite diary.

  Needs: Hard Kourend & Kebos diary

• Demonic Offering

  Gives 3 times the scatter XP for up to 3 demonic ashes per cast.

  Needs: 84 Magic · A Kingdom Divided

• Myths' Guild dragons

  The basement holds green dragons and other chromatic dragons outside the Wilderness, a safe source of dragon bones.

  Needs: Dragon Slayer II

Late game

• Gilded altar

  350% XP with both incense burners lit with marrentill. Costly in planks.

  Needs: 75 Construction

• Frost dragons

  Found in the Grimstone dungeon. They always drop frost dragon bones and can be safespotted.

  Needs: 87 Sailing

• Vorkath

  Drops 2 superior dragon bones every kill, so bones pile up as you farm it.

  Needs: Dragon Slayer II

• Hardcore note

  The Chaos altar in level 38 Wilderness gives 350% XP and a 50% chance to keep each bone, so about 700% in effect. Player killers watch it closely. On a Hardcore, use the Ectofuntus or libation bowl.

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.

Drop data from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0), fetched 2026-10-01.

Questions

What is the best way to train Prayer as an Ironman?

The Ectofuntus early, then the libation bowl in Varlamore. Add the bonecrusher so every Slayer task gives Prayer XP too.

Is the chaos altar worth the risk?

It gives the most XP per bone, but it sits in level 38 Wilderness. Bring only bones and a teleport, and skip it on a Hardcore.

How do I get the bonecrusher?

Finish the hard Morytania diary, then claim it from a ghost disciple at the Ectofuntus while wearing a ghostspeak amulet or Morytania legs.