Introduction
Have you ever found yourself in a precarious situation in Old School RuneScape? Picture this: you’re deep into a challenging boss fight, your health dwindling with each hit, and you frantically search your inventory for a reliable source of healing. Choosing the right food in OSRS is crucial for survival and progression. But with so many options available, how do you determine what constitutes the “best food” in this vast MMORPG?
The definition of “best food” in OSRS goes beyond just the amount of health it restores. We must consider factors like the speed of consumption, which can be a life-saver during intense combat. Availability plays a significant role, as some foods are incredibly difficult or time-consuming to obtain. Cost is also a huge factor, especially for players on a budget or those focusing on profit. And finally, some foods even offer secondary effects, such as temporary stat boosts or prayer point restoration, making them highly valuable in specific situations.
This comprehensive guide aims to explore the vast culinary landscape of Old School RuneScape, providing you with a detailed breakdown of the most effective food options available. We’ll categorize foods based on your combat level and the specific challenges you’re facing, helping you make informed choices that will enhance your survivability and propel you towards victory. Whether you’re a new player embarking on your first quests or a seasoned veteran tackling endgame bosses, understanding the nuances of OSRS food is paramount to your success. So, let’s dive in and uncover the secrets to effective healing in Gielinor!
Early Game Culinary Delights
When you first begin your journey in Old School RuneScape, your options for healing can seem limited. However, several budget-friendly and easily accessible foods can keep you going as you level up your skills and complete beginner quests.
The Humble Staples
Cooked shrimp is an excellent choice for new players. They are relatively easy to obtain through fishing and cooking, providing a modest amount of healing for their effort. Cooked chicken and cooked meat are other readily available options, often dropped by low-level creatures or purchased from general stores. These offer a basic, inexpensive way to replenish your health points. Baked potatoes are also very simple to cook, providing slightly better healing than the most basic options, and can be bought from a variety of places as well.
Pros & Cons: Cooked shrimp is very easy to come by, but heals only a small amount. Cooked chicken and meat are cheap, but also heal very little. Baked potatoes provide a bit more healing, but require cooking.
A Step Up in Sustenance
As you progress slightly, you can consider upgrading to trout and salmon. These fish provide better healing than shrimp and require a slightly higher fishing and cooking level. Stew is another viable option, especially if you have access to the necessary ingredients. While it requires a bit more effort to prepare, it offers a decent amount of healing for its level. Apple pie is easy to make with low requirements and can be easily bought.
Pros & Cons: Trout and salmon heal significantly more than shrimp, but require more skill to obtain. Stew requires multiple ingredients, making it slightly less convenient. Apple pie is easy to buy, and makes a reasonable choice for beginners.
Where to Source Your Sustenance
Early-game food can primarily be found at general stores located in most towns and cities. Fishing spots near Lumbridge and Barbarian Village are also excellent sources for shrimp, trout, and salmon. Completing simple quests may also reward you with food items.
When to Use These Options
These early-game foods are best suited for training combat skills against low-level monsters, completing simple quests, and tackling basic slayer tasks. They’re not ideal for prolonged combat or challenging encounters, but they’ll keep you alive as you build your character.
Mid-Game Nourishment for the Aspiring Adventurer
As you climb the combat ranks and venture into more dangerous territories, it’s time to upgrade your dietary choices. Mid-game food offers a balance of healing and availability, making it suitable for a wider range of activities.
Reliable and Readily Available
Lobster is a fantastic choice for players in this level range. It provides substantial healing and is relatively easy to cook or purchase from the Grand Exchange. Swordfish is another solid choice, offering a good balance between healing potential and ease of acquisition. Monkfish are perhaps the most popular choice in this category, providing excellent healing while being relatively easy to obtain through fishing or buying them from the Grand Exchange. They represent a sweet spot between healing potential and accessibility.
Pros & Cons: Lobster offers excellent healing but faces competition from the more readily available Monkfish. Swordfish is good healing, but again, it is relatively outshined by the other options in this category. Monkfish are easy to obtain and heal a good amount, making them a well-rounded choice.
Quest-Locked Goodies
There are some quest-locked food options in the mid-game. Completing specific quests may unlock access to unique or more efficient food sources. Be sure to explore quest rewards and consider any food-related benefits they might offer.
Crucial Considerations
When selecting mid-game food, consider the cost-effectiveness for different activities. While some options might provide excellent healing, they might be too expensive for extended training sessions. Cooking level requirements and available cooking methods are also important factors. Check the Grand Exchange for current prices to find the most budget-friendly options for your needs.
When to Use This Mid-Game Food
Mid-game food is well-suited for tackling medium-level slayer tasks, completing tougher quests, and attempting early boss encounters. They provide the necessary healing to survive prolonged combat and challenging situations.
Late-Game and High-Level Sustenance for Elite Adventurers
As you approach the endgame content and take on the most formidable challenges Old School RuneScape has to offer, you’ll need the best food available to maximize your survivability.
The Tried and True Staples
Shark is a reliable and consistent source of healing for high-level players. While it may not offer the absolute highest healing potential, its consistent nature and availability make it a staple for many adventurers. Anglerfish is another extremely useful option. Anglerfish heal for more based on the current health of the user.
Pros & Cons: Shark is consistent and readily available, but doesn’t heal the most out of your options. Anglerfish heal more when your health is low, making it extremely useful.
High-Healing Heavy Hitters
Dark crab is an option, but is not used by as many players. It provides significant healing, but is slightly less convenient to obtain.
Pros & Cons: Dark crab provide excellent healing, but its location can be less convenient.
Specialized Food Combinations
Saradomin brews heal a massive amount of health, but reduce your attack, strength, and defense levels. They can be combined with restore potions to negate these effects and restore your combat stats. Prayer potions can be used in conjunction with food to maintain prayer points while healing. The karambwan is a unique food that can be consumed very quickly. This fast consumption makes it ideal for “combo eating,” where you consume multiple food items in rapid succession to quickly heal a large amount of health.
Pros & Cons: Saradomin brews provide massive healing, but require careful planning to offset the stat reductions. Prayer potions are essential for maintaining prayer, but don’t directly heal health. Karambwans are invaluable for combo eating, but heal less than other high-level options.
Boss-Specific Sustenance
Many experienced players tailor their food choices to specific bosses. For example, some players prefer specific fast-eating food for solo Bandos, allowing them to quickly heal through heavy damage phases. Understanding boss mechanics and adapting your food choices accordingly is a key element of high-level PvM.
Acquiring Your Provisions
Late-game food can primarily be obtained from the Grand Exchange, purchased from other players, or obtained through high-level fishing activities. Some food may also drop as loot from defeating powerful monsters and bosses.
Choosing the Right Food for the Task
The best food option ultimately depends on the specific situation you’re facing.
Training
When training combat skills, prioritize cost-effective options that allow you to maximize your training time without breaking the bank. Simple and cheap food is a great idea here.
Slayer
Slayer tasks require a balance between healing and inventory space. Choose food that provides adequate healing while minimizing the number of inventory slots it occupies.
Bossing
Bossing demands the highest healing potential and the fastest consumption speeds. Combo eating with karambwans and using specialized food combinations are essential for survival in challenging boss fights.
AFK Methods
There are methods to regain health without directly interacting with the game. Players can use the regeneration bracelet, or even eat food every couple of minutes to AFK train combat with little to no interaction.
Mastering Advanced Food Techniques
Becoming a skilled OSRS player involves more than just knowing which food to eat. Mastering advanced techniques can significantly improve your survivability.
Combo Eating
Combo eating, as mentioned earlier, involves rapidly consuming multiple food items in quick succession. This is particularly useful when you need to heal a significant amount of health in a short period, such as during intense boss fights.
Inventory Optimization
Efficiently managing your inventory is crucial for long trips and challenging encounters. Prioritize food items that offer the best healing per inventory slot and utilize potions to save space.
Strategic Food Combinations
Experiment with different food combinations to maximize your survivability in specific scenarios. For example, combining Saradomin brews with restore potions can provide significant healing while maintaining your combat stats.
Concluding Your Culinary Journey
Choosing the right food in Old School RuneScape is a multifaceted decision that requires careful consideration of various factors. From humble shrimp to potent Saradomin brews, a vast array of culinary options awaits you in Gielinor. Remember that the “best” food is ultimately subjective and depends on your individual needs, budget, and playstyle. Experiment with different options, explore various combinations, and discover what works best for you.
I encourage you to test different food items and let me know in the comments what you find that you like! Happy adventuring, and may your inventory always be stocked with the perfect sustenance for your journey!
