Old School RuneScape has some truly insane players. We’ve all seen clips of people killing multiple Jads without prayer or pulling off feats that seem completely impossible. You don’t need to be that person to succeed at bossing, though. What you do need is a solid understanding of core PvM mechanics that the game never properly explains. A large number of OSRS gold will also greatly help you improve your abilities.

Whether you’re brand new to bossing or already killing bosses regularly, these fundamentals will dramatically improve your consistency, damage output, and survivability.

1. Understand Game Ticks (Everything Starts Here)

OSRS runs on a 0.6-second game tick system. Every action—moving, attacking, eating, drinking—only happens on these ticks. This is why your character sometimes reacts instantly and other times feels sluggish. It’s not always lag; it’s timing.

If you click right after a tick, your action waits until the next one. Click just before a tick, and your action happens almost instantly. Using RuneLite’s Metronome plugin can help you feel this rhythm. Mastering tick timing is the foundation of efficient PvM.

2. Eat Strategically, Not Constantly

Eating food delays your attacks by three game ticks (1.8 seconds). If you eat unnecessarily during combat, you lower your DPS and prolong the fight, which often leads to taking more damage overall.

Whenever possible, kill the boss first, then eat afterward. If you must heal mid-fight, consider stepping under large bosses to avoid taking damage while you eat.

Certain foods are especially powerful:

Karambwans can be eaten in the same tick as regular food, allowing massive instant heals.

Anglerfish heal above your max HP, making them perfect for pre-fight boosts.

Moonlight antelope heals a total of 26 HP over time and cures poison, making it the strongest food in the game.

3. Learn How Potions Work Together

Potions can be consumed in the same tick as food, but you must eat first, then drink. Drinking stops your attacks unless you click the enemy again immediately, so practice this to avoid losing ticks.

Key potion types include:

Combat, Bastion, and Divine potions for stat boosts

Saradomin brews, which heal heavily but drain combat stats

Super restores, used to counter brew stat drain and restore prayer

Prayer renewals, which restore prayer gradually and reduce panic flicking

The classic ratio is three brew sips per one restore sip to maintain stats efficiently.

4. Attack Speed Matters More Than Max Hits

Weapons have different attack speeds measured in ticks. Faster weapons usually offer higher DPS even if their max hit is lower.

For example:

Abyssal Whip: 4-tick weapon

Godsword: 6-tick weapon

This is why the whip outperforms godswords in sustained combat. The Toxic Blowpipe is a standout example—it attacks every 2 ticks on rapid and dominates low-defense targets.

5. Use True Tile Awareness

Your character isn’t exactly where the model appears to be. RuneLite’s True Tile indicator shows your real position, which is critical for dodging attacks, stepping under bosses, and avoiding environmental hazards.

When running, your character skips every other tile. This allows you to bypass dangerous tiles entirely if clicked correctly—a crucial mechanic in higher-level PvM.

6. Turn Auto-Retaliate Off

Auto-retaliate is fine for AFK slayer, but it’s dangerous at bosses. It can pull you into melee range or force unwanted movement, often resulting in avoidable deaths. Turn it off before bossing.

7. Prioritize Weapons and Stats Over Armor

Armor looks cool, but weapons provide far more value early on. Higher combat stats and a strong weapon will improve your performance far more than a minor armor upgrade.

As a general rule:

Levels → Weapon → Armor

Offensive gear is usually better than defensive gear, too. A dragon defender beats most shields for PvM.

8. Know What Combat Stats Actually Do

Defense reduces how often you get hit, not how hard you get hit. Strength increases damage. Attack increases accuracy. Prayer level doesn’t reduce drain speed, but higher levels restore more prayer per potion sip.

Magic level improves accuracy and spell access—but not damage unless the spell itself scales.

Understanding this helps you train smarter and gear more effectively.

9. Use Flinching When Supplies Are Low

Flinching lets you damage an enemy without taking hits. Attack from behind cover, then immediately step back. Don’t attack again until the enemy’s health bar disappears. It’s slow, but it can save trips when supplies are tight.

10. Master Prayer Switching and Hotkeys

Fast prayer switching is essential. Use F-keys or remapped hotkeys to access your inventory, prayer, and combat tabs instantly.

You can also conserve prayer by flicking protection prayers only on the tick before an enemy attack, then turning them off again.

11. Pray Before the Animation, Not the Hit

For most monsters, damage is calculated at the start of the attack animation—not when the projectile lands. Protection prayers must be active before the animation begins to work correctly.

Jad is a notable exception, but most PvM follows this rule.

12. Stop Over-Preparing and Start Trying

Research helps, but experience matters more. Watch a guide, then jump in. Deaths are part of learning. Once you’ve tried a boss, guides will suddenly make far more sense.

A fantastic long-term goal is the Gauntlet and eventually the Corrupted Gauntlet. It requires no gear, tests every PvM skill, and serves as a benchmark for becoming a competent solo PvMer. If you can handle corrupted Gauntlet, you’re ready for most of OSRS’s bossing content—including entry-level raids.

Master these fundamentals, and you’ll find that bossing stops feeling chaotic and starts feeling controlled. From there, the rest is just practice—and loot RNG. A large amount of cheap OSRS gold will also be very helpful.