OSRS: The Most Useful Magic Spells

What are the most useful magic spells in OSRS?

Magic in OSRS is incredibly useful, both in and out of combat, even for players who aren’t strictly mages.

However, some spells are more useful than others, and you’ll want to prioritize learning them.

If you’re just starting out, don’t worry. We’ve rounded up the most useful spells in OSRS so you can learn them for yourself!

The 10 Most Useful Magic Spells In OSRS

Each of the spells on this list has been chosen based on their overall usefulness either in or out of combat.

These are spells that every player should try to unlock, as they can be invaluable throughout the entire game.

Get ready to learn some new magic tricks with our list of the 10 most useful magic spells in OSRS:

10. Fire Bolt

Kicking off our list, we have fire bolt, a spell available in the standard spellbook that is perfect for new mages.

While it is the second weakest fire spell in the game, it only requires a level 35 magic and deals a base damage of 12.

This spell requires three air runes, four fire runes, and one chaos rune to cast, and its max damage can be boosted a number of ways.

If you’re wearing the Chaos Gauntlets, one of the best sets of gloves in OSRS, the base damage of this spell can be increased to 15.

It can even be boosted to 32 while wearing the Chaos Gauntlets, Tome of Fire, Staff of the Dead, Occult Necklace, Slayer Helm, and Ancestral robes.

Additionally, this spell grants players magic experience based on the damage dealt, which is, on average, 22 XP.

When just starting out, this can be one of the best combat spells in Old School Runescape to have in your arsenal.

9. High Level Alchemy

Up next, we have high level alchemy, also known as hi alch or alching. This is a non-combative spell that is extremely useful.

This spell requires level 55 magic to cast, and it provides 65 magic experience each time it is used.

What this spell does is convert items into coins equivalent to what it would sell for at a specialty store.

This is about 60% of the value of the item, with the high alchemy spell yielding 50% more than its low alchemy equivalent.

High alchemy is a common way that players train magic, though it does require a bit of money to get started.

Essentially, players will buy or make valuable items and then use this spell on them to gain magic XP.

You can also use the Explorer’s Ring 4, one of the best rings in OSRS, to cast this spell for free 30 times per day.

However, using this ring for free casting also means that you won’t receive the XP you would otherwise.

Similarly, it can be cast at the Fountain of Rune for a greater profit, though this will also provide no experience.

Without these methods, this spell can be cast using the standard spellbook and five fire runes, and a single nature rune.

This is one of the most useful spells in OSRS, and it can definitely net you a lot of profit and XP if used correctly!

8. Blood Rush

The blood rush combat spell is up next, and it requires level 56 magic to cast using the Ancient Magicks spellbook.

Without a magic attack bonus, this spell has a base level damage of 15 using the life leech effect.

This means that it will heal the caster’s hitpoints by 25% of the damage inflicted, making it great for staying alive during combat.

When wearing the bloodbark armor, which includes one of the best mage helms in OSRS, this effect can be boosted even higher.

For each piece of the armor, the max amount healed will be increased to a maximum of 32.5% total.

To use this spell, one blood rune and two chaos and death runes are required, though you must also complete the Desert Treasure quest.

The Desert Treasure I quest is what rewards players with the Ancient Magicks spellbook, and it is a long, master-level quest.

You can start it by speaking with the archeologist at the Bedabin Camp, but you’ll need to meet the prerequisites.

To begin, you will need to complete The Dig Site, Temple of Ikov, The Tourist Trap, Troll Stronghold, Priest in Peril, and Waterfall Quest.

You’ll also need 53 thieving, 50 magic, 50 firemaking, and 10 slayer in order to finish everything.

However, this quest is important to complete because a number of other useful spells are contained in the Ancient Magicks spellbook!

7. Superheat Item

Superheat item is another non-combat spell that is incredibly useful as it allows players to smelt ore without a furnace.

This spell can be cast on any ore in a player’s inventory, though you will need the appropriate smithing level for it to work.

For instance, along with a magic level of 43, you will need to meet the smithing requirements for the ore you want to smelt.

Iron will require a smithing level of 15 for this spell to work, while mithril requires a smithing level of 55, and so forth.

However, along with granting 53 magic experience, superheat item will also grant smithing experience as well.

This can be further boosted if you are wearing the smithing cape or the goldsmith gauntlets when casting.

Players often use this spell at the best mining locations in OSRS to prevent the need for too much travel.

Additionally, if you use this spell on iron ore with at least two coal in your inventory, it will produce a steel bar.

This can be a good way of stocking up on steel and turning a load of iron into a more valuable material.

6. Enchant

There are seven levels of enchant spells, and they are also incredibly useful in Old School Runescape.

Lvl-1 Enchant requires a magic level of 7, and it allows players to enchant sapphire and opal jewelry.

Similarly, lvl-2 requires a magic skill of 27 and can be used to enchant emerald and jade items.

The next level covers ruby and topaz, while lvl-4 will allow you to enchant diamond jewelry and items.

From there, levels 5, 6, and 7 allow players to enchant dragonstone, onyx, and zenyte, respectively.

What makes this spell so useful is that it can be used to provide new properties to otherwise unimpressive items.

For instance, using the lvl-7 enchant spell, you can create the Ring of Suffering, the best-in-slot defensive ring in OSRS.

Even with the lower-level lvl-4 enchant spell, you can create one of the best amulets in OSRS, the amulet of power.

A lot of the best gear in Old School Runescape can be created using this spell, making it easily one of the most useful ones in the game!

5. Fertile Soil

This spell, which uses the Lunar spellbook, requires a magic level of 83, and it is perfect for players working on their farming skills.

Essentially, this spell treats any targeted farming patch with super-compost, which greatly reduces the chance of disease.

If you have read the ash covered tome, you can also use the spell to treat farming patches with ultra-compost.

However, this will only work if you have two things of volcanic ash in your inventory, though it will reduce the chance of disease by 90%.

Like typical compost, this spell can be used on any patch before or after planting seeds and during any stage of growth.

That said, you will have to complete the Lunar Diplomacy quest in order to get the Lunar spellbook.

This is a fairly long quest, and you will need to complete the Fremenik Trials, Lost City, Rune Mysteries, and Shilo Village first.

You will also need to have 5 herblore, 61 crafting, 40 defense, 49 firemaking, 65 magic, 60 mining, and 55 woodcutting.

While it will take a bit to unlock this spell, it is definitely worth it if you rely on farming and want to make it a lot easier!

4. Fire Surge

Fire surge is the strongest fire spell in OSRS, and it can be found in the standard spellbook.

As one of the best combat spells, fire surge requires a magic level of 95 to cast, along with 7 air runes, 10 fire runes, and 1 wrath rune.

While it has a base damage of 24, this can be boosted to 36 using a charged tome of fire.

When worn with some of the best mage armor sets in Old School Runescape, this spell can be particularly deadly.

Damage can also be increased by wearing a number of items with a magic attack bonus or inherent magic damage increase.

For example, the occult necklace, which requires a level 70 magic to wear, boosts a player’s magic damage by 10%.

Similarly, the Nightmare Staff can boost magic damage by 15% while also providing a magic attack bonus of +16.

In combat, fire surge has the potential to do a lot of damage if you set up your character correctly.

However, even without the damage boosts, this spell packs a punch that makes it definitely worth learning.

3. Ice Barrage

This is the highest-level ice spell that you can learn in Old School Runescape, and it is available from the Ancient Magicks spellbook.

Requiring a magic level of 94 to cast, ice barrage is capable of inflicting 30 damage without any magic-boosting equipment.

To cast this spell, you will have to use 6 water runes, two blood runes, and four death runes to cast this spell.

What makes this spell so useful is that it can freeze targets, causing them to be unable to move for 32 ticks.

It is also capable of targeting up to nine enemies, which makes it very useful for crowd control in multicombat areas.

This also makes it useful for training magic, as it has the potential to earn high amounts of XP per hour compared to other spells.

Additionally, players who have a magic level of 90 can cast ice barrage with the use of a magic potion.

With an imbued heart or Castlewars brew, even players with a magic level of 85 can cast it!

However, as with Blood Rush, you will need to complete the Desert Treasure I quest to get the Ancient Magicks spellbook!

2. Heal Group

This spell is one of the most useful for players who enjoy questing or completing dungeons with a group of friends.

Heal group requires a magic level of 95 to cast, as well as 4 astral runes, 3 blood runes, and 6 law runes.

What it does is reduce the caster’s hitpoints by 75% to heal up to five other injured players standing 1 square away.

Healing is equal to the amount lost plus 5 hitpoints, and it is split evenly between each player on the receiving end.

However, the other players must have Accept Aid turned on in order to be healed by this spell.

Additionally, this spell is not capable of killing the caster, as it won’t work if the player is below 11% health.

While you should still carry some of the best foods for healing, this spell can definitely help keep your group alive!

1. Vengeance

Taking our number one spot is one of the most powerful Lunar spells that requires level 94 magic to cast.

Vengeance is a spell that rebounds 75% of the damage from an enemy’s hit back at them, similar to the effect of the ring of recoil.

When activated, using 10 earth runes, 4 astral runes, and 2 death runes, players will proclaim, “Taste vengeance!”.

The damage reflected is rounded down, so a hit of 80 points of damage would reflect 60 back at the dealer.

This spell is incredibly popular with player killers, especially when opponents are using powerful weapons.

Best of all, this spell stacks with the ring of recoil and Dharok’s armor set with the amulet of the damned.

With this setup, it is possible for players to rebound 100% of the damage dealt to them by enemies!

While it does require the Lunar spellbook and a minimum of 40 defense to use this spell, it is wholly worthwhile!

Summary

We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the 10 most useful magic spells in OSRS and found the ones you should learn next!

While each of these spells is useful, the ones you prioritize will depend on your preferences and play style.

However, even if you’re primarily a melee user, you can still benefit from the powerful vengeance spell!

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 most useful magic spells in OSRS:

1. Vengeance
2. Heal Group
3. Ice Barrage
4. Fire Surge
5. Fertile Soil
6. Enchant
7. Superheat Item
8. Blood Rush
9. High Level Alchemy
10. Fire Bolt

Which of these spells are you going to use first? Leave a comment below.