Introduction
Congratulations on getting a Runescape membership! Pay to Play (P2P) offers a huge new universe for members to explore, including tons of cities, dungeons, monsters, skills, quests, money-making, and more!
This guide will discuss some new travel possibilities, recommend some quests that are helpful to new members, address starting each of the new member skills available (Agility, Construction, Farming, Fletching, Herblore, Slayer and Thieving), and discuss other member features encountered while becoming acquainted with the wider domain of Runescape P2P.
If you are new to the world of Runescape in general, you may also want to look at Tip.It's Beginners' Guide, which contains basic information that applies to both Free To Play (F2P) and P2P.
When reviewing the many helpful Tip.It guides, be reminded: as a member, the "shaded" members items in tables are available to you!
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Getting Around and New Areas to Explore
The Runescape P2P surface land is many times larger than Free to Play (F2P): see Tip.It's 1.4MB interactive World Map. New members may want to keep a map handy for quick reference while becoming familiar with new areas.
Enchanted jewellery transports are a significant member advantage. The Getting Around Guide lists the various methods of transportation available in Runescape, most of which are exclusive to members. Gnome gliders, spirit trees, fairy rings, and balloons have quest requirements, as do many others.
An early issue confronting new members is "How do I get to the member areas?" On Karamja, just walk west to the Brimhaven gate. Then you can head north and pay 30 gp to take the ship to Ardougne, home of the Market Square thieving area.
From Falador, just walk west of Doric's house to pass through the member gate into Taverly.
Alternatively, from the Crafting Guild southwest of Falador, walk north through the member gate next to the Makeover Mage to head towards Taverly (past the famous "Member" Dungeon).
The Fishing Contest quest will allow you to bypass climbing over White Wolf Mountain (with its' many hostile level 30+ wolves) when travelling between Taverly and Catherby.
The Priest in Peril quest unlocks the Morytania region (east of Varrock).
The Death Plateau quest unlocks the Troll Stronghold area north of Burthorpe.
The Lost City quest unlocks the fairy city of Zanaris, home of the Cosmic runecrafting altar.
Starting the Giant Dwarf quest unlocks Keldagrim, underground home of the dwarves.
Starting the In Aid of the Myreque quest unlocks Burgh de Rott, a city in Morytania.
The Regicide quest unlocks the elven land of Tirannwn, but it's a higher-level quest: the fourth in a series which starts with the Plague City quest.
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Skills
The members-only skills are Agility, Construction, Farming, Fletching, Herblore, Hunter, Slayer and Thieving.
To start training Agility, go to the Tree Gnome Stronghold Agility course. Agility is helpful for short cuts which get you around faster, and in numerous quests. With increased Agility, you also have more energy so you can run longer (good for getting places, and an advantage in the Wilderness!) Run energy is discussed in the Getting Around Guide. You can improve your run energy by getting some boots of lightness from the Temple of Ikov north of the Ardougne farming patches (the quest is not required) - simply take a lit candle and a slashing weapon (such as a dagger or sword) into the temple, then go west and down the stairs. Slash the web in front of the only red dot in the room, and grab several pairs of the boots to keep backups. Agility is the only member skill that works in Free to Play (F2P) worlds - your run energy will deplete slower in F2P as well as P2P.
To start training the long-awaited Construction skill, go to an Estate Agent office in Varrock, Falador, Seers' Village, or East Ardougne (locations shown in guide). Purchase a house for 1K, and follow the Construction Beginner's Guide Walkthrough for step by step instructions to achieve level 5. Use Tip.It's handy, unique and sortable Construction Table to learn what you can build at each level, including the materials and other requirements for each item.
To start Farming, you need some potato seeds. Go to Draynor Village market square and buy some seeds from Olivia's stall (or steal them if your Thieving is 10 or higher). Then go northwest to the farm located north of Port Sarim's bar, just southeast of Falador. Inside you can buy most of the Farming equipment you will need (a Seed dibber, a Rake, and a Watering can) for very little money (less than 100 gp). Fill your Watering can at the Sink or Rain barrel. Proceed north outside and hop the stile to the farming patch, then follow the instructions in Tip.It's Farming guide to plant your first crop.
Fletching isn't hard to begin - just get a regular Knife and some Logs and use the Knife on the Logs. To make Bowstrings, pick Flax (small plants with blue flowers) located in a field south of the Party Castle in Seers' Village. Use the Flax on the Spinning Wheel upstairs in the house just north of the church. Spinning Wheel locations are marked on Tip.It's 1.4MB interactive World Map. For a personal touch, visit the Ranged Guide tutor in Lumbridge (just north of the castle, south of the general store) - she can also advise members about fletching.
Herblore is unlocked by completing the Druidic Ritual quest. Herblore is a key part of both the Hero's quest and the Legends quest, so start using those Guams and Marrentills (frequently dropped by Al Kharid warriors) right away!
Start Hunter by visiting a Hunting shop. I recommend the one in Yanille (just east of the pub). Purchase a noose wand, then track kebbits at the very north end of the snow hunting grounds northeast of Rellekka.
The Slayer skill is begun by visiting a Slayer Master to get an assignment. The easiest one is Turael in Burthorpe (north of Taverly), in the first house on the east side of town. See the Slayer skill guide for further info. Consult Tip.It's Bestiary to get detailed information on any monster.
To start Thieving, pickpocket Men (level 2) and Women (level 2) until your Thieving reaches 5 or 10. Then you'll want to travel to Ardougne market square, the RS thieving mecca. See the Thieving skill guide.
All F2P skills have portions that are members-only. To learn about these added member techniques, check any of Tip.It's Skill Guides and look for sections marked "members only", items marked with an asterisk *, or for table rows highlighted in grey. For example, member Crafting includes the art of glassblowing, to create various useful glass items and earn crafting xp. New members may want to sail from Port Sarim to Entrana (don't bring any weapons or stat-boosting gear) to learn about this from Fritz the Glassblower. Other members-only Crafting abilities include making dragonhide and snakeskin armour, spinning flax into bowstrings, making battlestaves, and more.
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Beware
Things for members to watch out for include poisoning, disease, desert effect, and of course the Wilderness.
While touring Karamja and some dungeons, be aware that as a member you can get poisoned by certain monsters such as some spiders and Karamjan Tribesmen. Thieving certain chests also may release a cloud of poison. Regular poison starts by doing 4 HP damage each time it hits you (shown as a green "splat"), and takes a while to wear off - lower level members won't survive it without Antipoison potions. See the Herblore Guide Poisoning section.
Those who venture into the Zogre Tomb (home of the Zogre Flesh Eaters Quest) may get diseased. Also when you’re fighting Fever Spiders during or after the Rum Deal Quest without slayer gloves, which you can get from any slayer master, there is a chance that you will get diseased. If you are diseased you will be hit by a numbered orange "splat". The number will be subtracted from a random skill. Relicym's Balm will cure disease, but does not restore your stats. Refer to the Herblore Guide for more information on making Relicym's Balm.
You can also die of the "desert effect" in the Kharidian desert south of Al Kharid (through Shantay Pass, where you will be warned). Take precautions when going there: wear desert robes, carry waterskins, and use a Knife to cut Kharidian cactus to replenish your water supplies.
The Wilderness is just as lethal in P2P as it is in F2P. If you're new to Runescape, be aware that dying in the Wilderness deprives you of all but the three most valuable (store price) items you are carrying or wearing. If you have been in a fight in the Wilderness, you get a "skull" floating above your head, and dying will deprive you of ALL of your items. High level and P2P Wilderness areas also do not allow players to teleport out (not even Ring of Life or other enchanted jewellery teleports), so keep these dangers in mind. East Ardougne (west of the palace) has a "teleport lever" that transports you to the highest-level, exclusively members-only Wilderness area. Our 550KB Wilderness Map shows this area's features, which include an Agility course and the Mage Arena mini game.
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Weapons
A wide range of exotic weaponry is available to members, with new ones being added all the time.
Although Dragon weapons have in many cases been outclassed by newer weapons, the more powerful weapons require large amounts of cash or very high skill levels to obtain (80+). Dragon weapons offer excellent benefits and are within financial reach of most rune-armoured players, although they do require 60 Attack to wield. They offer a nice bonus for training Strength. They can be purchased from other players; most are also available from a shop after finishing a quest. You may not be able to wield some of them without the related quest. See the Dragon weapons section of the Combat guide.
The Combat guide also has detailed information on the more expensive and rare weapons available to members.
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Guilds
There are six members-only Guilds. Like the F2P guilds, each has certain entrance requirements. The name of each guild in the table below is linked to the related guild guide containing detailed information.
| Member Guilds | |||
| Guild | Skill Required | Location | Features |
| Fishing | 68 | North of Ardougne | Bank, shop, all fishing |
| Hero's | Hero's quest | North of Taverly | Amulet of Glory recharge fountain, dragon weapon shop, mining, caged Blue dragon |
| Legend's | Legend's quest | Northeast of Ardougne | Bank, shops, Shadow warrior dungeon |
| Magic | 66 | Yanille | Bank, rune shop, training dungeon, teleports to other wizard towers |
| Range | 40 | Southwest of Seers' Village | Several shops, archery game, practice towers |
| Warriors' | 130 combined Attack and Strength | West of Burthorpe Games room | Bank, several shops and training areas |
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Minor money-making tips
There are many ways to make money as a member, but they may involve having high levels or already having some assets to invest. If you become a member at a lower level, you may be anxious to make some cash. In addition to the ways you already know (such as mining ore, merchandising, etc.), there are some low-level ways to make cash in P2P.
One is Pure essence mining (requires 30 Mining) - members also have three additional essence mine teleport locations (see the Runecrafting guide). Another method is picking Flax (no skill required), and/or spinning Flax into Bowstrings (10 Crafting required; described in Fletching skill mentioned above). Fletching itself is a third low-level cash source - players will buy feathers, arrow shafts, headless arrows and arrows. All of the above items should be sold in bulk (no less than a hundred, but preferably thousands) to obtain the best prices - consult Tip.It's Market Forums to survey current values. Collecting secondary ingredients for Herblore is another money-maker. Players will buy bulk amounts of unicorn horns, limpwurt roots, red spiders' eggs, and snape grass. Again, check forums to determine current prices. Simply accumulating any necessary item in bulk can be a good way to make money: even something as ordinary as a vial can be saleable when you have 100 or 1000 of them for sale.
A fifth method for obtaining quick runes (or possibly cash) is "essence running". This activity supports higher level runecrafters who want to train but don't want to keep running to the bank for more essence - a hungry player can fill this gap. Show up at the altar with a full pack of the appropriate essence (regular for 6 basic runes, pure essence for member-crafted runes) and receive payment (runes and/or cash and/or matching noted essence) in return. Then run to the bank, change noted essence into essence (depositing your cash and/or runes), and repeat as many times as desired. The best way to find a running world is to check the major activity of the world on the server select screen.. If you don't yet have level 30 Mining (to get pure essence), you can try taking regular essence to the F2P air running world.
If you are not yet comfortable enough in Runescape to try any of the above ideas, a far smaller (and smaller-paying!) job is available. Talk to the Wise Old Man, who lives just north of the bank in Draynor Village. Although he has a shady past, he has two things to offer: (1) he will look at your bank and tell you which F2P quest items you can safely throw out, and (2) he will hire you to run errands, in return for very small amounts of coins or experience. The tasks involve basic things like mining copper ore or baking bread. A former F2Per won't want to bother, but someone who is entirely new to Runescape might want to try it.
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Exciting stuff
A fun new experience will be the first time you kill an enemy and it drops a Clue scroll. This is a random occurrence from certain enemies, but following your Treasure Trail may lead you to unexpected riches! See the Treasure Trails guide for all the information you'll need.
All Runescape minigames are members only; look through Tip.It's Minigames guides to learn more about each one.
As a member you can challenge other members in Al Kharid's Duel Arena, defining the kind of battle and possibly risking a bet, winner-take-all. Except for your (optional) wager, you won't lose your items if you die.
Some fighting minigames, like Castle Wars and Pest Control also allow you to enjoy the benefits of combat without risk. If you die, you are completely healed and retain all of your items.
But other fighting minigames, such as Barrows and Mage Arena, are genuinely hazardous and are played for keeps.
Non-combat minigames also abound. After getting a Kitten in the Gertrudes' Cat quest, you can find information on raising it to a Cat or Overgrown Cat in the Pet Care guide. Playing Gnome Ball, exploring Gnome Cuisine, or pursuing the Bar Crawl are likewise diverting.
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Worlds
Tip.It's Official worlds are 7 (F2P) and 99 (P2P) - using these worlds will increase the chances of seeing another Tip.It forum user in-game (feel free to shout, "HYT!" meaning, "Hey You Tip.Iter!" to folks you recognize).
On the most populous member world (2), Falador's east bank and park are used for trading with other members (world 1 behind Varrock's west bank is the place to trade with non-members). Since world 2 is often full, world 6 is a second option. The worlds listed below are unofficial and subject to change. Jagex's world select screen lists these and more activities next to some worlds, making it easier to find a group of players doing the same thing.
| Special Worlds | |
| World | Member Activity |
| 2, 6, 26, 27 | Trading (Buying and Selling), Falador Park |
| 6 and 71 | Barbarian Assault |
| 12 and 83 | Duelling (Fun and Staking) |
| 24 | Castle Wars |
| 36 | Nature Essence Running (Runecrafting) |
| 42 | Role-Playing |
| 45 | Burthorpe Games Room |
| 53, 115, 144 | Pest Control |
| 58 | Blast Furnace |
| 66 and 99 | Law Essence Running (Runecrafting) |
| 79 | TzHaar Fight Pits |
| 82 | Castle Wars |
| 104 | Trouble Brewing |
| 116 | Trawler Fishing |
| 131 | Shades of Mort'ton |
| 138 | Rat Pits |
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When to Become a Member
This decision is a personal one, and is sometimes hotly debated on Runescape fansite forums. The universal answer is whenever you can. A few people suggest waiting until you have very high skill levels. Others suggest finishing most of the F2P quests first to build up a respectable skill level. However, many people are confident that you can enjoy being a member at ANY level. It's believed easier to level up as a member, and the many novice-level member quests help considerably. Substantial P2P bank space is also a factor. Being a member provides access to many cool items and skills to make your lower levels more colourful and fun. "Whenever you can talk your family into paying for it" is the most frequent solution, lol.
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Conclusion
As you increase in skills, or work through the Easy and Medium level member Quests, you will eventually become familiar with *all* of the new areas of RS you can enjoy as a member.
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