Big bones

Big bones are items associated with the Prayer skill. They are an intermediate level bone, although they are arguably the best training option for free-to-play. Big bones give 15 experience points when buried normally. The experience can be increased to 37.5, 45, 52.5, or 60 via several progressively more effective members-only abilities. When used in a Player-owned house on the Gilded altar big bones produce 37.5 experience, with one Incense burner lit they will produce 45, and with both incense burners lit they produce 52.5. The maximum that can be produced by a Big bone is when they are worshipped at the Ectofuntus, producing 60 experience each, although this is often conisdered to be far more tedious then it is worth for big bones. They also give 60 experence when used on an altar in Daemonheim while Dungeoneering. Big Bones currently give the highest experience points of any bone in free-to-play excluding the quest-reward-only Ancient bones, of which the player can only ever receive five.

When buried normally these bones give over three times as much experience as bones, making big bones an extremely popular and the best method of training prayer in free-to-play. They are usually dropped by abnormally large monsters, such as any type of Giant, including Giant Frogs, and Ogres. The only free-to-play monsters that drop big bones are Hill giants, Moss giants, giant skeleton, and Ice giants, along with the bovimastyxes and other large creatures of Daemonheim.

Previously the price skyrocketed for big bones, most likely because of the introduction of high level curses. Collecting them in the Wilderness Bone Yard and selling them was also one of the quickest ways to make money available for non-members. However, Clan Wars was built over the Bone Yard's location on 10 December 2007, removing the only big bone respawn for free players.

Members can get big bones from the 'gamble' option when purchasing rewards at the Soul Wars arena, but they are likely to not get them. If they do get them, they will likely get them in quantities of 60 or more.

Since the 17 November 2009 update, big bones can be used with Bones to Bananas and Bones to Peaches.

Cost and XP Analysis
This table can be used to help the player with comparing and deciding on which of the various bones to use for the best balance in cost and XP. Notice how the cost in coins per XP point varies greatly depending on how the bones are used.

Tips

 * For members who have completed the Biohazard quest, there is an incredibly fast way to get big bones, which is even faster if with 51 magic. In the Training Ground North of Ardougne, many players train ranged quickly, so they leave the big bones from the ogres on the ground. Enough ogres are killed that there will be a massive supply of big bones.
 * For free-to-play players, the fastest way to get big bones is from hill giants located in the Edgeville Dungeon. In order to get easy access to these hill giants, the player needs a brass key which can be found inside the Edgeville Dungeon or bought from the Grand Exchange. Another good way to get big bones is in the Wilderness just east of Clan Wars; you can fill up your inventory, then run down to Fist of Guthix, put the bones in your bank, and repeat. You could also just buy the bones themselves off the Grand Exchange. The additional Resource Dungeon added on 19 July 2010 created even more hill giant spawns and also limpwurt root item spawns. This requires 20 Dungeoneering to enter.
 * There was a glitch that did not allow the player to pick up big bones, even with an empty inventory. "You cannot take that at the moment" would appear in the chatbox when the player tried to pick up a big bones. Some players were not able to pick up only big bones, but others were not allowed to pick up any drops. The glitch also prevented players from accessing the Grand Exchange, joining clans, and looking at their friends list. It is supposedly caused by a new anti-bot protection by Jagex that makes detected botters not able to pick up items. It is possible to get rid of the glitch by logging out, waiting for a few moments and logging back in. The glitch is not fixed yet as of 3 December 2010.
 * If you are in Dungeoneering and use the big bones on an altar you will receive 60 prayer experience instead the 15 experience that you receive when you bury the bones (This works in free-to-play and members).
 * It is possible to bury bones in combat just as you swing your weapon. If timed right, there will be no usual burying animation and the weapon swing will not be interrupted. This is useful while training in crowded areas, such as at the Hill Giants and Moss Giants.