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For the variant encountered in Daemonheim, see Runecrafting altar (Dungeoneering).
Earth Altar

The entrance to a Runecrafting altar is usually marked by mysterious ruins.

Crafting earth runes

Players use a Runecrafting altar to make their own runes.

Runecrafting altars are locations throughout RuneScape at which players can use the Runecrafting skill to create runes. Tiaras, talismans, a wicked hood charged with them, or Talisman staves are needed to enter these altars. Players can find altars by referring to the world map, by using a talisman, or by asking other players. Alternatively, a player can use the Abyss to reach the altars, usually in a faster but more dangerous method.

According to Elriss, the altars are "pocket dimensions unto themselves: areas of folded space created by the energy of the rune altar", and "not exactly in RuneScape". Any kind of teleport is fully functional at these altars.

Although debated in the Runecrafting Guild, Wizard Finix claims the runecrafting altars currently used to craft runes will become unstable, and the Runespan will become the only method to create runes. There is no evidence supporting this or going against this as of now.

Altars are hidden inside 'mysterious ruins'. To find an altar using a talisman, players can right-click on the talisman and click on the 'locate' option. In the chatbox, the player will notice a message that will tell them the direction they need to go in.

When a player has found the mysterious ruins, they then need to enter the ruins. The player can enter by using their talisman with the ruins. If they are wearing an enchanted tiara, wicked hood or wielding a talisman staff (with the corresponding talisman attached), all they have to do is click on the ruins.

When the player is inside the ruins, they are now in the altar. They can then use their essence with the altar to craft some runes. While inside an altar, a player can also enchant a tiara if they have an un-enchanted tiara and the talisman needed to access the altar in their inventory. With the un-enchanted tiara, all they have to do is use it with the altar and it will become enchanted.

Rune Altar Map

The relative locations of all runecrafting altars except for the Astral Altar.

Locations of altars[]

The table below lists the locations of the altars.

Altar Location
Air Altar West of Varrock.
Mind Altar Between Ice Mountain and Goblin Village.
Water Altar In the Lumbridge Swamp or south-east of Draynor Village.
Earth Altar Northeast of Varrock.
Fire Altar Northeast of Al Kharid.
Body Altar Between Ice Mountain and Gunnarsgrunn (formerly known as Barbarian Village), south of the Edgeville Monastery.
Cosmic Altar The southern part of Zanaris.
Chaos Altar Wilderness level 9, north-west of Edgeville.
Astral Altar Lunar Isle, no talisman required.
Nature Altar North of Shilo Village.
Law Altar Northern part of Entrana.
Life Altar Through the Life altar portal found in the Behind the Scenes bar (Gower Quest).
Death Altar Mourning's End Part II temple, bottom floor. Also accessible from the underground pass.
Blood Altar In Meiyerditch Dungeon, discovered during the Legacy of Seergaze quest.
Soul Altar In Menaphos.
Ourania Runecrafting Altar (ZMI altar) In the Ourania Cave, which is west of the Battlefield, and south-west of Ardougne.

History[]

In the First or Second Age, a Fremennik by the name of V----- discovered the Stone of Jas on Lunar Isle. The power of the stone had altered the rocks in that cave, turning them into rune essence. This discovery allowed humans to create runes. This discovery caused a great deal of conflict within the Fremenniks. Some believed that the runes should be used to benefit humanity, whereas others felt that the stones were the property of the gods and that to use them would be an unholy act. The conflict soon threatened to tear the tribe apart.

The half of the tribe that supported the use of runes travelled the world of Gielinor, searching for areas with certain properties that would imbue the runestones with magical energies. Soon, a number of temples had been built all across the world. The Fremenniks banished the runecrafters from their tribe. These people would eventually become the Moon Clan that inhabits Lunar Isle today, and eventually the amount of magic they practisced made it so that they no longer needed runes, although they continued to craft them regardless.

The knowledge of Runecrafting remained completely unknown to those outside the Moon Clan, until the Rune Essence Mine, a former resting place of the Stone of Jas, was discovered at the end of the Fourth Age, starting the Fifth Age. The human race soon began mass production of runes, allowing it to establish itself as a dominant force in much of Gielinor. The Fremenniks would later lead a military campaign known as the Runecrafting Crusades against Kandarin, Asgarnia, and Misthalin as a result, and the temples were destroyed, although runecrafting was still widely practised.

Runecrafting teleport tablets[]

Runecrafting teleport tablets to all the runecrafting altars can be bought with tokens from The Great Orb Project minigame; these cannot be crafted at lecterns in the study room of a Player-owned house. The tablets teleport players next to the mysterious ruins, so players will still need a corresponding talisman or tiara to enter the altar (excluding Astral Altar).

Trivia[]

  • The Air Altar used to be located south of Falador but was moved to south of the Cooks' Guild, to make it fit in the new Start area.
  • In Daemonheim, one altar is used to craft all the runes as well as creating elemental and catalytic staves.
  • Most of the areas that the altars are located match its element (the Water Altar is in a swamp, the Fire Altar is in a desert, the Blood Altar is in the Sanguinesti region, the Chaos Altar is in the Wilderness, etc.).
  • Since the Runespan update, Wizards have been stationed at each known runecrafting altar to research Wizard Finix's theory of altars one day running out of runic energy. They can provide a free teleport to the Wizards' Tower.
  • Shortly after the Runespan update, the runecrafting altars got a new appearance, looking more ruined than before. This may confirm Wizard Finix's theory that the altars would "collapse" one day.
  • Before an update, runecrafting altars' entrances were not marked on the world map.
  • The World Map interface refers to the inside area of altars as "Rune Temples", e.g. "Nature Rune Temple".
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