With Old School RuneScape Leagues VI introducing the Demonic Pact, Tier 7 relics represent one of the most important decision points in your entire progression. At this stage, your build is largely defined, your region choices are locked in, and your remaining grind is shaped heavily by efficiency—or lack thereof.

Two standout options dominate the conversation: Flow State and Reloaded. Both offer powerful advantages, but they serve fundamentally different purposes. One accelerates everything; the other fixes weaknesses. Choosing correctly depends less on raw numbers and more on how you approach Leagues.

Understanding Flow State

Flow State is a global speed modifier. It standardizes a wide range of skilling actions to a fixed 2-tick cycle (1.2 seconds), regardless of their original speed.

Affected Skills and Activities

Flow State applies to a broad set of actions, including:

· Mining

· Woodcutting

· Fishing

· Cooking

· Firemaking

· Prayer (offering bones)

· Fletching (partially)

· Smithing

· Crafting

· Certain farming interactions

· Magic (High Alchemy + Transmutation)

· Activities like Wintertodt, Tempoross, and stealing valuables

What This Actually Means

Instead of reducing ticks by a fixed amount, Flow State forces actions into a 2-tick cycle. That distinction matters.

· A 3-tick action → 2 ticks = ~50% faster

· A 4-tick action → 2 ticks = 100% faster

· Longer actions → even greater gains

Some standout improvements:

· Firemaking (bonfires): up to 200% faster

· Magic (High Alch / Transmutation): more than 2× speed

· Mining dense essence (Blood RC setups): dramatically faster

However, not everything benefits equally:

· Fletching arrows sees no improvement

· Some already-fast actions gain little value

The Hidden Tradeoffs of Flow State

On paper, Flow State looks dominant. In practice, it has limitations.

1. It Doesn’t Solve Problems

Flow State makes skills faster—but does not make them easier, cheaper, or more accessible.

· Runecrafting is still tedious

· Herblore still requires supplies

· Construction still demands massive gold

It’s a time-saving relic, not a solution relic.

2. Efficiency-Dependent Value

Flow State’s value scales with how efficiently you play.

· If you AFK heavily → you waste its potential

· If you overtrain skills (e.g., 50M XP goals) → diminishing returns

· If you play casually → less impact overall

3. Conflicts with Tick Manipulation

Advanced players often rely on tick manipulation to optimize skilling rates. Flow State:

· Overrides base tick speeds

· Can reduce the benefit of manual tick manipulation

This makes it less appealing for high-efficiency players.

4. Comparable Alternatives Exist

Community testing shows that other relic combinations can rival Flow State in specific skills:

· Barbarian Gathering + Endless Harvest

  · Competitive or better in fishing, woodcutting, and mining

· Specialized builds can outperform Flow State in focused training

Reloaded: The Flexible Powerhouse

Reloaded allows you to select any relic from Tier 1–6 again. This is not a raw power boost—it’s a strategic correction tool.

Why Reloaded Is So Strong

Instead of improving everything slightly, Reloaded lets you:

· Fix your weakest skill

· Cover gaps from earlier relic choices

· Add quality-of-life where it matters most

This makes it inherently more adaptable than Flow State.

Common Reload Targets

Here are some of the most impactful reload options:

1. Soul Harvest (Runecrafting + Prayer)

· Effectively solves Runecrafting, one of the hardest skills in Leagues

· Strong synergy with shard farming and progression systems

· Extremely popular pick

2. Friendly Forager (Potions & Combat QoL)

· Provides consistent access to:

  · Ranging potions

  · Super combats

· Huge for melee and ranged builds

· Often underrated, but extremely practical

3. Butler’s Bell (Construction & Utility)

· Speeds up Construction dramatically

· Improves general account flow

· Combines well with gold-generating relics

4. Endless Harvest (Gathering Skills)

· Solves:

  · Mining

  · Fishing

  · Woodcutting

· Strong alternative to Flow State for resource gathering

5. Transmutation (Magic, Prayer, Economy)

· One of the most versatile relics:

  · Boosts Magic XP

  · Supports Prayer training

  · Generates income

The Core Philosophy: Solve vs Accelerate

This is the fundamental distinction:

Approach Result

Flow State Makes good skills faster

Reloaded Makes bad skills manageabl

A useful way to think about it:

· Flow State might save 10 hours across multiple skills

· Reloaded might save 20+ hours in one painful skill

In Leagues, pain points matter more than marginal gains.

Why You Shouldn’t Try to Solve Everything

A common mistake in Old School RuneScape Leagues is attempting to optimize every skill.

That’s unnecessary.

· You don’t need max stats for Dragon Rank

· You don’t need perfect efficiency to enjoy Leagues

· Over-optimization often reduces fun

Instead:

· Accept that some skills will remain inefficient

· Focus on what actually blocks your progress or enjoyment

Who Should Pick Flow State?

Flow State works best for:

· Players focused on broad skilling efficiency

· Those planning consistent, active play

· Players who enjoy seeing faster XP rates across the board

It is less suited for:

· Casual players

· Heavy AFK playstyles

· Tick manipulation users

· Players struggling with specific skills

Who Should Pick Reloaded?

Reloaded is ideal for:

· Players with clear weaknesses in their build

· Those needing Runecrafting, Herblore, or OSRS gold solutions

· Anyone prioritizing quality of life over raw speed

· Both casual and high-level players

It scales better across all playstyles.

Final Verdict

Flow State is powerful—but ultimately generic. Reloaded is situational—but game-changing.

In most scenarios, reloaded is the superior Tier 7 relic. It gives you control. It lets you adapt. And most importantly, it makes the game more enjoyable by removing friction instead of just speeding it up.