The XP waste / No XP waste meme pair is as old as the game and it has its roots in the grindy yet AFkable nature of the game from before it even launched as Old School RuneScape in 2013. The exact traces or the origins of the meme are impossible to locate, but there are enough pieces of evidence that indicate that the XP waste meme / No XP waste meme originated in RS2 and they carried over to RS3 and Old School RuneScape.
The no xp waste meme has drastically evolved over the years and its meaning got richer and richer as more and more players started using it in various contexts, literally and sarcastically. Similar to the Never lucky meme, the no xp waste meme can also be used literally and sarcastically and it conveys this dual meaning.
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This is a very long one so feel free to jump to a specific heading
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- You might like
- The Meme Pair: XP Waste and No XP Waste
- What Does XP Waste / No XP Waste Mean?
- Origins of the Meme
- The History of XP Waste / No XP Waste
- Guide to No XP Waste | May 2014
- No More XP Waste | OSRS Mobile Launch | July 17th 2017
- Common Uses of the XP Waste / No XP Waste Meme
- Wildest Examples of the No XP Waste Meme
- Final Thoughts
- Further read
The Meme Pair: XP Waste and No XP Waste
XP waste and no XP wastes is a pair of interrelated memes. XP waste originally appeared as a critique towards inefficiency and inefficient training methods. When a player trained something in an off-meta way, other players called it XP waste.
It soon turned into a humorous yet serious way of recognizing all the human conditions that prevent us from always training at the most efficient and click intensive rates and syntagms like “sleeping is XP waste”, “peeing is XP waste” or “school is XP waste” started flooding both in game communication and social media.
Soon enough, scapers who found workarounds that allowed them to play and gain XP in the most wild conditions started posting themselves playing in those contexts with the label “no XP waste”. This was to reinforce that despite the nature of the social context they were in or the human conditions they were facing, their dedication was real!
What Does XP Waste / No XP Waste Mean?
At its core, No XP Waste refers to the pursuit of efficiency. Itโs about making the most out of every moment spent in-game. But the same meme reflects a wild dichotomy: at one end it’s based on the idea that if youโre not tick manipulating, you’re wasting XP, but at the other end it means that even when you’re not actively playing because of IRL responsibilities, you should at least AFK something, or else it’s XP waste.
Origins of the Meme
The meme has its origins in RuneScape 2. While an exact date cannot be pinpointed, the meme existed and started spreading some time before 2010. What influenced the birth of this meme was players obsessing over tick perfect actions and optimized training routes. The meme evolved over time to convey not only the idea that the most efficient route should be used, but that players should find ways to log in even in the most bizarre situations. The evolution of the meme naturally happened in game and on third party software such as forums, streams, reddit, fakebook groups, clans, or x (twitter) and Instagram.
The History of XP Waste / No XP Waste
The origins of XP waste / no XP waste cannot be pinpointed but there’s proof the meme developed from the rise of efficiency-focused gameplay in RuneScape 2 and RuneScape 3 before 2010 or in early 2010. With the introduction of Old School RuneScape in 2013, the meme gained even more traction. Forums and guides became breeding grounds for discussions on tick manipulation, skilling efficiency, and activity stacking, as well as becoming the place of sharing the XP waste and no XP waste memes. There are several key moments in the history of the no xp waste meme that have pushed the meme to what it is today!
First Post on X (Twitter) | June 2010
The very first post of the meme on X (then Twitter) dates back to June 7th 2010. It contains the text “ended up sleeping most all day. What an Xp waste. And with the schedule I have this week, there won’t be a lot of RS at all”. This is the very first post referencing both RuneScape and considering sleep an XP waste because it was an impediment to getting XP.
It also suggests that the meme was already used in game before the time of the post, so it reveals that the no xp waste meme could be older than 2010.
Banking is XP Waste | August 2010
One month later another Twitter post appears referencing banking as the XP waste. It reinforces the idea that the meme was already popular in game.
The post simply contains the text “banking is xp waste” together with a link to a YouTube video from a version of RuneScape. The video features a player training runecraft at the Nature’s altar and “wasting” time banking.
First YouTube Video | XP Waste | July 2011
The very first video featuring the words XP waste was published in July 2011. The 25 seconds long video shows a RuneScape 2 gameplay footage of a character walking around at GE and not training any skill. This video stands as proof that XP Waste / no XP waste was a thing in game some time before July 2011.
XP Waste Team Name | August 21st 2011
The following month, another YouTube video confirms the growing spread of the XP waste meme in RuneScape. The video features a 5v5 tournament in which one of the competing teams is called XP-waste. It is unclear whether that’s the name of the team or potentially a clan, but one thing is for sure: these players chose to associate themselves with the XP waste meme.
No XP Waste Clan Chat | August 29th 2011
A few days later, a reply to a post on Twitter confirms there is a RuneScape clan called No XP waste. The reply belongs to the clan owner who is guiding a player to join her clan, once again confirming the spread of the meme.
DDS vs DC video | XP Waste | October 2011
On a more serious note, in October 2011 this scaper released a video where he compared two spec weapons: the Dragon Dagger (DDS) and the Dragon Claws (DC). The comparison goes pretty in depth and he is both poking fun at himself for wasting this much time on calculating and referencing how any player would waste XP if they chose the weapon that’s slightly worse than the other.
PKing is XP Waste | December 2011
December 2011 marks the history of the XP waste meme with a video titled PKing is a(n) XP waste, confirming that players were still finding more and more things to refer to as XP waste.
Going to the Theatre is XP Waste | February 2012
This two months later post is another confirmation. The X post was published on February 2012 and it contains the text “It’s now Intermission at Victoria’s play, Romeo and Juliet. It’s worth the XP waste :). I’ll log into @RuneScape once I get home later. :)”. The statement is likely to belong to a father who was attending their daughter’s (Victoria) play and who considered it worthy of the XP waste. It proves one more time that the most trivial things were considered XP waste by a larger and larger part of the playerbase.
No XP Waste Enters the Urban Dictionary | 18 March 2012
In March 2012, the meme enters the Urban dictionary with a very obscure definition that hasn’t been updated since “In RuneScape, when something causes a loss of XP, it is considered an XP waste”
As the community began embracing efficiency tools and calculators, prominent players and content creators started popularizing the idea in their streams and videos. Clan chat culture also propelled the spread of the no XP waste meme.
Avoid XP Waste, Pee in a bottle | 18 March 2012
The very same day a video titled “Avoid XP Waste, Pee in a bottle” was published on YouTube. The video is an actual recording of two friends chatting and one of them suggesting the other used a bottle to avoid XP waste instead of going to the bathroom. The joke was taken seriously and the scaper actually urinated in a bottle while speaking to his friend who was both surprised and disgusted.
While the joke was most likely already circulating inside the community, this video consecrated it forever and it is the very first audio recording of a scaper actually avoiding the XP waste caused by their bladder.
Homework No XP Waste | March 22nd 2012
Just a few days later, on March 22nd 2012 another video of an actual scaper avoiding XP waste gets published on YouTube. This one is less wild if we think about the nowadays practices when AFKscaping is a real and very popular thing. Back then, in 2012, though, most people kept their gaming sessions and IRL sessions very separate and for the context of the time when it was published it was WILD!
It is the very first evidence of a scaper semi-afking something so they can handle IRL responsibilities. Little did this scaper know that this video will be the parent of a commonly used practice, used by hundreds of thousands of players who either work from home or found another way to incorporate their XP gains in their daily lives.
Watching Football is XP waste | June 2012
June 2012 expands the meme to “watching football is XP waste”. This post contains the text “To everyone who says watching footy is XP waste – solution!” acknowledging the ongoing meme that “football is XP waste” and providing a solution that’s been used more and more since the early 2010s for gaming setups: dual monitors! Keep in mind that back in 2012 dual screens were not as popular as they are now and they were used mainly in offices or by streamers. It was only with the pandemic that double screens became widespread.
The attached picture showed a dual screen setup with a screen showing a RuneScape client while the other screen has an opened text document with the text “football goes here”. The photo seems to have been taken in an office, reinforcing how unnatural dual screen setups were back in the day for gaming setups.
No XP Waste Clan Chat | RuneScape 3 Clan | August 2012
In August 2012 this clan ad was posted on Youtube. The video is a recording of the clan owner of a clan called No XP Waste and she mentions some of the requirements to join the clan such as having several 99s or multiple skills with 200m XP. I’m still not sure whether it was a satire or not, but there are a few things that are clear and we can infer from this video.
- In 2012 the no XP waste meme was already heavily spread within the RuneScape 3 community.
- A clan with the no XP waste name further popularized the meme.
Falling asleep | XP Waste | September 2012
September same year is when Falling asleep was officially acknowledged as XP waste, in a post stating “Fell asleep while playing #RuneScape. Xp waste”.
First on Reddit | June 16th 2013
2013 marks the year when the meme was brought to Reddit for the very first time with a post titled “No XP waste cuddling”. The post contains a photo of a couple foot – hand touching while one of them is playing RuneScape. The post on the small subreddit at the time (the post is in June and the game for that subreddit was released February that same year) did not get much engagement.
Rollercoaster Is XP Waste | June 26th 2013
A few days later another scaper posted a photo of a rollercoaster together with the text “So much xp waste but it was worth it” showing that the meme was adapting to more and more scenarios.
WoW is XP Waste | October 2013
On October 2013 as a reply to a screenshot asking for some sort of help revealed yet another type of XP waste. A scaper used a zoom in image of the original screenshot focused on two icons: A RuneScape launcher and a World of Warcraft icon, together with the text “look at the XP waste” and suggesting that any other game besides RuneScape, and in this case, WoW, is XP waste.
Guide to No XP Waste | May 2014
In May 2014, the meme was already so spread that a scaper crafted a No XP Waste Guide and posted it on the 2007scape subreddit. The guide blew up for what the subreddit was at the time since it exaggerated many trivial activities and sarcastically gave advise on how to minimize the XP waste. It’a important to note that a big concern in the guide was the lack of mobility of players who felt stuck at PC. Some of the comments even asked whether there’s a mobile app and someone suggested teamviewer as a means to overcome the lack of freedom.
No More XP Waste | OSRS Mobile Launch | July 17th 2017
Even though other iterations of the meme appeared from October 2013 to July 2017, we don’t want this article to be XP Waste in itself, but only present the most relevant info, so fast forward to July 2017, when a huge event that forever changed how we look at XP waste in Old School RuneScape.
On July 17th 2017 the XP Waste was over with the launch of the OSRS mobile app which allowed players to gain XP in contexts in which they never before had. The literal XP Waste was over, but the meme just got more fuel since now scapers started taking photos and videos of themselves playing on mobile in contexts seen never before.
Common Uses of the XP Waste / No XP Waste Meme
Even though the no xp waste meme has tons of variations there are some extremely common uses of the meme, such as trivial scapers playing while doing really trivial activities or, at the opposite end, scapers playing in the most wild contexts!
Trivial Activities
The meme is often associated with trivial activities and it’s used jokingly or seriously in contexts such as:
- sleeping is such an XP waste
- peeing is XP waste
- food is XP waste
- working is XP waste
- school is XP waste
- Showering is XP waste
Wild Context for Gaming
The meme is also associated with wild contexts for gaming. Some scapers take pictures in the most wild contexts while playing the game and title them “no xp waste” maybe give a bit of context and post them on social media. These contexts include: near a new born, while working as a pilot, at their own weddings, while they’re partner sleeps next to them in bed, during their wives’ labour, and many more.
Wildest Examples of the No XP Waste Meme
Before diving into the most wild examples I have to warn you that some, if not most can be triggering for some people, and despite the dedication of the community, as someone who views these photos you really have to consider whether these scapers were photographed because they were playing the game in the most wild contexts or if they started playing because they were photographed. I am saying this because some of these scapers engage in dangerous activities while playing or in activities that require their full focus and they should absolutely not be playing.
I am sure these examples contain some fabricated photos that were taken just so they can get emotional reactions and engagement on their posts, but also scapers who were caught on camera in their natural habitat where playing the game brought them comfort. No judgement on either, but as consumers of the meme we have to look at each instance with the critical brain turned on before jumping to the conclusion that something is happening further than for a photo or video, and I say this as someone who sometimes plays while showering!
Playing in the Hospital | No XP Waste
This scaper took a photo while playing Old School RuneScape while in the hospital bed and posted it on Reddit. While not a wild context in itself, some hospitals don’t allow mobile phones inside. The post is titled “No XP waste at the hospital today”
Playing During Wife’s Labour | No XP Waste
A very popular iteration of the no XP waste meme is playing during the wife’s labour. The very first photo also contains the wife’s opinion on the matter – one image a thousand words they say. There are many other posts of photos of guys playing RuneScape while their wives are in labour than these three.
Feeding the Newborn | No XP Waste
This photo captures what happens after the labour one: a scaper feeding their newborn baby while playing Old School RuneScape. Taking care of the toddler, the newborn and of their character all at the same time is the challenge!
Taking a bath | No XP Waste
Laptops are not waterproof, but that towel will help this scaper dry their hands before touching it so they can continue afk fishing while taking a bat.
Taking a shower | No XP Waste
This one looks really dangerous to me. This scaper placed their phone at the level of their shower curtains on a very narrow edge so they can keep playing while taking a shower. As someone who has afked while in the shower I can conform that’s not how you do it unless you want to no longer have a phone on which to AFK. Hoping next time they’ll place it on the sink or somewhere safe, and similar to the scaper above have a towel on hand before the tap tap.
Clubbing | No XP Waste
This scaper chose to afk woodcutting while in the club! The post on X reveals a video proof of this no XP waste!
Grocery Shopping | No XP Waste
I have to admit that I haven’t even considered this! Like who goes shopping when they can order? That’s XP waste! Even with the phone in the cart! I hope they work there!
Fishing IRL and in Game | No XP Waste
This scaper was photographed while training their fishing both IRL and in Old School RuneScape on mobile.
During Sex | No XP Waste
I will not post sexual content on my blog, but here’s a link to a public photo on X that’s sexual in nature, and still up. If you’re over 18 and a curious cat go ahead, but I totally didn’t expect to see something this explicit during this innocent research. It is one of the most wild context, so I don’t want to skip it. Out of all of them this one is clearly fabricated to be used as a promotion tool for that scaper’s account on an adult website.
In a Private Jet | No XP Waste
This scaper took a photo while playing during a flight with a private jet!
While Flying an Airplane | No XP Waste
Even more wild, these scapers logged into their Old School RuneScape account while flying an airplane!
The first one took the pic at 850 feet from the ground while descending so out of all the pilots this is by far the most dangerous both because they are so close to the ground and because they are in a very busy stage of the flight.
These scapers (photo 2 and photo 3) logged into their OSRS account while the airplanes they were flying were cruising. Both of them are at the GE, so that still counts as XP waste. Far less dangerous than the first one since during cruising the autopilot is engaged and it’s a more relaxed part of the flight for the pilots.
This scaper also took a pic in the cockpit of the airplane they were flying and posted it in an Old School RuneScape facebook group.
In Traffic | No XP Waste
This scaper posted a video of himself playing while waiting on his motorcycle for the green light.
In Court | No XP Waste
Awaiting trial in court can be boring. This scaper didn’t waste XP and logged in to RuneScape in court.
Falling with a parachute | No XP Waste
The XP waste can be real when you’re really outdoorsy. This image is of a player who supposedly was logging in during a parachute jump! No XP was wasted on that fall!
During a funeral | No XP Waste
This is a photoshoped image of a scaper playing at a funeral! While not an actual photo of this happening, it is a reminder that some could take it the no XP waste to that extreme.
While exercising | No XP Waste
This scaper is balancing their IRL training with their in game training! The post is titled “mounted mobile case to exercycle. No XP waste” and this one is for sure real and used and not made only for the pic.
While getting a tattoo | No XP Waste
Another interesting iteration of the no XP waste meme is scapers AFKing while getting or creating Old School RuneScape tattoos. This topic is very close to my heart because of my blog series that takes on close to now 700 OSRS tattoos:
- no xp waste during tattoo
- Nieve tattoo
- dragon med helm tattoo
Other No XP Waste Posts
Final Thoughts
The no XP waste meme originated in RuneScape over one decade and a half ago and is one of the oldest memes in the community. It stood witness to how our daily lives changed and how the world evolved. The launch of Old School RuneScape in 2013, the normalization of using two screen gaming setups before and during the pandemic, the mobile version of the game in 2017 have all been decisive factors for how the meme adapted and took new forms to become a life philosophy in which playing OSRS is not just a hobby, but a lifestyle.
I have completed over 20 long Slayer tasks (including 3 Jad slayer tasks) while writing this to avoid XP waste. What have you AFKed while reading this?
Further read
6 responses to “OSRS Memes: XP Waste / No XP Waste Explained”
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It’s not often I learn the origins of memes, so it was cool to read the background of one that I use almost daily!
Thanks for taking the time! (and not wasting xp writing it, I afk ranged while reading)-
Thank you!
Get that Range level up!
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Very nice and detailed blog! You should make youtube videos
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I’ve actually been considering it for way too long! I appreciate the comment!
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Love the blog! Neatly organized and a fun read. Though xp waste to read, it was well worth it ๐
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thank you, Vidi <3
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