Tick manipulation

Tick Manipulation is a method in which players are able to use the RuneScape clock to their advantage in activities such as combat and skilling. The RuneScape game runs off a unit of time called 'Ticks' which lasts 0.6 seconds, and if a player optimizes the amount of actions performed between each game tick, it's possible for them to achieve a higher experience per hour than what would normally to be expected.

Due to the click-intensive nature of tick manipulation, many players shy away from using these methods in favor of more conventional methods.

Combat
Prayer flicking: Once a prayer is active, it will drain at a constant rate, however it will only ever deplete one's prayer points on a game tick. If a player were to quickly deactivate a prayer before that game tick happens, they can keep the benefit of the prayer while not losing any prayer points. This is particularly useful with overhead protection prayers or offensive prayers.

Tick eating Certain types of damage such as Ranged or Magic attacks are calculated prior to them being applied to a player’s health. So if a player heals before the damage is applied, they can survive attacks which would otherwise kill them. It's difficult for most players to use this effectively in combat, however, more skilled players can use this to last

An update was passed which altered tick-eating in PvP situations and it is no longer possible to tick-eat when fighting another player.

Food combination: Food and potions can normally be consumed once every 3 ticks. However if a player were to chain these actions together, it's possible to eat a piece of food then drink a potion in the same game tick. Cooked karambwan are one of the more popular 'combo-foods' as there is no tick delay in how fast they can be eaten in combinations with other foods. For example, it's possible to eat a Anglerfish, drink a Saradomin brew, then eat a Karambwan, healing a player by 56 hitpoints in a single game tick.

Skilling
When a skilling method is referred to as 2-tick or 3-tick, that means it takes that many game ticks in order to complete the specified action.

3-tick Cooking: When selecting to cook more than one piece of food at a time, the first two pieces of food will always be cooked 3 ticks apart. After the first two are cooked, the rest of the food will be cooked at a rate of 4 ticks each. However, if a player were to restart the skilling dialog immediately after the the first two are cooked, they would be able to cook an additional two food at a rate of 3 ticks. This can be done for the entire inventory of food. Using this method, a player would be able to cook 28 pieces of food in 50 seconds, instead of the 67 seconds it would take using conventional methods.

1-tick Cooking: Raw karambwan, while also being able to be eaten without a delay, can also be cooked without a delay. When a player attempts to cook a karambwan, they're able to open a new skilling dialog and click it on the same tick that the karambwan is cooked. This allows for a player to cook an entire inventory in as little as 17 seconds and experience rates of 800k-900k per hour are possible. Although a player would need a fairly low ping and high click accuracy in order to see these rates,

3-tick Mining: Whether it be mining the same rock continuously such as in the motherload mine, or mining a rock adjacent to your character, mining is always a 3 tick action. However when attempting to mine rocks which aren't adjacent to your character, it can take 5 ticks as the act of walking towards the next rock resets the initial mining action.

Performing a separate 3 tick action such as creating Herb tar allows for a new rock to be mined within the 3 tick period, thus saving 2 ticks every time you need to move your character.

3-tick Fishing: Fishing is normally a 5 tick action. Using the same method as 3-tick mining, performing an action which takes 3 ticks will allow a player to receive a fish every 3 ticks rather than 5 ticks. This method is more commonly used while Barbarian fishing or Fly fishing, but can be useful for other fishing spots.

2-tick Woodcutting: When woodcutting, it takes 4 ticks for a player to get a chance of receiving a log. However, if a player is being attacked exactly two ticks apart, it's possible to receive a log once every two ticks, effectively doubling the normal amount of experience per hour.

This is typically done on Ape Atoll while being attacked by birds. Simply having a bow equipped and auto-retaliate on will ensure that every time you retaliate, you'll also have a chance of receiving a log. To make your character retaliate, the ground can be clicked, and item can be dropped, or an item can be equipped, all of these actions will cancel and reset the action of woodcutting.