Every time someone creates a new character, they hurt the economy. However, this will most likely change when they use common skills and start bringing in the money. Almost everything you can do that gives you experience helps the Runescape economy and here's why: Getting experience usually requires an item to be generated from the system. Since this item is almost always worth more than the price paid to obtain it, it helps the economy. For example:
- When you catch a fish, you help the economy because all fish are worth more than the bait required to catch them. This increases the overall net value of all the items in Runescape.
- When you kill something, you will sometimes help the economy because it will most likely drop something. But, if you use Magic or Range, and the drop sells for less than the amount of lost runes or arrows, than you hurt the economy.
- Recently, fighting in PvP worlds has become a huge helper in the Runescape economy. Why? Because Dragon Shields, Dragon Helmets, Amulets of Fury, and God items are constantly being generated and added to the economy. A couple million coins added into the midst never hurts.
- Cookers tend to use a "Power Leveling Technique" which involves buying bulk amounts of items from the Grand Exchange and cooking all of it. Everytime an item gets cooked or burnt, it loses value.
- Firemakers tend to do the same thing. They purchase tons of logs and light them all up, sending the value of those logs down the drain. But, then again, what other uses do logs have :).
- Another huge depression factor is combat. What do people do when they fight? They eat. Eating kills the value of food.
