OSRS Mining Guide

Table of Contents

• Useful Quests
• Useful Items
• Fastest Training Methods
• AFK / Money Making Methods

Useful Quests

• The Forsaken Tower: 500 Exp [Req. 20% Lovakengj Favor]
• Doric's Quest: 1300 Exp
• Plague City: 2425 Exp
• The Giant Dwarf: 2500 Exp [Skill Req. 14 Thieving, 12 Crafting, 16 Firemaking, 33 Magic]
• Hero's Quest: 2575 Exp [Skill Req. 50 Mining, 55 Quest Points, 53 Cooking, 53 Fishing, 25 Herblore]
• Another Slice of H.A.M.: 3000 Exp [Skill Req. 15 Attack, 25 Prayer]
• The Lost Tribe: 3000 Exp [Skill Req. 13 Agility, 13 Thieving]
• Between a Rock..: 5000 Exp [Skill Req. 40 Mining, 30 Defense, 50 Smithing]
• Enakhra's Lament: 7000 Exp [Skill Req. 45 Mining, 50 Crafting, 45 Firemaking, 43 Prayer, 39 Magic]
• Making Friends with My Arm: 10000 Exp [Skill Req. 72 Mining, 35 Construction, 66 Firemaking, 68 Agility]
• The Digsite: 15300 Exp [Skill Req. 10 Agility, 10 Herblore, 25 Thieving]
• Dragon Slayer II: 18000 Exp [Skill Req. 68 Mining, 200 Quest Points, 75 Magic, 70 Smithing, 62 Crafting, 60 Agility, 60 Thieving, 50 Construction, 50 Hitpoints]
• Song of the Elves: 20000 Exp [Skill Req. 70 Mining, 70 Agility, 70 Construction, 70 Farming, 70 Herblore, 70 Hunter, 70 Smithing, 70 Woodcutting

*Note: Some quests listed may have Pre-Quests that need to be completed prior to the one listed.

Useful Items

Pickaxes

These are the tools you will need to have either equipped or in your inventory to train the skill of Mining. It is always best to use the highest tier of pickaxe available at your mining level. The higher level the pickaxe, the higher the chances of obtaining an ore from the rocks. There are currently 11 types of pickaxes in game with most following the standard metal types. If you decide to start training your Mining level at one instead of questing, it's advisable to skip bronze and begin with iron as they are both available at level 1.

From there on the next levels of pickaxes are unlocked as follows: Steel at level 6, Black at level 11, Mithril at level 21, Adamant at level 31, Rune at level 41, Dragon at level 61, Thirdage at level 61 (Cosmetic difference to Dragon only) and the Crystal pickaxe at level 71 (Req. Song of the Elves, 50 Agility). Dragon, Thirdage and Crystal pickaxes have a special attack called Rock Knocker. This special attack temporarily raises the player’s Mining level by 3, consuming 100% of the special attack energy. *Note: Players can use the pickaxes that correspond with their Mining levels even if they do not have the Attack level to equip them.

Prospector Outfit

This outfit provides up to a 2.5% Exp boost in Mining when worn in its entirety. Individual pieces do provide a fewer than 1% Exp boost on their own, so it is wise to wear them as they are unlocked. Players can unlock the outfit via the Motherlode Mine located in the Dwarven Mine. While we will expand on the aspects of the MLM later in this guide, note that the full outfit costs 180 Gold Nuggets, taking approximately 12- 15 hours to achieve.

Varrock Armour

Varrock Armour is the chest slot of the Achievement Diary rewards. The platebody grants the wearer a chance of receiving two ores (including the Exp) instead of one while mining ore. The percentage of chance is set at 10% however the types of ores the effect works on depends on the tier of diary you have completed and are as follows: Varrock Armour 1 - Up to Coal, Varrock Armour 2 - Up to Mithril, Varrock Armour 3 - Up to Adamant, Varrock Armour 4 - Up to Amethyst. Due to Prospector outfit offering superior Exp bonuses, Varrock Armour should only be worn when Mining ore for profit or if playing Ironman Mode.

Mining Gloves

These gloves come in three tiered variants and provide a percentage chance that the ore vein mined will not be depleted. The gloves are obtained inside the Mining guild (Req. 60 Mining) by trading in Unidentified Minerals. Mining gloves affect the depletion of Silver, Coal and Gold ore. Superior Mining gloves affect depletion of Mithril, Adamant and Rune ores. Expert Mining gloves affect depletion rates of all ore Silver through Amethyst. These gloves should be used if Mining ores for profit along with the Varrock Armour. Expert Mining gloves can take upwards of 10 hours to obtain.

Coal Bag

Exactly as it sounds, the coal bag can hold 27 pieces of coal. This is again purchased through Motherlode Mine for 100 Nuggets. Only useful for Ironmen mining coal or all players if smithing bars at the Blast Furnace.

Gem Bag

The Gem Bag is another item unlocked through the Motherlode Mine at a cost of 100 Nuggets. The bag can store up to 60 of each uncut gem (Totalling 300). The gem bag saves inventory space when mining Gem rocks, while on Slayer tasks and a multitude of other activities.

Fastest Mining Exp Methods

Copper / Tin Ore (1-15)

Although ill advised due to slow Exp rates, disregarding Questing, Mining Copper and Tin ore are the fastest way to begin your Mining journey. The best place to do so is in the Lumbridge Swamp mine where both types of ore are located. Do not bank the ore unless you are an ironman, as this will drastically slow down your already slow Exp rates. Players will need to 138 of either ore to reach level 15.

Questing (1 - 37)

By doing the low requirement Quests: Doric's Quest, The Dig Site, Plague City, The Giant Dwarf, The Lost Tribe and Another Slice of H.A.M, you can skip right to 37 mining and avoid the slow Exp of low level training.

Iron Ore (15 - 60)

Surprisingly, power mining (not banking ore) Iron ore is the fastest method to get your mining level up in the game. Taking advantage of three rock mining spots is key to power mining. These are located in Al-kharid, Legends Guild, Piscatoris, Verdant Valley and Mount Karuulm. Without tick manipulation, players can expect 45k - 55k Exp per hour.

Iron Ore in Mining Guild (60 - 75/99)

At level 60, the Mining Guild is accessible. The Guild is located just south of Falador East bank. This is a popular location to power mine due to invisible +7 boost it gives to a player's Mining level. The guild also halves the respawn rate of mined rocks, leading to Exp rates of up to 70k per hour.

Volcanic Mine (85 - 99)

WARNING, THIS IS A DANGEROUS MINIGAME! Although players are able to participate in the Volcanic Mine Minigame at level 50 mining, the Exp rates do not surpass Power Mining Iron ore until level 85. Additionally 150 Kudos are required to enter. This minigame focuses on teamwork with other players to maximize Exp rates. Located under the Fossil Island Volcano, players must pay a fee of 30 Numulites per entry into the mine. Once entered players will have 10 minutes to mine and exit, any stragglers will be killed by the erupting volcano. The main objective of the Minigame is to mine the boulder that is floating inside of the lava stream to receive Ore Fragments.

To reach the boulder players will need to use their Heat-proof Vessels to pour water (35 uses) on the lava, cooling it and allowing them to walk or stand on it for 90 seconds. While the objective is to mine the boulder, players must also be wary of the pressure inside the mine indicated by a percentage on the screen. If players fail to keep the pressure inside the mine between 40 - 60%, the mine will become more and more unstable and may collapse. To moderate the pressure players must locate the Gas Vents. To increase the pressure players need to block them with a large rock. Conversely, to decrease pressure in the mine, players need to mine the large rocks away from the vents. Players on the lower floor should protect Missiles to reduce the damage done by NPCs to a max hit of 1.

Before the 10 minutes is up, players need to have exited the mine, at which point their fragments will be automatically collected and they will receive participation points based on their performance inside the minigame. At the end of the game, players will receive 3.8 Mining Exp per point they have earned. With the experience given per point you can expect between 75k - 90k Mining Exp depending on points and Mining level, making this a fun alternative to power Mining iron ore.

3 Tick Granite Mining (75 - 99)

Achieving the highest possible Mining Exp rates in game requires players to learn tick manipulation. Granite is available to mine inside the Quarry located inside of the Kharidian Desert only. Three tick mining takes advantage of a game mechanic allowing players to complete and action faster than it would otherwise take if done normally. While difficult to learn, Exp rates can reach upwards of 125k Exp per hour. I recommend watching a guide on tick manipulation if you are interested in learning the most efficient way to train as it is very click intensive and hard to master.

AFK / Money Making Mining Methods

Motherlode Mine (30 - 99)

Motherlode Mine becomes accessible at level 30. Located in the Dwarven Mines, this optional training method is popular for its decent Exp rates while also being fairly AFK. Instead of mining ore, players mine ore veins located throughout the area to achieve Pay-dirt. Once a full inventory of Pay-dirt has been collected, they need to be deposited into the hopper where they are cleaned and become available for pick up. The ores received are based on the players Mining level while the Pay-dirt was mined and range from Coal to Runite. Besides the Pay-dirt, players can also receive Gems while mining and the chance to receive Golden Nuggets upon collection of the cleaned ore.

These Nuggets are a vital part of MLM and a large reason players choose this route to gain Exp. They can be used to purchase the Prospectors Outfit, Coal Bag, Gem Bag, Larger Pay-dirt sack and access to the Upper floor of the mine (Req. 72 Mining). While Exp rates are slower than power mining Iron ore, you will make a steady flow of OSRS Gold while here,starting at 15k and reaching upwards of 300k OSRS Gold per hour at level 99. Exp rates for Motherlode Mine begin at 15k and steadily increase up to 54k Exp per hour at level 99.

Gem Rocks (60+)

Gem Rocks are located inside of Shilo Village and in the Lunar Isles mine. Gem rocks are exactly what they sound like and offer players the opportunity to mine a rock giving gems from Opals to Diamonds. Gem Rocks can be mined beginning at level 40 but level 60+ is recommended. Wearing a charged Amulet of Glory increases the rate at which the rocks are mined, and Gem Bags are heavily encouraged to limit time banking. Players can average 300 - 600 Gems per hour netting an impressive 250k - 650k OSRS Gold per hour. Exp rates can reach up to 50k per hour.

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Blast Mining (75+)

The Blast Mine minigame is located in the northern section of Lovakengj and requires 100% Lovakengj favor to participate in. This minigame does not require a pickaxe, however instead players are required to use Dynamite, a tinderbox and a chisel to access the ore. After chiseling the hard rock out of the way, players use Dynamite on the rock and light the fuse and move a minimum of three squares away from the spot or will take damage from the explosion. Once the explosion has excavated the ore, players will need to collect the blasted ore and deposit it in a similar fashion as Motherlode Mine.

However, unlike Motherlode Mine, players can deposit into the sack until it reaches 450 pieces of a single type of ore. When the sack is full the play simply needs to talk to the operator to collect their mining experience and their ores. Also different from Motherlode Mine, the Blast Mine offers players the chances to receive ores up to ten levels above their mining levels. Assuming you can average 300 dynamite used per hour, Blast Mining can net up to 550k OSRS Gold per hour at level 75 Mining. The Exp received is on par with Motherlode Mine, averaging 55k Mining Exp per hour.

Mining Rune Rocks (85+)

While Mining Runite is often thought of as an activity left to bots, it remains a profitable activity for those who wish to risk their loot in the Wilderness. Requiring a minimum of level 85 Mining, the Exp received is exceptionally low, reaching only 6k Mining Exp per hour. The most common place for players to mine the rocks are North of the Lava Maze where two rocks in close proximity are present. A Looting Bag will help limit banking by holding up to 28 additional ore. Due to the slow respawn rate of the ore, it’s advisable to hop worlds after mining the two available ore per world. This method can net up to 650k OSRS Gold per hour if efficient.

Mining Amethyst Crystals (92+)

Currently the highest level ore players can mine, Amethyst offers a more AFK alternative to Runite mining. Although exclusively located inside the Mining Guild, players cannot mine Amethyst Crystals until they have 92 mining, invisible boosts do not affect this skill requirement. Players can plan to average 80 - 100 Crystals per hour. Thanks to Amethyst being used in high level ranging ammunition, players can bring a chisel and make the Crystals into javelin heads while mining to maximize both Exp and OSRS Gold per hour. Since there is no need to bank if crafting the Crystals, this method can net up to 340k OSRS Gold per hour and roughly 19k Mining Exp per hour.