Contents
Overview
Herblore is the skill you pay for. Every potion is an unfinished potion plus a secondary ingredient, and both of those cost GP on the Grand Exchange, so the question is never whether 99 Herblore loses money. It’s how much, and how fast you want to burn through it.
The upside is that it’s one of the quickest 99s in the game once you have the bank for it. You stand at a bank, combine ingredients, and the Wiki’s rates assume around 2,500 potions an hour with quick banking. That puts mid-level potions in the 200k-300k XP/hour range and the best late potions above 500k.
This guide splits every level band into the cheap option and the fast option, so you can pick based on your bank rather than copying a route built for someone with ten times your GP.
Herblore is members only and locked until you finish the Druidic Ritual quest. Even temporary Herblore boosts don’t work before then.
Getting Ready
Unlocking the skill takes one short quest. After that, a few quests skip the slowest early levels for free.
- 1
- Druidic Ritual
Talk to Kaqemeex in the stone circle north of Taverley. He sends you to Sanfew upstairs in the Herblore shop south of Taverley, who wants raw bear meat, raw rat meat, raw beef and raw chicken. Use each one on the Cauldron of Thunder in Taverley Dungeon, hand them back, and you get 250 Herblore XP, which is level 3.
- 2
- Early quest XP
Jungle Potion (775 XP), Recruitment Drive (1,000 XP) and The Dig Site (2,000 XP) are all cheap early boosts. Shades of Mort’ton and Zogre Flesh Eaters give 2,000 XP each if you meet their other requirements.
- 3
- Unfinished potions
Buy herbs or unfinished potions from the Grand Exchange. Cleaning grimy herbs yourself is profitable but slow, so most players only do it when they want a break, not as the main route.
- 4
- Starting capital
Check prices on the Wiki’s Herblore training page before you buy in bulk. Its table lists GP per XP for every potion at current prices, and those numbers move with the market.
- 5
- Money-saving gear
An Alchemist’s amulet or Amulet of chemistry can save you money on each batch, and Prescription goggles give a 10% chance not to use the secondary for most potions. The goggles and the Alchemist’s amulet come from Mastering Mixology.
Leveling Route
The XP/hour figures below come from the Wiki’s Herblore training table, which assumes about 2,500 potions an hour. If you’re new to fast banking, expect to land a bit under them for the first few sessions.
Cheapest vs fastest is a moving target. At the time of writing the Wiki lists Prayer potions near -2 GP/XP, Super attack near -1 GP/XP and Super combat potions under -0.5 GP/XP, while Zamorak brews, Ancient brews and Magic potions sit well above that. Always check the live table before you buy thousands of anything.
Tick Manipulation and Mixology
Two things change the shape of the grind past the mid levels: making 27-to-1 potions with tick manipulation, and the Mastering Mixology minigame. One is pure speed, the other is about gear that lowers your costs.
- 1
- Tick manipulation
Holding spacebar with ‘All’ selected roughly doubles your output on potions where you add a single secondary to 27 items. The Wiki averages it at about 4,583 potions an hour. It works on Stamina potions, Extended antifires, Anti-venoms and Extended super antifires.
- 2
- Stamina potions (77)
With tick manipulation the Wiki lists about 535k XP/hour, against roughly 280k without it. The catch is cost: it’s one of the pricier GP/XP options on the table.
- 3
- Anti-venom (87)
The fastest listed tick-manipulated option at around 630k XP/hour, and about 330k without the tick trick. Great if you want 99 over a few long weekends and have the GP to back it.
- 4
- Mastering Mixology (60+)
Needs 60 Herblore (not boostable) and Children of the Sun. It’s in Aldarin, Varlamore. The Wiki puts it around 45k XP/hour passively and about 70k at level 81 with all the speedups, when every recipe is unlocked.
- 5
- Mixology rewards
Resin buys Prescription goggles, the Alchemist’s amulet, the Reagent pouch and the Alchemist outfit. It’s slow XP compared to banking potions, but the goggles pay for themselves on expensive secondaries like Aldarium.
Tick manipulation is optional. Normal one-click-per-inventory potion making already gets you the 300k-500k rates late game. If spamming spacebar for hours sounds miserable, skip it and just accept a slightly longer grind.
Cost of 99
Herblore doesn’t have a money making section because it doesn’t make money as a training method. What you can control is how much 99 costs you.
- 1
- Cheapest route
Stick to the potions with the lowest GP per XP in each band: Prayer potions at 38, Super attack at 45, Super strength at 55 and Super combat potions from 90. You’ll lose some XP/hour in places, but your bank will thank you.
- 2
- Fastest route
Push for the highest XP/hour potion you can afford in each band, then switch to Stamina potions or Anti-venom with tick manipulation late. This is the most expensive way to get 99 by a wide margin.
- 3
- Balanced route
Do cheap potions up to the 80s, then brews or Super combats for the final stretch. Most players end up here once they see the cost of the fast route.
- 4
- Cutting costs
Prescription goggles save secondaries, and an Alchemist’s amulet can break even or profit when a single dose is worth more than the amulet charge. The Wiki works these out per potion in its table.
- 5
- Selling the output
Potions you make go back on the Grand Exchange, which is how the GP per XP numbers stay low.
Tips & Tricks
Get the Druidic Ritual done early on any member account. It takes minutes and opens up potions you’ll want for bossing.
Buy unfinished potions instead of herbs and vials when the price gap is small. It saves a step and keeps your XP/hour up.
Check the Grand Exchange buy limits on your secondaries before planning a big session, so you don’t run dry halfway through.
Use the cheap mid-level potions to bank XP during the hours when you’re watching something else. Save the fast expensive stuff for focused sessions.
If you’re an ironman, the cost picture is completely different. You’re limited by herbs and secondaries you gather yourself, so plan around supplies first.
Related Guides
- OSRS Prayer Guide (1-99) — the other skill where GP turns straight into XP.
- OSRS Runecraft Guide (1-99) — a slower skill that pays you back instead.
- OSRS Money Making Guide — fund your potions before you start the grind.
- OSRS Barrows Guide — where your prayer potions and restores get put to work.
- OSRS Slayer Guide (1-99) — the combat grind your potions will carry you through.
- OSRS Ironman Guide — how herbs and secondaries fit into a self-sufficient account.
- OSRS Optimal Quest Guide (Simplified) — where Druidic Ritual and the XP quests fit.