Contents
Overview
Mining is one of those skills where the right method depends entirely on how much attention you want to give it. At one end you have 3-tick granite, the fastest XP in the skill and one of the most click-intensive things you can do in OSRS. At the other end you have shooting stars and amethyst, where you can watch a film and still get the occasional level.
Most accounts end up mixing the two. You burn through the early levels with quests and iron, then decide whether you want speed (granite, gem rocks with tick manipulation) or comfort and profit (Motherlode Mine, Volcanic Mine, stars). This guide covers both routes, with XP rates taken from the OSRS Wiki’s training page so you know what you’re signing up for.
Pickaxe tier only changes how often you roll for an ore, not your success chance. Bronze rolls every 8 ticks, rune every 3, and dragon or infernal every 2.83 on average. If you’re tick manipulating granite, the crystal pickaxe gives no benefit at all, so don’t grind shards for it just for that.
Getting Ready
A few early unlocks make the whole grind smoother. Grab these before you commit to a long session.
- 1
- Mining quests
Doric’s Quest, The Dig Site, Plague City, The Giant Dwarf, The Lost Tribe and Another Slice of H.A.M. give 27,525 Mining XP between them. That’s level 1 to 37 without swinging a pickaxe at copper for hours.
- 2
- Best pickaxe you can wield
Adamant at low Attack, rune once you can, then dragon or infernal at 60 Attack (infernal also needs 85 Smithing). Crystal needs 70 Attack and 50 Agility.
- 3
- Varrock armour
Varrock armour 1 gives a 10% chance to mine two ores at once on iron, and the Wiki recommends Varrock armour 2 or higher for granite.
- 4
- Celestial ring
Bought with stardust from shooting stars. The Wiki’s granite setup uses an uncharged celestial ring.
- 5
- Prospector outfit
+2.5% Mining XP for the full set. It costs 180 golden nuggets (about 10 hours at Motherlode on average) or 120,000 Volcanic Mine points.
Leveling Route
The Wiki’s suggested route is short: quests, then copper and tin, then iron to 45, then 3-tick granite to 99. If you don’t want to tick manipulate, mine iron to 70 and move to the Volcanic Mine instead.
Iron power mining means dropping ore instead of banking it. Pick a spot with three iron rocks in a triangle so you can stand still and cycle them. From level 60 the Mining Guild halves rock respawn times, which is why iron there jumps to 70,000-80,000 XP/hour without any tick manipulation.
3-Tick Granite
Granite is the fastest Mining XP in the game. The trick is tick manipulation: you perform an action that sets a 3-tick delay, then click a granite rock so your mining roll happens every 3 ticks regardless of pickaxe. It takes practice, and the rates below assume you’re doing it consistently.
Cape Conch mine needs no desert protection. The Bandit Camp quarry requires heat protection. Without tick manipulation, granite tops out around 63,000 XP/hour, which is why plenty of players skip it and stay on iron or Volcanic Mine.
- 1
- Level 45
Around 87,000 XP/hour.
- 2
- Level 65
Around 103,000 XP/hour.
- 3
- Level 85
Around 114,000 XP/hour.
- 4
- Level 99
The Wiki’s benchmark is 126,000 XP/hour; experienced players generally see 120,000-125,000.
- 5
- Pickaxe choice
Adamant is recommended while learning, since it auto-corrects mistakes. Proficient players use an infernal pickaxe, which also hands out Smithing XP (7,700-9,700 per hour between levels 65 and 99).
Gem rocks under Shilo Village are the other high-intensity option. With 3-tick they run 89,000 XP/hour at level 40 up to 110,000 at 99, and they’re the fastest average route to the rock golem pet. You need the medium Karamja Diary for the underground mine and a charged amulet of glory for the best rates.
AFK Alternatives
If 3-ticking sounds like a nightmare, you have plenty of company. These methods trade XP for comfort, and some of them pay you to train.
- 1
- Motherlode Mine (30+)
Low effort and profitable. The Wiki gives around 52,000-62,000 XP/hour at level 90 with a dragon pickaxe, celestial ring, prospector kit and the upper level unlocked. It’s also where you earn golden nuggets for the prospector outfit.
- 2
- Volcanic Mine (50, 70 recommended)
Requires Bone Voyage. Team activity on world 323, best with 3-5 players. At 99 it gives 79,300 XP/hour with rune, 84,000 with dragon and 94,000 with crystal. You’ll need food.
- 3
- Calcified rocks (41+)
Cam Torum Mine, after starting Perilous Moons. Without 3-tick it’s 23,500 XP/hour at 50 up to 49,000 at 99.
- 4
- Blast Mine (75+)
65,000-76,000 XP/hour at 75 and 87,000-101,000 at 99. Bring dynamite, a chisel, a tinderbox and a charged ring of endurance.
- 5
- Shooting stars (60+)
Very low attention, 23,500-31,500 XP/hour depending on pickaxe and outfit, plus stardust for the celestial ring. Stars can land in dangerous areas, including the Wilderness.
- 6
- Sailing-locked rocks
Rubium rocks need 60 Sailing and lead rocks in the Deepfin Mine need 67 Sailing. Lead can reach 90,000-100,000 XP/hour with the right enhancers, so if you’re training Sailing anyway, keep these in mind.
Zalcano (requires Song of the Elves, 70+ Mining) is a group boss that trains Mining. The Wiki doesn’t give a single XP rate since it varies with team size, contribution and kills per hour, but it’s one of the best-paying Mining activities in the game.
Money Making Methods
Mining is one of the few gathering skills that can pay well at high levels. GE prices move, so treat the Wiki’s GP/hour figures as a snapshot and check current numbers before you commit to a long session.
- 1
- Motherlode Mine
Profit scales hard with level. The Wiki lists roughly 23,500 GP/hour at 31 and over 200,000 at 99. Low intensity, no quests.
- 2
- Gem rocks
Shilo Village Mine, 40 Mining (61+ strongly recommended) and Shilo Village completed. Profit varies with level and luck; tick manipulation underground pushes it much higher.
- 3
- Amethyst (92+)
80-100 amethyst per hour at very low attention. Good for the last stretch to 99 if you’d rather earn than rush.
- 4
- Runite ore (85+)
Listed on the Wiki’s skilling money making page with no quest requirement.
- 5
- Zalcano (70+)
The top Mining money maker on the Wiki’s list, with Song of the Elves as the gate.
Tips & Tricks
Do the Mining quests first. Skipping 27,525 XP of copper and tin is the easiest time save in the skill.
Don’t feel obligated to learn 3-tick granite just because it’s fastest on paper. Iron to 70 and Volcanic Mine gets you to 99 without the wrist strain.
Use shooting stars as a second-screen activity while you do something else. The stardust adds up to a celestial ring faster than you’d expect.
Save golden nuggets from Motherlode for the prospector outfit. It’s a small XP boost but you’ll want it for a master clue step and the hard Falador Diary helmet anyway.
If you’re an ironman, Mining feeds straight into Smithing, so plan your ore choices around the bars you’ll need later.
Related Guides
- OSRS Agility Guide (1-99) — Graceful, marks of grace and the Hallowed Sepulchre route.
- OSRS Slayer Guide (1-99) — Masters, points and the unlocks worth buying.
- OSRS Sailing Guide — Training the skill that unlocks rubium and Deepfin lead rocks.
- OSRS Money Making Guide — Where Mining fits on the money making ladder.
- OSRS Woodcutting Guide (1-99) — Another gathering skill with AFK and active routes.
- OSRS Beginner Guide — Start here if you’re new to Old School.