OSRS Mining Guide With the Best Rocks and Methods

You need 13,034,431 XP for 99 Mining in Old School RuneScape. The fastest route (quests, iron to 45, then 3-tick granite) takes about 130 hours, and fully AFK routes can take twice as long. This guide covers rates, gear order and hours to 99 for every major method, using the OSRS Wiki’s Pay-to-play Mining training rates and updated for Rubium, Wyrmscraig sunstone and the autumn 2026 gathering updates.

OSRS Mining Guide 2026: The Short Answer

The quickest 99 goes like this: do Doric’s Quest and The Dig Site, power-mine iron to 45, then 3-tick granite at the Desert Quarry to 99. That’s about 130 hours of very active play. If you won’t tick-manipulate, use the Blast Mine solo from 75 or Volcanic Mine with a team. If you want to watch a second screen, go to Motherlode Mine. If you want gold, mine gem rocks or amethyst.

Pick your route in 10 seconds

Find the row that matches you and follow it. Hours count from the level each method starts and assume you have the main boosts. The full calculation is in the hours-to-99 section.

What changed in 2026

Seven updates since May 2026 have changed the Mining advice in older guides. Two of them change which route makes sense: the Rubium rules and the runite golem buff.

Why 99 Mining (or 85) Is Worth It

Mining is worth training because its levels gate key quests, diaries and raid utility, and every ore you mine feeds Smithing and Crafting. Many accounts stop at 70 or 85. Go to 99 for the cape or for max total level. You can also get the rock golem pet at any level along the way.

The value comes from the unlocks more than the ores. Lunar Diplomacy needs 60 Mining and gives you the Lunar spellbook. Song of the Elves needs 70 and opens Prifddinas, Zalcano and the crystal pickaxe. No quest needs more Mining than Song of the Elves, so 70 is the effective target for the quest cape. Raiders have another reason to keep going: in the Chambers of Xeric, your Mining level raises your damage on the guardians, so levels past 85 still speed up that room.

Mining level milestones to stop at

These levels are good points to take a break, switch methods or rethink your goal.

For most accounts that aren’t chasing the cape, 85 is the best place to stop. It covers every diary, gives you runite rocks and helps in Tombs of Amascut. Going from 85 to 99 costs about 9.8 million XP, which is more than everything you earned getting to 85.

How Mining Actually Works

Every game tick (0.6 seconds), the game can roll to see whether you mine an ore. Your Mining level and the rock type set your success chance, and your pickaxe sets how often the roll happens. You only get XP when an ore lands in your inventory. Every speed trick in this guide comes from these three rules.

A higher level makes each roll more likely to succeed. A better pickaxe makes rolls happen more often. A rune pickaxe rolls every 3 ticks and a bronze one every 8, but each roll has the same success chance. A failed swing gives no XP, so at low levels, rocks with a low success chance feel slow even when they give a lot of XP per ore.

Invisible boosts and success rates

An invisible boost raises the level the game uses for your success roll, while the Mining level in your stats panel stays the same. The Mining Guild gives +7 and a celestial ring gives +4. That means a level 92 player with both rolls like a level 103 player, which no visible level can reach. This is why iron rates jump at 60 when you move into the guild. It’s also why the OSRS Wiki’s efficient 3t4g benchmark of 126,000 XP/h assumes an uncharged celestial ring.

Invisible boosts stack with visible ones. Visible boosts include the +3 special attack on dragon-tier pickaxes and potions or food that boost Mining. Each extra point helps most on rocks with a low base success chance, such as granite, gems and amethyst.

Rock depletion and three-rock spots

Most rocks deplete after one success and respawn after a set delay, so where you stand matters as much as your gear. At a “three-rock spot” you stand on one tile next to three iron rocks. You mine one, then the next, then the third, and by the time you get back to the first it has usually respawned. Power-mining means dropping the ore instead of banking it. You mine constantly, but you give up the ore.

Banking makes sense when the ore is valuable or you need it as an Ironman. If you only want XP, power-mining is always faster. On desktop, turn on shift-click drop. On mobile, turn on tap-to-drop in the settings so that one tap drops an item.

Tick manipulation explained in plain English

Tick manipulation replaces your pickaxe’s roll timer with a 3-tick action of your own. You use a 3-tick item action, such as a guam leaf on swamp tar or a knife on a teak log, and click the rock on the same tick. Your next mining roll then happens exactly 3 ticks later, whatever pickaxe you hold. That’s where “3t4g” comes from: three-tick, four granite. You mine the four granite rocks around one tile on a fixed 3-tick cycle.

There’s a catch most guides skip. Tick manipulation overrides the roll timer for every pickaxe, so a crystal pickaxe’s chance of a 2-tick swing does nothing. Your level and invisible boosts set the success chance. Any pickaxe you have the Mining level to use will do the job.

Pickaxes: Which One and When

Use the best pickaxe your Mining level allows. Your Attack level only matters if you want to wield it. You can mine with a pickaxe in your inventory at any Attack level, so a level 61 skiller can use a dragon pickaxe from the inventory.

The rune pickaxe is the best F2P pickaxe and the big jump for members until 61. After that, the dragon pickaxe is the standard upgrade. It drops from Wilderness bosses, the Chaos Elemental and some skilling sources. The crystal pickaxe is the fastest normal pickaxe, but it only helps on methods that use the pickaxe’s own timer.

Dragon pickaxe special attack

Dragon, infernal, crystal and 3rd age pickaxes share Rock Knocker, a special attack that uses all your special energy for a temporary +3 Mining boost. Special energy refills while you mine, so use it at the start of each session and again whenever the bar is full. The +3 helps most on slow rocks like granite and amethyst.

Crystal pickaxe and why it doesn’t help 3t4g

The crystal pickaxe is faster because it has a chance to swing in 2 ticks. Tick manipulation locks you to 3 ticks, so that chance never comes into play. Use it at Motherlode Mine, calcified rocks, stars, amethyst or Volcanic Mine. At Volcanic Mine, the OSRS Wiki gives about 94,000 XP/h with crystal against 84,000 with dragon. Don’t buy or charge one just for granite.

Infernal pickaxe for passive Smithing XP

The infernal pickaxe is a dragon pickaxe infused with a smouldering stone. It needs 85 Smithing. It has a 1/3 chance to smelt an ore you mine into a bar, which gives you the Smithing XP but destroys the ore. That helps when you power-mine and hurts when you want to keep the ore. The 14 October 2026 More Gathering Efficiencies update added a right-click toggle that turns auto-burn off, and the setting stays off between sessions. You can now also recharge infernal tools before they run out. One infernal pickaxe now works for both banking and power-mining.

Ore Levels and XP Reference

Every rock has a fixed level and fixed XP per ore. Runite gives 125 XP and amethyst gives 240. The table uses OSRS Wiki values and shows which boosts work on each rock. Varrock armour tiers cover higher ores as they go up. Mining gloves only work on the ores they list.

Use the XP column to sanity-check any rate you see. At 3t4g you mine at most 1,200 cycles an hour. Even with perfect success, that much granite only reaches six figures because of the bigger 75 XP rocks and the prospector kit bonus.

XP Boosts and Gear in Unlock Order

Unlock your boosts in this order: Varrock armour, celestial ring, prospector kit, Motherlode bags and upper level, Mining Guild, then mining gloves. Each step either speeds up the next unlock or applies to every route you use later.

Mining boosts and where they apply

Prospector kit

The prospector kit is the outfit Prospector Percy sells at Motherlode Mine. It has four pieces (helmet, jacket, legs and boots) for 180 golden nuggets in total, and the full set adds 2.5% to Mining XP. That sounds small, but at 3t4g it’s roughly 3,000 extra XP an hour, and the bonus lasts for the rest of your training. If you plan to tick-manipulate, get the kit at Motherlode in your 30s and 40s before you switch to granite. You’ll then wear it for the whole 45-99 granite grind.

Celestial ring and signet (incl. Sept 2026 Daeyalt change)

Crashed stars are the Shooting Stars activity. A star lands somewhere in Gielinor, players mine it together, and you earn stardust to spend at Dusuri’s shop. The celestial ring costs 2,000 stardust. Uncharged, it gives a +4 invisible boost. Charged, it also gives a chance at an extra ore. When the 23 September 2026 Gathering Efficiencies update was proposed, the extra-shard bonus was signet-only. The live version gives both the ring and the signet a 1 in 10 chance to double Daeyalt shards in Darkmeyer. You get more essence per action, not more actions per hour.

Varrock armour

You get each Varrock armour tier from the Varrock Achievement Diary. Every tier gives a chance of an extra ore, and higher tiers cover more rock types, so you only need the tier that covers your rock. Tier 1 is enough for iron, tier 2 for granite, tier 3 for adamantite, and only tier 4 covers runite and amethyst. Wear the highest tier you have, since it also counts as body armour.

Mining Guild and mining gloves

The Mining Guild in Falador needs 60 Mining, and temporary boosts count. Inside, you get a +7 invisible boost, its own iron spots, and amethyst at 92. You don’t buy mining gloves with coins. While you mine in the guild’s members’ area, you sometimes get unidentified minerals, and Belona at the Mining Guild Mineral Exchange trades them for gloves. That’s 40 minerals for the regular pair and 100 for superior. The expert pair costs both lower pairs plus 40 more, so 180 in total. The gloves stop a rock from depleting some of the time, but only for the ores they list. That’s why they help on coal, mithril and amethyst but do nothing on Motherlode veins, gem rocks or the Blast Mine.

Levels 1-45: The Early Grind

Do the Mining XP quests first, then mine copper and tin briefly. After that, power-mine iron at a three-rock spot until you reach granite or the guild. On a members account with the quests done, this whole stretch takes about one to three hours.

Quests for Mining XP

Doric’s Quest is short and gives 1,300 Mining XP, which takes a new account from level 1 straight to level 10. Doric in north Taverley wants clay, copper ore and iron ore. Get the iron from the Grand Exchange or another player, since you can’t mine iron until 15. The Dig Site gives 15,300 Mining XP and takes you into the early 30s if you do it after Doric’s Quest. It needs some Agility, Herblore and Thieving.

Levels 1-15: copper and tin

Copper and tin both need level 1 and give 17.5 XP per ore. Level 15 takes 2,411 XP. That’s about 64 ores from level 10 after Doric’s Quest, or about 138 from level 1 without it. Use any spot where copper and tin rocks sit side by side, such as south-east Varrock or Lumbridge Swamp, and drop the ore. On a members account, skip straight past this stage after The Dig Site.

Levels 15-45/75: iron ore

Iron gives 35 XP per ore and is the standard power-mining rock until granite, the guild or the Blast Mine. The OSRS Wiki’s Pay-to-play Mining training table puts iron at 45,000-55,000 XP/h below 60 and 70,000-80,000 XP/h from 60 in the Mining Guild, thanks to its +7 boost. From 15 to 45 you need about 1,690 ores, or roughly an hour of focused play.

Where you mine matters more than any other choice here:

• Before 60: pick a three-rock iron spot, where one tile touches three iron rocks. Common choices are the Ardougne south-east mine, Al Kharid and the Legends’ Guild mine, depending on what you’ve unlocked. Two-rock spots lose real XP to respawn timers.
• From 60: move into the Mining Guild. The invisible +7 makes your success rate jump, and that’s where the 70k-80k rate comes from.
• Gear: wear Varrock armour 1 or higher for extra iron, plus the uncharged celestial ring if you have it.

Iron works well on mobile once tap-to-drop is on, and it’s the only fast method that suits a phone. Most players switch to granite at 45. Players who won’t learn tick manipulation keep mining iron to 70 or 75, then move to Volcanic Mine or the Blast Mine.

Fastest XP: 3-Tick Granite (45-99)

3-tick granite (3t4g) is the fastest Mining XP in the game. The OSRS Wiki gives 120,000-125,000 XP/h at 99 with occasional mistakes and 126,000 XP/h for efficient play. That assumes Varrock armour 4, the prospector kit, an uncharged celestial ring and the Mining cape. Rates are much lower at 45, so plan on about 125-140 hours from 45 to 99.

Inventory setup

A standard 3t4g inventory looks like this:

1. A pickaxe in your inventory or worn. Any tier works, since tick manipulation overrides its timer.
2. Your 3-tick item: either a guam leaf, swamp tar and pestle and mortar (herb tar, needs 19 Herblore), or a knife and a teak or mahogany log.
3. Waterskins or another water source to protect against the heat in the Desert Quarry.
4. Empty slots for granite, which you drop every cycle or two.

Every cycle is the same: use the item, click the next granite rock on the same tick, then drop granite while the swing happens. The four rocks around your tile let you mine every cycle without moving. You need shift-click drop on desktop or tap-to-drop on mobile.

Quarry vs Cape Conch

The Desert Quarry, south-west of Shantay Pass, is the classic granite spot. Teleports get you there quickly, but desert heat forces you to carry water and bandits show up now and then. If you sail, the Cape Conch mine on The Great Conch opens after partial completion of Troubled Tortugans. It has granite with no desert heat, which frees inventory space. Pick whichever you can reach fastest, because your XP rate comes from your clicking, not the location.

Mistakes cost you more XP than gear adds. A missed tick or a dropped cycle wastes that whole 3-tick window. A player who holds a clean 100,000 XP/h beats one who aims for 126,000 and burns out after 40 minutes. Practise on iron or low-level granite with a tick metronome plugin from the approved RuneLite Plugin Hub until the rhythm feels natural, and keep each session short enough to stay sharp.

Fastest XP Without Tick Manipulation

Tick manipulation is optional. Some mobile setups can’t sustain it, and plenty of players don’t enjoy it. Solo, the Blast Mine is the fastest option at 87,000-101,000 XP/h at 99. In a team, Volcanic Mine gives 84,000-94,000. Either way, you’re closer to granite than most players think.

Group and Minigame Methods

Volcanic Mine is the fastest group method without tick manipulation. The Blast Mine is a solo minigame that beats it at 99 and pays well in ore, but it limits you through run energy and dynamite costs. Zalcano is a skilling boss that matters most for its loot.

Blast Mine

The Blast Mine in Lovakengj, Great Kourend, needs 43 Mining. You chisel cavity walls, place dynamite, light it with a tinderbox and collect the blasted ore, which cleans into coal, gold, mithril, adamantite and runite. The OSRS Wiki gives 65,000-76,000 XP/h at 75, rising to 87,000-101,000 XP/h at 99, which makes it the fastest solo method without tick manipulation.

Two things hold it back. You move nonstop, so managing run energy decides how long a session lasts, and stamina potions are worth bringing. Dynamite also costs money, so your profit is the ore value minus the dynamite. Is it worth it? Yes, if you can handle constant movement. Iron to 75 and then the Blast Mine is a real alternative to 3t4g, and you finish with a bank full of ore.

Volcanic Mine

Volcanic Mine is on Fossil Island, which you reach through Bone Voyage. You mine lava chunks, keep the vents stable and earn points as a team. The OSRS Wiki gives 84,000 XP/h at 99 with a dragon pickaxe and 94,000 XP/h with crystal, assuming a steady team of 3-5 players. Rates fall a lot with random teams who ignore the vents, so find a team through a Volcanic Mine clan chat or friends.

Zalcano

Zalcano is a skilling boss in Prifddinas, so you need Song of the Elves. You mine and smith imbued tephra and throw it at her, which gives Mining, Smithing and Runecraft XP. The real value is the loot: ore and bar drops, crystal tool seeds and the Smolcano pet. Ironmen gain the most from it. Mains training efficiently usually skip it.

Best AFK Mining Methods

The best AFK route to 99 is Motherlode Mine: around 45,000 XP/h at 90 with full gear, few clicks and ore you keep. Calcified rocks, Rubium and crashed stars are the main alternatives. Amethyst is the most AFK option but also the slowest. Expect about 250-460 hours to 99 depending on which you choose.

Motherlode Mine

Motherlode Mine is under Falador, with a second entrance inside the Mining Guild at 60. You mine pay-dirt from veins, put it in the hopper, collect the cleaned ore from the sack and repeat. Pay-dirt gives 60 XP, and each ore you clean gives a little extra. Golden nuggets turn up while you mine, and Prospector Percy sells the prospector kit, coal and gem bags, a larger sack and the upper level for them.

Expect around 45,000 XP/h at level 90 with a dragon pickaxe, celestial ring, prospector kit, upgraded sack, upper level and upper chute. Below that setup you get much less. How many more hours is Motherlode than granite? About twice as many: around 250-280 hours from 30, against about 130 for granite. In return you keep ore you can sell or smith, you collect nuggets, and you can watch something else while you play.

Time at Motherlode isn’t wasted. It’s the most sensible place to collect the prospector kit, and many players with hours to fill choose it on purpose.

Calcified rocks

Calcified rocks are in Cam Torum, and you need to have started Perilous Moons. They give 23,500-49,000 XP/h with normal mining and 40,000-94,000 with 3-tick mining and water. You also get blessed bone shards for Prayer, so you train two skills at once. The 3-tick rates are among the best outside granite, which makes this a strong mixed option for Ironmen who need Prayer anyway.

Crashed stars

Crashed stars are the lowest-attention training method that still gets you something useful. The OSRS Wiki gives about 24,000-31,500 XP/h including time spent scouting for stars, and you earn stardust for the celestial ring. A good plan is to mine stars until you have the ring, then move on unless you enjoy the social side.

Rubium rocks (Charred Island)

Rubium rocks need 48 Mining, 60 Sailing, access to Charred Island and dragonfire protection. They give 30 XP per successful mining interaction: about 39,000 XP/h at 48 and 64,000 at 99 according to the OSRS Wiki, with little attention needed. That’s why many Sailing accounts now train here instead of Motherlode. Rubium deposits from 68 give untradeable geodes that you break into splinters with a hammer and chisel.

The rules changed quickly after launch. Charred Island opened with The Red Reef on 21 May 2026. Players tick-manipulated Rubium almost immediately, and on 27 May Jagex disabled that and made guaranteed splinters scale with level instead: 1 at 48 and 2 at 72. Jagex also floated an XP cut in May but dropped it after player feedback. The XP is unchanged and tick manipulation no longer works, so 72 is the level that makes Rubium worth much more. Launch-week videos showing 3-tick Rubium rates are out of date.

Amethyst

Amethyst needs 92 Mining and is mined in the Mining Guild. Each crystal gives 240 XP, and you rarely have to click. It’s also slow, in the low 20,000s XP/h. Is amethyst a trap if you only want the cape? Mostly, yes. From 92 to 99 you need about 6.5 million XP, which is close to 300 hours of amethyst against about 55 hours of granite. Mine it for bolt tips, arrowheads and javelin heads, or because you’re AFK anyway. Varrock armour 4 and expert mining gloves both work here. The charged celestial ring’s extra-ore effect doesn’t.

Profitable Mining

The most profitable Mining methods are gem rocks, amethyst, runite and the Blast Mine, and since 2026 Rubium splinters and infernal shale join them. Check gp per hour against live Grand Exchange prices before you commit, because ore values change week to week.

Gem rocks in the underground mine at Shilo Village are the best mix of XP and profit. Their normal rates already beat Motherlode, and the 3-tick rate of 93,000-110,000 XP/h comes close to granite. If you want both XP and gold and you have the Medium Karamja Diary, this is your method.

Infernal shale

Infernal shale needs 78 Mining and is mined in the Chasm of Fire. You need A Kingdom Divided, and you can only reach the spot after agreeing to Yama’s contract. With tick manipulation, the OSRS Wiki gives 67,000-80,000 XP/h. You crush each shale into 1-3 crushed infernal shale with a hammer and chisel. Keep 9 or fewer in your inventory while crushing, because the expected yield drops at 10 or more. Crushed shale feeds oathplate armour, through infernal nuggets at 83 Smithing, so its price follows demand for oathplate. The Wiki’s money-making estimates range from roughly 88,000 to 321,000 gp/h depending on method.

New in 2026: Sailing-Era Mining

Sailing brought several new Mining resources: Rubium on Charred Island, sunstone on Wyrmscraig, lead rocks on Sailing islands and ascension rocks connected to The Fractured Archive. None of them beats granite for XP, but each gives you a reason to train somewhere new. Rubium is covered in the AFK section above.

Sunstone on Wyrmscraig

Wyrmscraig released on 29 July 2026. Its quest rewards include 5,000 Mining XP and access to sunstone golem crafting and mining. Sunstone rocks need 53 Mining and give 23-28 XP per rock, with 28 while momentum is active. Your chance to keep momentum going scales from 75% at 53 to 100% at 80. The western part of the Wyrmscraig mine has 5 iron rocks, 8 coal rocks and 13 sunstone rocks, plus the Sunstone monolith, which never depletes. The XP is modest, so treat sunstone as a resource method, and a better one from 80, when momentum never breaks.

Lead rocks

Lead rocks need 25 Mining and give 40.5 XP per ore. You find them at Deepfin Point, Pandemonium Cave and The Onyx Crest. Your success chance rises from about 60% at 25 to 100% at 86. Lead smelts into lead bars at 25 Smithing, and Sailing crafting uses a lot of them, so lead is a steady seller.

Ascension rocks

Ascension rocks are an 80 Mining resource linked to The Fractured Archive, and their shards charge the Obligator. The 11 November 2026 update raised the chance of an ascension shard per successful mining action from 1/3 to 1/2 and tripled the Obligator charges each shard gives. Players were refunded the difference in shards. If you raid there, mining your own shards is now much better value than it was a week ago.

Free-to-Play Mining

F2P Mining follows a simple route: Doric’s Quest, copper and tin to 15, then iron to 99, with adamantite from 70 and runite rocks at 85 for money. The rune pickaxe is the best you can use. There’s no Varrock armour, granite, Motherlode Mine or tick-manipulation route, so 99 takes much longer than on members.

The Mining Guild is open to F2P players at 60, and its invisible boost makes it the best place for F2P iron. Below 60, use a three-rock iron spot. The Ruins of Camdozaal, opened after Below Ice Mountain, have barronite deposits (32 XP) for a change of pace. Crashed stars also land in F2P areas and are the most relaxing F2P option. If you also want Smithing and Magic XP, cast Superheat Item on the ore you mine instead of dropping it.

Plan for 200 hours or more from 15 to 99 on iron in F2P. That’s why many F2P players stop at 85 for runite and finish 99 after becoming members.

Ironman Mining Notes

Ironmen mine for resources first and XP second. The usual plan is Motherlode Mine for coal, gold and the prospector kit, gem rocks for Crafting, and Zalcano or the Blast Mine for bars and runite. Once your resource needs are covered, you can tick-manipulate granite for speed.

• Prospector kit first: you’re at Motherlode for the ore anyway, so the nuggets come free. The 2.5% bonus then carries over to everything else.
• Gems feed Crafting: gem rocks give the uncut gems you need for jewellery and enchanting, and the gem bag makes trips much longer.
• Coal and gold: Motherlode’s upper level and coal bag are the main sources of both, along with coal from the Blast Mine.
• Blast Mine: now one of the fastest non-tick methods, it also gives Ironmen a steady supply of mithril, adamantite and runite ore.
• Zalcano: crystal tool seeds and steady bars make it one of the best stops after Song of the Elves.
• Calcified rocks: the Prayer shards make this a two-skill method that suits Ironmen especially well.
• Runite golems: since the October 2026 change, an elite Wilderness Diary gives up to 4 runite per success, which matters a lot for Ironman runite gear.

Hours to 99 by Route

Each estimate divides the XP needed by an average OSRS Wiki rate for that level range. They assume you pick up the main boosts along the way (Varrock armour, celestial ring, prospector kit) and play reasonably well. Breaks, mistakes or skipped boosts will push your hours higher.

The table shows something many players don’t expect. Efficient AFK training is only about 120 hours slower than efficient active training. If 3t4g makes you quit Mining after a week, a Motherlode route you actually finish gets you there sooner. So if you’re wondering whether Motherlode is wasted time compared with 3t4g: it isn’t. It costs hours, not progress.

There’s an honest counter-argument too. If you want 99 soon and can manage two-hour focused sessions, 3t4g saves you more than 100 hours compared with Motherlode. Slow Mining does nothing for your combat or bossing. The Blast Mine is the middle option: about 30 hours slower than granite, with no tick manipulation and ore to show for it.

Your Next Step

Before you mine your first rock, choose your goal level: 70 for the quest cape, 85 for diaries and runite, or 99 for the cape. Then pick a route from the table at the top. Finish Doric’s Quest and The Dig Site first, mine a few hours of stars for the celestial ring, and collect the prospector kit at Motherlode. Every one of those boosts carries over to every route, so one AFK week early on makes everything after it faster.

FAQ

What is the most efficient mining method in OSRS?

3-tick granite, at up to about 126,000 XP/h at 99 with Varrock armour 4, the prospector kit, an uncharged celestial ring and the Mining cape. Next come 3-tick gem rocks (93,000-110,000 XP/h), the Blast Mine (87,000-101,000 at 99) and Volcanic Mine with a crystal pickaxe (about 94,000).

How many hours to 99 mining OSRS?

About 125-140 hours with 3t4g, 160-175 with iron and the Blast Mine, 175-190 with iron and Volcanic Mine, and roughly 250-280 at Motherlode Mine. Pure AFK methods like crashed stars can take more than 400 hours. Every route needs 13,034,431 XP.

What is the fastest way to level up mining in RuneScape?

In Old School RuneScape, do Doric’s Quest and The Dig Site, power-mine iron at three-rock spots to 45, then 3-tick granite at the Desert Quarry to 99. Use the +3 pickaxe special attack every session and wear every XP boost you have.

What is the most AFK mining method in OSRS?

Amethyst at 92 and crashed stars need the fewest clicks, but both are slow. For an AFK route that’s still reasonably quick, use Motherlode Mine (around 45,000 XP/h at 90 with full gear) or Rubium (about 64,000 XP/h at 99). Both work well on a second screen.

Is Motherlode Mine or granite better for 99 Mining?

Granite is better if you want 99 fast, since it takes about half the hours. Motherlode is better if you want to do something else while you play, want ore and nuggets, or would burn out on tick manipulation. Many players do both: Motherlode early for the prospector kit, then granite.

What level do you need for the Mining Guild in OSRS?

You need 60 Mining, and temporary boosts count. Inside you get a +7 invisible Mining boost, better iron rates of about 70,000-80,000 XP/h, a second Motherlode entrance, unidentified minerals for mining gloves and amethyst at 92.

How do you get mining gloves in OSRS?

Mine in the members’ area of the Mining Guild until you collect unidentified minerals, then trade them to Belona. Regular gloves cost 40 minerals, superior gloves 100, and expert gloves need both lower pairs plus 40 more.

How many golden nuggets for the prospector outfit?

The full prospector kit costs 180 golden nuggets from Prospector Percy at Motherlode Mine. All four pieces together give a 2.5% Mining XP bonus that works everywhere.

Is 3-tick granite worth learning?

Yes, if you can keep it up. It’s the fastest route by a wide margin, and the same technique works on gem rocks, calcified rocks and other skills. It isn’t worth it if the clicking puts you off Mining entirely, because a 3t4g route you abandon is worth less than a Motherlode route you finish.

What is the best F2P mining training in OSRS?

Do Doric’s Quest, mine copper and tin to 15, then power-mine iron and move into the Mining Guild at 60. Mine runite rocks at 85 for money, and use crashed stars when you want low effort. The rune pickaxe is the best F2P pickaxe.

Can you still tick-manipulate Rubium rocks?

No. Tick manipulation stopped working on Rubium rocks on 27 May 2026, about a week after Rubium mining was released. Rubium still gives 30 XP per successful interaction, and guaranteed splinters go from 1 at level 48 to 2 at level 72.

Without tick manipulation, what’s the best XP I can realistically expect?

Solo, the Blast Mine gives 87,000-101,000 XP/h at 99 if you manage run energy and pay for dynamite. In a steady team, Volcanic Mine gives about 84,000 XP/h with a dragon pickaxe and 94,000 with crystal. Iron in the Mining Guild gives 70,000-80,000, and normal gem rocks up to about 75,000.

Does Mining level matter in raids?

Yes. In the Chambers of Xeric, a higher Mining level raises your damage on the guardians. In Tombs of Amascut, 85 Mining helps in the Path of Het. Raiders get value from levels past the usual 70 quest target.

Should I get the prospector kit before going to granite?

Yes, if you can fit in the Motherlode hours. The 2.5% bonus then applies to all your granite XP from 45 to 99, which adds up to more XP than the time you spent earning the nuggets.

Notes on this article

By The MMO Hammer Editorial Team

• Facts were checked against the sources below before publication.
• Published November 13, 2026

Sources (8)

1. Pay-to-play Mining training – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
2. Free-to-play Mining training – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
3. Skill mastery – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
4. Update: The Red Reef is Out Today! – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
5. Update: Changes to Sailing & LMS Rewards Eligibility – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
6. Update: Rubium Mining & Smithing Changes – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
7. Rubium deposit – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)
8. Update: Wyrmscraig Is Out Today! – OSRS Wiki (oldschool.runescape.wiki)

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