Pay-to-play Mining training (2024)

This article provides an overview of strategies used to train the Mining skill.

Equipment[edit | edit source]

The only item required to mine is a pickaxe. A certain Attack level is required to wield one, but players are still able to use the pickaxe to mine without the Attack level requirement. Players should use the best pickaxe available for the fastest mining speed.

Using an infernal pickaxe is recommended if using the fastest training methods. Mining rocks with it will give a 1/3 chance for the ore to automatically combust, which will consume the ore. This reduces the number of ores that need to be dropped, and also grants some passive Smithing experience. Making an infernal pickaxe requires level 85 Smithing, and it can be charged with dragon pickaxes or smouldering stones. The former are usually cheaper, but using the infernal pickaxe can still be somewhat expensive for some players.

For other methods, the crystal pickaxe performs better, and it should be used if the player has enough crystal shards for it.

Pickaxes[edit | edit source]

Higher tiers of pickaxes take less time between rolls while mining. Each tick is a period of 0.6 seconds. When the allotted time passes, the game will roll whether or not you mine something successfully. The chance itself is affected by your Mining level and the tier of pickaxe you use.

Item				Shop price	Weight	Ticks between rolls
	Bronze pickaxe	1	1	1 coin at Nurmof and Bob	2.267kg	8
	Iron pickaxe	1	1	140 coins at Nurmof	2.267kg	7
	Steel pickaxe	6	5	500 coins at Nurmof	2.267kg	6
	Black pickaxe	11	10	Not sold	0.01kg	5
	Mithril pickaxe	21	20	1,300 coins at Nurmof	1.814kg	5
	Adamant pickaxe	31	30	3,200 coins at Nurmof	2.721kg	4
	Rune pickaxe[1]	41	40	32,000 coins at Nurmof	2.267kg	3
	Dragon pickaxe[2]	61	60	Not sold	2.4kg	2.83[3]
	Infernal pickaxe	61[4]	60	Not sold	2.4kg	2.83[5]
	Crystal pickaxe	71[6]	70	Not sold	1.36kg	2.75[7]

Prospector kit[edit | edit source]

The Prospector kit obtained from Prospector Percy in the Motherlode Mine or from the Volcanic Mine Reward Shop provides a total of 2.5% bonus Mining experience when worn. The outfit is not worth getting timewise if the player is going for 99 Mining using the fastest methods. However, it is a requirement for a master clue step and a hard task in the Falador Diary, so the player might want to get it anyway.

The full set costs 180 nuggets or 120,000 Volcanic Mine reward points in total. Getting 180 nuggets takes around 10 hours on average.

Item		XP Boost	Cost (in )	Sells for (in )	Boost per nugget (% per )
	Helmet	+0.4%	40	32	0.010
	Jacket	+0.8%	60	48	0.013
	Legs	+0.6%	50	40	0.012
	Boots	+0.2%	30	24	0.007
Set bonus		+0.5%
Complete set		+2.5%	180	144	0.014

Varrock armour[edit | edit source]

Completing task sets from the Varrock Diary grants the player Varrock armour, which gives the player 10% chance of mining 2 ores at once while worn. For the methods below, Varrock armour 1 provides this effect for mining iron, Varrock armour 2 for mining granite, and Varrock armour 4 for mining amethyst. However, the Varrock armour does not work at Motherlode Mine, Blast Mine, Volcanic Mine, or on gem rocks.

The Varrock armour 4 also works as a prospector jacket.

Other[edit | edit source]

Wearing a celestial ring, obtained through the Shooting Stars activity, provides an invisible +4 boost to the Mining skill. This will boost experience rates slightly. The uncharged ring is worth getting if the player is going for level 99 Mining using the methods below.

There are also mining gloves available in the Mining Guild. The expert mining gloves are worth getting if mining amethyst crystals.

Fastest experience[edit | edit source]

To gain Mining experience most efficiently, players should always drop the ores they mine (also known as "powermining" or "dropmining"). This can be done by holding the shift key and clicking on the ore once shift drop has been enabled in the options. Mobile users can toggle the tap-drop option.

Levels 1–37: Questing[edit | edit source]

Early levels can be skipped by completing quests that give Mining experience. Completing Doric's Quest, The Dig Site, Plague City, The Giant Dwarf, The Lost Tribe and Another Slice of H.A.M. grants a total of 27,525 Mining experience, which will get the player from level 1 to 37. All of these quests have fairly low requirements, and completing them allows the player to use an adamant pickaxe right from the start.

Levels 1–15: Copper/Tin ore[edit | edit source]

From level 1 to 15, players should mine copper or tin. This can be done anywhere, though the Lumbridge Swamp mining site is debatably the easiest due to its relative lack of players and aggressive monsters, and its collection of copper and tin rocks.

Levels 15–45/70: Iron ore[edit | edit source]

Mining iron offers the fastest experience from level 15 to 45. At level 45, 3-tick mining granite becomes faster assuming good performance, however this method is much easier and offers relatively fast experience at higher levels. Players who are inexperienced with tick manipulation methods, or do not plan to use tick manipulation at all, are advised to mine iron up to level 70 (before switching to the Volcanic Mine).

Wearing Varrock armour 1 or higher increases the overall experience rate for this method, as it gives the player 10% chance to mine 2 ores at once while worn.

From level 15 to 60, players should mine iron at a location that has three iron rocks in a triangle, as such a formation that allows the player to mine all three rocks without moving. Drop the ores while waiting for the rocks to respawn. There are twelve such locations available at this level:

1. Legends' Guild Mine
2. Al Kharid Mine
3. Piscatoris Mine
4. Lovakengj Mine
5. Verdant Valley
6. Mount Karuulm Mine
7. Resource Area (level 51 Wilderness)
8. South Mor Ul Rek mine
9. Isle of Souls
10. Sisterhood Sanctuary Mine
11. Stranglewood mine
12. Cam Torum Mine

If using tick manipulation, the best place to mine iron is in the Legends' Guild mine or the Isle of Souls, which has 4 iron rocks close to each other in the eastern part. Start the 3-tick cycle with a herb and tar (or other suitable items) while moving between rocks, and drop the ores between mines. This method is faster than using a triangle spot, but because this method is much more advanced and significantly harder than using a triangle spot, it is only recommended for players who plan on 3-tick mining granite from level 45 onwards.

From level 60 onwards, the pay-to-play area of the Mining Guild becomes the best option, as the respawn time for rocks mined in this area is halved. This makes it so the players do not have to wait for the rocks to respawn or use tick manipulation; with correct timing and accurate clicks, players can drop the ore between mines and keep mining continuously.

Players can expect to gain up to around 45,000–55,000 experience per hour below level 60 when not using tick manipulation. From level 60 and above, the maximum experience rate in the Mining Guild caps at around 70,000–80,000 experience per hour, depending on performance and the pickaxe used.

Banking the ores is not recommended as this slows down experience rates a lot and the iron ores are usually not worth very much. Ironmen who wish to bank their ores are advised to use the pay-to-play area in the Mining Guild, which has a triangle spot near to the bank chest. For those below level 60, an alternative location to bank iron ores is the Monastery Mine, using the Ardougne cloak to teleport to the mine and then a bank teleportation method such as the Ring of dueling teleport to Castle Wars to bank your ore.

Levels 45–99: Granite[edit | edit source]

3-tick mining granite (commonly referred to as "3t4g", 3-tick 4 granite) at the Quarry offers the fastest Mining experience from level 45 onwards. 3-tick mining is done by using swamp tar on a clean herb (or other suitable items) to set up the 3-tick cycle and then moving to a granite rock to mine it. When timed correctly, the player will skip the delay from moving to the granite rock and has a chance to receive a rock every three ticks. The player will need to move between four granite rocks to continuously keep up the 3-tick cycle.

While 3-tick mining granite offers the fastest experience, it is very click-intensive and can be hard to learn. This method is not worth doing without tick manipulation, as the experience rates would be much lower. Players who are new to tick manipulation methods may find it worthwhile to train with iron before attempting to train with granite, as mining iron offers relatively high rates at lower levels.

Experience rates are shown in the table below. The rates assume wearing the Varrock armour and an uncharged celestial ring, and the Mining cape at level 99. At maximum efficiency, it is possible to gain up to 134,000 experience per hour at level 99, though players are more likely to see rates closer to around 120,000–125,000 experience per hour when including some mistakes. When using the infernal pickaxe, players will also gain around 7,000–10,000 passive Smithing experience per hour depending on the Mining level. Without tick manipulation players can only gain around 63,000 experience per hour at best.

level	XP/h
45	86,000
55	94,000
65	100,000
75	106,000
85	113,000
95	118,000
99	125,000

Setup and tips[edit | edit source]

1000

The fastest way to get to the Quarry is to teleport with the Camulet to Enakhra's Temple, navigate outside and run a short distance south-west. After completing the hard Desert Diary, players can teleport straight to the entrance instead. Players who have not completed Enakhra's Lament can use the Pharaoh's sceptre to teleport to the Ancient Pyramid and run west, take the ferry to the Ruins of Unkah and run north, or take the carpet to Bedabin Camp and run south. Alternatively, players who have started Beneath Cursed Sands can use the spot at the Necropolis mine near the fairy ring AKP.

Players must have some sort of desert heat protection to survive, such as

• Wearing the Desert amulet 4.
• Wearing the Hitpoints cape with a regen bracelet, which will outheal the damage taken from desert heat.
• Bringing waterskins and filling them with the lunar spell Humidify.
• Wearing the circlet of water. This comes at the cost of 0.4% experience bonus from the Prospector helmet and 0.5% from the Prospector outfit set bonus.

Wearing Varrock armour 2 or higher gives the player 10% chance to mine 2 ores at once while worn, which will increase experience rates. Varrock armour 4 also acts as a prospector jacket for the prospector kit experience bonus.

Using the infernal pickaxe is strongly recommended if the player can afford it, as it reduces the amount of ores that need to be dropped and also provides passive Smithing experience. One fully charged infernal pickaxe lasts for around 900,000–1,000,000 Mining experience. It can be charged with smouldering stones or dragon pickaxes, with the smouldering stone currently costing 3,508,166 and the dragon pickaxe 965,320.

If not using the infernal pickaxe, the pickaxe tier does not matter as it does not affect mining success rates. Because tick manipulation bypasses the normal pickaxe rate for mining rolls, the crystal pickaxe does not bring any benefits for this method.

To minimise mouse movement, make the game client as small as possible and use the 'Modern' resizable client layout. Zoom in and turn the camera south so that there is as little distance from the inventory to the rocks as possible. Turning data orbs off is also helpful to prevent any misclicks when clicking on the southernmost rock.

Players should drop the mined pieces of granite on the ground between mines. This is done by starting the 3-tick action and clicking on the next rock, quickly dropping the granite and clicking the rock again. This requires accurate clicking and some practice to perform consistently, but it is much more efficient than dropping a full inventory.

Moreover, it is recommended to only drop 1 or 2 rocks at a time to avoid clicking the next rock too late. Because of how movement stalls work with tick manipulation, moving to the next rock will grant a second roll for a resource if the first one fails. This makes the player more likely to receive a rock. However, if the player clicks on the next rock too late, they will miss out on the additional roll and are less likely to receive a rock. Note that this mechanic is separate from mining enhancers, and the chance to get extra rocks from Varrock armour (or other mining enhancers) is applied after getting a successful roll.

Other methods[edit | edit source]

Levels 30–99: Motherlode Mine[edit | edit source]

Mining in the Motherlode Mine is a slow training method, but it requires a relatively low amount of effort and offers somewhat decent profit at higher levels. Level 30 is required to mine there, but players are advised to use faster methods until level 55 or level 61, as the experience is very slow (around 15-20% of the higher leveled xp) at lower levels due to receiving less experience from collecting the pay-dirt. At higher levels, this method is only recommended for players who are looking for an easy training method, as the Volcanic Mine minigame offers much faster experience.

The fastest way to get there is to use the skills necklace teleport to the Mining Guild, and run a short distance to the entrance. Players will need to have a pickaxe on them to clear the obstructing rockfalls to be able to enter deeper into the mine.

Completing the medium tasks of the Falador Diary is recommended, as this grants the player access to a shortcut (requires level 54 Agility) to an area which is near the bank chest and relatively close to the hopper. Completion of the elite diary will also increase the chance of receiving higher-level ores.^[1]

Players can obtain golden nuggets through cleaning pay-dirt, which can be used to purchase perks and rewards from Prospector Percy. The most notable reward is the Prospector kit, which adds a bonus 2.5% experience while mining. Purchasing the Prospector Helmet is a requirement for completing the hard task set of the Falador Diary. Once the player reaches level 57 and has 100 golden nuggets, it is recommended to unlock the upper levels of the mine. The upper levels have ore veins that deplete in 36-40 seconds, longer than the 23-27 seconds of veins in the lower level.

Experience rates scale depending on the Mining level and what upgrades have been unlocked. At level 90 mining with a Dragon Pickaxe and a Celestial Ring/Signet, Prospector Kit, with the upgraded sack that holds 189 ore, the upper level unlocked and the upper chute unlocked - players can expect a rate of around 62,000 XP/hr.

For more up to date calculations on profit per hour, see Motherlode Mine.

Levels 41–99: Calcified rocks[edit | edit source]

Mining calcified rocks in the Cam Torum Mine is a low-effort alternative to the faster methods. This method requires having started Perilous Moons. The rocks deplete after around 70 seconds. Occasionally, water starts oozing temporarily from some of the veins, and mining those veins will increase the success rate of mining rocks. Additionally, players can receive a calcified deposit from mining the rocks which when opened with a hammer on an anvil provide the player with 6-20 additional bone shards or a chance to receive a tradable and stackable calcified moth. Crushing the moth will teleport the player directly to Cam Torum.

Players can gain up to 50,000 experience and roughly 3,000 blessed bone shards per hour at level 99. With tick manipulation methods, up to around 94,000 experience and 5,500 bone shards can be obtained per hour at level 99.

level	XP/h (3-tick + water) estimated	XP/h (w/o 3-tick)
50	40,000	23,500
60	50,000	27,000
70	64,000	34,000
80	74,000	39,000
90	84,000	44,000
99	94,000	49,000

Levels 52–99: Gem rocks[edit | edit source]

Mining gem rocks is a profitable alternative that offers comparable experience rates to granite when using tick manipulation. Gem rocks are also the fastest method on average to obtain the rock golem pet. Without tick manipulation, this method is considerably slower and only recommended for ironmen who need opals, jades, or red topazes.

For this method, players will need to have completed the medium Karamja Diary for access to the underground portion of the Shilo Village mine. The area has many gem rocks and a bank deposit box nearby. The diary requires partial completion of Legends' Quest, which requires level 52 Mining (boostable). Without the diary completion this method is not worth doing, as the surface area has much fewer rocks. Wearing a charged amulet of glory is also required for the fastest rates. Having the gem bag is recommended to reduce dropping and banking.

Experience rates are shown in the table below. They scale depending on the Mining level and assume wearing the prospector kit. At maximum rates players can expect 986,879.69 profit per hour.

level	XP/h (3-tick)	XP/h (w/o 3-tick)
50	93,000	52,000
60	97,000	56,000
70	101,000	61,000
80	105,000	66,000
90	107,000	70,000
99	110,000	75,000

Levels 60–99: Crashed stars[edit | edit source]

Mining crashed stars offers low experience rates but requires very little attention. As part of the Shooting Stars Distraction and Diversion, a shooting star will fall at a random spot selected from a predetermined list. Once the player has found a crashed star, they can mine it for 42–63 minutes depending on its tier before the star depletes. Each tier can be mined for seven minutes without interaction, only requiring the player to click again whenever the star degrades a tier.

This method is fully available at level 60 Mining since the lowest star now falls at tier 6, but it can begin at level 10 Mining if the star is mined down to a suitable tier. The stardust can be exchanged for a celestial ring, which gives an invisible +4 boost to Mining. Considering the Grand Exchange price of soft clay, each stardust is worth 75.33 when using the stardust to buy soft clay packs.

Experience and stardust rates are shown in the table below. The rates include the time spent finding a new star as well as some idle time whenever the star degrades a tier.

level
	XP/h	With	/h	XP/h	With	/h	XP/h	With	/h
60	23,500	24,100	733	24,900	25,500	777	N/A	N/A	N/A
70	24,600	25,200	769	26,100	26,700	814	26,800	27,500	839
80	25,900	26,600	811	27,500	28,100	858	28,300	29,000	884
90	27,000	27,700	844	28,600	29,300	893	29,500	30,200	920
99	28,200	28,900	881	29,800	30,600	933	30,800	31,500	961

Levels 70–99: Volcanic Mine[edit | edit source]

The Volcanic Mine minigame on Fossil Island offers relatively fast experience and it requires low amount of effort to participate in. However, it requires coordinated teamwork and it does not provide any significant profit. Level 50 is required to enter the mine, but it is recommended to use faster methods until level 70 as the experience is notably slower below that level.

To enter the mine, players must have completed the Bone Voyage quest. Players must also pay Petrified Pete 30 numulites every time they wish to enter the mine. Over time, players will slightly profit numulites in the mine, however.

The official world for this minigame is World 323, although it is recommended to search for a team — the Grouping interface includes a clan chat for Volcanic Mine, where players may be found making groups. Having 3 to 5 players in a team is optimal, although duo is also viable. It is also possible to participate in the minigame entirely solo, but it requires much more effort and practice, and the experience rates are slightly slower than in a team.

Experience rates are shown in the table below. The rates scale depending on the level, and vary depending on the role performed and the team's performance.

Level	XP/h	XP/h
70	68,000	N/A
75	69,000	75,000
80	72,000	81,000
85	76,000	86,000
90	79,000	90,000
95	81,000	91,000
99	84,000	94,000

Levels 75–99: Blast Mine[edit | edit source]

The Blast Mine minigame offers decent experience and profit from level 75 onwards. At level 75, players are able to obtain runite which makes the bulk of the profit gained. While it is possible to participate in the minigame below level 75, this is not recommended as the lack of runite ores will severely hamper experience and profit rates. Having a higher Mining level increases the chances of obtaining better ores, increasing experience and profit as a result.

Blast mining requires dynamites, a chisel, and a tinderbox. Wearing weight-reducing clothing (such as the graceful outfit) and a charged ring of endurance is recommended to reduce run energy drain. Players may also need to drink stamina potions to restore run energy. Having a pickaxe is not necessary, but the dragon pickaxe's special attack can be used to temporarily increase the current Mining level to have a higher chance of receiving better ores. The Prospector kit can be worn for extra experience when collecting the ores from the operator.

Experience rates scales depending on the Mining level. Players can gain up to around 55,000 experience per hour at level 75, increasing to 65,000 experience per hour at level 90 and 70,000–75,000 experience per hour at level 99.

Levels 92–99: Amethyst[edit | edit source]

Amethyst is an alternative choice for players looking to mine with low effort or click intensity, albeit for very slow experience rates. Depending on concentration and the tier of pickaxe used, players can expect to mine from 80 to 100 amethyst per hour, for approximately 20,000–25,000 experience per hour and around 324,720 profit per hour.

Ore table[edit | edit source]

Name		Level	Experience
	Rune essence	1	5
	Clay	1	5
	Copper	1	17.5
	Tin	1	17.5
	Blurite ore	10	17.5
	Limestone	10	26.5
	Iron	15	35
	Silver ore	20	40
	Volcanic ash	22	10
	Coal	30	50
	Pure essence	30	5
	Pay-dirt	30	60
	Sandstone	35	30,40,50,60
	Gold ore	40	65
	Gem rocks	40	65
	Granite	45	50,60,75
	Mithril ore	55	80
	Lovakite ore	65	60
	Adamantite	70	95
	Runite	85	125
	Amethyst	92	240

Quests for Mining experience[edit | edit source]

Quest	Experience reward	Mining requirement	Other requirements
The Forsaken Tower	500	-	-
Doric's Quest	1,300	-	-
Plague City	2,425	-	-
The Giant Dwarf	2,500	-	14 , 12 , 16 , 33
Heroes' Quest	2,575	50	55 , 53 , 53 , 25
Another Slice of H.A.M.	3,000	-	15 , 25
The Lost Tribe	3,000	17	13 , 13
Between a Rock...	5,000	40	30 , 50
Enakhra's Lament	7,000	45 -optional	50 , 45 , 43 , 39
The Dig Site	15,300	-	10 , 10 , 25
Song of the Elves	40,000	70	70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70
Making Friends with My Arm	50,000	72	35 , 66 , 68
Dragon Slayer II	60,000	68	200 , 75 , 70 , 62 , 60 , 60 , 50 , 50
Total	192,600

References[edit | edit source]