Old School RuneScape: 9 Pro Tips for Leveling Mining
Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a game that rewards patience and dedication, especially when it comes to leveling up skills like Mining. This skill, while simple in its mechanics, can be a grind if you’re looking to reach high levels and maximize your profits. Mining in OSRS involves extracting ores from rocks scattered around the world of Gielinor, and as you level up, you can access better ores and mining locations that yield greater rewards.
Whether you’re looking to make a profit from Mining, level up quickly, or both, there are several pro tips you can use to improve your efficiency and get the most out of this skill. In this guide, we’ll cover 9 essential tips to help you level up your Mining skill in OSRS gold, regardless of whether you’re a new player or an experienced adventurer looking for ways to optimize your training.
1. Start with the Basics: Copper and Tin Ores
When you first begin Mining in OSRS, your best bet is to mine copper and tin ores at the various mining sites around the world. These ores are the lowest level ores in the game, requiring just level 1 Mining to extract, making them perfect for training from scratch. You can find copper and tin ore deposits in various locations, including:
Varrock south-east mining site
Lumbridge Swamp mining site
North of Lumbridge
Mining copper and tin is crucial because each ore provides you with 17.5 experience points, and you’ll need a lot of ores to level up quickly in the early stages. The key here is to power-mine these ores. Instead of waiting for the ores to respawn after every few hits, you can use the drop method, which involves dropping ores as soon as they’re mined rather than banking them.
This method allows you to maximize the amount of time spent mining, which is crucial for quick leveling. Although you won’t make any significant profits from copper or tin, you’ll start getting experience quickly as you work your way up to higher-level ores.
2. Move on to Iron Ore for Fast XP Gains
Once you reach level 15 Mining, you can start mining iron ore, which provides a much better experience rate than copper and tin. At this stage, it’s a good idea to power-mine iron rather than banking it, as this will give you the fastest experience per hour.
To mine iron, head to locations like:
Mining Guild (accessible at level 60 Mining, but offers the benefit of a 7% boost in Mining efficiency)
Al Kharid (one of the most popular iron mining spots)
Iron ores give 35 experience per ore, and you can mine several ores in quick succession. By using the power-mining technique, you can increase your efficiency even further by dropping the ores as soon as you mine them.
Additionally, if you’re looking to make a little bit of money while you level up, you can bank your iron ores at places like Al Kharid or Varrock south-east, as iron ores are always in demand at the Grand Exchange.
3. Utilize the Mining Guild
One of the most powerful tools for any miner is the Mining Guild in OSRS. If you’re looking to train Mining efficiently, the Mining Guild is an essential location, especially once you hit level 60 Mining. Here’s why:
7% experience boost: The Mining Guild provides a passive 7% experience boost, which significantly increases your experience gains over time.
Bank Deposit Chest: Inside the Mining Guild, you’ll find a bank chest, which allows you to deposit ores without having to run to a bank. This will save you a lot of time, especially when mining higher-level ores like coal and mithril.
Convenient Location: The guild is located near Falador, which is easily accessible by using teleport spells, the Falador teleport or the Explorers’ Ring.
With the 7% boost and a bank chest, you’ll be able to mine efficiently without wasting any time. The only catch is reaching level 60 Mining to gain access to the guild, which is why iron mining before this point is essential.
4. Power Mining for Maximum Efficiency
As mentioned earlier, power mining is one of the most efficient methods for leveling Mining, especially when you’re trying to get to the higher levels. Power mining involves mining an ore and immediately dropping it, instead of banking it. This method maximizes your experience per hour by eliminating any time spent walking to a bank.
When power mining, it’s important to note the following tips:
Use the best pickaxe available: Upgrading your pickaxe to a rune or dragon pickaxe will speed up your mining considerably, especially if you have high-level Mining stats.
Use the right ores: Not all ores are efficient for power mining. Iron ore is the most common choice for power mining, as it provides the highest experience per hour at early levels, and granite is another excellent choice once you reach level 45 Mining.
Avoid distractions: Focus solely on mining and dropping ores to get the maximum experience gains.
Power mining is the best way to level up quickly, but it’s a method that requires dedication and focus.
5. Level Up to Granite for Huge XP Gains
Once you hit level 45 Mining, you unlock the ability to mine granite. Granite is one of the best ores in OSRS for fast Mining experience, as it offers 50 experience per rock. The highest experience per hour is found at the Kharidian Desert at the Granite Quarry, where you can mine granite rocks for great XP.
Here’s why granite is so great:
Granite rocks are fast to mine: With a high pickaxe and optimal setup, you can mine granite rapidly, allowing for a fast XP per hour.
More experience: As mentioned, granite offers more experience per rock than iron, making it an ideal choice once you hit level 45.
Better efficiency: Granite can be mined efficiently by dropping it, allowing you to keep the experience rolling without wasting time banking.
Granite is best for players who are comfortable with power mining and want a good boost to their XP gains.
6. Use the 3-Tick Mining Method for Ultimate Efficiency
Once you hit a higher Mining level (usually around level 70), you can increase your efficiency even more by using the 3-tick mining method. This method involves timing your actions so that you can mine three ores per minute instead of the usual two.
Here’s how to use the 3-tick mining method:
Use the best pickaxe: The Dragon pickaxe is ideal, as it speeds up mining. You’ll want the fastest pickaxe available.
Power-mine in a high-ore area: Locations like Saradomin’s mine (for granite) or Mining Guild are great for this technique.
Perform the 3-tick method: You’ll need to alternate between using your pickaxe and dropping the ores quickly in a timed rhythm. This method requires practice but can significantly increase your XP rates.
This technique is highly efficient, but it’s best suited for advanced players who are familiar with the mechanics of the game.
7. Smelting and Selling Ores
Once you have reached high Mining levels, you can start smelting ores to create bars. Bars like mithril, adamant, and rune are valuable and can be sold for a decent profit. This method allows you to get both experience in Smithing and Mining, making it a dual-purpose activity.
Some ways to increase your efficiency with smelting include:
Using the Blast Furnace for high-level ores to speed up the smelting process.
Smithing while you mine: By smelting ores as you mine, you maximize the time spent on both skills and generate profits while you train.
8. Using the Varrock Armour
As you level up in Mining, don’t forget to obtain the Varrock Armour, which grants you a 10% chance of not using up a charge when mining ores. This armour can be obtained by completing the Varrock Achievement Diary and provides a significant boost to your mining efficiency.
Having this armour equipped can save you time and ores, and it’s an excellent investment if you plan to continue mining at high levels.
9. Profit from Mining
At higher levels, you’ll want to make sure you’re not just training Mining for XP, but also making a profit. As you level up, ores such as coal, mithril, adamant, and rune are all in high demand at the Grand Exchange. You can also sell high-level ores directly to other players, either through trading or the GE.
By mining ores and bars at high levels, you’ll not only level up faster but also start accumulating gold, which you can reinvest in your gear, skills, and other upgrades.
Conclusion
Mining in cheap RS gold may start off slow, but with the right strategies and knowledge, you can level up quickly and profitably. Whether you’re using the power-mining method with iron, making the most of granite at higher levels, or smelting and selling ores for profit, there’s a wealth of opportunities for all players to make the most of this skill.
With the tips shared in this guide, you can maximize your efficiency, level up your Mining skill, and start earning valuable rewards that will help you succeed in your OSRS journey. Good luck, and happy mining!
