Before embarking on your mining journey, it’s crucial to understand the basics. Mining involves extracting ores from rocks scattered throughout Gielinor. Each ore type requires a specific mining level to extract, and some rocks may contain multiple types of ores. To start, you’ll need a pickaxe, which can be obtained for free from Bob’s Brilliant Axes in Lumbridge.
Essential Items
To make your mining endeavors more efficient, consider bringing some essential items. These include a rune or dragon pickaxe (if available), a Varrock armour (for the Varrock Armor 1 or higher bonuses), and a charged Amulet of Glory for faster bank trips using the Edgeville teleport.
Training Methods
Levels 1-15: Copper and Tin Ores
At level 1, you can mine copper and tin ores, which are found in various locations, such as the Lumbridge Swamp and Varrock South-East Mine. Mine these ores until you reach level 15.
Levels 15-99: Iron Ore (Power Mining)
From level 15 onwards, you can mine iron ore. The best free-to-play spot is the Al Kharid mine, which has three iron rocks in close proximity. Here, you can use the “power mining” method. Drop the ores as soon as you mine them to maximize your experience per hour. You can expect to gain approximately 40,000 to 60,000 experience per hour, depending on your concentration.
Levels 30-99: Motherlode Mine (Optional)
At level 30, you can access the Motherlode Mine, located in the Dwarven Mines. While it’s not free-to-play, it’s worth mentioning for players considering membership in the future. The Motherlode Mine offers a unique training method and rewards, such as the Prospector Outfit and the Coal Bag.
Optimizing Your Experience
Mining Guild (Level 60)
Upon reaching level 60, you can enter the Mining Guild, located in Falador. This area offers increased ore respawn rates and access to the rune and adamantite rocks, which yield more experience than iron ore.
Bonus Experience (RS3 to OSRS)
If you’ve played RuneScape 3 and have bonus experience in mining, you can use it in OSRS. To transfer bonus experience, simply log into OSRS with your RuneScape 3 account and follow the prompts. This can significantly speed up your training.