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Mining

This article is compiled from the videos of GnomonkeyRS. It records what Gnomonkey said, with sources, not verified game fact. See About.

Mining

Mining
Type Skill
Videos 4 (first 2021-03-01, latest 2025-07-31)
Main source 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS

Mining is a skill topic that Gnomonkey covers in 4 videos between 2021-03-01 and 2025-07-31. This article is a stub: his statements are grouped by type, repeated ones merged.

Contents

Requirements

  • Mining is required for quite a few important quests, namely Dragon Slayer II and Song of the Elves; the skill also provides fairly good GP and many diaries require it.1
  • The Desert amulet requires 91 Thieving and is very handy for Volcanic Mine, so he would finish Thieving before Mining.2

Methods

  • Completing Doric's Quest, 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, jumping you straight to level 37; Gnomonkey says the early levels are incredibly slow, so it is usually best to skip them.3
  • From levels 1 to 15 without questing you can only mine copper and tin, at the mine southeast of Lumbridge Swamp or south of Varrock, and Gnomonkey says to power mine and drop all the ore since it has little value.3
  • From levels 15 to 45 Gnomonkey says to power mine iron; without tick manipulation the best place is anywhere with a triangle orientation of three rocks, and he uses the mine south of the Legends Guild, mining the next rock as soon as the current one depletes and dropping the ore.3
  • For Mining, Gnomonkey would grab the Prospector outfit at Motherlode Mine as soon as possible because it is needed for the Falador diary, then move to Volcanic Mine as soon as able and train all the way to 99.4
  • Gnomonkey would AFK mining stars until getting the Celestial signet for increased XP.4

Stats and numbers

  • Mining increases your max hit against the Guardians in CM, but it matters less than the other skills and around level 90 you are very close to maximum efficiency.5
  • Lead is a new ore requiring level 25 Mining that gives slightly higher XP per hour than iron rocks outside the Mining Guild but less than iron inside the guild, so it could be an early option; the blog calls it an alternative for those willing to train Sailing early.6
  • Rubium is a new ore similar to Infernal shale: either rocks that deplete after one mine or a slower AFK option.7
  • Nickel is a level 74 Mining resource mined similar to pay-dirt in Motherlode Mine or Baronite, used to make cupro-nickel (called Cooper Nickel in the transcript), AFK but lower XP per hour than Motherlode Mine and should be more profitable.8

Tips

  • To start with the fastest, most efficient way to 99 (which is very intensive) and then discuss other options, and recommends always questing for the early levels.9
  • Iron can be tick manipulated at the eastern section of the Legends Guild mine, which dramatically increases XP rates especially without a rune pickaxe, but it is extremely intensive, about the same intensity as 3-tick 4-granite.10
  • If you do not intend to mine granite and want AFK Mining, Gnomonkey recommends the standard power mining method until 55 Mining, then Motherlode Mine, because Motherlode Mine is incredibly slow before you have unlocked at least mithril ore.11
  • If you seriously need to AFK Gnomonkey recommends AFKing through other skills like Fishing, Woodcutting or Runecrafting, but if Mining is one of your last skills and you need something AFK, there are definitely worse options than Amethyst.12

Gnomonkey's opinion

  • Gnomonkey considers Mining one of the harder skills to train in the game, up there with Runecrafting and Agility for most players, being usually either very click intensive and fast, or somewhat AFK and very slow.1
  • Gnomonkey says that from levels 45 to 99 the absolute fastest Mining method is 3-tick 4-granite.11
  • Gnomonkey recommends Volcanic Mine from level 71 to 99 for most accounts, calling it the most AFK and best option for most accounts, though it can be started at 50 Mining.13
  • Gnomonkey would use Volcanic Mine as his go-to low-intensity method for when he needs to do things on the side.4
  • Gnomonkey calls Mining one of the worst stats to level but says near-99 helps in Challenge Mode.14
  • Gnomonkey says Infernal shale is a cool but really slow method with atrocious XP, and hopes Rubium has better tuned XP rates.7
  • Gnomonkey hates Jim's wet rag because it is meant to teach three-tick mining but makes you click on the third tick, which is not transferable, and would prefer it to work like a pestle and mortar.15
  • Gnomonkey thinks a level 74 mining method would be fine if it simply beat Motherlode Mine and gave more money, but he notes the blog does not say it does.16

Trivia

  • Volcanic Mine has the second-best pet chance in the game, making it great for grinding the rock column he desires.17

Revision history

Date Video Change
2025-07-31 Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS) Added: 6 statements (opinion, stat)
2024-11-08 SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS) Added: 2 statements (opinion, stat)
2022-08-03 How Would I MAX My Main From Scratch? (OSRS) Added: 5 statements (method, opinion, requirement, trivia)
2021-03-01 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS Page created: 11 statements (method, opinion, requirement, tip)
## See also

References

  1. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩

  2. How Would I MAX My Main From Scratch? (OSRS), 2022-08-03. ▶ 5:49 ↩

  3. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 4:04 ↩↩↩

  4. How Would I MAX My Main From Scratch? (OSRS), 2022-08-03. ▶ 4:51 ↩↩↩

  5. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 7:15 ↩

  6. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 2:42 ↩

  7. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 3:13 ↩↩

  8. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 4:14 ↩

  9. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 3:33 ↩

  10. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 4:37 ↩

  11. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 5:05 ↩↩

  12. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 13:00 ↩

  13. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 10:04 ↩

  14. SOLO CM COX GUIDE + Shadow Running! (OSRS), 2024-11-08. ▶ 6:19 ↩

  15. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 3:43 ↩

  16. Sailing Resource Blog Update! (OSRS), 2025-07-31. ▶ 4:48 ↩

  17. How Would I MAX My Main From Scratch? (OSRS), 2022-08-03. ▶ 5:20 ↩

Skills

Sailing • Slayer • Hunter • Thieving • Agility • Cooking • Herblore • Farming • Mining • Woodcutting • Fishing • Fletching • Prayer • Quests • Runecrafting • Magic • Skilling pets • Ranged • Crystal tree • Crafting • Max cape • Smithing

Category: Skills