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Volcanic Mine

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

Volcanic Mine

Volcanic Mine
Type Minigame
Location Fossil Island
Requirements 50 Mining, 150 kudos, Bone Voyage, built museum camp1
Xp rate 70k to 90k Mining xp/hr; about 75k at level 71 and 94k at 99 with a crystal pickaxe23
Gp rate About 2 gp per xp, a little under 200k gp/hr3
Group size Optimal 3 to 5 players4
Game length 10 minutes before the volcano erupts5
Videos 2 (first 2021-02-10, latest 2021-03-01)
Main source Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR)

The Volcanic Mine is a group Mining activity on Fossil Island. Gnomonkey considers it an incredibly underutilised method, much better than people give it credit for.2 It resembles Wintertodt for Mining: a group mines a central boulder against a time limit while managing the mine's stability, then escapes the volcano.26 It requires some coordination but is about as AFK as Motherlode Mine, with AFK stretches of about 80 seconds at several points.26 He calls it one of the few Mining methods that did not make him hate his life and recommends learning it with friends or the VM Discord.3 Much of his guide information comes from that Discord, which is also a way to find players.27

Contents

Requirements and rates

  • At least 50 Mining and 150 kudos, the Bone Voyage quest (the mine is on Fossil Island), a fully built museum camp, and fossils claimed from Peter on the shore.1 Without kudos, he recommends hunting fossils at Sulliuscep trees through Woodcutting.6
  • He recommends starting at 70 or 71 Mining so the crystal pickaxe can be used, a dramatic boost of around 10k extra xp/hr.18 He recommends Motherlode Mine until 70 for the Prospector's outfit, which also boosts xp here.9
  • Mining level below the team's does not hurt it, since higher-level players get more fragments to compensate.9
  • Rates: 70k to 90k xp/hr by Mining level and pickaxe2; by March 2021 he gives about 75k at level 71 with a crystal pickaxe, scaling to 94k at 99, about 2 gp per xp (a little under 200k gp/hr), plus fossils.3 About six fossils per hour are found, not the best fossil source (Sulliuscep trees are) but not terrible.10
  • A game gives a mining xp drop of around 6k to 12k, set by the number and quality of fragments (iron to rune, as at Motherlode), with xp and points awarded on leaving.711
  • High Prayer helps: above 91 Prayer, a whole game can be completed without a prayer dose.9

Gear and supplies

  • Wear the full Prospector's outfit if possible, then maximise the prayer bonus, filling missing slots with the next best prayer item. An Elysian spirit shield is best in slot if rich; a Thalador shield 4 gives the best prayer bonus and restores prayer twice daily.9
  • Wear a regen bracelet, an elven signet whenever using a crystal pickaxe, and a ring of the gods (best for prayer; Ring of Suffering or Explorer's ring are fine). Keep the pickaxe in the inventory for the crozier's extra prayer bonus. With over 35 prayer bonus wear a hit points cape, otherwise an RD cloak 4 or Soul cape.1213
  • Basic food, even wines, is fine; bring higher-healing food and karambwans on a first visit. Brews are unnecessary.13
  • He uses a dragon pickaxe only because he started at 98 Mining, but urges making a crystal pickaxe. Calcite and pyrophosphite stack, and 30 new Mulite are needed to start a game, so bring a decent stack.14
  • A Desert amulet 4 teleport fully restores and overheals between games and beats going to a house; otherwise use house tabs to an ornate pool, or Ardougne cloak.14
  • Eight inventory slots must be free for fragments and the water vessel, plus space for fossils.4
  • Dying is not a safe death, but reclaiming costs only 150 new Mulite (roughly 3k gp), so keep some VM teleports in the bank.15 VM teleport tablets are used every game but can only be bought after completing one16; buy a big pile on the first completion at 200 points each.17
  • Keep HP above 70 because rock falls can unluckily KO, and turn auto retaliate off.18
  • Pray ranged whenever a lava beast is nearby: their attacks hit everyone on the tile they land on, and damage is calculated when the ball hits, so prayer can be flicked.19
  • The Volcanic Mine and Volcanic Mine Stability plugin hub plugins give notifications so one can AFK a bit more and warn when platforms are about to disappear.420

Mechanics

Team size. Three to five players is optimal; each player beyond five increases damage taken, and solos and duos are far more intensive and usually not worth doing.4

Chambers. There are three gas chambers, A, B and C, each with a same-labelled vent. Each has a percentage set randomly at the start that is unknown until someone checks the vent; the goal is to keep chambers near 50%.21 A chamber at 51% or higher needs a boulder mined to lower it; 49% or lower needs one added. This is called fixing a chamber.5 If a chamber is too low or high, stability falls, and at zero everyone dies. High stability allows fully mining the central boulder.15

Timeline. The game starts with 10 minutes on the clock. Chamber C never needs fixing at the start. At five minutes all percentages shuffle, after which A is almost always fixed correctly but B and C usually are not.5 Platforms, made by throwing water on lava, last 90 seconds, changing colour until a buttery colour that gives five seconds; being on one when it vanishes drops you in the lava, which washes you up nearby for around 60 damage.2220 The boulder moves five times as it is mined down, called positions five to one by the community; the smaller it is, the more fragments it gives on average.20

Points. Helping with chambers gives 50 points per boulder mined or capped, up to 300 per game. Capping is usually worse than mining the boulder, so players cap during downtime while the boulder moves.11 The whole team can cap when the boulder moves from three to four and from four to five; do not cap when you could mine, and do not linger.23 Most points come at the end on the final boulder position, so leaving early loses a lot.11 If the team is not all present there it mines much faster, which is bad; in a trio someone builds a bridge back at 35 seconds remaining while the rest mine for the last five.20

Escape. After 30 seconds the displayed stability always reads extremely low as a script. Reaching the ladder with 11 seconds on the clock is safe; otherwise you die and lose all points.24

Roles

With three miners the roles are A check/fix, B check and C fix, and B fix and C check (the B/C role), each name literal. With four or more, B check/C fix splits between two people, and a fifth player is the leech who simply mines all game.25

Role Duties
A Spam the west ladder, bridge to a chamber, pick up the small boulder, bridge south and check a vent, then cap up to four times for 200 points, leave it fixed, return and mine.26 When the boulder moves from three to four, touch the gas hole to join the others; fixing B and C is typically enough even if A is horrible.27 If stability drops before six minutes, fix immediately; below 50% at 5:15, recheck and fix A; check the vent as soon as five minutes hits.28
B check From the east ladder, bridge south, bridge behind the boulder to check B so B fix knows what to do, then return and mine.29
C fix Mine from the start. At five minutes (boulder near position three, about 6:30) wait for B check to check C; fix it by bridging east if needed, else keep mining. Can cap B while waiting.30
B/C East ladder, run north to B, cap until B check checks the vent, leave it fixed, mine and always make a new platform. At about 5:20 check C (not before five minutes), build a bridge north, check B, rejoin.31

Learners can practise a role solo by doing the first half before the five-minute mark, then leaving or re-entering for the second half, without hurting others' xp.32

Pickaxe special, quick starting and rewards

  • Use the pickaxe special before positions one and five; Preserve can be camped throughout. It is especially worth it when the boost reaches the next fragment tier (rune at level 85, as at Motherlode) and useless above 99.19
  • Quick starting: one person takes a pile of brews and prayer potions and restarts the game immediately after leaving (starting takes 30 seconds) while the others restore and run back. He says it boosts rates by about 3k to 4k xp/hr.16 Otherwise bank after each game at the nearby bank, restore, teleport back by tablet and re-enter.10
  • After VM teleports, the best purchase on a main is runite at about 2 gp per xp, less gp/hr than Motherlode but not terrible. Ironmen usually buy volcanic ash for farming; the large vessel is only worth it for solos or duos.17

Revision history

Date Video Change
2021-03-01 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS Corrected the recommended start to 71 Mining and gave updated rates of 75k to 94k xp/hr and about 2 gp per xp (was a 70k to 90k range).
2021-02-10 Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR) Page created: overview, requirements, gear, chamber and role mechanics, points, quick starting and rewards.
## References

  1. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 0:27 ↩↩↩

  2. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  3. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 11:01 ↩↩↩↩

  4. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 3:23 ↩↩↩↩

  5. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 5:53 ↩↩↩

  6. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 10:35 ↩↩↩

  7. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 3:54 ↩↩

  8. 1-99 Mining Guide (AFK/GP/EFFICIENT) OSRS, 2021-03-01. ▶ 10:04 ↩

  9. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 0:59 ↩↩↩↩

  10. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 14:01 ↩↩

  11. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 4:22 ↩↩↩

  12. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 1:26 ↩

  13. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 1:54 ↩↩

  14. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 2:28 ↩↩

  15. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 5:27 ↩↩

  16. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 2:56 ↩↩

  17. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 13:29 ↩↩

  18. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 7:57 ↩

  19. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 8:25 ↩↩

  20. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 7:27 ↩↩↩↩

  21. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 4:55 ↩

  22. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 6:54 ↩

  23. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 8:54 ↩

  24. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 12:58 ↩

  25. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 6:26 ↩

  26. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 9:55 ↩

  27. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 10:25 ↩

  28. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 10:53 ↩

  29. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 11:26 ↩

  30. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 11:53 ↩

  31. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 12:26 ↩

  32. Volcanic Mine Guide (AFK 70k-90k Mining XP/HR), 2021-02-10. ▶ 9:23 ↩

Activities

Inferno • Corrupted Gauntlet • Fortis Colosseum • Hallowed Sepulchre • TzHaar Fight Cave • Nightmare Zone • Deadman Mode • Guardians of the Rift • Volcanic Mine • The Gauntlet • Salvaging • Elf pickpocketing • Soul Wars • Drift net fishing • Trouble Brewing • Ourania Altar • RuneScape 3 Leagues • Sorceress's Garden • Chompy bird hunting • Fortis Colosseum speedrun • Gridmaster • Birdhouse run • Wilderness • Vyrewatch Sentinel • Barrows • Barracuda Trials • Chaos altar • Slayer point boosting • Black chinchompa • Blisterwood tree • Graveyard Agility Course • Kalphite • Deep sea trawling • Rogues' Den • Rooftop Agility courses • Castle Wars • 3-tick 4-granite • Knights of Ardougne • Mixology • God Wars Dungeon

Category: Activities