[Help Wanted!] Mining: A Complete Guide

[Zaaps1]

Complete Mining

 

[hide=XX. Help Wanted!]

Before I begin, I would like to say that this guide requires a few xp rates to truly be "complete". While I am willing to find them myself, I both a) don't have a huge amount of time on my hands and <img src='http://forum.tip.it/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> need varied sources to restrict the impact of human error.

 

If you would like to help, please use the form below:

 

[b]Forum Name:[/b]
[b]Desired Name for Credits:[/b]
[b]Method (1):[/b]
[b]Equipment (1):[/b]
[b]Results (1):[/b]
[b]Method (2):[/b]
etc.

 

For METHOD, I need the following xp rates for the following methods. Please measure your EXACT figure in terms of experience gained per hour (xp/hr). Please use your best equipment, but you needn't buy what you can't afford. What you have will do. For the method slot, please indicate if you tested a f2p or p2p method. If you are testing a f2p method, please also remain in a f2p world to ensure there is no interference.

 

If you encounter the need to hop worlds at any time, I would prefer that you DO NOT stop the timer and simply mention how many times you had to hop.

 

Please follow the method mentioned in my guide.

 

a) F2P Iron Mining + Banking @ Varrock South-West Mines

<img src='http://forum.tip.it/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> F2P Coal Mining @ Mining Guild

c) F2P Coal Mining @ Skeleton's Mine

d) F2P Gold Mining @ Crafting Guild

e) P2P Iron Mining @ Dwarven Mines, banking at Living Rock Caverns

f) P2P Iron Mining @ Piscatoris, using a Kyatt

g) P2P Gold Mining @ Crafting Guild/Keldagrim North

h) F2P Powermining Iron @ Rimmington/Hobgoblins'

i) P2P Powermining Iron @ Ardy East Mines

j) P2P Granite Powermining

k) P2P Concentrated Gold

 

In EQUIPMENT, please mention your exact equipment, but only those that affect mining or indirectly affect your ability to mine or ability to survive. I'm talking about armor if the area is dangerous, pickaxe, familiar, etc. Should be fairly obvious.

 

In RESULTS, please mention your ores/hour if you banked and your xp/hour. Also mention any significant events that slowed you down or sped you up, such as randoms, system updates, world hopping, revenant attacks, etc. Please mention each one.

 

Then post on this thread!

 

Thank you very much!

 

 

 

[/hide]

 

 

[hide=X.Introduction]Hello and Welcome. To get right to the point, this is my guide to the great skill of mining. Many people look down upon Mining. It is a hard to train skill and is generally slow on top of that. Most people would rather kill a few monsters, cut a few trees, or run through the abyss a few times.

 

But Mining does have something special. For one, it is the only "gathering" skill that makes any significant profit. On the same note, mining is, in fact, one of the best moneymakers in the game at any given level. No matter where in the prism you are, mining can offer you great profits. Whether that's clay at low levels or the almighty rune at high levels, mining is ALWAYS rewarding. It is not like other moneymakers where you must reach a critical level to make significant profits. No, with mining you can stop at any level you want and still know that you have access to one of the best moneymakers available to you.

 

That being said, mining is not an easy skill to train. But that doesn't mean it HAS to be hard. With a few older techniques and a few new tricks, mining may in fact be a skill you enjoy to train.

 

This guide is focused on the two aspects of mining: profit and xp. It is divided into two categories as such, with an additional category explaining the tools you need to succeed in this skill.

 

SIDE-NOTE: This guide takes a little different approach than the rest of my guides. While my other guides basically explain preparation more than the actual process (since the preparation in those subjects are ultimately more important), this guide focuses more on the process. How do you mine? You'll be surprised that it's not as simple as clicking a rock and waiting. There are a lot of strategies you must employ to get the most out of the skill.[/hide]

 

 

[hide=XI. Table of Contents]

X. Introduction

XI. Table of Contents

1. Tools of Success

2. Mining for Profit

~~~2.5: In-Depth Guide: Light Temple Runite Mining

3. Mining for Experience

~~~3.3: In-Depth Guide: Powermining Granite

~~~3.6: In-Depth Guide: Concentrated Ores

4. Decision-making

5. Tips and Tricks

6. FAQ

7. Conclusion

8. Credits

[/hide]

 

 

[hide=1. Tools for Success]

Mining is not an easy skill. Therefore, it is essential to get the most out of everything. Mining is not a skill with many alternatives. If you've read my other guides, you know that I typically list alternative methods of achieving a certain aim. Not this time, sorry. There are few alternatives to these Tools for Success. Thankfully, however, most of these are easy to understand/obtain.

 

Determination

The single most important factor. If you could have nothing else besides a pickaxe, take this. Determination is a key factor to success. In fact, along with luck, is perhaps the only significant factor. Why is Determination important? Because it gets you into the proper mindset. If you think you can't, you cannot.

 

Before May 6th 1954, it was generally accepted that no human being could run a mile under 4 minutes. Well-informed professionals, even, believed that anyone who got near that mark would die of a heart attack, since the human heart could not have been able to sustain the body. Well on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile under 4 minutes, despite a huge amount of obstacles and barriers. But, through hard work and determination, he amazed audiences world-wide. Within the next few months, 6 other runners went under 4 minutes.

 

Mining, like everything else in Runescape and in Life, can be boiled down to mental warfare. The question is not, "Can I do this?", it is: "Can I ignore all doubts?" In fact, every thread in the Help and Advice forum could, in fact, be simplified in a similar way. "What is the best way to raise my Crafting?", well if you were determined, you could raise it any way you want, regardless of speed and cost, because you could ignore all doubts in your way. This is not to say, however, to take slow or expensive routes just because you are determined. I will explain more on this later. For now, just know that Determination is the one thing that will get you through your goals. Not luck, not help, and certainly not despair.

 

It really is just mental warfare.

 

Keep your hopes high and you will reach them.

 

Of course, you will reach roadblocks. But they are something you must learn to overcome. Water boils at 100ºC, but water does not boil at 99ºC. With boiling water you can power a steam engine. With boiling water you can operate a train, a car, or a ship. With liquid water you can do nothing. In high-level competitions, sports and otherwise, the difference between success and failure is very small. In 2008, Cesar Filho won the Men's 50 Freestyle (for swimming). He gets a gold medal. The 4th place swimmer was only .3 seconds slower. He gets nothing.

 

So when you do have trouble in your goal, put in the extra 1º, and you’ll overcome it.

 

So how can you build Determination? Simple: by building Confidence in yourself. It's the "I can do it" mentality that makes people succeed. Luckily, this can be acquired as well. Start out small and in little chunks. This way, you start thinking, "oh I did this already, I can do it 10 more times".

 

Of course, as a swimmer myself, I am accustomed to this kind of thinking. In practice, and in races, it's always a "Ok I've swam 500 yards of this already, I can do it 6 more times". My method of building Confidence doesn't necessarily work for everyone. The above is what I do, and you must find what works for you. Perhaps it is the same. Perhaps it isn't. Either way, you need to get Confidence and Determination somehow.

 

Equipment

Of course, on a more tangible level, your equipment can also make or break your success. After all, without the proper equipment, you won't last long anywhere.

 

The Pickaxe

First of all, the pickaxe. This is, of course, the most important piece of equipment. Generally use the best pick you can, unless it is a debate between rune and dragon. The dragon pickaxe comes with a heavy price tag compared to the virtually free rune pickaxe. If that is money you'd rather not spend, so be it, don't buy it. However, the dragon pickaxe greatly increases your xp rate, and I heavily recommend buying it.

 

Staying Alive

While it would be nice if we could always mine in safety, this is not always the case. In many mining locations, you will be under fire from many NPCs, or if you choose to mine in PvP or Bounty Worlds, from other players. How does one properly defend himself or herself? In other words, how do I stay alive?

 

There are really three ways you can heal yourself: direct, indirect, and preventive.

 

Direct healing is when you use an item and it automatically restores a set amount of hitpoints.

 

Indirect healing is when an item heals you, but not by normal means (eating or drinking).

 

Preventive is the use of items not to restore hitpoints, but to prevent you from losing them.

 

Generally speaking, preventive healing is the best since it usually requires the least effort and space to maintain. Direct healing is also tends to be the cheapest and easiest to get out of the 3. However, you often need to utilize all 3. Let's take a look at some examples.

 

~~~Direct Healing

 

Food.

 

Perhaps the most common form of Direct healing. Food is typically easy and quick to obtain, and it is usually cheap. I generally do not recommend using fish (other than monks), because they are expensive for what they are worth. However, you could certainly use it and most high level fish heal quite a lot, saving much inventory space. Fish do have their place. Because of their healing effectiveness, they can be used quite well to heal away from the bank. Sharks and Rocktails, for example, pack quite a lot of healing into a single inventory space. However, there is a better option, as I will explain later.

 

Remember that you are mining. Therefore, you generally don't need something that heals a huge amount in 1 click. Food such as Pizza are perfect since they are cheaper than their fish counterparts and offer no real disadvantage while mining. Baskets of Strawberries work as well.

 

I also recommend keeping some food in your bank. In some places you will take damage, but not enough damage to justify bringing food with you to the mines. In this case, I would keep a few cakes in the bank and eat them if my hitpoints get below optimal level.

 

The Saradomin Brew.

 

This is THE best form of direct healing (at least away from the bank). It is only about 2-3k, and packs 3 sharks into just 1 inventory space (assuming 99 hp, of course you will get less healing at lower levels, but you still get a lot). In addition, you get an extremely high bonus to your defense, which means the Brew is both a Direct and Preventive healer.

 

Sure, it lowers your offensive stats. But you are mining, and you will not need them. I suppose you could bring a Restore or something, but you really don't need to.

 

When you are away from a bank and need healing, bring a Saradomin Brew. It is better than anything else. Of course, when you are at a bank, you may not need such instantaneous healing. You could still drink a brew, but some might prefer to eat something like Wines to save money.

 

~~~Indirect Healing

 

Enhanced Excalibur (EE) and the Saradomin Godsword (SGS).

 

Both restore hitpoints by utilizing the Special Attack bar. Here's a comparison of the two:

 

EE:

-Does not need to be in or enter combat

-Raises defense

-Guaranteed healing

-Need to wait for 100% Special Attack bar

-Can equip a shield

 

SGS:

-Raises prayer and gives a huge prayer bonus

-Needs to enter combat to work

-May miss and heal for 0

-Chance to heal for far more than the EE can

-Heavier and cannot equip a shield

-Only drains 50% of the Special Attack bar at a time

 

An analysis of each topic:

 

Entering Combat and Guaranteed Healing. Advantage is to the EE. Sometimes, being in Combat is not fesible. Also, because the SGS heals proportionate to how much you hit (with 10 hp minimum, but only if you hit), you can miss and get no healing at all. However, the SGS can hit in the 50s and 60s, and therefore you can get as much as 30hp of healing in one swing!

 

On average, the SGS heals more than the EE per full spec bar (averaging in misses and higher healing). Of course, this heavily varies on where you are. In a place like Living Rock Caverns, the SGS would heal more because the Living Rocks have fairly low defense. But if you need to heal on say, a Revenant, do not expect as much.

 

Defense vs. Prayer. What a nice split. EE focuses on defense while SGS focuses on prayer. The EE not only raises your defense, but allows you to use a shield, which further boosts your defensive abilities (making the EE a Preventive healer as well). The SGS, on the other hand, restores Prayer in addition to HP and gives a big prayer bonus.

 

This means that the SGS is preferable in the really hard locations, where you find yourself praying. The EE is for other locations.

 

Note, however, that you could use the Falador Shield 3 with the EE and get the best of both worlds.

 

Special Bar Drain. This is simple. Because the SGS only need 50% of the bar to work, you can use its special attack when you need it more often.

 

So there's my analysis. You must choose which one is better. I would say that, generally speaking, the EE is superior to the SGS because you really don't need many of the SGS's advantages. But use your judgment.

 

The Rapid Heal Prayer.

 

You really won't be using this much. But if you near an altar, this is useful. One example is if you use the Brimhaven Gold mining method and use House Teleport to get there. Having an Altar in your house allows you to use Rapid Heal.

 

The Healer Familiars.

 

Unicorn heals the most per hour, Titan is next, then Bunyip, then Void. However, the order I have them listed above is the best way to use them for the purposes of Mining. You don't really need the healing of the Unicorn and the Titan is too expensive for the minimal difference between it and the bunyip.

 

Healers, however, aren't a very good option. Usually, a Beast of Burden or Level-boosting familiar is better.

 

~~~Preventive

 

I've listed two good options already, the EE and Saradomin Brews (the SGS too, to an extent, since you can use protection prayers with the prayer boost it gives).

 

But of course, Armor is the best preventive healing.

 

Barrows is best, although you need to adjust to your situation. In short, use the best armor you can for the particular situation. If you are praying, Proselyte is the best option with a Falador Shield 3.

 

As far as defensive shields go, the Falador Shield 3 isn't bad, but the Dragonfire Shield and Blessed Spirit Shield (not to mention the Sigil Spirit Shields!) are terrific for defense.

 

Other great Preventive healers are the Defense, Super Defensive, Extreme Defense, and Overload potions.

 

Non-Healing Familiars

 

Two main categories here, Beast of Burden and Level-boosters. Level Boosters tend to be better, although if you are mining for profit a BoB will give you more of that (of course, for Rune, you could use both).

 

Only familiars worth using are: Bull ant, Spirit Terrorbird, War Tortoise, Obsidian Golem, and Lava Titan. Of course, something is better than nothing. But if you end up using a Thorny Snail as a BoB, it might not be worth the effort.

 

Xp Boosters

 

If you are mining for xp, utilizer ALL of the xp boosters you can get. There are three effective ones, the SC Pickaxe, the Penance Horn (and Master Horn), and the Varrock Armor 3.

 

The Sacred Clay (Stealing Creation) Pickaxe is statistically better than the rune and dragon pickaxes, but only if you use Stealing Creation clans to maximize the number of tools you get. Remember, however, that while you may statistically get high average xp/hr, you will get lower profit if you are using a method that incurs profit (such as Concentrated Gold) and you will be penalized for time waiting for the previous game to end and getting to and from Stealing Creation. I recommend using Stealing Creation picks at all times if you do not have a Dragon Pickaxe. If you have a Dragon Pickaxe, only use it at iron or granite. Do not use it while mining rune or concentrated gold/coal.

 

The Penance (Master) Horn is also extremely useful for training mining. Since you do not forfeit the use of a dragon pickaxe, it is ALWAYS worth it to use this if you are mining for xp. However, you must be able to finish Barbarian Assault waves quickly, as taking too long makes the horn worthless. Remember that while it does double xp, it still halves profit. Therefore, use at Concentrated Gold is debateable.

 

The Varrock Armor 3 is a piece of work. It allows you to occasionally mine double ores. If you use this in sync with the ore boost from Shooting Stars, you can mine up to 3 ores at once. It greatly increases your mining speed, and is the only xp boost worth using all the time, regardless of what you are mining (unless its name is Runite), for xp or profit. Get this and wear this.

 

Here's some powermining data to help you better understand the benefits of these 3 items.

 

Normal mining with a standard rune pickaxe, no extra boosts whatsoever: 40,000 xp/hr

Normal mining with a standard dragon piackaxe, no extra boosts whatsoever: 50,000xp/hr

Mining with any pickaxe + Varrock acheivement diary armour : 45,000xp/hr

Mining with sacred clay pickaxes, no other boosts : 80,000xp/hr

Mining with a sacred clay pickaxe and + Varrock achievement diary armour : 85,000xp/hr

Mining with a normal pickaxe and the master penance horn: 80,000xp/hr

Mining with a normal pickaxe and the master penance horn + Varrock achievement diary armour: 85,000xp/hr

Mining with a sacred clay pickaxe, master penance horn + Varrock achievement diary armour (The best combination): 125,000xp/hr

 

Telescopes

 

For hunting Stars, I highly recommend you get a Mahogany telescope (although teak will do, oak definitely will not work).

 

Remember you can use a Crystal Saw, Tea, and Stews to boost your level. So you really need as much as 9 levels lower than the real "required" level to build something. The most common set, the saw and the tea, results in 5 levels (before Level 3 Selves) and 6 levels (with Level 3 Shelves).

 

Teleports

 

Basically, you need a lot of teleports to get from place to place. I'll mention these individually, so don't worry about them now. Just know that you'll most likely be teleporting to your mining location.

 

Mouse Keys

Mousekeys are built-in (and legal) tools in your computer that allows you to perform actions quickly. This is extremely useful if you are powermining because you can quickly and easily drop a full inventory of something. This is one of the things that makes mining a lot easier.

 

Look here for a more in-depth explanation as well as a step-by-step guide to setting up Mousekeys: http://forum.tip.it/topic/214703-wakkas-mousekeys-guide-learn-to-drop-twice-as-fast/

 

Other Skill/Quest/Item Requirements

 

Of course, there are other requirements that allow you to maximize your mining effectiveness.

 

Construction: Telescopes, as well as unlocking a Brimhaven teleport. A well-equipped house is always helpful, since it gives you easy access to an altar, summoning obelisk, and healing.

 

Agility: Run restore and shortcuts. I would say anything above 30-40 will do for most activities. You can always use super energies or familiars to restore your energy, anyway.

 

Mourning Ends Part 2 + Within the Light: Access to the Light Temple Rune Mines and the alternate Tiny Elf Crystal teleport to the Light Temple.

 

These are, understandably, high requirements. Instead, you can complete Forgiveness of a Chaos Dwarf for those Rune Mines, or Fremminik Isles for that one. All other Rune Mines, however, are too crowded to be effective.

 

40 Crafting OR Brimhaven House OR Between a Rock + Garden of Tranquility OR 80 mining: for the best locations and optimal effectiveness in mining gold. Choose any one of the options, although 80 mining would be the best.

 

Achievement Diaries: You want Varrock, Falador (if you want to use the shield), and Lumbridge (if you're f2p) completed.

 

Varrock is most useful since Varrock Armor 3 gives you a chance to mine double ores (and get double xp) from every rock whose name isn't Runite.

 

Efficiency vs. Practicality

 

There is a hot debate. For those of you who don't know, efficiency is the measure of how fulfilling a method is. It uses math to determine what the best location to mine is, and takes into account your average income per hour. If you've seen anyone say: "If you make over X amount of number per hour, then Y method of training is better than Z method of training", then you've been an example of efficiency.

 

However, efficiency tends to be "controlling" and often advocates methods that aren't particular easy or enjoyable. That's where the theory of practicality has come from, the idea that while it might be less "efficient", it is easier and more enjoyable, and therefore more "practical".

 

Efficiency is, as I've said, the measure of how fulfilling a method is. It takes everything into consideration, idealling, including every last xp or gp gained. It puts a value on time, which is important. That is to say, it makes time a priority and assigns time a number to be used in calculations. Also, it puts a value on randomness. In fact, efficiency makes a cold number out of randomness. Efficiency is the the realm of pure math.

 

So for example, if method A was 200k xp/hour but lost 100k gp/hour, and method B was only 150k per hour and you could break even doing it, that means you've paid 100k for 50k extra xp by doing method A. That extra 50k xp is equal to 1/4 of an hour, so by doing method A over method B, you've actually paid 100k not for 50k xp, but for an extra 15 minutes. In other words, you've paid 400k to save yourself an hour of time.

 

Therefore, if in the hour you save, you can make more than 400k, method A is more efficient than method B.

 

Practicality is the measure of benefits against ease or enjoyability. When efficiency takes everything into consideration, practicality takes EVERYTHING into consideration. It puts a WEIGHT (not value) on time and randomness. There is a difference. While value cannot change (80k xp per hour means 80k xp per hour, there is no debate), weight changes for person to person. Different people place different values on time and on randomness, and practicality takes it into account.

 

Unlike efficiency, which deals in formulas and math, practicality is nothing more than an evaluation based on intuition and reasoning.

 

For example, Powercutting Teaks while utilizing advanced dropping techniques can get over 80k xp/hour, while Ivy at a similar level is only around 80k. Also, you are must more likely to get a Birds Nest at Teaks. Therefore, Teaks are better xp and money than Ivy. However, are you really going to do that? Teaks require a huge amount of effort and attention, while Ivy requires almost none. So while Teaks may be more efficient, Ivy is more practical.

 

It is not always so simple.

 

What am I trying to say here? Basically this: just because a method is better on paper doesn't mean you should immediately jump to it. Also, you cannot immediately do something just because you feel like it, because you are bound to make mistakes. Be both efficient AND practical. Mining is one of the skills where this plays a huge role.

 

 

 

[/hide]

 

 

[hide=2. Mining for Profit]

 

First, I'm sure most of you are interested in mining for profit. After all, mining is most famous for being a great moneymaker. For each section, I will analyze and explain the best f2p and p2p methods to mine an ore.

 

Before beginning, the best ores to mine for profit are rune, gold, coal and iron, in that order for f2p AND p2p. Of course, ores such as mithril and adamant are profitable as well, but they are not significant (besides, gold makes more than both of them).

 

For each location, I will state recommended items as well as risks and other requirements to use the spot. However, it goes without saying that you must bring a Pickaxe to each mine. I will not mention that. Also, I recommend bringing either a Glory or Ring of Duelling (for members) to bank with or to leave the mines with. I will not mention those either. Of course, you must have the mining level requirement to mine the ore in question, so mining level will not be in the required skills list.

 

Iron

 

F2P

 

Here is the BEST spot for BOTH f2p AND p2p. The Dwarven Mines with 15+ Dungeoneering

~~~Dwarven Mines + Resource Dungeon

 

Simply mine the iron ores OUTSIDE of the resource dungeon, when you have a full load, enter the resource dungeon and use the bank deposit box. Rinse and repeat. This method yields over 800 iron ores per hour, nearly matching the xp rate of powermining.

 

Here are a few pictures to illustrate this, credits RSFreak1234

 

If you do not have 15 Dungeoneering, your options are fairly limited. But for both of the viable methods below, remember you must constantly run, and since you are carrying a lot of iron ore, you may run into energy problems. Whenever you are low on energy, REST. For both methods, there's a Musician fairly close to the route you are taking to bank, so use it. Never walk. (Members, of course, do not encounter this problem if they have a decent agility level.)

 

~~~Varrock South-West Mines (Champion's Guild Mines)

 

For this to work, you MUST be on a full world, or as close to full as possible. Anything below 1.8k people would be out of optimal effectiveness.

 

There are two iron ores opposite of one another with 1 square in between. These are the two ores you must mine. There are also 3 nearby silver ores, which you are free to mine when they are open. Silver is worth about 3 times as much as iron, but note that unlike iron you cannot "1-hit" silver nearly as frequently as you can "1-hit" iron.

 

To bank, teleport to Varrock. Sure you use a law rune and lose 3 inventory spaces, but it's better than running all the way up to Varrock again.

 

There are no requirements other than the ability to teleport to Varrock.

 

Note: Varrock South-East mines work as well, but they are usually way too crowded to be effective.

 

~~~Rimmington Mines

 

Here's a relatively newer method that came out when Jagex added a bank deposit box in Port Sarim. It's slightly worse than Varrock, but it's easier and no teleporting is involved. Be on a world with 1.8k people or more, and mine a full load. Then, run or use the Explorer Ring 3 to teleport over to Port Sarim near the monks who take you to Entrana. There's a deposit box there, just hit the deposit inventory button and you're set.

 

There are no requirements, but having the Explorer Ring 3 greatly helps.

 

P2P

The f2p Dwarven Mine spot is STILL the best, although if you more alternative options

 

Familiar use: Since Iron can be "1-hit" by most players, there is no need for a familiar to boost your mining level. Therefore, Beasts of Burden are the best familiars to use while mining iron. Exception is at Piscatoris, where the Kyatt is obviously preferable. Also, in the Dwarven Mine spot, since the bank is so close, no BoB is necessary. Therefore, it is recommended that you bring some sort of Foraging familiar such as a Fruit Bat or Magpie so you can squeeze extra profit out of your stay.

 

~~~Varrock South-West Mines (Version 2.0)

Even in members, this is a great mine. However, member's have 2 very important benefits: The Combat Bracelet and the Ring of Duelling/Amulet of Glory.

 

Follow the exact same procedure as described in the f2p method, but for banking teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville and return to the mines with your Champion's Guild teleport.

 

There are technically no requirements. While you need to recharge your Combat Bracelets somehow, you do not need Legend's completed. You have 3 options:

 

-Sell your uncharged Braclets on the GE then buy charged versions (they are the same price anyway)

-Use a Geyser Titan to recharge

-Trade them to a friend who can recharge them

 

However, completing Legends is the most convenient option, and I recommend having it done.

 

~~~Piscatoris Mine, and your lovely Kyatt

PICTURE TO COME

 

For members with access to the Spirit Kyatt (57 summoning), the Piscatoris mines are the BEST way to bank your iron ores. There are 3 close iron spawns. It is best to utilize this location in a world with as many people as possible. Full is best, although most member worlds aren't full. In a full world, you will constantly be mining.

 

To bank, teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville. Return using your Kyatt teleport to Piscatoris.

 

Of course, you must have the summoning level to use these mines. You can, alternatively, bank in Piscatoris. This requires Swan Song completed.

 

~~~Ardougne East Mines (Legend's Guild Mines)

A huge 11 iron and the ability to sustain up to 3 miners. Like Piscatoris, you want to be in a world as close to full as possible.

 

To bank, teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville. Return by teleporting to Ardougne.

 

The magic level for Ardounge Teleport AND Plague City are required.

 

~~~Port Khazard Mines

Can sustain 2 miners, and once again, you want to be in a world that's full. This mine is also conveniently located by a Summoning obelisk, so you can recharge your summoning points if you are using a familiar.

 

To bank, run to the Bank Deposit box in Port Khazard.

 

There are no requirements.

 

~~~Dwarven Mines

This is a unique method involving using the Living Rock Caverns to bank. Even though you will be entering a dangerous area (as the warning cautions), you enter a safe area of it, meaning that there is no real danger unless you manage to leave the safe area around the bank deposit box.

 

Here is the location where you should mine.

Picture of the rope you use to descend into the Caverns.

Image of where the bank deposit is as well as the rope to ascend back into the Dwarven Mines.

 

Coal

 

Coal is a popular ore, making it easy and profitable to sell. However, coal doesn't really shine too brightly. Before ~50-60 mining, you will mine it too slowly for it to be better than iron, and at those levels, gold becomes more profitable. Still, coal is worthwhile to mine for freeplayers who cannot effectively mine gold or iron. Some members may also find it useful if they do not meet the requirements to successfully mine p2p iron or gold.

 

F2P

 

~~~Skeleton Mine

 

The Skeleton Mine in the wilderness is NEVER crowded. Of course, if you can find a Mining Guild world with a sufficiently low number of people, then go for it. Also, the wilderness isn't too dangerous. In fact, since Revenants can only have a set number of combat levels, there are certain combat levels that seriously limit the amount of Revenants who can attack you. In addition, some combat levels may find that no revenants can attack them at all.

 

Unlike any of the locations so far mentioned, at this spot you will need Healing. I recommend bringing Dragonhide and 4 Anchovy Pizzas. That usually lasts. However, if the skeletons are giving you trouble, swap for metal armor.

 

To bank, run south to Edgeville bank.

 

There are no requirements.

 

~~~Mining Guild

Just a brief mention. Mine here if you can grab the chance, but from my experiences with the endless crowds, the Skeleton Mine is better.

 

To bank, run to Falador bank.

 

You must have 60 mining, but you may boost to that level.

 

In addition, it may be worth it to mine the Mithril, and perhaps the Adamant in the Dwarven Mines.

 

Expect around 300 coal/hour.

 

P2P

 

~~~Mining Guild (Version 2.0)

 

Really the only place you should mine. There are so many better options than coal to begin with, and the Mining guild is usually vacant. No reason to mine anywhere else. You can also mine the Mithril and Adamant when it respawns.

 

To bank, teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville. Return with a Skills Necklace. I suppose you could run to Falador bank, but there's really no reason to.

 

You must have 60 mining, but you may boost to that level.

 

~~~Concentrated Coal

 

See Concentrated Gold in next section. The xp is considerably less than Concentrated Gold, at around 30k xp/hr.

 

Gold

 

Easily the most profitable ore, other than rune. Gold is not only high demand, but highly abundant and easy to mine. This makes gold one of the best moneymakers in the game. Of course, gold tends to come with pretty high competition, but only in f2p. Members can usually circumvent any competition but hopping worlds a few times. For f2p, finding a vacant world can be rather difficult, but I stress that it is possible and within reason.

 

F2P

 

~~~Crafting Guild

 

Really the only place. No where else is practical.

 

Depending on prices, it may actually be better to mine the silver ore instead of the gold, or mine both of them in conjugation.

 

To bank, teleport to Falador and bank at Falador WEST bank. Return by using the Lumbridge Ring 3 teleport, then running to the crafting guild.

 

You must have 40 crafting and be wearing a Brown Apron, which can easily be bought at Varrock Clothing Shop (the one by the teleport landing, not the one on the East side of town).

 

P2P

 

There is debate as to which of the follow method (bar Living Rocks) is the best. They really are about the same. My advice is to simply use the one that is most practical to you. You could do some tests and see which one is best, but it really isn't necessary because, as I've said, the difference is minimal (although technically speaking, the Crafting Guild would be the fastest in that respect).

 

If you really cannot decide, go for the Crafting Guild, since it is slightly faster than the others. But really, pick the one you are most comfortable with.

 

~~~Crafting Guild (Version 2.0)

 

Basically the same as the f2p version, except to bank, teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville. To return, balloon from Castlewars, or use a Skills Necklace.

 

~~~Brimhaven Horseshoe Mine

 

I suppose you could also use the Brimhaven Dungeon mine, but there's no reason to. It has 4 less gold and doesn't have a gold ore spawn. In addition, neither is crowded.

 

This is one of the better mines, although that Poison Scorpion can cause trouble if you are below 40 combat. In addition, there's a Summoning en route to the mines, so you can easily recharge your summoning points (or even make new pouches) on your way to the mines.

 

To bank, teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville. To return, teleport to your Brimhaven House, exit the portal, and run to the mines.

 

~~~Arzinian Mine

 

Take a guess at how many ores are in this HUGE mine. 30? 40? Actually, there's a total of 146 ores, including those stored inside gold veins.

 

That being said, however, it is rather far from a bank. To leave the mines, you need to unequip your Gold Helmet (which is required to enter). Then you need to run to a Dwarven Boatman who will bank your ores but at a fee of gold ore. In the end, you don't even get too many ores for yourself. So ultimately, this is one of the inferior gold mining options.

 

To bank, exit the mines and have the Dwarven Boatman bank your ores. Then return by having Dondakan cannon you back into the mines.

 

You must have completed Between a Rock..., and have a Gold Helmet. In addition, a Ring of Charos (a) reduces the fee to bank.

 

~~~Keldagrim North Mines

 

One of the newer mines. It has quite a lot of gold and a lot of adamant as well. The runite will also spawn occasionally.

 

To bank, run to Keldagrim bank.

 

You must have completed Forgiveness of a Chaos Dwarf.

 

~~~Concentrated Gold

 

Concentrated Gold is in fact the best way to mine Gold (and same with C Coal). However, it is usually done more for xp than profit. For this reason, I will go deeper into this method in the XP section of this guide.

 

You can get 45k-50k xp/hr hour here, even as high as 60k with a Yak.

 

Rune

 

The king of all ores. It goes without saying that Rune is the best way to profit with mining. It also goes without saying that mining Rune is EXTREMELY difficult. No worries though, this section will teach you how to mine it at optimal efficiency. First, some concepts:

 

Respawn. By now you've realized that the ore in rocks respawn based on the population in a world. Rune is no exception. However, rune is NEVER mined practically by staying in one world. Therefore, world hopping is a necessity. But of course, as you hop from world to world, the ore in worlds you've already mined will respawn. So there is no need to run down the entire list of worlds and risk going into a world where the rock has been mined already. Simply return to a previously-visited world when the ore respawns.

 

But Zaaps, how do I know when it respawns? Easy, with this here table:

 

Players            	0 	        200 	400 	600 	800 	1000 	1200 	1400 	1600 	1800 	2000
Respawn time 	25:00 	23:45 	22:30 	21:15 	20:00 	18:45 	17:30 	16:15 	15:00 	13:45     12:30 

 

Or, to be more precise, use this formula:

 

Let X = Number of Players in the world

25 - x/160

 

So then simply take some sort of stopwatch, timer, or clock (use your cell phone, Computer's built in clock, whatever) and some way to record numbers (I recommend against the in-game notepad, since you need to waste in-game time to do so). Then simply record the time you finished mining a rune rock and the approximate time it will respawn at.

 

This is a critical concept to understand and apply. Without it, your rune mining speed will fall drastically.

 

In addition, I know there are a few Mining timers online that you can use. Go for it if you feel it helps, but as always, download and use with caution.

 

Scouts. Whenever you log out, there is a roughly 45 second delay period where you cannot log in again. The idea with scouts is to log in with a scout and check whether any given world has rune in its rock. This way, if you employ 2-3 scouts in addition to your normal miner, you will never get the 45 second delay. Also, you will not need to worry about the delay time if you log into a world that contains no rune.

 

This is, of course, much more practical in f2p than p2p.

 

In addition, scouts allows you to gain valuable information about any threats you might log into, such as Revenants or PKers.

 

F2P

 

~~~Wilderness

 

Right, the only option you have anyway. Pretty straightforward, mine, hop, mine some more, then hop. The real trick comes when a Rev appears.

 

Depending on your stats, you may choose to simply tank the Rev, but generally, this isn't a good idea. Remember that after 10 seconds away from combat, you can escape but simply logging out safely. So one idea would be to keep running until you've been out of combat for 10 seconds. Naturally, this'll take a while. A better idea is to exploit the fact that Revenants cannot run. Simply run to the lesser demon cage, then run to the other side of it. Hopefully, the Rev will be trapped on the other side. You can then stall your 10 seconds there.

 

In f2p, there is no point in trying to kill the Rev. You are wasting your time if you do.

 

If you are using scouts, it's better to position them INSIDE of the Lava Maze, north of the Cage to the Lessers. This way, you could simply run away from Revs, or at least a more easily.

 

You will need to use adequate Healing techniques. I recommend bringing Dragonhide with 8 Anchovy Pizzas. You can, of course, drop the pizzas if you need to.

 

To bank, run down to level 20 wilderness and teleport to Falador. You can also bank at the Wilderness Volcano.

 

There are no technical requirements, but it goes without saying that a high combat would be extremely helpful.

 

For members running this method, the Lava Titan's teleport is extremely helpful as it places you virtually next to the rocks.

 

P2P

 

~~~Light Temple

 

Here it is. The absolute best place to mine Rune, if you do it right, that is. Of course, there are an impressive amount of requirements. Two mediocre substitutes are the Freminick Isles Mine and the Keldagrim North Mines.

 

Any other mine is simply too crowded to be effective. Even though Light Temple only has 1 rock, it is sufficient.

 

The following subsection will give you an in-depth look at how to mine at the Light Temple.

 

[/hide]

 

~~~~~~~[hide=2.5 Light Temple Runite Mining]

This section is one of three in-depth "mini-guides" that explain the best way to mine.

 

First of all, a little background. The Light Temple Runite Mines are unlocked upon starting Mourning Ends Part 2, this makes them one of the highest-requirement areas to get to in the game. In addition, effectively mining rune is benefited by completing Within the Light, but a lesser alternative of the Abyss Mini-Quest also functions well, but note you must complete Mourning Ends Part 2 to use the latter option.

 

If you choose to use neither of the above shortcuts, then you must have full Mourner to access the Mines.

 

The Mines are heavily guarded by Dark Beasts. This is probably the single biggest factor that makes these mines abandoned. Oftentimes, you will only see Slayers there and no other miners. This however, works to your advantage.

 

To bank, you must teleport to Castlewars, Mobilising Armies, or Edgeville.

 

SET UP

This is the standard set-up for maximum efficiency. The only 2 changes that could be made are to swap the gloves and boots for White Gloves and White Boots/Bandos Boots to maximize prayer bonus. The prayer potion is only needed if you are using the abyss, or if you are unfamiliar with safespotting the Dark Beasts (explained later).

 

It also goes without saying to use the best BoB available to you. Also, you could summon a level-boosting familiar at the bank and dismiss it once you need to use your BoB. Options for this are the Lava Titan, Obsidian Golem, and Desert Wyrm.

 

If you are getting there through the Mourner HQ, make the following changes:

-Replace the tele crystal with a house teleport

-Replace the gloves and boots with Mourner Gloves and Boots, also bring the Mourner Cape, Top, Trousers, and Gas mask in your inventory.

 

If you are getting there through the Death Rift on the Abyss, make the following changes:

-Replace the tele crystal with a house teleport

-Also bring some cheap food if you are not going to pray against the Shadows. Something like tuna or salmon is fine. You can always drop it and feed it to the Dark Beasts.

 

Here's how to get to the Mines, obviously, you must start praying once the Dark Beasts come within attacking range. DO NOT USE ANCIENT CURSES WHILE MINING IN THE LIGHT TEMPLE!!! You MUST switch to prayers, otherwise, if you use deflect melee and the curse deflects a hit back onto the Dark Beast, it will start to attack you with magic. This is bad. You will see why in a moment.

 

Now that you are there, there are three rules you must know to successfully mine there.

 

HOW TO MINE

1. Dark Beasts are Noob

Basically, this describes the Dark Beasts' attacking behavior. Many people do not know this fact, and as a result they overestimate the difficulty of mining here. First of all, their magic attack is totally irrelevant. They WILL NOT USE THEIR MAGIC ATTACK unless you range or mage them from a safespot (again, if you were being an idiot and decided to ignore my advice about not using Ancient Curses, deflect prayers can cause them to use their magic attack). Of course, you will not do this, and therefore will not have to worry about their magic attack at all. This means you can simply pray melee to stop them from doing any damage at all.

 

They are not Tormented Demons; they will not know to switch attacking styles.

 

Dark Beasts are noob.

 

2. Dark Beasts got no jumpz

Another common misconception is that since the Dark Beasts are all over the place, it is extremely hard to log out. Obviously these people either (a)never visited the mines AT ALL or (b)don't know that Dark Beasts can't jump.

 

Let me show you what I mean.

 

 

Here is a picture of the rune rock. I have highlighted in green the two spots where no dark beasts can ever attack you with melee. As you can see, you have plenty of cover to log out. The 2 red spaces work MOST OF THE TIME, but be warned that sometimes the Dark Beasts can attack you from there, so they are not really "safe". Even the west red square, while it seems that the rocks give you cover, they really don't. By some freak of nature, dark beasts can attack through the rocks with melee if they are adjacent to the rock.

 

I do recommend turning Auto-Retaliate OFF, because if you did not successfully block off a Dark Beast and were forced to pray melee, it may cause you to leave the safespot. However, if you keep it on you can hear when your character attacks the Dark Beast back. This may help players who are multi-tasking while mining rune.

 

3. Dark Beats are fat

So you know that dark beasts only melee. You know that you can safely log out. Those are the basics. Now here's a somewhat advanced tactic to save yourself prayer and time: the knowledge that dark beasts are fat.

 

"What are you saying?" you might ask. It's simple. Everything in Runescape takes up space. Under normal conditions, no NPC can occupy the same space. (There are, of course, exceptions, including when players or NPCs are "flipped", but this problem doesn't occur at Dark Beasts.) You can use this to your advantage.

 

After mining enough at the Light Temple, you may notice that in some worlds, the dark beasts are set up so that you can stand next to the rock and not be under attack at all. You may have, at first, thought this to be a lucky coincidence. This is not true. The case was made when the Dark Beasts got in each others' way, not allowing any of them to stand adjacent to you, and therefore not allowing any of them to melee you.

 

With enough skill, you can manipulate the dark beasts and force them to enter this kind of position. You must have a minimum of 2 dark beasts on the west side of the rune rock to do this, although it can be done on any of the 4 sides. The west side, however, is easiest since you have the most barriers. The south side is also commonly used while the north and east sides are rarely used.

 

First, it is important to know that Dark Beasts occupy a 3x3 grid on the map. I recommend mining in standard detail so it is easier to see these boxes.

 

Here's an example.

 

You can see that none of the dark beasts can attack me in that position. I have outlined each Dark Beasts' grid in red, while I've outlined the "critical squares" (simple squares where a Dark Beast must occupy to attack) in green.

 

Remember that no dark beast may occupy a square that another dark beast is occupying. You can see that the west Beast is preventing the south-west Beast from attacking me by moving north, while the south Beast is preventing it from moving north-east and attacking me.

 

So let's create some rules for blocking off Dark Beasts.

 

1. A Dark Beast cannot occupy a square another object is occupying.

2. To attack with melee, a Dark Beast must be standing adjacent to a player.

 

Let's see another example:

 

Here's almost the same situation. However, notice the Dark Beast occupying the same square I am! This must be a violation of the two rules above!

 

First of all, there are exceptions to the first rule. It is true that a Dark Beast cannot ENTER a square another object is occupying, but a player CAN. This means that I walking ontop the Dark Beast, therefore "flipping" it and allowing it to occupy the same square I am. So let's amend the first rule.

 

1. A Dark Beast cannot enter a square occupied by another object, but a player is allowed to enter a square occupied by an NPC or other player. Neither can occupy a square filled by an inanimate object (such as the rocks).

 

How about the second? Clearly, part of the Dark Beast is standing right next to me, so why can't it attack? Simple, because to attack, a Dark Beast cannot be overlapping its target. In addition, a Dark Beast has the ability to move away from the target to rectify this problem. So let's add this rule:

 

3. A Dark Beast cannot be overlapping its target to attack, but it has the ability to move away from the target so that it is not overlapping.

 

Then why is the Dark Beast NOT moving away from me so it can attack? Simple as well, look back at the first rule. A Dark Beast cannot enter a square occupied by another object, in this case the Dark Beasts south and west of it. Therefore, the Dark Beast is stuck where it is and can do nothing. It cannot attack and it cannot move away so that it can attack. In other words, this Dark Beast is paralyzed.

 

Let's see our rules in one place:

 

1. A Dark Beast cannot enter a square occupied by another object, but a player is allowed to enter a square occupied by an NPC or other player. Neither can occupy a square filled by an inanimate object.

2. To attack with melee, a Dark Beast must be standing adjacent to a player.

3. A Dark Beast cannot be overlapping its target to attack, but it has the ability to move away from the target so that it is not overlapping. If it cannot achieve this, it is paralyzed and therefore not a threat.

 

One important thing to remember is that these rules are static. That means that they only apply for one exact moment. If the conditions change, all the rules must be reevaluated. What if a slayer comes and kills in south Dark Beast in the second example? The Dark Beast could then move south and attack me.

 

Some more examples:

 

Here, I demonstrate that you do not NEED to be at the west side to block off the Dark Beasts.

 

 

Of course, sometimes there is the absence of Dark Beasts within attacking range altogether. Take advantage of this, but be on the lookout for Dark Beasts that respawn or wander into attacking range. The above instance normally occurs when there is a slayer who has lured most of the Dark Beasts away from the Rune Rock. In the above picture, you cannot see the slayer, since he was far south.

 

 

Ok then, "so how exactly do I set up these positions?", you ask? There is no easy explanation. Part of the method is by experience and memorization. The same patterns often reoccur, and if you've successfully blocked once you will know how to do it again.

 

Luckily however, you can LEARN to block.

 

First of all, there's one important rule to know:

 

If a Dark Beast is targeting you, it will continue to target you even if you enter combat with another Dark Beast. It will only stop targeting you if you are in combat with another Dark Beast and are adjacent to the targeting Dark Beast.

 

In other words, you can continue to lure Dark Beasts under all conditions until you enter its attacking range. This is almost always true, but very rarely "flipping" a Dark Beast will not trigger this rule.

 

You can use this rule to lure the Dark Beasts into a favorable position. You must be able to visualize how the Dark Beasts move. Here's (another) rule:

 

Dark Beasts can only move horizontally and vertically, never diagonally.

 

As I've said before, it is easiest to block Dark Beasts on the west side of the rune rock. So first of all, run to that spot. Then analyze your position. Is it possible to block off Dark Beasts? It's not always an option. If it is, you have two options, you can either run to the north-west corner and lure the Dark Beasts that direction, or you could pull a similar maneuver in the south-east side of the rock.

 

What you are trying to do is make it so that 2 (sometimes 1 and sometimes 3) Dark Beasts block the way so that a third Dark Beast cannot access a "critical square" or so that the third Dark Beast is "paralyzed".

 

The process is hard to explain and demonstrate. But it is a common possibility. By blocking off Dark Beasts, you save a lot of prayer (8/10 times, you can block off all Dark Beast attacks) and furthermore, it makes your life a lot easier. You are not attacked by Dark Beasts, so it's easier to hear when you're done mining. Also, it saves time since there is no 10-second delay before logging out.

 

Practice makes perfect.

 

 

The Method: How to Block Dark Beasts

Ok then. So I lied. There IS an "easy" way to block the Dark Beasts that almost always works. However, I highly recommend you understand the concepts explained above. Otherwise, if you make a mistake, you will not be able to safespot them efficiently, wasting prayer.

 

Thanks to the ingenuity of XPLOSIV6, here are some pictures to illustrate this method:

 

Step-by-step explanation:

1. From your log-in position, first wait one or two seconds. Sometimes, the Dark Beasts will set themselves up such that you can already walk into a safespot. For this, you will need the knowledge explained above.

2. If no immediate safespots present themselves, and there is only 1 Dark Beast east of the Runite Rock, run to position 1 (labelled in the second picture). If there is more than 1 Dark Beast east of the Runite Rock, run to position 1, then run to position 2.

3. Wait in position until a Dark Beast attacks you. Then run back to the Runite Rock such that you are 1 square north of it (as shown in the third picture). You can now turn off prayer, as there are no Dark Beasts east of the Runite Rock that can attack you.

 

By doing this, and by using the optimal setup, you will only use 1 or 2 prayer points per lure if you do it successfully. This eliminates any need for prayer potions if you stay for a standard trip (even if you fill up a War Tortoise). However, players who choose to camp with a Pack Yak may wish to bring prayer potions. 1 Potion is more than enough, and 2-3 will last you hours.

 

Here, take a free video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SkbqHktDaI&feature=player_embedded

 

 

[/hide]~~~~~~~

 

 

[hide=3. Mining for Xp]

So now that you know how to MAKE money with your mining level, the obvious follow-up is, "how exactly do I improve my mining level?" This section of the guide is aimed to answer that question.

 

To be sure, the "Mining for Profit" section involves mining ores, and to be sure, those ores give you xp. But that experience is disappointingly slow. While this section sacrifices any form of profit (outside of mining stars and concentrated ores), you could more than DOUBLE your Xp output in one hour by employing the methods in this section. So let's get started.

 

Mining for Profit is

 

Iron

 

F2P

 

This is a non-member's ONLY method of Mining of Xp. There are no other viable methods.

 

So theoretically speaking, any mining area with 2-3 iron rocks within 2 squares of each other will allow you to mine at optimal speed. However, there are certain places that stand out.

 

A good way to powermine iron is to mine 3 ores then drop 3 ores. This allows you to take advantage of drop speeds/respawn speeds. Drop 2 mine 2 also works, but is more intensive and tends to be slower.

 

For m3-d3, you should be in a world with 1000-1400 people. For m2-d2, the world should be as close to full as you can get it.

 

Another advantage of this system over the "mine a full invent, then drop it", is that you can keep any gems/random event rewards you get.

 

Because of the heavy dropping required, I strongly recommend MOUSEKEYS. Format your inventory so that the entire inventory is full, except for 3 squares arranged in a column. This allows you to use mousekeys and drop them as quickly as possible.

 

Using the mine 3-drop 3 method, expect around 36k xp/hr, although more experienced/focused miners can get around 40k.

 

An even better method to mining iron is to drop the ores as you mine them. After you mine an ore, there is a brief window of time where you cannot mine any more ores. Since mining during this time is a waste, the best use of the time is to drop the ore. This, however, is extremely click-intensive, but it IS the fastest way.

 

~~~Al-Kharid

 

Previously, this location had a "triangle" of iron, making it the best place to powermine (at least, if you could get an empty spot!). However, that spot was removed. Al-Kharid mine is still a good option, however, and should not be ignored.

 

~~~Rimmington

 

This spot is better than Al-Kharid since the iron ores are in a better arrangement on the West side of the mines. It's bothersome to get to, however. Alternatively, what some people like to do is sell the iron ores to Rimmington general store. I recommend against it, since it slows you down greatly.

 

~~~Hobgoblins'

 

I have always held Hobgoblins' Mine to be the best place to powermine. It is never crowded and has the best rock formation available to f2p. There are only 3 small problems.

 

1. Accessibility. For f2p, this spot is notoriously difficult to get to. The best way to do so is to teleport to Falador, then run north to the Zamorak Church. From there, climb northward along the edge of the Wilderness (minimizing Rev/Pker encounters). Then, just run East when you're at the appropriate level.

 

2. Hobgoblin Attacks. Bring some methods of healing and stall out the 10 minutes required. You can still mine while under attack, however, so this isn't a big problem.

 

3. Revenants/Pkers. Believe it or not, Revenants are actually the more deadly of the two. This is because they are stubborn and there isn't a way to avert combat. For this reason, I recommend mining in a PvP/BH world.

 

What to do if a Rev comes: There isn't much choice. Try to lose it, since you probably will not kill it. Then log and hop.

 

What to do if a Pker comes: They won't. Rarely will a Pker venture so deep into single combat wilderness. Even if they do, you are 100% safe if the Hobgoblins aren't aggressive toward you, since the Hobgoblins will attack the Pker, who therefore cannot attack you. Simply run into the center of the Mines then laugh/log.

 

Besides, this is f2p. If you are in Rune armor with decent defense (50/60+), you might as well be invincible. \

 

You will want to mine either in the center Iron formation, or the North-East Iron formation.

 

P2P

 

You really shouldn't powermine iron when you have 3 better options: bank iron, powermine granite, or Concentrated Ores. If you really wanted to, just go to any of the Iron locations in the "Mining for Profit" section and powermine instead. The best would be Ardougne.

 

Granite

 

I will be going far more in-depth on Granite in the next subsection. For now, know that this is the fastest xp in mining outside of Stars.

 

Concentrated Ores

 

This is the best alternative for Granite. It is slower xp, but gives a nice profit. In addition, it is extremely easy to mine. I will go more in-depth in the next subsection.

 

Stars

 

I hold this to be the best way to train mining, but it only remains at this optimal pace once per day for an expanse of ~10-15 minutes. If you would like further information about this method, please look into these two guides below:

 

http://forum.tip.it/topic/212112-zaaps1s-complete-shooting-star-guide-update-12-apr-09/

http://www.tip.it/runescape/?page=shooting_star.htm

http://www.tip.it/runescape/map2/starmapcopy.jpg

 

Those links will tell you everything you need to know about finding and mining stars.

 

[/hide]

 

~~~~~~~[hide=3.3 Granite Powermining]

 

Your Setup

Grab the xp boosters you wish to bring. Desert robes or Robes of Elidniss to resist the desert heat. Wear the Camulet to easily teleport to the mines. Use the Ring of Duelling to gtfo when you're done :P

 

Now the above setup is for the best method of doing this, Humidify. For players without Humidify, there are a few alternatives, which will be mentioned later.

 

As far as familiars are concerned, only bring a Lava Titan, Obsidian Golem, Desert Wyrm, or Magpie (for money).

 

The Steam Staff is superior over the Water Staff that's listed. However, since Fire Runes are so cheap, players who do not wish to purchase a Steam Staff or are unable to buy one can use Water Staves + Fire Runes as an alternative. If you use a Steam Staff, do not bring Fire Runes. Also, keep your staff equipped (opposed to your pickaxe) so you will not need to switch when casting Humidify.

 

Also, I recommend bringing more than 8 waterskins. Fill up your entire inventory, leaving 3 or 4 spaces open for granite. The more waterskins you have, the more efficient Humidify becomes.

 

Humidify is a lunar spell that grants xp per cast equal to High Level Alchemy. However, instead of making lovely money, it instead fills every vessel of water in your inventory full with water. Players who train with Humidify typically use Fishbowls, since you can empty them with one click, or Vials, since banking them allows the player to profit while training Humidify. Fortunately for the miner, Humidify also fills Waterskins to the brim. Thus, whenever your Waterskins are empty, a single cast of Humidfy will fill ALL of them. This is why Humidify is so great. It's quick and easy to refill your waterskins. It takes all of 5 seconds to get 22 more Waterskin (4)s, opposed to having to bank or cut cacti. The one cast isn't terribly expensive (if you use a steam staff, it costs less than 300gp per cast, add a meager 9gp to that if you use a water staff) and you get magic xp as well (again, equal to alching).

 

But what about those players who lack Humidify, either because of low magic or quest suaveness? Well, there are three decent alternatives.

 

1. Run your ass up to the Bedabin Camp where all those lovely warriors kill Bandits. The general store there sells full Waterskins. So bring some cash with you when you go to the mine Granite (20k will do), sell your empty waterskins, buy new ones, then gtfo and get back to mining!

2. There are cacti nearby that can refill your waterskins, but this is a slow and tedious process. Let's not go there. Use this only if you have a chronic fear of scarabites or bandits.

3. The Enchanted Water Tiara, obtained after the Dealing with Scarabas quest. This tiara requires you to feed it water runes, but instead of draining charges from your waterskins, it drains them from the tiara instead. 1 sip of waterskin is equal to 3 water runes. This is great, since you never have to stop mining and you don't need to run around with 20 waterskins in your inventory. However, it has a clear disadvantage. It's far more expensive for very little advantage over Humidify. Humidify costs less than 300 gp for 20 waterskins, that's like paying 3gp per sip. The Enchanted Water Tiara, however, eats up 3 water runes per sip, totaling about 150gp! That's a 200% increase in costs, and you don't get any magic xp either, and for what? To save 5 seconds of time every 20-22 waterskins? While this beats out any of the other alternatives, it's just that. An alternative. Never use this if you have Humidify, no matter how appealing it might be.

4. Players with the Enhanced Excalibur may also opt to use that, since it restores 200lp every 5 minutes, more or less allowing you to keep up with the heat. It's a tad unreliable, however, since an unlucky streak can land you in danger, so it's best to bring 1-2 brews or some cheap food, just in case.

 

 

Powermining Granite

Now, mining Granite is a lot like mining iron. You can do the nice smooth method of mining 3, then dropping 3. Simple, but effective. Doing this can net concentrated players 50k-60k xp/hr. However, there's a better way.

 

Remember how I said you can't get any more ore approx. 3 seconds after you mine an ore? Well, like iron, you can drop your granite in this 3 second window to greatly increase your xp/hr. Dedicated (not to mention resistant!) players can get as high as 80k xp/hr doing this! After adding in xp boosters, this is the fastest mining xp in the game. In fact, after level 80, this is the only method worth using at granite. If you do not use this advanced method, you're better off at the Living Rock Caverns, where your wallet and your fingers will pray to your image.

 

Step-by-step:

1) Look for a empty spot in a relatively full world e.g. a world with around 1500+ players. You need a spot where not a lot of movement is required, Spots where two rocks are diagonally next to each other and the player just stands between them. There is one in the center-east and center-west.

2) First click one rock and instantly after right click the next rock and hover your mouse above the "mining option"

3) Once that first ore is mined, again instantly click the second rock where the mouse was hovering over. Again Instantly after this action, Right click the first ore in your inventory and hover your mouse over the "drop" option.

4) Soon as the second rock is mined, click the drop option where your mouse has already been placed and you guessed it.. instantly left click the next rock, and get the mouse ready to drop the previously mined ore.

 

This is, of course, extremely click intensive and has an extremely fast tempo. But that's mining outside of the Living Rock Caverns!

 

It goes a lil something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl4DMCk_7mQ&feature=fvw

 

[/hide]~~~~~~~

 

~~~~~~~[hide=3.6 Concentrated Ores]

 

Setup

If you are soloing the Living Rock Caverns, you will NEED either the Saradomin Godsword or Enhanced Excalibur. I suppose you could get by with brews, but that's an unnecessary drain on your inventory space, not to mention needless money spent, especially when you can borrow an SGS from a friend.

 

The Falador Shield 3 is just in case you run out of prayer fighting the Patriarch. You want to pray melee + Piety/Turmoil against it to kill it ASAP, collect the spoils, and get back to mining. However, a shield with better defenses works fine as well, since unless you solo, the chances of you kill a Patriarch are close to none.

 

The rest of the setup is pretty variable. Just make sure you have a method to teleport out, a pick to mine, and something above cardboard defenses. When you go into the mines, you will notice players with basically 4 essential items: 1) a pickaxe, 2) varrock armor 3, 3) penance horn (although many players will not have it), 4) a skillcape to show off :P

 

Method

~~~Solo

There are a couple of benefits to soloing. First off, all your patriarchs are belong to us you. Second, you minimize lag, so people with jumpy connections can mine without fear of lag. Chances are you will still encounter another player or two (they aren't TOTALLY abandoned), so if you do die chances are your grave will get blessed. Plus, it's not hard to get back in time anyway, so it's fairly safe.

 

On the minus side, you take a lot more damage. Enough to necessitate some form of indirect healing. Also, since the ores respawn faster on more crowded worlds, you'd get a slightly slower xp rate. Finally, players who use BoBs will have a tough time using them while being attacked.

 

[/hide]~~~~~~~

 

[hide= 4. Decision-Making and Xp Rates]

This section will contain a leveling-guide as well as raw data for your consideration. The goal of this section, after telling you the best places to mine in the previous 2 sections, is to help you pinpoint which methods and locations are right for you.

 

I will split this into 4 sections, a basic leveling guide, an Xp/Profit guide, a guide to profit mining, and a guide to xp mining.

 

Leveling Mining

 

This is focus on mining for xp, but at any time, you should feel free to switch to a profitable ore and mine that instead, if you so chose.

 

For an alternate leveling guide, take a look at Tip.It's, here: http://www.tip.it/runescape/?page=mining_guide.htm#levelling

 

Introduction to Mining: Levels 1-20

Here I will actually expose two methods I did not mention in the previous two sections, but are great methods at low levels. These are Clay and Copper/Tin mining.

 

Clay is great because it offers significant profit for such an easy to mine ore. However, the xp is paltry at best.

 

Copper/Tin is great because it also can offer profit, and it gives over 3x the xp of Clay. Copper and Tin are more or less the same, although Copper tends to be higher in value.

 

So it's your pick. After level 15, you have access to Iron. However, I recommend AGAINST mining iron at this point since the competition is way too fierce. It's better to simply stick to Copper/Tin or Clay.

 

Do not mine Rune Essence. Clay is better in all respects.

 

Mine Clay at Varrock West Mines, Mine Copper/Tin at East Varrock or East Lumbridge Swamp mines.

 

Beginning Mining: Levels 30-39

At level 30 comes the first major turning point: Pure Essence (members-only). If you can mine Pure Essence, mine Pure Essence. It's easier to mine than clay, with zero competition, great profit, and in a good market. The xp leaves something to be desired, but it is a great improvement over clay. Of course, free players do not have access to this.

 

You should still refrain for mining iron, since the competition is too much. However, if you can get an empty iron spot, go for it, as it is likely better than Copper/Tin at this point. I would not, however, recommend banking the iron, since you should seize every free moment at such a low level.

 

Members can begin mining stars at this point with moderate success.

 

Competitive Mining: Levels 40-49

At this point, Iron should be coming in quickly enough to make it worthwhile. Mine iron. At level 45, you can turn to Granite if you wish, but it will likely be too slow and too competitive.

 

Speed Mining: Levels 50-76/99

Now is when Iron and Granite reach their optimal speeds (although in Granite's case, the higher the better. For Iron, once you can consistently one-hit the rock, you've reached optimal speed. This should occur between 45-55 mining and continue from then). Pick your poison, and keep at it.

 

Free Players level off here, meaning that mining really has nothing new to offer you until 85. Just keep at it until then.

 

By now, Members should be mining stars regularly.

 

The Rocks! They move!: Levels 77-99

Here is the final step, Concentrated Ores. Level 77 introduces coal and Level 80 introduces gold.

 

If you have access to the Void Ravenger, it can increase your mining level by 1, allowing you to mine these ores at level 76/79, respectively. You should utilize this if you can, but do not use Dwarven Stouts as they are too much of a hassle.

 

Xp and Profit Rates of all Significant Methods

 

Iron: You can mine between 900-1.1k per hour if you powermine. However, it is possible to top 1.2k, although this is difficult to do, let alone maintain. You can count on getting a consistent flow of between 30k-35k xp/hr. If you bank ores , you can add the profit the 800 iron gives you as well, or about 130k profit/hr. Nonmembers can except 35k-40k xp/hr powermining, and ~30k xp/hr if they bank.

 

Coal: F2P'ers will get around 300 coal per hour and 15k xp/hr. There's really little reason to mine coal in F2P, and P2P'ers should have no reason to mine coal.

 

Gold (Normal): Count on between 200-400 ores/hr. This translates to about 130k per hour and 16-22k xp/hr. In f2p, expect between 100-200 ores/hr, or 90k profit and 10k xp/hr.

 

Granite: This is a tricky issue. If you employ dropping techniques, your xp/hr improves dramatically. Without any (raw dropping), you can get 40-45k xp/hr, which is barely better than iron and with no profit. Using mousekeys, you can get 60k xp/hr, and because you are using mousekeys this is relatively easy to maintain. Using "delay-dropping", it is possible to get over 70k, or even 80k xp/hr! This, however, is notoriously difficult to maintain as a pace.

 

Concentrated Gold: Very simple. You can get anywhere between 550-700 ores per hour, on average. You should expect 45k-50k+ xp/hr, with Obsidian Golem, War Tortoise, or Lava Titan familiar. With a Yak, you can even get around 60k. Profit stays around 200k xp/hr, lower or higher depending on prices and your familiar. Since you mine so many ores, a small change in price greatly changes your profit, so check prices regularly. Of course, this is lower for Concentrated Coal, with xp/hr being around 30k.

 

The advanced method, mining while superheating, brings ~48k smithing xp/hr and ~45k magic xp/hr in ADDITION to the mining xp you get. Remember, done right, it does not slow you down.

 

Light Temple Runite: Without a Yak, expect about 45-50, maybe even as high as 55 or 60 rune ores per hour. This is about 800k profit/hr and 6k xp/hr. However, Rune is prone to shifts of about 1k or more in price, so keep an eye on prices.

 

Keldagrim Runite: Reportedly, a typical amount of 30-50 ores per hour. However, unlike the Light Temple, this has a much higher variation.

 

Of course, all of these figures are using standard equipment, with no xp boosts.

 

Mining for Profit

This is VERY straightforward, simply mine the method that produces the most money.

 

My one piece of advice is this: if you lack requirements for a better method, get them. For example, what if you cannot access the Light Temple mines? Get access. It is such a better option to simply finish the quests required than to use an alternative. Not only is the best option just that, the BEST, but you must consider that you are most likely going to finish that quest anyway.

 

So if you are going to do the quest regardless, wouldn't it be better to complete it now than later? This way, you have a longer time to enjoy the benefits of the quest.

 

The same goes for skills.

 

Many of you are most likely saying, "But I am never going to do MEP2, why should I bother if I'll never use it?" That's not true and is an incorrect statement. You don't know you are never going to use it. You only know that in the PREDICTABLE FUTURE, you won't use it. But of course, the future doesn't always obey our predictions. What if Jagex releases a quest line that makes MEP2 critical for it, and that quest gives a reward too good to turn down? What if you have to train Runecrafting, and would rather craft Deaths instead of go to ZMI?

 

Mining for XP

 

This is more complicated, because the methods that give more xp aren't necessarily the "better" methods. Here's an analysis:

 

First of all, it is easy to rule out Iron. Concentrated Gold is clearly better and therefore is a substitute. The comparison, then, remains between Stars, Concentrated Gold, and Granite. Stars can also be ruled out since it is clearly better than both, but cannot be constantly used. So let's ignore the iron and star mining methods of training for now.

 

So CG and Granite are left. Which of the two is better?

 

What makes this even trickier is that Granite actually has 3 xp rates, depending on how you decide to train it. For now, let's go with the 75k xp/hr figure (assuming optimal concentration and best method).

 

Let's say you can get 50k xp/hr and 200k profit at Concentrated Gold, that means 1.5 hours at Concentrated Gold equals the same xp as granite. However, at CG you also get 300k profit during that time. So if you were to mine granite, you'd "lose" 300k xp, but "gain" 30 minutes of time. Therefore, if you can make significantly more than 300k gp/ half hr (or 600k gp/hr), the Granite method is better.

 

But then what if you can only hold 60k xp/hr? In that case, granite would be even worse.

 

Here's a formula:

 

X1 = Experience of Method 1, slower but more profitable method

X2 = Expereince of Method 2, faster but less profitable method

P1 = Profit of Method 1

P2 = Profit of Method 2 (can be negative)

 

[(X1 / X2) x (P1 + P2)] / [(X1 / X2) - 1]

 

The resulting number is the amount of cash/hr you must earn greater than for Method 2 to be better than Method 1. Of course, this is EFFICIENCY, and if you remember my statements about efficiency vs. practicality in the Tools of Success section, you will know that just because a method is more efficient, doesn't mean it's better.

 

[/hide]

 

[hide=5. Tips and Tricks]

This is an ever-expanding section for little tidbits submitted by users or found by myself that are quite helpful. They may have been mentioned in the context of the guide, but it's all compiled here for convenience.

 

1. In many mining locations, you will find the necessity to remove a monster from combat. You COULD kill it, but then it would just respawn, right? The solution? Block it off! Need help? You could look into the Light Temple Runite Mining section for the basic concept, but look at this fantastic guide for a complete manual:

http://forum.tip.it/topic/90018-advanced-monster-blocking-link-update-13-jan-2007-aow/

[Guide by Keruly]

 

2. ...

[/hide]

 

[hide=6. FAQ]

[-This section is for player-submitted questions either PM'ed to me in-game or on the Forums as well as posts containing questions. Obviously, this section will expand with the more questions I pick up.-]

[/hide]

 

[hide=7. Conclusion]

Thank you for reading my guide! I hope that it's been helpful and that it's been a fun read. If you liked this guide, be sure to check out my other guides, which I'm sure you will also find useful. I have AoW guides in: F2P Combat, Star Hunting, and Farming. The links to all 3 are in my signature. Check them out! Don't forget to post!

 

Speaking of posting, if you notice any errors, old info, methods that are beaten by other methods I've not mentioned, have a question about mining not addressed in my guide, or just want to say "Nice Guide!", please POST! I love reading responses and each one will be read and considered, I promise. I am usually quick in replying to reponses.

 

The objective of this guide is to introduce methods to make mining easier, faster, and more enjoyable. If you feel any part of this guide has not accomplished this, please post. Credit will be given where credit is due. That being said, I hope this guide has accomplished its purpose. Mining is one of my favorite skills, and my first ever high level skill (got it above 50, 60, 70, 80, and 85 before any other).

 

The In-Depth guides for Granite and Concentrated Ores are currently incomplete and I am working on a section in the Light Temple Runite Mining guide about blocking Dark Beasts, which is also being worked on. In addition, I am trying to gather accurate mathematical rates for ores per hour and xp per hour for most of the methods mentioned in the guide. If you would like to help, and it would be TREMENDOUS aid being lent, look into Section XX of this guide, "Help Wanted!". Therefore, a few parts of this guide are incomplete. Please be patient.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

~Zaaps1

[/hide]

 

[hide=8. Credits]

Tip.It for many of the mining site pictures as well as a few guide links

AoW Team for making this in the AoW, despite it not being finished yet. Soon, I promise! :)

KingDodongo for many of the mining site pictures

Wachtwoord for help with a hide tag issue and a few spelling errors

XPLOSVE6, for Living Rock method of mining iron and its 3 corresponding images. Also for MAJOR help on Dark Beast luring. Big thanks! :)

Ilovecardj, Kaida23, Hedgehog One, Vulxai, MischlingsSH, Sinkhan, Xanotex, misplacedme, 3 Point Man for help with Xp and ore/hr rates

RSFreak1234 for introducing the f2p despoit box method of mining iron

Lava_Minerr, for invaluble information on granite and xp boosters.

i_r_slayer, for excalibur method of granite mining

Xerock, for correcting a mistake in Mining for Profit

 

And readers like you for inching along the view and post counts! :)

[/hide]

[Zaaps1]

Reserved.

[warrior5024]

I'm excited. You've always made good guides, and we need an extensive mining one. Make sure to include such things as timers, MA locators, and if at all possible, the simple explanations to granite/sandstone.

 

Thank you in advance.

[Youmu]

Good luck on your Mining guide! Your F2P combat guide is very extensive and informative, I hope this one is too. :thumbsup:

[Zaaps1]

Thanks for the support, both of you!

 

Warrior, do you happen to have numbers for MA Locators? I haven't done any real testing on those. It would be very helpful if you did.

[Maxingmck]

inb4AOW

[Tact]

Manoman has an (image intensive) guide on MA locators. You could try asking for permission to use some of the data and pictures?

 

Link to guide

 

I'm looking forward to reading up when you've added some more details.

[Zaaps1]

Thanks!

 

Granzi, I was looking more for data rather than a listing of locations. For example, 1 load of iron takes XX seconds using a locator, or something to that effect.

 

My opinion is that the locators are not worth the trouble. It is better to gain a few seconds than to have to play a game of MA every hour or so.

[Tact]

It's not. Some of the mining areas are terrible, either because they don't have enough spawns, or are located in dangerous areas (such as past lvl30 wilderness). You need to bring a lot of extra equipment in case you are teleported to one of those locations.

[Zaaps1]

Tools for Success completed.

[Maxingmck]

about time

[Zaaps1]

Lol, well I had a lot of other stuff I had to take care of. :wink:

[Youmu]

zaaps, are you going to add a F2P section in your guide?

[Zaaps1]

Of course! <3:

[KingDodongo]

Looking good! Can't wait to see it finished :)

[Maxingmck]

why not hd pics?

[Zaaps1]

A few reasons:

 

1) They take up more filespace on my computer, or the computer of whoever is contributing the picture

2) They take longer to load, which is really annoying when editting the guide or for anyone with slow connections

3) I feel they have more "noise" than SD pictures and SD pics tend to be more clear

4) If you show something in HD, some SD users may not recognize it, but if you show something in SD, HD users will most likely recognize.

5) I typically play on SD :lol:

[Youmu]

I'm gonna post locations for the most ores in one spot, in F2P. Hope you can add them.

Mithril ore: Hobogoblin's Mine (19 ores), Crandor Isle (8 ores, non-wildy)

Adamantite ore: Hobogoblin's Mine (8 ores), Crandor Isle/Dwarven Mine (3 ores, non-wildy)

Coal: Mining guild (37 ores)

Silver: Crafting guild (6 ores)

Gold: Crafting guild (7 ores)

Iron ore: Hobogoblin's Mine (21 ores), Al Kharid Mine (9 ores, non-wildy)

Runite ore: Runite mine (2 ores)

 

Just putting them up there. I'll add some pics of the spots later if you want.

EDIT: Here's some pics of the spots.

[hide=Crafting Guild (Gold/Silver)][/hide]

[hide=Mining Guild (Coal)][/hide]

[Zaaps1]

If you don't mind going out of your way a bit, could you get me a picture of the Wilderness Rune mines? It would help a ton.

 

As far as the list you compiled goes, I will most likely add it. However, note that this guide is not focused on mining the best ore you can, but the most effective ore you can.

[Youmu]

If you don't mind going out of your way a bit, could you get me a picture of the Wilderness Rune mines? It would help a ton.

 

As far as the list you compiled goes, I will most likely add it. However, note that this guide is not focused on mining the best ore you can, but the most effective ore you can.

Sure thing, I'll do it as soon as I can.

 

As for most effective ores, Iron definitely beats all in experience.

Money... I say Rune Essence until 41 (when you can get a rune pickaxe), Iron ores until 55, Mithril ores until 70, Adamantite ores until 85, and finally Runite ores.

[Zaaps1]

Gold definitely beats both mithril and adamant in f2p.

[Youmu]

Here's the runite mining spot, with unfortunately both rocks mined out.

[hide=Runite mine][/hide]

This also shows me being attacked by a revenant while visiting the mine.

[Zaaps1]

Thanks!

[Wachtwoord]

Seems like this is going to be another awesome guide from you! Maybe you should say something about mining (pure) essence too. Especially on P2P, the profits are big for low(er) levels.

 

And a few spelling errors:

 

Still, coal is worthwhile to mine for freeplayers cannot effectively mine gold or iron.

 

Simple run run to the lesser demon cage,

[Zaaps1]

Fixed, but my hide tags appear to be broken :(