Mining

Mining is Woodcutting's sibling — same loop (pick a target, swing a tool, get a raw material), different output. Where logs feed Kindling, Bowcraft, and Cooking-fuel chains, ores feed the Forging metal ladder, which is where most of your character's gear comes from. A maxed Mining character has a steady pipeline of materials for end-game weapons.

How Mining works

Each rock has a Mining level requirement and an XP-per-ore value. Pickaxe tier (Bronze to Crystal) affects swing speed and rolls. Rocks deplete after each successful mine and respawn after a delay — high-volume mining sites have many rocks of one type clustered together so you can move between them without idle gaps.

The ore ladder mirrors the metal ladder: Copper and Tin (level 1) → Iron (15) → Coal (30) → Mithril (55) → Adamantite (70) → Runite (85). Coal is the rate-limiter for almost every Forging operation past level 30 — most experienced players Mine far more coal than any other ore, regardless of what their character actually needs.

Gem rocks at certain Mining sites give random gem drops alongside ores. Sapphires through Diamonds at lower tiers, Dragonstones and Onyxes from rarer rocks. Gems feed Handicraft and high-tier Apothecary recipes. The Crystal pickaxe at Mining 75+ unlocks the highest XP rates and a small chance to mine multiple ores per swing.

Tips for training Mining

1. Coal mining is the bottleneck for Forging at every tier above Steel. Build a coal stockpile before you start serious smithing.
2. Iron at level 15 has an interesting XP rate — fast respawns, good per-ore XP, useful for the long climb to 30.
3. Gem rocks are a side game. The chance is low but the per-gem value is high; long Mining sessions at gem-bearing sites pay off.
4. A Dragon pickaxe at Mining 61 is the practical AFK target. Crystal at 75+ is the polish.
5. Some Mining sites have spawn density that makes them XP-per-hour traps — count visible rocks before committing to a site.

Skills that pair with Mining

The 23 trades aren't isolated. Mining works best alongside these:

Frequently asked about Mining

What's the bottleneck for high-tier Forging?

Coal. Every metal above Iron requires coal as a smelting input, and high-tier metals need 3-8 coal per bar. Most Mining sessions past level 30 are really coal sessions.

Are gems worth chasing?

Yes, especially as you approach Mining 60. Gem-rock sites can produce a meaningful side income of gems for Handicraft, and the rare drop of a Dragonstone is enough to fund a week of other training.

Can I mine ores for sale instead of for Forging?

Sure. Higher-tier ores have steady gold prices in the in-game market. The ore-versus-bar arbitrage swings depending on Forging supply, but raw ores are generally a fine GP-per-hour skill at high levels.