Free-to-play Mining training

Mining is a fairly tedious skill to train, giving slow experience and having competition over rocks from other players. However, it can be a very rewarding skill in terms of money.

It is highly recommend that you teleport whenever possible - this lowers the amount of running time (especially with heavy loads).

Equipment
Pickaxes are the main tool required in mining. It is recommended to get the best pickaxe available for your level as it is worth it in the long run. Having respective attack levels save one inventory space as the pickaxe can be wielded.

Players have the option to purchase a coal bag for storage of extra coals. It takes 1 inventory space and holds 27 extra coal. Filling the bag during mining earns 1350 experience per bank trip. It requires 35 mining and 35 Dungeoneering (costs 4000 tokens) to be bought and used.

Mining urns are also recommended to carry along for experience boost it gives.

Quests

 * Doric's Quest gives 1,300 Mining experience. However, you will need to obtain 2 iron ores that can't be mined until level 15 Mining although they can be picked up when power miners drop them, or bought from the Grand Exchange.

Antique lamps can be obtained through numerous other quests and tasks, which can then be used to give experience to your mining skill.

Level 1 to 15
Tin and Copper are the main ores mined at this level. They give decent experience (17.5 experience per ore) and profit and can be smithed. Even though the mining experience is fairly low many players often continue to mine copper or tin due to the speed of mining. Many players continue to mine Tin an Copper into much higher levels due to this and the lack of competition / overcrowding.

Clay gives 5 experience per ore. Clay is a good money-maker for new players but is considerably slower experience. You can also train on rune essence (5 experience each) if you have completed Rune Mysteries.

If you are a low level, it is recommended to stick with tin and copper until level 30, mining it from the south-east Lumbridge Swamp mining site; smithing all the ore in the north Lumbridge building containing both a furnace and anvil, along with free hammers.

Tin and Copper Locations

 * South-east Lumbridge Swamp mining site where the Mining Tutor was previously located.
 * South-east Varrock mining site, which is near a bank.
 * Dwarven Mines
 * Gunnarsgrunn mining site (only tin rocks)
 * South-west Varrock mining site (only tin rocks)

Clay Locations

 * South-west Varrock mining site
 * Dwarven Mines
 * Rimmington mine south of Falador
 * South Gunnarsgrunn mining site

Level 15 to 30/99
Iron is a fast method of mining which yields a very good profit depending on the competition and mining and gives good experience (35 per ore). This is a very good method of power mining from Level 41. With the aid of a rune pickaxe, you are able to mine iron ores very quickly, taking less than 1 second each. Power mining with urns grants about 45000 XP per hour; the fastest mining experience in the free game. At high levels of mining, mining iron is a fast way to make money, resulting in a profit of around 75,000 coins per hour.

Good locations for this are:
 * South-east Varrock mining site (consider Teleporting back to Varrock to reduce running time). Disadvantage of the Varrock Mining Sites is the possibility of overcrowding.
 * Al-Kharid Mine
 * Rimmington mine south of Falador (consider Teleporting to Varrock or Falador, banking, then using Explorer's Ring 3/4 to teleport.)
 * Dwarven Mine
 * South-west Varrock mining site (3 rocks)

Mining Guild
The Mining Guild requires a Level 60 Mining to enter or level of 59 by first drinking a dwarven stout.

The Mining Guild contains the following rocks:
 * 37 Coal rocks
 * 5 Mithril rocks

The disadvantage to the Mining Guild is that it is generally very overcrowded.

Varying your routine
A good way to stray from routine is to multi-task while Mining: high alchemy while mining in the Dwarven Mine (three rocks). The idea is to mine the first iron rock, click on the second iron rock and while your character is turning (or running for the third rock which is far than the two adjacent rocks), click high alchemy on the item you wish to convert, and keep on repeating those three steps. A full load of iron ore plus high alchemy in between takes about two minutes. Once your inventory is full, deposit your iron ore in a deposit box or bank, and repeat. This way you can get Magic and Mining experience at the same time.

It's roughly:

35*26 = 910 xp / 2 min (Mining)

65*18 = 1170 xp / 2 min (Magic)

Level 20 to 30
Silver ore can be mined at level 20, however, it is not recommended past level 30 mining where coal can be mined. Silver ore is currently one of the most expensive ores on the Grand Exchange bringing in coins per ore. This is a good way to gain money for lower level players.The Mining experience earned is 40 per ore.

Locations:
 * South-West Varrock Mine (four rocks). The trip back to Varrock Bank can be shorted by using Varrock Teleport.
 * Al Kharid Mines, although there are Level 14 Scorpions that attack you until they become tolerant. Also a considerable round trip to Al Kharid bank and back again. Teleport is not an option for F2P.
 * Dwarven Mine Resource Dungeon, has three rocks and a bank deposit box.

Level 30 to 40
Coal can be mined at level 30. This ore is crucial to smithing and therefore it is a very good method if you bank ores as you can make good money from this. Coal gives 50 experience per ore. Teleport spells that are near banks make the process of banking faster.

Good locations for this ore are:
 * Dwarven Mine, with 15 Dungeoneering, you can access the bank deposit in the resource dungeon for quicker banking.
 * Gunnarsgrunn, close to the banks in Varrock and Edgeville.
 * West Lumbridge Swamp Mining Site - Faster if combined with Lumbridge Teleports.
 * Edgeville Dungeon, generally only for power levelers. It has many coal ores, and generally empty of players. However, beware of skeletons and the occasional hobgoblin.
 * Southern wilderness mining site, for those with higher combat level, getting ore is almost guaranteed because the mine is not usually crowded. There is a danger from being attacked by other players, but it's relatively low. It is recommended that players do not take valuables, due to the risk of death from another player.

Level 40 to 70
Gold ore can be mined at level 40 mining. Gold ore gives 65 experience each. This used to be a valuable ore which many players mined for profit.

For those wanting to create jewellery, a good location for this ore is in the Crafting Guild (40 Crafting and a brown apron required). Another good location for this is the Karamja-Crandor volcano, as many players here are training on the lesser demons. Beware though, if you are under level 45 combat, the skeletons here are aggressive to you.

If you are a part of a clan, you can get a clan vexillum and a ring of kinship; wield the vexillum and ring of kinship (you will need a pickaxe, brown apron and level 40 crafting). Teleport to the clan camp and run west until you reach the Crafting Guild. Mine the gold rocks until your inventory is full, and teleport to Daemonheim to bank your goods at the Fremmenik banker. The downside to this method is that you only carry 27 gold each run, but on the other hand, it is much faster than banking at Falador.

Level 55 to 70
Mithril ore can be mined at level 55. This ore gives 80 experience and is a middle-level money maker, but is not recommended past level 70.

A good location for this ore is the Mining Guild (60 mining required). For players who are more daring, the Bandit Camp mining site in the Wilderness can be a good location. With 22 mithril rocks in place, players can easily get a full inventory without having to wait for the rocks to respawn, although there are no banks near here and other players can attack you here.

For a fast speed in leveling mining, Crandor is a good place to mine Mithril rocks and has 7 rocks. Be careful of monsters that can attack without warning if you are too close. Unfortunately, there are no close banks or deposit boxes to deposit all of your ores, which makes this a poor location for making money. If you are willing to make money this way, use an Explorer's ring 3/4 once you have a full inventory and then deposit the ores into your bank. Then running back is needed to return to Crandor. The only other alternative is to run to and from Crandor and the East Falador Bank.

With level 15 Dungeoneering you can enter the resource dungeon in the dwarven mine, contains 6 mithril rocks, 3 silver and coal with a bank deposit.Outside the dungeon entrance are 3 iron rocks. While you wait for the Mithril inside and outside the dungeon to respawn, you can mine the iron, and bank it inside the dungeon, which can be very profitable and be incredibly fast xp.

Once you reach level 45 Dungeoneering you can enter the Mining Guild resource dungeon, which contains 8 mithril rocks, 4 adamantite rocks, and 3 runite rocks.

Level 70 to 99
Adamantite ore can be mined at level 70. This is a good money making method of mining, because each ore can sell for coins.

Good locations for this ore are in the Dwarven Mine, the Lumbridge south west mine, the Bandit camp mining site, or on Crandor and in the Dwarven Mine resource dungeon located in the Mining Guild.

Level 85 to 99
Runite ore can be mined at level 85. These are valuable, since ores sell for coins, but is very slow to respawn, and takes considerable time to mine, making it poor experience, but potentially great profit. With the return of player-verus-player combat in the wilderness, caution is advised when mining in this location.

The only free to play ore available

An alternative that requires level 45 Dungeoneering is located in the Mining Guild. This resource dungeon gives you 4,400 Dungeoneering experience when you first enter and contains 3 runite ore as well as 8 mithril and 4 adamantite ore. The very low degree of risk in this area can make it very tedious to find runite ores.

Superheating
Superheating is a magic spell that allows you to smelt a bar without the need for a furnace, and can be used to prolong the duration of your mining trip.

The following stats are required:
 * Level 55+ Mining (70 for adamant, 85 for rune)
 * Level 43 Magic
 * Level 50+ Smithing (70 for adamant, 85 for rune)

The following items are required:
 * Staff of fire (equipped)
 * Pickaxe
 * Nature runes (amount varies)
 * If your Smithing is level 55 to 69, you will need 22 Mithril ore (4 free inventory spaces)
 * If your Smithing is level 70 to 84, you will need 20 Adamantite ore (6 free inventory spaces)
 * If your Smithing is level 85+, you will need 18 Runite ore (8 free inventory spaces)


 * Note: If you are willing to take gems as random award; additional free spaces can be allocated.

Steps:


 * 1) Bring the ores you wish to smelt and the other required materials to any location with coal ore, such as the Mining Guild.
 * 2) Mine coal until you fill your inventory.
 * 3) Cast "Superheat Item" on whichever primary ore you brought.
 * 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you run out of primary ore.

If you have Mithril ore, you can mine up to 92 coal without banking. If you have Adamantite ore, you can mine up to 126 coal without banking. If you have Runite ore, you can mine up to 152 coal without banking.

You can repeat this process as many times as desired.

Dwarven Mine Resource Dungeon
This method requires any mining level and at least 15 dungeoneering.

At the Dwarven mine there is a very efficient way to obtain ores and experience with the update on 10 July 2010 adding hidden resource dungeons. However the speed of this method is severely decrease by the fact that the resource dungeons are generally very crowded. The quickest way to this location is via teleport to Falador then into the Dwarven Mines. Directly in front of the stairs is a resource dungeon (though 15 dungeoneering is required to enter it) with a Bank Deposit inside. One just mines away at ores and banks them directly inside the mine.

If you are going to mine ores in a crowded world, you can get coal easier by moving to coal spawns a few seconds before they respawn in a circle. Mine a coal ore in one area and when it runs out, run to another zone that's about to have multiple coal rocks respawn. That way you'll get a few extra seconds to get the ore while other miners or bots will be running.