Bonfire

Bonfires are one of the best methods for training firemaking released with an update on 10 May 2012. It introduces the feature of being able to add more logs directly onto a fire.

This training method is available to members and non-members. This activity also gives strange rocks, and Treasure hunter keys.

Other players may add logs onto your fire, and everyone contributing will receive bonus firemaking experience for the logs added. Also, the player receives a health boost depending on his/her firemaking level, and the type of logs used. Cooking on the fire will also provide boosts to cooking experience.

Bonfires last different lengths of time based on the type of logs used to create them. The colour of the logs of the bonfire will also be different depending on the type of logs used. This is most noticable with magic logs. It is important to note that a bonfire will die away after a set amount of time, even if you keep adding logs to it.

Different types logs are added to a bonfire at different speeds. See the table near the bottom of this page for burning times for various logs.

Logs can be added to a bonfire in three ways: Just like when you chop down a tree, your player will keep adding logs to the fire without you needing to click constantly. It is possible for players with a low firemaking level to burn their hand and be unable to throw a log into a bonfire occasionally.
 * 1) Right click on the log and "Use" it on an already lit fire.
 * 2) Right-click on an already lit fire and select "Use" and then choose "Add to bonfire".
 * 3) Left-click on the log to open the "Choose a Tool" interface while standing near a fire, then select "Add to bonfire".

The most popular place for training Firemaking with bonfires is the Lumbridge castle cellar, where on Firemaking friends chat worlds (which are usually advertised on the official forums) a fire is often lit so that players may add logs into it without moving away from the bank chest there. Other popular places for bonfires are Skill Total (1500) worlds, where there is always a bonfire lit near each of the four Grand Exchange booths, and the Castle Wars bank chest; a full bonfire is almost always available there in any members world. World 100 in the Lumbridge Castle cellar is always filled with multiple players, and is a very easy way to train Firemaking due to the one-click bank option. It is the unofficial bonfire world, and there are, on average, well over 100 players at any given time, including at Castle Wars and the Shantay Pass. There are also at least 5 people in nearly every world at the Southwest stall in the Grand Exchange.

Experience
Using logs with a bonfire instead of starting a new fire grants the following experience values. These values may change depending on your firemaking level. These also may be increased with the firemaking boosts detailed below. Also, higher level logs may be added to a bonfire more quickly (see Time & Speed table below) to increase experience gain speed. Players can expect to burn anywhere from 900-1300 logs per hour depending on how focused they are.


 * The experience rate of Maple logs are dependent on the player's Firemaking level. The table shows "#1 to #2", #1 being the exp gained at level 45 firemaking, #2 being the exp gained at level 99 firemaking.

Firemaking boost
Adding logs into a bonfire that is being used by more players grants a Firemaking experience boost compared to the basic experience for adding logs to one's own bonfires.

A significant boost is also obtained through utilising bonfires based on the player's firemaking level. For every firemaking level, the experience granted is boosted by a small, constant percentage. This effect is immediately noticeable when levelling up during training, as the maximum experience gained through burning the same logs instantly increases by 1 on many occasions.

This boost can be further increased by the aid of other items boosting Firemaking experience, like: the ring of fire, flame gloves, the Dwarven army axe, and Bonus experience, though Summoning familiars do not add to the boost. Using bonus experience with ring of fire and flame gloves while using yew logs on a bonfire, one can expect over 560k experience per hour.

Life point boosts
After adding 5 logs in a row of the same type to a bonfire, you will be given a boost to your maximum life points (but not the Constitution skill). The amount of life points boosted depends on a player's Firemaking level; the length of time the boost is active for depends on the type of logs used on an existing bonfire, regardless of the type of log used to start it. The effect stacks with other life point boosts, such as those from Saradomin brews. Also, the health boost carries into any dungeons you enter after receiving it, and even if you die whilst dungeoneering, you still retain this health boost.

The timer will continue running even when logged out.


 * Cursed versions can also be added.

Cooking boost
When cooking on a bonfire, you receive a 10% boost in Cooking experience. This stacks with other boosts and bonuses to Cooking experience, like the dwarven army axe and Bonus experience. Note: If a bonfire goes out while a player is cooking food, he receives regular experience rather than boosted experience for that piece of food if it is successfully cooked.

Burning time and speed
Each type of log has a fixed burning timer; the better the log, the longer a fire will burn and (up to a point) the faster logs can be added to a bonfire. A log with a longer burning time enables players to cook on the fire or add additional logs to the fire for a longer time without needing to start another fire. Therefore, it is beneficial to use better logs when lighting bonfires. Examining a fire reveals the type of log burned. (m) = Members Only.

* This is the approximate duration a single log will burn, giving time to add additional logs to a bonfire, or to cook over the fire.

** This is the time it takes for a log to be put in to a bonfire.

Fire spirit


Training Firemaking in this way also gives the possibility of finding strange fire spirits who'll reward you for freeing them from their wooden prisons.

The chance of freeing a fire spirit is not based on the type of logs used. It was confirmed that every log holds a 1/100 chance to release a fire spirit. Fire spirits last for one minute before disappearing. It is possible for multiple Fire Spirits to be present concurrently.

Upon freeing them, the player must click the spirit. The spirit gives rewards, usually some common runes, coins, ore (noted), gems, ashes and various charms.

Fire spirits are an excellent way for low leveled players to get charms for summoning. Getting charms this way is slower, but you will not have to fight high leveled enemies to get charms using this method.

Trivia

 * There was a glitch where the fire spirit gave out member items to non-members, such as charms. This, however, was fixed a few hours after release.
 * Bonfires were introduced on the day of Lag Baomer, a Jewish holiday which some celebrate by having a party around a bonfire.
 * Using a coloured log (gnomish firelighters) on any bonfire will change the colour of the flame, corresponding to the colour of the log.
 * There is a possibility for two or more fire spirits to appear at once.
 * Players find life point boosts from bonfires to be very helpful when dungeoneering: if the player enters a dungeon after receiving the boost, he or she maintains the boosted life points cap.
 * Magpies are a useful familiar to use whilst lighting bonfires, as they easily gather around 20-30k per spirit pouch from gems and jewellery, resulting in an easy way to make money with minimal effort.
 * There is a graphical glitch where if the player is holding a bow and warms their hands on the fire, the bow will remain visible in the player's hand. The same thing happens with the Tome of Frost.
 * If you die, the Bonfire boost will still remain.
 * During the 2014 April Fools event, the default bonfire animation was changed from throwing logs onto the fire to throwing a random coloured party hat instead.