Mining

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This article is about the mining skill. For information on training mining, see Mining training (F2P) (P2P).

For information on the mechanics prior to the 2019 rework, see Mining (Historical).

Mining
Release date	4 January 2001 (Update)
Members only	No
Statistics
Minimum level to be ranked	15 (as of 18 Apr 2021)
Players with 99	205,034 (as of 18 Apr 2021)
Players with 120	15,972 (as of 18 Apr 2021)
Players with 200M XP	4,126 (as of 18 Apr 2021)
Infobox • Talk page

A player semi-actively mining for orichalcite ore using the Mining skill.

Mining level-up jingle

Mining is a gathering skill that allows players to extract ores, gems, rune essence, geodes, and other resources from rocks throughout RuneScape. Mined ores can be smelted at a furnace, turning them into bars that can be made into metal objects using the Smithing skill, Construction skill, or Crafting skill. On the World map, mines and mining sites are identified with a lump of ore (), and Mining shops are identified with a pickaxe () icon.

Mining was extensively overhauled on 7 January 2019 with the Mining and Smithing rework, which introduced mechanics intended to make the skill less tedious to train. New ores and updated pickaxes were also released.

History

Mining was one of the skills available at RuneScape's launch on 4 January 2001. In the beginning, there was only one kind of pickaxe, just called Pickaxe which had to be used manually on the rock. It was not until 2003 that metal pickaxes were added to the game. With the large graphical update in 2004, random events were added. These included the Rock golem, pickaxe heads falling off, and broken pickaxes. In 2006 players began to mine granite in the Desert Quarry, some of the fastest Mining experience in the game. In late 2009, the long-awaited dragon pickaxe was released as a drop from chaos dwogres, chaos dwarf hand cannoneer, and chaos dwarves (only on battlefield), all of which are located on the Chaos Dwarf Battlefield. On 10 November 2014 Crystal pickaxe was released requiring you to give Lady Ithell a dragon pickaxe and 4,000 harmonic dust to sing one for you. This made it the best pickaxe in the game until the Mining and Smithing rework of 2019, when it was replaced by the Elder rune pickaxe + 5 and the Pickaxe of Earth and Song.

Players used to be able to discover which ore was in a rock by right-clicking and selecting Prospect (with or without a pickaxe) which would require them to wait a few seconds before learning which ore the rock contained. However, most types of ores can now be determined by simply examining the rock. Experienced miners did not need to prospect every rock, as they recognised the colour of the rock and knew the ore it contained. However, an update made it so that simply hovering one's cursor over the rock would tell the player what ore was to be found in it, in the upper-left corner (though some rocks, like certain mineral veins, still have the "Prospect" option). After the 2019 rework, prospecting was reintroduced, now displaying the level requirement, hitpoints, hardness, and XP multiplier for the given location.

Core mechanics

The Pickaxe of Earth and Song is the best pickaxe in the game as of 7 January 2019, requiring a Mining level of 90 and the completion of three Grandmaster quests to obtain and use.

To mine, players need a pickaxe that they have the required Mining level to mine with. The pickaxe can be in the inventory, wielded in the main hand slot, or stored in the tool belt. Players should then choose where to mine, taking into consideration the proximity to a bank and what ores are available. Players only need to left-click once on any rock containing ore to mine it (provided they have the level needed for that ore type). The obtained ores, gems, and essence can then be sold for profit or used by the player for Smithing, Crafting, and Runecrafting skills.

Rocks

Mining rocks do not deplete (However, stamina does deplete). For each strike on a rock, the player will make progress towards gaining an ore, as shown on a progress bar above the character's head. The amount of progress gained will depend on the player's Mining level and the tier of pickaxe that they use. Additionally, 10% of the player's Strength level is added to the player's progress gains. Rock have two assigned stats, durability and hardness. To view the stat on a particular rock, the player can right-click and select "prospect."

The prospect tooltip for a runite ore rock.

Durability

Durability, or hitpoints, determines the amount of progress needed to get ore from a rock. Once the player has built up enough progress points to equal the rock's durability, they will gain ore and their progress will reset.

Hardness

Hardness reduces the amount of progress gained from mining the rock and is checked against penetration. Using a pickaxe of a tier equivalent to or better than the tier of rock being mined will eliminate the effect of hardness.

Table of core rocks

Mining level	Ore	Durability	Hardness
1	Copper ore and Tin ore	40	0
10	Iron ore	120	5
20	Coal	140	15
30	Mithril ore	240	30
40	Adamantite ore and Luminite	380	50
50	Runite ore	600	75
60	Orichalcite ore and Drakolith	1400	105
70	Necrite ore and Phasmatite	1300	140
80	Banite ore	1700	185
90	Light animica and Dark animica	2000	235

Other rocks

Levelling benefits that apply to specific rocks (critical hit chance, rockertunity multiplier, geode chance, and double ore chance) do not apply to non-core rocks (concentrated deposits are counted as non-core rocks).

• Concentrated coal deposits require Mining level 70. Their experience multiplier is the same as a necrite rock. Levelling benefits for coal apply to concentrated coal deposits. Concentrated coal deposits have 500 durability (compared to necrite's 1,300) and grant five coal instead of one (working out to 100 durability per coal, compared to a coal rock's 140 durability per coal). This makes concentrated coal deposits the best source for coal.
• Concentrated gold deposits require Mining level 80. Their experience multiplier is the same as a banite rock, but levelling benefits for banite do not apply. Concentrated gold deposits have 750 durability (compared to banite's 1,700) and grant five gold ore instead of one (working out to 150 durability per gold ore). This makes concentrate gold deposits the best source for gold ore.
• mineral deposits produce sandstone and require Mining level 50. Unlike regular sandstone rocks, these have a higher experience multiplier and give Menaphos reputation.
• Both red sandstone and crystal-flecked sandstone rocks are among the only rocks that still deplete. When mining these rocks with the resourceful aura active, players retain a 10% chance to give an additional sandstone which does not contribute towards the daily limit.
• There are various gem rocks organised into five tiers requiring 1, 20, 40, 60 and 75 mining respectively. The higher tier gem rocks drop better gems.
• Alaea crablets give better active experience than animica, but give salt rather than valuable ores. This gives them a niche as the highest raw experience method. They cannot generate rockertunities.
• Solid crystal require 75 Mining to mine. Their experience multiplier is the same as a Necrite rock, but levelling benefits for Necrite do not apply. The drop rate is balanced to give around 1 crystal fragment per tick with 75 Mining. At 75 Mining, with a rate of 6,000 fragments (2,000 crystals) it would take 2.5 hours for a full set of attuned crystal armour (5,000 crystals).
• Seren stones cannot generate rockertunities. Their niche is entirely AFK. Corrupted ore is awarded.
• Pure and rune essence can be mined from Rune essence rock.

Pickaxes

A player's Mining level determines the type of pickaxe they can mine with, while their Attack level determines whether they can wield it or not.

If multiple pickaxes are carried then the order of use is Equipped > Inventory > Tool belt. Any non-augmented pickaxe can be put in the toolbelt. Any pickaxe except Bronze pickaxes can be removed from the toolbelt directly without having to speak to Doc. This allows pickaxes to be swapped and upgraded. Placing a new pickaxe into the toolbelt removes the old one into your inventory. Removing a pickaxe from the toolbelt leaves a default Bronze pickaxe in its place - this is why Bronze pickaxes cannot be removed, to prevent a source of infinite pickaxes.

Every pickaxe has two stats, one named penetration, and a damage stat.

Penetration

Penetration is a stat that is checked against the hardness of the rock attempting to be mined. If the pickaxes' penetration stat is less than the hardness level of the rock the damage done toward an ore is reduced. This also reduces the amount of experience gained per swing.

Damage (stat)

Damage is a stat that determines the base damage a pickaxe can do. It is generally a range. As the level of a pickaxe increases, so does the damage stat.

For example: a bronze pickaxe has a minimum damage stat of 3 and a maxium damage stat of 7. While a Dragon pickaxe has a minimum damage stat of 33 and a maximum damage stat of 93.

As a general rule the better the pickaxe, the more effective it is as a mining tool. It is highly recommended to use the best possible pickaxe for your mining level.

Table of pickaxes

The following table of pickaxes has been sorted from least effective (Bronze) to most effective (Earth and Song).

Mining Level	Pickaxe	Damage			Penetration	Augmentable
		Min	Average	Max
1	Bronze	3	5	7	0
10	Iron	5	10	15	5
10	Iron + 1	6	11	16	5
20	Steel	10	20	30	15
20	Steel + 1	11	21	31	15
30	Mithril	15	30	45	30
30	Mithril + 1	16	31	46	30
30	Mithril + 2	17	32	47	30
40	Adamant	20	40	60	50
40	Adamant + 1	21	41	61	50
40	Adamant + 2	22	42	62	50
50	Rune	25	50	75	75
50	Rune + 1	26	51	76	75
50	Rune + 2	27	52	77	75
50	Rune + 3	28	53	78	75
50	Inferno adze	28	53	78	75
60	Orikalkum	30	60	90	105
60	Orikalkum + 1	31	61	91	105
60	Orikalkum + 2	32	62	92	105
60	Orikalkum + 3	33	63	93	105
60	Dragon	33	63	93	105
70	Necronium	35	70	105	140
70	Necronium + 1	36	71	106	140
70	Necronium + 2	37	72	107	140
70	Necronium + 3	38	73	108	140
70	Necronium + 4	39	74	109	140
70	Crystal	39	74	109	140
80	Bane	40	80	120	185
80	Bane + 1	41	81	121	185
80	Bane + 2	42	82	122	185
80	Bane + 3	43	83	123	185
80	Bane + 4	44	84	124	185
80	Imcando	44	84	124	185
90	Elder rune	45	90	135	235
90	Elder rune + 1	46	91	136	235
90	Elder rune + 2	47	92	137	235
90	Elder rune + 3	48	93	138	235
90	Elder rune + 4	49	94	139	235
90	Elder rune + 5	50	95	140	235
90	Earth and Song	50	95	140	235

Special pickaxes

Only four pickaxes are augmentable, therefore making them "special". Augmentation is done with the Invention skill.

Augmented pickaxes cannot be placed on the toolbelt, although their non-augmented versions can. Since the special pickaxes are identical in stats to one of the smithable pickaxes, it is only worth making a special pickaxe if you intend on augmenting it.

Level	Image	Name	Creation Method
60		Dragon pickaxe	Very rare drops from monsters on the Chaos Dwarf Battlefield, and Chaos Giants. A possible reward from the Triskelion Treasures and the Motherlode Maw. Bought on the Grand Exchange.
70		Crystal pickaxe	4,000 Harmonic dust A Dragon pickaxe
80		Imcando pickaxe	A Gilded dragon pickaxe Imcando pickaxe fragments obtained from the geyser random event in the Lava Flow Mine after completing the Birthright of the Dwarves quest. 1,000,000 coins A Redberry pie
90		Pickaxe of Earth and Song	Combining an Imcando pickaxe, a Crystal pickaxe, and a Blast fusion hammer at an anvil, consuming all three items.

Where to get a pickaxe

Pickaxes are sold by Nurmof in the Dwarven Mine, Tati in Keldagrim, Bob (smith) in Lumbridge, or on the Grand Exchange. Pickaxes and their upgraded versions can be forged at the appropriate Smithing level.

Damage (mechanic)

Damage is the mechanic that allows the progress toward gaining an ore while mining. The players damage progress is checked against the durability of the rock they are mining. There is a progress bar above the player's head. Once this is filled, the player receives an ore. Each swing deals damage based on the players Mining level, Strength level, and the pickaxe used. Swings occur every 4 ticks (2.4s). If a player's Strength level vastly out-levels their Mining level, it has a huge impact on their damage per swing and in turn their ore and experience per hour.

Damage progress is stored even if a player stops mining or switches rocks, provided they resume mining the same type of rock.

Basic equation

The basic calculation for damage is:

$DamagePerSwing=Mininglevel+\left\lfloor {\frac {Strengthlevel}{10}}\right\rfloor +DamageRoll+NetHardness+CritBonus$

Equation notes

• $NetHardness(Penetration-Hardness)$ is only added to the equation when the players pickaxe is a lower tier than the rock they are attempting to mine. This results in a negative number, reducing the damage per swing.

For example:

Levels	Pickaxe	Rock	Damage per Swing
30 30	Bronze pickaxe: 3-7 damage 0 penetration	Mithril ore rock: 240 durability 30 hardness	6 - 10
	Mithril pickaxe: 15-45 damage 30 penetration		48 - 78

• $CritBonus$ is only added to the equation if the swing deals a critical hit. By default the player has a 10% chance on each swing to deal a critical strike, this is increased as the players mining level increases.
• Because Strength is rounded down in the calculation (i.e. levels 90-99 will all be +9), Strength level only has an impact every 10 levels.
• Visible and invisible boosts for Mining and Strength apply when determining damage per swing.

For example: The player has boosted their strength from level 38 to level 41. The equation will take into account a level + 4 bonus to the damage per swing as opposed to a + 3 bonus.

• Any excess damage carries over to your progress to another ore. However, more than 100% of the durability of a rock cannot be dealt in a single swing. Anything above 100% will be capped at 100%.

For example:

Levels	Pickaxe	Rock	Damage per Swing	Excess damage	Actual damage per swing
30 30	Mithril pickaxe: 15-45 damage 30 penetration	Copper ore rocks: 40 durability 0 hardness	48-78	8-38	40-40

Stamina

Mining Level	Base stamina	Swings to deplete	Seconds to deplete
15-18	20	3	4.8
19-25	30	4	7.2
26-27	40	5	9.6
28-32	50	6	12
33-45	60	7	14.4
46-56	70	8	16.8
57-66	80	9	19.2
67-70	90	10	21.6
71-87	100	11	24
88+	110	12	26.4

At Mining level 15, players unlock the Stamina multiplier mechanic of the damage formula. Every swing drains 10 stamina, but stamina is refilled completely upon clicking a rock. 100%, 90%, and 20% damage are achieved with full, partial (1-99%) and empty stamina respectively. Stamina is indicated by a bar—while enabled by default, it can be hidden—under the mining progress bar and alternatively by green and white sparks representing full and partial stamina, respectively.

Players begin with 20 stamina which increases by 10 at the respective Mining level milestones listed in the following table. 1 stamina is added for every Agility level, effectively granting an additional swing before depletion for every 10 Agility levels rounded up. As stamina improves, so does the damage per hour for semi-active players. Thus, the mechanic incentivizes active and semi-active training by penalizing AFK mining. Active mining requires the player to maintain full stamina by clicking the rock once every 4 ticks (2.4 s). Semi-active mining assumes many forms, such as only clicking rockertunities while mining core rocks, but minimally necessitates refilling the stamina bar before it empties completely.

A player with full stamina

A player with 1 - 99% stamina

Example

Levels	Pickaxe	Rock	Damage per Swing
30 30	Mithril pickaxe 15-45 damage 30 penetration	Mithril rock 240 durability 30 hardness	Full stamina	Partial stamina	Empty stamina
			48-78	43.2-70.2	9.6-15.6

Rockertunities

A banite ore rock with a rockertunity.

While mining can be done completely AFK, rockertunities are a mechanic to keep players engaged while mining.

Upon first mining a rock, a nearby rock (up to 6 game squares away) of the same type will become a rockertunity. Clicking the highlighted rock rewards the player extra damage (and by extension experience) for one swing. Since damage progress doesn't reset for changing to other rocks of the same type, participating in rockertunities can increase experience and ore per hour. They also have the potential to deal a critical hit, further increasing damage and experience.

Upon being consumed, there is a 35 second cooldown (this timer runs whether the player is mining or not) before another rockertunity will appear. Rockertunities cannot spawn on the rock currently being mined and are exclusive to each player. Once spawned, a rockertunity will only disappear when the player starts mining that rock, leaves the area or starts mining a different type of rock.

Rockertunity multiplier

While the base multiplier for rockertunities is $\times 4$, higher Mining levels can raise the multiplier up to six (dependent on rock). The values on the table below correspond to the Mining level required for the increased multipliers.

This levelling benefit only applies to core rocks, so, when mining concentrated coal, the rockertunity multiplier will always be four. Rocks that do not give core ore at all do not have rockertunities.

The Magic golem outfit and the Brooch of the Gods both increase this limit by $\times 1$ each, so the maximum multiplier is $\times 7$ or $\times 8$, depending on the ore being mined.

Rock	Rockertunity Multiplier
	x4	x5	x6
Copper ore and Tin ore	1	6	-
Iron ore	10	14	-
Coal	20	21	-
Mithril ore	30	38	-
Adamantite ore and Luminite	40	47	-
Runite ore	50	54	-
Orichalcite ore and Drakolith	60	68	-
Necrite ore and Phasmatite	70	73	77
Banite ore	80	89	-
Light animica and Dark animica	90	94	96

Example

Levels	Pickaxe	Rock	Rockertunity damage
30 30	Mithril pickaxe 15-45 damage 30 penetration	Mithril rock 240 durability 30 hardness	Full stamina
			192-312

Critical swing

Critical swing!

Critical swings deal extra damage for that swing. If a critical swing is rolled on a rockertunity swing, the rockertunity multiplier also applies to the additional damage from the critical effect. A popup occurs whenever a critical swing is hit:

Loading...

Critical swing chanceCritical swing bonus

Critical swing chance
By default the player has a 5% chance on each swing to deal a critical swing. The values in the table below correspond to the Mining level required to achieve higher critical swing chances, specific to each rock. This levelling benefit only applies to core rocks, so, when mining non-core rocks such as concentrated coal or gold, the base 5% critical hit chance will be used.

Rock	Critical hit chance
	5%	10%	15%
Copper	1	2	8
Tin	1	2	8
Iron	10	12	-
Coal	20	25	-
Mithril	30	31	35
Adamantite	40	45	48
Luminite	40	45	48
Runite	50	56	58
Orichalcite	60	64	-
Drakolith	60	64	-
Necrite	70	75	-
Phasmatite	70	75	-
Concentrated Coal	70	25	-
Banite	80	81	-
Light animica	90	91	97
Dark animica	90	91	97

Critical swing bonus
The critical swing bonus is the amount of extra damage gained for that swing. The critical swing bonus is not per rock and continues to accumulate as the player gains Mining levels - this also means that this bonus applies to non-core rocks.

Mining level	Critical hit bonus
1	5
3	10
9	15
11	20
17	25
22	30
24	35
32	40
34	45
43	50
44	55
52	60
59	65
61	70
65	75
74	80
79	85
84	90
87	95
99	100

Experience

Although not every swing grants an ore, every swing grants experience based on the damage rolled for that swing. The damage made on that swing is multiplied by the experience multiplier of that rock and a global $0.4$ to determine the base experience drop.

Formula

${\text{Experience}}={\text{Damage}}\times {\text{Rock XP Modifier}}\times 0.4$

Rock experience modifiers

Ore	Rock XP Multiplier
Copper ore and Tin ore	0.66
Iron ore	0.68
Coal	0.70
Mithril ore	0.72
Adamantite ore and Luminite	0.74
Runite ore	0.76
Orichalcite ore and Drakolith	0.78
Necrite ore and Phasmatite	0.80
Banite ore	0.82
Light animica and Dark animica	0.84

Examples

For example:

The experience calculations assume the damage from the above rockertunity table.

Levels	Pickaxe	Rock	Rock experience modifier	Stamina	Experience per swing	Average experience per hour
30 30	Mithril pickaxe 15-45 damage 30 penetration	Mithril ore rock 240 durability 30 hardness	$\times 0.72$	Full	13.8-22.5	35,325
				Partial	12.4-20.2	31,792
				Empty	2.8-4.5	7,065

Double ore chance

The values in the table below correspond to the Mining level required to obtain a chance to obtain double ore, specific to each rock. This levelling benefit only applies to core rocks, so, when mining non-core rocks, the base chance of 0% will be used.

Rock	Double Ore Chance
	0%	5%	10%
Copper ore and Tin ore	1	4	5
Iron ore	10	13
Coal	20	27
Mithril ore	30	36
Adamantite ore and Luminite	40	49
Runite ore	50	53
Orichalcite ore and Drakolith	60	62
Necrite ore and Phasmatite	70	76
Banite ore	80	82	86
Light animica and Dark animica	90	92	98

Items found while mining

Geodes

A geode is a rare item obtained sometimes when Mining which contains gems or other items. Geodes are stackable with the same type of geode, bankable, and untradeable. By default a player has a 5% chance to get a geode each time they get a piece of ore when mining. Levelling benefits can increase this for core rocks, the base chance of 5% will be used for non-core rocks. There are three different types of geodes. The type of geode you get is based on the level requirement of the rock, for example regular coal yields Sedimentary geodes, whilst concentrated coal yields Igneous geodes due to their higher level requirement to mine them.

Rock	Geode type	Geode chance by Mining level
		$5\%$	$10\%$	$15\%$
Copper; Tin	Sedimentary	5	8	-
Iron	Sedimentary	10	12	-
Coal	Sedimentary	20	25	-
Mithril	Sedimentary	30	31	35
Adamantite	Sedimentary	40	45	48
Luminite	Sedimentary	40	45	48
Runite	Sedimentary	50	56	58
Orichalcite; Drakolith	Igneous	60	64	-
Necrite; Phasmatite	Igneous	70	75	-
Concentrated Coal	Igneous	70	23	-
Banite	Igneous	80	81	-
Light animica; Dark animica	Igneous	90	91	97

Sedimentary geode drop list

Item	Chance	GE Price
Uncut opal	20%	180
Uncut jade	12.5%	490
Uncut red topaz	7.5%	499
Uncut sapphire	5%	773
Uncut emerald	2.5%	2,073
Uncut ruby	1.5%	1,748
Uncut diamond	1%	4,510
Spirit shards	50%	23
Average Value		307

Igneous geode drop list

Item	Chance	GE Price
Uncut opal	5%	180
Uncut jade	6%	490
Uncut red topaz	7%	499
Uncut sapphire	8%	773
Uncut emerald	9%	2,073
Uncut ruby	8%	1,748
Uncut diamond	5%	4,510
Uncut dragonstone	2%	10,085
Spirit shards	50%	23
Average Value		900

Metamorphic geode drop list

Item	Quantity	Value
Uncut onyx	1	3,153,656
Onyx dust	5-15	147,875 - 443,625
Crystal triskelion fragment	1	Not Sold
Dragon equipment	1	11,518 - 1,310,230
Concentrated alloy bar	1-10	56,755 - 567,550
Enriched alloy bar	1	272,274
Sealed clue scroll (elite)	1	Not Sold
Ancient effigy	1	1,000,000
Anima crystal	1	150,000
Corrupted ore	100-300	Not Sold
First Age coin	1	1,000,000
Hydrix bolt tips	25-50	718,975 - 1,437,950
Banite stone spirit	25-75	138,750 - 416,250
Dark animica stone spirit	10-30	9,570 - 28,710
Light animica stone spirit	10-30	45,480 - 136,440
Average Value		554,051

Items that assist with mining

Ore boxes

Main article: Ore box

Ore boxes

The ore box is a bankable and tradeable inventory item similar to the Large rune pouch, which allows the player to collect more ore than will fit in an inventory for longer mining sessions without banking.

The ore box is made using the Smithing skill at an anvil. Ore boxes can be upgraded to hold higher level ores, this is done at an anvil with two bars and the previous ore box. Ore boxes can store 100 of each ore up to the level of the box (i.e. an Ore Box (Steel) can store 100 Copper ore, 100 Tin ore, 100 Iron ore and 100 Coal). The Smithing level requirement is merely to forge the upgrade not to apply it - players without the level may purchase on the grand exchange. At certain Mining levels, the capacity of the ore box can be raised from 100 to 120. The values below denote the Mining level required to unlock the increase for each of the ores. A further increase of 20 (totalling 140) can be unlocked by completing the Everything Is Oresome achievement.

Notes:

• Ore boxes can only store core ores. Gold and Silver ore can only be stored after completion of Family Crest.
• Ore boxes have a shared inventory, so owning more than one is unnecessary.

Smithing level	Name	Ingredients	Progress	Experience	Stores Up To
1	Bronze ore box	2 Bronze bar	200	0	Copper ore and Tin ore
10	Iron ore box	2 Iron bar Bronze ore box	400	80	Iron ore
20	Steel ore box	2 Steel bar Iron ore box	600	150	Coal
30	Mithril ore box	2 Mithril bar Steel ore box	800	240	Mithril ore
40	Adamant ore box	2 Adamant bar Mithril ore box	1000	340	Adamantite ore and Luminite
50	Rune ore box	2 Rune bar Adamant ore box	1200	480	Runite ore
60	Orikalkum ore box	2 Orikalkum bar Rune ore box	1400	700	Orichalcite ore and Drakolith
70	Necronium ore box	2 Necronium bar Orikalkum ore box	1600	1000	Necrite ore and Phasmatite
80	Bane ore box	2 Bane bar Necronium ore box	1800	1400	Banite ore
90	Elder rune ore box	2 Elder rune bar Bane ore box	2000	2000	Light animica and Dark animica

Bottled stone spirits

Main article: Bottled stone spirit

Bottled stone spirits are items that allow you to gain an additional ore while mining. Stone spirits appear on drop tables (including bosses, minigames, thieving, etc). When receiving ore through mining a stone spirit of that same type of ore is consumed granting an additional piece of ore (i.e. doubles the ore rate). Since each spirit only produces a single piece of ore, large numbers of them need to be carried by miners if they want continual double yields.

No additional XP is awarded for the extra ore. If more than one ore was gained (e.g. via Varrock armour) still only 1 stone spirit is consumed and 1 additional ore gained (for a total of 3; base, one from the armour, one from the stone spirit).

Mines and mining sites

Main article: Mines and mining sites

Special mining areas

• Coal truck mining site - The coal trucks are located west from Seers' Village and north from Ardougne. There are handy carts for storing coal in. The carts can store 224 at a time and it is also recommended to take a full ore box and inventory of coal when leaving as well. There is a quick way or a slow way to get to and from the coal trucks.

• Quick Way: With 20 Agility go across the log that is on the east side of the coal trucks. The Camelot Teleport spell can also be used for quick access to the Seers' bank
• Slow Way: To walk all the way around the lake, past the Fishing Guild, to Seers' Village.

• Once in Seers' Village go north-west from Seers' Village bank and there are more coal trucks in the shed. Remove all the coal and bank, repeating the process until all the ore has been taken.

• After completing the Seers' Village Tasks the coal trucks can hold up to a max of 308 coal before having to be emptied.

• Mining Guild - It is close to a bank (just climb the ladders to the west and head north). Level 60 Mining is required to enter (level 59 miners can achieve this by drinking a dwarven stout just before entering the guild). The Artisans' Workshop is just outside the guild providing quick access to the metal bank.

• You can save a couple of seconds while banking using the skills necklace's Mining Guild teleport, which teleports you directly in front of the stairs leading down to the mining area.

• Crafting Guild - The Crafting Guild is a place in free play to mine gold, silver, and clay. 40 Crafting is required to enter.

• Members can easily teleport there by use of a skills necklace or the balloon transport system.

• Arzinian Mine - After completing the Between a Rock... quest, members can access the largest gold mine in the game, with large amount of gold rocks. Players must talk to Dondakan while wearing a gold helmet in order to access it. To leave the mine, simply remove the helmet or log off and log in again. The mine is very far from a bank; however, a short ways away, there is a dwarf who will deliver Gold ore to the bank for you in exchange for a 20% cut of the profits, rounded up. The fee is halved if the player is wearing a ring of charos (a).

• Living Rock Caverns - The living rock cavern has concentrated coal deposits and concentrated gold deposits, which can be mined for multiple amounts of ore, gaining fast amounts of experience, and with the nearby deposit box. You need 70 and 80 Mining for coal and gold respectively.

• Dwarven Mine resource dungeon - Requires level 15 Dungeoneering to enter. This mining location is by far the closest location to a bank/deposit box in RuneScape, and therefore it is a very favourable place to mine, especially in free to play servers.

• Lava Flow Mine - After completing the King of the Dwarves quest, players unlock a new area to mine with a chance to receive the golden mining suit. There are a number of distractions at the mine which are effectively random events. To successfully achieve the best experience, you must make sure you are mining at the segment with a 50% lava flow which can be checked by clicking the gauges. No ore is produced here.

Distractions and diversions

Shooting Stars

Main article: Shooting Star

Shooting Stars is a repeatable Distraction and Diversion. They can be found via a telescope in a player-owned house. They fall in waves every 2 hours on all free-to-play and members worlds and will land around 2–15 minutes after each other. The stars can be from size 1 (10 Mining required) up to size 9 (90 Mining required). Bigger stars give more stardust in total, but are much harder to mine. There are nine areas in RuneScape where shooting stars will land at. You can learn more about the specific locations in the Distractions and Diversions guide. If you reach your limit of 200 stardust, you can still carry on mining the star for Mining experience. Mining stars give players stardust. 200 stardust may be exchanged for:

• 152 cosmic runes
• 52 astral runes
• 20 gold stone spirits
• 50,002 coins

For an exact total of 120,234 coins.

• 25% chance to receive double ores when mining for up to 15 minutes of in-game time. This boost will not count down while in the lobby or logged out.

There are clans that specialise in finding shooting stars. The Distractions and Diversions section of the official RuneScape forums is home to several of these clans.

Wilderness Warbands

Main article: Wilderness Warbands

Wilderness Warbands is a members-only Distraction and Diversion where the player or a group of players attempt to loot supplies and trade it in for experience. One of the possible loots are Mining supplies. Players can loot up to a maximum of 25 supplies per camp up to 3 camps daily (75 supplies). Turning the supplies to Quercus will give players experience based on how many supplies they have looted and what their current level is.

Random events

Main article: Random events

Mining boosts and bonuses

Equipment/items/other boosts

Image	Name	Benefit
or	Mining cape or Mining master cape	+5% double ore chance. Whenever double ore is received, bonus XP equal to the level requirement to mine that rock is awarded.
	Mining accumulator	Gains 1% charge whenever the player gets a critical swing when Mining. Upon studying the player gains 2,500 Mining experience, which destroys the accumulator.
	Amulet of glory	Increases geode drop chance by 1%.
	Ring of Wealth	Doubles the chance of receiving a metamorphic geode instead of an igneous geode (2% up from 1%). Higher tier luck rings also have this effect.
	Sign of the porter (I) (II) (III) (IV) (V) (VI)	Allows transport of ore to your bank once your inventory is full.
	Mining urn	Will give experience once filled.
	Juju mining potion	10% chance to gain a stone spirit of the type of ore mined (applies every ore-receiving swing, not every swing).
or	Perfect juju mining potion	10% chance to gain a stone spirit of the type of ore mined (applies every ore-receiving swing, not every swing). Whenever a stone spirit is consumed to generate an additional ore, the player's stamina bar immediately refills.
	Statue collection bag	Allows you to collect strange rocks and golden rocks without them taking up inventory space.
	Magic golem outfit	+5% critical hit chance. +1 rockertunity multiplier. Removes aggression from living rock creatures. Applies any unlocked Golden mining suit and Varrock armour bonuses.
	Quarrymaster aura	Increase critical hit chance by 2/4/6/8/10% when Mining
	Resourceful aura	+2% geode chance when Mining. 10% chance to give an additional red/crystal-flecked sandstone which does not contribute towards the daily limit. 10% chance to not deplete a resource when Woodcutting.
	Varrock armour 1	+4% chance of mining double ore when mining copper, tin, iron, or coal. With medium New Varrock tasks finished: Above double ore chances doubled.
	Varrock armour 2	+4% chance of mining double ore when mining copper, tin, iron, or coal. +3% chance of mining double ore when mining mithril ore, adamantite ore, or luminite. With medium New Varrock tasks finished: Above double ore chances doubled.
	Varrock armour 3	+4% chance of mining double ore when mining copper, tin, iron, or coal. +3% chance of mining double ore when mining mithril ore, adamantite ore, or luminite. +2% chance of mining double ore when mining runite, orichalcite, drakolith, necrite, or phasmatite With medium New Varrock tasks finished: Above double ore chances doubled.
	Varrock armour 4	+4% chance of mining double ore when mining copper, tin, iron, or coal. +3% chance of mining double ore when mining mithril ore, adamantite ore, or luminite. +2% chance of mining double ore when mining runite, orichalcite, drakolith, necrite, or phasmatite +1% chance of mining double ore when mining banite, light animica, or dark animica at once. With medium New Varrock tasks finished: Above double ore chances doubled.
	Rock-crushing scrimshaw	Increase critical hit chance by 2% (regular scrimshaw) or 3% (superior scrimshaw) when Mining.
	Gem-finding scrimshaw	Increase geode chance by 2% (regular scrimshaw) or 3% (superior scrimshaw) when Mining.
	Ring of Whispers	Gives +3 Mining damage per swing when worn.
	Collector's insignia	Charged: +2% geode chance +10% chance for red or crystal sandstone to not deplete Uncharged: +1% geode chance +5% chance for red or crystal sandstone to not deplete
	Scimitops Perk	Tier 1: Increases the chance of finding geode while Mining by 1% Tier 2: Increases the chance of finding geode while Mining by 2%
	Asciatops Perk	Tier 1: Increases the chance of a critical swing while Mining by 3%. Tier 2: Increases the chance of a critical swing while Mining by 6%.

Temporary boosts

Main article: Temporary skill boost

A player wearing a mining cape (t) and performing the skillcape emote.

• Mining cape visibly boosts the player's Mining level by 1 when a player selects the 'boost' option that comes with the cape. However, 99 Mining is required.
• Dwarven stout - Drinking this will raise a player's Mining and Smithing levels by 1 for a short time. Dwarven stouts can be bought in Falador one at a time, or members can buy them in bulk in Burthorpe. They are also a common drop from dwarves, and can be bought in several places in members areas, as well as brewed using the Cooking skill. There are several re-spawns in the dwarf tavern along the shortcut under White Wolf Mountain (you need to complete Fishing Contest to go there).
• Mature dwarven stout - Members only. Drinking this will raise a player's Mining and Smithing by 2 levels for a short time. Players receive two mature dwarven stouts as a reward for completing the quest Forgettable Tale of a Drunken Dwarf, but they can also be brewed using the Cooking skill. This does not stack with ordinary dwarven stout.
• A brown spicy stew can raise Mining temporarily by up to 5; however, it can also decrease it by up to 5.
• Braindeath 'rum' raises Mining by one level and Strength by 3, but decreases some other stats.
• A god banner will provide a visible, +2 boost, lasting for half an hour.
• Desert wyrms, summoned at level 18 in Summoning will add + 1 damage per swing, while mining.
• Void ravagers, summoned at level 34 in Summoning will add + 1 damage per swing, while mining. If a scroll is used, there is an additional +1 visible boost.
• Obsidian golems, summoned at level 73 in Summoning, will add + 7 damage per swing, while mining. If a scroll is used, Strength is given an additional +9 levels, leading to a total +8 damage per swing (unless your Strength is a multiple of 10).
• Gargoyles summoned at level 75 in Summoning will give an invisible +12 mining level boost. If a scroll is used, your next mining swing will do 50% more damage.
• Lava titans summoned at level 83 in Summoning will give add + 10 damage per swing, while mining.
• Star sprites from a Shooting Star will reward you with being able to mine 2 ores at once (25% chance), lasting for the amount of stardust you collected (200 stardust equals a 15-minute boost); it does work on runite.
• A stoneberry can be used to temporarily boost mining by 2 levels, but will also reduce your defence level by 1. These cannot stack.
• An advanced pulse core has a chance of providing a temporary mining boost of 11 levels.
• Any items that boost Strength will also boost damage per swing +1, for each multiple of 10 you cross. Extreme Strength, for example, can take a person from level 94 strength to level 111, giving +2 damage per swing.
• The Jadinko perk from ranch out of time can extend all juju potions including the perfect juju mining potion by 30s.

Training

See Free-to-play Mining training and Pay-to-play Mining training for details.

Skilling pet (Rocky)

Main article: Rocky

Like all skills, there is a skilling pet obtainable from training this skill. The pet for the Mining skill is called Rocky.

Quests with a Mining requirement

• 8 - The Tale of Muspah
• 10 The Knight's Sword
• 15 - In Aid of the Myreque
• 17 - The Lost Tribe
• 20 - The Darkness of Hallowvale
• 20 - Elemental Workshop I
• 20 - Tears of Guthix
• 30 - Beneath Cursed Tides
• 35 - Legacy of Seergaze
• 37 - Spirits of the Elid
• 40 - Between a Rock...
• 40 - Family Crest
• 40 - Watchtower
• 41 - TokTz-Ket-Dill
• 41 - The Elder Kiln
• 45 - Summer's End
• 46 - Kennith's Concerns
• 47 - A Void Dance
• 50 - Desperate Times
• 50 - Heroes' Quest
• 52 - Legends' Quest
• 59 - Defender of Varrock
• 60 - Lunar Diplomacy
• 64 - The Curse of Arrav
• 66 - Nomad's Requiem
• 67 - Hero's Welcome
• 68 - King of the Dwarves
• 72 - River of Blood
• 72 - The Brink of Extinction
• 75 - Nomad's Elegy
• 75 - Plague's End
• 76 - Ritual of the Mahjarrat
• 80 - Birthright of the Dwarves

Quests for Mining experience

Main article: Quest experience rewards § Mining

Quest	Members	Experience reward	Mining requirement	Other requirements
The Tale of the Muspah		800	8	6 Firemaking 10 Magic 10 Woodcutting
What's Mine is Yours		1,000	-	5 Smithing
Boric's Task I		1,500	30
Legacy of Seergaze		2,000	35	20 Construction 29 Agility 31 Slayer 40 Firemaking 47 Crafting 49 Magic
Plague City		2,425	-
The Giant Dwarf		2,500	-	12 Crafting 16 Firemaking 33 Magic 14 Thieving
Heroes' Quest		2,575	50	53 Cooking 53 Fishing 25 Herblore 25 Defence (Black Arm gang only)
Another Slice of H.A.M.		3,000	-	15 Attack 25 Prayer
The Lost Tribe		3,000	17	13 Agility 13 Thieving
Boric's Task II		3,500	40
Between a Rock...		5,000	40	30 Defence 50 Smithing
Summer's End		5,000	45	23 Summoning 35 Hunter 37 Woodcutting 47 Firemaking 55 Prayer
A Void Dance		5,000	47	46 Hunter 47 Construction 48 Summoning 49 Herblore 52 Woodcutting 54 Thieving
Enakhra's Lament		7,000	-	50 Crafting 45 Firemaking 13 Magic
Boric's Task III		8,000	60
Defender of Varrock		10,000	59	51 Agility 51 Hunter 54 Smithing
Rebuilding Edgeville		10,000	-
Kennith's Concerns		12,000	46
TokTz-Ket-Dill		15,000	41	50 Attack 50 Construction 43 Crafting 45 Strength
The Dig Site		15,300	-	25 Thieving 10 Agility 10 Herblore
The Curse of Arrav		30,000	64	37 Slayer 41 Summoning 61 Agility 64 Ranged 64 Strength 66 Thieving
Ritual of the Mahjarrat		40,000	76	76 Crafting 77 Agility
King of the Dwarves		45,000	68	70 Smithing 77 Strength
Plague's End		50,000	75	75 Agility 75 Construction 75 Crafting 75 Dungeoneering 75 Herblore 75 Prayer 75 Ranged 75 Summoning 75 Woodcutting
Nomad's Elegy		50,000	75	75 Construction 75 Woodcutting
River of Blood		50,000	72	80 Herblore 80 Constitution 78 Attack 78 Ranged 78 Magic 76 Firemaking 75 Fletching
The Brink of Extinction		100,000	72	80 Defence 80 Smithing
Birthright of the Dwarves		100,000	80	82 Smithing 85 Strength
Total	589,600

Achievements

Main article: Mining achievements

Update history

The update history project is a work-in-progress – not all updates to this topic may be covered below. See here for how to help out!

• patch 17 February 2020 (Update):
  • Semi-active miners were unintentionally impacted by a change to AFK mining rates. To remedy this the rates have been adjusted as follows:
    • 100% stamina = 100% damage
    • 1-99% stamina = 90% damage
    • 0% stamina = 20% damage
    • Players only chasing rockertunities should now find their rates similar to before

• patch 3 February 2020 (Update):
  • Damage dealt to rock’s HP now scales with the player's current mining stamina. With no stamina remaining, swings provide only 20% of the damage that is dealt at full stamina (outside random damage variation and critical hits).
    • Rocks that don't reduce stamina (like red sandstone and Arc crablets) aren't affected by these changes. As before, you can restore stamina by clicking/tapping on a rock again.
    • Modifiers from pickaxe tier, rock hardness, strength level, and critical hit damage are unchanged and work as before.
  • Stamina is restored automatically when stone spirits are consumed while under the effect of a perfect juju mining potion.
  • Stamina no longer depletes while mining Seren Stones, as such Seren stones have had their HP increased from 1500 to 2000.
  • Updated the mining skill guide to include Anachronia mining locations for various ores.
  • Various Mining & Smithing typos have been fixed and corrected.

• patch 18 November 2019 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue causing geode chances in the Mining level benefits section of the skillguide to be incorrectly described.

• patch 4 November 2019 (Update):
  • Concentrated coal is now updated and displayed under Level 70 in mining skill-guide.

• patch 14 October 2019 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue stopping players from redeeming certain noted ores from Ordan.

• patch 23 September 2019 (Update):
  • Certain wieldable items are now hidden during woodcutting or mining animation.

• patch 19 August 2019 (Update):
  • Added members icon next to pure essence in the Mining skill guide.

• ninja 1 April 2019 (Update):
  • The rate you receive warning messages for getting reduced rates due to your pickaxe level when mining has been lowered.

• patch 18 March 2019 (Update):
  • A full stamina bar is no longer displayed (if enabled) above the player's head when they start to mine a node which does not deplete stamina (such as crablets and sandstone).

• patch 11 March 2019 (Update):
  • The following messages now get filtered:
    • "Your backpack is full." (When mining, foraging)
    • "Your backpack is full. You can store ore in your ore box."

• patch 4 March 2019 (Update):
  • Players will once again receive an error message when trying to mine a rock higher than their mining level, and can once again use boosts to mine rocks above their mining level.

• patch 18 February 2019 (Update):
  • An ore box can now be used on a deposit box, in a similar fashion to a (spirit) gem bag or coal bag, to empty the ore box's contents into your bank without depositing the ore box.
  • The Resourceful aura will once again display a text message if you've gained an extra Crystal-flecked or Red sandstone when mining.
  • Options to toggle off getting sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic geodes has been added to the Settings interface.
  • Mining crablets no longer depletes stamina, so they can be mined AFK as before. Their hitpoints have been lowered so that a crablet is typically mined in a little under 5 minutes. The XP from mining crablets has been reduced to compensate.
  • Fixed an empty cell in the Mining skillguide.

• hotfix 18 February 2019 (Update):
  • The hitpoints of lower-level gem rocks have been reduced in line with earlier fixes to Prifddinas gem rocks. (hotfix)

• patch 21 January 2019 (Update):
  • The Al Kharid hidden mine will no longer show as being a members unlock in the Dungeoneering skill guide as it is now a free to play unlock.
  • Metamorphic geodes now give strange rocks for each one if all are not owned or the statue is not built.
  • You can no longer mine crablets on another player's uncharted isle.
  • The description of juju mining potion and perfect juju mining potion reflected an outdated design, and they have been updated to correctly match their current effect.
  • Strong mining urn now works correctly in F2P.
  • The mining skillguide now correctly states what the mining skillcape effect is.
  • The Polishing, Imp-Souled, Butter-Fingers, and Cheapskate invention perks will now work correctly while mining.
  • Players now have the option to turn off Mining hitsplats for Critical Swings and Rockertunities
  • * Known issue: Hitsplats are currently causing players in Safe Mode Java to crash. The ability to turn hitsplats off now allows those players to mine without crashing.
  • The mine to the south east of Varrock now houses tin ore, as previously stated on the world map icon tooltip.
  • Updated ores and combat items in NPC guide prices within the grand exchange.
  • Coal trucks now correctly work for the everything is oresome achievement.
  • Players will no longer be able to remove pickaxes from their toolbelts while in New Varrock.
  • Banite rocks double ore mining no longer mentioned twice on Mining Skill guide.
  • Liquid Gold Nymph will no longer gild pickaxe in the toolbelt when you pick option 'Give the Nymph a different pickaxe'.
  • Necrite rocks will now have appropriate colours when seen with the textures disabled.
  • Some blocking next to a Mithril rock in the Trahaearn district has been removed to allow miners to move around the rock more easily.
  • The layout of the Varrock south-east mining sites has been updated to more closely resemble an easy clue scroll map.
  • The Varrock south-east mining icon now includes tin ore (but not enough to spawn rockertunities).
  • Sheathed bane pickaxes now animate correctly.

• patch 14 January 2019 (Update):
  • Fixed typo when Ithell Voice of Seren transports soft clay to a players bank.
  • Solid lava geyser duration has been reduced drastically.
  • Your progress when mining a solid lava geyser is now reset correctly.
  • There is now a message when your furnace perk activates while mining.
  • Red sandstone will no longer be marked as complete for the 'I Love DailyScape' achievement if the player does not have access to the rock.
  • It is now no longer possible to fill ore boxes when you have multiple of them on you.
  • The achievement "My Sick Four Tick Trick" can no longer be unlocked by stalling the player during a mining operation.
  • Suity level maximum achievement can no longer be achieved while using a dwarven ramhammer.
  • It is no longer possible to attempt to store pickaxes on your toolbelt in free to play worlds if you have a member's only pickaxe already stored.
  • When having a high-level members pickaxe on your toolbelt on F2P, when mining, this will now default to runite.
  • All tiers of the Quarrymaster aura have been doubled in their percentage chance of critical hits while mining.
  • Moved some stalagtites in the haunted mine, which blocked access to a portion of drakolith vein.

• patch 7 January 2019 (Update):
  • Reduced level requirement to mine iron, coal, mithril, adamant and runite to 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 respectively.
  • Adamant and runite now use luminite rather than coal as the secondary ingredient for smelting. Luminite can be mined at mining level 40.
  • Added new tiers of ore to mine. At 60, orichalcite and drakolith. At 70, necrite and phasmatite. At 80, bane ore (existing bane ore counts). At 90, light animica and dark animica.
  • All mining sites have been rearranged to include the new ores. The world map now shows what rocks are available at each mining site.
  • Mining rocks no longer deplete.
  • Every swing now gives XP, but ore is only earned after filling up the progress bar with multiple swings.
  • Rockertunities will spawn occasionally which, when clicked, result in a burst of additional XP and ore.
  • If you let yourself go AFK while mining, you will gradually slow down slightly. If you click frequently, you will stay at maximum mining speed. The difference between fastest and slowest is about 20%.
  • When mining you have a chance to gain geodes. Regular geodes contain gems, and metamorphic geodes always contain rare prizes.
  • When levelling mining, you unlock new benefits at every level. Most of these benefits apply only to that tier of rocks.
  • You can make an ore box using the smithing skill. Depending on its upgrade level, it can store up to 100 of each ore.
  • Ore and bars can be stored in the new metal bank which is accessible from any furnace, forge or anvil.
  • Your pickaxe level matters a lot - higher level pickaxes mine faster, and if you're not using a pickaxe at least as high level as the rock you're mining, you get a penalty.
  • You can combine the crystal pickaxe with the imcando pickaxe using a blast fusion hammer to make a level 90 augmentable pickaxe.
  • You can add and remove any pickaxe (except bronze and augmented) from the toolbelt.
  • All ore and bars have been replaced with consumable "stone spirits" which double ore yields when carried while mining.
  • Honed perk now increases chance for double ore when mining.
  • Refined perk now increases geode chance when mining.
  • Seren stones are largely unchanged and will remain the best AFK mining method. They still drop corrupted ore. As core ores are now more valuable, Seren stones may be less useful.
  • The coal bag has been removed and refunded.
  • The collector's insignia now increases geode chance and increases the chance for double ore when mining sandstone.
  • Varrock armour now increases the chance for double bars when smelting, for double ore when mining and for double progress when smithing. Higher levels of the armour work on higher level metals.
  • New varrock armour doubles the effectiveness of varrock armour, and allows its mining and smithing benefits to work without wearing the armour.
  • Luck enhancers (ring of Wealth, etc) now increase the chance for geodes to upgrade to metamorphic geodes.
  • Quarrymaster aura now increases the chance to critically swing when mining.
  • Resourceful aura now increases the chance to find geodes when mining and increases the chance to get double ore when mining sandstone.
  • Divine location rocks have had their divination requirements lowered to match the new mining requirements. Divine luminite has been added, but higher tier divine locations have not been added at this time.
  • Juju mining potions now have a chance to give free stone spirits when mining. (Stone spirits double ore yield.) Perfect juju mining potions make mining faster when using stone spirits.
  • The mining accumulator now gains charge whenever the player gets a critical swing when mining.
  • When mining, crystallise now only works on core mining rocks. It prevents ore from dropping, and adds 20% additional mining XP as long as the player is not AFK.
  • Light form doubles the effect of crystallise from 20% to 40%.
  • Superheat form no longer automatically smelts ore when mining. Instead, it reduces the time taken to smelt bars, and increases the amount by which heat speeds up smithing.
  • Skillchompas can be used in addition to a mining pick, and increase the damage dealt by critical swings.
  • Rock-crushing scrimshaw now increases chance for a critical swing when mining.
  • Gem-finding scrimshaw now increases the chance to find geodes when mining.
  • Mining familiars now increase the damage the player deals to rocks when mining.
  • The nymph in the lava flow mine now spawns more frequently and consistently.
  • Trahaearn hour causes random level 90 animica rocks to spawn on each world, requiring worlds to be searched for a good pattern. In addition all mining has a higher chance for double ore, and smelting corrupted ore gives more XP.
  • Ithell hour now gives a chance for soft clay mined to be put straight into the bank.
  • The empty throne room is now the primary site for dark animica ore. The previous mining activity has been removed. The agility and divination activities are unchanged, except it is no longer necessary to refill the boxes at all.
  • The gemstone golem outfit now increases the chance to get a critical swing when mining, and the magic outfit makes rockertunities more effective.
  • Starfury armour now increases the chance to get a critical swing when mining Seren stones.
  • The mining skillcape now increases the chance to gain double ore, and awards bonus XP whenever double ore is gained.

• patch 23 October 2017 (Update):
  • Players can no longer use firecrackers to increase their mining speed.

• patch 18 April 2017 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue that caused players to automatically continue mining after a rock has been depleted.

• patch 8 August 2016 (Update):
  • The reference to completing the Rune Mysteries quest in the Mining skillguide for Rune and Pure essence has been removed.

• patch 18 July 2016 (Update):
  • The larger rock entry on the Mining skillguide (used to make ornate bowl for Tears of Guthix) is now marked as members only.

• patch 8 June 2015 (Update):
  • The Mining and Defence skill guides have been updated, correcting and including certain entries.

• patch 5 January 2015 (Update):
  • Gaining level 75 in the relevant skills for Plagues' End is now mentioned in the skill advance messages.
  • Crystal-flecked sandstone now states Plague's End as a requirement in the Mining skill guide.

• patch 1 December 2014 (Update):
  • Pickaxes and hatchets had their accuracy improved to match that of its tier. Their strength remains unchanged.

• patch 2 June 2014 (Update):
  • The mining animation no longer jumps when it tries to loop the animation.

• ninja 17 March 2014 (Update):
  • The 'Prospect' option has been removed from a large amount of locations it had remained on.

• patch 17 June 2013 (Update):
  • Weapons that were sheathed whilst mining and woodcutting are now sheathed again afterwards.

• patch 31 January 2012 (Update):
  • Attempting to mine whilst resting no longer hides a player's pickaxe.

• patch 16 May 2011 (Update):
  • The Mining micro-tutorial has been altered to stop telling players about prospecting.

• patch 20 October 2009 (Update):
  • Fixed some incorrect code relating to the standard Mining animations.
  • Improved the Mining code regarding the wielding of pickaxes (no animation changes).

• patch 8 July 2009 (Update):
  • Stopped your hair stretching when mining while wearing certain items.

• patch 19 May 2009 (Update):
  • Stealing Creation pickaxes have been clarified as members-only in the skill guide.
  • Woodcutting and Mining now try to use the axe/pickaxe you're currently wielding. If you don't have one in your hands, it'll try to select the best one in your inventory.

• patch 12 May 2009 (Update):
  • Removed an inaccessible Mining rock from the middle of a river.

• patch 25 February 2009 (Update):
  • The Mining skill guide has had missing information added to the previously blank section.

• update 3 July 2007 (Update):
  • As part of the Barbarian Training update we have reworked a number of skill sounds so they are timed more accurately. This means that when you swing your pick to mine, or cast your rod into a Fishing spot, you will hear the sound of the rock being hit exactly when it should happen, these changes may also very slightly reduce lag when you are involved in these skills. The skills with updated sounds are Firemaking, Fletching, Mining, Fishing and Woodcutting. As a side effect of this, you'll notice that the Mining animation has changed. Getting the Mining sounds to match up was a bit of a tough job, so we put some work into the animation to iron out those problems. The result is a really nice bit of work from the Graphics team that should make Mining a bit more enjoyable.

• update 4 January 2001 (Update):
  • Runescape beta goes live, releasing Mining into the game.

Trivia

The old Mining level-up jingle

• Early in RS classic it was possible to mine gems from rocks that you did not have the proper level to normally mine ore. This allowed a player to rapidly click on the rock and obtain gems without actually mining it. This exploit was swiftly fixed.
• In a hidden update the mining jingle got changed.
• The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 1,521,918) on the hiscores for Mining is level 15. As of 18 April 2021, there are 205,034 current members that have achieved level 99 in Mining. There are 15,972 current members that have achieved level 120 in Mining.
• Mining is (along with Runecrafting) one of the only two skills that unlock additional abilities at 99 in free-to-play (5% better critical swings).
• Leaving the area when a rockertunity is active removes it without triggering the cooldown; a rockertunity will spawn again when a player leaves, immediately returns and restarts mining. If a rockertunity has appeared but the player mines a different type of rock, it will go on cooldown (even if the other type of rock is non-core and cannot spawn rockertunities). However, if a rockertunity is active, the player changes areas and mines a different type of rock, the cooldown is not triggered and a rockertunity will appear on the new type of rock.

See also

• Mines
• Free-to-play Mining training, a guide to training Mining for free-to-play players
• Pay-to-play Mining training, a guide to training Mining for pay-to-play players
• Quest experience rewards - Mining
• Grand Exchange Market Watch/Mining
• Mining/Level up table
• Mining Calculators