id: mining-f2p
title: Mining (F2P)
domain: training
tags: [mining, gathering, f2p, skill-training]
status: verified
version: 1
updated: "2026-08-27"   # ISO dates must stay quoted — YAML 1.1 parses bare dates to datetime.date

summary: >
  F2P mining: mine the highest available ore tier with the best pickaxe,
  banking the ore (money route) or dropping it (powermine XP route). The
  wiki's free-to-play training guide is the authoritative progression:
  clay/copper/tin from level 1, iron 15 (the fast-XP ore), silver 20, coal
  30, gold 40, mithril 55, adamantite 70, runite 85. Mining is a staple
  low-risk, low-input method with no respawn mechanics in the loop.

accounts:
  membership: f2p            # whole ore chain verified F2P via the wiki guide
  min_level: 1               # clay/copper/tin mineable at level 1
  requires_quest: []
  requires_other:
    - "Best-tier F2P pickaxe available (bronze -> rune; equip it to save an inventory slot)"
    - "Bank route from the chosen mine (or an inventory-drop spot for powermining)"
    - "Al Kharid powermining: survive aggressive level-14 scorpions (food/prayer at low levels)"

best_practice:
  equipment:
    - item: highest-tier pickaxe available (bronze -> rune)
      why: "each tier is faster — the roll interval drops from 8 ticks (bronze) to 3 ticks (rune), and the guide recommends always using the highest tier available; equipping it frees an inventory slot"
      source: "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (Pickaxes: tier table with tick intervals)"
  techniques:
    - name: start with Doric's Quest for 1,300 xp (level 1 to 10)
      why: "the quest reward alone takes Mining from 1 to 10; the materials (6 clay, 4 copper, 2 iron) mine at level 1 except iron, which can be bought on the GE"
      source: "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (Level 1-10: Doric's Quest)"
    - name: powermine iron at Al Kharid mine for maximum XP
      why: "iron (level 15, 35 xp) is the fastest F2P training ore and Al Kharid is the only F2P site with three iron rocks around one tile — zero travel between respawns; ~50,000 xp/hr at 41 Mining with a rune pickaxe, 52,500 at 61+ (3 ores per 12 ticks); drop the ores — banking costs XP"
      source: "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (Levels 15-99: Iron ore)"
    - name: bank iron at the South-east Varrock mine for smithing/money
      why: "the guide names this F2P banking location explicitly; the eastern Varrock bank is the closest bank leg, and the ores feed Smithing"
      source: "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (Levels 1/10-15 and 15-99: banking locations)"
    - name: "coal route: West Lumbridge Swamp mine, or Superheat in place"
      why: "coal (level 30, 50 xp) banks reasonably from the Lumbridge Swamp mine; with 43 Magic, Superheat Item converts coal into bars without a furnace, cutting bank trips (staff of fire + nature runes, 26 inventory slots)"
      source: "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (Levels 30-99: Superheat Item)"
    - name: bank-distance tradeoff
      why: "farther mines become viable when bank travel is proportionally small (superheat method) — pick the mine whose bank leg costs the least per trip for the mode being run"
      source: "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (Levels 30-99: Superheat Item — mines farther from a bank become viable)"

economy:
  # Snapshot 2026-08-27, prices.runescape.wiki latest (sell = low edge).
  # Cycle = one rock mined -> one ore (XP path) or one ore banked (money path).
  # XP rates sourced from the wiki guide (iron powermine); gp/h model below is
  # derived and labelled (no wiki gp/hr figure exists for banked iron).
  item: Iron ore            # anchor: the F2P training ore
  item_id: 440
  cost_per_cycle: 0         # mining consumes nothing (pickaxe has no fuel; no supply costs)
  income_per_cycle: 70      # iron ore sell price (low edge), snapshot 2026-08-27
  net_per_cycle: 70         # no per-cycle costs; selling optional (powermine drops -> 0)
  gp_per_hour_low: 0        # powermine mode drops ores — XP is the product
  gp_per_hour_high: 28000   # MODELLED (dated): ~400 banked iron ores/hr (bank legs reduce the 52.5k-xp/hr powermine rate) x 70 gp
  xp_per_hour: 52500        # iron powermine, 61+ (50,000 at 41+ with rune pickaxe) — wiki guide
  supplies:
    - item: rune pickaxe     # highest F2P tier; withdrawn from bank at session start
      qty_per_cycle: 1
      source: bank
  profit_drivers:
    - "F2P ore chain (wiki guide): clay 1/5xp, copper 1/17.5, tin 1/17.5, iron 15/35, silver 20/40, coal 30/50, gold 40/65, mithril 55/80, adamantite 70/95, runite 85/125"
    - "Sell prices 2026-08-27 (low edge): iron 70, coal 151, silver 73, gold 154, mithril 159, adamantite 584, runite 10,265"
    - "Money routes: adamantite banking is a good F2P money method (70 Mining); runite (85 Mining) is cited as one of the fastest F2P money-making methods"
    - "For XP, powermining iron beats every banked route — drop the ores (guide-recommended)"

state_machine:
  initial: idle
  terminal: [complete, failed]
  states:
    idle:
      goal: be at the chosen mine with pickaxe equipped and inventory clear
      next: [mine, complete, failed]
    mine:
      goal: mine the current tier's rock until the inventory fills or the rotation ends
      next: [bank_run, drop_run, complete, failed]
    bank_run:
      goal: walk to the bank, deposit ores, walk back to the mine
      next: [mine, idle]
    drop_run:
      goal: drop the ore stack at a safe spot and resume mining
      next: [mine]
    complete:
      goal: level or GP target reached
    failed:
      goal: hard failure — stop, log ERROR sentinel, alert
  transitions:
    - from: mine
      when: "inventory full (banked mode)"
      to: bank_run
    - from: mine
      when: "inventory full (powermine mode)"
      to: drop_run
    - from: bank_run
      when: "ores deposited and back at the mine"
      to: mine
    - from: drop_run
      when: "stack dropped"
      to: mine
    - from: idle
      when: "level or GP target reached"
      to: complete
    - from: mine
      when: "level or GP target reached"
      to: complete

actions:
  - id: a1
    step: reach-mine
    verb: move_to
    target: "selected F2P mine"
    params:
      location: "Al Kharid Mine (powermine) or South-east Varrock mine (banked)"
      method: [walk, teleport]
      note: "arrive with the best-tier pickaxe equipped"
    on_fail: retry
    anti_ban:
      delay: [400, 1600]

  - id: a2
    step: mine-rock
    verb: click_object
    target: "current tier rock"
    params:
      rock: "iron rock (tier-gated: silver 20, coal 30, gold 40, mithril 55, adamantite 70, runite 85)"
      gate: "level_is Mining >= rock level"
      rotation: "3-rock cluster; face the respawning rock (rune pickaxe, 3 ticks)"
    on_fail: retry
    anti_ban:
      delay: [600, 1400]    # sub-1.8s click cadence is the bot tell; keep jitter above it

  - id: a3
    step: bank-ores
    verb: move_to
    target: bank
    params:
      location: "nearest bank to the mine (east Varrock for SE Varrock mine, Lumbridge Castle for the Swamp mine)"
      method: [walk, teleport]
    on_fail: retry
    anti_ban:
      delay: [400, 1200]

  - id: a4
    step: deposit
    verb: bank_inventory
    target: bank
    params:
      deposit: [all ores]
      withdraw: "nothing (banked mode)"
    on_fail: alert
    anti_ban:
      delay: [500, 1100]

  - id: a5
    step: return-mine
    verb: move_to
    target: "the mine"
    params:
      method: [walk, teleport]
    on_fail: retry
    anti_ban:
      delay: [400, 1200]

  - id: a6
    step: drop-ores
    verb: right_click
    target: "ore stack in inventory"
    params:
      option: "Drop"
      mode: "powermine only"
    on_fail: skip
    anti_ban:
      delay: [200, 800]     # drop churn on a full inventory is human-normal

run_control:
  iteration: "one full mine -> bank (or drop) rotation"
  max_iterations: null
  break:
    every: [8, 14]           # rotations
    for: [60, 180]           # seconds of idle AFK
  stop_conditions:
    - "level or GP target reached"
    - "3 consecutive failed rock clicks (client issue — do not loop)"
  # Respawn: N/A in this loop — no death/respawn mechanics (no combat in F2P
  # mining; Al Kharid's aggressive scorpions are handled via food/prayer, not death).

risk:
  ban_level: low
  notes:
    - "Mining is a staple low-risk method: long, repetitive, low-input behaviour that matches normal player sessions — the guide itself recommends hours of drop-mining."
    - "The 3-tick powermine rotation is the detection vector if executed perfectly for hours — jitter the rotation cadence and take the break schedule."
    - "Al Kharid mine has aggressive level-14 scorpions; at low levels carry food or prayer points (guide notes this)."

sources:
  - "OSRS wiki — Free-to-play Mining training (ore level/xp table — all rows F2P; pickaxe tier table with tick intervals; Doric's Quest 1,300 xp; iron 50,000 xp/hr at 41+ / 52,500 at 61+; Al Kharid 3-rock spot; SE Varrock banking; Superheat coal; adamantite/runite as F2P money methods) — verified 2026-08-27"
  - "OSRS wiki — Mining (skill overview, members=No)"
  - "prices.runescape.wiki/api/v1/osrs/mapping (ore ids: iron 440, coal 453, silver 442, gold 444, mithril 447, adamantite 449, runite 451 — all members=false; buy limits)"
  - "prices.runescape.wiki/api/v1/osrs/latest (ore sell prices, snapshot 2026-08-27)"
verified: "2026-08-27"  # keep quoted (YAML 1.1 date parsing)

related:
  - magic-alch-handoff
  - f2p-alch-catalog
  - mule-topup