Best AFK Mining Methods in OSRS (XP Rates & AFK Times)

Mining doesn’t have to be painful. Plenty of methods in Old School RuneScape let you train Mining in AFK fashion while still earning decent XP or GP. This guide covers the best AFK Mining methods in OSRS, with their XP rates, requirements, AFK time, and profit.

The table below is ordered by XP per hour, but there’s no single “best” method. Shooting Stars is the most AFK (up to 7 minutes per click), Motherlode Mine is the best balance of XP and AFK, and Salt Mine and Amethyst are the highest GP methods. Use the comparison table to find a method that matches your level and goal, then jump to its section for the details.

Method	XP per Hour	AFK Time	Requirements
Motherlode Mine	45k – 65k	~36–40 sec (upper)	57 Mining + upper level
Calcified Rocks	25k – 45k	~70 sec	41 Mining, access to Cam Torum
Shooting Stars	~25k	Up to 7 min	10 Mining (60–90 for fresh stars)
Amethyst	~20k	Varies	92 Mining
Ancient Essence	~10k	~75 sec	75 Mining, Secrets of the North
Daeyalt Essence	~8k	~60 sec	60 Mining, Sins of the Father
Salt Mine	~5k	~10–15 sec	72 Mining, Making Friends with My Arm

The Motherlode Mine is the best-balanced AFK Mining method in the game, pairing strong XP with comfortable AFK time and a steady supply of ores.

Motherlode Mine received a significant rework that made it one of the best overall mining methods in the game. The upper level unlocks at 57 Mining, and pay-dirt veins last longer. Veins in the upper floor last 36–40 seconds versus 23–27 seconds on the lower floor. Coal mined from pay-dirt now grants Mining experience too, giving the method a small XP bump over its old rates.

The biggest quality-of-life upgrade is the Super Hopper. For 50 golden nuggets, it lets you deposit pay-dirt directly from the upper level, so you no longer have to run downstairs to deposit your pay dirt. Combined with the longer upper-floor veins, this is what makes Motherlode one of the best AFK mining methods.

• XP per hour: 45,000 – 65,000
• AFK time: ~36–40 seconds (upper level)
• Requirements: 57 Mining and 100 golden nuggets to unlock the upper level (plus 50 golden nuggets for the Super Hopper)

Not sure how many nuggets or what XP you’re working toward? Try our Motherlode Mine calculator to plan your session.

Mining Calcified Rocks is a highly underrated training method with solid AFK time and surprisingly strong experience rates — competitive with Motherlode at higher levels, while also banking Prayer XP.

While mining Calcified Rocks, you receive blessed bone shards and calcified deposits. The deposits can be turned into more bone shards or into calcified moths at an anvil with a hammer. Banking the blessed bone shards is worth around 10–15k Prayer XP per hour on the side, which makes this method especially valuable for ironmen training two skills at once.

Use our Blessed Bone Shards calculator to determine how many blessed bone shards you’ll need for your goal Prayer level.

• XP per hour: 25,000 – 45,000
• AFK time: ~70 seconds
• Requirements: 41 Mining, access to Cam Torum

Shooting Stars is the most AFK Mining method in OSRS. Stars fall roughly every 90 minutes on every world and land at size 6 to 9, losing a size each time a layer depletes. The Mining level needed for a layer is ten times its size (so a size 5 layer needs 50 Mining). You can mine any layer you have the level for, so lower levels simply wait for the star to wear down.

Each layer lasts up to 7 minutes, the longest AFK time of any method here. Mining stars rewards stardust, which you exchange with Dusuri outside the Mining Guild in Falador for rewards like the Celestial ring (+4 invisible mining boost) and Gem bags, which are a fantastic Crafting method for Ironmen.

• XP per hour: ~25,000
• AFK time: Up to 7 minutes
• Requirements: 10 Mining (higher Mining lets you reach the top layers)

The easiest way to find active stars is the Star Miners Discord: Star Miners Discord.

Amethyst has the highest requirement here at Level 92 Mining, but it rewards that investment with strong, low-effort profit. XP is modest at around 20k per hour, so this is a method you pick for the GP (roughly 200k GP per hour at November 2026 prices) or to create ammo if you are an Ironman.

AFK time varies with how quickly your crystals deplete, and can be extended with Expert Mining Gloves. You can also bring a chisel to craft amethyst into bolt tips or dart tips while you mine.

• XP per hour: ~20,000
• GP per hour: ~200k
• Requirements: 92 Mining

Mining Ancient Essence is a niche AFK method used mostly by Ironmen who need the essence for activities like charging the Venator bow. The amount of ancient essence you receive scales with your Mining level, reaching its highest yield at level 90 and above.

• XP per hour: ~10,000
• AFK time: ~75 seconds
• Requirements: 75 Mining, Secrets of the North

Mining Daeyalt shards beneath Darkmeyer is a niche but useful AFK method. The shards convert into Daeyalt essence, which provides bonus experience when used for Runecrafting — so the real payoff comes later, not while you mine.

The Mining XP here is low (~8k/hr), so this method is best reserved for players stockpiling essence ahead of a large Runecrafting grind rather than as general Mining training.

• XP per hour: ~8,000
• AFK time: ~60 seconds
• Requirements: 60 Mining, Sins of the Father

Since the September 2026 updates, a celestial ring or celestial signet gives a 1/10 chance of double shards here, and you can claim your essence in noted form from Noranna Tytanin instead of having it sent to the bank.

Mining salts beneath Weiss is really a low-attention money maker rather than a true AFK method. The ~10–15 second mining cycles mean you’re clicking fairly often so it is more of a relaxed training method rather than fully AFK. What it lacks in AFK time it makes up for in profit – three types of stackable salts that sell well on the Grand Exchange.

Each rock gives more salt as your Mining level rises, so profit climbs with it. At about 1,000 mining actions an hour and November 2026 prices of about 90 GP per salt, expect roughly 265k GP per hour at 72 Mining and up to about 530k at 99. These are averages, and prices move.

Basalt from the same mine currently pays more at lower levels: about 700 an hour at about 830 GP is roughly 550k GP per hour. It isn’t stackable, so you’ll need to take it to Snowflake in Weiss to note it, and its price has fallen from over 900 GP in the past two weeks.

The Mining XP is minimal (~5k/hr), so come here for the GP, not the XP.

• XP per hour: ~5,000
• GP per hour: ~265k at 72 Mining, up to ~530k at 99 (salts); ~550k (basalt)
• AFK time: ~10–15 seconds
• Requirements: 72 Mining, Making Friends with My Arm