Overview
Motherlode Mine is one of the most popular Mining training methods in Old School RuneScape. Mine ore veins to collect pay-dirt, deposit it into the hopper, and collect ores and golden nuggets from the sack. It’s a fantastic AFK mining method, a great source of ores for Ironmen, and a decent AFK money maker for mains. It isn’t the fastest Mining XP, as iron ore and 3-tick granite are both faster, but those take more effort and make no money.
Requirements
Level 30 Mining, not boostable (recommended: 41 Mining with a rune pickaxe)
Level 57 Mining, not boostable, plus 100 golden nuggets for the upper level.
Quick Summary
Mine ore veins for pay-dirt (60 XP each), deposit into the hopper, collect ores and golden nuggets from the sack. Spend golden nuggets at Prospector Percy for unlocks, starting with the upper level at 57 Mining. On average you get 1 nugget per 32 pay-dirt. Rates range from about 13k XP/hr at level 30 to 64k XP/hr at level 99, and GP jumps once you reach runite at level 85.
Location
The quickest way to get there is by using a Skills Necklace and teleporting to the Mining Guild. You do NOT need 60 Mining to teleport here — the Motherlode Mine entrance is right next to the teleport location.
You can also take the stairs in the house east of the Party Room in Falador, which land you near the same entrance. Bring a pickaxe either way, because rockfalls can block the passages inside the mine.
Strategy
Mine the ore veins to collect pay-dirt, which gives 60 Mining XP each. Deposit the pay-dirt into the hopper, where it’s washed by the water and turned into ores. You can then collect the ores and occasional golden nuggets from the sack on the other side, and you get bonus XP as it’s cleaned.
The sack holds 108 pay-dirt. If you keep one item in your inventory, that’s exactly four full inventories before you need to empty it.
Occasionally the water wheels will break. You can repair them for Smithing XP with a hammer. Only three of the six crates near the wheels have a hammer, so I would recommend keeping one in your inventory. The Imcando hammer (off-hand) saves the slot if you have one.
Best Setup
- Wear: the prospector outfit, your best pickaxe and weight-reducing gear in the other slots.
Carry: only a hammer. Lock its bank slot so you can deposit ores with one click.
Skip the amulet of glory for XP. Gems take up inventory space and lower your XP rate. Use a gem bag if you want to keep them.- Don’t rely on mining gloves or Varrock armour’s ore boost. Neither one gives extra pay-dirt here.
- Pick a quiet world. A vein’s timer starts after anyone’s first pay-dirt, so fewer players means steadier veins. The trade-off is that you’ll fix more of the wheels yourself.
- Boost while mining, not while cleaning. Ores are decided when you mine the pay-dirt, so a boost at the hopper does nothing.
Nugget Rewards
Rewards can be purchased from Prospector Percy for golden nuggets. Each pay-dirt has a 1 in 32 (about 3%) chance of being a golden nugget regardless of Mining level.
If you don’t plan on staying at Motherlode Mine for an extended period of time, you should at least purchase the Prospector Helmet for 40 golden nuggets before you leave because it is required for the Falador Hard Diary. If you’re coming back later, you can sell it back for 32 nuggets after finishing the task.
If you plan on staying for a while, here is the recommended unlock order:
- Upper Level Access (100 nuggets, 57 Mining) — The veins are closer together and last longer (36–40 seconds instead of 23–27), making it much more AFK.
- Super Hopper (50 nuggets) — Lets you deposit pay-dirt on the upper level without using the ladder.
Prospector Outfit (180 nuggets total) — Gives a 2.5% Mining XP boost. Buy in this order for the best bonus per nugget: jacket (60), legs (50), helmet (40), boots (30).- Sack Upgrade (200 nuggets) — Increases the sack capacity from 108 to 189 pay-dirt, or from 4 inventories to 7. It’s a small benefit for the price, so buy it last.
Buy these when you need them: 
the Coal Bag (100 nuggets) is extremely useful at Blast Furnace, and 
the Gem Bag (100 nuggets) is useful for activities like golem crafting, salvaging or Slayer. If you’re about to use either one, buy it before the outfit.
At 32 pay-dirt per nugget, the two upper level unlocks take about 4,800 pay-dirt on average, and those plus the outfit take about 10,560.
XP and GP Per Hour
These are the wiki’s estimates, with the upper level unlocked at 57, a dragon pickaxe from 61, and the prospector outfit and super hopper as soon as you can get them. GP is after GE tax at prices from 3 November 2026, and it doesn’t count nuggets or gems. It’s mostly driven by ore prices, especially runite, so it will move around.
| Mining level | XP/hour | Pay-dirt/hour | GP/hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 13,000 | 215 | 26,000 |
| 40 | 26,000 | 250 | 30,000 |
| 50 | 33,000 | 365 | 43,000 |
| 61 | 45,000 | 480 | 55,000 |
| 70 | 48,000 | 570 | 71,000 |
| 80 | 52,000 | 635 | 89,000 |
| 90 | 59,000 | 730 | 220,000 |
| 99 | 64,000 | 845 | 328,000 |
Notice the jump between 80 and 90. Runite only appears at level 85, and it’s worth far more than the other ores.
Calculator
If you want to calculate your exact rates or see how much pay-dirt you need to get the rewards you want, check out the Motherlode Mine Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Mining level do you need for Motherlode Mine?
Level 30 to mine there and level 57 for the upper level. Neither can be boosted. You don’t need 60 Mining if you use the entrance next to the Skills Necklace teleport.
How many golden nuggets do you get per hour?
You get 1 per 32 pay-dirt on average, so about 11 per hour at level 50 and about 26 per hour at level 99. It’s random, so short sessions can vary quite a bit.
Is Motherlode Mine good XP?
It’s moderate XP for very low effort, and you keep the ores. If you only care about XP and don’t mind more clicking, iron ore and 3-tick granite are much faster.
Do you need the sack upgrade?
Not really. It’s the most expensive upgrade and has the smallest effect on your rates, so buy it after the upper level, hopper and outfit.
