Training Herblore in Old School Runescape requires balancing heavy gold investment against fast experience rates. The skill unlocks powerful combat potions like Prayer potions and Saradomin brews, making it essential for high-level PvM. You cannot gain any experience until you complete the Druidic Ritual quest, which sets your starting level to 3. Once unlocked, training involves cleaning grimy herbs, combining them with vials of water to make unfinished potions, and adding secondary ingredients to complete them.
Experience rates scale from a modest few thousand experience per hour at low levels up to over 500,000 experience per hour with advanced methods. Because raw materials and secondary ingredients dictate the economy of the Grand Exchange, planning your budget beforehand prevents massive gold losses. This guide covers optimal training paths from level 1 to 99, equipment upgrades to save supplies, and the mechanics behind efficient potion making.
Essential Quests for Early Herblore XP
Skipping the tedious lower levels saves millions of gold and dozens of hours. Several members quests grant substantial Herblore experience with minimal or zero preliminary requirements.
- Druidic Ritual: Awards 250 experience and acts as the mandatory gateway to the skill.
- Jungle Potion: Grants 775 experience and requires level 3 Herblore.
- Recruitment Drive: Awards 1,000 experience and requires completion of Black Knights' Fortress.
- The Dig Site: Awards 2,000 experience and requires level 10 Herblore alongside basic quest prerequisites.
- The Fremennik Trials: Awards 2,800 experience upon completion.
- One Small Favour: Grants 20,000 experience split across two reward lamps.
- Wandering Spirits and Mini-Quests: Various smaller quests push your total skip past 170,000 experience, instantly clearing the slowest phase of the skill.
Step-by-Step Training: Levels 1 to 99
Low Levels (1 to 38)
After completing Druidic Ritual, make cheap low-level potions using supplies bought from general stores or stock up via the Grand Exchange.
- Levels 1 to 3: Clean grimy guam leaves or complete early quests.
- Levels 3 to 5: Mix Guam potion (unf) with eye of newt to create Attack potions.
- Levels 5 to 12: Combine Marrentill potion (unf) with unicorn horn dust to create Antipoison potions.
- Levels 12 to 26: Mix Tarromin potion (unf) with limpwurt roots to craft Strength potions.
- Levels 26 to 38: Combine Harralander potion (unf) with chocolate dust to make Energy potions.
Mid Levels (38 to 63)
At level 38, you unlock Prayer potions, which serve as the cornerstone of mid-level training because they remain relatively stable in price and see constant demand.
- Levels 38 to 45: Mix Ranarr potion (unf) with snape grass to create Prayer potions. Expect moderate costs that are often offset by selling finished potions back on the Grand Exchange.
- Levels 45 to 55: Make Super attack potions using irit leaf and eye of newt, or shift to Super energy potions with avantoe and mort myre fungus.
- Levels 55 to 63: Mix kwuarm and limpwurt roots for Super strength potions, or use avantoe with dragon scale dust for Super antifires if you meet the prerequisites.
High Levels (63 to 99)
High-level training focuses on high experience yields per inventory. Bankstanding efficiency dictates your overall time investment.
- Levels 63 to 72: Craft Super restore potions using snapdragon and red spider's eggs. This is the preferred training method for many players seeking a balance between cost and speed.
- Levels 72 to 81: Mix dwarf weed and wine of zamorak to produce Ranging potions.
- Levels 81 to 85: Brew Saradomin brews using toadflax and crushed nests. Experience rates soar past 400,000 experience per hour.
- Levels 85 to 99: Make Ancient brews using torstol and glass of salt, or stick to Saradomin brews and Super combat potions depending on current market prices.
Cost-Saving Gear and Boosts
Training Herblore drains cash quickly, but specialized equipment stretches your ingredients further.
- Amulet of chemistry: Gives a five percent chance to create a 4-dose potion instead of a 3-dose potion, saving ingredients over large batches.
- Alchemist's amulet: Upgrades the multi-dose chance to fifteen percent and holds additional charges.
- Prescription goggles: Provide a ten percent chance to save your secondary ingredient entirely, drastically lowering the cost of expensive secondaries like wine of zamorak or dragon scale dust.
- Herblore boosts: Items like Botanical pies boost your Herblore level by up to 4 points, letting you mix high-tier potions early. Greenman's ale provides a smaller boost of 1 or 2 levels.
Ironman Herblore Strategy
For self-sufficient accounts, Herblore functions as a gathering and farming bottleneck rather than a gold sink. You must secure every herb through Slayer monster drops, Boss kills, or consistent Farming contracts.
- Prioritize regular Herb runs using ultracompost and magic secateurs to maximize yields.
- Save high-value herbs like ranarrs, snapdragons, and torstols strictly for essential combat potions like Prayer potions, Super restores, and Stamina potions.
- Use mini-game rewards like Mastering Mixology (unlocked at level 60) to extract maximum experience out of every harvested herb without burning through secondary stockpiles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you train Herblore in free-to-play?
No. Herblore is entirely restricted to members. You cannot start the skill or complete Druidic Ritual on a free-to-play world.
How many hours does 99 Herblore take?
Reaching level 99 takes between 25 and 40 hours of continuous bankstanding, depending on whether you use fast, expensive potion methods or slower, cost-effective alternatives.
What is the fastest experience per hour?
Making Ancient brews or Saradomin brews at the highest tiers provides peak rates, reaching between 440,000 and 522,000 experience per hour when clicking efficiently.
Do potion doses affect experience gained?
No. Creating a 3-dose potion grants the exact same experience as creating a 4-dose variant. The experience is tied strictly to combining the secondary ingredient with the unfinished potion base.
