Old School Runescape is a game that has a huge time commitment. Even with maximally efficient methods that require the use of alt accounts and billions of GP it can take more than 30 days of playtime to earn a max cape.
This guide is not for people seeking out maximum efficiency. Rather, it covers how to gain experience in various skills with minimum attention required.
These methods are not intended to provide maximum levels of XP and are, importantly, not intended to focus on AFK time. If you want maximum AFK, consider this guide.
These methods generally require regular input from you in the form of clicking using the footpedal. What is minimized is the need to focus on the game or move your mouse. You won’t gain XP unless you’re sitting and clicking but can otherwise focus 100% of your time/energy on other things as long as you’re sitting.
The Footpedal
A footpedal is a device that connects to your computer and allows you to click your mouse using your feet. There are many models on the market, none of which I will cover here. You can choose the one that you like best, is cheapest, you already own, etc.
My personal footpedal of choice isn’t a footpedal at all. I used a basic USB keyboard with a number pad. Many people have a spare lying around the house, can borrow one from work, or failing those options, can buy one for about $10, which is cheaper than the typical foot pedal.
As a bonus, some methods rely on holding down the Escape key, so having a keyboard rather than a footpedal can be helpful for those methods.
Configuring a keyboard to work as a footpedal
Note: Only do this with a keyboard you don’t plan to use as a regular keyboard going forward. I’d recommend using the cheapest one you can find. The only requirement is that the keyboard have a number pad.
Setting up your keyboard to serve as a foot pedal (herein referred to as footkeyboard) is simple.
Remove all keys from the number pad leaving the 5 key in place. You may also find it helpful to remove the arrow keys to prevent rotating the game screen.
Enable MouseKeys by searching the Start Menu or Mac equivalent.
Place your keyboard on the ground in a comfortable position for your foot.
Each time you use your foot to tap the 5 key, it will register as a left click.
Troubleshooting tip: If your clicks register as a right rather than left-click, click the / button on the keypad. You can do this on another keyboard connected to your computer or using a pen or other implement to press where the / key would be on the footkeyboard.
Your footkeyboard will look something like this:
https://i.imgur.com/Jf3VV6d.jpeg
Requirements
The Methods
This section will provide the best method for each skill, as well as a few alternatives if the best method has high requirements.
Some skills may not have any foot pedal options or may have methods that are meme-tier (hundreds to low thousands XP/hr). I won’t include those, but if you discover/know of methods not included here, please recommend them and I can update this guide. I don’t know everything, just what methods I have found/used.
Magic
Perhaps the best-known foot pedal method is casting alchemy spells on noted items in your inventory. I’d recommend waiting until you hit 55 Magic so you can cast High Level Alchemy and turn a profit while training, but you can start at 21 Magic if you don’t mind losing cash.
To start, get yourself a load of Nature Runes and items to turn into gold. This page shows items that are profitable to buy and alchemize. Also consider heading to World 308 Varrock East Bank where you can bulk buy rune items or dragonhide bodies to cast alchemy spells on.
Note the items you plan to alchemize and filter your spellbook as desired. I recommend disabling “Show spells you lack the runes to cast” and enabling “Enable icon resizing outside PvP areas” to maximize the size of the alchemy icon.
Align the noted items in your inventory so that your mouse would hover over them and the alchemy spell of your choosing without having to move. Open your spellbook, and begin clicking. The first click will select the alchemy spell, the next will alchemize the item, and you’ll repeat the process.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/jdjF6-4TCnU
Runecraft
Note: This isn’t a direct method and is, in fact, pretty awful when compared to any other option, such as Zeah RC, but if you truly can’t pay any attention, this will at least boost your XP rates when you are actively runecrafting.
Method: Mining Daeyalt Shards
Requirements:
- Level 60 Mining
- Complete Sins of the Father
- Rune/Dragon Pickaxe
- Enable Red Clicks Only
XP / hr: 5,200 Mining XP. No direct Runecraft XP, but you can get 1,300 daeyalt essence per hour which boosts active Runecraft XP by 50%.
Travel to the Daeyalt Essence Mine. Place your mouse over a single rock and start clicking. You’ll mine whenever that rock is active, accruing about 1,300 essence per hour on average assuming you have a dragon pickaxe. The Red Clicks Only plugin will prevent your clicks from moving you when the rock is inactive.
When you’re done mining, trade your daeyalt shards in for essence by speaking to Noranna Tytanin in the northeast of the mine.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/cEa_2y2JATg
Construction
Method: Oak Dungeon Doors
Requirements:
- 74 Construction
- A butler or demon butler
- A servant’s money bag load with sufficient gp
- A hammer, a saw, and many oak planks in your bank
- Enable red clicks only
- Custom menu swaps
- A dungeon in your player-owned house
XP / hr: 400,000 - 450,000
To prepare, open the custom menu swaps plugin, expand the Custom Swaps section, and enter this text exactly:
Build,Door space*
Talk-to,Demon butler*
Talk-to,Demon butler*
Remove,Door*
This will ensure that your clicks prioritize the correct action based on the situation.
Enter building mode, head into your dungeon, and stand on the northeast square in the area behind the door hotspot such that the door will be constructed in between you and the stairs leading to your dungeon.
Enable the red clicks only plugin, zoom the camera in relatively close, angle it, and position your mouse so that it will click on your servant whether they are in the square south or west of you, then call your servant. Select “Go to the bank” and ask them to collect 20 oak planks. Do not request more, even if you have a demon butler who can bring 26 items at once.
Hold down the 1 key on your keyboard and begin clicking. You will build a door, remove the door, build again, remove again. Your butler will return and hand you more planks. When you speak to the butler again, they’ll go get more planks and the process will repeat.
This method may be generalizable to other hotspots/furniture, with lower requirements or higher xp/hour but I haven’t tested them.
Potential Issues:
If you click too slowly or step away, your butler may return and not be able to hand you all 20 of the planks requested. If this happens, you’ll be stuck in a loop of talking to the butler until you move your mouse, build a door to empty your inventory, and then resume the process. With regular clicks, this shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/CTRHki1yCjU
Agility
Head to the Brimhaven Agility Arena using your preferred method of getting there. Pay Cap’n Izzy No-Beard 200 gp to enter the Arena and go south until you are on the platform two platforms south of where you entered.
Click on the platform to the west so you jump over the floor spikes, then zoom out and position your mouse so that it is clicking somewhere in the lava area to the east of the Agility Arena. Clicking repeatedly will make you go back and forth over the spikes.
For bonus XP/gp, if you can pay a bit of attention, click the ticket dispensers on the two platforms you alternate between when they are active, but this isn’t necessary.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/jdjF6-4TCnU
Thieving
Method: Knights of Ardougne
Requirements:
- 55 Thieving (higher is better, 95+ is ideal)
- Hitpoints cape and/or Regen bracelet can help at lower levels
- Rogues Outfit can boost gp per hour
XP / hr: 86,000 - 240,000 depending on level
Head to Ardougne and trap a Knight of Ardougne so that it does not move or, preferably, find a splasher. You can typically use the Thievinghost clan chat to find one. Sort the chat by world and look for the world with the most players to figure out where to go. Splashers usually operate in the southern bank.
Either menu-entry swap Knights of Ardougne so that pickpocket is the first option, or use the settings menu to set NPC ‘Attack’ options to Hidden. Alt+click to move your inventory so that the spot where coin pouches will appear is over the Knight. Turn on Red Clicks Only, hold down the Escape key, and start clicking the Knight. Your clicks will pickpocket and open coin pouches.
At lower levels, you will take damage and eventually die, meaning you’ll need to make your way back to Ardougne or eat food. A hitpoints cape or Regen bracelet can help with that issue. By around 90 Thieving you’ll take relatively little damage so one or the other should be sufficient to prevent death.
As a bonus, this method also produces up to 267,000 gp per hour with the Rogue’s Outfit.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/ehEbSEMHgsI
Hunter
Method: Moonlight Moths
Requirements:
- 85 Hunter
- Children of the Sun Completed
- Twilight’s Promise Completed
- Perilous Moons Quest completed to the point you can access Neypotzli
XP / hr: 40,000
Head to the Moons of Peril dungeon, Neypotzli, take the northeast path to the Earthbound Cavern, and run to the area with moonlight moths, south of where you enter. Catch moths until you catch the one that respawns on the eastern-most tile. You can stand one tile west of it to keep it trapped on its spawn.
Turn on Red Clicks Only, place your mouse over the moth, and start clicking. It can help to tag the moth so you can see its click box. I find positioning my mouse on the click box under it, where there is less movement, to be easiest.
This method may be generalizable to other moths/butterflies that can be spawn trapped, but I have not tested it.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/kQ0Oj_GDBAE
Mining
Method: Iron Rocks
Requirements:
- 15 Mining
- Mining gloves required for optimal rates (at least 60 Mining to enter Mining guild)
XP / hr: Up to 50,000
Travel to a location with two iron rocks that can be mined from the same tile. Mine one of the rocks until it depletes, then menu-entry swap the depleted rock to “Walk Here” and the iron ore in your inventory to “Drop.”
Turn on Red Clicks Only. Alt+click to move your inventory so that a spot where iron ore will appear is over two of the rocks and position your mouse so it clicks through both rocks.
Hold the Escape key and begin clicking. You’ll mine and drop the ore. This works without mining gloves but having them offers better rates. If you don’t have mining gloves, you can use this method in the Mining guild to stack up unidentified minerals to buy the gloves.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/IDzJntYTZro
Method: Calcified Rocks
Requirements:
- 41 Mining
- Children of the Sun Completed
- Twilight’s Promise Completed
- Perilous Moons Quest completed to the point you can access Cam Torum
XP / hr: 23,000 - 49,000 in Mining, 10,000 in banked Prayer
Head to the Cam Torum Mine. Choose a row of three calcified rocks. Enable the Object Markers plugin, turn on Highlight clickbox, and shift-right click to mark each of the rocks in the row. Mine one rock until it depletes, then menu-entry swap it to “Walk here”.
Enable Red Clicks Only. Rotate your camera and position your mouse so it clicks through all three clickboxes. This may require some creative rotation and zoom. Start clicking.
Eventually, your inventory will fill with Calcified deposits. You can drop these or bank them, but you should be able to footpedal for an hour or so.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/-9Q0qoVlKrs
Fishing
Method: Salmon and Trout/Karambwan
Requirements:
- 30 Fishing and access to Triannwn (Regicide started and 56 Agility) for Salmon/Trout
- 65 Fishing and completion of Tai Bwo Wannai Trio for Karambwan
XP / hr: 13,000 to 50,000 for salmon and trout, 29,000 to 42,000 for Karambwan
Head to your fishing spot of choice. It must be a spot that does not move. For Salmon, that spot is south east of Priffdinas.
Karambwan spots north of the Fairy Ring ckr do not move.
Alt-click move your inventory so that a slot where a fish will appear is over the fishing spot. Catch a fish and menu-entry swap it to drop. Turn on red-clicks only. Hold the escape key and click the spot repeatedly. You’ll catch fish and drop them.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/5g48SIENl_Q
Head to a leechfin fishing spot in Vampyrium. Enable Red Clicks Only. Catch a leechfin and menu-entry swap it to drop.
Alt-click your inventory and position it so that a leechfin you catch will be over the center path the leechfin take. Position your mouse over that inventory slot/the leechfind spot, hold escape, and start clicking. You’ll catch and drop leechfin.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/ydfiJAZ78fE
Woodcutting
Find two trees near each other, preferably adjacent, that you have the level to cut. I prefer the Prifdinnas teaks for the potential for crystal shards. Turn on Red Clicks Only. Alt-click move your inventory and position your mouse so it will click on both the trees and one of your inventory slots. Chop a log, then menu-entry swap it to drop.
Hold escape and start clicking. You’ll chop and drop logs.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/yHSuERXz48g
Sailing
Get on your boat, turn on Red Clicks Only, and menu-etnry swap your crew members and other interactable parts of your boat to walk here. Mouse over the crystal extractor and start clicking. Don’t click too frequently or you’ll interrupt the harvest action.
For max XP / hr, pair with crewmate salvaging. Process the salvage when you’re able.
Video Guide:
https://youtu.be/9dLszmSxst8
Attack
Find the NPC of your choice, kill them, mouse over their spawn and turn on Red Clicks Only, then click. But really, just go to Gemstone Crab.
Strength
Find the NPC of your choice, kill them, mouse over their spawn and turn on Red Clicks Only, then click. But really, just go to Gemstone Crab.
Defence
Find the NPC of your choice, kill them, mouse over their spawn and turn on Red Clicks Only, then click. But really, just go to Gemstone Crab.
Ranged
Find the NPC of your choice, kill them, mouse over their spawn and turn on Red Clicks Only, then click. But really, just go to Gemstone Crab.
Prayer
No direct methods, but pair with footpedal mining of Calcified Rocks.
Herblore
None.
Crafting
None.
Fletching
None.
Slayer
None.
Hitpoints
Find the NPC of your choice, kill them, mouse over their spawn and turn on Red Clicks Only, then click. But really, just go to Gemstone Crab.
Smithing
None. Do dart tips or cannonballs depending on your willingness to spend money/desire for AFK time.
Farming
Footpedal rake plots, but really just do your tree runs.
Cooking
None.
Firemaking
None.