Most potions combine a clean herb, vial, and secondary ingredient. Cleaning and finishing award separate, generally small and large, experience values.
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ARTISAN • MEMBERS
Herblore
Fund it with herb runs, clean strategically, and make potions around unlocks your account will use.
QUICK WIN
Herb runs turn Herblore from a pure expense into a recurring account routine.
UNDERSTANDING HERBLORE
Learn the system before you optimise the loop.
Herblore is a artisan skill with several viable routes. The best method is not automatically the one with the largest experience-rate number: startup time, travel, real input prices, useful outputs, and the amount of attention you can sustain all belong in the decision.
This guide treats levels as unlocks rather than a single uninterrupted race to 99. Use the route below as a strong default, then switch when a quest, diary, equipment upgrade, or account goal makes another method more valuable to you.
Potion value depends on dose. Compare like-for-like quantities and include decanting before assuming a finished potion sells profitably.
Amulets of chemistry can create four-dose potions from three-dose production under specific conditions, changing expected cost slightly.
Herblore is capital-intensive because experience is gained when valuable consumables are created. Live input and output spreads dominate route cost.
LEVEL-BY-LEVEL METHOD FINDER
Set your level. Get the methods that apply now.
This is the working core of the guide: source-backed training sections filtered by current level and account type, with full rates, quantities, requirements, setup notes, and method tables kept beside their revision.
ACCOUNT
3 Herblore sections shown for Members at level 1.
Open a section for its full setup, evidence, and tables.Members • MembersIntroduction
5 detailed notes
Introduction
Herblore training usually involves making potions which can only begin after completing the Druidic Ritual quest granting the player level 3 Herblore. To make a potion, the player will have to gather the required ingredients, usually a herb of some sort along with a secondary ingredient, and use them on a vial of water, blood, or coconut milk.
The fastest way to train Herblore is to add secondary ingredients to unfinished potions. If the player banks fairly quickly after each inventory of potions, they can expect to make around 2,500 potions per hour.
A profitable, although slow method to train Herblore is to clean grimy herbs.
- The fastest way to train Herblore is to add secondary ingredients to unfinished potions. If the player banks fairly quickly after each inventory of potions, they can expect to make around 2,500 potions per hour.
- Herblore training usually involves making potions which can only begin after completing the Druidic Ritual quest granting the player level 3 Herblore. To make a potion, the player will have to gather the required ingredients, usually a herb of some sort along with a secondary ingredient, and use them on a vial of water, blood, or coconut milk.
Verify against Herblore training, revision 15285704. Community reference material is attributed to the OSRS Wiki; this fan guide adds its own planning tools and route framing.
Members • MembersStarting off
7 data rows
Starting off
Completing Jungle Potion, Recruitment Drive and The Dig Site quests will get the player from level 3 to 19.
Here are some quests that grant Herblore experience which have little or no additional requirements:
- Completing Jungle Potion, Recruitment Drive and The Dig Site quests will get the player from level 3 to 19.
| Quest | Experience reward | Herblore req. | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druidic Ritual | 250 | — | — |
| Jungle Potion | 775 | 3 | — |
| Recruitment Drive | 1,000 | 12 | — |
| The Dig Site | 2,000 | 10 | 10 , 25 |
| Shades of Mort'ton | 2,000 | 15 | 20 , 5 |
| Zogre Flesh Eaters | 2,000 | 8 | 4 , 30 |
| Total | 8,025 | — | — |
Verify against Herblore training, revision 15285704. Community reference material is attributed to the OSRS Wiki; this fan guide adds its own planning tools and route framing.
Members • MembersQuest experience rewards
15 data rows
Quest experience rewards
| Quest | Experience reward | Herblore req. | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druidic Ritual | 250 | — | — |
| Jungle Potion | 775 | 3 | — |
| Recruitment Drive | 1,000 | 12 | — |
| Heroes' Quest | 1,325 | 25 | 55 , 53 , 53 , 50 |
| The Dig Site | 2,000 | 10 | 10 , 25 |
| Shades of Mort'ton | 2,000 | 15 | 20 , 5 |
| Zogre Flesh Eaters | 2,000 | 8 | 4 , 30 , 30 |
| Fairytale II - Cure a Queen | 3,500 | 57 | 40 , 49 |
| Land of the Goblins | 8,000 | 48 | 38 , 45 , 40 |
| My Arm's Big Adventure | 10,000 | 31 | 10 , 29 |
| Eadgar's Ruse | 11,000 | 31 | — |
| Grim Tales | 15,000 | 52 | 45 , 58 , 59 , 71 |
| Song of the Elves | 40,000 | 70 | 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 , 70 |
| While Guthix Sleeps | 75,000 | 65 | 180 , 72 , 67 , 66 , 65 , 40 , 62 |
| Total | 171,850 | — | — |
Verify against Herblore training, revision 15285704. Community reference material is attributed to the OSRS Wiki; this fan guide adds its own planning tools and route framing.
FOUR EDITORIAL STARTING POINTS
Shortlisted routes with executable instructions.
Use the finder above for the complete method library. These four routes are the fan-guide shortlist: each includes its setup, repeatable sequence, realistic rate band, and most important failure point.
0115k–150k XP/hr
3–99 • HIGH ATTENTION
Cleaning herbs
BEST FOR
Small bankrolls and early levels
ECONOMY
Can profit
LOCATION
Any bank
REQUIREMENTS
Herblore level for the herb
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
28 grimy herbs per inventory
EXECUTION
- Price grimy and clean herbs as a pair before buying.
- Manual-clean rapidly for up to roughly 10,000 herbs per hour, or click slowly for a calmer session.
- Sell a test batch to confirm the margin survives tax and spread.
0290k–450k XP/hr
3–99 • MEDIUM ATTENTION
Unfinished and finished potions
BEST FOR
The standard scalable route
ECONOMY
Usually costs GP
LOCATION
Any bank
REQUIREMENTS
Correct herb and secondary level
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
14 unfinished potions and 14 secondaries, or herb/vial supplies
EXECUTION
- Calculate cost per XP from current ingredient and finished-potion prices.
- Process full 14/14 inventories; practical finishing throughput is roughly 2,500 potions per hour.
- Buy in stages because the cheapest potion can change during the session.
03Up to 82.6k XP/hr
18–99 • HIGH ATTENTION
Guthix rest
BEST FOR
Manual budget training
ECONOMY
Often low cost or profitable
LOCATION
Any bank
REQUIREMENTS
One-dose tea components and recipe access
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
Cup of tea doses, guam, marrentill, harralander arranged for sequence
EXECUTION
- Prepare the bank layout so every ingredient stays under a stable cursor path.
- Add herbs in the required sequence to produce four-dose Guthix rest.
- Value the completed consumable using realistic sale volume.
04Herb-dependent plus 47k–50k Magic XP/hr
70 Magic onward • LOW ATTENTION
Degrime
BEST FOR
Cleaning large stacks with Magic XP
ECONOMY
Can profit
LOCATION
Any bank
REQUIREMENTS
70 Magic, Lunar Diplomacy, Degrime runes, herb Herblore level
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
Grimy herbs and Lunar spellbook runes
EXECUTION
- Compare spell cost with the grimy-to-clean price change.
- Cast Degrime on full inventories for roughly 600 casts per hour.
- Count the Magic XP and saved attention separately from Herblore speed.
HERBLORE CALCULATOR
Turn a level goal into hours and materials.
Select a method for its realistic experience-rate band. Add XP and GP per action when you want an exact resource estimate for your chosen item.
The level formula is exact. Time and budget are planning estimates: your equipment, banking, failures, attention, and live Grand Exchange prices determine the real result.
SETUP PROGRESSION
Upgrade the part that actually controls the rate.
| Stage | Setup | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Bankstanding | Preset bank layout and exact ingredient pairs | Bank layout controls more real throughput than equipment. |
| Cost control | Live ingredient spreadsheet or calculator | Reprice before every large buy. |
| Degrime | Lunar spellbook and rune pouch | Check net clean-herb margin including runes. |
| Ironman | Herb sack, seed box, contracts and secondaries | Train the supply chain, not only the banked stack. |
THE ROUTE
From level 1 to cape
1
1–38
Druidic Ritual, quests, and attack potions
Quest XP is especially valuable before your potion options expand.The opening objective is access, not perfect efficiency. Use quests and inexpensive equipment to compress levels where possible, and avoid over-investing in a method you will outgrow quickly.2
38–70
Prayer and combat potions
Make useful supplies and compare clean versus grimy herb costs.This is where the skill settles into a repeatable loop. Upgrade the parts of the setup that affect every action, measure a representative session, and keep travel or banking from becoming the hidden bottleneck.3
70–78
Work toward raids supplies
Stamina and restore tiers are valuable account checkpoints.At the mid-game checkpoint, compare the fastest route with account progress, useful outputs, and attention. A slightly slower method can be more efficient overall when it also supplies quests, diaries, or another skill.4
78–99
Choose cost per XP carefully
High-tier potions are fast, but ingredient spreads can move dramatically.Late-game training is a sustainability problem. Recheck prices and unlocks, alternate high-focus sessions with calmer ones, and choose a route you can repeat without turning the cape into a chore.LOWER-INTENSITY ALTERNATIVE
Herb cleaning is slow XP but requires little capital and can occasionally profit.
LEVEL REFERENCE
Milestones worth planning around
These are decision points, not instructions to stop. Boostable requirements and quest gates can change when an unlock becomes usable.
| Level | Unlock | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Attack potion | The first ordinary potion after Druidic Ritual. |
| 38 | Prayer potion | One of the most important PvM supplies. |
| 52 | Super energy potion | Supports movement-heavy content. |
| 63 | Super restore | A high-value bossing and raid supply. |
| 72 | Ranging potion | A major Ranged damage boost. |
| 77 / 90 | Stamina / super combat | Defining utility and melee supplies. |
QUEST ROUTING
Let account progress do part of the grind.
Quest experience is most valuable when it skips slow early methods or opens a training system you will keep using.
Druidic Ritual
Required to begin Herblore and grants the first levels.
Jungle Potion
An early experience reward and quest-line prerequisite.
My Arm's Big Adventure
Adds a protected herb patch that improves recurring supply.
CHOOSE YOUR ACCOUNT
The route changes with the rules you play by.
Spend for the time you value
A main should select potions by coins per XP, throughput, and resale depth. Buy a test batch, account for dose conversion, and avoid assuming a guide's historical cheapest method still applies.
Optimise the whole supply chain
Herblore is a supply-chain skill: herb runs, contracts, kingdom management, Slayer, secondaries, and diaries all contribute. Save quest lamps for it when other skills are easier to train directly.
Know the edge of the map
Herblore is members-only. Free-to-play accounts can use some potion-like items but cannot train the skill.
REVISION-PINNED REFERENCE
The detailed tables behind the recommendations.
Pulled in one batch from the Old School RuneScape Wiki on August 2, 2026. Every table keeps its source page and revision so you can verify requirements or spot a later game update.
Quest experience rewards12 reference rows
| Quest | Experience reward | Herblore req. | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druidic Ritual | 250 | — | — |
| Jungle Potion | 775 | 3 | — |
| Recruitment Drive | 1,000 | 12 | — |
| Heroes' Quest | 1,325 | 25 | 55 , 53 , 53 , 50 |
| The Dig Site | 2,000 | 10 | 10 , 25 |
| Shades of Mort'ton | 2,000 | 15 | 20 , 5 |
| Zogre Flesh Eaters | 2,000 | 8 | 4 , 30 , 30 |
| Fairytale II - Cure a Queen | 3,500 | 57 | 40 , 49 |
| Land of the Goblins | 8,000 | 48 | 38 , 45 , 40 |
| My Arm's Big Adventure | 10,000 | 31 | 10 , 29 |
| Eadgar's Ruse | 11,000 | 31 | — |
| Grim Tales | 15,000 | 52 | 45 , 58 , 59 , 71 |
Starting off7 reference rows
| Quest | Experience reward | Herblore req. | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druidic Ritual | 250 | — | — |
| Jungle Potion | 775 | 3 | — |
| Recruitment Drive | 1,000 | 12 | — |
| The Dig Site | 2,000 | 10 | 10 , 25 |
| Shades of Mort'ton | 2,000 | 15 | 20 , 5 |
| Zogre Flesh Eaters | 2,000 | 8 | 4 , 30 |
| Total | 8,025 | — | — |
Making barbarian mixes12 reference rows
| Level | Potion | Base | Secondary | XP | Ingredient cost | Final potion price | Profit/Potion | Profit/XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Attack mix(2) | Attack potion(2) | Roe | 8 | 41.00 | 97 | 56.00 | 7.00 |
| 6 | Antipoison mix(2) | Antipoison(2) | Roe | 12 | 220.50 | 194 | −26.50 | −2.21 |
| 9 | Relicym's mix(2) | Relicym's balm(2) | Roe | 14 | 381.00 | 462 | 81.00 | 5.79 |
| 14 | Strength mix(2) | Strength potion(2) | Roe | 17 | 88.00 | 51 | −37.00 | −2.18 |
| 24 | Restore mix(2) | Restore potion(2) | Roe | 21 | 72.00 | 93 | 21.00 | 1.00 |
| 29 | Energy mix(2) | Energy potion(2) | Caviar | 23 | 171.50 | 239 | 67.50 | 2.93 |
| 33 | Defence mix(2) | Defence potion(2) | Caviar | 25 | 330.00 | 89 | −241.00 | −9.64 |
| 37 | Agility mix(2) | Agility potion(2) | Caviar | 27 | 211.00 | 267 | 56.00 | 2.07 |
| 40 | Combat mix(2) | Combat potion(2) | Caviar | 28 | 163.50 | 235 | 71.50 | 2.55 |
| 42 | Prayer mix(2) | Prayer potion(2) | Caviar | 29 | 4,678.50 | 3,997 | −681.50 | −23.50 |
| 47 | Superattack mix(2) | Super attack(2) | Caviar | 33 | 1,114.50 | 215 | −899.50 | −27.26 |
| 51 | Anti-poison supermix(2) | Superantipoison(2) | Caviar | 35 | 653.50 | 753 | 99.50 | 2.84 |
Making tar5 reference rows
| Level | Result | Base | Secondary | XP | XP/Hour | Ingredient cost | Cost/XP | Profit/Craft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Guam tar x15 | Guam leaf | Swamp tar x15 | 30 | 61,000 | 274 | 9.13 | −109 |
| 31 | Marrentill tar x15 | Marrentill | Swamp tar x15 | 42.5 | 86,000 | 284 | 6.68 | −224 |
| 39 | Tarromin tar x15 | Tarromin | Swamp tar x15 | 55 | 110,000 | 245 | 4.45 | −215 |
| 44 | Harralander tar x15 | Harralander | Swamp tar x15 | 72.5 | 145,000 | 388 | 5.35 | −328 |
| 55 | Irit tar x15 | Irit leaf | Swamp tar x15 | 85 | 170,000 | 1,455 | 26.45 | −1,215 |
SOURCE PAGES
- Herblore training ↗revision 15285704
- Ironman Guide/Herblore ↗revision 15285733
- Herblore ↗revision 15270220
- Herblore/Level up table ↗revision 15255276
Reference tables are adapted with attribution from the community-maintained OSRS Wiki. Editorial recommendations, method walkthroughs, warnings, and calculators are original fan-guide material.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Herblore FAQ
Which potion is cheapest to train with?
There is no permanent answer. Compare clean herb, unfinished potion, secondary, finished dose value, and sale tax at current prices.
Should I clean my own herbs?
Cleaning adds experience and can reduce input cost, but it is slow. Compare the time against buying clean herbs or unfinished potions.
KEEP RESEARCHING
Read the OSRS Wiki training reference ↗Game updates can change rates, requirements, and best methods. Check the community reference before a large purchase.
Ready to price the route?