Old School RuneScape: How to Maximize Crafting Gains
Understanding Crafting Boosts
A Crafting boost in OSRS refers to any method or item that temporarily enhances your Crafting level or experience gain. These boosts are particularly useful for crafting items that require a higher level than your base skill. For example, if an item requires level 75 Crafting but you are only level 72, a boost can temporarily allow you to craft it without permanent level gains. Boosts can also help maximize experience gain when training Crafting, making them an important part of any skiller's toolkit.
Boosts generally come in several forms: potions, gear, minigame bonuses, and temporary enhancements from quests or special activities. Combining these methods can yield substantial gains and reduce the time needed to reach high Crafting levels.
Crafting Potions
The most direct way to boost Crafting is through the use of Crafting potions. Crafting potions temporarily increase your Crafting level by a few levels for a limited duration, which allows you to craft higher-level items that would otherwise be unavailable. These potions are also useful for gaining experience more efficiently, particularly when combined with high-XP methods.
The standard Crafting potion increases Crafting by three levels for six minutes. It can be made using toadflax and a secondary ingredient, often through Herblore, or it can be purchased on the Grand Exchange. There is also the Super Crafting potion, which provides a five-level boost for six minutes. This potion is particularly useful for high-level tasks such as crafting battlestaves, high-level jewelry, or other items that require significant Crafting levels.
When using a Crafting potion, timing is essential. Drink the potion immediately before starting your crafting activity to ensure you get the full benefit. Additionally, combining the potion with efficient crafting methods-like creating gold jewelry with gems or crafting elemental staves-can dramatically increase both experience gain and profit.
Skilling Outfits and Gear
Certain skilling outfits in OSRS provide small experience boosts when worn. While these boosts are usually modest, they can stack with other methods, such as potions, to maximize total Crafting experience.
For example, some skilling outfits reward players with a small percentage increase in experience when crafting specific items. Although there is no full-fledged Crafting outfit in OSRS as there is for some other skills, items like gloves or rings that are obtained through quests or minigames may offer indirect benefits. One notable example is the Goldsmith gauntlets, which increase experience gained when crafting gold items. Wearing these while creating gold rings, necklaces, or amulets can significantly enhance efficiency.
In addition, some accessories, such as the Amulet of Glory, can help speed up crafting indirectly by providing quick teleportation to banks or crafting areas, reducing downtime between crafting runs. Combining gear that provides direct experience boosts with items that improve logistics creates a well-rounded approach to boosting Crafting. You can get them with cheap OSRS gold.
Temporary Skill Boosts from Items and Minigames
Beyond potions and gear, OSRS offers temporary boosts to Crafting through certain items and activities. These boosts can be particularly useful when attempting high-level crafting tasks.
Skillcapes, for instance, offer perks that make training the skill more convenient. While the Crafting skillcape does not directly boost the skill level, it provides a teleport to the Crafting Guild, reducing travel time and allowing continuous crafting sessions. Some minigames, although not directly boosting Crafting, provide access to materials or special items that make crafting more efficient. For example, activities in the TzHaar city or the Blast Furnace can help reduce the cost of crafting supplies or provide faster access to high-demand materials.
Additionally, players can utilize items such as rings or amulets that increase overall efficiency or experience in related skills. While these do not provide a direct Crafting level boost, they enhance the overall speed at which you can craft items, which is functionally similar to a temporary boost.
High-Experience Crafting Methods
Maximizing experience per hour is one of the most effective ways to get a Crafting boost in practice. Some activities inherently give more experience, which means any temporary level increases from potions or gear will have a more pronounced effect.
Gold jewelry crafting is one of the most popular methods for mid- to high-level Crafting training. By creating gold rings, necklaces, or amulets, especially with gems added, players gain substantial experience while often generating a profit. Using Goldsmith gauntlets in combination with Crafting potions increases the experience per item, making this one of the fastest ways to level Crafting efficiently.
Crafting battlestaves is another excellent method, particularly for high-level players. Using Zaff's staff shop in Varrock, players can combine elemental orbs with battlestaves to produce high-level items. This method is not only profitable but also provides significant Crafting experience, especially when paired with a temporary level boost.
Glassblowing offers another fast experience method. By purchasing molten glass from Al Kharid or other players, you can craft orbs, vials, and other glass items quickly. Using a Crafting potion here allows access to higher-level glass items that provide more experience, making the activity both fast and lucrative.
Quest and Diary Benefits
Some quests and achievement diaries provide benefits that indirectly boost Crafting efficiency. Completing quests can unlock shortcuts, areas, or items that make crafting faster or more profitable. For instance, finishing Fairy Tale Part II grants access to fairy rings, which can be used to quickly reach crafting areas. Similarly, completing Desert Treasure allows access to crafting areas for elemental staves and other high-level items.
Achievement diaries can also be valuable. Many diaries offer experience lamps or bonus multipliers when training in specific areas. Completing diaries such as the Varrock or Ardougne diary often provides rewards that enhance skilling efficiency, indirectly serving as a Crafting boost.
Group and Clan Activities
Although Crafting is typically a solo skill, there are ways to gain efficiency through group play. Some clans host workshops or crafting events where resources are shared, allowing members to craft more continuously without downtime. Additionally, trading crafting materials with friends or clan members reduces the need to bank frequently, letting players maintain continuous crafting sessions. This kind of cooperative activity can functionally act as a Crafting boost by increasing experience per hour.
Tips for Maximizing Crafting Boosts
Stack Boosts: Use Crafting potions, skilling outfits, and high-experience methods simultaneously to maximize gains. For example, drink a potion, wear Goldsmith gauntlets, and craft gold jewelry for peak efficiency.
Efficient Banking: Use nearby banks, teleportation methods, or items like the Amulet of Glory to reduce downtime between crafting sessions. Minimizing travel time is key to gaining more experience per hour.
Plan for Profit and Experience: High-level crafting items like battlestaves or gemmed jewelry often provide a dual benefit: experience and OSRS gold. Prioritize items that offer the best combination of speed and profit.
Time Potions Correctly: Crafting potions provide temporary boosts. Start crafting immediately after drinking the potion to ensure maximum benefit during its duration.
Combine Training Methods: Consider combining activities, such as cutting gems and crafting jewelry, to reduce downtime between different tasks and maximize experience.
Conclusion
Boosting your Crafting in OSRS is about combining temporary level increases, efficient gear, high-experience methods, and strategic use of quests, diaries, and group activities. Crafting potions provide immediate level boosts, while gear like Goldsmith gauntlets and skillcapes enhance experience gain. Efficient training methods, such as crafting jewelry, battlestaves, or glass items, further maximize your progress. Quests and diaries can unlock shortcuts and rewards that make crafting faster, while clan activities allow for continuous crafting with shared resources.
With careful planning and the right combination of potions, gear, and training methods, even the most challenging Crafting milestones can be achieved efficiently and effectively.
