In OSRS, Farming is a skill that players can build up through planting seeds and harvesting crops. There are a variety of crops that can be grown, which range from vegetables to trees, mushrooms, herbs, hops, and even cacti. Items that are harvested can be used in several ways, particularly in enhancing other skills. Skills that take advantage of Farming, in particular, include Cooking and Herblore, which will undoubtedly come in handy during your journey through OSRS.
On skill enhancement, Woodcutting has a nice synergy with Farming as well. For example, plants can be grown in farming patches to which only you will have access. Therefore, you could grow wood-bearing trees and chop them down for logs and repeat the process when they regenerate. This is a helpful way to utilize Farming since you don't have to worry about competition from other players since only you can access your trees.
If you want to be a bit more productive with your time, you can do so with planted crops. These grow at a set time depending on the crop itself, so you can carry on growing them even after you log out. If Farming is something that you want to shift focus to, then doing so can help you gain a lot of experience without being active in the game. This guide will show you how to level Farming to max level as efficiently as possible.
- Why Should I Train Farming In OSRS?
- How Does Farming Leveling Work In OSRS?
- Tools Of The Trade
- The Process
- Tips On OSRS Money Making With Farming
- Farm Your Way To A Farming Cape and Riches!
Why Should I Train Farming in OSRS?
Now that you have a general idea of what Farming is, we'll cover why you should focus on skilling it. As mentioned, you can increase skill levels such as Herblore, Cooking, Construction, Crafting, and others. However, skill synergy is not the only reason you should focus on Farming.
As tedious as it might be for some players, there are, in fact, quests within the game that will require you to engage in Farming. Many players will be familiar with the Fairy Ring transportation method acquired via the Fairy Tale Part II quest.
If you want this vital bit of kit, you will need to have a Farming level of at least 49. A quicker yet less effective method of travel is Balloon transportation, which can be obtained in the Enlightened Journey quest. This will require you to have a Farming level of at least 30.
How does Farming Leveling Work in OSRS?
As you may have already noticed from this OSRS Farming Boosting Guide, Farming doesn't have the most glamorous method of skilling. That isn't to put it down or anything, as there are several skills that you level up in OSRS that can be quite draining due sheer monotony.
Tools of the Trade
Before getting on the grind, you need to first have the proper farming tools, like in real life.
Here are the must-haves:
- Rake – takes out weeds from patch
- Spade – clears dead crops and harvests viable ones
- Watering Can - sprinkles water on plants
- Seed Dibbler – used to plant seeds
- Gardening Trowel – put soil in pots
- Plant Pot - self-explanatory
- Secateurs - used to prune plants and keep disease from spreading
You'll find most of them in Sarah's Farming Shop in Falador.
What separates Farming from a good number of skills is that for this one, you need to keep in mind four things:
- The crop you're planting
- The location they'll be planted
- The time it takes for them to be harvested
- How to take care of your crops.
Unlike other skills where you instantly get a skill's product, it may take hours with Farming. It tries to imitate real-life Farming wherein crops take days to grow and be ready for harvest.
Aside from that, you also have to tend to your crops lest they die. To ensure this doesn't happen, hire local farmers, as they ensure that your crops are always protected. Also, stock up on cure potions so that you can cure your plants when they catch a disease.
The Process
Level 1-17
From level 1 to 17, you may want to consider taking part in the Fairytale Part I quest. By completing the quest, you will receive 3,500 Farming XP, which will take you up to level 17 if you are just starting out.
What's more, there is no level requirement for you to start this quest, so you can simply get started whenever you are ready to do so. It will ultimately save you a lot of time gaining XP rather than having to grow low-level crops for minimal XP.
If you want to grow crops, it's recommended that you skill Magic first, as doing so will get you the spells that help your Farming.
- Cure Plant – removes diseases from plants (requires Magic level 66 and Lunar spellbook.)
- Resurrect Crops – revive dead crops (requires Magic level 78 and Arceuus spellbook.)
- Geomancy – opens a window that shows the current status of your crops.
For levels 1-15, here are the recommended crops:
- Level 1 – Potato Seed for 98 EXP
- Level 5 – Onion Seed for 114.5 EXP
- Level 7 - Cabbage Seed for 125 EXP
- Level 12 – Tomato Seed for 152.5 EXP
It goes without saying that you need land to be able to plant crops, which are called crop patches. For that, there are specific locations, namely:
- South of Falador
- West of Port Phasmatys
- North of Catherby
- North of Ardougne
Going forward, you will also want to take Tree Runs into consideration. This is the most viable way to gain XP in Farming, especially if you have already surpassed level 17. To start a run, you will need to head to a Tree Patch in Lumbridge, Falador, Varrock, the Gnome Stronghold, or Taverly.
Once you have arrived at one of the locations, you'll be required to pay the farmer the necessary payment, depending on what seed you want to plant and the sapling of your tree. For example, if you reached level 45, you could potentially take a Maple seed to one of the patches and earn over 3000 XP for each tree.
Level 30+
For levels 15 to 30, Oak Trees are your best bet. Once you reach 30, here are the choices you can go with:
- Banana Trees
- Apple Trees
- Orange Trees
- Curry Trees
- Pineapple Trees
There are more types of trees than fruit trees you can plant and harvest for XP. It's just a matter of budgeting and planning a route through all the tree plots you can use. This method can be pricey, so you have to calculate and judge the best GP/XP ratio of the tree runs you want to do.
The trees you'll be planting can be more varied when you hit levels 57-80. You can either stick with Papaya Trees or stop at level 68 and go with Palm Trees, which is what you'll be planting until level 99. As an alternative, you can also choose to plant Magic Trees. This would see your level rise rather quickly, making tree runs an essential part of leveling up in Farming.
The areas you'll be planting trees on are different from that of crops. It'd be Varrock Palace, West of Lumbridge Castle, Falador Park, Taverley, and Gnome Stronghold. There are also Fruit Tree patches, which can be found in the Gnome Stronghold, the Gnome Village, Lletya, Brimhaven, and Catherby. The only real difference in using Fruit Trees is that the growth time is much longer, so it might be a task you do once a day.
Tips on OSRS Money Making with Farming
Once you're done grinding, it's time to start making money out of Farming. Before you do, here are some things you need to have first:
- Ultracompost
- Magic Secateurs
- Kandarin Diaries –gives 5, 10, or 15% extra herb yield in Catherby
- Falador Diaries – provides 10% extra EXP
You have Herb Runs, a popular way of making gold amongst the OSRS faithful. Players with a higher Farming level will be able to make better use of this gold-making method. The most recommended patches you'll be planting money-making crops in are Kourend, Trollheim, Canifis, Ardougne, Falador/Draynor, Catherby, and Mos Le Harmless.
The crops you'll be growing are toadflax, snapdragon, ranarr, kwuarm, and torstol. Each one has its own pros and cons. At an average of 10 herbs, these are the profits per seed and the cost of each one:
- Toadflax – 25200 Gold for 176.40 (7 patches), 151.20 (6 patches), and 126 (5 patches)
- Snapdragon – 35300 Gold for 247.10 (7 patches), 211.80 (6 patches), and 176.50 (5 patches)
- Ranarr – 35420 Gold for 247.90 (7 patches), 212.52 (6 patches), and 177.10 (5 patches)
- Kwuarm – 20920 Gold for 146.44 (7 patches), 125.52 (6 patches), and 104.60 (5 patches)
- Torstol – 36000 Gold for 252 (7 patches), 216 (6 patches), and 180 (5 patches)
Among the five, snapdragon is considered the one that yields the most profit, with Ranarr trailing second. However, if you're going to factor in seed prices, toadflax would be your best bet, as you would be making a good amount of money for a minimal cost.
The Farming Guild is also a more recent introduction to the game compared to other features. This will allow players to use Farming contracts. However, you will be required to increase your Farming level to participate. You will need to be at least level 45 to gain access, with intermediate and advanced tiers unlocked at levels 65 and 85, respectively.
Farm Your Way to a Farming Cape and Riches!
Now that you know what Farming is, why you should use it, and how to level up via this OSRS Farming Guide, you should be more than ready to head out and put your skills to the test. Farming, like other skill-building techniques in the game, is a slow-burner. However, if you are clever with your tactics, you can bypass several levels to reach where you want to be.
How you approach it depends entirely on how much you want to spend on building the level up. If you're going to build it up slowly, all the while gaining a little gold here and there, then Herb Runs are the way to go. However, if you have the income available, you should definitely consider Tree Runs to enhance your level. Just be aware that it is a costly method, so make sure you have the relevant currency to do so.
