Ultimate 1-99 Herblore Guide for Old School RuneScape

(May 2025 Edition)

Herblore has long been a core skill in Old School RuneScape (OSRS), eagerly pursued by PvMers, Ironmen, and completionists alike.

With the 2025 updates introducing the Mastering Mixology minigame, powerful new skilling items, and optimizations for every training path, now is the perfect time to revisit Herblore and chart the fastest, most rewarding journey to 99.

No matter your account type or training preference, this comprehensive, up-to-date guide will walk you step-by-step from Herblore’s unlock to the coveted green skill cape.

Whether your goal is maximizing profit, speeding to 99, or efficiently filling your potion stores, everything you need is here.

Start by completing the quick ‘Ritual of the Ric’ quest to unlock Herblore, then let’s dive into the very best of Herblore in 2025!

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Why Train Herblore in 2025?

The Skill’s Benefits for Every Playstyle

Herblore remains indispensable in 2025, not just for combat but for questing, money-making, and account progression.

The latest content and meta-shifts have amplified its significance across every OSRS play archetype:

• Ironman Accounts:
  Self-sufficiency hinges on Herblore.

Many high-tier PvM encounters and late-game bosses now require powerful potions unlocked through higher Herblore levels—think Stamina potions for clue runs, Saradomin Brews for survivability, and the updated Anti-venoms for endgame bosses.

Recent questlines, such as those foreshadowed in the Varlamore expansion, have Herblore level gates (often 70+).

• Mains and PvMers:
  Profitable, sought-after potions—especially post-update Super Combats, Divine Potions, and the new mixology exclusives—are always in demand. High-level Herblore unlocks immense profit potential through flipping, mass-skilling, and mixology minigame rewards.
• Questers and Completionists:
  Essential quests (such as Song of the Elves, Dragon Slayer II, Sins of the Father) increasingly feature steep Herblore requirements. Maxing and diary completion also demand high-level potion access.

Post-2025 update, Herblore is more rewarding and necessary than ever:

• PvM superiority via longer trips and access to new ultra-potions.
• Time savings through improved, faster training methods.
• Increased profit margins with innovative minigames and items.

Don’t get left behind—the new Herblore landscape gives you both power and profit!

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Herblore Training Basics & Essential Setup

Mechanics, Banking, and Slick Interface Optimizations

Getting Started:
First, complete the Ritual of the Ric (osrs’s former ‘Druidic Ritual’) to unlock Herblore (gives level 3).
Core mechanics:

1. Clean your herb, or buy them already clean.
2. Use cleaned herb on vial of water → unfinished potion.
3. Add the secondary ingredient for a big XP drop and finished potion.

Pro Efficiency Tips:

• Potion making > all: Cleaning herbs or making tars gives minor XP; stick mainly to potions for maximal gains.
• Optimal rates: With good setups, expect 2,000–2,500 (or more) potions/hour; top players reach 500k–700k XP/hr using the slickest methods.

Essential Bank & Inventory Setup:

• Dedicated Herblore tab:
  • Place all commonly used herbs, unfinished pots, secondaries, and vials of water.
  • Use placeholders so items remain in position even when inventory dips to zero during restocking.
  • Move highest-volume items (e.g., Ranarr, Torstol, Snapdragon) closest to your quick-withdraw section.
• Inventory tricks:
  • Use default withdrawal of 14 for standard 14x14 splits.
  • For stackable secondaries (e.g., Amylase for Staminas), withdraw 27 primaries, 1 stackable for longer mixing sessions between banks.
  • Withdraw in precise multiples (e.g., 7 of each for Super Combats) to optimize mix-all commands.
• Interface tweaks:
  • Enable shift-click drop and withdrawal.
  • Arrange your bank and inventory to minimize mouse movement.
  • Assign Escape as bank close, hit spacebar to start potion-mixing dialogue instantly.
• Bob Barter at GE:
  Decant 3-dose pots into 4-dose for value and vial management.
• Mass Herb Cleaning:
  Since 2020, one-click now cleans all same-type herbs in inventory; rapid XP and less click fatigue.

Useful Items to Accelerate Training:

• Amulet of Chemistry, Reagent Pouch, and more—fully detailed in next section.

Impact:
Proper setup shaves hours off your grind, makes click-intensive sessions tolerable, and can literally save millions in GP—especially with new 2025 rewards providing passive potion savings!

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Game-Changing Items & Mastering Mixology Minigame

Maximizing Herblore Gains Post-Update

The post-2025 Herblore world introduces several must-have items and a brand new activity that changes how you train:

New & Essential Items

• Alchemist’s Amulet:
  • (Upgrade from Amulet of Chemistry via Mastering Mixology.)
  • 15% chance for extra potion dose per potion made.
• Prescription Goggles:
  • 10% chance not to consume a secondary ingredient when making a potion.
• Reagent Pouch:
  • Holds up to 26 secondaries at a time.
  • Lets you make up to 26 potions per inventory for certain types, drastically extending time between banks and lowering click stress.

Why these matter: Together, these items slice the cost-per-xp on every major training route, while dramatically smoothing the muscle memory burden of the Herblore grind.

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The Mastering Mixology Minigame

Introduced in the 2025 roadmap, Mastering Mixology now sits at the heart of profitable and efficient Herblore:

Quick Minigame Overview:

• Requirements:
  • Unlocked via a short intro quest (automatically granted if past ‘Ritual of the Ric’).
  • Level 35+ Herblore for initial tiers; higher rewards unlock at 65+ and 90+.
• How It Works:
  • Players receive random potion-mix requests, solve ingredient puzzles or complete time/reactivity-based mixing tasks.
  • XP yield increases with speed, complexity, and streaks.
  • Rewards include exclusive potions, rare seeds, and the game-changing items above.
• XP Rates:
  • Low-level (~35–65): ~25–70k/hr.
  • Mid-tier (~65–90): 90–230k/hr.
  • High-level with full Mixology items (esp. 90+): up to 350–500k/hr (with chances at bonus drops and passive supplies).
• Profit/Efficiency:
  • Mid-high levels: Often profitable or GP-neutral due to unique potion/bulk ingredient rewards, plus ultra-XP per click.
  • Lower levels: Comparable to cost-efficient traditional methods, but with far less clicking and more variety.

Best Use Cases:

• Mains for efficiency/profit.
• Ironmen for rare seeds and large potion unlocks (especially mid-game).
• Completionists or anyone wanting to minimize boredom during the 1–99 marathon.

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Training Paths: Budget, Balanced, and Fastest XP Strategies

Step-by-Step Roadmaps for Every Player

1. Budget-Friendly Route: Profit & Minimal Loss

• Levels 1–15:
  • Clean Guam, make Attack potions
  • (Fast: Clean all same-type herbs at once; slow: make pots to sell, break even.)
• 15–38/45:
  • Making Serum 207 (using Tarromin and Ashes), then Energy/Super Attack potions
  • Profit margins are slim but consistent.
• 38–55:
  • Prayer potions (using Ranarr)
  • High demand, partial buy-back of investment.
• 55–92+:
  • Super Strengths, Magic potions, Cleaning valuable herbs, or unfinished potion flipping
  • Cleaning herbs (snapdragon, torstol, ranarr) is very AFK and sometimes profitable!
• Mixology Intervals:
  • Interleave Mixology runs for bonus profit, seeds, and items when herb prices spike.

XP Rates: 30k–150k/hr.
Total cost: Can finish close to break-even, even profit at mid-levels.

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2. Balanced/Cheapest XP Route: Low Loss, Decent Speed

• 1–38: Basic potions as above, then…
• 38–52: Prayer potions.
• 52–81: Super Energy, Super Restore, Magic potions.
• 81–99: Saradomin Brews, Super Combat potions, or Staminas depending on current GE prices and your budget.
• Uptime tricks: Stackable secondaries (Staminas, Extreme pots), long Mixology runs with Reagent Pouch for fewer banks.
• Mixology Integration:
  • Use as a blended method—ideal at 65+ (for Rune/Dragon potions and rare unlocks).

XP Rates: 100k–350k/hr.

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3. Fastest XP Route: Gold-to-XP Burner

• Clean herbs aggressively (post-update: 3,000–10,000/hour).
• Always use Amulet of Chemistry/Alchemist's Amulet.
• 55–99:
  • Super Strength/Saradomin Brew/Super Combat/Divine Potions–Whichever is currently cheapest by GP/xp.
  • Use full inventory, click in highly efficient bank setups.
• Master Mixology:
  • Push Mixology at every XP stall for huge bursts (good XP + Mega Reward drops).

XP Rates: 400k–700k+/hr (with tick manipulation at the high end).

When to Switch Methods?

• Base this on current GE margins, XP/GP calculators, and your sanity (cleaning herbs is AFK; brews/combats are click-heavy).
• Always blend in the Mixology minigame for best XP/hr and item unlocks.

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Ironman-Specific and Completionist Notes

• Farm consistently:
  Always have herb runs going, prioritize ranarr, snapdragon, and torstol.
• Pickpocket Master Farmers and run Thieving Pyramid for ample seeds.
• DG Grime and passive Mixology for non-traditional XP gains.

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Alternative (and Secret) Methods for Herblore XP

Hidden Profits, Ironman Tactics & Bonus Strategies

• DG Grime Spell:

  • High-level Magic spell allowing bulk herb cleaning and XP in both skills.
  • Profitable at times for select herbs, esp. as prices fluctuate post-update.
  • Semi-AFK: 28 herbs per cast, minimal clicks, great complement to traditional Herblore training.

• AFK/Passive Mixology:

  • Some minigame tasks are extremely AFK—queue a full Reagent Pouch for 5–10 minutes of hands-off XP.

• Ironman Secret Tactics:

  • Bosses like Zalcano, Vorkath, and new Varlamore encounters now drop bulk untradable herbs post-update.
  • Stack dailies; unlock all Repeatable quests for bonus XP lamps.
  • Stockpile secondary items (chocolate dust, white berries) via shops and alternatives.

• Bank Flipping:

  • Bulk clean and flip high-value herbs or unfinished potions (esp. for high-volume profit training).

• Bonus Quests and Miniquests:

  • Some repeatable side content (notably in Varlamore) provides surprise Herblore XP caches.

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Conclusion

From banking genius and meta-defining item combos to the game-changing Mixology minigame and hidden XP routes, Herblore in 2025 is more powerful, profitable, and accessible than ever.

Choose the path that fits your wallet, playstyle, and patience:

• Go budget with steady profit,
• Powertrain to 99 in under 40 hours,
• Or skill in harmony with Mixology’s unique rewards.

The green Herblore cape is closer than ever.

For live price tracking, advanced calculators, and deeper strategy, visit our companion webpage.

And remember—every potion mixed is a step closer to max mastery.

Happy skilling!