OSRS AFK Skills Guide: Level Up With Minimal Effort

If you want to level skills in Old School RuneScape while barely touching your keyboard, this guide covers the most effective AFK training methods updated for 2026. Whether you’re working from home or just prefer relaxed progression, these methods will help you gain experience with minimal input. Having a lot of cheap OSRS GP can be very helpful.

Let’s start with combat—the most AFK-friendly skill after recent updates.

Combat: The Ultimate AFK Skill

Thanks to improvements introduced in 2025 and refined in 2026, combat training can now be extremely hands-off.

Gemstone Crabs (Best AFK Combat)

Head to the Orbin Valley via any fairy ring and travel to AIS on the map. From the landing point, go to the nearby rowboat. You can use the agility shortcut with 45 agility or simply walk around.

Speak to the NPC and choose the story option to be transported near the gemstone crab area.

If the crab isn’t immediately visible, enter the cave. The crab respawns every 10 minutes and remains alive for the entire duration regardless of damage or other players.

Key benefits:

10 minutes of uninterrupted AFK combat

No need to mine the corpse after it dies (just re-enter the cave)

Works with any combat style

Decent XP for minimal effort

Bring:

Spec weapons (use occasionally for faster kills)

Potions (super restores or prayer pots if using Piety)

Appropriate gear for your combat style

While AFK combat is great, don’t neglect Slayer—it remains one of the most important progression skills for long-term PvM and account growth.

Sailing: AFK XP Through Salvaging

Sailing introduced new AFK opportunities, with shipwreck salvaging being the most efficient.

After completing the introductory quest and reaching 15 sailing, you can salvage small shipwrecks. As you level up, upgrade to larger wrecks for better XP.

How it works:

Use the sailing plugin to locate overlapping salvage zones

Deploy your hook on one zone

Assign a crew member to the second zone

Let your crew collect salvage automatically

Retrieve items from the cargo hold

For maximum AFK potential, assign two crew members to hooks. They will handle the collection while you simply empty the hold occasionally.

XP rates:

Small shipwrecks: ~70k XP/hour

Advanced locations: up to 90k XP/hour

While barracuda trials and other sailing activities are enjoyable, salvaging remains the most relaxed training method.

Mining: Shooting Stars for Easy AFK XP

Shooting stars are random mining events that offer excellent AFK potential.

How it works:

Click the star once

You gain seven minutes of AFK time

Stars can last up to 50 minutes

Minimal interaction required

Use the Shooting Stars Tracker website to find active stars by world and location. This eliminates downtime and lets you hop directly to available resources.

To maximize AFK efficiency:

Install RuneLite for helpful plugins

Use the Annoyance Mute plugin to disable extraneous sounds

Enable Entity Hider to reduce visual clutter

Keep audio cues on so you know when the activity stops

XP rates:

25–32k XP/hour depending on star tier

Higher tiers require higher mining levels

Bonus tip: Once you collect 2,000 Stardust, purchase the Celestial Ring for a +4 mining boost.

Smithing: Long AFK Sessions with Bars

Smithing becomes highly AFK when crafting items that require a single bar.

Example:

Rune bars → rune swords

Two minutes of AFK per inventory

Decent XP and resource efficiency

If you want faster XP:

Craft items requiring more bars (e.g., platebodies)

Expect less AFK time but higher XP rates

Location tips:

Use the anvil at Prifddinas (requires Song of the Elves)

Varrock West Bank is a solid alternative

Choose between efficiency and AFK time depending on your goals.

Firemaking: Now Fully AFK

Recent updates allow full XP from campfires instead of reduced gains.

Steps:

Light any log

Use additional logs on the fire

Create a campfire

AFK for three minutes

This method rivals Wintertodt for relaxation while providing steady XP.

Fishing: Fish Barrel Makes It Easy

The fish barrel from Tempoross (1/400 drop) revolutionizes AFK fishing.

How it works:

Stores extra fish in the barrel

Reduces banking trips

Provides five minutes of AFK time per inventory

Best locations:

Karamja fishing spots (static and reliable)

Barbarian fishing (also grants agility and strength XP)

XP rates:

30–40k XP/hour at Karamja

35–55k XP/hour with barbarian fishing

Because barbarian fishing grants agility XP, it doubles as passive training for one of the game’s slower skills.

Woodcutting: Long AFK Windows

Forestry worlds make woodcutting more rewarding and social.

Steps:

Join the forestry world

Cut trees with other players (bonus XP)

Complete random events for additional rewards

At level 60, move to yew trees for nearly two minutes of AFK time. At level 75, magic trees extend this to nearly four minutes. Redwood trees (level 90) offer the longest AFK sessions at over four minutes per depletion.

XP rates:

60k+ XP/hour at higher levels

Thieving: Wealthy Citizens in Valore

House Thieving in Valore is one of the easiest AFK money and XP methods.

Requirements:

50 thieving

Rogue outfit (for extra loot)

With the House Thieving plugin:

Citizens are distracted automatically

Auto pickpocketing activates

Minimal player input required

XP rates:

50–75k XP/hour depending on attention level

This method balances AFK potential with solid rewards.

Herblore: Fast and Semi-AFK

Herblore is naturally quick but can be made more relaxed.

Methods:

Mix potions in batches of 14

Use stackable ingredients for extended AFK

Expect minor losses for maximum convenience

XP rates:

200–400k XP/hour depending on potion type

If you prefer efficiency over cost, stackable ingredients double AFK time at the expense of OSRS GP.

Crafting: Gems and Dehide Bodies

Crafting offers multiple AFK options:

Gems:

Sapphires (level 20)

Emeralds (27)

Rubies (34)

Diamonds (43)

Dragonstones (55)

Dehide bodies:

Green (63 crafting)

Blue (71)

Red (77)

Black (84)

Dehide crafting provides up to 440k XP/hour but requires more interaction than gem cutting.

Prayer: House Party Worlds

Prayer training is expensive but extremely fast.

Method:

Join a gilded altar house

Use noted bones on the altar

Left-click for quick offering

Teleport out and repeat

XP rates:

Up to 500k XP/hour, depending on bones

This is one of the fastest ways to train prayer, but requires significant gold investment.

Construction: Sailing’s New AFK Method

With sailing updates, construction training became more relaxed.

Method:

Use ship workbenches

Create hull parts (oak recommended)

AFK for 30 seconds per action

XP rates:

~150k XP/hour with oak materials

If you lack sailing requirements, use the fishing trawler bank chest alternative for similar results.

Final Thoughts

AFK training in Old School RuneScape has never been better. Whether you prefer combat, gathering skills, or production methods, 2026 offers numerous ways to progress with minimal effort.

Key takeaways:

Gemstone crabs for combat

Shooting stars for mining

Fish barrel for fishing

Forestry for woodcutting

House thieving for passive XP

By mixing these methods, you can steadily improve skills while focusing on other activities.

Progress doesn’t have to be exhausting—sometimes the best gains come from doing less.

Happy training, and see you in Gielinor!