In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), Smithing is one of the most rewarding yet challenging skills to level up. As a vital skill in the game, Smithing allows players to create weapons, armor, and various items, which are essential for progression in combat and crafting. Whether you're making bronze bars or creating high-level Rune equipment, leveling up your Smithing skill quickly is important for both financial gain and gameplay progression.

In this comprehensive guide, we will break down the best methods for leveling up Smithing in OSRS gold. From the early levels to the more advanced methods, we'll cover techniques, tips, and strategies to help you reach your Smithing goals as efficiently as possible.

Understanding the Smithing Skill

Smithing in OSRS is the art of combining ores with a furnace to create bars, which are then used to craft various items like weapons, tools, and armor. The skill is often essential for combat, especially if you're looking to create your own armor or weapons. However, Smithing can also be a profitable skill if you craft high-level items and sell them on the Grand Exchange.

Smithing levels are earned by smelting ores into bars or by using bars to create items at anvils. This process involves experience points (XP), and the higher the level, the more experience you need to reach the next level. While leveling Smithing may seem like a grind, it is a skill that can be optimized for speed with the right techniques.

Leveling Up Smithing: From Beginner to Advanced

Let's break down the fastest methods for leveling Smithing in OSRS, starting with early levels and progressing to the more advanced training methods.

Levels 1-15: Smelting Bronze and Iron Bars

At the beginning stages of your Smithing journey, you will need to get used to smelting ores into bars. The first ores you will work with are copper and tin, which can be combined to make bronze bars. These bars will be your primary source of experience at this level.

Mine Copper and Tin Ores:

To get started, mine copper and tin ores from mining rocks. These ores are typically located near each other in places like Varrock or Lumbridge. You'll need 1 copper ore and 1 tin ore to make one bronze bar.

Smelt the Ores in a Furnace:

Go to a furnace (one of the most accessible is located in Varrock) and use your ores on the furnace to create bronze bars. For every 1 ore of copper and 1 ore of tin, you'll create 1 bronze bar and earn 6 XP.

Craft Bronze Items (Optional):

Once you have made some bronze bars, you can also use an anvil to craft basic bronze items such as bronze swords or daggers. Crafting items provides XP and is a good way to quickly level up.

At level 15, you can begin smelting iron ore, which gives you access to faster XP.

Levels 15-99: Efficient Iron and Steel Smithing Methods

Once you hit level 15, you can start working with iron ore, which provides faster experience than bronze or tin. Here are the primary methods to train Smithing from level 15 all the way up to level 99.

Iron Ore: Smelting and Crafting (Levels 15-99)

Smelting Iron Bars (Levels 15-99):

Iron ore can be mined and smelted into iron bars. These bars are used to make higher-level items, such as iron platebodies or iron swords.

To smelt iron ore, you need to find an anvil and a furnace. The most common places for this are Varrock, Edgeville, and Al Kharid.

At level 15 Smithing, you can smelt iron bars at a furnace. Smelting iron bars gives you 12 XP per bar. This process continues up to level 99, but you'll need to look at the more advanced options later on for maximum efficiency.

Superheating Iron Ore:

Once you have a magic level of 43 (which allows you to use Superheat spells), you can use the Superheat spell to smelt iron ore into bars directly without needing a furnace. This gives you 11 XP in Magic per ore, as well as Smithing XP. This method is faster but requires Rune or Dragon staffs, and it consumes runic charges.

Steel Bars (Levels 30-99)

At level 30, you can begin smelting steel bars by combining iron ore and coal. This method is highly efficient and helps you gain a substantial amount of experience.

Smelting Steel Bars:

Steel bars require 1 iron ore and 2 coal to create 1 steel bar. Smelting these bars yields 17.5 XP per bar. Compared to iron, this method is slightly slower but yields a better XP rate.

Crafting Steel Items:

After making steel bars, you can craft steel items such as steel platebodies, steel kiteshields, or steel swords to get XP. These items are useful to train further on your way to 99.

Bars Up to Mithril, Adamant, and Rune (Levels 50-99)

Once you have gained more Smithing levels, you can begin crafting with more advanced ores such as mithril, adamant, and rune.

Mithril Bars:

Mithril bars are made from mithril ore and coal, and they provide 30 XP per bar. These bars can be used to make higher-level armor or weapons, which provide a higher experience rate when crafted.

Adamant Bars:

Adamant bars are made from adamant ore and coal. They provide 37.5 XP per bar, making them highly efficient for training at higher levels. Crafting adamant equipment is another way to level up Smithing quickly.

Rune Bars:

At level 99 Smithing, you can craft Rune bars from rune ore, giving 75 XP per bar. While making Rune bars is the most rewarding in terms of experience, it is also the most expensive method to train Smithing, so players typically reserve it for high-level goals.

Optimal Methods for Leveling Up Smithing

There are multiple methods for maximizing your Smithing experience per hour, depending on your budget and preferences.

1. Blast Furnace (Level 30 and Above)

The Blast Furnace is one of the most efficient ways to train Smithing in OSRS, especially for those who want to make steel, mithril, adamant, and rune bars. This method requires the completion of the Blast Furnace miniquest, but it gives players a much higher XP rate than traditional methods.

Blast Furnace: The Blast Furnace allows you to smelt bars faster and with a reduced amount of coal, making it ideal for training. If you're aiming to level up Smithing quickly, consider using the Blast Furnace, which can provide as much as 300,000 XP per hour or more.

2. Making Platebodies (Level 99)

At level 99 Smithing, you'll want to focus on crafting high-value, high-XP items. Platebodies are the most efficient items to create at the highest levels, providing both high XP and high value.

Iron Platebodies (Levels 30-99): At level 30 Smithing, start making Iron Platebodies, which can provide 168 XP per platebody. As you get to higher levels, switch to Steel Platebodies, Mithril Platebodies, and eventually Rune Platebodies for maximum XP.

Money-Making While Smithing

While leveling Smithing is the primary focus, many players also use Smithing as a cheap RuneScape gold-making skill. If you're looking to maximize both XP and profit, consider the following:

Making Barrows Equipment: Rune and Dragon equipment crafted at high Smithing levels can be sold for a large profit.

Profit from Adamant and Mithril Bars: Crafting high-level bars and selling them at the Grand Exchange can help offset the cost of training Smithing.

Conclusion

Leveling up Smithing in OSRS can be a grind, but with the right methods, you can maximize your XP per hour and reduce the time it takes to reach level 99. Whether you're smelting bars, crafting items, or using advanced methods like the Blast Furnace, Smithing is a rewarding skill that provides both utility and profit.

For the best results, stick to the optimal methods like Blast Furnace and crafting high-XP items like platebodies. And as always, be sure to keep an eye on market trends to make money while training Smithing.

Happy smithing, and may your anvils never dull!