How to Reduce the Cost of Training Summoning in RuneScape Using Summoning Forager Pouches

Training Summoning in RuneScape is often expensive. Creating Summoning pouches is the main way of training, and it is also usually the most expensive and time consuming way. The most expensive part of the pouch is often the Spirit shards used, although this does vary from pouch to pouch. Forager pouches can be used to reduce the cost of training Summoning.

As well as the experience earned when making the pouches, a small amount is gained when a pouch is used, or when Summoning scrolls are created or used.

Summoning scrolls are best used near a bank, as a players' inventory can be quickly filled by items got using the scrolls, and to maximise the profit, those items kept need to be quickly banked. The Edgeville bank is popular for this.

Foragers

Forager familiars generate items. These can be generated passively at any time, whilst performing a specific activity or when a scroll is used, depending on the type of familiar summoned. Although all Foraging familiars can generate items, the quantities or value of the items may not be high enough to cover the cost of the pouch.

Making money from pouches can be time consuming, unless the summoned familiar passively forages enough items whilst doing another activity, so it may be an idea, rather than make lots of forager pouches, to just make a few and reinvest the profit into making pouches that aren't profitable.

Some foragers are unlikely to forage enough to be profitable, but they may provide benefits for other skills.

Spirit Spider (Level 10 Summoning)

Spirit spider pouches require 8 Spirit shards, a Spider carcass and a Gold charm. The Spider carcass is the most expensive part, and the most difficult to acquire for low level players, as they are dropped by the often poisonous Jungle Spiders.

Spirit Spiders passively forage Red spider eggs, although this is not very common. They can also generate up to seven Red spider eggs on the ground when the Egg spawn scroll is used, although they may produce none. The Egg Spawn ability is the recommended way of getting the Red spider eggs; during the lifetime of a summoned Spirit Spider, the ability can be used approximately 80 times, which will more than likely result in well over 100 Red spider eggs, the value of which will easily cover the cost of 10 Spirit spider pouches, one to summon the Spirit Spider and the other nine converted into scrolls.

The special ability may only be used outdoors or in the TzHaar city.

Granite Crab (Level 16 Summoning)

A Granite crab pouch requires 7 Spirit shards, Iron ore and a Gold charm. Iron ore can easily be mined.

Granite Crab's, once summoned, will passively forage Raw cod, Seaweed, Raw pike and Oysters whilst fishing. Fishing experience is also gained from the Raw cod and Raw pike.

The pouch is fairly inexpensive to make, and the cost can often be covered by one Seaweed, depending on price fluctuations. Raw fish can be sold directly to fishing shops.

Desert Wyrm (Level 18 Summoning)

A Desert wyrm pouch requires 45 Spirit shards, a Bucket of sand and a Green charm. Sand can be purchased or got by using a Bucket on a sand pile, or from Bert in Yanille on a daily basis after completing The Hand in the Sand.

Using the Burrow special move, which drains Summoning points every time used, a Desert Wyrm will burrow underground and return with an ore up to iron which it will drop on the ground. There needs to be a Mining rock nearby, and if there isn't an iron rock that the player isn't mining, it will return with Copper or Tin ore.

A good place to use Desert Wyrms is at the mine east of Port Khazard. There is a nearby mini obelisk, for recharging Summoning, and a deposit box, as well as enough iron rocks to both mine and use the Desrt Wyrm. It is possible to get several hundred Iron ores during the life of one pouch, easily covering the cost.

Albino Rat (Level 23 Summoning)

An Albino rat pouch requires 75 Spirit shards, Raw rat meat and a Blue charm. Raw rat meat is easily obtained by killing Rats.

Albino Rats have the Cheese Feast special ability, by using the Cheese feast scroll, which adds four pieces of Cheese to the players' inventory. The Cheese should easily cover the cost of the initial pouch and any scrolls used.

Compost Mound (Level 28 Summoning)

A Compost mound pouch requires 47 Spirit shards, Compost and a Green charm. Compost is easy to make in a compost bin at various Farming patches.

The Compost Mound, once summoned, will passively generate Compost and Supercompost, although this is rare. Alternatively, Buckets can be used on the Compost Mound to create Compost. 48 Compost can be created this way, easily enough to pay for the pouch, before the Compost Mound is killed by this.

The Generate compost scroll, when used, will fill a nearby compost bin with Compost, and occasionally Supercompost. Enough Compost can be created this way to cover the cost of the original pouch and any scrolls used, even assuming Supercompost isn't made.

Beaver (Level 33 Summoning)

A Beaver pouch requires 72 Spirit shards, Willow logs and a Green charm. Willow logs can be got from any willow tree at level 30 Woodcutting.

The Beaver will occasionally forage Planks and Oak planks and logs from normal Logs to Yew logs. Only Planks, Oak planks and Yew logs are really valuable enough to make a profit, so Beaver pouches can be unlikely to break even on the cost.

Void Ravager (Level 34 Summoning)

Void ravager pouches require 74 Spirit shards, a Ravager charm and a Green charm. Ravager charms can only be purchased using Void Knight commendation points, earned from playing Conquest or Pest Control, so it may be preferable to spend the points earned elsewhere.

Void Ravagers can passively forage ores. Given the value of most ores, covering the Spirit shard cost of the pouch may be quite easy, as the tertiary component does not cost money.

Macaw (Level 41 Summoning)

A Macaw pouch requires 78 Spirit shards, a Clean guam and a Green charm. Guam is easily and cheaply obtained from Farming, monster drops and other players.

Macaws can passively forage herbs, although this is uncommon and they will rarely produce more than one herb per pouch.

Using a Herbcall scroll, Macaws can produce herbs up to and including Torstol, although most herbs dropped will be lower level ones such as Guam, Harralander and Tarromin. Getting several decent herbs will usually pay for the cost of the pouch and scrolls used, especially if Torstol is dropped.

Herbcall cannot be used continuously, or the Macaw will tire, and will need to rest for one minute before it can be used again.

Evil Turnip (Level 42 Summoning)

Evil turnip pouches require 104 Spirit shards, a Carved evil turnip and a Crimson charm. Evil turnips can be grown in the patch in Draynor Manor or purchased from other players.

Evil Turnips will forage 1/3 and 2/3 Evil turnips. However, these are worth only a small fraction of a whole Evil turnip, so these pouches will probably never make a profit, even if the Evil turnip is grown by the player.

Spirit Cockatrice, Saratrice, Guthatrice, Zamatrice, Pengatrice, Coraxatrice and Vulatrice (Level 43 Summoning)

A Spirit cockatrice pouch requires 88 Spirit shards, a Cockatrice egg and a Green charm. Cockatrice eggs are dropped by Cockatrices and can be formed from Chicken eggs using a Spirit Cobra's Ophidian Incubation ability, or from a Spirit Impling. The other similar familiars require a different egg to be subsituted, which can also be created using Ophidian Incubation on different egg types, or looted from Spirit Implings.

These familiars all forage and store eggs of the relevant type. They will usually forage 3 to 8 eggs during the life of the pouch.

Magpie (Level 47 Summoning)

Magpie pouches require 88 Spirit shards, a Gold ring and a Green charm. Gold rings can be bought from other players, found in Bird's nests, or crafted from Gold bars.

Magpies passively forage uncut gemstones and gemstone rings, both unenchanted and enchanted. Gemstones and rings of both types range from Sapphire to Diamond. The value of the items foraged means that it is easy to cover the cost of the pouch and make a profit from Magpies; one ring may even do it.

Ibis (Level 56 Summoning)

An Ibis pouch requires 109 Spirit shards, a Harpoon and a Green charm. Harpoons can be cheaply obtained from fishing shops.

Ibis will passively forage Raw tuna and Raw swordfish whilst fishing from any fishing spot, although when fishing at the Monkfish spots in the Piscatoris Fishing Colony, it seems to only forage the more valuable swordfish. The Ibis is unlikely to cover the cost of the pouch from foraged fish though.

The Fish rain scroll causes Raw shrimp, Raw bass, Raw cod and Raw mackerel to fall from the sky. Only the Raw bass is worth much, though, so Fish Rain is also unlikely to cover the cost of the scrolls used and pouches.

Stranger Plant (Level 64 Summoning)

Stranger plant pouches require 128 Spirit shards, a Bagged plant 1 and a Crimson charm. The Bagged plant 1 can be purchased from the garden supplier in Falador park.

Stranger Plants will passively forage Strange fruit, but these are not worth much and are unlikely to be foraged in sufficient quantity to cover the cost of the pouch.

 

 

Fruit Bat (Level 69 Summoning)

A Fruit bat pouch requires 130 Spirit shards, a Banana and a Green charm. Bananas can be got from the banana plantation on Karamja.

Fruit Bats will passively forage Papayas, Pineapples, Coconuts, Strawberries, Watermelons, Strawberry seeds and Watermelon seeds. Papayas, Coconuts and Watermelon seeds are all quite valuable, and a Fruit Bat will often easily cover the cost of the pouch from passive foraging.

Using a Fruitfall scroll, the Fruit Bat's Fruitfall special move will produce Papayas, Coconuts, Watermelons, Lemons, Limes, Bananas and Oranges. Some of these are also valuable enough to easily cover the cost of the pouch and scrolls used.

Additionally, on Karamja, Fruit Bats have a Fly ability, which doesn't use the special move bar, and the familiar timer does not decrease while the bat is away. This means that a lot of fruit can be got using this. The bat will return with 0-5 items of fruit, such as Bananas, Oranges, Limes, Lemons and Pineapples. It may take a lot to cover the cost of the pouch, but this can be done.

The best place to do this is the Shilo Village bank, which needs the Shilo Village quest to use. The player can stand inside the bank next to a banker, send the bat away, and when its inventory is full, one click deposit all the gathered fruit. Alternatively, you can stand next to the leprechaun at the Calquat patch in Tai Bwo Wannai or the fruit tree patch in Brimhaven, and use the leprechaun to note the fruit as it is collected.

Granite Lobster (Level 74 Summoning)

The Granite lobster pouch requires 166 Spirit shards, Granite (any weight) and a Crimson charm. Granite can be obtained from the granite rocks in the Kharidian desert. It's advisable to use the lighter granite pieces, by chiselling larger ones into pieces.

Granite Lobsters will passively forage Raw swordfish and Raw sharks when fishing. Raw sharks are more valuable, and it is possible for one pouch to produce enough fish to cover the cost of making the pouch, although this does require a fair bit of luck. Raw sharks can also be used to make the popular Bunyip pouch.

Giant Ent (Level 78 Summoning)

Giant ent pouches require 124 Spirit shards, a Willow branch and a Green charm. Willow branches can be obtained by using Secateurs or Magic secateurs on a willow tree the player has grown.

Giant Ents will passively forage Oak logs. Using the Acorn missile scroll on an opponent will also create Acorns. Neither of these are worth much, so these pouches are not worth using to try to reduce the training cost. 30 Day Membership: RuneScape 3 [Instant Access]
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