How to Reduce the Cost of Training Herblore in RuneScape Using Magic, Summoning, Thieving and Woodcutting

Training the RuneScape skill Herblore can be very expensive. Other skills can be used that can help towards decreasing the cost of training Herblore in RuneScape. This article looks into how Magic, Summoning, Thieving and Woodcutting can be used to reduce the cost.

Magic

One of the main uses Magic has is increasing the speed at which you can travel around to get to places. There are many teleports available in the standard spellbook, as well as the ability to craft enchanted jewellery, many types of which also have teleports to various places. This can cost money, but many of the runes and other items needed can be found by killing monsters amongst other things.

The Lunar spell book also possesses a number of spells that can be used in Farming or to teleport to places, with more being unlocked from the Livid Farm activity.

The Ancient Magicks have no spells that are of any real use.

Summoning

Spirit Spider

A Spirit spider pouch, which requires level 10 Summoning, can be made using a Pouch, Gold charm, Spider carcass and eight Spirit shards, or bought on the Grand Exchange, can be used to summon a Spirit Spider or converted into ten Egg spawn scrolls.

The Spirit Spider will passively forage Red spider eggs once summoned or, using the egg spawn special move, up to seven Red spider eggs will appear on the ground near the player, although you may get none. Using egg spawn is more cost effective than just getting eggs from foraging.

If you can kill the Jungle Spiders, which are level 37, 40 and 44, with the level 37 and level 40 spiders being poisonous, to get the required Spider carcasses to make the pouches, this is very cost effective. One Spirit Spider will go through about 70 Egg spawn scrolls during its' summoned time, which will usually create at least 100 Red spider eggs, or over 90,000 coins worth of eggs. The shards required only cost 200 coins, so this saves a lot of money if using Red spider eggs in potions.

Macaw

A Macaw pouch, made at level 41 Summoning using a Pouch, Green charm, Clean guam and 78 Spirit shards, or bought from the Grand Exchange, can be used to summon a Macaw, or be converted into Herbcall scrolls.

Once summoned, the Macaw will passively forage herbs and will improve herb drops from dropping monsters. Using the Herbcall scroll will produce more herbs, up to (rarely) Torstol, although usually lower level herbs.

It is more cost effective to buy the pouch on the Grand Exchange, if you can, than making it yourself. With a bit of luck with the herb drops, it can prove an effective method of decreasing Herblore training costs when averaged out, although an individual pouch may well make a loss.

Fruit Bat

The Fruit bat pouch, which can be made at level 69 Summoning, using a Pouch, Green charm, Banana and 130 Spirit shards, or bought from the Grand Exchange, can be used to summon a Fruit Bat or converted into Fruitfall scrolls.

Like the Macaw, the Fruit Bat will randomly forage items, although the bat forages Papayas, Pineapples, Coconuts, Strawberries, Watermelons, Strawberry seeds and Watermelon seeds.

The Papayas and Coconuts can both be used in Herblore; the Coconuts broken open with a Hammer and used on an Empty vial to make a Coconut milk.

Both Papayas and Coconuts are expensive items to buy, 1-2 Coconuts or Papayas produced by the Fruit Bat will cover the cost to buy or make the scroll. Most of the other items foraged are not worth very much, although Watermelon seeds do often sell for more than the Coconuts or Papayas.

By keeping the Coconuts and Papayas and selling everything else, not only will you on average cover the cost of the pouch, but also make a profit, as well as gaining ingredients for use in Herblore.

Fruitfall will cause fruit to fall to the ground, namely Papayas, Coconuts, Watermelons, Bananas, Lemons, Limes and Oranges. Again, the unwanted items can be sold. Using Fruitfall can prove more cost effective than just foraging.

Beasts of Burden

Thorny Snail, Spirit Kalphite, Bull Ant, Spirit Terrorbird, War Tortoise, Pack Yak

These familiars are not of any direct use for training Herblore, but where they help is by allowing you to carry more ingredients, such as when collecting Blue dragon scales or Mort Myre fungus. As with all familiars, they can often cost more to make than they can be bought from the Grand Exchange. They can be of most benefit where you are collecting respawning items a long way from a bank.
        

Thieving

Thieving can be save a lot of money on obtaining herb seeds to grow using the Farming skill. If you lack the required level in Thieving and are looking for free low level herb seeds, it can be worthwhile hanging around Draynor Market, as players often drop cheap seeds on the ground.

Pickpocketing Farmers

Normal Farmers can be pickpocketed at level 10 Thieving, although they have no useful drops initially. Once the Thieves Guild Caper Lost Her Marbles is completed they can now be pickpocketed for Guam, Marrentil and Tarromin seeds. Given that by the time you complete this caper you can probably pickpocket Master Farmers, and how cheap these seeds are, there is no real point in pickpocketing them for seeds. These low level seeds are often dropped by other players pickpocketing Master Farmers, so can be collected from the floor if needed. Farmers cannot be left click pickpocketed.

Pickpocketing Master Farmers

Master Farmers can be pickpocketed at level 38 Thieving. Successfully pickpocketing them will give you free seeds, although not just herb seeds. Herb seeds up to Torstol can be got from pickpocketing, although lower level seeds are much more common. Use an Ardougne Cloak 3 and Gloves of silence to improve your success rate.

Master Farmers can be found in the following locations:

Draynor Market - Closest to a bank. As well as a normal Master Farmer, Martin the Master Farmer can also be found here, but he can't be left click pickpocketed.

 

 

 

East Ardougne - By the potato field and farming shop to the north of East Ardougne.

 

 

 

Varrock - To the south of Varrock in the sheep pen.

 

 

 

 

 

Of these locations, Draynor Market is most recommended for its' proximity to a bank.

Woodcutting

Woodcutting has only a minor input in reducing the cost of training. Cutting trees or ivy will occasionally cause a Bird's nest to fall out of the tree, which after searching can be crushed, producing a Crushed nest, an expensive ingredient of the level 81 potion Saradomin brew. Wearing a Strung rabbit foot increases the chance of this happening.

A Strung rabbit foot can either be bought from the Grand Exchange, or made by using a Ball of wool on a Rabbit's foot at level 37 Crafting. Rabbit's feet can be obtained by snaring rabbits after the Eagle's Peak quest at level 27 Hunting. It's far easier buying this if you can than making it.

Don't devote time to this to help train Herblore by itself, as it isn't really effective, just wear the Strung rabbit foot to improve your chances of getting nests whilst woodcutting, and thus reducing the number of Crushed nests you may need to buy. 30 Day Membership: RuneScape 3 [Game Connect]
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