Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026
By Venom
Ranged is the most flexible combat skill in OSRS. You can push it to 99 in under 40 hours if you have the gold for chinchompas, or take a slower, cheaper route. You can make a good amount of money while doing slayer tasks with ranged weapons, or you can sit in the MM2 caves throwing Black Chins at monkeys until the skill cape lands in your inventory. No other combat skill gives you this much choice.
This guide covers every viable P2P Ranged training method, fastest, cheapest, most profitable, and most AFK. I've trained Ranged on multiple accounts over the years, including a standard main, a pure, and an Ironman. The XP rates I give you here are from actual sessions, not theoretical maxes from a calculator.
Playing on Free-to-Play? This guide is P2P focused. Head over to our F2P Ranged Guide for the full free-to-play route here.
Let's get into it!
Short answer: yes, absolutely. Ranged is one of the three combat styles and the one that works best against most high-value content in the game. Vorkath, Zulrah, Chambers of Xeric, Theatre of Blood, Tombs of Amascut, and GWD all use Ranged as their primary or best kill method at some point.
The skill also has a unique advantage over Melee and Magic in mid-game progression. The Toxic Blowpipe, which you can get around 12M GP, genuinely replaces most Melee setups for Slayer tasks below 85 Slayer. It significantly speeds up kill times, and the venom proc means less food is used per task. Getting Ranged to 75+ early opens the toxic blowpipe weapon and changes how efficiently your whole account runs.
That said, Range takes longer to get value from than Melee at the very start. Below level 55 or so, you're not doing anything dramatically better than basic Melee. The real value kicks in at 70+, when good weapons unlock, and at 75+, when becomes viable.
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For a new members account, I wouldn't rush straight to 99 Ranged. Instead, I'd train to around 70-75 Ranged, unlocking upgrades like the Dragon Crossbow along the way, then focus on Slayer using a Toxic Blowpipe once you can afford one.
While the cheapest route (crabs and crossbows) takes 50+ hours and costs around 30M GP in ammunition and supplies, and the fastest route costs around 110M GP, the Blowpipe Slayer route offers the best balance for most players. You'll train Ranged while earning Slayer XP, completing tasks, and making GP, making your overall account progression much more efficient.
Unless your only goal is to max Ranged as quickly as possible, I'd recommend training it naturally through Slayer after reaching 70-75 Ranged. You'll continue progressing your account, unlock valuable PvM content, and eventually reach 99 Ranged without dedicating dozens of hours solely to training the skill.
These quests give Ranged XP rewards and are worth doing before you start any method. Combined, they can get you from level 1 to around level 32-35 without firing a single arrow.
Quest | Ranged XP | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Temple of Ikov | 10,500 XP | 42 Thieving, Ranged 40 (bypassable) | Best early Ranged XP, no requirements at all |
Animal Magnetism | 2,500 XP | 30 Ranged | Also gives 1,000 Magic XP. Unlocks Ava's Accumulator |
Big Chompy Bird Hunting | 735 XP | 30 Ranged | Short, worth doing |
Horror from the Deep | 4,662 XP | None | Two lamps, choose Ranged for both |
Tower of Life | 500 XP | None | Pick Ranged on the XP lamp |
Monkey Madness II | Unlock | 69 Slayer | No XP, but unlocks the MM2 cave chinning spot essential |
Dwarf Cannon | - | None | Required for buying dwarfcannon |
NOTE: Temple of Ikov alone (10,500 XP) gets you from level 1 to level 31. Do this quest before any Ranged training. Although it has 42 Thieving and 40 Ranged requirements, they are not required to start the quest. And you can bypass the 40 Ranged requirement.
If speed is the priority and GP is not a concern, then I would recommend Chinning in the MM2 caves with Red or Black Chinchompas. However, chinning with black chinchompas will be more expensive than chinning with red chins.
Players can progress from Grey Chinchompas to Red and eventually Black Chinchompas as their Ranged level increases, achieving some of the game's highest experience rates. Cannoning is an effective way to skip the early levels before transitioning to chinning, making this route the fastest but also one of the most expensive training paths. Have a look at the following methods overview you’re going to read in this Fastest XP section.
Method | Level | XP/hr | Cost | Best For |
Questing | 1–31 | Free XP | Free | Skipping early levels |
Cannoning | 1–45 | 50k–80k | Medium | Fast early-game training |
Grey Chinchompas | 45–55 | 200k–500k | ~1M | First AoE training method |
Red Chinchompas | 55–65 | 350k–700k | ~3M | High XP at moderate cost |
Black Chinchompas | 65–99 | 500k–900k | ~100M | Fastest overall training |
If speed is the priority and GP is not a concern, then I would recommend Chinning in the MM2 caves with Red or Black Chinchompas. However, chinning with black chinchompas will be more expensive than chinning with red chins.
For the complete chinning breakdown, gear setups at every tier, and the exact tile markings, see our OSRS chinning guide here.
For low-level training, there are several methods to skip these levels, such as questing, which is a good option for skipping early levels.
You can complete the Temple of Ikov to get 10500 XP in Ranged and 8000 XP in Fletching.
You can bypass the 40 Ranged requirement in the Temple of Ikov quest by equipping the Ice arrows you find while searching chests in the Temple of Ikov dungeon during the quest. Equip at least 1 Ice arrow, then wield a Throwing Knife (Bronze or Iron) or Darts (Bronze or Iron) and start attacking the Fire Warrior of Lesarkus. You’ll be able to kill him at Level 1 Ranged.
Cannoning is the fastest method to skip early levels and reach level 45 to start using chinchompas. After finishing the Dwarf Cannon quest, you can assemble and operate your Dwarf Cannon. Even at level 1, this method can boost your XP rates to 80k per hour, which is quite fast compared to other ranged training strategies at this stage. Cannoning can be done on Caged Ogres after completing the Biohazard quest, a small quest. Other suitable cannoning spots include Ogres near Castle Wars, Rock Crabs near Fremennik Province, and Dagannoths in the lighthouse.
Tip: Always wear the best Ranged gear you have while cannoning, and use the best darts to boost your XP rates.
Once you reach level 45, Grey Chinchompas become available for training. These are AoE (Area of Effect) weapons that hit the target square and all 8 adjacent squares. To use them efficiently, we need to partially complete either MM1 or MM2 before entering the caves. You can start chinning on Skeletal Monkeys after MM1. MM2 is recommended because there are many Maniacal Monkeys here. Maniacal Monkeys in MM2 caves offer higher XP rates than Skeletal Monkeys in MM1 caves.
Level 45-55: Grey Chinchompas | ||
XP/hr | Quantity | Cost |
~200K-500K | 1000-1200 | ~1M |
You can check the Actual XP rates using Grey Chinchompas in MM2 caves. I hit 450K in the image below with the gear image attached and a 97 Level of range. So the XP rates totally depend on level and gear.
Red Chinchompas thrown at Maniacal Monkeys inside the MM2 cave are the second-fastest Ranged method after Black Chinchompas. In the MM2 cave, monkeys pile up around you, and every throw can hit up to 9 targets. You can hit up to 700k/hr with a proper gear setup (Best-in-Slot).
Fill your inventory with 4,000-6,000 chins before each session, and some prayer potions, and ranging potions are highly recommended.
Level 55-65: Red Chinchompas | ||
XP/hr | Quantity | Cost |
350k-700k | ~2000 | ~3M |
Black Chinchompas are the upgraded version with higher damage, higher accuracy, and significantly higher cost. You can hit up to 1M XP/hr with the right setup and gear with Black Chins. At roughly 3000 GP each versus 1400 GP for Red Chins, they're about 2x the price.
Choosing between Red and Black Chins depends on your GP situation. If you have over 100M in liquid assets and want to reach 99 Ranged quickly, Black Chins from level 65-99 are the best option. For a more budget-friendly approach, many opt for Red Chins for most of the levels and switch to Black Chins for the last 10 levels as a balanced compromise.
Level 65-99: Black Chinchompas | ||
XP/hr | Quantity | Cost |
500K-900K | ~35000 | 100M |
The following are comparisons between the two paths for using Chins: the first is the Segmented pathway, and the second is the full route to 99 using each type of Chin.
If you're progressing through Ranged in stages, each chinchompa type has its own sweet spot. Grey Chins are a solid starting point, Red Chins provide a noticeable jump in experience, and Black Chins offer the highest XP rates once unlocked. The table below compares each training segment by experience per hour, estimated chinchompas used, total GP spent, and GP per XP, making it easy to see which option gives the best value for that specific level bracket.
Method | Levels | XP/hr | Chins Used | Estimated Cost | GP/XP |
Grey Chinchompas | 45–55 | ~200k | ~1,200 | ~1M | 9.50 |
Red Chinchompas | 55–65 | 250k–400k | ~2,000 | ~3M | 10.60 |
Black Chinchompas | 65–99 | 550k–800k | ~35,000 | ~100M | 7.94 |
If you're planning your entire journey to 99 Ranged, the total cost matters just as much as the XP rates. While Black Chinchompas are by far the fastest option, they also require a massive GP investment. Grey Chins are significantly cheaper but much slower, whereas Red Chins strike a good balance between cost and efficiency. This table compares the complete journey to level 99, including the estimated number of chinchompas used, total GP investment, GP per XP, and the type of player each route is best suited for.
Method | Levels | Average XP/hr | Chins Used | Total Cost | GP/XP | Best For |
Grey Chinchompas | 45–99 | 200k–500k | ~60,000 | ~30M | 2.31 | Lowest-cost route to 99 |
Red Chinchompas | 55–99 | 250k–600k | ~45,000 | ~40M | 3.10 | Balanced cost and speed |
Black Chinchompas | 65–99 | 550k–800k | ~35,000 | ~100M | 7.94 | Fastest route to 99 |
If your goal is to reach 99 Ranged as quickly as possible without spending more than 100M GP, I'd recommend using Red Chinchompas from level 55 to 99. In my experience, this is the sweet spot between cost and speed, taking roughly 25-30 hours and costing around 40M GP.
If money isn't a concern and you want the fastest XP rates possible, follow this progression: Grey Chinchompas from 45-55, Red Chinchompas from 55-65, and Black Chinchompas from 65-99. This route costs approximately 110M GP and can get you to 99 Ranged in under 20 hours, making it the fastest training path currently available.
These methods get you to 99 Ranged without spending hundreds of millions. The XP rates are lower, but the GP cost is manageable, and most of these methods give you drops or other benefits alongside the Ranged XP.
Early quests help skip low levels for free, Gemstone Crabs provide long AFK sessions with steady experience, and Nightmare Zone offers relaxed training from level 70 onward. While these methods are slower than chinning, they require significantly less GP and are suitable for most accounts.
Method | Level | XP/hr | Cost | AFK | Best For |
Questing | 1–33 | Free XP | Free | N/A | Skipping early levels |
Gemstone Crabs | 33–70 | 35k–65k | Low | Yes | Long AFK sessions |
Nightmare Zone | 70–99 | 50k–150k | Low | Yes | Cheap AFK training |
In this pathway, I’ll recommend that you do quests to skip early levels. You can also go cannoning if you want; the choice is yours. The following are the quests you need to complete:
Quest | XP reward |
Temple of Ikov | 10500 |
Horror from the Deep | 4662 |
Death to the Dorgeshuun | 2000 |
All of these quests have no major requirements to start so you can finish them easily with minimal effort. As I already mentioned earlier in the guide, about bypassing the requirement of 40 ranged in the Temple of Ikov quest.
It is the most efficient mid-level ranged route for any account that's training range. You can use either darts or arrows to reach level 70 on the Gemstone crab. If I have to recommend one, darts are a better choice than arrows, and you’re gonna get AFK for about 15 minutes. The best way is to prepare a complete inventory in one go for the whole 33-70 trip. Create an inventory with all the darts you’re gonna need for your levels, and keep as many ranging potions as you can in inventory.
At level 70 of range, you should start training in the Nightmare Zone, as it offers a decent XP rate and about 20 minutes of AFK time. The following are the bosses in NMZ that are good for range. You must select at least five of them and have completed their corresponding quests.
The Venator bow at 80 Ranged is a top training weapon in OSRS for fighting multiple monsters close together, thanks to its passive effect rather than raw damage.
Its advantages include High XP Rates:
It allows arrows to bounce off nearby targets, damaging multiple monsters with a single shot. At good training spots, expected XP is 150k–250k/hr with mid-level gear and 250k–400k+ with high Ranged levels (90-99), good gear, and optimal monster choice. It’s one of the fastest non-chinchompa training methods.
Consider enabling the following bosses in the NMZ for ranged training to maximise the AFK time and XP rates.
NMZ Bosses Best for Ranged Training | |
Khazard Warlord | Tree Gnome Village |
Trapped Soul | The Ascent of Arceuus |
Count Draynor | Vampyre Slayer |
Sand Snake | The Depths of Despair |
Tree Spirit | Lost City |
The Kendal | Mountain Daughter |
Me | Lunar Diplomacy |
King Roald | What Lies Below |
We have our dedicated guide for Nightmare Zone here. You must check it out here for gear setup and its strategies. For the above image, I’m using the Masori Set with the Toxic Blowpipe and amethyst darts.
Several Ranged methods make significant GP while training. These aren't the fastest XP routes, but they cover their costs and often turn a heavy profit. Best for players who want to fund other expensive skills while levelling Ranged.
Toxic Blowpipe Slayer is one of the best all-around methods, providing Slayer experience, Ranged experience, and valuable drops simultaneously. At higher levels, bosses such as Vorkath, Zulrah, Muspah, and Raids become excellent options, offering consistent profits alongside competitive Ranged experience.
Method | Level | XP/hr | GP/hr | Best For |
Blowpipe Slayer | 75+ | 60k–100k | Profit | Slayer + Ranged training |
Vorkath (DHCB) | 80+ | 70k–90k | 3M–5M | Best consistent GP |
Zulrah | 80+ | Moderate | High | Bossing & profit |
Phantom Muspah | 85+ | Moderate | High | End-game GP |
Raids | 90+ | Moderate | Very High | Highest-value drops |
The Toxic Blowpipe is the cost-efficient meta for P2P Ranged training from 75 onwards. Here's why it's so good: it hits twice per attack cycle, applies venom to the target, and the dart cost is far cheaper than the chinchompa cost per XP. At most Slayer tasks, you're actually making GP while training, which means this method is effectively profitable Ranged XP. Another advantage of using a toxic blowpipe is that it heals you for half the damage dealt by its special attack.
I ran Blowpipe Slayer from level 75 to 90 Ranged on my main and came out ahead in GP by the end.
You can make a decent amount of GP with Slayer in the wilderness. You can get Larren’s Keys and other decent drops here.
Once you have Dragon Slayer II done and a decent Ranged level, Vorkath is one of the best sources of money in the entire game. The Dragon Hunter Crossbow grants a 30% bonus to accuracy and damage against Dragon-type enemies, including Vorkath. Standard setup: DHCB + Ruby bolts (e) above 50% HP; Diamond bolts (e) below 50% HP.
The GP comes from consistent drops: Superior Dragon Bones, Dragon Battleaxe, Dragon Longsword, noted sharks, rune items, and the rare but significant drops. At steady kill speed with DHCB + mid-tier Ranged gear, you're looking at 25-30 kills per hour and 3-5M GP consistently.
Not only Vorkath, but you also consider doing other bosses such as Zulrah and Muspah. All three of them are highly profitable bosses, and they offer ranged training.
At 90+ Range, you can also consider playing raids, which bring the most profit in the entire game with the most valuable drops.
Ironman ranged training changes significantly because you can't buy Chins or bolts from the GE. Your ammunition has to be self-supplied, which changes the cost equation entirely and makes certain methods much better or worse.
Same quest stack as regular accounts. Temple of Ikov still has only 42 Thieving and 40 Ranged requirements, out of which you can bypass the 40 Ranged requirement. And it gives 10,500 XP. Sand or Ammonite Crabs are the training method after quests, since you don't need to supply anything beyond cheap arrows that you can craft or buy from shops.
The Ape Atoll Agility dungeon has a packed Maniacal Monkey corridor that can be chinned. It's actually better than the MM2 cave in some configurations. Red Chinchompas are obtainable from the Carnivorous Chinchompa hunting spot in the Feldip Hills. Hunting Chinchompas at level 63, Hunter gives a supply pipeline that keeps your chinning sessions going without GE purchases. Catching Red chinchompas requires completing the Eagle’s Peak quest.
It is one of the most efficient Ironman Ranged setups available: hunt chins, chin monkeys, supply your own ammunition. At 70+ Hunter, you're getting meaningful quantities of chins per hour.
The Toxic Blowpipe is obtained from Zulrah. For Ironmen, Zulrah is one of the earliest learnable bosses, and the Blowpipe drop makes it a natural stepping stone. Once you have the Blowpipe, Slayer with Ranged becomes extremely strong because:
Same as Ironman, but avoid the Wilderness entirely. PK risk is not worth HCIM status. At Zulrah for the Blowpipe, make sure your mechanics are solid before going in. One death ends everything. Get to at least 70 Defence before serious bossing for Ranged content.
We have dedicated guides you can follow to ensure you are always using the best ranged weapons & best ranged armour possible.
10,500 free Ranged XP with minimal requirements. Every account that doesn't do this quest first is spending 2-3 hours at crabs for XP they could have gotten in 20 minutes. Do the quest. It's the first thing I do on every new account. You can easily bypass the 40 Ranged requirement by using Darts/Throwing Knife to kill the enemy in the quest (Mentioned Above).
One of the most common mistakes players make is using the wrong fuse setting when chinning. If you're stacking Maniacal Monkeys on a single tile, Medium Fuse is generally the recommended option. It delivers consistent hits without requiring perfect timing and is the setting most players should use. While other fuse lengths can work depending on your setup, sticking with Medium Fuse will give you reliable XP rates.
Ava's Accumulator saves 72% of ammo. Ava's Assembler saves 80%. Over a 5,000-chin chinning session, the Assembler saves approximately 400 extra chins compared to the Accumulator. At Red Chin prices, that's around 340,000 GP saved per long session. Do Dragon Slayer II and get the Assembler before chinning.
Ruby bolts (e) proc does 20% of the target's current HP as damage, capped at 100. They're extremely powerful at the start of a boss fight (high HP) and weak at the end (low HP). Diamond bolts (e) are consistent throughout. The meta for most bosses is: Ruby bolts (e) above ~500 HP, Diamond bolts (e) below 500 HP. At Vorkath specifically, check the exact HP threshold for bolt swapping.
Temple of Ikov first, then cannon on Slayer tasks 40-70, then Blowpipe Slayer 75-99. Include a chinning session for the final push if you want to accelerate through the last 10 levels. Vorkath for GP alongside training. It is the realistic account-healthy route that most experienced players follow.
Ranged pures are extremely common in PvP. Standard pure Ranged route: quests to ~35, Sand Crabs to 55, chins to 99. No cannon since the XP goes to Ranged Combat level, which affects your bracket anyway. Watch your Ranged level progression carefully if you're trying to stay in a specific bracket for PvP.
Ranged is one of the most rewarding skills to train in OSRS because the payoff shows up everywhere. Better Slayer times, Vorkath access, Raids capability, PvP options, high Ranged touches all of it. The Blowpipe Slayer route from 75-99 is genuinely the best all-around choice for most players. If you follow that alongside the quest stack and early cannon, the whole journey is manageable without spending hundreds of millions.
For the fastest possible route to 99, our full Chinning Guide has every detail you need: gear setups at every tier, the 2-tick method, safespot tile locations, and a session-by-session cost breakdown. You can find it here.
Good luck with the grind. The Ranged cape is worth it, and the gear access that comes with 99 Ranged is genuinely one of the biggest upgrades your account can get.
We have provided the quickest and most effective ways to train ranged, which will help you quickly reach level 99 even if you are a F2P player.
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A complete guide to chinning for OSRS. Get 1-99 ranged with the highest XP rates! This guide includes spots, gear setups & cost estimates for chinning.
This OSRS Ranged Weapon Progression Guide shows the ranged weapon progression from the lowest ranged requirement to the highest, and their DPS on sand crab
