Welcome to the definitive guide to mastering Woodcutting in RuneScape 3 (RS3)! Whether you’re aiming for the coveted 99 Woodcutting skillcape or simply looking to make some RuneScape gold while training, this guide has you covered.
Table of Contents:
- What is Woodcutting in RS3?
- Why Train Woodcutting in RS3?
- RS3 Fast Woodcutting Guide: Levels 1-99
- RS3 Money Making Woodcutting Guide: Levels 1-99
- Essential Woodcutting Tools in RS3
- Top RS3 Woodcutting Tips and Tricks
1. What is Woodcutting in RS3?
Woodcutting is a fundamental skill in RuneScape 3 that allows players to chop down trees and gather logs. These logs are essential for various other skills like Firemaking, Fletching, and Construction, or can be sold for profit. Woodcutting is renowned as one of the most relaxing skills to train in RS3, offering a low-intensity experience with minimal risk. It’s a popular choice for both new and veteran players due to its AFK-friendly nature and potential for generating income.
For more detailed information, visit the RuneScape Wiki Woodcutting page.
2. Why Train Woodcutting in RS3?
Why should you dedicate your time to Woodcutting in RS3? Beyond the relaxing gameplay, Woodcutting offers several compelling reasons to train:
- Relaxing and AFK Training: Woodcutting is inherently laid-back. There’s no combat involved, and you can often train with minimal attention, making it perfect for AFK training while doing other tasks.
- Profit Potential: Training Woodcutting can be quite lucrative. By choosing the money-making methods outlined below, you can accumulate a substantial amount of RuneScape gold. Even the fast training method yields some profit through bird nests.
- Skill Synergy: Logs obtained from Woodcutting are crucial for training other skills like Firemaking, Fletching, and Construction. Leveling Woodcutting complements a well-rounded RuneScape account.
- Skillcape of Accomplishment: Reaching level 99 Woodcutting is a significant achievement, granting access to the Woodcutting skillcape, a symbol of dedication and mastery.
While the fast method prioritizes experience gain, the money-making method focuses on maximizing profit, averaging around 200,000 gold per hour. Even the fast method provides some profit from valuable seeds found in bird nests that drop while cutting Ivy.
3. RS3 Fast Woodcutting Guide: Levels 1-99
This section outlines the fastest path to level 99 Woodcutting in RS3, focusing on maximizing experience per hour.
To begin, acquire a Bronze Hatchet from Bob’s Axe Shop in Lumbridge. Bob is the shop owner and you can find his store easily. While you’re there, consider purchasing a Steel Hatchet as well for later levels. For subsequent hatchets, the Grand Exchange (GE) is the most convenient place to buy them.
Alt text: RuneScape 3 player character woodcutting a normal tree, fast woodcutting method.
Levels 1-15: Normal Trees
For the initial levels of 1 to 15 Woodcutting, focus on cutting Normal trees. These trees are abundant throughout RuneScape. Evergreen and Dead Trees also count as Normal trees. You can choose to drop the logs for faster experience or bank them if you prefer.
Recommended Normal Tree Locations:
- The Grand Exchange in Varrock
- North of Lumbridge Castle
- Behind the Draynor Village bank
- West of Edgeville
Alt text: RuneScape 3 Oak tree, suitable for woodcutting levels 15-30, fast leveling.
Levels 15-30: Oak Trees
Upon reaching level 15 Woodcutting, transition to Oak trees. Oak trees offer significantly better experience than Normal trees.
Prime Oak Tree Locations:
- East of Draynor Village
- South of the Cooking Guild
- South-west of the Varrock west bank
Alt text: Willow trees in RuneScape 3, ideal for woodcutting levels 30-68 for fast experience.
Levels 30-68: Willow Trees
Now, it’s time to move on to Willow trees at level 30 Woodcutting. Willow trees provide a substantial experience boost compared to Oak trees and are plentiful.
Excellent Willow Tree Locations:
- Barbarian Assault
- Port Sarim
- Rimmington
- Catherby
- Seer’s Village
- Lumbridge
Alt text: RuneScape 3 Ivy icon, representing the fastest woodcutting method from level 68 to 99.
Levels 68-99: Ivy
Congratulations on reaching the final stretch! From level 68 to 99 Woodcutting, Ivy is the undisputed fastest experience method. While it may be a lengthy grind, the experience rates are excellent.
Expected Ivy Experience Rates:
- Level 68: Approximately 55,000 experience per hour
- Level 80: Around 70,000 experience per hour
- Level 95: Up to 80,000 experience per hour
Remember to collect bird nests that fall from the Ivy, as they can contain valuable seeds, adding a bit of profit to your fast training.
Top Ivy Locations:
- North wall of Varrock Castle
- South-east wall of Varrock Palace
- North wall of Falador
- East end of the south wall of Falador
- South East of Taverly
- East wall of Ardougne Church
- North side of the north wall of Yanille
- South wall of Castle Wars Castle
4. RS3 Money Making Woodcutting Guide: Levels 1-99
If your priority is to earn RuneScape gold while training Woodcutting, this money-making guide is for you. Be aware that this method will be slower than the fast training method but significantly more profitable. Start by getting a Bronze Hatchet from Bob in Lumbridge, and a Steel Hatchet for later use. Again, the Grand Exchange is best for buying hatchets beyond steel.
Alt text: RS3 character chopping normal trees for money making woodcutting method, levels 1-15.
Levels 1-15: Normal Trees (Banking Logs)
Similar to the fast method, begin with Normal trees from level 1 to 15 Woodcutting. However, for the money-making approach, bank all the logs you gather.
Recommended Normal Tree Locations (for Banking):
- The Grand Exchange in Varrock (for easy banking)
- Road behind Lumbridge Castle (Lumbridge bank nearby)
- Behind Draynor Village bank
- West of Edgeville (Edgeville bank close)
Alt text: RuneScape 3 Oak tree, profitable woodcutting from level 15-30, money making guide.
Levels 15-30: Oak Trees (Banking Logs)
At level 15, switch to Oak trees and continue banking all the logs. Oak logs are more valuable than Normal logs.
Good Oak Tree Locations (for Banking):
- East of Draynor Village (Draynor bank nearby)
- South of the Cooking Guild (bank in Cooking Guild)
- South-west of Varrock west bank (Varrock west bank close)
Alt text: Willow trees in RS3, money making woodcutting levels 30-45, bank willow logs.
Levels 30-45: Willow Trees (Banking Logs)
Continue banking logs as you chop Willow trees from level 30 to 45. Willow logs maintain decent value.
Effective Willow Tree Locations (for Banking):
- Barbarian Assault (Warriors’ Guild bank)
- Port Sarim (Port Sarim bank)
- Rimmington (Rimmington bank)
- Catherby (Catherby bank)
- Seer’s Village (Seer’s Village bank)
- Lumbridge (Lumbridge bank)
Alt text: Maple trees in RuneScape 3, profitable woodcutting levels 45-60, money making RS3 guide.
Levels 45-60: Maple Trees (Banking Logs)
Transition to Maple trees at level 45. Maple logs are significantly more valuable than Willow logs and will boost your profit per hour.
Maple Tree Locations:
- Seer’s Village (Seer’s Village bank)
- North of McGrubor’s Wood (Camelot bank)
- West of Sinclair Mansion (Camelot bank)
- Miscellania (Royal bank after quest completion)
- Daemonheim Peninsula resource dungeon (resource dungeon bank)
Alt text: Yew trees in RuneScape 3, high profit woodcutting levels 60-75, money making method.
Levels 60-75: Yew Trees (Banking Logs)
From level 60 to 75, focus on Yew trees. Yew logs are highly sought after and offer substantial profit.
Popular Yew Tree Locations:
- Next to the Varrock Church (Varrock east bank)
- North of Varrock Castle (Varrock west bank)
- South of Edgeville bank, inside the ruins (Edgeville bank)
- South of Seer’s Village (Seer’s Village bank)
- West of Catherby under the Beehives (Catherby bank)
- Piscatoris Hunter Area (Requires “The Deadliest Catch” quest for banking access)
Alt text: Magic trees in RS3, very profitable woodcutting levels 75-90, money making guide.
Levels 75-90: Magic Trees (Banking Logs)
At level 75 (though you can start at 60 if you wish), switch to Magic trees. Magic logs are extremely valuable and will greatly increase your gold per hour. Using a Dragon Hatchet is highly recommended at this stage for increased efficiency.
Magic Tree Locations:
- Varrock Sewers resource dungeon (resource dungeon bank)
- Tree Gnome Stronghold (Tree Gnome Stronghold bank)
- Sorcerer’s Tower (Yanille bank)
- Ranged Guild (Ranged Guild bank)
- Mage Training Arena (Al Kharid bank)
- Isafdar (Less popular due to quest requirements, but profitable)
Alt text: Elder trees in RuneScape 3, most profitable woodcutting levels 90-99, money making RS3.
Levels 90-99: Elder Trees (Banking Logs)
This is where the real money is! From level 90 to 99 Woodcutting, Elder trees offer the highest profit potential. Elder logs are worth approximately 3,800 gold each, and you can cut around 100 logs per hour, resulting in roughly 380,000 gold per hour profit.
A unique aspect of Elder trees is that after about 5 minutes of continuous chopping, they become depleted and unavailable on all worlds for roughly 10 minutes before regrowing. Therefore, it’s advisable to hop between 3 easy-to-access Elder tree locations to maintain continuous cutting.
Elder Tree Locations:
- North of the Legends’ Guild (Legends’ Guild bank)
- South of Yanille (Yanille bank)
- North-west of the Gnome Stronghold bank (Gnome Stronghold bank)
- South of Draynor Village bank (Draynor bank)
- North of the Falador farm (Falador bank)
- South of Varrock (Varrock east bank)
- South-west of Lletya (Lletya bank)
- Piscatoris hunter area (Requires “The Deadliest Catch” quest for banking)
- South of Edgeville (Edgeville bank)
- South of Melzar’s Maze (Edgeville bank)
5. Essential Woodcutting Tools in RS3
To effectively train Woodcutting, you’ll need hatchets. As your Woodcutting level increases, you’ll gain access to better hatchets, which increase your woodcutting speed. You can wield the best hatchet available based on your Attack level. If your Attack level isn’t high enough to wield a hatchet, you can still benefit from its Woodcutting speed boost by keeping it in your inventory. The game automatically uses the best hatchet in your inventory.
Here’s a list of hatchets and their required levels:
Alt text: Bronze Hatchet icon, RuneScape 3 woodcutting tool, level 1 required.
Bronze Hatchet
- Level Required: 1
Alt text: Steel Hatchet icon, RS3 woodcutting tool, level 6 required.
Steel Hatchet
- Level Required: 6
Alt text: Mithril Hatchet icon, RuneScape 3 tool for woodcutting, level 21 required.
Mithril Hatchet
- Level Required: 21
Alt text: Adamant Hatchet icon, RS3 tool for woodcutting, level 31 required.
Adamant Hatchet
- Level Required: 31
Alt text: Rune Hatchet icon, RuneScape 3 woodcutting tool, level 41 required.
Rune Hatchet
- Level Required: 41
Alt text: Dragon Hatchet icon, best non-degradable RS3 woodcutting tool, level 61 required.
Dragon Hatchet
- Level Required: 61
Alt text: Inferno Adze icon, special RS3 woodcutting tool, level 92 Firemaking, 61 Woodcutting, 41 Mining required.
Inferno Adze
- Level Required: 92 Firemaking, 61 Woodcutting, and 41 Mining
Note: Avoid using the Inferno Adze for the money-making method as it automatically burns the logs.
Alt text: Lumberjack clothing set icon, RS3 woodcutting outfit for 5% bonus experience.
Lumberjack Outfit
- A full Lumberjack outfit provides a 5% bonus to Woodcutting experience. Obtainable through Temple Trekking minigame.
Alt text: Legendary Lumberjack Aura icon, RS3 aura for 15% increased chance of cutting logs.
Legendary Lumberjack Aura
- This aura grants a 15% higher chance of successfully cutting a log.
Alt text: Beaver familiar pouch icon, RS3 summoning familiar for woodcutting boost, level 33 summoning required.
Beaver Familiar (Summoning)
- Level Required: 33 Summoning
- The Beaver familiar boosts your Woodcutting level by two, increasing your woodcutting speed.
6. Top RS3 Woodcutting Tips and Tricks
Training Woodcutting can be time-consuming and potentially monotonous. To break up the routine and enhance your training, consider these tips:
- Woodcutting Guild: The Woodcutting Guild, located west of Seers’ Village, offers an invisible +7 Woodcutting level boost when training within its boundaries, significantly increasing your success rate and experience.
- Use the Best Hatchet: Always use the best hatchet you can access to maximize your woodcutting speed.
- Lumberjack Outfit: Acquire and wear the Lumberjack outfit for a 5% experience boost.
- Beaver Familiar: Utilize a Beaver familiar (level 33 Summoning) for a temporary Woodcutting level boost.
- Auras: Employ Woodcutting-enhancing auras like the Legendary Lumberjack aura for increased efficiency.
- Minigames for Variety: If you find tree-cutting tedious, incorporate Woodcutting minigames for a more engaging experience. Sawmill Training and Jadinko Lair are two minigames that offer substantial Woodcutting experience.
- Portable Bonfires (for Money Making): When money making, consider using portable bonfires near your chosen tree location and burn the logs yourself for Firemaking experience alongside Woodcutting profit.
By following this comprehensive Rs3 Woodcutting Guide, you’ll be well-equipped to reach level 99 efficiently, whether you prioritize speed or profit. Happy Woodcutting!
