Coal is one of the fundamental raw materials in the Smithing skill, used in the smelting of steel, mithril, adamantite and runite bars. It traditionally has been mined in the conventional way that all ores are, by going to a mining site with rocks strewn about and going from one to the next hitting them to get chunks of coal.
In September 2009, Jagex added a new feature to RuneScape: the Living Rock Caverns. This new high-level area provides access to high-level Fishing, Mining and combat content, including two new special types of mining rocks: concentrated coal and gold deposits. You get the same coal or gold from these rocks as you would from conventional ones, but they don't "go dead" after a single ore is obtained -- they give ore continuously as you mine them, allowing you to stand in one place much the way you do when Fishing or Woodcutting. This means much less running around, more coal per hour, more XP per hour, and much less need to constantly devote 100% of your attention to the screen.
There are some drawbacks, however. First, there is only a deposit box nearby, not a real bank. Second, there are dangerous monsters in the cavern, so it is not suitable for players with low combat skills. Finally, you do not get gems when mining concentrated deposits.
Despite those drawbacks, though, this is the clear choice for coal mining for players who have the necessary Mining level (77) and who have combat abilities sufficient to avoid getting killed by the cavern's guardians.
Because you get ore so quickly here, using a beast of burden is better than a familiar that boosts Mining level silently; war tortoise pouches are expensive, so you don't earn much more money with one than using a spirit terrorbird, but at least there is less running around.
I recommend logging in to World 2 if you plan to spend a lot of time in the Living Rock Caverns -- the more players there, the less the chance of you being targeted by the monsters.
Finally, note that a dragon pickaxe will provide more yield than a rune pickaxe for those with Mining levels above 60. Due to its very high cost, however, I have decided not to include it in the Moneymaking Guide at this time. |
All information based on Grand Exchange price data from: May 20, 2012. Note that the three-day delay in price updates is waived for RuneScoop members. 