Hunter
OSRS Hunter 1-99 Guide
Start with the Natural History Quiz, then choose active tracking and traps, varied Hunter Rumours, or lower-input methods. Birdhouse runs now fit best as timed nest and resource stops beside active training, not as the main sustained XP route.
Substantively reviewed , including the 19 August Hunter update
01 / Choose a route
Pick the kind of Hunter session you will actually maintain
Active XP
Move through tracking, falconry and box-trap methods, then use goats, chinchompas or a strong late-game method. This route has the highest input and benefits most from practiced movement and trap resets.
Do not use a tick-manipulation ceiling as your normal planning rate. Black chinchompas at level 80 are about 135k typical and 167k in a strong normal setup. The separate tick setup is about 167k to 197k.
Rumours and rewards
Rumours trade a fixed creature loop for assignments, loot sacks, outfit progress and whistle upgrades. Adept Rumours can work from 57 with the right blocks. Expert at 72 is the safer default for a general route, while Master at 91 needs At First Light.
Your block list and travel setup matter enough that two players at the same level can see very different rates.
Lower input
Orange salamanders, maniacal monkeys, Herbiboar and Stymphikes offer longer or steadier cycles. Stymphikes become a serious option at 82, with roughly three clicks per 45-second cycle once the setup is ready.
Birdhouses are even shorter bursts, but their 50-minute maturity timer makes them a resource schedule rather than continuous training.
Practical default: take the quiz to level 9, use the active route through the short early brackets, and reassess at 57, 60, 72, 80, 82 and 91. Those levels open choices that change attention, rewards or account requirements.
02 / Quest start
Use useful quests as complete route steps
The Natural History Quiz gives 1,000 Hunter XP with no Hunter requirement, enough for level 9 on a new account. It is the clean opening unless you specifically want to train with bird snares from level 1.
Quest rewards are whole events. If a reward crosses a small target, the route ends above that target instead of treating part of the reward as optional.
| Quest | Hunter XP | Hunter requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural History Quiz | 1,000 | No Hunter requirement | Takes a new account to level 9 |
| Eagles' Peak | 2,500 | 27 Hunter | Unlocks box traps for chinchompas and jerboas |
| At First Light | 4,500 | 46 Hunter | Required before Master Rumours at level 91 |
Hiscores do not reveal quest completion. Set each quest to add, done or skip in the Training Planner.
03 / Active 1-99 route
Use this route as a switch-point map, not a mandatory checklist
Typical rates are the planning pace for the printed setup. Upper setup rates assume cleaner movement, faster resets or better travel. Early levels are short, so access and convenience can matter more than a small rate difference.
| Levels | Method | Setup-labelled rate | Assumption or requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 | Natural History Quiz | One complete 1,000 XP reward | Use crimson swifts only when skipping the quiz |
| 9 to 15 | Feldip weasels | 11k typical, 13k upper setup | Noose wand; rings of pursuit improve resets |
| 15 to 21 | Ruby harvests and copper longtails | 16k typical, 20k upper setup | Maintain two bird snares while catching butterflies |
| 21 to 29 | Red crabs, if unlocked | 29k typical, 31k upper setup | Partial Pandemonium, 10 Construction and fish offcuts |
| 29 to 39 | Swamp lizards | 20k typical, 28k upper setup | Two net traps; three traps improve the rate at 40 |
| 39 to 43 | Embertailed jerboas | 43k typical, 50k upper setup | Three box traps after Eagles' Peak |
| 43 to 49 | Spotted kebbits | 60k typical, 70k upper setup | Falconry with close south-east spawns |
| 49 to 60 | Razor-backed kebbits | 100k typical, 130k upper setup | High input tracking; upper setup uses pursuit rings and stamina |
| 60 to 72 | Goat hunting, if unlocked | 90k/95k at 60; 120k/125k at 70 | Sheep Herder, 62 Sailing and Wyrmscraig; cattleprod versus Telekinetic Grab |
| 72 to 80 | Expert Hunters' Rumours | 115k typical, 160k upper setup at 72 | A useful block list, task teleports and quick hand-ins |
| 80 to 82 | Herbiboar | 125k typical, 137k upper setup | Bone Voyage, 31 Herblore, stamina and the Herbiboar Helper |
| 82 to 91 | Stymphikes or Expert Rumours | 120k typical at 82; 143,175 theoretical Stymphike ceiling | Blood Moon Rises, Hunter spears and letvek for the lower-input option |
| 91 to 99 | Master Rumours or chosen late method | 145k typical, 195k upper setup at 91 | At First Light, a finished block list and task-specific travel |
Red crabs and goats depend on 2026 access routes. If those unlocks do not fit your account, continue the previous method, use salamanders, or let the Planner choose from the access you enter.
Use typical and normal upper setup rates for a repeatable time estimate.
Use the separate tick rate only for the exact reset method, Wilderness setup and attention level stated.
04 / Hunter Rumours
Start a Rumour tier when the block list and travel are ready
- Novice
- 46 Hunter
- Adept
- 57 Hunter
- Expert
- 72 Hunter
- Master
- 91 Hunter
The current Wiki strategy favors a properly blocked Adept list between 57 and 72. Maintained practical routes do not all agree: some skip Novice and Adept because incomplete blocks, slow teleports and awkward assignments can erase the paper advantage.
Use Adept when you want sacks and varied resource tasks and are willing to prepare the list. A practical planning band is about 70k to 100k XP per hour with useful blocks and teleports. Continue the active route when that setup is missing, then start Expert at 72.
At 72, Expert Rumours plan around 115k typical and 160k in the stronger printed setup. At 91, Master Rumours plan around 145k typical and 195k in a strong setup. Player reports span a wider range because assignments, whistles, teleports and execution all compound.
05 / Birdhouse runs
Treat birdhouses as timed nest runs after the 2026 update
On 19 August 2026, Jagex reduced birdhouse XP by 60% for regular through teak houses, 55% for maple, 50% for mahogany, 40% for yew and 15% for magic. Redwood XP did not change. The number of nest rolls fell from ten to five, but each roll became three times as likely to succeed. Jagex estimated about 50% more nests per run.
A complete run replaces four houses on Fossil Island. The route usually takes about 90 seconds, then the houses need 50 minutes to mature. Dividing the run XP by 90 seconds gives an active-time equivalent, not a sustainable hourly rate.
| House | Hunter | Crafting | XP per house | XP per four-house run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 5 | 5 | 112 | 448 |
| Oak | 14 | 15 | 168 | 672 |
| Willow | 24 | 25 | 224 | 896 |
| Teak | 34 | 35 | 280 | 1,120 |
| Maple | 44 | 45 | 369 | 1,476 |
| Mahogany | 49 | 50 | 480 | 1,920 |
| Yew | 59 | 60 | 612 | 2,448 |
| Magic | 74 | 75 | 969 | 3,876 |
| Redwood | 89 | 90 | 1,200 | 4,800 |
Use them when: you want bird nests, already visit Fossil Island, or can attach a run to another timer. Use Rumours or active methods for sustained Hunter XP. The birdhouse schedule shows active time and real elapsed time separately.
06 / Main and Iron accounts
Value the outputs differently
Main account
Choose the loop you can sustain, then compare current method economics in the Calculator. Chinchompa, herb, horn, fur and sack values move, so a fixed profit claim will age faster than the route.
Fast active methods make sense when XP is the priority. Rumours are useful when you also want outfit or whistle progress. Lower-input methods are often a better real session than a higher ceiling you stop after twenty minutes.
Iron account
Bird nests support Saradomin brews, red and black chinchompas become stackable Ranged ammunition, Herbiboar adds herbs and fossils, and Rumours provide sacks plus permanent unlock progress. Those outputs can justify a slower XP route.
The pre-update Iron guide evidence still explains the resource value of birdhouses, but its old XP priority is superseded by Jagex's 19 August changes. Use birdhouses for nests and timing convenience, not as the default 30 to 80 training route.
The Training Planner keeps Main and Iron priorities separate. The Calculator owns exact catches, materials and current market values.
07 / When to switch
Switch when an unlock improves your real session
| Level | Decision | Switch when |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | Adept Rumours | Use them for varied tasks and sacks when your blocks and travel are ready. Continue active methods when they are not. |
| 60 | Goats or maniacal monkeys | Choose goats for active XP and horns or fur. Choose monkeys after Monkey Madness II for longer, quieter cycles. |
| 63 | Red chinchompas | Switch when you value stackable Ranged ammunition or the trap loop. Normal play starts well below practiced reset rates. |
| 72 | Expert Rumours | This is the stable default Rumour entry for a general route because the task pool and reward loop are easier to justify. |
| 73 | Black chinchompas | Use only when Wilderness risk, interruptions and high input are acceptable. Keep normal and tick setups separate. |
| 80 | Herbiboar | Switch for herbs, fossils and a steadier tracking loop when Bone Voyage and 31 Herblore are complete. |
| 82 | Stymphikes | Switch for a low-input 45-second cycle after Blood Moon Rises. The 143,175 rate is a no-miss theoretical ceiling. |
| 91 | Master Rumours | Switch when At First Light, blocks, whistles and task teleports are ready. Otherwise Expert Rumours remain valid. |
Carry the basic Hunter kit for the method, not every item in the skill. Box traps, ropes and nets, a noose wand, weight-reducing gear, task teleports and a one-click Wilderness teleport each belong to different routes. Prepare the next setup before reaching the switch level.
At Stymphikes, the Wiki table reaches 143k per hour by level 99 and lists a 143,175 theoretical maximum from 83 kills with no missed spears. Keep those labels separate. At black chinchompas, the highest tick rate also assumes a shooting alt, so it is not a solo normal-play promise.
08 / Sources and review
Mechanics come from current updates and pinned revisions
Jagex and the post-update Hunter pages control factual mechanics. The Ironman guide revision predates the 19 August birdhouse changes, so it supports resource priorities only. Maintained guides and community discussions inform practical setup, attention and rate variance, not game-mechanic overrides.
- Summer Sweep Up - Hunter & SkillingJagex · checked 2026-08-26
- Hunter trainingOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15316141 · checked 2026-08-26
- Natural History QuizOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 196574 · checked 2026-08-26
- Bird house trappingOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15307703 · checked 2026-08-26
- Hunters' RumoursOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15305952 · checked 2026-08-26
- Ironman Guide/HunterOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15287846 · checked 2026-08-26
- Theoatrix's 1-99 Hunter Guide (OSRS 2026)Theoatrix · checked 2026-08-26
- Complete 1-99 Hunter Guide (Post Varlamore Update)OSRS Guide · checked 2026-08-26
- Wyrmscraig Is Out TodayJagex · checked 2026-08-26
- WyrmscraigOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15319712 · checked 2026-08-26
- Goat huntingOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15295851 · checked 2026-08-26
- Stymphike huntingOld School RuneScape Wiki, revision 15280365 · checked 2026-08-26
- Summer Sweep Up: Hunter and Skilling discussionr/2007scape · checked 2026-08-26
- Are birdhouse runs still worth doing after the Summer Sweep Up nerf?r/ironscape · checked 2026-08-26
- 60-99 Hunter via 1,035 Hunter Rumoursr/ironscape · checked 2026-08-26
Rates are setup-labelled planning references, not guaranteed output. Live prices and profit remain outside this guide.
Turn the route into your account plan
Use this guide to choose a route and understand its switch points. Enter your exact XP, quests, access and attention preference in the Hunter Training Planner. Use the Hunter Calculator when you need exact actions, quantities or current economics.
Mechanics and rates reviewed 26 August 2026 against Jagex updates, pinned OSRS Wiki revisions, maintained practical guides and recent r/2007scape and r/ironscape discussions.