OSRS Ironman Farming Guide 1-99: Contracts, Herb Runs & Tithe Farm

Farming is essential for ironmen. You can’t buy seeds or herbs from the Grand Exchange, so efficient farming provides critical resources for herblore and consistent XP with minimal time investment.

At a glance:

• Best early method: Quest to 38 (10 hours, free XP)
• Essential unlocks: Magic secateurs (+10% yield), bottomless bucket
• Recommended: Tithe Farm for auto-weed, seed box, herb sack (optional but very helpful)
• Core training: Farming contracts + daily tree/herb runs to 99
• Time to 99: 3-4 months with 15-30 minutes daily effort

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Why Farming Matters

Resource generation:

• Herb runs provide ranarr (prayer potions), snapdragon (super restores), torstol (super combats)
• Consistent herb supply is essential for all PvM content
• Cannot be skipped on ironman accounts

Efficient XP:

• Tree runs: 150,000-250,000+ XP per day in 10-15 minutes
• Most time-efficient skill in OSRS (XP per active hour)
• Passive growth while you do other activities

Quest/Diary requirements:

• 70 Farming for Song of the Elves (cannot boost)
• 85 for Farming Guild advanced tier (fruit tree patch, contracts)
• 90 for Elite Ardougne diary (can boost with +6 garden pie)

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Quest Route (1→38): Skip Early Levels

The most efficient start is completing quests for 32,500 Farming XP, reaching level 38 without training.

Optimal Quest Order

Quest	Farming XP	Level Req	Key Reward
Fairytale I	3,500	None	Magic secateurs (+10% yield)
Goblin Generals (RFD)	1,000	None	-
Forgettable Tale	5,000	17	Keldagrim access
Garden of Death	10,000	20	Huge XP boost
Garden of Tranquillity	5,000	25	Queen of Thieves access
Enlightened Journey	3,000	30	Balloon transport
My Arm’s Big Adventure	5,000	29	Disease-free herb patch

Total: 32,500 XP → Level 38

Additional Worthwhile Quests

• Making Friends with My Arm (15,000 XP, 66 Farming) - Unlocks Weiss disease-free herb patch
• Recipe for Disaster full completion - Access to culinaromancer’s chest for supplies

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Tithe Farm (34→62): Essential Unlocks

After questing to 38, do Tithe Farm to unlock critical rewards and reach level 62.

Location and Requirements

• Location: Hosidius, Zeah (requires 100% favour or Architectural Alliance miniquest)
• Minimum level: 34 Farming (Golovanova seeds)
• Better seeds: 54 (Bologano), 74 (Logavano)

How It Works

Plant seeds in 20 available patches, water them before each growth stage (3 times over 3 minutes), harvest, and deposit fruits in sacks for points. Plants wilt if not watered on time.

XP Rates

• Golovanova (34+): 6 XP per fruit
• Bologano (54+): 14 XP per fruit
• Logavano (74+): 23 XP per fruit
• Overall: 90,000-100,000 XP/hour at 74+

Essential Rewards (Priority Order)

Reward	Cost	Priority	Why You Need It
Auto-weed	50	1st	Prevents weeds on ALL patches forever
Seed box	250	2nd	Stores 6 seed types, essential for runs
Herb sack	250	3rd	Stores 30 of each herb type
Farmer’s outfit	400 total	4th	2.5% Farming XP boost
Gricoller’s can	200	Optional	Holds 1,000 water (convenience)

Total for essentials: 950 points = ~10-12 hours at Tithe Farm

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Farming Contracts (65→99): The Meta

Farming contracts are the core of efficient ironman farming training from 65-99.

How They Work

1. Enter Farming Guild (65 Farming for intermediate tier, 85 for advanced)
2. Talk to Guildmaster Jane to receive a contract
3. Grow the assigned crop within the Farming Guild patches
4. Check health or harvest to complete
5. Receive seed pack reward + XP

Key detail: The same crop won’t be assigned twice in a row.

Difficulty Tiers

Tier	Level	Patches Available	Can Downgrade?
Easy	45	Limited	No
Medium	65	More variety	Yes (to easy)
Hard	85	All patches	Yes (to medium)

Always do hard contracts (85+) for the best seed rewards.

Pre-Planting Strategy (Critical!)

Pre-plant slow-growing crops before accepting contracts. When assigned that crop, instantly complete it instead of waiting for growth.

What to Pre-Plant:

• Magic trees (8 hours growth) - Very common contract
• Dragonfruit trees (16 hours) - Common hard contract
• Redwood trees (4.5 days) - Highest XP contract
• Mahogany hardwoods (3 days) - Good hard contract
• Calquat trees (21 hours) - Medium frequency
• Celastrus (13 hours) - Occasional contract

Don’t Pre-Plant:

• Herbs (too fast, 80 minutes)
• Allotments/flowers (fast growth)
• Bushes (already have designated patches)

How It Works: Plant a magic tree, DON’T check its health. When assigned “magic tree” contract, immediately check health for instant completion, then plant another magic tree for next time.

Contract Rewards

• Seed packs: Contain tree seeds, fruit tree seeds, herb seeds, hespori seeds
• XP: 10,000-20,000+ depending on crop tier
• Best seed source for ironmen (better than birdhouses, slayer, Wintertodt combined)

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Tree Runs: Massive XP for Minimal Time

Tree runs are the foundation of efficient farming. They provide 150,000-250,000+ XP per day in 10-15 minutes of active time.

Regular Trees (7 Patches)

Tree	Level	XP	Growth Time	Protection
Willow	30	1,481.5	4 hours	Apples(5)
Maple	45	3,448.4	5.3 hours	Oranges(5)
Yew	60	7,150.9	6.7 hours	Cactus spine(10)
Magic	75	13,913.8	8 hours	Coconut(25)

All 7 patches with magic trees: ~97,000 XP per run

Fruit Trees (7 Patches)

Tree	Level	XP	Growth Time	Protection
Pineapple	51	4,791.7	16 hours	Watermelon(10)
Papaya	57	6,146.4	16 hours	Pineapple(10)
Palm	68	10,150.1	16 hours	Papaya(15)
Dragonfruit	81	17,825	16 hours	Coconut(15)

All 7 patches with dragonfruit: ~125,000 XP per run

Hardwood Trees (3 Patches)

Tree	Level	XP	Growth Time	Protection
Teak	35	7,325	3 days	Limpwurt root(15)
Mahogany	55	15,783	3 days	Yanillian hops(25)

All 3 patches with mahogany: ~47,000 XP per run (every 3 days)

Special Trees

Tree	Level	XP	Patches	Growth	Protection
Calquat	72	12,516.5	3	21 hours	Poison ivy berries(8)
Celastrus	85	14,404.5	1	13.3 hours	Potato cactus(8)
Redwood	90	22,680	2	4.5 days	Dragonfruit(6)

Protection vs Ultracompost

Always protect trees if you can afford payment.

• Protection guarantees 100% survival
• Trees have long growth times (4-96 hours)
• Time cost of replanting failed trees outweighs payment cost

Use ultracompost only if:

• You don’t have payment items
• You’re willing to risk failure
• It’s a low-value tree (oak, willow)

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Regular Tree Patch Locations

All 7 patches with fastest teleports:

Location	Teleport	Notes
Lumbridge	Lumbridge teleport	Very accessible
Varrock	Varrock teleport	Very accessible
Falador Park	Ring of wealth	Disease-free with Elite Falador Diary
Taverley	POH portal / Taverley tablet	Quick access
Gnome Stronghold	Slayer ring (Stronghold Cave)	Near spirit tree
Farming Guild	Skills necklace / Farming cape	Requires 65 Farming
Nemus Retreat (Varlamore)	Pendant of ates / Quetzal whistle	Newest patch (2024)

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Fruit Tree Patch Locations

All 7 patches:

Location	Teleport	Requirements
Gnome Stronghold	Spirit tree / Slayer ring	None
Catherby	Catherby teleport (Lunar)	None
Tree Gnome Village	Spirit tree / Fairy ring CIQ	None
Brimhaven	POH portal / Fairy ring BJR	None
Lletya	Teleport crystal	Mourning’s End Part I
Farming Guild	Skills necklace / Farming cape	85 Farming (advanced tier)
Kastori (Varlamore)	Pendant of ates / Quetzal whistle	Children of the Sun quest

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Herb Runs: Critical for Herblore

Herb runs are essential for building your herblore supplies. More important than the Farming XP is accumulating ranarr, snapdragon, and torstol for potions.

All Herb Patch Locations (10 Total)

Patch	Teleport	Requirements	Disease-Free?
Falador	Explorer’s ring 2/3/4	None	No
Ardougne	Ardougne cloak 2/3/4	None	No
Catherby	Catherby teleport (Lunar)	None	No
Port Phasmatys	Ectophial	Ghosts Ahoy	No
Hosidius	Xeric’s talisman (Glade)	None	No
Troll Stronghold	Stony basalt	My Arm’s Big Adventure	Yes
Weiss	Icy basalt	Making Friends with My Arm	Yes
Harmony Island	Harmony tablet	Elite Morytania Diary	Yes
Farming Guild	Skills necklace	65 Farming	No
Civitas illa Fortis	Civitas teleport	16k Colosseum Glory	Yes

Disease-Free Patches (Priority Planting)

Four patches never become diseased:

1. Troll Stronghold (My Arm’s Big Adventure)
2. Weiss (Making Friends with My Arm)
3. Harmony Island (Elite Morytania Diary)
4. Civitas illa Fortis (Champion rank, 16,000 Glory)

Strategy: Plant your most valuable seeds (snapdragon, torstol) in disease-free patches. Use ultracompost on all others.

Optimal Herb Run Route (Endgame)

1. Farming Guild (make ultracompost, check contracts)
2. Ardougne (Ardougne cloak)
3. Catherby (Catherby teleport)
4. Falador (Explorer’s ring)
5. Hosidius (Xeric’s talisman)
6. Port Phasmatys (Ectophial)
7. Troll Stronghold (Stony basalt) - disease-free
8. Weiss (Icy basalt) - disease-free
9. Harmony Island (Harmony tablet) - disease-free
10. Civitas illa Fortis (Civitas teleport) - disease-free

Time: 10-15 minutes per run Frequency: Every 80 minutes (herb growth time) XP: 5,000-8,000 per run Yields: 60-100+ herbs per run with magic secateurs + ultracompost

Herb Run Essentials

Inventory:

• 10× herb seeds (ranarr, snapdragon, torstol)
• Magic secateurs (+10% yield)
• Bottomless compost bucket (ultracompost)
• Seed dibber, rake (or just seed dibber with auto-weed)
• Herb sack (stores 30 of each herb type)
• Teleports (rune pouch, jewelry, house tablets)

What to Plant:

• Early: Ranarr (prayer potions - priority #1)
• Mid: Snapdragon (super restores), toadflax (Sara brews)
• Late: Torstol (super combats), kwuarm (super strength)

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Ultracompost: Essential for Ironmen

Ultracompost reduces disease chance to ~10% per growth stage and increases herb/allotment yields.

How to Make Ultracompost

Method 1: Volcanic Ash on Supercompost

• Use 2 volcanic ash on bucket of supercompost
• Grants 1.1 Farming XP per bucket

Method 2: Big Compost Bin (Recommended)

• Requires 45 Farming
• Fill bin with supercompost (or compost ingredients)
• Add 50 volcanic ash
• Collect 30 buckets of ultracompost
• Most efficient method

Method 3: Fertile Soil Spell

• Requires 83 Magic, Lunar spellbook, ash covered tome
• Cast on patch with 2 volcanic ash in inventory
• Applies ultracompost without needing buckets
• Costs ~500-600 gp per cast

Volcanic Ash Sources

1. Mining ash piles (Fossil Island Volcano)
   • Requires 22 Mining
   • Yields: 1 ash at 22 Mining → 6 ash at 97+
   • Rates: 6,500+ ash per hour at high levels
2. Volcanic Mine rewards (for ash covered tome)
3. Wyvern Cave monsters (Fossil Island)

Supercompost Sources

• Pineapples - Buy from charter ships (20 gp each)
• Watermelons - Grow at allotments (47 Farming)
• White lilies - Harvest from flower patches
• Moons of Peril - Reward chest gives supercompost

Bottomless Compost Bucket

How to Obtain: 1/35 drop from Hespori boss (65 Farming required)

Benefits:

• Holds 10,000 uses of one compost type
• Each bucket added gives 2 charges (doubles efficiency)
• Saves massive inventory space during runs
• Essential endgame item

Strategy: Fill with 2,500 buckets of ultracompost = 5,000 uses. Tool leprechauns can store one.

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Hespori: Critical Ironman Boss

Hespori is a solo farming boss in the Farming Guild that drops the bottomless bucket and anima seeds.

How to Fight

1. Plant hespori seed in Hespori patch (west wing of Farming Guild)
2. Wait 22-32 hours for growth
3. Use spade on patch to enter fight

Combat Strategy

• HP: 300
• Weakness: Fire spells (100%), slash weapons
• Minimum stats: 60+ melee with dragon scimitar, OR 59+ Magic with Fire Blast
• Mechanics:
  • Spawns 4 invulnerability flowers at 100%, 66%, 33% HP - kill with ranged/magic
  • Vine entanglement - spam click to escape within 6 seconds or take 40+ damage

Critical Drops

Anima Seeds (guaranteed, 1/3 each):

• Attas seed - Increases yield on all patches worldwide
• Iasor seed - Decreases disease chance on all patches worldwide
• Kronos seed - Chance to skip growth stages on all patches worldwide

Important Drops:

• Bottomless compost bucket (1/35) - Essential item, keep trying until you get it
• Various herb/tree seeds
• Tangleroot pet (1/5,375 to 1/4,525)

Frequency: No cooldown - fight as often as you get hespori seeds (from farming contracts)

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Anima Seeds: Worldwide Farming Buffs

Plant anima seeds in the anima patch (Farming Guild, 76 Farming) for global benefits.

The Three Seeds

Seed	Effect	Best Use
Attas	Increases crop yield	Best overall - more herbs, more resources
Iasor	Reduces disease chance	Good early if no bottomless bucket
Kronos	Skip growth stages	Marginal benefit (speeds trees slightly)

Key Details:

• Growth time: ~85 hours (3.5 days)
• Effects activate immediately upon planting
• Effects increase as plant grows
• Immune to disease
• 100 XP upon planting

Priority: Iasor first (if no ultracompost) → Attas (maximum yields) → Kronos (minimal benefit)

Endgame Strategy: Keep Attas planted permanently for increased yields on all herb/tree runs.

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Seed Sources for Ironmen

1. Farming Contracts (Primary Source)

Best for: Tree seeds, fruit tree seeds, hespori seeds, celastrus seeds

• Do hard contracts (85+) for best rewards
• Pre-plant extensively for instant completions
• Self-sustaining once established

2. Birdhouse Runs (Passive Tree Seeds)

Best for: All tree/fruit tree seeds passively

• Requires Hunter skill, Crafting to make birdhouses
• Place 4 birdhouses on Fossil Island with any seeds
• Collect after 50 minutes for seed nests
• Excellent passive method - do between farm runs

3. Master Farmer Pickpocketing (Herb Seeds)

Best for: Ranarr, snapdragon, torstol herb seeds

• Requires 38 Thieving (94+ for 100% success with Hard Ardougne Diary)
• Cannot obtain tree/fruit tree seeds
• Rates: ~60 high-level herb seeds per hour
• Locations: Farming Guild (3 spawns), Hosidius, Draynor

4. Slayer (Supplementary)

• Nechryaels, turoths, kurasks drop herb seeds
• Dagannoths drop various seeds
• Slayer bosses drop high-level tree seeds

5. Wintertodt (Early-Game Only)

• Supply crate rewards scale with Farming level
• Good for early herb/tree seeds
• Not efficient long-term (contracts are better)

6. Kingdom of Miscellania

• Allocate workers to herb gathering
• Passive seed accumulation
• Better for herbs than seeds

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Important Unlocks

Seed Vault

• Location: Farming Guild (45 Farming to enter)
• Function: Stores up to 104 different seed/sapling types
• Benefits: Massive bank space saver, seeds from Miscellania auto-transfer
• Essential for ironmen

Farming Guild Access

Tier	Level	Areas	Key Features
Beginner	45	East wing	Cactus, allotments, bush, bank, seed vault
Intermediate	65	West wing	Herb patch, tree patch, Hespori, anima
Advanced	85	North wing	Fruit tree, celastrus, redwood (90 to plant)

Unlocks farming contracts - the core of efficient training.

Achievement Diary Farming Rewards

Most Important:

1. Kourend & Kebos - Farming Guild access
2. Falador Elite - Falador Park tree patch becomes disease-free
3. Morytania Elite - Harmony Island disease-free herb patch
4. Ardougne Hard - +10% pickpocket success on Master Farmers
5. Fremennik Hard - Stony basalt teleports to Troll Stronghold roof

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Strategic Advice for Ironmen

What Crops to Prioritise

Herbs (for Herblore):

• Ranarr - Prayer potions (priority #1)
• Snapdragon - Super restores (expensive, essential)
• Torstol - Super combats (endgame)
• Toadflax - Saradomin brews (raids essential)
• Kwuarm - Super strength (combat)

Trees (for XP):

• Magic trees (75+) - 13,913.8 XP per tree × 7 patches
• Dragonfruit (81+) - 17,825 XP per tree × 7 patches
• Redwood (90+) - 22,680 XP per tree × 2 patches

Bushes (for Herblore secondaries):

• Limpwurt roots - Super strength potions (thousands needed)
• Poison ivy berries - Protect calquat trees

Inventory Setup for Efficient Runs

Tree Run:

• All saplings (7-14 items depending on tree types)
• Payment items for protection
• Teleports (house tablets, jewelry, runes)
• Bottomless bucket (if not protecting)
• Spade, rake

Herb Run:

• 10× herb seeds (ranarr, snapdragon, torstol)
• Magic secateurs (+10% yield - mandatory)
• Bottomless compost bucket (ultracompost)
• Seed dibber (rake not needed with auto-weed)
• Herb sack (stores 30 of each herb)
• Teleports in rune pouch or jewelry
• Weight-reducing gear or farmer’s outfit

Pre-Planting for Contracts

Always Keep Pre-Planted:

• Magic trees (very common contract)
• Dragonfruit trees (common hard contract)
• Redwood trees (highest XP)
• Mahogany hardwoods (good hard contract)
• Calquat trees (frequent contract)
• Celastrus (occasional contract)

Don’t check health on pre-plants - save them for instant contract completions.

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Varlamore Farming Updates (2024-2026)

New Patches

Civitas illa Fortis (Ortus Farm):

• Herb patch - Disease-free with Champion rank (16,000 Colosseum Glory)
• Flower patch
• 2× allotment patches
• Teleport: Civitas teleport (54 Magic), Quetzal whistle, Fairy ring AJP

Nemus Retreat:

• Regular tree patch
• Teleport: Pendant of ates, Quetzal whistle

Kastori:

• Fruit tree patch
• Calquat patch (3 total calquat patches now)
• Teleport: Pendant of ates

Locus Oasis:

• Hardwood patch (requires The Ribbiting Tale quest)
• Teleport: Quetzal whistle, Fairy ring AJP

Varlamore Transport

• Pendant of ates - Convenient teleports to farming locations
• Quetzal Transport System - Fast travel (unlocked via Hunter rumours)

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Training Methods 1-99 with XP Rates

Level 1-38: Quests (6-10 hours)

Complete all Farming quest XP rewards:

• Fairytale I, Goblin Generals, Forgettable Tale, Garden of Death, Garden of Tranquillity, Enlightened Journey, My Arm’s Big Adventure
• Total: 32,500 XP → Level 38

Level 34-62: Tithe Farm (15-20 hours)

• XP Rate: 90,000-100,000 XP/hour at 74+
• Plant Golovanova (34+), Bologano (54+), Logavano (74+)
• Goal: Unlock auto-weed, seed box, herb sack, farmer’s outfit
• Time to 62: ~15-20 hours including rewards

Level 62-99: Farming Contracts + Daily Runs (3-4 months)

Daily Tree Runs:

• 7× magic trees: ~97,000 XP
• 7× dragonfruit trees: ~125,000 XP
• 3× mahogany hardwoods (every 3 days): ~47,000 XP
• 2× redwoods (every 4.5 days): ~45,000 XP
• Total per day: 150,000-250,000+ XP
• Active time: 10-15 minutes

Farming Contracts:

• Do hard contracts (85+) with extensive pre-planting
• XP per contract: 10,000-20,000+ depending on crop
• Frequency: Multiple per day with pre-planting
• Active time: 2-5 minutes per contract

Herb Runs (Supplementary):

• 10× herb patches: 5,000-8,000 XP per run
• Do 2-4 times per day
• Active time: 10-15 minutes per run

Combined Daily Effort:

• 15-30 minutes total active time
• 170,000-300,000+ XP per day
• Level 62-99 time: 2-3 months with consistency

Total 1-99 Time: 3-4 months with daily runs

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Common Mistakes

• Not doing Fairytale I immediately - Magic secateurs are mandatory (+10% yield)
• Skipping Tithe Farm rewards - Auto-weed is essential, seed box/herb sack critical
• Not protecting trees - Time cost of replanting outweighs payment cost
• Ignoring farming contracts - Best seed source, self-sustaining with pre-planting
• Not fighting Hespori - Bottomless bucket saves thousands of inventory slots
• Using ultracompost on protected trees - Waste of ash, protection already guarantees survival
• Not pre-planting for contracts - Waiting for growth is massively inefficient
• Forgetting herb runs - Herbs are more important than Farming XP for ironmen
• Planting valuable seeds in non-disease-free patches - Use Troll/Weiss/Harmony/Fortis for snapdragon/torstol

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FAQ

What’s the fastest way to train farming on an ironman?

Quest to 38 (10 hours), Tithe Farm to 62 for rewards (15-20 hours), then farming contracts with pre-planting plus daily tree runs. Reach 99 in 3-4 months with 15-30 minutes daily.

Should I protect my trees or use ultracompost?

Always protect trees if you can afford payment items. Protection guarantees 100% survival, trees have long growth times, and replanting failed trees wastes more time than the protection cost.

What should I pre-plant for farming contracts?

Pre-plant slow-growing crops: magic trees, dragonfruit trees, redwoods, mahogany hardwoods, calquats, celastrus. Don’t check health - when assigned that contract, instantly complete it.

How many herb runs should I do per day?

Aim for 2-4 herb runs daily (herbs grow in 80 minutes). Each run takes 10-15 minutes and provides critical herbs for herblore. The herb stockpile is more valuable than the Farming XP.

What Tithe Farm rewards should I prioritize?

1. Auto-weed (50 points), 2) Seed box (250 points), 3) Herb sack (250 points), 4) Farmer’s outfit (400 points). Total 950 points = ~10-12 hours.

How do I get seeds as an ironman?

Farming contracts (best for tree seeds), birdhouse runs (passive tree seeds), Master Farmer pickpocketing (herb seeds), slayer (supplementary). Contracts become self-sustaining with pre-planting.

When should I use Attas vs Iasor vs Kronos seeds?

Use Iasor first if you don’t have reliable ultracompost. Once you have bottomless bucket, switch to Attas permanently for maximum yields. Kronos has minimal benefit.

Is the bottomless compost bucket worth it?

Absolutely essential. Fight Hespori repeatedly until you get it (1/35 drop). Saves thousands of inventory slots over your account’s lifetime and makes ultracompost sustainable.

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Related Guides

• Herblore Guide - What to do with all those herbs from herb runs
• Crafting Guide - Giant seaweed farming for Superglass Make
• Varlamore Guide - Disease-free herb patch, new farming locations
• Hunter Guide - Birdhouse runs for passive tree seeds
• Achievement Diary Guide - Diary rewards that affect farming (herb saves, disease-free patches)