Idle

Idling, also known as being AFK (away from keyboard), describes periods when a player is not actively interacting with the game. However, idling doesn't always mean the player is absent – many activities, like cutting trees for Woodcutting experience, require minimal attention and can be performed while partially disengaged.

Note that idle training is distinct from passive training, which includes click-intensive methods such as zero-time fletching or casting High Level Alchemy in between agility obstacles.

Timers

Logout timer

There is a hidden timer that will automatically log out any player who has been idle for 5 minutes (if out of combat). This timer can be reset by moving the cursor within the game window (even if the window is inactive) or pressing any key on the keyboard while the game window is active. Game clients can enable players to extend the timer to a maximum of 30 minutes.

After 6 hours of remaining logged in continuously, players will always be disconnected, even while in combat (see below). Players will receive a warning of this 30 minutes, 10 minutes, and 5 minutes beforehand.

Combat timers

Whenever the player is attacked, a combat timer will initiate and last for 10 seconds, resetting every time another hit is dealt to the player. During this timer, the player cannot manually log out. If during this timer the game is forcefully closed or the player is disconnected by the 6-hour timer, the player will log out after 60 seconds or when the active combat timer ends, whichever happens first.

Combat itself also has an idle timer. If the player idles in combat for over 20 minutes, they will stop retaliating, even if Auto Retaliate is enabled in the Combat Options. This timer can be reset by left- or right-clicking anywhere within the game window, typing, or moving the camera using the keyboard. The following actions will not reset the combat timer: moving the cursor within the game window, activating the client window, changing client settings, or any inputs using a mouse wheel.

Aggression timer

There is an aggression timer of 10 minutes during which monsters can automatically target players nearby. After this time is up, aggressive monsters will no longer initiate combat (though they will continue attacking if already in combat), with some exceptions. This timer can be reset by leaving the area and coming back – typically 16 to 32 tiles away is far enough. Game clients such as RuneLite can display the NPC aggression zone via plugins.

Idle training methods

There are many activities that can be done effectively with infrequent interactions, including some which provide money making opportunities. Below are some of the most effective ways to idle for each skill. For methods sorted based on profit per hour of attention, see recurring money making methods.

Idle options for free-to-play players are much more limited, and are noted specifically below.

Combat skills

The Gemstone Crab boss is the most effective way of idling combat. It has 1 on all combat stat except for its effectively infinite Hitpoints, and can be fought continuously by any number of simultaneous players for 10 minutes at a time. After the duration it burrows away, but can be followed to its next location through a cave nearby. The 16 players who dealt the most damage between the 2 previous relocations can mine 3 uncut gems from the shell it leaves behind. Despite having a negative xp bonus, the Gemstone Crab beats other crabs in xp/hour due to low downtime and lack of overkill damage (doing more damage than the remaining Hitpoints).

Otherwise, in general, monsters with high Hitpoints but low offensive combat stats are best fought when idling combat. Ammonite Crabs are notable for this, with 100 Hitpoints and only one level in every other combat stat. Since they are always aggressive, the player can stand still in the same location for up to 10 minutes before resetting the aggression timer. Rock Crabs have only 50 Hitpoints but are found in large quantities in multi-combat areas, allowing use of the Dwarf Multicannon. The cannon requires occasional reloading.

Another common option is idling in the Nightmare Zone, an activity that can be done solo or with multiple players. Players can spend hours in this arena without ever taking damage from the bosses, only requiring interaction every 20 minutes to continue combat, or every minute to optionally manage potions. The NMZ strategies page details various ways of accomplishing this depending on the player's stats and quest completions.

Attack, Strength, and Defence - The Gemstone crab is ideal for idle training with melee. Other methods that can be idled include Nightmare Zone, other crabs (such as Ammonite Crabs), or gargoyles and Vyrewatch Sentinels for profit. Elsewhere, multi-target weapons such as the cannon can prolong the duration of idle combat due to luring additional enemies to attack the player.

Hitpoints - This skill is trained passively while training most other combat skills.

Ranged - The Gemstone crab is ideal for idle training with ranged. Other idle methods include Nightmare Zone or other crabs (such as Ammonite Crabs). Elsewhere, multi-target weapons such as the cannon, venator bow, and chinchompas can prolong the duration of idle combat due to luring additional enemies to attack the player.

Magic - The Gemstone Crab is ideal for idle Magic training. For an even longer idle duration of 20 minutes, splashing has a lower xp rate but is also available for F2P players. Otherwise, multi-target attacks such as Ice Barrage can prolong the duration of idle combat due to luring additional enemies to attack the player, but tend to be very expensive. Magic can also be idled without combat via certain utility spells, including Enchant Crossbow Bolt at level 4 (which is expensive but will autocast 10 times in a row) and Plank Make at level 86 (which autocasts for a full inventory and tends to be profitable). Casting teleportation spells, while not an idle activity, requires little attention.

Prayer - Bones can be offered to altars (such as the Gilded altar and Chaos altar) as a mostly idle way of earning experience, as the player slowly offers them one by one. Offering blessed bone shards to the libation bowl can similarly be quite relaxed. Prayer can also be trained passively during many types of combat by utilising a Bonecrusher (or necklace), Ash sanctifier or Ectoplasmator.

Gathering skills

Farming - Can be extremely passive while waiting for plants to grow. While trees provide the best experience, herbs are economically the most valuable.

Fishing - Fishing dark crabs in the Wilderness resource area offers the greatest single stretch of time without clicking, as the fishing spot never moves. This means the player will fish until either their inventory is full or they run out of dark bait. Completion of the Elite Wilderness Diaries is highly recommended, as it both removes the entry fee, and significantly increases the catch rate of dark crabs. The fishing spot for karambwans functions similarly, but has an increased catch rate (approximately twice as fast as Elite Diary dark crabs), decreasing overall idle time; banking karambwans also requires teleportation and attention. Anglerfish offer an alternative semi-AFK method as the spot will move every few minutes, but allow for a much longer time between banking runs. Monkfish offer much faster experience than anglerfish and are very close to a bank, but the fishing spots move more regularly. Bringing an open fish barrel will effectively double the time fishing, as it has a separate 28 inventory slots to store raw fish.

Hunter - Can be quite passive with the use of birdhouses, which supply a steady income of valuable bird nests. More actively, but still requiring little attention, players can hunt Maniacal Monkeys and Herbiboars.

Mining - Crashed stars can be mined for 7 minutes per tier (up to 63 minutes total) with no interaction by players. F2P players can mine crashed stars, but the stardust collected can only be used by members. Amethyst requires slightly more interaction for less experience, but is typically quite profitable. The Motherlode Mine provides decent experience and payout for relatively few interactions; veins only deplete after a set amount of time after the first ore is mined from them.

Woodcutting - Chopping whichever trees grant the most experience per log is generally the best way of idling this skill, up to 4 minutes and 24 seconds with redwood trees. With level 60 Woodcutting, the Woodcutting Guild has a bank chest nearby high-level trees, allowing fast disposal of an inventory full of logs. Sulliusceps also offer great idle experience, but require the player to pay more attention when moving through the swamp. With 80 woodcutting and the completion of the quest The final dawn, players may cut Infected roots which never deplete. This method offers AFK times up to 30 minutes while using the log basket.

Production skills

Cooking - Using the Make All option, an entire inventory can be cooked without interaction. Tends to be profitable due to the value of edible food.

Crafting - Using the Make All option, an entire inventory can be crafted without interaction. Glass blowing provides the longest idle time and tends to cost very little.

Fletching - Using the Make All option, an entire inventory can be fletched without interaction. Making unstrung bows provides the longest idle time and tends to be slightly profitable.

Herblore - Using the Make All option, an entire inventory can be brewed without interaction. Stackable ingredients can double the idle time.

Runecraft - The Ourania Altar requires a long stretch of running which allows idle time. Alternatively, from level 77, the player can craft blood and soul runes in Arceuus, which is idle while mining dense essence blocks. Crafting blood runes is typically very profitable and also offers some Mining and Crafting experience.

Smithing - Using the Make All option, an entire inventory can be smithed without interaction. Smithing steel cannonballs tends to be quite profitable, and dart tips also provide a long idle time.

Utility skills

Agility - Difficult to idle effectively, though it is possible to train with very little attention. Several locations allow positioning the screen such that the player only needs to click in the same spot over and over, including crossing the floor spikes in the Brimhaven Agility Arena or using the Blast Furnace pedals. The Colossal Wyrm Agility Course is a less click-intensive course, requiring only 6 clicks per 60-second lap, with two sections of the course allowing a full 20 seconds of AFK time each.

Construction - Boat repair kits and hull parts can be constructed at a shipwrights' workbench, taking up to 29 seconds per inventory. Building oak dungeon doors at level 74 is the least click-intensive traditional method as players can hold down the 1 key the entire time. For slower but passive experience, the Wintertodt and Fishing Trawler provide steady rates and can both be quite idle. Long bones and curved bones, which are rare drops from certain monsters, also provide passive Construction experience when handed in to Barlak.

Firemaking - Using the Make All option, an entire inventory can be burned on a forester's campfire without interaction. The Wintertodt can alternatively be battled for faster experience at the cost of slightly more attention and risk of death for players with lower Firemaking levels. Fighting the Wintertodt solo allows for much longer periods of inattention during games (up to the 30-minute logout timer), whereas idling on a mass world can easily result in failure to obtain enough points for a reward. Enabling sound effects can help notify players when attention is needed.

Sailing - Can be idled up to the 30-minute logout timer with crewmates assigned to salvage shipwrecks, requiring occasional interaction to sort through the cargo hold depending on its size; this results in low experience per hour.

Slayer - Certain Slayer tasks are possible to idle, simultaneously training combat skills. Depending on the task received, the monsters might be safespottable, causing the player to take no damage at all if done well. The 10-minute aggression timer can also be purposely expired to prevent monster aggression if wishing to idle without dying. Multi-target weapons such as a cannon, Dinh's bulwark, or venator bow can prolong the duration of idle combat. Players wishing to idle Slayer more often can build up a custom block list for this purpose.

Thieving - Can be idled by stealing valuables – both the house key pickpocketing and house thieving portions of this training method require about one click per minute. Several locations also allow positioning the screen such that the player only needs to click in the same spot over and over, including pickpocketing trapped Knights of Ardougne.

Changes

Date	Changes
5 October 2022 (Update)	You will now be reminded when you are about to be logged out 30 minutes and 10 minutes before the end of a 6-hour session, on top of the existing warnings.
10 September 2015 (Update)	Players will now stop retaliating after 20 minutes of idle combat. This change was implemented secretly to reduce the effectiveness of splashing.