The short version
30-second read- Train Slayer alongside combat, not after. Every task feeds Attack, Strength, Defence or Ranged, which is why efficient players count most melee XP as free.
- AFK methods can double the hours. Motherlode Mine turns 92 to 99 Mining into roughly 105 hours, against about 55 on tick-perfect 3-tick granite.
- Start Agility early on the account. Higher Agility makes run energy recover faster, which helps every other grind.
- Sailing sits at about 69 efficient hours. It is slow early and quick at the top, which lands it between Hunter and Fishing.
The Slowest 99s in OSRS
Slayer, Agility and Runecraft are the slowest skills to 99 in OSRS, followed by Mining and Fishing. On Wise Old Man's efficient hours (EHP) rates for main accounts, which assume the fastest method at every level, 1–99 Slayer takes about 166 hours, Agility about 158 and Runecraft about 148. Mining is about 118 and Fishing about 100.
For scale, the same rates put Construction at about 13 hours and Cooking at about 15. Those five slow skills add up to roughly 690 of the 1,050 to 1,075 hours a fresh main account needs to max.
Slowest Skills to 99, Ranked
| Rank | Skill | Efficient hours 1–99 | Fastest solo method at high levels (wiki XP/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slayer | about 166 | No single method; Slayer XP roughly equals the monster's Hitpoints |
| 2 | Agility | about 158 | Hallowed Sepulchre, capping around 102,000–105,000 |
| 3 | Runecraft | about 148 | Solo lava runes, 100,800 at 85; Guardians of the Rift, 65,000 at 85–98 |
| 4 | Mining | about 118 | 3-tick granite, 114,000 at 85 to 126,000 at 99 |
| 5 | Fishing | about 100 | 2-tick harpooning swordfish and tuna, 116,900 at 85 to 132,800 at 99 (crystal harpoon) |
| 6 | Sailing | about 69 | Barracuda Trials (The Gwenith Glide), 184,369 on marlin at 72 (198,119 with a crystal extractor) |
| 7 | Woodcutting | about 63 | 1.5-tick teaks, about 235,000 at 99 |
| 8 | Hunter | about 49 | Black chinchompas, 225,000 solo at 99 |
The hours column is a best case: tick manipulation wherever it is fastest, unlimited supplies, no breaks and no learning curve. Use it to rank the skills, and expect your own numbers to run higher.
Why Slayer, Agility and Runecraft Take So Long
Slayer has no method you can simply repeat. The wiki notes that Slayer XP is roughly equal to the slain monster's Hitpoints, so your rate depends on which tasks you get, what you block, and the travel and banking between tasks. The compensation is bonus XP. The same kills train Attack, Strength, Defence and Ranged, which is why efficient players count most melee XP as free once Slayer is under way.
Agility rates are low at every level. Ardougne rooftop, the standard course from 90 to 99, gives 66,000 to 70,000 XP an hour, which makes 92 to 99 alone about 93 to 99 hours. The Hallowed Sepulchre is faster, capping around 102,000 to 105,000, but it takes far more clicks and the rates drop while you are still learning the floors.
Runecraft is slow in its comfortable form and fast only with effort. Guardians of the Rift gives about 65,000 XP an hour from 85 to 98, so 92 to 99 there is about 100 hours. Solo lava runes reach 100,800 an hour at 85 and the Ourania Altar about 74,700 at 90–98 with pure essence. Every fast option means constant clicking and banking, which is why many players rate Runecraft as the worst 99 even though Agility has more hours.
Slowest in Hours vs Slowest to Sit Through
A skill with more hours can still be the easier 99 if you can train it while doing something else. Mining, Fishing and Woodcutting each have a fast tick-manipulation method and a slow AFK one, and the gap for 92 to 99 is large:
- Mining: 3-tick granite gives about 119,000 XP an hour at 95 but needs a tick-perfect rhythm. Motherlode Mine gives about 62,000 at 90, which turns 92 to 99 into roughly 105 hours instead of 55.
- Fishing: 3-tick barbarian fishing gives 108,000 XP an hour at 99. AFK barbarian fishing gives 57,000, so 92 to 99 goes from about 60 hours to about 114.
- Woodcutting: 1.5-tick teaks reach about 235,000 XP an hour. Redwoods in the Woodcutting Guild give about 65,000 at 99 with a dragon or infernal axe, so 92 to 99 is about 100 hours there instead of 28.
Trained the AFK way, any of those three can take longer than Agility. That is why this question gets different answers on different forums: some players rank by efficient hours, others by the hours they will actually log.
Where Sailing Fits
Sailing, released on 19 November 2025, is slow early and quick at the top. The wiki's provisional Barracuda Trials figures run from about 19,000 to 24,500 XP an hour at level 30 on The Tempor Tantrum up to 113,500 to 184,400 at level 72 on The Gwenith Glide. Wise Old Man's rates put 1–99 at about 69 efficient hours, slower than Hunter and quicker than Fishing.
Planning the Slow 99s
- Train Slayer alongside your combat stats instead of after them, since every task feeds Attack, Strength, Defence or Ranged.
- Match the skill to the day: Runecraft or the Sepulchre when you can focus, Motherlode Mine or redwoods when you are half watching something else.
- Start Agility early. Higher Agility makes run energy recover faster, which helps every other grind on the account.
- Work out a real finish date by dividing the XP you have left by the rate you actually average over a few sessions, not the best rate in a guide.
Where Paid Help Fits
If one slow skill is what stands between you and a max cape, our skill training service can take that one skill and leave the rest to you. Every order is played by hand.
FAQ
What is the slowest skill to 99 in OSRS?
Slayer, at about 166 efficient hours on Wise Old Man's main-account rates. Of the skills you train on their own, Agility is slowest at about 158 hours, with Runecraft close behind at about 148.
Is Runecraft or Agility slower?
Agility, by about 10 efficient hours. Runecraft usually feels worse because its fast methods need constant attention.
What is the fastest 99 in OSRS?
By efficient hours: Prayer (about 7), Farming (about 8 active hours, spread over months of tree runs), Construction (about 13) and Cooking (about 15). Prayer and Construction are only that fast if you buy the bones and planks. Our easiest 99 guide compares them on cost as well as time.
Should I do the slow skills first?
Starting them early helps: Slayer, Agility and Runecraft are about 470 of the efficient hours, and higher Agility makes run energy recover faster for every other grind. The last skill left on an account is usually the one nobody wants to grind, and a long 99 is easier to start while motivation is still high.
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