Clay is a low-tier mineral that requires level 1 in Mining and any kind of pickaxe in order to be mined. When used with any kind of water-filled container it’s turned into soft clay, which is used in a wide variety of quests and skills, including Crafting and Construction. On the other hand, its raw form is only used in the making of mud pies.
Best F2P Clay Mining Spot
It wouldn’t be the craziest guess to say that anyone who’s mining clay isn’t doing it for the mining experience, but the clay itself. Following that logic, the best place to mine clay would be the one closest to the bank or deposit box – and that’s the Crafting Guild. Well, there’s a small catch. In order to be able to use the bank inside the Crafting Guild, players are required to either have the crafting cape of accomplishment (99 crafting), or to have completed the hard Falador Diaries (only available to members). Because 99 Crafting (or any other skill) is no small feat for a free player, the next best spot available (with no requirements attached to it at all) is the South-west Varrock mine. It’s recommended for your combat level to be at least 13 before going here, otherwise the mugger loitering around the area will be aggressive towards you. Pictured above: The Mugger at Varrock’s mine
Best P2P Clay Mining Spot
Just like F2P players, the closest clay spot to a bank for a member is also the Crafting Guild. So this is still the absolute best choice. The only other thing worth mentioning is that the hard Falador Diary is easier to achieve than 99 Crafting, so there’s that. If you haven’t yet achieved any of the aforementioned goals, then the Shayzien mine right next to the Great Kourend castle is an excellent substitute location for mining clay. Here you can also find iron, coal, mithril, and adamant rocks, with no aggressive monsters roaming the area. Which makes it completely safe for low level accounts and skillers.
Last Minute Tips
Usually in OSRS, the better your pickaxe is, the higher your chance of receiving a mineral while mining. I’m honestly not sure if that’s the case for clay, because the only information that I could find correlates the chances with the player’s mining level. The more you know! That said, it’s recommended to wear a Bracelet of Clay while mining, because that will turn all clay received into its soft (and more expensive) variant instead.
