OSRS Ranged Training: Chins vs Blowpipe vs Cannon for 99

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Ranged is one of the most expensive combat skills to push to 99 on a main account. The fastest methods trade millions of gold pieces per hour for massive XP gains, while budget options stretch your cash but cost dozens of extra hours. For mains, the decision usually comes down to three heavy hitters: the dwarf multicannon for early levels and Slayer support, chinchompas against maniacal monkeys for blistering XP from 45 onward, and the toxic blowpipe loaded with darts for flexible, mid-tier training with valuable bossing utility. This guide compares all three using the facts from the OSRS Wiki's pay-to-play Ranged training page and the dart article, so you can balance XP rates, attention, and cost before committing your bank.

We'll also cover gear requirements, common mistakes, realistic time-to-goal estimates, and the point at which buying gold or an account boosting service becomes an honest time-saving option rather than a shortcut.

Before spending a single coin, understand that main accounts have different priorities than pures or ironmen. You can trade, use the Grand Exchange, and buy all consumables. That means gp is a resource that directly converts into Ranged XP. The methods below assume you are willing to spend money to save time; if you are not, expect far slower but still viable alternatives like Slayer with a magic shortbow or darting sand crabs.

Who This Guide Is For and Core Requirements

This guide is aimed at main accounts with a reasonable cash stack, no restriction on trading, and a goal of 99 Ranged. You do not need to be max combat, but several upgrades make the journey dramatically faster. Below is the checklist pulled from the wiki requirements for the three methods.

If you are still working on melee stats, our Defence training guide explains how longrange chinchompas can train Defence while throwing, which matters if 99 Ranged and 99 Defence are both goals.

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The Three Main Methods at a Glance

Each method fills a specific niche in a main's progression. The dwarf multicannon is dominant from level 1 to 45 because its max hit of 30 ignores your Ranged level. Chinchompas at maniacal monkeys take over from level 45 and scale past 1 million XP per hour with max gear and Rigour. The blowpipe with darts sits in between: it lacks the AoE of chins or cannon but is cheaper per hour than chins at many price points, gives you Slayer and bossing utility, and uses a weapon that matters well beyond training.

Your choice should depend on four factors: current bank value, willingness to click intensely, desire to combine training with Slayer, and how quickly you want the cape. Use the comparison table later in this guide for a side-by-side.

Other methods from the wiki

The pay-to-play Ranged training page also lists gemstone crabs as a low-attention option from levels 1–45/99, Nightmare Zone with a blowpipe for AFK intervals, Pest Control for players who want void gear at the same time, and the Venator bow at monkeys after level 80 as a niche high-effort alternative. Details and current XP rates for these should be verified on the wiki before committing time, as they are very setup-dependent.

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Dwarf Multicannon: The Early-Game Powerhouse

For a fresh main, questing to 32 or 36 Ranged is the most efficient start. The wiki lists Shadow of the Storm, Death to the Dorgeshuun, and Horror from the Deep as giving a combined 16,662.5 Ranged XP, landing you at level 32. If you want level 36, the Temple of Ikov reward can be claimed with a trick: wield knives or darts while holding ice arrows to bypass the level 40 Ranged requirement. After that, the dwarf multicannon becomes your best friend until level 45.

The cannon has no Ranged level requirement after Dwarf Cannon quest, and its max hit of 30 with steel cannonballs stays constant regardless of your level. That makes it absurdly strong at low levels. The accuracy of the cannon is affected by your selected attack style's accuracy bonus, so if you are also training melee, wearing melee gear with high stab/slash/crush accuracy will help the cannon land hits. But for pure Ranged XP, you can just stand back and let the cannon do the work while you safe-spot or use another weapon.

Active cannoning spots

The most famous active cannon spot is ogres east of Castle Wars. No additional quests are needed, and the wiki states the cannon alone gives around 40,000 Ranged XP per hour at low levels. Expect competition, as this spot is popular. If you've completed Biohazard, the Combat Training Camp has fewer people. Ice trolls north of Jatizso after The Fremennik Trials are another option, though they require a bit more attention.

Cannoning with Slayer

Once you have a cannon, you should use it on every Slayer task that allows it. The wiki is blunt: not using a cannon can nearly double the time of melee tasks in multi-combat areas like dagannoths and kalphites. The cannon deals most of the damage while you still get nearly full melee XP. The Ranged XP you earn from cannoning through Slayer is passive but meaningful; the wiki estimates 2–4 million Ranged XP from getting 99 Slayer with a cannon. The cost of cannonballs is justified by the hours saved, and if you cannot afford steel cannonballs, you are better off making money first than training Slayer without one.

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Chinning Maniacal Monkeys: Fastest XP from 45–99

Once you hit 45 Ranged, chinchompas against maniacal monkeys become the undisputed fastest method. Maniacal monkeys are in Kruk's Dungeon on Ape Atoll, and you need to have started Chapter II of Monkey Madness II to reach them. They have extremely low defence, so your accuracy is rarely an issue. Instead, you stack as much Ranged Strength as possible to hit harder, killing multiple monkeys at once with each chin explosion.

Chinchompas use the Medium fuse attack style for rapid, which is the highest DPS style. Longrange is only used if you want Defence XP alongside Ranged. The monkeys drop 1-dose prayer potions frequently enough that they often pay for Protect from Melee and your prayer boosts. If you've completed the hard Morytania Diary, a bonecrusher necklace can restore Prayer points from bone drops, reducing your potion usage further.

XP rates at maniacal monkeys

The wiki publishes these rates assuming best damage-boosting gear, Rigour, two alt accounts dancing to stack monkeys, divine ranging potions, and 1,970 chinchompas thrown per hour. With Eagle Eye instead of Rigour, expect 5–7% lower rates. The table below is from the pay-to-play Ranged training guide; the first column is level, the remaining columns represent increasing gear quality, from basic to best-in-slot.

Ranged level	XP/hr (basic)	XP/hr (void/better)	XP/hr (max gear)
45	290,000	N/A	N/A
55	360,000	430,000	N/A
65	470,000	540,000	690,000
75	570,000	670,000	830,000
85	640,000	740,000	930,000
95	710,000	810,000	1,000,000
99	740,000	840,000	1,030,000

Note that these are theoretical maximums with perfect conditions. Real-world rates will be lower if you miss ticks, run out of prayer, or your monkey stack is small. Most players can expect 70–90% of these numbers when solo and learning the dance.

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Blowpipe and Darts: The Flexible Middle Ground

The toxic blowpipe is a one-handed ranged weapon that uses darts as ammunition, converting their raw thrown damage into a higher-accuracy, higher-strength venomous attack. Darts are members-only thrown weapons that can be poisoned and are the quickest ranged weapons in the game alongside throwing knives. The dart page notes that knives are slightly more accurate and stronger for their tier, but darts are cheaper and far more traded, making them the standard choice for blowpipe loading.

One advantage of darts and blowpipe is that they are excellent for Slayer tasks and bossing while training. You can do Vorkath, Zulrah, or even mid-level bosses like Sarachnis and still earn competitive Ranged XP. No need to stand in Ape Atoll with three accounts – you can progress your account further while training.

However, blowpipe lacks the multi-target damage of chinchompas or the cannon. XP rates are lower, but the cost per XP is often also lower, and the utility makes up for it if you plan to PvM anyway. Darts themselves can be fletched by members, requiring dart tips smithed after Tourist Trap and feathers. If you enjoy skilling, making your own darts can cut costs, but buying them is usually faster for mains.

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Gear and Ammo Choices That Move the Needle

Regardless of method, Ava's devices are non-negotiable for any weapon that fires recoverable ammunition. The attractor (60% recovery), accumulator (72%), and assembler (80%) save money on darts and arrows, but they do not work if you wear a metallic body. For darts and blowpipe, the assembler is best; for chinning, chinchompas are not recovered, so Ava's is irrelevant but you still want max ranged strength.

When comparing armour, the wiki makes a clear distinction: Void Knight gear with ranger helm shines against low-defence targets like maniacal monkeys because its damage set effect outweighs accuracy penalties. Against higher-defence monsters, crystal armour or Masori are much better. Getting full void is not worth the time unless you plan to train all the way to 99 using fastest methods and also want it for Vorkath, Zulrah, or Theatre of Blood. If you already have Masori or crystal, skip void entirely for most training.

For darts, start with mithril or adamant darts for blowpipe training until you can afford rune or dragon darts. The price per throw matters because you will fire thousands. Use the wiki's Price per throw table on the dart page before committing to a bulk order.

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Common Mistakes That Drain Your Cash Stack

Players waste more gp on Ranged training than any other combat skill. These are the five most expensive errors, all avoidable with a little planning.

• Using longrange when you don't need Defence XP. Longrange gives Defence instead of Ranged, halving your Ranged XP rate. Only use it if you specifically want 99 Defence at the same time.
• Ignoring Ava's devices. Without an assembler, you lose up to 20% more darts or arrows. The Vorkath head requirement is annoying but pays for itself over a few hours of blowpipe training.
• Cannoning with melee gear that has low accuracy in the wrong style. The cannon's accuracy is based on your selected attack style's accuracy bonus. If you are training Ranged, wear ranged gear; if melee, wear melee gear. Wearing a rune platebody with a crossbow just to survive will make the cannon splash.
• Buying dragon darts for training. Dragon darts are for endgame PvM speed kills. For training, adamant or rune darts give nearly the same XP for a fraction of the cost. Check the dart page's price-per-throw calculation.
• Chinning without stacking monkeys. The XP rates in the table assume two dancing accounts keeping monkeys tightly packed. One player can stack with careful movement, but expect lower rates. Do not buy 100k chinchompas thinking you'll get wiki max XP solo.

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Time-to-99 and Honest Cost Tradeoffs

Let's assume you start from level 45 after cannoning. The table below compares realistic method choices for a main with moderate attention. GP costs are qualitative because Grand Exchange prices change daily; check the wiki's live price tables or your own bank before committing. The point is to show the time difference and attention tradeoff.

Method	Attention	GP cost	Key requirements	Best use case
Dwarf multicannon	Medium (reload, lure)	High (cannonballs)	Dwarf Cannon quest	Levels 1–45 and Slayer tasks
Chinning maniacal monkeys	High	Very high (chins, potions, gear)	MM2 Chapter II, 45+ Ranged	Fastest XP to 99
Blowpipe with darts (Slayer/PvM)	Medium	Medium (darts, scales)	75 Ranged, blowpipe	Slayer, bossing, flexibility
Nightmare Zone blowpipe	Low (AFK)	Low-Medium	75 Ranged, NMZ points	AFK training while doing other things
Pest Control	Medium	0 gp (minigame)	Combat level 100+ (verify)	Void gear while training

For exact XP rates on the non-chin methods, you will need to check the current wiki tables, as they vary with gear, task, and attention. The chinning rates are the only ones with reliable published numbers in the research pack, and they range from 290k XP/hr at level 45 to over 1m XP/hr at 99 with max gear and Rigour. If you choose the cheapest method, expect to spend double or triple the time. Many players underestimate how many hours they can actually focus at maximum intensity; if you have a job or study, the lower-attention methods may be more realistic even if they take longer.

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Buying Gold or a Boost: When It's the Honest Shortcut

There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that the time you spend clicking on monkeys could be better spent elsewhere. Buying OSRS gold to fund training supplies is an honest shortcut if you value your time above the gp grinding required. Likewise, a boosting service can handle the repetitive chinning while you sleep, work, or play another account. The key is to use reputable marketplaces, never share your password outside a trusted service, and remember that Jagex's rules are not endorsed by this guide. We are not affiliated with Jagex, and you should always consider the risks.

If you decide to buy gold, use it for the highest-impact purchases: rigour prayer, elite void or Masori, a stack of chinchompas, and enough prayer potions. Do not blow it on dragon darts or cosmetic overrides. Check live rates on our marketplace before making any decision.

View live gold rates

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Sources

• Pay-to-play Ranged training – OSRS Wiki
• Dart – OSRS Wiki
• Maniacal monkey strategies – OSRS Wiki