The rune pickaxe is the best pickaxe in free-to-play and the third-best overall, sitting behind the members-only crystal and dragon pickaxes. It mines on a 3-tick cycle and needs 41 Mining to use as a tool; wielding it as a weapon also needs 40 Attack, though you can still mine with it without the Attack level. You buy it from other players, a few shops, or as a monster drop, or claim one from the quest Between a Rock... — expect a low five-figure GE price.
Equipment bonuses
Wielded as a weapon, the rune pickaxe offers +26 stab and +24 crush accuracy with +29 strength, attacking once every 5 ticks (3.0 seconds). It needs 40 Attack to equip — but most players only ever carry it for the +29 strength and to free an inventory slot while mining.
Attack bonuses
Defence bonuses
Other bonuses
Those are mining-pickaxe numbers, not combat ones: the slash bonus is actually negative (-2), so the rune pickaxe is a convenience hold and a low-level training filler, never a serious melee weapon.
Grand Exchange price history
How to get the rune pickaxe
Like all pickaxes, the rune pickaxe cannot be smithed, so it has to come from somewhere else:
- Other players or shops — it is freely tradeable on the Grand Exchange and stocked by a handful of in-game pickaxe shops.
- Monster drops — various monsters across the game drop it.
- Quest reward — completing Between a Rock... gives one as a reward.
Since it is the best free-to-play pickaxe, most F2P miners simply buy it off the GE the moment they hit 41 Mining. See the Mining guide for where to train toward that level.
Is the rune pickaxe worth it?
For free-to-play, yes — it is the fastest pickaxe you can use, full stop, so the only reason not to own one at 41 Mining is the small GE cost.
For members it is a stepping stone. The dragon pickaxe and the crystal pickaxe both mine faster (and the dragon pickaxe carries a special attack), so members usually retire the rune pickaxe once they can afford a dragon one. The dragon and crystal pickaxes mine roughly 6% faster than the rune pickaxe and add a special attack, making them the genuine members upgrades.
As a melee weapon it is not worth considering: +29 strength with a negative slash bonus and a slow 5-tick swing makes it strictly a novelty or an inventory-saving hold while you mine.
Rune pickaxe FAQ
What level do you need for a rune pickaxe?
You need 41 Mining to mine with the rune pickaxe. To wield it as a weapon you also need 40 Attack — but players who lack 40 Attack can still keep it in their inventory and mine with it normally.
Is the rune pickaxe the best in free-to-play?
Yes. The wiki confirms it is the best pickaxe in free-to-play. The faster crystal and dragon pickaxes are members-only, so for F2P the rune pickaxe is the top tool.
How do you get a rune pickaxe?
It cannot be smithed. You buy it from other players or a pickaxe shop, get it as a monster drop, or claim one as a reward from the quest Between a Rock...
Can you use a rune pickaxe without 40 Attack?
Yes. The 40 Attack requirement only applies to wielding it as a weapon. You only need 41 Mining to mine with it, so you can carry and use it in your inventory at any Attack level.
Does the rune pickaxe have a special attack?
No. The rune pickaxe has no special attack. Among pickaxes, only the dragon pickaxe has one.
How much is a rune pickaxe worth?
It is a cheap, low five-figure item. Check the live price and history chart above for the exact current Grand Exchange value, which moves with supply and demand.
Update history
Pickaxes no longer randomly accelerate Mining by one tick on free-to-play worlds.
The 1/6 random chance for the dragon pickaxe to mine one tick faster was accidentally also applied to all other pickaxes on free-to-play worlds.
Source: OSRS Wiki — Rune pickaxe (Changes).
