OSRS Headless Arrows vs Arrow Shafts: Fletching 1-99 Guide

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.

Old School RuneScape mains leveling Fletching have two early paths that look almost identical on paper but play very differently: making headless arrows or fletching arrow shafts. Both unlock at level 1, both involve logs and feathers, and both feed into later arrow production. The real decision is about attention, cash flow, and whether you want to buy supplies or create them yourself. This guide compares the two methods, then shows how to transition into broad arrows — the efficient, expensive route that dominates from level 52 onward.

The numbers below are drawn from multiple wiki guides for mains and ironmen, so you can plan without guesswork. Always verify current Grand Exchange prices before committing to a bulk buy — spread and shop stock change constantly.

The Real Choice: Headless Arrows vs Arrow Shafts

At level 1, both headless arrows and arrow shafts give Fletching XP. Headless arrows are made by attaching feathers to arrow shafts, 1 XP per arrow, and the entire process is stackable. You can carry thousands of supplies anywhere and train while doing Agility, farm runs, or questing. Arrow shafts are made by using a knife on logs, giving 5 XP per log and producing 15 shafts. The shafts themselves can then be used for headless arrows, but if you sell them, you usually lose money. The two methods are not mutually exclusive — many mains cut their own shafts to feed headless arrow production, then sell the finished headless arrows for a small profit.

Requirements, Quest Skips, and Supply Caps

Before you start, understand what you need and how to skip the boring early levels.

Completing Animal Magnetism, Big Chompy Bird Hunting, and Zogre Flesh Eaters grants a total of 3,262 Fletching XP, boosting you straight to level 18 with minimal requirements. Adding Temple of Ikov and The Fremennik Trials gives another 10,812 XP, taking you to level 30. These quests should almost always be done first on a main — they save hours of low-level clicking for very little effort.

Supply caps matter for both methods. Feathers can be bought in bulk through feather packs at fishing shops (Port Sarim, Fishing Guild) for 2 coins each. Arrow shafts have a shop price of 6 coins each at the Bow and Arrow shop in the Ranging Guild, which requires 40 Ranged to access. These shop prices act as a market ceiling — the GE price for feathers rarely exceeds 2 gp, and arrow shafts stay near 6 gp unless demand spikes. If you plan to cut your own shafts, note that at 30 Fletching willow logs are the recommended fast source for ironmen; mains can simply buy logs on the GE if the price is right.

Headless Arrows: Low-Attention Stackable XP

Making headless arrows is the classic zero-time Fletching method. Each action creates 15 headless arrows and grants 15 total XP at 1 XP per arrow. At maximum speed — around 3,000 actions per hour — that's 45,000 Fletching XP per hour. But because feathers, shafts, and headless arrows are all stackable, you don't need to bank constantly. You can fletch while running between farm patches, during Agility courses, or while waiting for a Slayer task to respawn.

Profitability depends entirely on current prices. Buying feather packs at 2 gp and arrow shafts at 6 gp from shops gives a cost of 8 coins per headless arrow. If the GE price for headless arrows is above 8 gp, you make a profit; if it falls below, you take a small loss. Cutting your own shafts from logs can reduce the shaft cost below 6 gp, improving margins. Historically headless arrows have been a reliable small-profit method for mains, but you must check the live spread before bulk buying. Some players also buy shafts from other players at below shop price, further boosting profit.

Arrow Shafts: Fast Log Processing, But a Loss

Arrow shafts are made by using a knife on logs, producing 15 shafts and 5 Fletching XP per log. At an efficient rate of about 2,000 logs per hour, this yields roughly 10,000 Fletching XP per hour — much slower than headless arrows. However, arrow shafts have a niche: they process an inventory of logs rapidly and produce the exact component you need for headless arrows. The method is often used from level 1 to 5 simply because it's straightforward and requires no special supplies beyond logs and a knife.

The financial picture is poor. According to the Fletching training table, fletching logs into arrow shafts from level 1 to 5 requires 78 logs, costs about 1,896 gp, and produces shafts worth only 1,185 gp — a loss of 711 gp for 390 XP, or about -4.60 gp per XP. That loss gets worse if you buy logs at a high price. The only reasons to fletch arrow shafts on a main are: (1) you need shafts for headless arrows and can't buy them at a good price, (2) you want to use up cheap logs you cut yourself, or (3) you are bridging the first few levels before switching to headless arrows.

Beyond 52: Broad Arrows Dominate Efficiency

Once you hit level 52, broad arrows become the most efficient Fletching training method for mains. You must first unlock the Broader Fletching perk for 300 Slayer reward points. Then you can buy broad arrowhead packs from any Slayer master, feather packs from fishing shops, and arrow shafts from the Ranging Guild. Each broad arrow made gives 11 XP (including the headless arrow XP). If you cut the arrow shafts yourself from logs, each broad arrow gives 11.33 XP.

At maximum efficiency, the full process — combining arrow shafts, feathers, and broad arrowheads — yields 165 XP per 15 arrows, or about 247,500 XP per hour. That's nearly six times faster than headless arrows. The cost, however, is steep: roughly 5.70 to 5.93 coins per XP depending on how you source shafts. Reaching level 99 from 52 requires about 1,174,000 broad arrows, translating to an estimated 76.6 million coins in supplies if you buy everything from shops.

AFK vs Efficient: Time and Cost Tradeoffs

The table below compares the main Fletching methods for a normal account. Time to 99 assumes you could use the method from level 1 to 99, ignoring level requirements and quest skips, just to show the raw difference.

For a main with a decent cash stack, broad arrows are the clear winner: about 53 hours of active clicking (or zero-time if you spread it out) versus 290 hours of headless arrows. The tradeoff is cost — 76.6m is not trivial. Many players compromise by doing headless arrows during passive activities and broad arrows during dedicated training sessions.

Common Mistakes Main Accounts Make

• Buying arrow shafts at inflated GE prices instead of using the Ranging Guild shop at 6 gp each, or cutting their own from cheap logs.
• Skipping the early quest XP — Animal Magnetism, Big Chompy Bird Hunting, Zogre Flesh Eaters, Temple of Ikov, and The Fremennik Trials together push you to level 30 for almost no effort.
• Not unlocking the Broader Fletching perk before level 52, then wasting time on slower arrow methods.
• Training with headless arrows past level 52 when broad arrows are available and they can afford the supplies.
• Fletching arrow shafts expecting a profit — the method is consistently a loss.
• Buying massive amounts of supplies without checking current GE prices and shop stock, which can lead to overpaying.

When Buying Gold or a Boost Is the Honest Shortcut

Broad arrows from 52 to 99 cost around 76.6 million coins. If you don't have that kind of cash, buying OSRS gold can fund the supplies immediately, letting you skip hours of money-making and jump straight into efficient training. Alternatively, a fletching boosting service can handle the repetitive clicking while you spend your play time on content you actually enjoy. Always use a reputable marketplace, and remember that Jagex prohibits account sharing and real-world trading on official servers — do your own due diligence before using any service.

If you're ready to fund your Fletching grind, view live gold rates to see how much you need to cover broad arrow supplies.

Practical Next Step: From 1 to 99 in a Week

1. Complete Animal Magnetism, Big Chompy Bird Hunting, and Zogre Flesh Eaters to reach level 18.
2. Do Temple of Ikov and The Fremennik Trials to hit level 30.
3. From 30 to 52, make headless arrows if you want profit and AFK, or fletch willow/maple logs into shafts if you have a source of cheap logs. You can also combine both.
4. At 52, unlock Broader Fletching with 300 Slayer points.
5. Buy broad arrowhead packs, feather packs, and arrow shafts in bulk (check prices first).
6. Fletch broad arrows while doing Agility, Slayer, or other zero-time activities. Expect about 247k XP/hr when fully focused.
7. Continue until 99, or switch to redwood shields at 92 if you prefer faster but costlier AFK-ish training.

Sources

• Fletching training
• Ironman Guide/Fletching
• Ultimate Ironman Guide/Fletching