OSRS Hunter 80-99: Herbiboar vs Black Chinchompas 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.

Hunter at level 80 opens two very different roads to 99. On Fossil Island, the herbiboar turns tracking and herb harvesting into a predictable, safe, and reasonably profitable grind. In the Wilderness, black chinchompas offer faster XP and significantly more gold per hour, but every catch carries the risk of losing your stack to a PKer. This guide breaks down both methods, the unlocks you need before starting, realistic supplies, time-to-goal, and when buying gold or a service is the honest shortcut.

We’ll use the official wiki data for mechanics and rates, but we won’t pretend these numbers are set in stone. Competition, your Herblore level, and how many stamina potions you sip will move the result. For players who want to skip the comparison paralysis, we also cover what a power-leveling service actually replaces.

Requirements and Unlocks Before You Start

Both paths require some quest and diary groundwork. You don’t need everything before you begin, but missing one of these can cost you hours of walking or lock you out of the best spawns.

If you haven’t already, knock out the Natural History Quiz in Varrock Museum for an instant 1,000 Hunter XP, which takes you from level 1 to 9 and sets up bird house trapping as a passive supplement. Bird house runs are not the main course for 80-99, but they are the single best low-intensity add-on you can do while focusing on Herbiboar or black chins.

Herbiboar 80-99: Tracking, Herbs, and Fossil Island Profit

Herbiboar hunting is a click-intensive but safe loop. You inspect an object near one of five start points on Fossil Island, follow the tracks it reveals, and then kick the burrow at the end. The herbiboar appears stunned, and you harvest one to three herbs from its back. If you have magic secateurs equipped or in your inventory, you get an extra herb on top of the usual haul.

The XP per herbiboar scales with your base Hunter level. At 80, you get 1,950 XP per catch. From level 80 to 94, each level adds 30 XP. At 95 you get an extra 15, and from 96 to 99 each level adds 19 to the previous. At 99, a single herbiboar grants 2,461 XP. With good pathing and stamina potions, players can expect 59-66 catches per hour at level 80, translating to roughly 115,000-128,000 XP/hr. That rate only increases as you level. For profit, the wiki’s money making guide lists hunting herbiboars at about 409,003 coins per hour, with higher Herblore improving the herb tier and therefore the gold.

Trail inspections along the way can also award numulite and unidentified fossils. Expect around 2.5 inspection rolls per herbiboar, with small fossils being common and rare fossils being extremely rare. These fossils are useful for filling the Varrock Museum displays or for Prayer training via the mycelium pool, so don’t ignore them.

Herbiboar has no loot table like a boss; the value comes from herbs, which scale with your Herblore. At 31 Herblore you’ll see mostly low-level herbs, but by 70+ Herblore the profit jumps noticeably. If your Herblore is low, you can still hunt herbiboar for XP and accept lower GP/hr, or you can train Herblore first to make the grind more rewarding.

Black Chinchompas 73-99: Fast XP and Profit with Wilderness Risk

Black chinchompas are box trapped in the Wilderness Hunter area. Each catch grants 315 Hunter XP, and because Wilderness trapping gives you an extra deployable trap, experienced players can maintain a high catch rate. The reward is twofold: black chinchompas are worth significantly more than herbiboar herbs per hour, and the XP/hr is generally faster for players who can hold a trap line without interruption.

The wiki’s money making guide for black chinchompas lists around 993,150 coins per hour at level 80+, assuming you can survive PKers. That profit comes at a real cost: you are in a PvP zone, and your stack of chinchompas is lost on death. Completion of the hard Wilderness Diary gives a fast teleport option near the hunting area, which reduces travel time but not the risk.

Because the wiki page for black chinchompas does not publish a universal XP/hr, your results will vary heavily with world population, your trap placement, and how often you bank. Most dedicated trappers use all available trap slots and hop worlds if spawns are contested. If you are unsure, ask other hunters or check tracker data before committing hours.

Several spawn clusters exist across the Wilderness; the northern and central spawns are usually the most contested, while the south can be quieter but further from a quick teleport. The exact layout matters less than your ability to keep traps baited and reset.

Method Comparison: XP, Profit, Attention, and Risk

To make the decision easier, here’s a side-by-side look at the three main ways you’ll be training Hunter from 80 to 99: Herbiboar, black chinchompas, and bird house runs as a passive supplement.

For accounts that also need Fishing, drift net fishing from 44-99 is the most efficient way to train both skills at once. Once Fishing no longer needs to be trained, switch to herbiboar or black chinchompas for faster Hunter XP specifically.

Time-to-Goal: From 80 to 99

Hunter 80 to 99 requires 11,048,363 XP. If you average 130,000 XP/hr at Herbiboar across the entire stretch—a conservative but realistic blend of early slower rates and late faster rates—you’re looking at roughly 85 hours of active tracking. That’s not a weekend project, but it is manageable over a few weeks.

Black chinchompas can shave meaningful time off that total if you’re skilled and lucky with world selection. However, because the wiki doesn’t list a standard XP/hr, treat any number you see as a projection. Every time you die to a PKer, you lose not just your current inventory but also the time it takes to regear and return. For many players, the reduced stress of Herbiboar is worth a slightly longer grind.

Adding bird house runs during your active sessions doesn’t add much time per run, but across 50+ hours it can replace several hours of active training. Don’t skip them.

Supplies, Inventory, and QoL Unlocks

Herbiboar inventory is simple but specific. Bring stamina potions, an herb sack if you have one, magic secateurs, and a teleport like a digsite pendant or fairy ring. Weight-reducing gear is highly recommended because the tracking areas are spread out. If you’re below 80 Hunter and using a super hunter potion, keep a few in reserve in case your boost drops mid-trail.

For black chinchompas, your inventory should reflect the risk. Bring box traps, food, a one-click teleport (or the hard diary item if applicable), and nothing else of value. Some players bring a looting bag, but that adds complexity if you’re not used to Wilderness survival. The less you risk, the calmer you’ll hunt, and calm hunters catch more chinchompas.

Bird house supplies are separate: logs, clockwork, a hammer, a chisel, and cheap seeds like potato or onion seeds. Keep a stack of digsite pendants charged to make your runs fast.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Ignoring bird house runs. They are the best passive Hunter XP in the game and take under two minutes every hour.
• Not using magic secateurs at Herbiboar. One extra herb per catch adds up to thousands of extra herbs over the grind.
• Carrying too much weight or skipping stamina potions. Herbiboar paths reset often; every second you spend walking is lost XP.
• Hunting black chinchompas on a crowded world. Fewer traps per person means lower XP and more frustration. Hop or pick off-peak hours.
• Bringing valuables to the Wilderness. Even a high-value ring or boots can make you a target. Bank first.
• Underestimating Herblore level for Herbiboar profit. At 31 Herblore the herbs are cheap; by 70+ the hourly gold jumps significantly.

When Buying Gold or a Service Is the Honest Shortcut

Hunter is a skill where gold directly buys efficiency. Stamina potions, digsite pendants, herb sacks, and even the herbs you could be farming elsewhere all have a GP value. If your main account is low on cash, buying OSRS gold can fund the supplies that make 80-99 less painful. If your time is worth more than the 80-100 hours this grind demands, a power-leveling service is the even bigger shortcut. You hand over the account, set the goal, and come back to a 99 cape. This is not a Jagex-endorsed path, and you should always read the terms of any marketplace you use. But for many players, paying for gold or a service is simply an honest time-value tradeoff. View live gold rates to see what your budget can cover.

If you’re still weighing AFK versus active methods, check out our guide on OSRS 99 Woodcutting: Sulliusceps vs 1.5-Tick Teaks Guide for a similar comparison in another gathering skill.

Final Verdict: Herbiboar or Black Chinchompas?

If you want consistent XP, no PK risk, and decent profit while you watch something else, Herbiboar is the clear winner. It’s the more relaxed of the two and rewards high Herblore. If you want the fastest possible Hunter XP, don’t mind constant attention, and can handle the Wilderness threat, black chinchompas will get you to 99 quicker and with a bigger cash stack—assuming you survive.

The best answer for many players is a hybrid: run bird houses every hour, do Herbiboar when you want lower stress, and switch to black chinchompas during off-peak hours or when you’re in the mood for risk. Whichever path you pick, plan your supplies, set a daily XP goal, and you’ll have the Hunter cape before you know it.