Giants' Foundry is one of the most useful minigames in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) for training Smithing. Introduced as part of the Sleeping Giants quest, it provides an engaging and efficient way to reach 99 Smithing without wasting tons of gold. However, success in the minigame requires understanding its mechanics, efficient use of tools, and smart decision-making with materials.

This guide breaks down how Giants' Foundry works, how to make money and XP from it, and what you need to do to master it.

Unlocking Giants' Foundry

Before you can play Giants' Foundry, you must complete the Sleeping Giants quest. This short, introductory quest teaches you the basics of the minigame and unlocks access to the Foundry, which is located just west of the Al Kharid furnace.

There are no strict stat requirements for the minigame, but having at least level 30 Smithing will allow you to use better metal combinations and get better rewards.

What You Do in the Minigame

The goal of Giants' Foundry is to forge a sword that matches a commission given to you by Kovac, a giant smith who runs the Foundry. Each commission comes with a description of the desired sword's features, such as being broad, narrow, heavy, light, spiked, or flat. Based on the description, you'll select the molds for the blade and create a weapon using molten metal.

To start, talk to Kovac to receive your commission. Then, choose the correct molds for the blade's tip, forte (base), and body from the mold library. This will affect your mold score, which determines part of the quality of your final sword.

Next, fill the crucible with metal bars or metal items. You can use any metal from bronze to rune, except for black/white equipment, dragon gear, or trimmed sets. Each item counts as two bars. The crucible can hold up to 28 bars. Anything added beyond that is wasted, so be careful.

Once you've poured the molten metal into the mold and retrieved the sword preform, you'll go through a refinement process using various machines in the Foundry.

Tools You'll Use

During refinement, you use specific machines depending on the temperature of the preform:

· Trip hammer is used when the sword is hot. It adds progress and slightly cools the blade.

· Grindstone is used at a medium temperature to sharpen the sword. It adds progress but also heats the blade.

· Polishing wheel is used when the sword is cold. It adds progress and further cools the sword.

· Lava pool heats the blade. You can do this slowly or quickly.

· Waterfall cools the blade. Like the lava pool, it has fast and slow options.

· Preform storage lets you store your sword if you need to log out.

The key is to keep your sword within the correct temperature range for each tool. Using a tool at the wrong temperature will damage the sword and reduce its quality. If you ruin the sword, you'll lose your materials and need to start over.

You'll also see sweet spot windows during refinement—short periods where using a tool gives extra progress. If you hit this sweet spot, you'll make faster progress on the blade.

Once the sword reaches 100% completion, turn it in to Kovac. You'll receive Smithing experience, coins, and Foundry Reputation based on the quality of your sword.

How to Get to Giants' Foundry

There are several ways to access the Foundry:

· Use the minigame teleport through the Grouping menu.

· Teleport to Al Kharid with an amulet of glory.

· Use a ring of dueling to reach the PvP Arena and walk from there.

· Take a gnome glider to Kar-Hewo.

· Walk through the Lumbridge toll gate and head west.

Items You'll Need

Before starting, bring:

· Smithable metal bars or items

· A hammer and chisel

· A bucket or ice gloves (used to handle the sword)

You can obtain a bucket from inside the Foundry if needed.

Where to Get Metal

You'll need a good supply of metals for the crucible. There are three main sources:

1. Grand Exchange – The easiest way, but it costs OSRS gold. You can buy bars in bulk.

2. Smithing your weapons and armor – Useful if you've been training Smithing, but note that you'll lose some efficiency.

3. Buying gear from shops – Not recommended. You'll waste gold and won't gain any XP.

Strategy Tips for Success

Several strategies will help you complete commissions efficiently and get better rewards:

· Don't overheat or overcool the blade. Leave a buffer in the temperature range to avoid errors.

· Use passive heating and cooling. Tools like the trip hammer and polishing wheel naturally change temperature.

· Switch tools smartly. Know when to use fast heating/cooling and when to slow down.

· Watch for the white temperature bar. This tells you you're close to leaving the safe zone.

· Use sweet spots. They help complete swords faster and improve quality.

· Play in a quieter worlds to reduce lag and tick stutter.

· Get the Smiths' Uniform early. It increases the progress rate and XP gain significantly.

How Sword Quality Is Calculated

Sword quality is based on a few different values:

1. Metal Score – Depends on the metal used. Higher-tier metals score more points.

2. Mold Score – Depends on how well your chosen molds match the commission.

3. Penalties – Each mistake subtracts 10 points from your total score.

Using a mix of high-tier metals (like rune and adamant) can give you better metal scores than just one metal type. However, higher metal scores also increase the difficulty of refinement. Lower-tier combinations are easier to manage and better for beginners.

Earning Smithing XP and Profits

Giants' Foundry offers surprisingly good XP and GP rates for a minigame. If done right, you can profit while training Smithing.

Here are some examples of the hourly rates with average performance:

· Bronze/Iron: 1,040 XP/hr, ~195k GP/hr

· Iron/Steel: 17,472 XP/hr, ~250k GP/hr

· Steel/Mithril: 96k XP/hr, ~233k GP/hr

· Adamant/Rune: 1.6M XP/hr, but loss of ~1.6M GP/hr

The key is to find the sweet spot between XP and profit. Lower-tier metals are usually more profitable, while higher-tier metals offer better XP but often result in losses unless you're efficient.

Foundry Rewards

Using Foundry Reputation, you can buy rewards from Kovac. These include:

· Smiths' Uniform (Tunic, Gloves, Trousers, Boots) – Increases progress rate and XP gain. Cost: 15,000 total points.

· Colossal Blade – A powerful 2-handed weapon with a passive that increases max hit against large enemies. Cost: 5,000 points.

· Double Ammo Mold, Smithing Catalyst, Ore Packs, and more.

The Colossal Blade is especially useful for players focused on melee combat against bosses like Sarachnis or the Kalphite Queen. Its passive max hit boost scales with monster size, up to +10.

If you lose the Colossal Blade, you can buy it back from Perdu for 300,000 coins.

Final Thoughts

Giants' Foundry is one of the most rewarding and cost-effective ways to train Smithing in OSRS. Once you learn the mechanics and refine your strategy, it becomes an easy way to earn gold, gather XP, and unlock useful gear. It also adds variety to what can otherwise be a repetitive skill.

If you're low on gold and need help getting started with bars or materials, consider picking up gold from a trusted source or buy Runescape gold to keep your training going without interruption.

Once you've mastered the minigame, you'll find yourself well on the way to 99 Smithing—and maybe even wielding the mighty Colossal Blade.

RSorder Team