A Guide to the Giant's Foundry in OSRS

The world of Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is ever-evolving, with Jagex continually introducing new content to keep the player base engaged. One of the most exciting updates in recent times is the Giant's Foundry—a new smithing training method that promises to revolutionize the way players level up their smithing skills. After months of anticipation and teasers, Jagex finally revealed the details of the Giant's Foundry, and in this article, we'll delve into everything you need to know about this update, including its mechanics, requirements, and how it fits into the current smithing meta.

Introduction to the Giant's Foundry

The Giant's Foundry is a brand-new smithing skilling method built by the giants of Gielinor. This unique method is designed to be accessible to both new and seasoned players, with the main requirement being the completion of a new quest called "Sleeping Giants." The quest itself is novice-level, with a minimal smithing requirement of just level 15. This makes the Giant's Foundry one of the most accessible smithing training methods in the game.

Unlike other smithing methods, the Giant's Foundry introduces an element of skill into the process, requiring players to pay close attention to the minigame mechanics to maximize their rewards. Failure to do so could result in wasted resources and minimal experience gains. However, for those who master the process, the Giant's Foundry offers a higher value per bar than any other smithing method, making it a potentially lucrative and resource-efficient way to train smithing.

How the Giant's Foundry Works

The gameplay loop of the Giant's Foundry revolves around forging giant swords on commission. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how the process works:

Receiving a Commission: Players start by obtaining a commission from a new NPC named Kovac. The commission will dictate the type of sword you need to forge, with different properties such as narrow or spiked blades. The difficulty of crafting the sword is determined by the metal used, rather than the sword's design.

Choosing a Mold: Once you have your commission, the next step is to select a mold from Kovac's extensive library. The mold will define the shape of the sword, and players can choose from a variety of options based on their preferences and the commission's requirements.

Melting the Metal: After selecting a mold, players need to head to the crucible, where they will melt down their chosen metals. The crucible can accept a range of metals from bronze to rune bars, as well as unwanted metal items that players can recycle. To forge a giant sword, you'll need to use 20 bars worth of materials or recycled items.

Pouring the Molten Metal: Once the metal is melted, it is poured into the chosen mold. The process of shaping the sword varies depending on the metal used. Lower-tier metals cool and shape quickly, while higher-tier metals like runes require more time and precision to avoid breaking the sword.

Refining the Sword: After the metal has cooled, players must refine the sword using various tools, including a trip hammer, grindstone, polishing wheel, lava pool, and waterfall. A HUD will guide players through the process, indicating the tools needed and the timing for each action.

Completing the Sword: Once the sword reaches 100% completion, players can hand it over to Kovac, who will reward them with experience and Foundry reputation. The quality of the sword determines the rewards, with higher-quality swords yielding better experience and reputation gains.

Experience Rates and Resource Efficiency

One of the most important aspects of any training method in OSRS is the experience rate, and the Giant's Foundry is no exception. While Jagex has not provided exact experience rates, they have compared the Giant's Foundry to other smithing methods like the Blast Furnace and cannonball smithing. The Giant's Foundry is described as moderately click-intensive and more interactive than traditional methods, with a focus on both experience and resource efficiency.

Players can expect to forge around 10 to 20 swords per hour, though the experience per sword remains unknown. However, the key benefit of the Giant's Foundry lies in its resource efficiency. According to Jagex, the method uses approximately 85% fewer resources compared to other smithing methods like the Blast Furnace or traditional anvil smithing. This makes it an attractive option for Ironman accounts, which often struggle with resource scarcity.

While the exact experience per hour is still uncertain, a rough estimate suggests that players could achieve around 150k smithing experience per hour, with the added potential for profit depending on the materials used.

Foundry Reputation and Rewards

In addition to experience, players will also accumulate Foundry reputation, a new currency that can be spent in the Giant's Foundry shop. The shop offers a variety of rewards, including:

   • Orpax: A collection of different ores bundled together, providing a convenient way to restock on smithing materials.

   • Molds: Usable in the Giant's Foundry minigame, these molds can help players improve the quality of their swords, leading to better rewards. Higher-tier molds require higher smithing levels.

   • Eight Cannonball Mold: This mold allows players to smith eight cannonballs at once using two steel bars, effectively doubling production speed. This is particularly useful for Ironman players looking to train smithing more efficiently and profitably.

   • Smithing Catalyst: An unstackable item used when creating bars at a furnace (excluding the Blast Furnace). It halves the amount of coal required to smith a bar and doubles the experience gained. However, the catalyst is consumed with each use, making it a valuable but limited resource.

   • Kovac's Grog: A potion that provides a +4 smithing boost, useful for reaching higher-level smithing requirements.

   • Hill Giant Club Ornament Kit: A cosmetic upgrade for the Hill Giant Club, adding a unique aesthetic to the weapon.

   • Giant Helmet: A cosmetic helmet that players can wear as a vanity item.

Final Thoughts

The Giant's Foundry is shaping up to be an exciting addition to OSRS, offering a fresh and engaging way to train smithing. With its focus on skill-based gameplay, resource efficiency, and a variety of rewards, the Giant's Foundry has the potential to become a staple training method for both new and veteran players. While the exact experience rates and profitability are still to be determined, the update promises to bring a new level of depth to the smithing skill.

Whether you're an Ironman looking for a more resource-efficient training method or a main account seeking a new way to profit from smithing, the Giant's Foundry is worth exploring. As with any new content, it will take time for the community to fully explore and optimize the method, but the early signs are promising.

As always, your feedback and thoughts are invaluable, so let me know what you think about the Giant's Foundry in the comments below. If you found this guide useful, please don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to RSorder for more OSRS content. You can also enjoy buying cheap OSRS Gold service here.