OSRS Sailing Leveling Guide

Sailing is one of the most anticipated skills in OSRS, bringing a completely new way to explore Gielinor beyond landlocked training methods. Instead of standing in one spot clicking the same action over and over, Sailing focuses on progression through exploration, ship management, and completing activities across the open seas. Leveling Sailing is less about raw grinding and more about understanding routes, ship upgrades, and efficient task choices. Whether you’re starting at level 1 or looking to push toward higher milestones, knowing the best ways to gain experience early will save you a massive amount of time. This guide breaks down how Sailing works, the fastest ways to level it, and what you should focus on at each stage so you can progress smoothly without wasting effort or resources.

What is OSRS Sailing

Sailing is a members-only utility skill in OSRS that opens up the oceans of Gielinor and lets players explore the world beyond land. It marks the first brand-new skill added to the game in nearly two decades and introduces a full sea-based progression system built around ships, travel, and discovery. After completing the Pandemonium quest, players receive their first ship and unlock access to ports, sailing routes, and the core mechanics needed to begin their journey on the open water.

At its heart, the OSRS Sailing skill blends movement, upgrades, and exploration into one connected experience. Players chart courses across different seas, visit new islands, handle hazards like storms or hostile creatures, and take part in activities such as mapping sea routes, completing port contracts, salvaging shipwrecks, Barracuda Trials, and deep-sea fishing. Ships aren’t static either, as they can be improved with better hulls, tools, and onboard facilities that unlock stronger activities and more efficient experience gains.

Sailing also expands the game world with dozens of new islands filled with unique resources, enemies, and gathering spots. Materials found at sea and on these islands are used to craft ship upgrades, create new consumables, and support other skills through fresh tools and items. Naval combat plays a role as well, allowing players to fight sea monsters using cannons while managing repairs during encounters. Crewmates can be hired to run ship facilities, making certain activities faster and more rewarding.

Overall, Sailing works as a long-term progression system that ties exploration, upgrades, and resource gathering together. It gives players new ways to train, travel, and interact with the world while offering meaningful rewards as ships evolve from basic vessels into fully outfitted powerhouses.

How To Unlock Sailing in Old School Runescape

Unlocking Sailing in Old School RuneScape is simple and doesn’t require any skill levels or long grinds. The only strict requirement is having an active membership, since Sailing is a members-only skill. From there, everything is unlocked by completing one short novice quest that also acts as the full tutorial for the skill.

Once you’re on a members world, head straight to Port Sarim to begin the Pandemonium quest. Port Sarim sits on the south coast of Asgarnia, just below Falador and west of Draynor Village. When you arrive, go to the docks on the eastern side of town and look for the second pier from the south. You’ll find Will and Anne standing next to a salvaging boat. Speaking to either of them starts the quest and begins the process of unlocking Sailing.

The quest walks you through Sailing step by step in a very hands-on way. After accepting their offer, you’re taken out to sea and shown how ship movement works by steering the boat yourself. You’ll sail south through the Bay of Sarim toward a marked shipwreck near Karamja, learning basic navigation along the way. At the wreck, you help recover strange items tied to the story, which quickly leads to you being thrown overboard and washing up in a hidden ocean settlement known as The Pandemonium.

From there, the quest introduces you to the core Sailing systems. You meet the locals, learn about the mystery behind the salvaged items, and are eventually given your first personal ship: a basic raft. You’re shown how ship customization works by installing your first upgrade, a cargo hold, using simple tools at the shipyard. The quest then has you complete a short delivery run between The Pandemonium and Port Sarim, teaching docking, cargo handling, and longer-distance travel.

Once the delivery is complete and you report back, the quest ends and Sailing is permanently unlocked. Finishing Pandemonium gives you your own raft to use anywhere, access to The Pandemonium as a major ocean hub, the Captain’s Log for tracking Sailing activities, and several starter items like Sailing experience, repair kits, sawmill coupons, and a spyglass.

After that, you’re free to start Sailing from level 1. You can board your ship from ports around Gielinor, begin sea charting, take on courier jobs from notice boards, and work toward better ships as you level up. Your first major upgrade becomes available at level 15, when you can move on from the raft to a skiff and start tackling more rewarding Sailing content.

How To Level Up Sailing 1–99 in OSRS

Once you finish Pandemonium in Old School RuneScape, you’ll already be Sailing level 5 with a starter raft, your Captain’s Log, and access to Port Sarim and The Pandemonium. From that point on, Sailing levels are all about hitting key unlocks as efficiently as possible. The skill is built around milestones like new ships, quests, and Barracuda Trials, so the fastest path is following those unlocks instead of grinding one method forever. Below is a clean, optimized 1–99 route that balances speed, simplicity, and consistency.

Levels 5–12: Early Courier Tasks

Right after Pandemonium, courier tasks are the best option. Grab them from notice boards at Port Sarim or The Pandemonium and simply deliver cargo between the two ports. At level 5 you can only hold one task, but at level 7 you unlock a second slot, which nearly doubles your efficiency. These early routes are short, safe, and help you learn sailing basics like trimming sails during gusts for bonus XP. Expect steady progress, basic materials for later upgrades, and a smooth push to level 12 in very little time.

Level 12: Prying Times Quest

The moment you hit level 12, complete the Prying Times quest. It’s short, easy, and absolutely worth doing immediately. The experience reward pushes you straight to level 15, skipping several slow levels. You’ll also unlock tools needed for charting later on. This quest is one of the biggest early time-savers in the entire skill.

Levels 15–20: Skiff + Bronze Salvaging Hook

At level 15, buy your skiff and install a bronze salvaging hook. This is your first real taste of flexible Sailing training. Salvaging shipwrecks near The Pandemonium gives reliable XP and can be done mostly AFK. If you want faster gains, you can tick-manipulate with logs, but even relaxed salvaging is enough to move you comfortably toward level 20.

Levels 20–22: Long-Distance Courier Tasks

Level 20 unlocks longer courier routes, and distance directly increases Sailing XP. Tasks involving Catherby are especially good here. These deliveries take longer but reward more XP per run, making them the fastest short-term option before your next quest. Use this window to reach level 22 quickly.

Level 22: Current Affairs Quest

At level 22, complete the Current Affairs quest right away. Like Prying Times, it’s short and gives a big XP reward that bumps you straight to level 24. It also unlocks additional charting features you’ll need later. This quest is another mandatory stop for optimal progression.

Levels 24–27: Upgraded Skiff Courier Runs

Level 24 lets you improve your skiff with better hull and sail upgrades. With faster movement and smoother handling, courier tasks become noticeably quicker. Use these upgrades to finish another short courier stretch, focusing on longer routes where possible, until you reach level 27.

Levels 27–30: Steel Salvaging Hook

At level 27, upgrade to a steel salvaging hook. This is the first genuinely strong AFK training method in Sailing. Steel wrecks give much better XP per pull, and respawn predictably. AFK salvaging here is consistent and relaxed, while tick manipulation can more than double your XP if you want to push faster. Train here until level 30.

Levels 30–55: Barracuda Trials

Level 30 unlocks Barracuda Trials, starting with Tempor Tantrum. This is where Sailing really speeds up. Completing Swordfish, Shark, and Marlin ranks for the first time gives huge bonus XP. After that, repeating runs offers solid experience and far outperforms salvaging. As you upgrade your ship, your completion times drop and XP rates rise. This method carries you comfortably through the early midgame.

Levels 55–72: Barracuda Trials

At level 55, Jubbly Jive becomes your new main method. It’s faster, tighter, and rewards much higher XP than earlier trials. With decent upgrades and clean runs, XP rates here easily surpass everything below it. This is the core midgame grind, and most players stay here until level 72.

Levels 72–99: Barracuda Trials

Level 72 unlocks Gwenith Glide, the fastest Sailing XP in the game. Even average runs are strong, but optimized Shark and Marlin runs can reach extremely high XP rates with good ship upgrades. The course is more demanding, but consistency improves quickly with practice. From here, Sailing becomes very straightforward: upgrade your ship, refine your route, and repeat runs until 99.

OSRS Sailing Rewards And Unique Unlocks

Sailing isn’t just another skill grind in Old School RuneScape. As you level it up, you unlock systems, tools, regions, and rare items that simply don’t exist anywhere else in the game. Your ship slowly turns into a fully functional mobile base, the oceans open up with new mechanics, and many of the rewards permanently change how Sailing feels long term. Below are the most important Sailing-only rewards and unlocks you can work toward as you progress.

One of the most sought-after rewards is Soup, the Sailing pet. It’s a rare turtle pet that can drop from almost any Sailing activity, including port tasks, salvaging, Barracuda Trials, and sea encounters. Because it can be rolled early and across many methods, it’s considered one of the rarest early-skill pets in the game.

As you level, you unlock better ships. The skiff becomes available at level 15 and the sloop at level 50. Each new boat brings higher speed, better durability, more facility slots, and extra room for crew, making every activity faster and more efficient. On top of that, you can upgrade individual ship parts like the hull, keel, mast, and helm at shipyards. These upgrades permanently improve acceleration, top speed, and turning, and they scale directly with your Sailing and Construction levels.

At level 42, you can unlock the salvaging station, a massive quality-of-life upgrade. Once installed, it lets you sort and drop salvage directly on your ship instead of returning to port every time. Later on, one of the strongest upgrades becomes available at level 73: the crystal extractor. After completing Gwenith Glide at Shark rank, this facility generates Wind Motes every minute, giving passive Sailing experience in the background and adding up to roughly 30,000 XP per hour without doing anything extra.

Crewmates unlock around level 40 and act as NPC helpers that boost specific ship functions like salvaging speed, cannon efficiency, and sailing performance. When paired with the right facilities, crew members significantly improve efficiency across almost every Sailing method.

Sailing also introduces exclusive brews and boosts. Completing Barracuda Trials unlocks Whirlpool Surprise, a +3 Sailing boost that lets you build higher-tier upgrades earlier than intended. Your ship can also be fitted with keg facilities, allowing you to store large amounts of brews such as Whirlpool Surprise, Kraken Stout, or Horizon’s Lure without clogging your inventory.

Charting seas rewards unique brews as well. As you complete more charted regions, you unlock drinks like Kraken Stout, Peril Dance Bitter, Trawler’s Trust, and Horizon’s Lure, each offering specific buffs tied to Sailing, encounters, cannon damage, or Fishing experience. These rewards are exclusive to charting progression and can’t be obtained elsewhere.

At level 38, diving content opens up, introducing underwater exploration, mermaid riddles, and one-off experience rewards. Around level 45, completing Troubled Tortugans grants access to Great Kunch Island, a brand-new region with unique creatures, coral nurseries, and Sailing-only resources.

Bounty tasks add another layer of progression. Defeating assigned sea creatures can drop unique turn-in items like narwhal horns, shark jaws, and hammerhead fins, which are used for Sailing-specific rewards and progression systems.

Cosmetic and utility unlocks round things out. At level 61, you can rename your ship permanently by visiting Sleeve McDagle. Continued charting unlocks the portable weather station, which helps track conditions and contributes toward full sea completion. Mermaid riddles scattered throughout diving and charting content also provide lore-style rewards and bonus experience.

All of this makes Sailing feel like a full expansion rather than just a skill. Between powerful ship upgrades, exclusive regions, rare drops, and unique rewards like the Soup pet, there’s always something meaningful to work toward while exploring the open seas.

Conclusion

Sailing adds a completely new layer of progression to Old School RuneScape, and leveling it from start to finish is more about smart milestones than pure grinding. By unlocking Sailing through Pandemonium, using early courier tasks for fast levels, transitioning into salvaging, and then committing to Barracuda Trials, you always have a clear and efficient path forward. The skill rewards both active and relaxed playstyles, letting you switch between AFK methods and high-intensity trials depending on your goals. From your first raft to high-speed Gwenith Glide runs, Sailing steadily opens new systems, upgrades, and regions that make the journey feel meaningful all the way to 99. If you follow the progression step by step, Sailing becomes one of the smoothest and most rewarding skills to train in OSRS.