Favor in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a skilling currency that lets you spend experience in exchange for useful rewards, mainly in skills that support your overall progress. This guide explains what favor is, which activities grant it, how to calculate and track it efficiently, and how to use it to improve training returns on familiar, agility, and utility skills. It is designed as a durable reference so you can decide when to spend favor immediately, when to bank it, and how to align it with long-term goals.
What Favor Is and How It Works in OSRS
Favor is a per-skill currency earned by training specific skills and spent with respective masters to receive experience, temporary bonuses, or access to content. Unlike general experience, favor is capped per skill and must be actively spent to avoid being locked at the cap until the next earning cycle. The system is designed to reward focused, repeated actions in certain training routines while giving you control over when to convert effort into tangible benefits. Because favor mechanics are stable and unlikely to change, this guide remains useful for current and returning players who want reliable skilling plans.
Skills That Grant Favor and How to Earn It
Farming: Growing Crops and Spending Favor with Master Farmers
Farming grants favor as you plant, tend, and harvest crops, with higher-level patches and compost usage increasing favor rates. Master Farmer, located near the farming patch in East Ardougne, lets you spend favor to receive experience, buy seeds, or obtain protective perks that reduce damage when checking patches. Favor in Farming scales with your level and the number of patches you actively manage, making it efficient to train this skill alongside related activities like composting and seed cleaning.
Agility: Courses, Pouches, and Spending Favor with the Agility Master
Agility courses award small amounts of favor as you complete each obstacle, with higher-tier courses granting more favor per hour. The agility master, found in several agility centers, lets you spend favor to unlock obstacle shortcuts, receive bonus loot from pouches, or gain experience. Favor in Agility is closely tied to course choice, ranging from low-level Gnome Stronghold to high-level Wilderness and Prifddinas layouts, each offering different XP, favor, and risk profiles.
Fishing, Cooking, Woodcutting, and Other Favor-Granting Skills
Beyond Farming and Agility, skills such as Fishing and Cooking can provide favor through specific methods and event-based content, while Woodcutting currently does not use favor. Combat-focused skills generally do not grant favor, so players typically focus on skilling-oriented activities when pursuing favor as a currency. Because the list of favor-granting skills is small and stable, you can plan training sessions around them without worrying about sudden mechanic changes.
| Skill | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Farming | Earns favor per patch action; spent with Master Farmer for experience and seed access. | In-game mechanic (OSRS) |
| Agility | Earned by completing obstacles; spent with Agility Master for shortcuts and pouch bonuses. | In-game mechanic (OSRS) |
| Woodcutting | Does not generate favor. | In-game mechanic (OSRS) |
| Fishing and Cooking | Favor possible through specific events and methods; generally minor and situational. | In-game mechanic (OSRS) |
| Quest rewards | Some quests grant small favor amounts in relevant skills. | Quest completion log (OSRS) |
How to Track and Calculate Favor Efficiently
Because favor caps at 120 per skill until spent, it is important to track how much you have saved and whether spending it immediately or banking it for a larger return is more efficient. Use in-game interfaces, such as the skill tab and master dialogs, to see exact favor amounts and available spend options. For long-term planning, calculate your favor income rate by dividing total earned favor by hours spent in a specific skilling activity, then compare that rate against the value of the rewards you receive when spending. This helps you decide whether to spend favor on immediate experience or hold it for higher-value unlocks like tool upgrades or temporary bonuses.
Quick Comparison of Common Favor Uses
- Spend at 20–40 favor: Immediate experience with small multipliers in Farming and Agility.
- Spend at 70–120 favor: Access to high-tier shortcuts, valuable pouch rewards, or tool upgrades.
- Bank for events or double experience: Useful during weekend or holiday events when favor rewards are boosted.
Strategic Ways to Use Favor for Better Skilling Results
Using favor strategically means aligning its spending with your training goals, whether that is faster leveling, lower costs, or safer execution. In Farming, favor can buy seeds and reduce damage, which lowers supply costs and downtime. In Agility, favor unlocks shortcuts that save time and increase overall course efficiency, especially in competitive or high-level courses. Because these benefits compound over time, integrating favor plans into your weekly skilling routine can produce measurable gains in experience per hour and reduced training expenses.
Common Misconceptions and Status Clarifications
Some players assume favor carries over into new accounts or that it functions like loyalty titles, but favor is bound to each skill and resets only when spent or, in very rare cases, through specific updates. It is not a tradable item, nor does it appear as a visible total in your bank or inventory. OSRS developers have confirmed that the favor system is here to stay and remains a core part of skilling loops, so it is a reliable mechanic to plan for across updates. Understanding these points helps you avoid wasted effort and make consistent, evidence-based decisions about when to spend favor.
Planning a Long-Term Favor Strategy
To build a durable favor strategy, set clear objectives for each skill you use favor in, such as lowering seed costs in Farming or cutting travel time in Agility. Track your favor income across activities and compare it against the value of spend options, adjusting your routine when events or updates change rates or unlocks. Because the underlying mechanics are stable, favor remains a predictable resource that rewards patient planning. By reviewing your progress regularly and aligning favor use with long-term goals, you can turn a small currency into a meaningful part of your overall Old School RuneScape progress.