Char's training cave
Char's training cave is unlocked after the The Firemaker's Curse quest is completed. It requires level 91 firemaking to start training. Temporary firemaking boosts do not work. Bring The Book of Char with you.
Location
The training cave is located just north of the quest start, south of Eagles' Peak, west of the Tree Gnome Stronghold and north of West Ardougne.
The fastest way to get there is by using the teleport function on the Book of Char, teleporting you right in front of the cave's entrance.
However, it is also possible to use the fairy rings (code: A-K-Q) then take the boat near the entrance of the Fishing Colony, or using the Spirit tree teleport then running south west, or by teleporting to Ardougne.
Start
To start the training you must speak to Char, who is just in the entrance of the cave. The training consists of making the logless fires using a Pitch can, which can be found close to Char, into as many accepted symbols in the gridded area as possible within the 10 minute time limit. The symbols are visible in the Book of Char. There is one symbol Char did not note down as it is very close to her heart.
Training can only be done once a week, resetting every Wednesday at 00:00 UTC.
Char will let you "Start" training even if you forget to bring the Book of Char. Without the book, and a pitch can, you will be unable to light any fires.
Symbols
There is 7x7 grid and you can make into it 5 possible symbols:
- Square
- Concentric squares (do not do outer edge first or it will be counted as a square)
- A cross
- Spiral
- Symbol of Zaros
NOTE: The symbols can be completed in any order or one or more symbols repeated.
The top of the symbols in the Book of Char are the Waterfalls and pools and *not* north, this may be counter intuitive. So before you start, just face your screen south. Alternatively, the symbols shown here are with north at the top.
When you are done making a symbol Char will clear the grid of all fires and you may begin making a new pattern.
When you make the Zaros symbol in the training it also appears in the Book of Char along with others.
Making the Symbol of Zaros is also a requirement to trim the Completionist Cape.
Experience
| Shape | Total Exp. | # fires | Exp/Fire | Time to complete | total xp possible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 14,770 | 24 | 615 | 1:30 | 88,620 (1:00 min left) |
| Concentric Squares | 17,730 | 32 | 554 | 2:10 | 70,920 (1:20 min left) |
| Cross | 7,387 | 13 | 568 | 0:50 | 88,644 |
| Spiral | 22,145 | 31 | 714 | 2:00 | 110,725 |
| Symbol of Zaros | 7,387 | 13 | 568 | 0:45 | 96,031 |
These numbers are the xp for the fires added to the completion bonuses. To maximise experience, do as many Spirals as possible. In this way, it is possible to gain 155,015 experience by doing 7 Spiral Patterns, however this will require very few mistakes and fast clicking throughout. If you do not have enough time to complete the final spiral, you may finish it as a Square instead.
This translates to around 125495 to 155015 exp in one training period of 10 minutes, giving this method an experience rate of 757,970 to 930,090 xp/hr. Although only being able to do this once. This makes doing this form of training worth it for the moment, but time returning to jadinko's can cause a loss in exp.
Tips
The best way to train is to make as many Spirals as possible during the 10 minutes given to you and making a square at the end if you cannot complete a spiral.
To start, face your camera so that the fountain is at the top of your screen. At this angle, you will always move right when making a fire with the pitch can. This makes doing the horizontal lines very easy.
To make horizontal lines fast, start at the farthest left square (if camera is facing south, with the fountain at the top of your screen) and right click "Make-fire here" option. After making this fire, quickly left click the Pitch can and you will make a fire in front of you. Move to the next unlit spot and repeat.
The fastest way to make the vertical lines seem to be by moving to the centre of each block and use the right click "Make-fire here" option with the Pitch can.
Pets
There are four Fire creatures that can be obtained from this activity as a pet. Warming Flame, Glowing Ember, Twisted Firestarter, and Searing Flame. They can be all found wandering around the training cave after the player has completed the activity at least once. The pets may be stored in the menagerie at your house. You can only have one pet at a time. However, you can own 2 of the same pet. If one is in your house, you can go back to the cave and get another of the same pet. If you want a different pet, release the one(s) you already own.
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Glowing Ember
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Warming Flame
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Searing Flame
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Twisted Firestarter
Trivia
- It is possible to have more than one of the same orb pet, even if you have one in the menagerie in your house. Char allows you to take another pet of the same kind from the training cave.
- It is recommended NOT to have more than one of the quest reward pets in your menagerie. Pets withdrawn will run away when dropped if this is the case.
- The training cave originally gave 1/10 of the experience intended. This was fixed within a day of release.
- The Twisted Firestarter is a possible reference to the film 'Firestarter' and almost definitely a reference to the song 'Firestarter' by 'The Prodigy', the main line being 'I'm a Firestarter, Twisted Firestarter'.