IdleMMO Cooking Leveling Guide
The fastest Cooking route from level 1 to 100 takes about 4,701 hours of action time and 353,054 actions, with no boosts. At each level the route uses whatever you can cook for the most XP per hour, and switches the moment something better unlocks.
Updated
In this guide
How long each milestone takes
| Reach level | 10 | 25 | 50 | 70 | 90 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours from level 1 | 1.4 h | 6.3 h | 56 h | 315 h | 1,907 h | 4,701 h |
Level 50 takes 56 h. Level 100 takes 4,701 h, so about 99% of the time to max is spent above level 50. The XP table shows why: the per-level cost keeps climbing all the way to 100.
Fastest route: what to cook at each level
| Levels | Cook | XP/hr | XP needed | Actions | Time | Materials used | Input cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Cooked Cod | 900 | 292 | 146 | 19 min | 146 Cod, 146 Coal Ore | 1,752 |
| 3 to 5 | Cooked Salmon | 1,200 | 353 | 89 | 18 min | 89 Salmon, 89 Coal Ore | 1,246 |
| 5 to 8 | Cooked Tuna | 1,543 | 670 | 112 | 26 min | 112 Tuna, 112 Coal Ore | 1,344 |
| 8 to 11 | Cooked Trout | 1,694 | 885 | 111 | 31 min | 111 Trout, 111 Coal Ore | 2,331 |
| 11 to 15 | Cooked Perch | 1,895 | 1,639 | 164 | 52 min | 164 Perch, 164 Coal Ore | 3,444 |
| 15 to 25 | Cooked Herring | 2,127 | 8,124 | 625 | 3.8 h | 625 Herring, 625 Coal Ore | 13,750 |
| 25 to 30 | Cooked Sardines | 2,304 | 7,982 | 499 | 3.5 h | 499 Sardines, 499 Coal Ore | 12,475 |
| 30 to 40 | Cooked Lobster | 2,443 | 33,204 | 1,748 | 14 h | 1,748 Lobster, 1,748 Coal Ore | 55,936 |
| 40 to 50 | Cooked Crab | 2,640 | 85,291 | 3,877 | 32 h | 3,877 Crab, 3,877 Coal Ore | 120,187 |
| 50 to 60 | Cooked Turtle | 2,777 | 219,910 | 8,145 | 79 h | 8,145 Turtle, 8,145 Coal Ore | 358,380 |
| 60 to 80 | Cooked Stingray | 3,150 | 2,046,577 | 58,474 | 650 h | 58,474 Stingray, 58,474 Coal Ore | 2,631,330 |
| 80 to 90 | Cooked Lantern Fish | 3,429 | 3,848,834 | 96,221 | 1,123 h | 96,221 Lantern Fish, 96,221 Coal Ore | 5,003,492 |
| 90 to 100 | Cooked Great White Shark | 3,600 | 10,056,365 | 182,843 | 2,793 h | 182,843 Great White Shark, 182,843 Coal Ore | 10,787,737 |
Levels read "from, to": the row ends when the next option unlocks. Time is pure action time at base speed. Membership, class and tool efficiency shorten it; the Cooking calculator has boost toggles and a level planner for your exact starting point.
Materials for the whole route
Going 1 to 100 this way burns through 353,054 Coal Ore, 182,843 Great White Shark, 96,221 Lantern Fish, 58,474 Stingray, 8,145 Turtle, 3,877 Crab, 1,748 Lobster, 625 Herring, 499 Sardines, 164 Perch, 146 Cod, 112 Tuna, 111 Trout and 89 Salmon, about 18,993,404 gold at today's market prices. Gathering the inputs yourself turns that gold cost into time spent in the gathering skills.
Leveling while making gold
This route picks the best gold-per-hour option at each level instead, counting only items whose daily market sales can absorb at least an hour of your output. Nothing in Cooking below level 3 passes that test at today's prices, so the route starts there. Going 3 to 100 takes about 4,725 hours, against 4,700 for the same levels on the fastest route.
| Levels | Cook | Gold/hr | XP/hr | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 40 | Cooked Salmon | 1,500 | 1,200 | 44 h |
| 40 to 60 | Cooked Crab | 1,560 | 2,640 | 116 h |
| 60 to 80 | Cooked Stingray | 1,980 | 3,150 | 650 h |
| 80 to 90 | Cooked Lantern Fish | 2,400 | 3,429 | 1,123 h |
| 90 to 100 | Cooked Great White Shark | 2,945 | 3,600 | 2,793 h |
Gold per hour is net of inputs at today's prices and moves with the market. The money-making rankings compare every skill side by side.
Side benefit: Dexterity XP
Every Cooking action also grants Dexterity XP. The per-action amount for each option is on the Cooking calculator.
Other leveling guides:
Woodcutting
Mining
Fishing
Smelting
Forge
Alchemy
Construction
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to level Cooking in IdleMMO?
Always cook the highest XP-per-hour option you have unlocked: start on Cooked Cod, and finish on Cooked Great White Shark from level 90. The full route from 1 to 100 takes about 4,701 hours of action time with no boosts.
How long does it take to get Cooking to 100?
About 4,701 hours on the fastest route. Level 50 comes at roughly 56 hours, so the second half is the bulk of the grind.
How many materials does 1-100 Cooking take?
The fastest route consumes 353,054 Coal Ore plus the other inputs listed in the route table, about 18,993,404 gold at today's market prices.
Can I make money while leveling Cooking?
Yes. The profit route below picks the best gold per hour instead of XP. Going from level 3 to 100 it takes about 4,725 hours versus 4,700 on the fastest route, and it only uses items with enough daily market sales to absorb your output.
Sources: action times, XP and recipes from the same cached skill data as the calculators; prices from the IdleMMO player market; XP per level from the community-sourced table on the XP table page (the official wiki publishes none).