Old School RuneScape News

Sailing Changes & Fixes

[p][/p][p]This week addresses a bunch of Sailing bugs and feedback![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Changelog - November 26th[/h2][p][/p][h3]Sailing Changes[/h3]

[p]We're preparing a hotfix to stop the Crystal Extractor working while near the docks or Bank Boat. While we enjoy how you've been using Crystal Extractor, to give extremely passive Sailing experience while being able to 'bankstand' train other skills feels against the spirit of Sailing.[/p]
[p]We've reduced the animations on Fetid Pools with The Jubbly Jive to help improve performance. We'll be continue to monitor this area and look to further address performance issues.[/p]
[p]To make sure that everyone starts a trial with their boat in a neutral state, the Crystal Extractor will now reset its charge progress when a trial restarts and will not charge while the trial is 'paused'.[/p]
- [p]When you interact with it the trial timer will start and if it was activated before the trial started it will re-activate automatically when you start moving.[/p]
[p]We've fixed issues with extra trial boxes and uneven box collision within all Barracuda Trials. We'll keep an eye on your feedback surrounding this![/p]
[p]Opening a chest with a key obtained from a barracuda trial will no longer delete the key if you don't have space to receive what is inside it.[/p]
[p]Gwenith Glide's blue and green crystal map icons now correctly match their teleport destinations.[/p]
[p]Fixed a collision logic issue that led to a lot of issues with boats becoming stuck. Additional sticking points are expected to need map changes to resolve them, and we expect to work through these in the coming weeks.[/p]
- [p]Please continue to report any issues with your boat becoming stuck![/p]
[p]Added an option to the settings menu to allow players to determine who can use their cargo hold, separate and independent from who is allowed on your boat.[/p]
[p]It is now no longer possible to trim the Sails while holding Cargo.[/p]
[p]The Carpenter's outfit XP bonuses are now granted when crafting items at the Shipwrights’ Workbench.[/p]
[p]Bounty tasks now correctly match the required Sailing level for their NPC locations, with Narwhals repositioned to keep tasks accessible.[/p]
[p]Sea creatures that shouldn’t drop bones (such as sharks, rays, and kraken) no longer do so.[/p]
[p]The materials list has been corrected for the teleport focus and the Rune Salvaging Hook in the skill guide.[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue where the camera would sometimes hide in a corner when joining a friend's boat.[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue where Repair Kits weren't updating the Ship's HP in the Sailing side-panel.[/p]
[p]Made it clearer for players to understand how to return to the Pandemonium during the Quest.[/p]
[p]The Collection Log buttons for Shellbane Gryphon and Scurrius now open the correct entries.[/p]
[p]Sailing is now selectable as a skilling activity for a Clan event.[/p]
[p]Fixed typos in the message when receiving Shark Paint, Sailing music tracks unlock hints and Parleying Preston's examine text.[/p]

[h3]Other Changes[/h3]

[p]The animation for running with a hill giant club, TzHaar-Ket-Om or meat tenderiser has been updated to make your character hold the large weapons more appropriately. This matches the change made for Dharok's Greataxe in 2024.[/p]

[h3]Merch[/h3]

[p]RuneScape: Shadows of Amascut is out tomorrow in the UK and on the December 30th in the US.[/p]
[p]New AngelsScapes Varlamore themed pins & keyrings, including: Humphrey Dumphrey, Gemstone Crab, Sailing Skillcape, Soup and more.[/p]

[h3]PvP Rota[/h3][p]The PvP rota has moved to Period A:[/p]

[p]539 - (US) - PvP World[/p]
[p]318 - (UK) - Bounty Hunter World[/p]
[p]548 - (Germany) - High-Risk PvP World[/p]
[p]577 - (US) - Free-to-Play PvP World[/p]
[p]559 - (UK) - LMS Competitive[/p]

Sailing Changes

[p][/p][p]What a week, sailors![/p][p]Watching Old School’s first-ever new skill set sail has been one of the most surreal, joyful and heart-warming moments in the game’s history. From streamers dressing up as pirates, to players' gleeful spooning of their first Sailing pets (at level 1 and 2… seriously?!), to the absolute storm of memes - you’ve made this launch unforgettable.[/p][p]We’ve seen wholesome Sailing 'lock-in' snacks, groups adventuring together into the unknown, communities cheering heavily for their favourite rank-1 racers, and players rediscovering that special social magic the game has always had. Seeing the oceans full of life has been incredible.[/p][p]At the same time, we know launches come with waves. Some feedback has been loud, some passionate, some frustrated, and all of it valuable. The dev team has been working around the clock to read your comments, investigate your bug reports, and respond to issues as fast as we responsibly can. While we can’t fit all of the feedback changes and bug fixes into one release, we’re listening, we’re learning, and we’re committed to making Sailing the long-term skill it deserves to be. Thank you for telling us what’s working, what’s not, and what you want to see next. And do continue to let us know your thoughts on our first-ever skill![/p][p]Before we dive in let's go over some big points we're currently looking into. First, we're aware the Crystal Extractor is giving a lot of XP and feeling like compulsory gameplay. We are considering taking some of this XP and redistributing it into other areas of the game, but the team will continue to monitor the situation this week before making any adjustments.[/p][p]Secondly, the team is very aware of the feedback from our UIM players, particularly surrounding the Cargo Hold. The current set of restrictions in-place was deliberately conservative in case of any unexpected and undesired shift in meta for the game mode, but it's clear that these restrictions go too far. While there isn't a change in this update, it's something we're actively exploring and we'd like to clarify that any changes that affect UIMs would be done in small increments to try to gradually solve your frustrations without removing core elements or problem solving that comes with this gamemode.[/p][p]Finally, we've also heard the complaints around not being able to use planks directly from your Plank Sack when constructing Ship parts. We are hoping to address this within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned![/p][p]Below is the first batch of changes and fixes going live, many of which were shaped directly by your feedback:[/p][h3]Barracuda Trials[/h3]

[p]We've reduced the animations on Fetid Pools with The Jubbly Jive to help improve performance. We'll be continue to monitor this area and look to further address performance issues.[/p]
[p]To make sure that everyone starts a trial with their boat in a neutral state, the Crystal Extractor will now reset its charge progress when a trial restarts and will not charge while the trial is 'paused'.[/p]
- [p]When you interact with it the trial timer will start and if it was activated before the trial started it will re-activate automatically when you start moving.[/p]
[p]We've fixed issues with extra trial boxes and uneven box collision within all Barrarcuda Trials. We'll keep an eye on your feedback surrounding this![/p]
[p]Opening a chest with a key obtained from a barracuda trial will no longer delete the key if you don't have space to receive what is inside it.[/p]
[p]Gwenith Glide's blue and green crystal map icons now correctly match their teleport destinations.[/p]

[h3]Boat Interactions[/h3]

[p]Fixed a collision logic issue that led to a lot of issues with boats becoming stuck. Additional sticking points are expected to need map changes to resolve them, and we expect to work through these in the coming weeks.[/p]
- [p]Please continue to report any issues with your boat becoming stuck![/p]
[p]Added an option to the settings menu to allow players to determine who can use their cargo hold, separate and independent from who is allowed on your boat.[/p]
[p]It is now no longer possible to trim the Sails while holding Cargo.[/p]

[h3]Boat Construction[/h3]

[p]The Carpenter's outfit XP bonuses are now granted when crafting items at the Shipwrights’ Workbench.[/p]

[h3]Skilling Interactions[/h3]

[p]We're preparing a hotfix to stop the Crystal Extractor working while near the docks or Bank Boat. While we enjoy how you've been using Crystal Extractor, to give extremely passive Sailing experience while being able to 'bankstand' train other skills feels against the spirit of Sailing.[/p]
[p]Bounty tasks now correctly match the required Sailing level for their NPC locations, with Narwhals repositioned to keep tasks accessible.[/p]
[p]Sea creatures that shouldn’t drop bones (such as sharks, rays, and kraken) no longer do so.[/p]
[p]The materials list has been corrected for the teleport focus and the Rune Salvaging Hook in the skill guide.[/p]

[h3]Animations & Sounds[/h3]

[p]Fixed an issue where the camera would sometimes hide in a corner when joining a friend's boat.[/p]

[h3]Interfaces & Misc[/h3]

[p]Fixed an issue where Repair Kits weren't updating the Ship's HP in the Sailing side-panel.[/p]
[p]Made it clearer for players to understand how to return to the Pandemonium during the Quest.[/p]
[p]The Collection Log buttons for Shellbane Gryphon and Scurrius now open the correct entries.[/p]
[p]Sailing is now selectable as a skilling activity for a Clan event.[/p]
[p]Fixed typos in the message when receiving Shark Paint, Sailing music tracks unlock hints and Parleying Preston's examine text.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Coming soon - Next week & Shorter Term[/h2][p]As more feedback comes in, we'll discuss changes and improvements to Sailing. While we've also added these to the Sailing Known Issues & Fixes newspost, here are some of the feedback points that we didn't get time to address this week, but will be addressed as soon as possible:[/p][p][/p][h3]Crystal Extractor[/h3][p]We're aware the Crystal Extractor is giving a lot of XP and feeling like compulsory gameplay. We are considering taking some of this XP and redistributing it into other areas of the game. This is likely to be a change set for next week as part of a wider 'XP Review'. No changes are being made this week as the team is taking a considered approach and reviewing data before we make those adjustments.[/p][p][/p][h3]Ultimate Ironmen[/h3][p]UIM have expressed concern on restrictions for the Cargo Hold. The current set of restrictions was deliberately conservative in case of any unexpected and undesired shift in meta for the game mode, but it's clear from your feedback that they need changes. While there isn't a change in this update, we're going to be making Cargo not count towards total Cargo Hold space for UIM in next week's update.[/p][p]As a general approach, we prefer making smaller, incremental improvements for UIM. This helps us address frustrations without removing the problem-solving element that many players value in the game mode. We’ll continue monitoring your feedback around the Cargo Hold, so if you have additional thoughts, please share them in the Sailing space on the Official OSRS Discord. We will be keeping a close eye on the conversations![/p][p][/p][h3]Group Ironmen[/h3][p]Group Ironmen should be able to share each others' facilities without having them already built. This was an oversight, and will be fixed in the coming weeks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Sail Clickbox[/h3][p]We're looking to increase to the model of the Cargo Hold to help tackle issues where players can mistakenly click their sail instead. If this doesn't work, we may look at swapping the position of the Cargo Hold on the boat with a facility that doesn't require as many clicks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Boat Repairs[/h3][p]We're making a change next week to allow Shipwrights to repair your boat for a fee. Additionally, when upgrading your boat, upgrades will restore HP back to your boat.[/p][p][/p][h3]Cargo Hold[/h3][p]We're actively looking at ways to make losing items in the Cargo Hold less punishing. Additionally, we're looking at how we can make it clearer to players to understand what items you will lose on death. This will take a little longer for us to implement, as we need time to design a solution that considers the impact that changes may have on Courier Tasks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Whirlpool Surprise (Boostable Sailing Unlocks)[/h3][p]Players want more Sailing-related unlocks to be boostable, such as Charting and Facility building. Whilst we can't confirm exactly what will and won't be boostable yet, we're going to do a general review of what's boostable and what isn't and make some changes in the coming weeks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Plank Sack[/h3][p]We've also heard the complaints around not being able to use planks directly from your Plank Sack when constructing Ship parts. We are hoping to address this within the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned![/p][p][/p][h3]New Logs[/h3][p]Looks like there was a small miscommunication from one of our previous blogs as the new logs added with Sailing cannot be gotten from any Salvaging. The team have agreed to update the droptables within the next couple of weeks so that players can rarely obtain the higher-tier logs from appropriate tiers of shipwrecks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Log-Out Boat Behaviour[/h3][p]We've also confirmed that there's a bug related to logging out at sea whilst on a boat sending players to unexpected locations, and we're hoping to get that fixed in the next two weeks.[/p][p][/p][h3]Frost Dragons[/h3][p]Players have noted that the demand for Frost Dragons (Dragon Sheets) currently outweighs supply. We're exploring how we can increase supply to keep up with demand, e.g a task-only section within the cave.[/p][p][/p][h3]Other[/h3][p]Lastly, thank you for the excellent quality-of-life suggestions. While we can’t list them all here, these are a few notable ones we’re aiming to include in the coming weeks. As always, ongoing bug triage and feedback may shift priorities:[/p]

[p]Let crewmates remember which task they were doing between world hops.[/p]
[p]Add Ability to disable teleport warnings while on a boat (Yes and don't ask me again).[/p]
[p]Adding Level requirements to docking points.[/p]
[p]Further adjustments to the colourful fade/flash effects within the Gwenith Glide.[/p]
[p]Add Options for 'Repair Kit' and 'Hull Parts' to Shipwrights' Workbench.[/p]
[p]Add a toggle for 'Auto-Accept Available Cargo'.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Further Feedback - Longer Term[/h2][p][/p][h3]Ship Combat[/h3][p]We’ve also started reviewing early feedback on Ship Combat. One recurring theme is that Cannons don’t currently feel impactful enough. We’re still gathering data and exploring potential adjustments, so we don’t have any concrete changes to share just yet.[/p][p]Once we’ve had more time to analyse player behaviour and feedback, we’ll return with an update on our approach. In the meantime, please continue sending us your thoughts, we genuinely appreciate the insights and will keep you informed as our review progresses.[/p][p][/p][h2]Previous Hotfixes[/h2][p]If you are interested in seeing some of our previous changes, you can click the button below to see more:[/p]

[p]Bounty Task Drops can no longer be earned from engaging in combat with sea creatures on land.[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue with Sea Charting tasks: 'Help the meteorologist document the local weather on a small island east of the Kharazi Jungle' and 'Help the meteorologist document the local weather on the southern coast of Neitiznot' tasks. Both task locations have been moved to somewhere more accessible.[/p]
[p]'Quick Deposit' now respects the new Cannonball limit we set on Cargo Holds (2,000).[/p]
[p]We reduced the amount of items you would lose when a boat was capsized or lost.[/p]
[p]Players who had tried to use the new Sailing Ores with the Blast Furnace found themselves unable to use it. We've added an 'Empty' option to restore access back, and in a future update we will make a change to ensure that players don't soft lock themselves out of the Blast Furnace.[/p]
[p]Players will no longer receive 500 Magic XP for assembling a Medallion of the Deep.[/p]
[p]Locked the Cargo Hold temporarily to only be accessible to the Captain for now (preventing any form of multiplayer interaction on it).[/p]
[p]Removed some of the words used in the pool used in boat naming to avoid some unfortunate combinations. Some players may find that their boat name has changed as a result.[/p]
[p]Released a hotfix to limit the amount of Cannonballs that you can store to 2,000 (of each type).[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue where wealth restriction caused Group Ironmen to not be able to withdraw port task cargo.[/p]
[p]The Dwarf Multicannon has been re-enabled to work against sea creatures and its damage scales appropriately.[/p]
[p]The drop rate for Squid Beaks has been corrected.[/p]
[p]Daddy's Special Water's special water was more generous than intended, and will now give an appropriate level of XP.[/p]
[p]We balanced sea creatures based on player damage, but the Dwarven Multi-cannon wasn’t included in those calculations. As a temporary measure, it has been disabled when fighting sea creatures. We’ll review its intended role and make further updates in the coming days.[/p]
[p]Sea Charting drinks can teleport your boat, which unintentionally wipes your Cargo Hold. We've restored items back to those who lost them.[/p]

[p][/p]

Other Changes

[p][/p][p]Before we kick this section off, we're aware of continued rendering issues where your characters' feet will sink into the floor. We'll be working on tech improvements to get you back on solid ground, but don't have anything to share regarding exactly when we'll have these fixes ready. Just know that we're aware and we're working on it, with more details to be shared once we are able to confirm more of the specifics![/p]

[p]The animation for running with a hill giant club, TzHaar-Ket-Om or meat tenderiser has been updated to make your character hold the large weapons more appropriately. This matches the change made for Dharok's Greataxe in 2024.[/p]

[p][/p]

Merch

[p][/p][h2]RuneScape: Shadows of Amascut[/h2][p][/p][p]RuneScape: Shadows of Amascut is out tomorrow in the UK and on the December 30th in the US. Learn the truth about the Hereditas Expedition in this hair-raising tale of betrayal, devotion and religious fanaticism.[/p][p]Was the Hereditas Expedition doomed from the start? Led by Pontifex Bilrach, the Mahjarrat must find the artifacts of the dead god Tumeken and complete the Ritual of Rejuvenation, otherwise they face extinction. Forced to work together by Zaros, the Mahjarrat form an uneasy alliance, though they all have their own ambitions.[/p][p]Having found only sand and false hope wandering through the Kharidian Desert, the search is becoming ever more frustrating and the casualties mount as the humans die for the Mahjarrat cause. The desert is vast and full of danger, the sun is oppressive, and there are traitors in their midst. Can the Mahjarrat succeed despite these impossible odds?[/p][p]Order now direct from Titan Books, other online retailers such as Amazon or your local bookstore! A great read for the upcoming holidays![/p][p]RuneScape: The Gift of Guthix by the same author is also available now also as an audio book - great to listen whilst you play![/p][p]RuneScape: The Fall of Hallowvale is also available now from all the usual retailers and to pre-order as an audio book, releasing in January.[/p][p][/p][h2]Catch up with the Latest AngelsScapes Ranges![/h2][p][/p][p]We're back, with Varla-more pins and keyrings. Now you can snag a limited edition pin of the accident-prone Humphrey Dumphrey or even your favourite afk HCIM slayer, the glimmering Gemstone Crab! Check out the full range at our Merch Store.[/p][p][/p][p]In celebration of the launch of Sailing, AngelsScapes has also crafted a treasure trove of exclusive pins and keyrings. Display your nautical prowess with the Sailing Skill Icon Pin, or secure a Sailing Skill Cape keyring in preparation for your race to 99! For pet collectors and fans of cute companions, snag the sea turtle Sailing pet, Soup. If you're in search of a quirky guardian for your riches, the Bank Crab will keep your gold safe (probably).[/p][p]Every voyage should feel more complete with companions like these at your side! Get yours today![/p][p][/p]

PvP Rota

[p][/p][p]The PvP rota has moved to Period A:[/p]

[p]539 - (US) - PvP World[/p]
[p]318 - (UK) - Bounty Hunter World[/p]
[p]548 - (Germany) - High-Risk PvP World[/p]
[p]577 - (US) - Free-to-Play PvP World[/p]
[p]559 - (UK) - LMS Competitive[/p]

[p]World 390 (AUS) for LMS Competitive has been activated with this rota.[/p][p]World 569 (AUS) for Bounty Hunter has been activated with this rota.[/p][p]The PvP Arena is using '1 Def Pure' loadouts in Ranked Duels and Tournaments this week.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can also discuss this update on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.[/p][p][/p][p]Mods Abe, Abyss, Acorn, Ape, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, BigRig, Blighted, Blossom, Boko, Bruno, Chilly, Criminal, Curse, Daizong, Ed, Elena, Enigma, Entropi, Freddie, Fuzz, Gecko, Gengis, Gizmo, Goblin, Grace, Grub, Halo, Harold, Hend, Hornet, Husky, Ivory, Jalo, Jamesy, Jerv, Keyser, Kieren, Kirby, Kurotou, Leebleh, Lenny, Light, Liron, Lykos, Mack, Manked, Markos, Maylea, Mobius, Moogle, Morty, Moz, Necro, Nin, Nixon, Nox, Nylu, Ori, Other, Otter, Philomel, Pork, Pumpkin, Puppi, Rach, Redfield, Rice, Roq, Roy, Ry, Saiyan, Sarnie, Schmidt, Shogun, Shroom, Sigma, Skylark, Smithy, Sova, Spyro, Squid, Starry, Suharun, Surma, Sween, Tide, Titania, Titus, TJ, Tomb, Tsourorf, Tyran, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Yume[/p][p][/p][p]The Old School Team.[/p]

Old School RuneScape just got its first new skill ever and players are psyched about it, apart from the guy the game accidentally branded 'Morbid Loner'

Old School RuneScape has been around for, oh, about 12 years now, and in all that time it's never gotten a new skill. Players have been working with—and making great sport of—the set of skills it inherited from the original RuneScape, which itself last got a new skill (that'd be Hunter) all the way back in 2006...
Read more.

OSRS' new Sailing skill is finally here, and somehow, someone's already got its rarest drop

I woke up this morning to the sound of Bobby Darin's 'Beyond the Sea,' stepped out into my garden, my shark mug full of coffee, and breathed in the crisp air of my coastal town. It's a beautiful day to go sailing. While I spent a good chunk of my working life on museum ships, I never actually learned my sheet bend from my clove hitch. Thankfully, I don't need to read up on the English Channel conditions, or even venture out of my house to take to the high seas, as today Old School Runescape finally launched its new Sailing skill.

Read the rest of the story...

Sailing is OUT TODAY! | November 19th

Changelog - November 19th

[expand]

[h2]Sailing Is Here![/h2]

Sailing, Old School's first new skill, is playable TODAY at 10:00 UTC. If we need more time for pre-update checks, we’ll update this page and the Game Status page. Speak to Will and Anne at Port Sarim to start your journey. More information is included below.

[h2]Visual Improvements & Z-Buffer Fixes[/h2]

Fixed a bug where the Whisperer’s green orbs were not visible during the fight.
Snow in Weiss no longer appears over the herb patch, trees and flowers.
Wall textures in Villa Lucens in Aldarin no longer flicker.
Underwall tunnel shortcuts are no longer obscured by ground textures.
Thrall summon and spellcasting symbols no longer flicker or clip into the ground.
Fixed an issue causing water pumps in Varlamore to appear grey and less detailed.
Visual issues in the Varlamore Grand Museum, including clipping statues and missing wall symbols, have been fixed.
Fountains in the Player-owned House no longer flicker or clip with the ground.
Mounted capes in the Player-owned House now display their symbols correctly.
Visual issues with various fire pits across Gielinor have been resolved.
The entrance to Mor Ul Rek now displays correctly.
Blades of grass in Prifddinas no longer clip through tree models.
The Top of the Portal Nexus is no longer visible on the second floor of the Player-owned House.
Wall textures in Yanille now appear with improved depth and detail.
The entrance to Taverley Dungeon now displays correctly, without flickering.
Scenery in Villa Lucens no longer clips through the walls.
Fixed an issue where torch holders in Yanille were invisible.
Fixed an issue where roots on the walls in Taverley Dungeon were hard to see.
The Crandor dungeon entrance now displays correctly, with rocks and columns appearing as intended.
NPCs in Aldarin and Draynor now display properly, with torsos and assets rendering correctly.
Fixed multiple visual issues in the Kualti Headquarters and Sunrise Palace - beds, shields, statues, plants, stairs and entrances now render correctly.
Fires and visual effects in the Grotesque Guardians arena now display correctly throughout the fight.
Resolved various clipping issues affecting Dust Devils, Smoke Devils, and the Thermonuclear Smoke Devil.
The Zulrah teleport scroll now appears correctly.
Fixed several clipping problems, including the Port Tyras pier, Skullball ground décor, and wall pieces in Catherby and Port Sarim.
The entrance to Barbarian Assault is no longer sealed.

[h2]Other Changes[/h2]

Fixed a bug where the Ring of Suffering would lose charges even when its recoil effect was turned off.
Sir Tiffy can now take law runes directly from your rune pouch when he wants one during the Wanted! quest.

[h2]PvP Rota[/h2]

The PvP rota has moved to Period B:

560 - (UK) - PvP World
319 - (US) - Bounty Hunter World
579 - (US) - High-Risk PvP World
561 - (UK) - Free-to-Play PvP World
580 - (US) - LMS Competitive
World 390 (AUS) for LMS Competitive has been de-activated with this rota.
World 569 (AUS) for Bounty Hunter has been de-activated with this rota.

The PvP Arena is using 'Zerker' loadouts in Ranked Duels and Tournaments this week.
[/expand]
[hr][/hr]

Sailing

Sailing is Old School RuneScape’s 24th skill. There is no doubt that this is our largest single update to date – perhaps our largest update ever. There is so much content coming to the game today: over 30 new islands, several new training methods, new rewards, quests and so much more!

Be amongst the first to sail the seas of Gielinor and see what lies beyond the horizon. There is so much content to explore, and you might just find some special surprises along the way!

[h2]Launch Day Plan (November 19th) - All times in UTC.[/h2]

7:15am UTC – System update timer goes live.
8:00am UTC – Game worlds go offline briefly for the update.
8:00–8:15am UTC – Worlds come back online, players can log in as normal, but won’t be able to start Sailing yet. As the skill will technically be LIVE at this point, max capes can no longer be worn until you get 99 Sailing! Use a knife on the combined capes to disassemble them in the meantime.
8:15am–10:00am UTC – We'll be running some final checks on the live worlds. Players can continue playing on them, but Sailing will remain locked until our checks are complete.
~10:00am UTC – Depending on those checks, we'll unlock Sailing for all members without rebooting the worlds, so you'll be able to start your new adventure directly!

[hr][/hr]

What is Sailing?

Sailing is a new utility skill. Captain your very own vessel, manage a crew, and explore content found only at sea! With Sailing, the oceans of Gielinor are transformed into fun, playable content, rather than that blue carpet you’re used to seeing.

As you progress your Sailing level, you’ll be able to upgrade your boat and reach more dangerous areas of the ocean. These areas are uncharted, so anything can happen… Just make sure to keep yourself and your crew alive so you can live to tell the tale!

Test your skills as a true Captain. Sail anywhere, any time, and command your crew to become the first to reach new islands. Sure, you might be familiar with Charter Ships, but Sailing your own boat will be a completely new experience filled with adventure, exploration, and discovery. We’ve worked hard on making sure it feels like a perfect addition to Old School, and one that could have existed from the very beginning.

The race to 99 starts now!
[hr][/hr]

Getting Started

Sailing is accessible to all members’ accounts after completing the introductory quest, Pandemonium. There are no requirements to start the quest, simply speak to Will and Anne at the Port Sarim docks.

Once the quest is completed, you’ll be granted with your very own Raft and Captain’s Log. More information about early training for Sailing and where to go when you first start can be found in the 'How to prepare for Sailing' blog.

[h2]Upgrade and Manage your Boat[/h2]

You can also manage, recover, and customise your Raft (and any future boats), by speaking to a Shipwright, found at most major ports, who will take you through to an area called the Shipyard.

[h3]Shipyard[/h3]

The Shipyard is where you're able to customise your boat. Just like in Construction, you'll want to bring your hammer & saw, along with the required materials, since the Shipyard doesn't have its own bank. But don't worry - as you level up Sailing, you'll unlock ports that offer more convenient access to the Shipyard, and even ones that have nearby banks, among other things!

Click on the ‘Boat Schematics Board’ to modify or upgrade parts of your boat such as the Hull, Keel, Sails, etc and make them stronger. This will help you to withstand dangers at sea, such as enemies or stormy conditions.

You can also add or change facilities on your boat by boarding the gangplank and clicking directly on the facility slot you wish to change.
[hr][/hr]

How to Train Sailing

There are four main Sailing training methods: Port Tasks, Shipwreck Salvaging, Sea Charting and Barracuda Trials.

These aren’t all immediately unlocked, please refer to the ‘How to Prepare for Sailing’ blog for advice on early game training methods and what to focus on first.

[h2]Port Tasks[/h2]

Port Tasks require you to use your boat as a service for an NPC. They can be taken at a Notice board at most major ports. Initially, you’ll only be able to take one task at a time, but as you level up, more will become available.

There are currently two types of Port Tasks – Courier and Bounty tasks. Courier tasks involve you transporting Cargo from A to B, and Bounty tasks will require you to take down a specific monster and take the loot back to another Port.

[h3]Gameplay Loop[/h3]

Ensure your boat contains a Cargo Hold. At Level 1, your first Raft will have one already built.
Click on the Notice Board (at most major Ports).
Select the task you have the requirements for. Make sure to check important details.
Courier Tasks – make sure you’re checking how many pieces of Cargo are needed.
If you’re on a Courier Task, pick up the Cargo from the Cargo Supplies box at the correct Port and deposit it into your boat.
Courier Tasks – make sure that you have the correct amount of Cargo before you set sail.
Sail to the destination.
Bounty Tasks – make sure that you’re equipped with a Cannon on your boat to take down the enemy at sea. You might also want to consider making a repair kit for your boat (more on this later).

[h3]Port Task Rewards[/h3]

Port Tasks award Sailing XP and GP.

You can also get a specific type of paint used from Port Tasks, Shark Paint. Shark Paint is used within Shipbuilding. It's a grey colour, one-time use and relatively common.

[h2]Shipwreck Salvaging[/h2]

Turn others' misfortune into your own benefit. There are many sunken ships out there that still contain valuables. Will you recover them?

Shipwreck Salvaging is a relaxed, AFK training method. Simply make sure your boat is equipped with a Salvaging Hook, then head to a Shipwreck Salvage point to gather Salvage, which can be stored in your boat's Cargo hold. You can take your Salvage back to Port to sort them into useful materials, too.

[h3]Gameplay Loop[/h3]

Ensure your boat contains an appropriate Shipwreck Salvaging Hook for your Sailing level.
Navigate your boat within range of a Shipwreck Salvaging area, marked on your World Map.
Stop your boat when you’re close to the Shipwreck and engage with the Salvaging Hook facility by clicking on it and begin to gather salvage. For each salvage you recover, you will earn a small amount of Sailing XP.
Salvage will go directly into your inventory. You can place it into your Cargo Hold and continue Salvaging, or head back to Port and sort the Salvage at a Salvaging Station. Sorting your salvage will also award Sailing XP.
During Alpha and Beta testing, we noticed that players have found ways to make the XP from Shipwreck Salvaging faster at the cost of having to sort more salvage at docks or drop it and leave it on the ground. We’re excited to see how this shakes things up in the race to 99!

[h3]Shipwreck Salvaging Rewards[/h3]

Shipwreck Salvaging awards Sailing XP, and general materials used within shipbuilding.

[h2]Sea Charting[/h2]

Using your Captain's Log, you can document, chart, and study areas of the sea that were been previously undiscovered.

Chartin' Charles, an NPC located in the cave on the Pandemonium, will give you lots of information about Sea Charting, so if you're ever unsure, we'd recommend speaking to him!

Some charting activities require a specific charting item, and others just require you to sail straight up to them and click on them to note them in your Captain’s Log.

There are many kinds of charting activities, so the gameplay loop will differ slightly between each one.

[h3]Gameplay Loop[/h3]

Open your Captain’s Log and identify which area of the sea you’d like to start charting. You can filter your Captain’s Log by different sea groups or level requirements. By default, your Captain’s Log will try to avoid exploration spoilers, so each chartable activity will appear as ???. You can disable this from your Settings menu if you prefer.
Ensure that you have the right tool for charting activities that you’re looking to complete. Some charting tools are locked behind quests (both new and existing). You can store your charting tools within your Cargo Hold; just ensure you have them in your inventory when you’re looking to use them.
Navigate to your chosen charting activity. If you’re not sure where to go, check your Captain’s Log for more information. Most chartable locations have a visual indicator somewhere in-game, or an NPC, such as a Mermaid or a Troll Meterologist!

Here’s a breakdown of each activity you can chart, most of which has been lifted from the OSRS Wiki page:

Tool

Description

Captain’s Log

To record and document sea charting. It will also tell you information about where you can chart.

Spyglass

Observe notable areas when your ship is positioned upon a group of bubbles on the ocean surface.

Portable Weather Station

Used to chart weather patterns at sea for the Troll Meteorologist.

Current Duck

Track the currents of the sea when your ship is positioned upon a ripple on the ocean surface by placing and following the duck.

Crowbar

Pry open crates found at sea and choose whether you want to drink what you find inside.

Deep Sea Helmet

Gather sea depth data after assisting mermaids.

Deep Sea Apparatus

Gather sea depth data after assisting mermaids.

[h3]Sea Charting Rewards[/h3]

Sea Charting awards one-time Sailing XP for charting points, then additional chunks for completing seas, oceans and regions. Speak to Chartin’ Charles at the Pandemonium to get the additional XP for oceans and full completion.

When you chart an entire sea, you will also unlock some rapids within that area. These give a small speed boost when sailing over them in your boat. Please note, these Rapids will require your boat to have sufficiently upgraded Tillers to utilize.

Other rewards from Sea Charting include drinks that buff you and your crew! They are unlocked by finishing charting a specific selection of seas. These can be drunk independently, or added to a Keg facility on a boat, which provides a buff to all actions performed on a boat. Simply refill a beer glass from the Keg while on the boat. You can stack the buffs from drinks by building multiple Keg facilities, but the same buff cannot be applied twice.

We'd like players to discover more rewards in-game, so as a starting point, we'd recommend speaking to Chartin' Charles to find out more...

[h2]Barracuda Trials[/h2]

Barracuda Trials test your knowledge of navigation mechanics through time-based challenges. Each Barracuda trial has four different difficulties for you to choose from: Unranked, Swordfish, Shark & Marlin.

Unranked is for those who just want to sail around the course and get a feel for the mechanics but has no one-time rewards associated with it - feel free to skip this difficulty if you're feeling confident!

You must complete the previous difficulty level for each trial to unlock the next. Swordfish is the lowest difficulty level and Marlin is the highest. Completing a difficulty for the first time will award a one-time larger XP bonus and you will receive a bespoke reward for your efforts!

[h2]Barracuda Trial Rewards[/h2]

Barracuda Trials award Sailing XP, as well as unique rewards including:

Swordfish - A key belonging to a renowned captain, whose chest is somewhere in the world, we'll leave it up to you to uncover where they are and what they contain!
Shark - A key item used to build a new unique facility on your boat which will be useful on your travels.
Marlin - A key item used to build cosmetic flags which you can display on the back of your boat, reserved for only the best of the best sailors in Gielinor.

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New Quests

Sailing launches with several new quests, the most anticipated being ‘Troubled Tortugans’ which grants access to the Great Conch. A sequel quest, Red Reef, has also been polled and should be released sometime next year, however, it’s important to mention that next year’s updates to Sailing will be guided by player feedback and could change. More information about this can be found in our release date blog here.
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More Rewards!

With Sailing, you can expect to find lots of new resources and training methods out at sea by visiting new islands. It would be impossible to fit everything into this post, so please check out Sailing Poll 1, Sailing Poll 2 and Sailing Poll 3 for more details on specific activities.

Here’s a top-level breakdown of additional Sailing-related content, all of which were polled in our series of development blogs and polls from May to October:

[h2]Deep Sea Trawling[/h2]

New fish have been added to the game as part of Deep Sea Trawling, a hybrid Sailing and Fishing training method.

Simply equip your boat with a Trawling Net facility, and optionally, a Chum Bucket and Sonar Orb. Higher-level Trawling Nets will allow you to reach down further into the sea and catch rarer types of fish.

You’ll be able to cook new fish into food that provides additional effects.

[h2]Lantern Fishing[/h2]

Sailing adds two new types of Squid that you can catch using a Harpoon: Swordtip Squid and Jumbo Squid, which can be used in a variety of different ways. Cut them into bait, cook them, or use them within Herblore as a secondary ingredient to make powerful potions!

[h2]New Trees[/h2]

Four new types of trees have been added: Jatoba Camphor, Rosewood and Ironwood. Most of these new resources are used within shipbuilding, but they function exactly as you would expect with skills like Fletching and Firemaking.

[h2]New Blowpipes[/h2]

Three new mid-level blowpipes have been added: Ironwood, Rosewood and Camphor.

[h2]New Farming & Herblore items[/h2]

Farming now includes Coral Nurseries, a new way to obtain underwater farming resources, including Elkhorn, Pillar, and Umbral Coral. These can have powerful effects in Herblore.

You can also now grow Flax, Hemp and Cotton, which are materials used within Shipbuilding via Hops Patches.

Additionally, you can grow new trees including Rosewood, Ironwood and Camphor via Hardwood Patches.

[h2]Crab Hunting[/h2]

Crab hunting is an engaging new Hunter activity, designed to provide more consistent and reliable XP in comparison with existing training methods.

Place your traps at set locations and bait them with a Fish Offcut.
After a set amount of time, crabs will make a dash for the baited trap.
You'll never fail to catch a crab once it's baited, this means it will be a consistent and reliable hunter XP training method that won't scale with your hunter level.

[h2]Cannonball Smithing[/h2]

Cannonballs from Bronze – Dragon has been added to the game. You can smith Bronze – Rune cannonballs provided you have the correct Smithing requirement, but Dragon can only be obtained as a rare drop.

Incendiary and Chainshot Cannonballs will not be available on launch, as it’s planned to come later.

[h2]Thieving Stalls & Chests[/h2]

Crime does pay!

Sailing is adding pick pocketable Pirate NPCs, Chests, and Merchant Stalls containing things like clues, materials and more.

[h2]Horn of Plenty[/h2]

The Horn of Plenty is a new tradeable Hunter item, equipped in the off-hand slot and requiring level 50 Hunter. When equipped - and charged with Gryphon Feathers - it provides an invisible +4 boost to your Hunter level. When uncharged and equipped, this boost will be +2 Hunter instead. While the Horn is equipped, it consumes a charge every 1/25 Hunter catches. Additionally, you can toggle it on to give a 1/10 chance to double a Hunter catch. If you successfully double a Hunter catch, it will consume an additional Gryphon Feather, but this extra catch does not grant additional XP.

You can only obtain the Horn of Plenty as a drop from regular Gryphons or their superior versions.

[h2]Belle’s Folly[/h2]

Belle’s Folly is the stab equivalent of the Zombie Axe, sitting between the Dragon Sword and the Zamorakian Hasta as a new mid-level stab weapon.

You can only obtain this as a drop from the Shellbane Gryphon.

This item will drop in a tarnished state, and you will need to polish it by using it on the polishing wheel in the Giant's Foundry. This is locked behind a 70 Smithing requirement, and completion of Sleeping Giants.

[h2]Aquanite Hopper[/h2]

Aquanites have a chance of dropping an Aquanite Tendon, a tradeable resource which can be combined with a Mithril Bar to create an Aquanite Hopper. This is a tradeable Ranged offhand that provides a 10% chance for Crossbows to fire twice instead of once. The second bolt will be reduced by 67% damage, accuracy, and enchanted bolt chance. Please note that the second bolt's Enchant effect cannot activate if the first bolt already activated it.

[h2]Medallion of the Deep[/h2]

During your Sailing adventures, you'll have the chance to uncover hidden secrets. One such discovery is the Medallion of the Deep, an untradeable neck-slot item that functions as specialised diving equipment, letting you explore underwater without the need for additional gear. Please note, the Medallion of the Deep will not work in areas with a strict oxygen limit, for balancing reasons.
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Slayer

The addition of Sailing includes several new Slayer changes.

Lava Strykewyrms and their superior variant will be added to existing Wyrm tasks. Strykewyrms have a chance of dropping Dragon Sheets, a rare material used within shipbuilding and always drop Strykewyrm Bones.

We’ve also added two new unlockable tasks: Gryphons and Aquanites (including their superior variants). The Shelllbane Gryphon (a new Slayer boss) has also been added and can only be fought whilst on task.

[h2]Frost Dragons[/h2]

Frost dragons can be fought outside of Slayer tasks, but you can also get them as a Slayer tasks. They won't need to be unlocked with slayer points.

During testing, we evaluated how long it would take players to fully upgrade every facility on their boat. The results showed that the time investment required was significantly higher than intended. To help ensure the content feels rewarding rather than overly grindy, we’ve made some balance adjustments to the Slayer task weighting and quantities:

[h3]Nieve[/h3]

Weighting: 5 (old 4)
Quantity: 60-100 (old 20-30)

[h3]Duradel[/h3]

Weighting 5 (old 4)
Quantity: 70-120 (old 30-40)

We know that changing polled content after the fact isn’t ideal, and we don’t make these decisions lightly. But in this case, we feel that leaving things as they were would result in an unnecessarily long and frustrating grind, which isn’t the experience we want at launch.

As always, we’ll be keeping an eye on your feedback, and we’ll make further adjustments if needed.
[hr][/hr]

HiScores

We're also adding a static Pre-Sailing 'Top 100 Overall' page to immortalize the dedicated players who achieved their ranks before Sailing released. These players have earned their name in history, and will have a special golden goblet added next to their name. We can't wait to see who comes out top in the new race to 99!
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Feedback & Bug Reports

Sailing is one of our biggest updates ever, and although we’ve done our utmost to make sure all issues have been fixed for launch during Alpha and Beta testing, there may be bugs or unexpected issues that occur.

To get issues fixed effectively, we’ll triage them based mainly on player impact, ensuring that the most ‘game-breaking’ ones are dealt with first where possible. We’ll keep this news post updated with the most important bugs that we’re aware of, and the Game Status page will also be updated for anything that might impact downtime. For more minor bugs or issues, we’ll use a space within the Official OSRS Discord server and keep it updated as regularly as possible.

Some bugs will be fixed straight away, and others may require a reboot to fix. We’ll assess this based on our triage process, where the most player-impacting and game-impacting ones are fixed as quickly as possible.

If you’ve encountered a bug or issue, please consider using in-game bug report button to make us aware of it - we'd really appreciate it!

You may also want to consider reporting them to us via Discord in the ‘Sailing’ channel. This is because Discord’s functionality includes the ability for users to upload images or files, which can be useful to us when we identify bugs or issues. Please note, tagging individual staff members outside of the Community Management team is not required and may disrupt their work.

Finally, we often check our owned and community-ran social media platforms, including X, Reddit, Instagram and Facebook - feel free to post there and we'll do our best to update you where we can.
[hr][/hr]

Visual Improvements & Z-Buffer Fixes

Last week, we talked about the major visual upgrade we rolled out to Old School’s rendering system, introducing true 3D depth calculations (known as Z-buffering). In simple terms, surfaces now display in the correct order, making Gielinor feel a little more grounded!

Whenever you overhaul a core system like how the game calculates depth, there are always a few quirks to iron out. You might still notice the occasional flickering floor, clipping object, or other minor visual oddities. While none of these issues prevent you from playing, we know they can be distracting, and the team has been working hard to tidy them up.

This week’s update addresses a batch of visual improvements and fixes, including:

Fixed a bug where the Whisperer’s green orbs were not visible during the fight.
Snow in Weiss no longer appears over the herb patch, trees and flowers.
Wall textures in Villa Lucens in Aldarin no longer flicker.
Underwall tunnel shortcuts are no longer obscured by ground textures.
Thrall summon and spellcasting symbols no longer flicker or clip into the ground.
Fixed an issue causing water pumps in Varlamore to appear grey and less detailed.
Visual issues in the Varlamore Grand Museum, including clipping statues and missing wall symbols, have been fixed.
Fountains in the Player-owned House no longer flicker or clip with the ground.
Mounted capes in the Player-owned House now display their symbols correctly.
Visual issues with various fire pits across Gielinor have been resolved.
The entrance to Mor Ul Rek now displays correctly.
Blades of grass in Prifddinas no longer clip through tree models.
The Top of the Portal Nexus is no longer visible on the second floor of the Player-owned House.
Wall textures in Yanille now appear with improved depth and detail.
The entrance to Taverley Dungeon now displays correctly, without flickering.
Scenery in Villa Lucens no longer clips through the walls.
Fixed an issue where torch holders in Yanille were invisible.
Fixed an issue where roots on the walls in Taverley Dungeon were hard to see.
The Crandor dungeon entrance now displays correctly, with rocks and columns appearing as intended.
NPCs in Aldarin and Draynor now display properly, with torsos and assets rendering correctly.
Fixed multiple visual issues in the Kualti Headquarters and Sunrise Palace - beds, shields, statues, plants, stairs and entrances now render correctly.
Fires and visual effects in the Grotesque Guardians arena now display correctly throughout the fight.
Resolved various clipping issues affecting Dust Devils, Smoke Devils, and the Thermonuclear Smoke Devil.
The Zulrah teleport scroll now appears correctly.
Fixed several clipping problems, including the Port Tyras pier, Skullball ground décor, and wall pieces in Catherby and Port Sarim.
The entrance to Barbarian Assault is no longer sealed.

As mentioned last week, additional visual improvements will continue rolling out gradually in the coming days and weeks. Some fixes arrive alongside our regular Wednesday game updates, while others are deployed through ongoing engine and client updates, so don’t be surprised if things subtly improve without a formal patch note.

For a full list of known issues and ongoing fixes, keep an eye on the official OSRS Discord’s #zbuffer-known-issues channel. Your reports and feedback continue to be invaluable in tracking down visual quirks across Gielinor, so please keep them coming!
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Digital Audio

With today's update we've introduced digital audio to the game. This expands the pallet of sounds that our audio designers can use to create new SFX for future areas of Gielinor, starting with Sailing. For example, we have used digital audio to improve the ocean ambiences when adventuring through the different seas.

As always, our intention is to retain the OSRS sound identity and feel, but now we can achieve this even quicker with an extra layer of polish whilst still maintaining the OSRS audio aesthetic.
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Sailing Merch!

In celebration of the launch of Sailing, AngelsScapes has crafted a treasure trove of exclusive pins and keyrings that are now available on the official merch store.

Display your nautical prowess with the Sailing Skill Icon Pin, or secure a Sailing Skill Cape keyring in preparation for the race to 99! For pet collectors and fans of cute companions, snag the sea turtle Sailing pet, Soup. If you're in search of a quirky guardian for your riches, the Bank Crab will keep your gold safe (probably).
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Other Changes

Fixed a bug where the Ring of Suffering would lose charges even when its recoil effect was turned off.
Sir Tiffy can now take law runes directly from your rune pouch when he wants one during the Wanted! quest.

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PvP Rota

The PvP rota has moved to Period B:

560 - (UK) - PvP World
319 - (US) - Bounty Hunter World
579 - (US) - High-Risk PvP World
561 - (UK) - Free-to-Play PvP World
580 - (US) - LMS Competitive
World 390 (AUS) for LMS Competitive has been de-activated with this rota.
World 569 (AUS) for Bounty Hunter has been de-activated with this rota.

The PvP Arena is using 'Zerker' loadouts in Ranked Duels and Tournaments this week.
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You can also discuss this update on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.

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