Old School RuneScape News

Happy Scythe Buff Day!

This week brings two highlights of Project Rebalance, in the form of changes to the Scythe of Vitur and Osmumten’s Fang.

Meanwhile, the Winter Summit is mere days away! Tune into the Old School RuneScape Twitch channel on January 20th at 20:00 GMT/15:00 EST/12:00 PST/7:00 AEDT to see all the exciting updates we have planned for 2024 – and maybe even win yourself a prize!

For more information on the Winter Summit, click here to see the summary newspost.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Changelog: January 17th[/h2]

[expand]
Project Rebalance: Scythe and Fang Changes

• Osmumten’s Fang now only benefits from its passive effects when using the Stab attack style.
• Added +15 Slash Accuracy to the Scythe of Vitur.
• Scythe Charges now cost one Vial of Blood and 200 Blood Runes for 100 Charges.
• Scythe Charges are now only used when rolling at least one hit above 0.

Other Changes

• Updated the Global Leagues HiScores on the Player Owned House Scroll with the Leagues IV scores.
• Sacred and Infernal Eel harvesting loot drops are now tracked in the Loot Tracker.
• Listening at the Kalphite Lair’s Agility shortcut will now include information about how long the Queen’s chamber has been empty if someone was there recently.
• Updated some dialogue with Sergeant Tobyn to provide extra clarity on the next steps of the Children of the Sun quest.
• Additional Lovakite Ores mined via items like the Skill Cape and Varrock Armour will now give 60 XP, matching the XP gained when Mining normally.

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 'Max/Med' loadouts in Ranked Duels and Tournaments this week.
[/expand]
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Scythe and Fang Changes[/h2]

We laid out our intentions to rebalance Osmumten's Fang and the Scythe of Vitur back in December, and today, these changes are going live! Here’s a refresher.

Osmumten's Fang

We know the Old School community love efficiency, but after Desert Treasure II, this weapon became a little too efficient – its Slash bonus was comparable to that of much stronger weapons that require serious upkeep!

We’ve decided to solidify the Fang as a Stab weapon by removing its double Accuracy roll effect from the Slash combat style. This means that you’ll only see the Fang’s benefits while using it to Stab.

This change lets Slash weapons like the Blade of Saeldor and the Scythe of Vitur really shine, making them a worthy investment once more.

Speaking of the Scythe…

Scythe of Vitur

We've buffed the Scythe!

First up, we’ve added +15 Slash Accuracy, which in current use cases increases the Scythe’s DPS by 0.2% for low-defence bosses (like the big nylocas) and 7% for higher-defence encounters (like General Graardor).

We’ve also made big changes to how you charge the Scythe. For one thing, charges are now cheaper at one Vial of Blood and 200 Blood Runes for 100 charges. That’s a 100 Blood Rune discount!

Additionally, charges are now only used when the Scythe rolls at least one hit above 0. No more burning through your charges without even hitting the enemy! While the Scythe’s new Accuracy buff means you won’t be rolling 0s as often, this change will help out where you need it most – fighting big, high-defence NPCs!

We’ve pushed these two updates out in advance of the rest of Project Rebalance so that you can reap the benefits of these much-requested changes earlier. Don’t worry – we’re still working on the rest and hope to share more news with you soon.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Jagex Launcher Update[/h2]

On Thursday January 18th, the Jagex Launcher will be undergoing maintenance for general security improvements. The exact time will be posted via our social channels and shared on the Game Status page. We don't expect there to be any downtime.

As part of this, players will be required to log back into the Launcher with a Jagex Account.

If you are already playing via the Launcher, you will be able to continue playing until you either log out or attempt to change world. After this, you will then be required to log back in with your Jagex Account credentials.

Those of you who've been using RuneScape accounts to log into the Launcher will be required to upgrade to a Jagex Account. Upon attempting to log in with a RuneScape account, you will see this message:



Simply click upgrade now and follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade.

If you haven't made the switch yet, but would like to upgrade to a Jagex Account ahead of time to avoid any disruption, click the button below and get the best protection for your accounts today. If you’d like more information about the new account system, then check out the Jagex Account Support Centre.

[h2]Winter Summit Giveaways[/h2]

There’s no better way to spend a chilly January night then getting cosy around the virtual campfire with your favourite J-Mods. Luckily, such an event is on the horizon – the Winter Summit, where we’ll share everything there is to know about 2024’s biggest updates.

Once again, you can tune into the Winter Summit on the Old School RuneScape Twitch channel on January 20th, from 20:00 GMT/15:00 EST/12:00 PST/7:00 AEDT. See you there!



But exciting news isn’t all there is on offer – we also have some amazing prizes to give away! From boardgames to LED lights, you won’t want to miss these.

In the run up to the Summit, we’re also hosting giveaways on X (Twitter), Instagram, Reddit, and our Official Discord Server.

Click here to see the full terms and conditions – or keep reading to see what you could get your hands on!



Dragons! Don’t worry, you don’t need a Dragonfire Shield to give these adorable dragons a nice warm cuddle. These are the latest range of Old School plushies from our friends at Makeship, and they go on pre-sale right before the Winter Summit at 19:30 GMT. As before, these cuddly critters are limited time only, so grab ‘em while you can!

Visit the Makeship store to register and be the first to hear when these and future plushie campaigns go live!

Alternatively, keep an eye on socials and the Winter Summit stream to be in with a chance of taming a dragon of your very own!



The RuneScape Kingdoms Boardgame and TTRPG (that’s ‘tabletop RPG’, if you’re wondering) are coming to retailers globally on February 29th and will soon ship to Kickstarter backers and pre-orders!

If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, don’t panic – you can do so direct from Steamforged via their store page.

We’ll be giving away copies of both the boardgame and the TTRPG, so keep your eyes peeled for your chance to win!



Last but by no means least, you could win one of these three classic designs from Creator Crafted!

As a Winter Summit treat, Old School RuneScape players can get a 10% discount on the full range of Creator Crafted’s LED lights and mousepads via this link or by using the code SUMMIT at checkout.

We can’t wait to see you all at the Winter Summit – but until then, here are this week’s smaller changes and fixes.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Other Changes[/h2]

• Updated the Global Leagues HiScores on the Player Owned House Scroll with the Leagues IV scores.
• Sacred and Infernal Eel harvesting loot drops are now tracked in the Loot Tracker.
• Listening at the Kalphite Lair’s Agility shortcut will now include information about how long the Queen’s chamber has been empty, if someone was there recently.
• Updated some dialogue with Sergeant Tobyn to provide extra clarity on the next steps of the Children of the Sun quest.
• Additional Lovakite Ores mined via items like the Skill Cape and Varrock Armour will now give 60 XP, matching the XP gained when Mining them normally.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]PvP World 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 activated with this rota.

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

Mods Abyss, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Blossom, Boko, Bruno, Chilly, Crystal, Curse, Daizong, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Enigma, Errol, Gecko, Gizmo, Goblin, Grub, Halo, Harold, Hend, Hooti, Hornet, Husky, Jalo, Jerv, Keyser, Kieren, Kirby, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Mack, Manked, Markos, Maylea, Meat, Moogle, Morty, Necro, Nox, Nylu, Other, Pumpkin, Redfield, Regent, Rice, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Shroom, Sigma, Skane, Skylark, Smithy, Sova, Squid, Starry, Surma, Sween, Tide, Titus, Torrance, Tsourorf, Tyran, Veda, Vegard, West & Wolfy

The Old School Team.

Old School Runescape players are on another level, man. The game's flooded with zero-sum games where the house always wins: yet compared to the person who gathered 1 million of the same crappy fish, this is small pennies. Despite this, I'm still somehow surprised whenever somebody goes so far out of the way just to prove a point...
Read more.

New Year, new quest!
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Children of the Sun[/h2]

We’re back with our first update of the new year! We hope you all had a holly, jolly time over the festive season – we’ve missed you!

As the new year dawns, we bet you can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2024. Well, wait no longer, because today marks the launch of a new quest which will introduce the Varlamore storyline and prepare you to explore the Shining Kingdom as soon as it launches. Exciting stuff!



Children of the Sun begins on the familiar streets of Varrock, where a delegation from Varlamore has arrived to sign a treaty with the rulers of Misthalin. It’s a day for celebration, but something’s amiss… you’d better find out what’s going on!



Speak to the citizens in Varrock Square to start your investigation!



Quest Requirements and Rewards

Requirements

• Members-only

Rewards

• 1 Quest Point
• Access to Varlamore
  • Please note: this reward will be unlocked when Part One of Varlamore releases later this year. Completing the quest now, however, means that you’ll be able to hop right in and explore on day one!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Kourend Changes[/h2]

Let’s move a little further north now, where we’ve been busy shaking things up in the kingdom of Kourend!

For a detailed breakdown of what’s changing, check out the original poll blog. Meanwhile, here are the highlights of this week’s update:

• The Kourend favour system has been fully removed. This includes:
  • The favour interfaces (side panel, reward interface and UI overlay).
  • The ability to earn favour (including favour reward scrolls).
  • The Architectural Alliance miniquest.
• Transport within Kourend has been significantly improved:
  • Minecarts no longer need unlocking, and no longer have any requirements. For the low low price of 20 GP (down from 50 GP), you can ride the rails all across the kingdom.
  • You can still unlock the ability to use the minecarts for free, but this will now be locked behind The Forsaken Tower quest, and any players who previously purchased the unlock will be refunded.
  • New minecart stations have been added to Kingstown, the Farming Guild, Kourend Woodland, the Wintertodt Camp, the Shayzien Wall and near the Tithe Farm.
  • Charter ships have been added to Port Piscarilius and Land's End.
  • Players no longer need to fix the Fairy Ring in Arceuus to use it.
    • If you already paid the fee, speak to the nearby NPC to reclaim your GP!
  • We've also added an extra Fairy Ring near the Hosidius Vinery.
• The Kourend Castle Teleport has been improved:
  • The teleport is now unlocked by completing Client of Kourend, instead of through the library activity.
  • The Magic requirement has been reduced from 69 to 48.
  • The Runes needed for the spell have changed to 2 Law, 1 Fire and 1 Water Rune.
  • Added the ability to craft Teleport Tablets for this spell in your Player Owned House.
• Improved Kharedst's Memoirs:
  • The maximum number of charges has increased from 8 per page to 20 per page – 100 in total.
  • Completing A Kingdom Divided and obtaining The Book of the Dead will grant an extra 150 charges rather than an extra 20, for a total of 250 pages.

The spellbook interface orders spells by Magic level, and while we offer the ability to filter the spells, we don't currently offer any way of changing the order. With the Magic requirement for the Kourend teleport spell going down, it will change position in the spellbook, causing other spells to move as well. Here's an image showing the before and after.



While this has happened before, it's been quite a few years since it last did and we know that you will be very used to the current spell positions. In the future, we're keen to explore offering spellbook reordering as part of our own client, but that's not something that can be implemented soon. In the meantime, we're exploring changing our guidelines for third party clients to allow spellbook reordering (like they've already done so for Prayers).
[hr][/hr]
[h2]About The Year In Review[/h2]

Over the last few weeks we've been sending out the Old School Year In Review, and it's led to a lot of questions which we'd like to answer in this newspost. Let's start with a simple one...

What is the Year In Review?
It's a lot of fun stats covering what you've done in Old School during 2023 - a bit like a RuneScapey Spotify Wrapped!

How were players able to receive it?
Players who were opted into marketing email communications by December 22nd were eligible to receive it. As of today we have sent out 743,772 of them!

Why was it email-only?
Last year we made a lot of progress on behind-the-scenes projects to improve our data and communications tools, but that work isn't entirely complete just yet. This year we expect to be able to add the shareable Year In Review image to the Jagex Launcher itself, but that wasn't ready. It was either send it via email or don't do it at all!

I was opted-in but didn't receive the Year In Review, why is that and when will I receive it?
There were technical issues that affected approximately 1% of eligible players, we’re actively trying to solve those issues but we don’t have a timeframe to give just yet, but we’re working hard to make sure you will receive it as soon as possible.

I wasn't opted-in but I'd still really like it, is there any hope for me?
Due to how we had to set-up the data-gathering (ie. capture data for eligible players between certain dates) it is unlikely to be possible. However, once we have resolved the issue for players who were opted-in we will investigate the possibility. No promises though.

What will you do differently next time?
We'll do a better job of communicating that this is a thing, we'll endeavour to make it more accessible (like adding it to the Launcher), we expect the technical issues we faced this time will be solved (after all, this was our first time doing it!), and we may even be able to run this sort of thing for Deadman and Leagues too!
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Saying Goodbye to Leagues IV and Christmas[/h2]

It was fantastic to see so many of you getting involved with Leagues over the festive period. Sadly, the fun can’t last for ever, and Leagues IV has now ended. But don’t worry, the memories we made will live in our hearts forever – and if that’s not enough, we’re already cooking up some ideas for Leagues V…

Similarly, Jack Frost has been turfed out of the Lumbridge cow field and the area has returned to its usual unslippery state. The goose, having lost its main source of entertainment, has sulkily relocated to another nearby field where it is attempting, somewhat unsuccessfully, to blend in. Go say hello!
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Other Changes[/h2]

• A new engine update brings improved loading times to the Player Owned House!
• The new loading times should be consistent regardless of the house’s size.
• The Teleport options on the Slayer Ring now refer to the cave near Rellekka as the Fremennik Slayer Dungeon, for consistency.
• Clay can now be softened with water from Vials.
• The level-up messages for 70 Attack no longer mention the Dragon Hunter Lance, which requires level 78 Attack.
• The non-Special Attack animations on the Soulreaper Axe no longer stall the attacker’s movement.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Merch[/h2]



With the end of Leagues IV, it’s your last chance to pick up a Leagues IV commemorative pin before they’re gone for good! Celebrate your Trailblazer: Reloaded journey with this stunning work of art from Angels Scapes!

Orders will close on January 16th – get ‘em before they’re gone right here on the Merch Store.

By the way, we love all the photos you’ve shared of your Nieve, Wise Old Man, Gnome Child, and Bob the Cat plushies. Here are our favourites!



These cuddly companions are the result of our first-ever partnership with Makeship. If you missed this campaign, you might want to keep an eye on the Makeship Store over the next couple of weeks… there just might be a snuggly surprise in store!


[hr][/hr]
[h2]PvP Rota[/h2]

The PvP rota has moved to Period A:

• 539 - (US) - PvP World
• 318 - (UK) - Bounty Hunter world
• 548 - (Germany) - High-Risk PvP World
• 577 - (US) - Free-to-Play PvP World
• 559 - (UK) - LMS Competitive

World 390 (AUS) for LMS Competitive has been activated with this rota.

World 569 (AUS) for Bounty Hunter has been activated with this rota.

The PvP Arena will be using '1 Def Pure' loadouts in Ranked Duels and Tournaments this week.
[hr][/hr]
You can also discuss this update on our official forums, 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.

Mods Abyss, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Blossom, Boko, Bruno, Chilly, Crystal, Curse, Daizong, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Enigma, Errol, Gecko, Gizmo, Goblin, Grub, Halo, Harold, Hend, Hooti, Hornet, Husky, Jalo, Jerv, Keyser, Kieren, Kirby, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Mack, Manked, Markos, Maylea, Meat, Moogle, Morty, Necro, Nox, Nylu, Other, Pumpkin, Redfield, Regent, Rice, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Shroom, Sigma, Skane, Skylark, Smithy, Sova, Squid, Starry, Surma, Sween, Tide, Titus, Torrance, Tsourorf, Tyran, Veda, Vegard, West & Wolfy

The Old School Team.

Outside of a brief internet cafe dalliance back in the early 2000s, I haven't played much RuneScape, either in its modern or old-school forms. But maybe I should, because Old School RuneScape continues to generate tales of triumph, tragedy, fantasy cop-befuddlement, and jaw-dropping luck...
Read more.