The revivified RuneFest event brought Old School RuneScape fans a 2025 update plan of its own, and as one might expect, there was a lot to say about the MMORPG’s developing new Sailing skill – particularly with details of its next open test and its later release this year.
We’ll start with the testing round, which is entering an open alpha phase sometime later this March. A specific date and length for the alpha was not provided by Jagex, but it repeatedly promises that eager and curious fans won’t have to wait too long. As for testing focus, that appears to be about ensuring all of its pieces work, particularly since the skill is eyeing a full release in the fall, according to the roadmap.
While we’re talking about testing, Project Zanaris – aka the custom servers feature that lets players craft their own unique worlds – is promising to begin playtesting soon™ as well, though its arrival still sounds like it’s fairly distant as Jagex says it still has some work to do. The studio has put out a preview video that grants a look at some of the possibilities, including a 30-minute race between players to slay a boss and an amped-up FFA PvP “fight club” in a specific region of the world.
There’s more to the MMO’s year than just playtests, as fans will also see a new duo team-focused endgame boss fight in the spring, the launch of Varlamore: The Final Dawn and its new encounters including a new delve boss this summer, and the release of The Blood Moon Rises quest line this winter that wraps up the years-long Myreque story arc.
Another small but mighty highlight for OSRS’s 2025 is what’s being called a “summer sweep-up” that plans to expand elemental weakness combat mechanics, scale back certain loot rewards from “low effort activities” to stop certain resources from flooding the market, and multiple adjustments for the Slayer profession.
The complete 2025 roadmap can be seen by clicking the image below, while several video previews await just below that. Hope you like sizzle reels, fam.
