Hello 'Scapers! I'm Mod Breezy, Game Designer for RuneScape, here today with Mod Ryan, Design Director for RuneScape. This is the first of several design blogs where we'll be giving you a lay of the land and share our goals for the Road to Restoration as we build toward a new future for RuneScape.

My RuneScape journey started way back in 2006, when my friends invited me over to their house after school to play this cool new game they'd been talking about. I've played consistently since then, with some time away here and there to focus on studies and such.

I've maxed, gotten 120 all, Comped, and got a few boss logs under my belt. I joined the RuneScape team as QA almost 8 years ago, and moved into my role as game designer almost 4 years ago.

In my time here, I've had a hand in updates such as the Mining & Smithing Rework, 120 Farming & Herblore, War's Retreat, a 2 year stint on the Ninja Team, Zamorak, Catalyst League, and recently the Road to Restoration roadmap updates, just to name a few.

Now, unless you've been living under a rock-crab, you'll have seen that on the 19th of January we released an update to the game's interface, gave some of the early-game areas a new lick of paint, and removed Treasure Hunter from the game. This dropped alongside our new branding for the game and the 2026 roadmap.

The roadmap features an incredible lineup of content updates, but also features an additional roadmap, aptly named "Road to Restoration". This roadmap contains a wide variety of integrity updates aimed at cleaning up parts of the game that have long since needed some love, restoring some challenge to the game, and making your journey through RuneScape a much more consistent, rewarding, and enjoyable experience.

In this series of Road to Restoration design blogs, we want to explain our views on the state of the game - insights into the conversations we've been having, where we think problems lie and where we need to improve, and our approach for addressing each of these design problems.

In this first blog, we're going to start by explaining what the Road to Restoration is and what our goals are for it. We'll also discuss the current state of RuneScape as we see it, expanding on a few key topics. Each subsequent blog will focus on specific updates on the Road to Restoration roadmap as we explain what exactly we're addressing and how - all in relation to the goals we've outlined!

RuneScape has always been about its players - and we're grateful to have a community so passionate and knowledgeable about the game, and we believe it's key that we take you on this journey with us. So, let's dive right in with Mod Ryan who's going to talk about our goals for the Road to Restoration and what we want to achieve.

Hey everyone, I'm Mod Ryan!

I first discovered Gielinor in 2004, back when players were hosting bank sales next to Varrock's west bank in an era before the Grand Exchange's introduction, and before even the Slayer skill existed!

I spent the next years working my way through a bunch of 99s and acquiring a max cape, before ultimately joining Jagex in 2013 as part of the Player Support team. From there I moved into QA and then onwards into Design where I've now spent most of my career.

As a Principal Designer I was responsible for leading the designs for a whole range of projects, from new skills such as Archaeology and Necromancy; boss encounters like Raksha, TzKal-Zuk and Nakatra to updates like Deep Sea Fishing, Hall of Memories, and Soul Reaper!

This has all led me to where I am today - still playing RuneScape with 2 (!) accounts having 200m in all skills, one of which is a skiller, and to now being the Director of Design for the game where my job is to steer the ship and guide our development team forward.

We all love this game and want to see it last another 25 years, and then some. If you're a RuneScape veteran to any extent, then you'll have seen RuneScape's transformation over the years. Every era is defined by its updates, metas, and events that took place. That being said, it's no secret that RuneScape in its current state has a few things we need to solve.

Beginning in mid-2025, we took our first steps towards removing Treasure Hunter and considering what that might mean for players and the game. During this time we as a development team started seriously discussing how we were going to solve the game's issues and how we could get us back to a RuneScape that once again provides a meaningful experience for many years to come.

It's fair to say that over the years we've diverged from the many elements that made up our core, the things that made RuneScape... RuneScape! The 2026 content roadmap, including the Road to Restoration roadmap was born from these discussions and is our plan for getting us back to where we once were, so we can move forward in a direction we all believe in.

Today I want to give you a look at four of our relevant high-level philosophies and goals for the Road to Restoration. We will be using these as a constant reference when tackling the content on the Road to Restoration roadmap that we'll discuss in this series of blogs.

We want RuneScape to feel clear and consistent to play, so learning feels natural rather than confusing. At the same time, some inconsistencies are part of what makes the game interesting, and we want to intentionally preserve them when they add meaningful value and depth.

We want RuneScape to have a clear and instantly recognisable visual identity, whether seen in screenshots or videos. It's a grounded medieval fantasy world with a warm, classic tone. We stay true to what it is and has always been, avoiding pushing the game toward something it's not.

We want RuneScape to be a game that is enjoyed for what it is, without pressures of feeling like you must play at a certain time or in a certain way.

We want RuneScape to be a fair and enjoyable experience, while protecting the long term health of the game ensuring that it remains rewarding and balanced for years to come.

The Road to Restoration starts us on a journey towards rebuilding a game filled with integrity. Our end goal is to fix core problems that have existed in RuneScape for some time now - "weeding the garden" if you will - as we gradually fix parts of the game, and set ourselves up for the future.

It's a truly amazing achievement for any game to have seen a quarter-century's worth of weekly updates! Over the years, however, each update to content or game systems has piled on more and more, and we haven't always done our best at curating it.

That may be due to previous design directions or simply a matter of prioritisation when time is limited. In some areas, the game now feels like it's missing a trick, while in others it's in desperate need of some tidying up.

This could be skilling methods that are now outdated or that have been overshadowed by singular methods that triumph over anything else. In other cases, it might be drop tables and drop rates that feel inconsistent. Issues like dailyscape and D&Ds compound this by either creating "chores" for players or allowing players to bypass much of the game without interacting with core content. These are just a few of the areas we, and you, see affecting RuneScape.

There are many topics to cover in this respect, and in the weeks to follow we'll be going through them in dedicated blogs as part of this series. To be clear, the changes discussed in these blogs may release as a single package or may release as standalone iterations throughout the year, including as part of weekly updates a little like those old Ninja Strikes we fondly remember.

Do note - while we are in the middle of developing some of these updates, we're also just getting started on our journey.

That is to say that not everything we talk about are definitive changes we're going to make. We might find other ways to tackle each problem, but at the very least we want to let you know how we're approaching it all.

The further out an update is, the less we know exactly what will be included in it and the more theoretical our thoughts on it may be - at least until we begin design and development.

Regardless, we'll keep you in the loop the whole way and you can also expect additional dedicated blogs for each update shortly before they release.

The road to restoration for RuneScape is a long one, and it'll take us some years to get to where we want to be. For 2026 we've picked some of the most impacted parts of the game to tackle. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I'll now pass you back to Mod Breezy who'll go more in-depth into the state of RuneScape in the modern day.

Hello again, Mod Breezy here! So, 25 years worth of adding content and features to the game (including inconsistently curated quality of life fixes) has culminated in a game that has:

• A lot of bloat in content and features.

• An array of redundant or outdated content.

• Vast inconsistencies throughout.

• Gaps in content, relating to things such as skilling and combat progression.

These inconsistencies lead to issues such as:

• Time-limited content which is so rewarding that you feel pressured to engage with it.

  • We're talking dailies, D&Ds, events, and even things like auras which end up dictating how you play the game and limit your ability to interact with core content as you see fit.

  • Much of the game is specifically played through time-limited or time-pressured content, leading to players levelling up and progressing through the game comfortably without really interacting with core content.

• An imbalance in the level and type of input and output in skilling methods and other content.

  • There's a real mismatch in our balancing between level of activity required, XP output, and GP input/output. We've leaned a little too much into "second screen" gameplay where AFK content dominates.

  • The game is full of overpowered content or rewards that, simply put, don't quite give you the same sense of achievement and reward they once used to.

• Visual quality varies significantly.

  • Visual style and identity varies wildly throughout the game world and UI.

  • A constant shift in visual direction has left much of the game feeling messy and visually confused.

Over the years, all of these things have slowly taken us away from RuneScape's core identity and we have lost its familiarity due to an ever-changing long-term game vision - or lack thereof.

We believe that RuneScape's identity needs to be refined holistically, and we've been very critical in discussing what we genuinely think deserves to remain in game, and what we could remove or improve to make the overall experience better - even if we love some of those things ourselves.

There is A LOT to discuss here, and we could talk about it for days - and we will talk about it - but I'm going to try my best to keep this blog digestible. We'll use future blogs to dive into the nitty gritty, but for now we'll cover some of the core design topics we've been discussing internally.

Here's a few quick introductions to the direction we're taking on a few key subjects:

• Skilling...

  • RuneScape in the modern day has a selection of issues that affect XP and progression within skills. Many skills feel neglected, especially at the low-mid end, and we want to get the game in a state where both their pacing and difficulty feel good. On top of that there's a lot of bloat, gaps, powercreep, and inconsistencies throughout game content - not to mention content that's become redundant and long outdated.

    • By resolving the above, our end goal is this: Provide a varied journey throughout any given skill, which offers alternatives for laid-back and lean-forward gameplay that appropriately reward your efforts.

• Combat...

  • Combat systems and progression suffer from a variety of issues. Combat styles have confusing and inconsistent progression and pacing, as well as inconsistent access to weapons and armour to name a few.

    • By resolving the above, our end goal is this: We want to offer better routes for learning combat and getting into bossing. We want to bring back individual combat style identities as well as return the game to a place where leaving your bank and heading off to combat is something exciting that you plan and prepare for, especially with a mind to being able to sustain and keep yourself in a fight for longer.

• Visual Integrity...

  • RuneScape has no shortage of visual integrity issues, whether that's the environment of the game world, inconsistent art styles and character cosmetics, or funky UI systems (like the buff bar) which can be confusing and overwhelming to read. These issues, which we've deemed "clutter", add up over time, affecting readability, clarity, and identity, and slowly chipping away at your ability to enjoy the game each time you play.

    • By resolving the above, our end goal is this: A Gielinor that is uncluttered and immersive. Combat that is readable rather than overwhelmed with information. A shared play-space that is not intruded upon by outfits, animations or pets that are overbearing or thematically out of place.

• ...And More!

  • Overly fast and easy area access, outfits that are overloaded with functionality and other similar mechanics have had outsized impacts on banking loops, social play and AFK-led gameplay.

    • By resolving the above, our end goal is this: We want to make discovery, exploration and chasing specific items rewarding and meaningful again. We want to reintroduce a little bit more friction that is frustration free yet satisfying to overcome while also making the size of your backpack inventory and the distance to a bank something to consider again.

  • Ironman game modes have been left in an awkward place, particularly around rulesets and content balancing.

    • By resolving the above, our end goal is this: We want to ensure that Ironman is seen as the definitive "hard mode" RuneScape where players take on the challenge of RuneScape's grind in a true manner; one which provides even greater satisfaction in achieving milestones, overcoming challenges, and completing game content.

That's everything we have to discuss today, but there's still so much more to come. If you're still with us - thank you for taking the time out of your day to read through today's blog!

There isn't a blog long enough to cover all that we have to talk about, but we hope that we've helped you understand our long-term vision for the game and some of the game issues that need addressing. We want to ensure that RuneScape feels absolutely great to play day-in and day-out, and that your achievements feel earned and rewarded.

Just to note once again, the 2026 Road to Restoration roadmap alone won't solve everything within a year, restoring integrity to RuneScape will span many years. However, our aim is that by the end of 2026 we'll have targeted some of the most impactful parts of the game and made for a much better experience for all players as we go into 2027 and beyond.

We also want to set the expectation that the updates on the Road to Restoration won't solve everything within their respective areas all at once.

For example, the early-game rebalance update will tackle a bunch of issues in the early game, but we know there'll be plenty more to address in the early game outside of just those. At the same time some things might feel out of place or controversial for a while between updates; The early-game rebalance will address some low level Agility, but the mid-levels of Agility will be addressed with the mid-game rebalance, and so on. Given the scale of change that is coming to RuneScape, we know we might occasionally mis-step or mistakenly overlook something, but we'll be listening and trying to adapt the whole way.

As we mentioned at the start of this blog, we want you on the journey with us the whole way so please do let us know what other issues you think need tackling as and when we talk about each integrity update as we make our way through 2026. Your input will be vital to how we navigate this journey!

In our next design blog in the Road to Restoration series we'll be going into the specific details of the Early-Game Rebalance and Dailyscape Overhaul updates so stay tuned for that in a couple days time. Then, in the following weeks expect to see blogs about the other Road to Restoration game updates in a roughly chronological order.

Thank you very much once again for taking the time to read.