In early June, RuneScape: Dragonwilds—the standalone survival spin-off—released its first major content update, dubbed “Dragonwilds Update 0.8.” This update primarily centers on RuneScape gold the introduction of its first combat-focused skill line: Magic. Highlights include:
A brand-new spell called Surge, which grants teleport-type mobility with three charges and a cooldown, ideal for repositioning during fights.
Spell Upgrades feature launched, starting with an “Afterimage” effect: using Surge creates a ghostly illusion that distracts nearby foes.
Additions such as a Magic Focus consumable (staff-enhancing) and a Magic Potion (boosts spell critical chance) were also introduced.
Beyond spells, the update enhances base-building mechanics with improved palisade defenses that visibly take damage, introduces a “coziness” benefit for resting avatars, and offers graphical and usability improvements such as depth-of-field and lighting sliders.According to Jagex’s roadmap, they intend to release quarterly updates like this one, with bigger expansion-style updates timed roughly every six months.
RuneScape Mainworld: Ek-ZekKil & Starbloom Events
On June 2, the classic RuneScape main world received its latest patch, part of the weekly “This Week in RuneScape” series. Key updates included:
Continued tuning and improvements to the formidable Ek-ZekKil boss.
New content tied to War’s Re… (name truncated), expanding player challenge and rewards.
A week later, on June 9, the Starbloom Seeds event dropped, inviting players to collect and cultivate magical Starbloom flowers—in a fresh seasonal mini-game landscape.These flowers are increasingly used in alchemy, skilling, or crafting, making the event especially appealing to collectors.
May–June Persistent Content Roadmap
Jagex pivoted away from a traditional summer skilling event, instead electing to implement two new game jam–inspired persistent features:
Osseous, the Rex Matriarch — A fourth boss in the Necromancy-driven Rex Matriarch series. Players must delve into forsaken ruins to defeat this undead tyrant.
Daemonheim Archaeology Dig Site — A brand-new, discoverable zone beneath Daemonheim, filled with lore-rich relics and excavation tasks.
Additional updates include graphical refreshes, a Pride month event, and standard seasonal features like reintroduced Beach content.
RuneFest 2025: Reveals and OSRS Developments
RuneFest—the Jagex-organized fan celebration—returned in full form in early March, packed with major announcements affecting both Old School RuneScape (OSRS) and the main RuneScape:
OSRS Sailing Alpha: The first-ever new skill for Old School, Sailing, entered alpha testing. Attendees could try it during RuneFest LAN sessions, with the developer-run alpha scheduled to go live later that month.
New OSRS HD Upgrade & Plugin API: A formal developer client is in progress, featuring native graphical enhancements and a future plugin ecosystem to unify the look and usage across PC, Steam, and mobile.
Project Zanaris is moving toward live testing of a mysterious new zone tied to the magical realm of Zanaris.
A brand-new boss—Yama, Master of Pacts—was unveiled. This sinister Minotaur-demon is set to reside deep under Kourend, with a thematic cultist backstory and new demands on high-level players.
Other reveals include combat rebalances (elemental oppositions, halberd tweaks), loot table adjustments to deter inflation, Slayer system overhauls (block lists, perks, task streamlining), and quality-of-life refinements.
Crucially, OSRS’s Varlamore: The Final Dawn launch has been pushed back to July, with details previewed and cinematic trailers shared by Jagex.
Old School RuneScape Economy: GE Tax Increase & Player Reactions
On May 29, Jagex raised the Grand Exchange transaction tax from 1 % to 2 %—part of their gold-sinking strategy aimed at stabilizing the in-game economy.
This adjustment sparked rich and vivid player reactions:
A user recreated a Boston Tea Party scene by dumping virtual tea into the harbor in protest, captioning it with"no taxation without representation".
Debates were rampant on Reddit over progressive vs flat taxation of virtual wealth, with some players demanding wealthier users shoulder a larger burden .
Jagex defended the move, noting that some tax proceeds are used by the system to permanently remove high-supply items in bulk, protecting market integrity, while also covering up-to-5 million‑gp caps on valuable trades.
This highlights both the longevity of the game’s economy and the intensity of community engagement around even marginal rate adjustments.
Community & Developer Dynamics
Jagex’s responsiveness is evident: they’ve incorporated community skilling feedback, rebalanced weapons and skills, and improved accessibility options like high contrast mode.
Their Pride and seasonal events align with inclusive cultural engagement.
The Well of Goodwill remains active for charity fundraising, and recent leadership changes include Jagex appointing a new CEO, Jon Bellamy, in March 2025.
Looking Ahead: July and Beyond
Upcoming focal points include:
The launch of Varlamore: The Final Dawn in July, completing OSRS’s three-part storyline and adding new delves, bosses, and quests.
A live beta of Sailing for OSRS, with alpha testers providing critical feedback.
Further Dragonwilds updates slated for the end of June roadmap release, promising new skill lines (farming, ranged), regions like Fellhollow, and potential quarterly balance patches.
Continued fine-tuning of the main RuneScape gold realm, improving boss encounters, seasonal systems, and addressing inflation through gameplay adjustments.
Summary
In recent weeks, the RuneScape universe—across its mainline game, OSRS, and Dragonwilds—has been buzzing:
Dragonwilds launched its first combat skill line and gameplay upgrades.
Main RuneScape rolled out monthly patches including boss updates and seasonal farming.
OSRS received monumental updates at RuneFest: official client, Sailing Alpha, new bosses, and refined systems.
The GE tax hike stirred player politics and drove economic strategy discussions in Old School.
Jagex continues to blend community feedback, charity initiatives, and content diversity to cheapest OSRS gold anchor their MMO’s future.
Whether you’re grinding gold, honing skills, racing to farm events, battling new bosses, or protesting an unexpected tax hike, this summer promises to be a transformative season in RuneScape history.
