Jagex delivered one of the most ambitious reveal streams in Old School RuneScape history with the 2026 Winter Summit. Unlike previous summits that focused on the next few months, this showcase laid out the entire roadmap for 2026, giving players a rare long-term look at what's coming to Gielinor.

From new bosses and quests to Leagues 6, Sailing expansions, PvP overhauls, and even Raid 4, the summit made it clear that buy RS gold isn't slowing down anytime soon. As always, all details remain subject to polling and iteration—but the scope alone has the community buzzing.

Global Growth and Community Events

Before diving into gameplay content, Jagex highlighted several important community and infrastructure updates.

Expanded International Servers

Following player feedback, Jagex confirmed plans to expand international server support. Latin America is first on the list, addressing long-standing ping issues for South American players. Asia and the Middle East are also on the roadmap, marking a major step toward global accessibility.

Major Events in 2026

Deadman Mode Finals (Chicago – June 2026): The first official RuneScape event outside the UK

RuneFest 2026 (October): Bigger than ever, returning to Birmingham

Gridmaster Bingo Tools (Autumn): Clan and community bingo events get official support

A New Early-Game Boss for Fresh Adventurers

One of the biggest surprises was the reveal of a brand-new early-game boss, accessible within a player's first few hours.

To unlock it, players must complete a new free-to-play quest, The Ides of Milk, marking the first F2P quest addition since Below Ice Mountain in 2021.

Notable Rewards

Cowbell Amulet: Teleports to Lumbridge's east cow pen

Rum Steak: New food healing 10 HP

Bull Bones: Improved Prayer XP over big bones

Muleta: A new melee offhand introducing early shield offense

Cosmetic items, a pet, and combat achievements

This boss is clearly designed to teach positioning, mechanics, and progression—something OSRS has historically lacked in the early game.

Deadman Mode Gets Its Most Accessible Version Yet

Deadman Mode returns with major changes aimed at lowering the barrier to entry.

Key Improvements

You only risk what you carry (no more losing bank keys)

Skilling, quests, and boss KC now contribute to progression

PvP remains dangerous, but casual players can participate safely

Deadman launches January 30, and for the first time, even PvP-skeptical players are feeling tempted to give it a shot.

Summer Sweep-Up Returns in 2026

After massive success in 2024 and 2025, Summer Sweep-Up is back—though its details will be community-driven this time.

Past improvements included:

Elemental weaknesses

Slayer master block lists

Weapon and armor balance passes

For 2026, speculation includes:

A potential Shadow staff rework

New incentives for resource gathering

Improvements to mining and skilling economy loops

Sailing's Massive 2026 Roadmap

Sailing continues to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback, and Jagex unveiled a roadmap within a roadmap.

Spring: Ship Combat Fixes

Improved cannonball production

Cannon accuracy scaling with ranged gear

Separate ammo systems

Potential new Kraken sources for dragon cannon barrels

Summer: The Red Reef Quest

Continuation of the Tortugan questline

Undercover and underwater gameplay

Access to the Sacred Grove, offering:

+7 invisible Woodcutting boost

Deposit box

Sailing and Smithing XP

Players will also vote on a player-designed island, with ship-to-ship NPC combat finally entering the game.

Autumn & Winter

A new, hardest-yet Barracuda Trial

A mystery quest sequel

An Ocean Expansion, potentially expanding the Eastern, Untamed, Forgotten, or Sunset Oceans

Leagues 6: Demonic Pact

Leagues 6 is one of the closest major releases and comes packed with twists.

Major Changes

Region-locked format returns

Starting region is no longer Misthalin

Karamja remains free

Echo bosses return with new mechanics

Combat mastery paths are less linear

Notably, Sailing will not be available, allowing Jagex to refine its integration for future leagues.

Rewards Highlights

New outfit and banner

Recall animation

Throne reskins

Cosmetic Slayer Helm, Soulreaper Axe, and character skins

Blood Moon Rises: The Vampire Quest Finale

The Grandmaster quest Blood Moon Rises concludes the vampire storyline and introduces the realm of Vampyrium.

Major Features

Final upgrade to the Blisterwood Flail

New vampire-slaying special attack weapon

New training methods:

Bloodwood Trees (Woodcutting)

New Hunter creatures

Leechfin Fishing (resource-focused XP)

PvM Additions

Seeker Arrows: Accuracy and minimum hit upgrades

New Slayer monster: Venthors

New boss: The Maggot King

The Maggot King drops:

Necklace of Pursuit (new BiS ranged amulet)

Crimson Bludgeon, a high-skill crush weapon with multi-roll accuracy mechanics

Raid 4: The Fractured Archives

The summit closed with the most anticipated reveal: OSRS Raid 4, arriving in Winter 2026.

What We Know So Far

Guthix-themed

Fast-paced, Theater of Blood-style design

2–8 players (soloable but very difficult)

Multi-boss structure with an epic final encounter

Rewards are still undecided, with Jagex actively seeking community feedback to ensure the raid feels worthy of its place alongside existing endgame content.

Final Thoughts

The 2026 Winter Summit showcased a bold vision for Old School RuneScape. From early-game accessibility to high-end PvM, from Sailing expansions to Leagues experimentation, the game continues to evolve without losing its identity.

While the timeline may feel slightly uneven,with OSRS gold ,the sheer volume of planned content makes one thing clear: OSRS is entering one of its most ambitious years ever.

Now the question remains—what are you most excited for?
 

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NCSoft's latest Aion 2 live stream delivered one of the most impactful update previews to date, revealing sweeping changes that affect anti-cheat enforcement, class balance, dungeon difficulty, quality-of-life systems, and macro gameplay. From hardware-bound bans aimed at botters to major Assassin, Cleric, and Chanter updates, this patch signals a much stricter and more refined direction for the game.Below is a full breakdown of everything revealed.Hardware-Bound Bans: Aion 2's Strongest Anti-Cheat Measure YetThe most significant announcement from the live stream is the introduction of hardware-bound account bans. Unlike traditional bans that can be bypassed by creating new accounts or changing IP addresses, this system targets the entire PC hardware profile.If a player is banned:All PC component serial numbers are blockedChanging IP addresses will not helpA new account will not work on the same machineIn extreme cases, even the modem may be flaggedTo bypass a hardware ban, a player would need to replace major PC components such as the motherboard and GPU—making rule-breaking extremely costly. This is a major escalation against botters, macro abusers, and players violating the Terms of Service with  buy Aion 2 Items .Improved In-Game Reporting System (February 4 Update)Following the February 4 patch, Aion 2's in-game report system will receive a major upgrade:Reports will trigger near-instant admin responseSuspected bots can be investigated liveImmediate in-game action can be takenCombined with hardware bans, this system significantly increases the risk for botting or automation abuse.Anti-Bot Enforcement and Legal ActionNCSoft also revealed statistics showing the scale of their anti-bot campaign:873,000 bot cases have already resulted in bansLegal actions have been taken against cheat developers and distributorsAnti-cheat enforcement now includes real-world legal consequencesVPN access to Korean servers is also being restricted, though ping reducers are not affected, as they do not hide user locations or function as VPNs.Gathering Changes: Level Requirement IncreasedTo further disrupt bot activity:Gathering will now unlock at level 45Players must fully level before accessing resource farmingThis significantly raises the barrier for automated farming accountsDungeon Changes: Difficulty and Balance AdjustmentsNest of Droids DungeonNormal and Hard modes are considered mechanically simpleBosses were overly tanky, leading to long kill timesUpcoming changes reduce boss durability, improving pacingAbyss AdjustmentsLower Abyss mobs slightly nerfedAbyss bosses receive HP increasesMiddle Abyss rewards increased by 40% (Kina and Abyss Points) to better match time investmentClass Balance Changes OverviewAssassin – Massive ModificationsAssassins receive extensive mechanical and balance changes across multiple skills. Due to the volume of updates, players are encouraged to review the full change list carefully, as these adjustments significantly affect PvP and PvE performance.Cleric – Survivability ReworkedStatus effect resistance converted into damage toleranceSkill values redistributed for better consistencyOverall survivability and defensive utility improvedChanter – One of the Biggest Winners This PatchChanter gameplay receives major improvements, especially for farming and PvP:Key highlights:Rushing Smash cooldown resets on kill, enabling rapid mob farmingReduced need for charge time on key abilitiesGuaranteed hit stigma when enchanted to +10Wind of Promise damage increasedImproved mantras, including bonus status resistanceHealing Touch regeneration effects strengthenedThese changes dramatically improve Chanter efficiency in open-world farming and arenas.Shock Resistance and Status Effect UpdatesShock Resistance Scrolls now block all status effects, not just impact:FrostFearRootSleepSealThis is a huge PvP change, especially against Sorcerers and control-heavy builds. The effect only triggers when CC successfully lands, preserving balance.Additionally:Enchant Dispel can now remove invulnerability effectsShield-breaking skills destroy all active shields on hitMacro System and Skill Canceling (Officially Supported)Aion 2 now officially supports skill animation canceling through macros:Allows skills to function like auto-attacksSupports limited repeat actions (5–6 executions)No infinite loop or full automationFully legal and developer-approvedThis system removes the need for third-party macros and levels the playing field for all players.Quality-of-Life ImprovementsWarehouse ExpansionA second independent storage section addedStorage space effectively doubledExpansion available via in-game currency or shop itemsReconnect Timer IncreasedDungeon reconnection window extended from 1 minute to 10 minutesAllows recovery from crashes or restartsBoss TimersReal-time in-game tracking for bosses and events addedSanctuary AccessEntry attempt limits removedPlayers can freely assist guildmates and othersNew Dungeon and Shop UpdatesA new dungeon launches on February 11Release slightly delayed by one weekNew shop items include skins and collectionsFinal ThoughtsThis Aion 2 update represents a major step forward for the game's health and longevity. The combination of:Hardware-bound bansLive admin enforcementMacro system legalizationClass balance improvementsFarming and storage QoL updatesshows a clear focus on fairness, player retention, and long-term stability.Among all changes, the hardware-bound ban system stands out as the most impactful. If implemented correctly, it could permanently cripple botting and cheating in Aion 2.For players who value competitive integrity and active development, this update is a strong sign that Aion 2 Items is moving in the right direction.

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The ARC Raiders Headwinds update, also referred to as the January update, has officially gone live. While initially positioned as a relatively light patch ahead of February's larger content update, Headwinds delivers far more than expected. Beneath its headline features lies a wide range of gameplay adjustments, new progression systems, augments, quests, and quality-of-life improvements that meaningfully impact the day-to-day ARC Raiders experience with  ARC Raiders Coins .

Here's a full breakdown of everything included in the Headwinds update.

Solos vs Squads Matchmaking: High Risk, High Reward

One of the headline features of the update is a new Solos vs Squads matchmaking condition, a surprising addition given how punishing solo play can be in ARC Raiders.

Key details:

Available only to level 40+ players

Solo players are placed into squad matchmaking queues

Grants a 20% XP bonus, regardless of extraction success or failure

While solo players remain at a natural disadvantage, the flat XP bonus makes this mode attractive for fast leveling or passive progression. Since the bonus is performance-based rather than combat-dependent, players can avoid fights entirely or aggressively hunt squads depending on playstyle. Though niche, the system offers a flexible risk–reward option that could be especially appealing in calmer trio lobbies.

Trophy Display Project: Long-Term Progression with Big Rewards

The new Trophy Display Project introduces a permanent, long-term progression system that tasks players with hunting increasingly dangerous ARC groups and submitting their parts.

Highlights include:

A multi-stage display case upgrade path (five steps)

Rewards such as blueprints, Raider Tokens, and currency

Full completion rewards:

A new emote

A Jupiter weapon with ammo

A guitar decoration

300,000 coins

Notably, the project has no fixed end date and will not reset with future expeditions, giving players plenty of time to complete it at their own pace.

Bird City: New Buried City Map Condition

A new permanent map condition called Bird City has been added to Buried City and rotates into the weekly map cycle.

What changes:

Flocks of birds nest in chimneys across rooftops

Nests may contain shiny loot items

Increased rooftop combat

More flying ARC enemies

Additional bird traps and zip lines

While visually interesting, the eight-hour rotation timing has raised questions, as it makes the condition relatively infrequent despite being a major update feature.

Sand Walker Cosmetic Set

The Sand Walker skin set is now available for 1,300 Raider Tokens, featuring:

Uniform with variants

Face paint

Emote

It's the primary cosmetic addition tied to the Headwinds update.

New Epic Augments: Mark III Arrives

Two powerful Mark III epic augments have been introduced, both available exclusively through blueprints.

Safekeeper Mark III (Looting Augment)

Allows any item, including weapons and shields, to be stored in safe pockets

Reduced inventory capacity and fewer safe pocket slots

Compatible with heavy shields (a first for looting augments)

This augment fundamentally changes loot security, making it possible to protect high-value weapons extracted from enemy players or cases.

Tactical Revival Mark III

Passive healing: restores 1 HP every 5 seconds

Healing pauses for 30 seconds after taking damage

Reduced inventory space

Two safe pockets

Limited to Tier 1 shields

This augment favors survivability and sustained play but requires sacrificing loot potential.

New Quests Added

The update adds seven new quests, including:

Two available immediately

Five unlocked through quest progression

One confirmed six-part quest chain

More quest guides are expected as players progress through them.

Major Quality-of-Life Improvements

Party and Squad Enhancements

Open Party option allows friends to join without invites

Squad members can now invite players, not just the party leader

Stream Sniping Protection

Optional matchmaking delay added for content creators

Gamepad Rebinding

Freebinding for most controller buttons now supported

Bug Fixes

Stella Montis Seed Vault extract exploit fixed

Over 40 stuck locations corrected

Improved wall damage mitigation

Achievement fixes

Loot and Economy Adjustments

Several notable loot changes were introduced:

Improved

Higher-tier weapons more likely in weapon cases

Reduced

Condition-specific blueprint spawns during:

Electromagnetic storms

Hidden bunkers

Locked gates

Controversial Changes

Lower drop rates for Matriarch and Queen unique parts

Potentially discourages boss attempts and may increase griefing

These changes aim to push players toward engaging directly with event locations, though early reactions are mixed.

Stealth Changes and Unlisted Adjustments

Players have already discovered several undocumented changes:

New rubber duck variants (Doodly Duck, Flashy Duck)

Ducks sell for more currency and work as den decorations

Looting speed appears slightly slower overall

Fire rate reductions to the Kettle Beretta and Venador

Raider hatches animation fixed (no more sliding glitches)

Updated Anti-Cheat System: Progressive Bans

The anti-cheat system now uses a three-strike ban structure:

30-day ban

60-day ban

Permanent ban

While designed to reduce false positives, this change has sparked debate. Some players feel repeat offenders should be removed immediately, especially if the anti-cheat system is reliable.

Final Thoughts

The Headwinds update is far more substantial than initially advertised. Between matchmaking modifiers, permanent progression systems, new augments, loot rebalancing, QoL upgrades, and anti-cheat changes, it meaningfully reshapes how ARC Raiders plays on a daily basis.

While some balance and loot decisions remain controversial, Headwinds lays strong groundwork ahead of February's larger content update—and proves ARC Raiders BluePrints continues to evolve in depth and complexity.
 

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