RuneScape details its plans to scrap its 'Treasure Hunter' microtransactions, rework combat, and dole out other 'integrity-focused releases' for its 25th anniversary
'Integrity' has been a very big word in the RuneScape sphere this past year—Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy used the word at least six times when justifying some of his bolder decisions in 2025. Among those were his declaration that Jagex would take a sledgehammer to the microtransactions that have "tainted" RuneScape 3, which sounds cool, and his decision to nix RuneScape's in-game Pride events, which sounds bad.
Players were given the opportunity to vote in November as to whether they'd like the widely reviled Treasure Hunter microtransactions removed: Obviously, they said yes, and that's one of the first items on the 2026 roadmap unveiled today. The accompanying blog post states it "represents more than a milestone; it’s a turning point—one that sets RuneScape firmly on course for the future it deserves."
The plans detailed in the post are already in motion, as Treasure Hunter is already out of the game. Players will have the year to use up whatever items they've already bought, "with additional chances later in the year to clear out anything that remains, before [hundreds of gameplay-impacting MTX] items are ultimately made obsolete."
Plenty more was shown off with the new roadmap. For example, a combat overhaul is coming: basic attacks are back, "unnecessary" abilities will be reworked or removed, and animations will be cleaned up. On top of that, the UI is getting a rework which makes it look just a touch more like Old School RuneScape, though with all the extra doodads and functionality you expect from RS3. The minimap is a circle again, which I'm sure tugs at someone's nostalgia-ridden heartstrings.
There's all sorts of other balance tweaks and teases available for your perusal on the RuneScape website, like a housing rework, graphical changes, and new zones. Suffice it to say, the aging MMO has a big year ahead of it, even if no combat rework will ever be as cool as Old School RuneScape's introduction of sailing. Whether it will salvage the sense of integrity Bellamy has been searching for has yet to be seen.
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