Old School RuneScape finally adds Sailing today — but the biggest change isn’t the boats

Sailing lands in Old School RuneScape-and it actually changes how we play

Old School RuneScape hasn’t added a new skill in over a decade, so Sailing arriving today isn’t just another update-it’s a fundamental shift in how we move, train, and explore Gielinor. The pitch is simple: build a ship, chart the uncharted, and fold a bunch of skilling systems into an ocean-sized playground. The impact is bigger: new progression loops, new economies, and the first real “race to 99” moment OSRS has seen since launch.

• Sailing is live for members on PC, Steam, iOS and Android with cross-platform progression.
• Start at Port Sarim and Pandemonium, learn the ropes, then take on port tasks via your spyglass to earn XP.
• Shipbuilding upgrades, new islands, the Tortugan species on The Great Conch, and sea/sky threats like sharks, orcas, frost dragons and gryphons.
• Integrated skilling: new trees, ores, fish, coral nurseries for potions, plus… yes, you can steal pirate treasure.
• The race to 99 returns, with a community-designed Skill Cape by GentleTractor up for grabs.

Breaking down Sailing without the puffery

Here’s the loop Jagex is promising. You get your starter raft and head to Pandemonium to learn basic navigation-think “get comfortable before the waters get mean.” From there, you’ll use a spyglass to pick up port tasks, plot routes, and hop between locales in search of XP and loot: cracking open crates of rum, solving mermaid riddles, salvaging shipwrecks, and meeting new NPCs like the Tortugans on The Great Conch.

As you climb the Sailing levels, shipbuilding kicks in. Expect incremental upgrades—better wood types for hulls, expanded cargo capacity for longer voyages, upgraded cannons, and onboard facilities that make your ship feel like a mobile skilling base. The skill’s pitch leans on integration: chop new trees at exotic isles, mine unique ores from coastal outcrops, fish new marine species, nurture coral for potent potions, and if you’re feeling roguish, pocket pirate plunder. It’s not just a transport mechanic; it’s a hub that touches Woodcutting, Fletching, Smithing, Fishing, Herblore, and Thieving.

Crucially, the ocean itself brings friction and risk. Sailing hazards and roaming monsters—from sharks to gryphons and frost dragons—promise encounters that aren’t just “click and chill.” If Jagex gets that balance right, we might finally see skilling that feels like adventuring, not just standing on a tile watching numbers tick up.

Why this matters now

This caught my attention because OSRS has danced around a new skill for years. Warding crashed in 2019, and since then the team has earned trust by iterating with the community—Guardians of the Rift for Runecrafting, Tempoross for Fishing, and seasonal Leagues reminding everyone how fun fresh progression can be. Sailing is the first fully new pillar since 2013’s Old School relaunch, and it’s community-voted. That alone gives it a runway most MMOs dream of.

Timing-wise, it’s smart. A skill launch energizes lapsed players, floods Twitch with “race to 99” streams, and creates an economy shake-up right before the holiday window. With full cross-platform progression, you can grind port tasks on mobile on the commute and theorycraft ship builds on PC at night. That flexibility matters for a forever game.

Hype vs. headwinds: the honest gamer take

I’m excited, but a few red flags are worth watching:

• XP rates and AFK creep: If Sailing becomes the new “put the phone down and profit,” it could trivialize progression and undercut the charm of OSRS’s deliberate grinds.
• Power creep through potions: Coral-based brews sound cool, but do they stomp on Herblore’s existing balance? If new potions invalidate staples, the PvM and PvP meta could churn hard.
• Travel obsolescence: Boats shouldn’t render teleports and overland routes pointless. If ship travel beats everything, the world shrinks in all the wrong ways.
• Bot risk and chores: Port tasks are ripe for scripting if they’re too deterministic. Jagex needs variety and hazard to keep the loop human, not bottable.

On the flip side, if Sailing nails the “adventure per minute” pacing—micro-stories like mermaid riddles, shipwreck salvage, and opportunistic combat—it could become the best example of skilling-as-exploration the game has ever had. That’s the dream the community rallied around back when Sailing first surfaced as a concept years ago: a skill that makes the world feel bigger, not just grindier.

What players should do first

If you’re diving in today, head to Port Sarim and then Pandemonium to start the introductory questlines. Expect early markets to be volatile: high-tier logs, ores, and cannon materials will spike as everyone rushes ship upgrades. Bring cash, bank space, and patience—day-one tuning and hotfixes are a given. Ironmen should plan flexible routes that bounce between ship tasks and resource islands to maximize passive gains for existing skills.

Hardcore players, take the “hazardous waters” label seriously. Until you understand storm patterns and enemy behaviors, don’t risk everything on a max-capacity cargo run. Early adopters chasing the GentleTractor cape should prioritize efficient task chains via the spyglass and avoid detours that look cute but pay poorly in XP per minute.

Looking ahead

What I want to see next: social systems around fleets, deeper port progression, and late-game voyages that matter for the broader ecosystem—think resource sinks, boss access, or even raid-adjacent expeditions. If Jagex treats the ocean as a living expansion layer, not a one-and-done minigame, Sailing could become the model for future skills. If not, it risks settling into “new Tempoross with extra steps.”

TL;DR

Sailing is live in Old School RuneScape, and it’s the first truly new way to play the game in years. Build ships, explore new waters, and tie multiple skills together—just watch for AFK creep, balance wobbles, and early econ chaos. If Jagex sticks the landing, the ocean won’t just add space; it’ll add stories.