Those that don’t know whether to pick up Runescape or OSRS should read this one first.

Thanks to Runescape and Old School Runescape finally being in Steam, both games were able to reach a modicum of cult success among gamers with specific tastes. Now the question is which of these old but gold games that continue to be enjoyable should new players take up. There is no easy answer, so it’s up to you which Runescape gold game you’ll go with.

What is Runescape

Before going into the differences of each version, Runescape is. Developed by Jagex, this MMO, which is one of the genre’s firsts, is a sandbox MMO. That means players can do anything and go anywhere, provided that the character has the skill or lore requirements for it.

Unfortunately, Runescape’s graphics are unimpressive, even during the time it was first released. This, however, is not because of laziness or to promote the game’s accessibility, but because Jagex is a small studio. It’s unfair to say that graphics aren’t important, but the gameplay is king, so they focused on that first.

Such a focus has done wonders for the game, as the player base enjoyed the deep and bountiful content, lore, and world-building. On top of that, despite not having the main story mode like modern MMORPGs, it managed to tell a handful of stories and made players love the world of Gielinor. By exploring and finishing one quest after another, Gielinor and its legends reveal itself to the patient and hardworking adventurer. Plus, with Runescape being a true sandbox experience, its players are freer than those in World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV. It’s not for everyone, but Runescape has definitely captured a very specific yet devoted group of gamers.

On a related note would be membership. Unlike before, membership now applies to both game versions. With that, players now have the incentive to try both, as well as enjoy more content, and farm RS3 gold.

A Different Path: Old School Runescape 

With that out of the way, it’s time to determine which is which. First is Old School Runescape, AKA OSRS, which is the “older” version even though it’s a more recent release. This is Runescape’s version of World of Warcraft Classic and therefore meant to be stuck as a past version in response to fans that want to keep it that way. To be exact, it’s stuck in 2007, as it’s considered as the heyday of the game.

The “Old School” bit, however, has become a bit of a misnomer. While it has the same gameplay and mechanics as its 2007 self, it’s received new content. It’s not the same content as that in the main game; instead, they’re exclusive OSRS content. This includes the kingdom of Great Kourend and the horror-themed Morytania. It also has a relatively new kind of content according to Runescape standards: raids. Of which, it has two: Chambers of Xeric and Theatre of Blood.

With old mechanics but new content, OSRS is an anachronism of both the old and the new. This makes it a strange yet interesting and enjoyable game worth playing. Whether you should play it before the mainline Runescape or not is up to you. Regardless, playing this is a great way to see what the game was like back then.

Present and Future: Runescape 3 

On the other hand, Runescape is unashamed of being a product of its time. At the same time, it’s been also catching up with time. Unlike Old School Runescape, the game has seen much improvement in graphics and mechanics, as it has gotten a good amount of quality-of-life improvements, to the point that it’s now called Runescape 3. These QoL improvements aren’t as good as that of World of Warcraft, but that’s okay. After all, too many QoL improvements have made traditional role-players less interested in World of Warcraft, and Runescape

Also, while OSRS also has new content, Runescape simply has more and receives new ones more often. Ironically, it only has one raid compared to the older version of the game, but it’s got more expansions, and expansions mean more overall content. A raid in exchange for way more zones, cities. Runescape items, and dungeons?

If you’re sold on that idea then Runescape is for you. In fact, because of how much content the game has, there is a treasure trove of RS3 Discontinued Items, waiting to be obtained by connoisseurs from entrepreneurs.

So, which Runescape will you go for? Our recommendation is, of course, to try both. The only question now is when you should start, and the answer to that is now.

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