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The Fractured Archive Opens as OSRS's Fourth Raid
The Fractured Archive has opened as Old School RuneScape's fourth raid, bringing selectable routes and a broad reward pool. Its quest gate and dangerous death rules deserve attention before a first run.
The doors to OSRS's fourth raid are open
The Fractured Archive arrived in Old School RuneScape on October 20, 2026, with an opening targeted for 11:00 UTC. As the game's fourth raid, it adds another major option for high-level group PvM. The release announcement also establishes several rules that will shape early attempts, covering access, party size, deaths and the way teams progress through the encounter.
Entry is not immediately available to every character. Players must first complete While Guthix Sleeps, and the raid entrance is located near the Guthixian Temple. Checking every member's quest progress before assembling the party can prevent a planned run from ending at the door. Teams should also organize their travel and equipment before heading toward the temple for the first time.
Flexible party sizes and selectable routes
The raid scales for groups of two to eight players. Although that range leaves room for compact duos and larger parties, the developer recommends taking three to five people. That suggested size may make it easier to distribute responsibilities while keeping communication manageable during early exploration. Groups outside the recommendation can still enter, but should prepare with the encounter's scaling in mind.
Progress is not confined to one fixed corridor. Teams choose between different bosses along the way before facing a final boss. Those decisions alter the sequence of encounters and the shape of an individual run, but every available route carries the same total number of contribution points. The choice can therefore reflect the group's preferences rather than a need to follow one path simply for a higher contribution total.
Deaths are dangerous and Practice Mode is absent
Deaths inside The Fractured Archive are not safe. That distinction is especially important for Hardcore Ironman and Hardcore Group Ironman players, who can lose their hardcore status by dying in the raid. A party seeing the mechanics for the first time should not treat entry as a consequence-free scouting trip. Resource planning, retreat decisions and clear communication matter even before the group understands every encounter.
After a full wipe, the gravestone appears outside the raid. Its associated fee receives a 75 percent discount until the first five completions, softening the cost of the learning period without removing the consequences of failure. There is also no Practice Mode at launch. Teams learning the content must therefore do so under normal conditions and should budget supplies as well as possible item-retrieval costs for unsuccessful attempts.
What is included in the reward pool?
The listed rewards are Elemental Fragments, Archivist's Folio, Ascension shards, Zeal, Rondache, Zorya's Tome, Ascension Crossbows and Obligator. Elemental Fragments and Archivist's Folio are untradeable. Zeal is an upgrade for Piety, and the item that unlocks this upgrade is tradeable. Rondache, Zorya's Tome and Ascension Crossbows are also tradeable. The release listing does not provide a clear trade-status statement for Ascension shards or Obligator in the information summarized here, so players should not infer one.
That mixture gives the raid both character-bound progression rewards and drops that can enter the wider economy. Prices and preferred routes may shift during the opening period, making verified item information more useful than early speculation. Before starting, groups should consider the quest requirement, recommended party size and death risk together rather than planning around rewards alone. Tradeable OSRS items, gold and accounts can be bought or sold on GameinShop with escrow protection.
Source: Old School RuneScape