NewsOld School RuneScape
RuneFest 2026 Sets Out Hardcore Worlds and Menaphos Plans
RuneFest 2026 outlined an ambitious OSRS roadmap spanning permanent Hardcore Worlds, Menaphos and a new boss collection. Not every reveal is confirmed, however.
Hardcore Worlds gets a firm launch date
The RuneFest 2026 overview, published by the Old School RuneScape team on October 3, placed firm releases and poll-dependent concepts on the same roadmap. Its clearest date belongs to Hardcore Worlds, a permanent mode launching November 4. Players will begin fresh on servers and in an economy separated from the main game. They will retain regular-account privileges such as trading and Grand Exchange access, but every character has only one life and there are no XP or drop-rate boosts. After dying, a player may erase their progress and restart or transfer the character to the main game. A transfer preserves progress and remaining gear, but anything lost under the usual death rules stays gone. Deaths in the Fight Caves, Inferno and Nightmare Zone will also be unsafe.
A proposed boss collection revisits old dungeons
Dungeons of Gielinor is not a dated release but a substantial PvM proposal in the Summit poll. The project would combine at least five bosses aimed at different stages of progression with new Slayer creatures, a short early-game quest and modest skilling improvements in neglected dungeons. Two examples show its range. Beneath Varlamore, a Gemstone Dragons dungeon would house Sapphire, Emerald and Ruby Dragons as Slayer targets, with the Diamond Dragon waiting deeper inside. In Asgarnia, the goblin boss Ripgut would offer an accessible encounter designed to teach useful PvM fundamentals, a connected quest and a harder version for experienced fighters. Current plans make the hard-mode rewards cosmetic. The complete boss roster is still being shaped, while combat rewards would receive separate polls.
Menaphos remains subject to player approval
The long-closed city of Menaphos was presented as another large but conditional expansion. Players who have completed Beneath Cursed Sands would gain initial access, while the Master-tier quest Fool's Gold would investigate Amascut's control over the Puppet Pharaoh Kemesis and unlock more of the city. Below Menaphos, the true Soul Altar would require level 90 Runecraft and introduce an Abyss route, a Soul talisman and a craftable Soul tiara. It is intended to provide faster Soul rune crafting than the current Arceuus method. The Vault of the Soul Altar would become OSRS's first skilling dungeon, combining Thieving, Agility and Runecraft through traps and obstacles. Banks, shops, water sources, a Sailing port, port tasks and even a cactus patch are also included in the city proposal.
Skill and quest projects are still taking shape
Mining & Smithing: Reforged is not yet a finished rework pitch. The team is first asking permission to explore changes that could make both skills more engaging and rewarding while preserving familiar training methods and establishing room for future additions. On the quest side, Fairytale III: Nexus of Power is a proposed Master-tier finale targeted for 2027 if it passes the poll. Early ideas include a more relaxed Nexus-based Runecraft activity, Fairy ring upgrades and a repeatable Nexus Guardian boss. The Chosen Commander is also proposed as an Old School adaptation of the 2009 quest, raised to Master difficulty. Planned rewards include three separate 40,000 XP lamps and Zanik's Modified Crossbow, while its post-quest Dorgesh-Kaan activities and further rewards will return for later polls.
Source: Old School RuneScape