Given how RuneScape is an open world MMO, this means players aren’t necessarily required to follow a particular progression route to determine their character’s journeys in the game. Players can follow a traditional adventuring route and aim to make it to the big leagues - doing quests, slaying monsters, and even taking part in intense PVP combat through the Clan Wars. However, players who want a chill RuneScape experience can still find fun in the MMO’s numerous extra activities.
In fact, thanks to the existence of Artisan Skills and Gathering Skills, players have quite a lot of opportunities to explore and experience the world of Gielinor through different perspectives. Aside from combat, there are certain activities players could do that could guarantee them hours of playtime - and some of them might even ensure players that they explore the world of RuneScape without even having to kill a single opponent.
10 Tour The World As An Adventurer
While much of known Gielinor is available for exploration, a casual player doing a RuneScape playthrough can adventure around the game world to get a proper map tour. Despite how most players unconsciously do this regardless of the gameplay style, casual players seeking for full familiarity of the MMO’s world can better appreciate what Gielinor offers with conscious exploration.
Players need to remember that power-leveling to higher Skill Levels would likely require them to jump back and forth between locations to simply kill creatures and gather supplies. However, this doesn’t give players a lot of opportunities to fully “immerse” themselves in what those regions and locations offer in terms of in-game lore. Remember, numerous NPCs offer random stories and potential Side Quests, all of which can provide various insights in current areas.
9 Engage In Roleplaying
One of the best ways a player can spend time in any MMO is to make-believe that they truly are the hero destined to save the world. And this isn’t just regarding the player’s role in the major storyline, but rather even outside of it as well. This is called roleplaying, and there are actual servers and guidelines in RuneScape that detail how to roleplay well with others.
Players who want to make a more meaningful mark in their RuneScape playthrough should consider engaging in roleplaying as well. The process is as simple as pretending their character is a living being inside RuneScape with their personal objectives and agenda, and “acting” as though they’re also NPCs. While it takes some time for players to not immediately look at the act as silly, some sessions could become extremely enjoyable when players create their own personal narrative or even engage in banter with friends who also do the same.
8 Relax And Meditate With Fishing
If there’s anything delightful about how RuneScape open world gameplay tries to emulate real life, it’s the way a Gathering Skill like Fishing is made entertaining for players. While Fishing in RuneScape resembles that of other games in that it’s a separate minigame, the simplicity of Fishing itself makes it quite the addictive activity.
Compared to other games, players simply select a methodology of Fishing they want near a spot - be it to simply fish or do more complex things such as caging or harpooning the water. Each action requires separate tools, which then yields various catches. The meta aspect where players need to invest in time and resources creating or purchasing Fishing Tools and bringing them to their favorite spot can be rather complex to the thrifty user. And even then, the simple sounds of water and the rustling of leaves from trees nearby give Fishing a relaxing and meditative atmosphere.
7 Go On A Pilgrimage Via Prayer
An interesting activity RuneScape players could engage in would be going on a pilgrimage, in the context of the Prayer Skill. Considering the lack of in-depth lore regarding the cosmology of RuneScape, it would be an interesting exercise for players to tour various locations in Gielinor to immerse in the lore available in the area. This is especially viable considering how burying Bones can boost Prayer XP, and how Bones are readily available in most areas.
For instance, players can do tours and reach areas such as Edgeville Monastery (Edgeville), the Elidinis Statuette (Nardah), or even the Nature Grotto (Mort Myre Swamp). Some events and locations such as the Dungeon boss rooms in God Wars also offer altars that can boost Prayer Points depending on the player’s divine faction. Not to mention, players focusing on the Prayer Skill can do this in conjunction with other exploration-based Skills, such as collecting ores via the Mining Skill.
6 Get Rich With Mining
While it’s true that almost any Artisan Skill in RuneScape gameplay can help players earn Gold, it’s perhaps the Mining Skill that is the easiest way for players to earn even a little profit through their exploits. At its core, Mining allows players to gather ores that they can process to bars, which they can then smith into most equipment for RuneScape combat. When combined with the Smithing Skill, players can become a one-person provider of gear on the go.
However, one of the more interesting things to farm in RuneScape would be Rune Essence. This ore is the rawest form of Runes in the game, allowing free players to use Runecrafting to create the most basic Runes for a majority of Magic spells. Due to the extensive need of Runes when casting spells, Runes are one of the most commonly-traded materials between players. Once players get Mining 30, tapping to Rune Essence mining can be one of the most lucrative sources of income in the game. An added bonus here would be the fact that Mining itself is rather relaxing, especially due to its repetitive nature.
5 Become The Resident Smith Through Smithing
With RuneScape gameplay allowing players to create most of the game’s gear, it makes sense for Smithing to be one of the most popular Artisan Skills available in the MMO. Players simply need to take their ores to smelt them into metal bars, and then forge them into their ideal weapon or armor - perfect for those pursuing RuneScape bosses. And while this task seems repetitive, it’s precisely this condensed yet routinary nature that makes it quite addictive.
Firstly, players can select from an assortment of smiths around Gielinor for a place that gives them the best ambiance and then a specialty to focus on. Secondly, players also have the option to sell the items they create in the Grand Exchange to earn money. Most importantly, the cramped nature of smiths and the repetitive sounds of clanking and burning can make Smithing a neat meditative alternative to Fishing, especially for players who want to hang out in areas near civilization compared to bodies of water.
4 Become An Artist Through Crafting
Aside from Smithing, Crafting is another Artisan Skill players can rely on when creating some of the best gear in RuneScape gameplay. At first glance, Crafting is more or less a Skill that focus on gearing up long-ranged combatants, as they rely more on leather armor or other equipment sourced from various creatures and materials. However, players who want to look at Crafting beyond the idea of just creating the best gear might want to look at it from the perspective of artistry.
For instance, players might be surprised to learn that outside Leather, various materials could be used to create armor such as Carapace, Snakeskin, Dragonleather, and even Batwing - all of which players can acquire through various means and craft into interesting pieces. Players tired of combat may want to earn their way into acquiring the parts needed to craft these unique armor, which gives them the experience of playing as a traveling artisan instead of a mere adventurer.
3 Dominate Magic Via Runecrafting
Unlike other games, RuneScape gameplay relies heavily on resources - but there’s no “Mana” when it comes to its spells. Instead, the “Rune” in the game’s name comes in the form of Runes, which are powerful stones that spellcasters channel to cast their spells. In the game, Magic spells require a certain number of Runes to use, and Runes aren’t necessarily cheap.
Thankfully, players with high-enough Runecrafting can create a whole assortment of Runes for their Magic needs. Runecrafting at first glance is a straightforward skill where players simply take Rune Essences to Runecrafting Altars. However, what makes Runecrafting rather addicting is how it can encourage players to simply go wild with the number of Runes they make - be it to “count” how many Runes of a certain spell they need to cast to level up Magic quickly, or to sell in the Grand Exchange for a lot of money.
2 Become A Master Chef With Cooking
With an open-world MMO like RuneScape, it makes sense that the stats of players could be affected by something like cooking. In most other games, players simply need to bring ingredients together to create a dish and be on their merry way. However, RuneScape takes cooking to the next level in that this Artisan Skill is the closest fans could get to simulation game-like cooking for a mundane life in the MMO.
At its core, players who cook don’t just improve their Cooking Skill but can also reduce the chances of burning their dishes (yes, it happens) and even expand on the kind of bonuses they get when eating. Not only that, players can also raise their Cooking high enough to prepare high-level foods that could be purchased from them, creating a source of income. For players just interested in the delight of creating food can enjoy Cooking as it’s not limited to simply bringing meat or fish to a flame. Rather, they even get access to more complicated food categories such as Baking and Brewing, both of which require multiple ingredients to pull off.
1 Go Wall Street In The Grand Exchange
In-player trading has been an active component within most MMOs, each of which creating their equivalent of an Auction House or a Trading Hall to facilitate the purchase and selling of items among a game’s thousands of players. However, RuneScape gameplay one-ups most MMOs in the trading scene courtesy of the Grand Exchange. Perhaps one of the oldest and liveliest MMO micro-economies out there, the Grand Exchange - particularly through the branches in Varrock and Edgeville - is the best place to get almost any item in the game.
Players who want to move away from traditional MMO combat may want to invest (no pun intended) their hard-earned items and crafted gear through buy-and-sell in the Grand Exchange. Courtesy of MMO-supported sites such as the secure Grand Exchange section of the RuneScape site, trading hopefuls can study market trends and finally implement business strategies such as “buying low, selling high” with their favorite items.
RuneScape is available to play on the PC.